Sermon Text
Paul falls to his knees — literally — to pray one of the most beautiful prayers in all of Scripture. '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.' This is not a casual prayer. The apostle is on his face before the Father, pleading for the spiritual depth and maturity of the believers in Ephesus.
What does Paul pray for? Not more money. Not easier circumstances. Not even more ministry success. He prays that they would be strengthened in their inner being — that the core of who they are would be fortified by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the kind of strength that sustains you when everything external falls apart.
And then he prays that they would be 'rooted and established in love, so that they 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.' Notice — this comprehension of Christ's love is not a solo project. It takes the whole community of faith to begin to grasp the dimensions of divine love.
The love of Christ is wider than our prejudice, longer than our patience, higher than our aspirations, and deeper than our darkest failure. It is a love 'that surpasses knowledge.' You can study it your whole life and never exhaust it. You can experience it daily and still find new wonders. It is infinite, because it flows from an infinite God.
Paul closes with a doxology that should ring in our hearts every day: '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.' May we be a church rooted deep in the soil of God's love.
Key Points
- Paul prays for inner spiritual strength, not external comforts
- Being 'rooted in love' means our deepest identity is grounded in Christ's love
- Grasping the dimensions of God's love requires community
- Christ's love surpasses human knowledge yet can be experienced daily
- God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine