Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Because of God's mysterious plan of salvation revealed to mankind in these last days, people of faith in Christ Jesus’ works can come boldly before God. This condition of holiness before God is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The cleansing blood of Jesus allows for the Spirit of God to dwell in people's hearts. Peter talks about this wonderful time we live in by quoting the prophet Joel. “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. (Acts 2:17) Rightness with a holy God is the product of the Spirit’s work within the hearts of men and women of faith in Christ Jesus. IN CHRIST we now become the children of God, not just children of flesh. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Paul’s ministry to the Ephesians begins with about twelve men who were followers of God through the baptism of John. They were earnest men who wanted God in their lives, so as John preached, they were orienting their lives toward God by living in a state of repentance, illustrated by caring for others. “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” (Luke 3:11) This kind of life is good; however, it lacks true transforming power. Paul ministers that the real change of a life comes from the power of the Holy Spirit resident in people. Only faith in Jesus and the concomitant residence of the Holy Spirit in the heart can make someone acceptable to a holy God. Jesus puts it this way, “you must be born again," made completely new. Therefore, these twelve were introduced to the name of Jesus. While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? ”They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. (Acts 19:1-7) When they heard about John pointing to the one coming after him, they were baptized in the name of Jesus, and then received a sign of wholeness by speaking in other languages and prophesying. This indicated to them that they are now completely new, born again. This powerful transforming work of Jesus Christ in lives was THE MESSAGE Paul was communicating to the Greek communities. This new work of God was available to all people, everywhere, a new work of God implemented through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Perfection and rightness with God was now available to all people. In the Old Testament we see men constructing the physical temple where God would dwell on earth. Everything had to be done exactly as the Lord directed. All measurements had to be perfect; all materials had to be as God commanded. Nothing was left to the creativity of men; all of it had to be precisely as God desired. This is symbolic of what God demands of human beings who will be the temple of the living God. His dwelling place must be perfect, and only Jesus Christ is perfect. Anything less than perfection will be destroyed. Holiness is eternal. Eternity is a place of holiness. To be with God forever demands perfection. Only Jesus is perfect, so by faith we hide in Jesus’ righteousness, not our own righteousness. The Bible says that Moses was the most humble man on earth. But even Moses was told to take off his sandals when approaching the burning bush. He was on holy ground; therefore, nothing manmade could walk on that surface. The flesh begets flesh; the spirit begets spirit. Man’s works are not completely without defects: God is perfect, holy. God’s works are holy, not man’s works. Jesus Christ is holy--the only human that has ever walked on the face of earth without God’s disfavor, for all other humans have fallen short of the perfectness of God. Therefore, IN CHRIST, we find favor with God or perfection in his eyes.
John the Baptist's ministry was direct and powerful, demanding people to repent of their sinful ways. Yet his ministry did not stop with just good works, but he also talked about the one who would follow him. The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. (John 3:31-36) Everything including people and existence itself is in the hands of Jesus Christ, and whoever honors him will be honored by God. The covenant with Abraham was the same way. Whoever would bless Abraham would be blessed, but whoever cursed Abraham would be cursed. Abraham was considered righteous because he believed God’s words that were told to him. He believed the promises that God gave him. We now have the Word of God in our presence because of the Holy Spirit with us. Do we believe The Word or are we putting Jesus to shame by not trusting in him completely? Abraham trusted God’s word; we are to trust in God’s Word, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God’s love to humankind, given freely to all people. Therefore, Paul says. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. By knowing Christ and his love, we become instruments of God’s love to all people, everywhere. By loving people that God has made in an intrinsic manner, we are exposing Jesus' immeasurable richness to all people, how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. The Good News, God's way for all people to become his children in an eternal venue, is precisely the message that Paul was teaching to the Ephesians. He spent his first three months in Ephesus teaching The Way to the Jews in the synagogue, but many of them were opposed to his teaching. Because of their strong opposition to this message of freedom from sin though faith in Jesus Christ, he abandoned the synagogue and went to a secular hall to lecture the truth about God’s plan of salvation. At this time, God gave Paul the ability to perform marvelous acts in the name of Jesus Christ. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. (Acts 19:11-12) As with Stephen and Peter before him, wonderful miracles were performed by them to validate the power of God in and through Jesus’ name. Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. (Acts 7:8) In Acts 5 we see Peter’s shadow had healing power. God's intrusion into man's affairs came through mighty acts of the Holy Spirit. Healing and casting out demons was a big part of the Good News to a sick and dying world. Jesus came to ransom people from the Evil One.
Because of the intransigent nature of men and women against God’s will in their lives, their good works were not enough to conquer the sin within them. This intractable behavior of evil within mankind has played a big part in the history of man’s existence. Men and women do not want to fall under the control of a righteous God. Often we choose to maneuver around what the scriptures demand in our lives. We digest only the part of the word that we desire to believe in, allowing our fleshly lives to determine what we will choose. We often write our own Bible, deleting or accepting the parts our flesh will agree with. Sadly, the immeasurable riches of the word are often designed as our fleshly self-will desires. This pattern of accepting part of what God has said to mankind has been evident from the beginning of time. Man’s violent and self-willed nature is like the person singing as they pass the graveyard, willingly avoiding the truth of their short lives and their disobedient nature to an eternal God. We sing as we pass the graveyard, ignoring the gravity of not doing God’s will at all times. The prophets of old would often express this dire position of people when it comes to obeying God’s will. Rather than the people expressing God’s care for the widows, orphans, immigrants, and poor, they would take advantage of the helpless and the weak. God not only judged them because of their idol worshipping, but also because of their lack of love for fellow human beings, especially the poor. The Jewish people obeyed the words of God they wanted to obey, and they avoided the words they did not want to obey. “Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them. (Zechariah 6:11-12 NLT) The Holy Spirit who is with us is still talking to the hearts of men; He is still beseeching men and women that if they have two shirts give one away to the disadvantaged, the poor, the infirm, the stranger. Yes, salvation has come to our households through the works of Christ on the cross, but we still cannot live in sin and selfishness and be approved by the God of love. He demands perfection and we are PERFECT IN CHRIST. But we are also ambassadors, expressing the nature of God to a sinful world. If we stubbornly refuse to obey the voice of the God of love, and we edit the Bible according to our fleshly desires, we are shaming the holy ground we walk upon. God is present with us, and He will judge our works. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrew 12:28-29) We are in a kingdom that cannot be shaken; consequently, we are to serve God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Do not MAKE your heart stony. Instead express through words and deeds the truth of God’s great love toward all people. Show by your life, God’s immeasurable love for people, helping them to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, letting them to know this love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. Breakfast companions, we are those who love as God loves, so that no one we know will face perdition.
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