Prayer, a priority to Paul, is a priority to the Christian and appropriately commences, concludes and forms the centre of the letter to the Ephesians. The letter to the Ephesians opens with a prayer of priority, a prayer that the Christians in effect may feed upon the Lord Jesus, that they might encounter the Spirit of Wisdom, and revelation in the knowledge of Him. The priority in the work of Holy Spirit is in the revelation of a Person, that is Jesus, and thus the purpose He has for us and the power which flows flows from Him. Never underestimate the power of Jesus in the life of the Christian. This power is of the same quality and is measured according to the resurrecting power seen in Jesus Christ! This is the power which raised Lazarus, liberated Israel, rebuilt Jerusalem and instated a Shepherd as a Sovereign! We may be down and week but with God we are not out!
The Christian life in Ephesians hangs on 3 prayers:
- Feeding (1:15-23)
- Filling (3:14-21)
- Fighting (6:18)
We seen at least 2 previous ways we could divide up the letter:
- Chapters 1 to 3 – Doctrine – why we do it
- Chapters 4 to 6 – Practice – what we do
Suggested that we could take the template from the OT of Israel, led by Moses and then Joshua from the Exodus to the promised land. That journey would encapsulate:
- Redemption – Exodus 12 – Ephesians chp 1
- Sanctification – leaving the world and Satan behind (2:1-4) and moving up the mountain (Exodus 20) and into the heavenly places in Christ (Eph 2:5-10)
- Fellowship in the tabernacle (Exodus 25ff) which is the church of Ephesians 2:11ff – a place where God dwells (Ephesians 2:22), where we meet with God (2:18).
- Dimensions of Divine love – the ark of the covenant records it as 2 ½ cubits by 1 ½ cubits by 1 ½ cubits, here we have it in Ephesians 3:14-21.
- The walk of God’s people (Ephesians chapter 4 and 5) – the wilderness journey
- Battle and victory (Ephesians 6:10ff)
These 3 prayers are not simply random prayers punctuating the epistle but they do reflect the structure of the letter and the pattern of the Christian life.
The first prayer concludes the section on:
- Election
- Predestination
- Adoption
- Redemption
- Inheritance
- Sealed with the Spirit
With a prayer that we might appreciate what the purpose of all of this is!
A very apt prayer!
It is a prayer which draws us to:
- A Person
- God’s Purpose
- God’s Power
The first ministry here in Ephesians after the Spirit of God seals me is the Revelation of God, which is of course through Christ:
- “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” (John 15:26)
- “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” (John 16:13ff)
- “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
- “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Co 4:6)
The first priority to know Him!
- “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” (Phil 3:10)
His Power (1:19)
The power available to us as God’s people is a power after the same type, the same kind as that which raised up Christ from the dead! (Ephesians 1:2)
His power is a resurrecting power.
This is a power after the fashion of the power which:
- Regenerated a lost world with 8 people
- Made of Abraham a great nation
- Promoted a slave and prisoner to second in command in Egypt
- Turned a slave and fugitive to Saviour of Israel
- Brought water from the rock
- Turned a shepherd to a sovereign
- Raised up a ruined Jerusalem from the ashes in the days of Nehemiah
- Rebuilt a destroyed temple in the days of Ezra
- Restored a lost kingdom and nation to Israel
- Raised Lazarus from the dead
- Restored Onesimus from uselessness to usefulness
In Ephesians 3:14-21 the experience and reality of this power arises from the experience of the indwelling presence of Christ (3:17), His filling comes from us being “rooted and grounded in love” (3:17;19) it is that trust in Christ, in His love that brings me to surrender to Him, understanding that He can be utterly trusted and that I can safely surrender to Him (Ephesians 3:19).
It was the experience of this love that:
- Brought Zacchaeus to surrender half of his goods
- Brought Paul to present his life on the alter
- Brought the servant to total surrender and commitment (Exodus 21:6)
- Brought Mary to anoint Jesus
Dr J Stewart Gillespie