November 3, 2018 THAT HE WOULD GRANT
Ephesians 3:16-21 “that He would grant to you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Every believer has a great need, and only God can meet that need; Paul prayed that God would grant to us what must happen if we are going to live the Christian life as portrayed in the New Testament. As you read the writings of Paul, you readily see that it was his all- consuming passion and the desire of his heart that believers would come to know their true identity in the Lord and to know what it meant for Christ to dwell in their hearts. This prayer of Paul was not just for the believers of his day; If Paul was present with us today, He would pray this same prayer for us because it has always been and always will be the greatest need of believers. Paul knew that it was possible for one to be born again and yet not mature in the faith, but remain infants in Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:1. It may be a process for some, or it may be sudden, but however it happens, it is knowing and experiencing the reality of the Holy Spirit of God living in us that makes the difference. The Holy Spirit works deep within, in our inner man, changing and transforming us from the inside out. As believers, we need to know the truth of the scriptures-who God says we are-and not only do we need to know it with our mind, we also must have faith and claim as true all that God says about us through His word. In God’s kingdom, faith is essential; Hebrews 11:6 tells that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Knowing God, knowing that His Spirit indwells us, and even our faith, comes as a result of God revealing these truths to us. That is what Paul is praying for-that God would grant to us the knowledge of His presence in us and all that that means. Since this comes through revelation, then one might say that all we can do is to wait and hope that someday God would give us such revelation. It is true that God is the one who reveals, and how and when He chooses to give revelation is totally up to Him. However, I think we can make ourselves better candidates to receive revelation from God by seeking Him first, by having a heart to know Him, by studying the scriptures, and by quickly obeying every command we see in the scriptures and following the leading of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33. In Jeremiah 29:13 we read: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Knowing the work of the Spirit in our inner man is to be strengthened with power, a power that comes from God. When God rules in our inner man, we have confidence, hope, faith, boldness, steadfastness, joy, and peace. The over-riding aspect of God ruling is that of love; it is the love of God that changes us, that brings about all the fruit of the Spirit; His love is the foundation; His love is supreme. May we be rooted and grounded in the love of God, and out of that love may we begin to discover just how awesome is the love that surpasses knowledge. The word of God is not primarily a book of good information; it is a book that has as its main purpose, the total transformation of man; through the word of God and the Holy Spirit working together, we are no longer mere human beings-we are made sons and daughters of God who have been made new, with the Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father making their abode in us!
Ephesians 1:18-19b “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
Blessings,
Buddy
Ephesians 3:16-21 “that He would grant to you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Every believer has a great need, and only God can meet that need; Paul prayed that God would grant to us what must happen if we are going to live the Christian life as portrayed in the New Testament. As you read the writings of Paul, you readily see that it was his all- consuming passion and the desire of his heart that believers would come to know their true identity in the Lord and to know what it meant for Christ to dwell in their hearts. This prayer of Paul was not just for the believers of his day; If Paul was present with us today, He would pray this same prayer for us because it has always been and always will be the greatest need of believers. Paul knew that it was possible for one to be born again and yet not mature in the faith, but remain infants in Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:1. It may be a process for some, or it may be sudden, but however it happens, it is knowing and experiencing the reality of the Holy Spirit of God living in us that makes the difference. The Holy Spirit works deep within, in our inner man, changing and transforming us from the inside out. As believers, we need to know the truth of the scriptures-who God says we are-and not only do we need to know it with our mind, we also must have faith and claim as true all that God says about us through His word. In God’s kingdom, faith is essential; Hebrews 11:6 tells that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Knowing God, knowing that His Spirit indwells us, and even our faith, comes as a result of God revealing these truths to us. That is what Paul is praying for-that God would grant to us the knowledge of His presence in us and all that that means. Since this comes through revelation, then one might say that all we can do is to wait and hope that someday God would give us such revelation. It is true that God is the one who reveals, and how and when He chooses to give revelation is totally up to Him. However, I think we can make ourselves better candidates to receive revelation from God by seeking Him first, by having a heart to know Him, by studying the scriptures, and by quickly obeying every command we see in the scriptures and following the leading of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33. In Jeremiah 29:13 we read: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Knowing the work of the Spirit in our inner man is to be strengthened with power, a power that comes from God. When God rules in our inner man, we have confidence, hope, faith, boldness, steadfastness, joy, and peace. The over-riding aspect of God ruling is that of love; it is the love of God that changes us, that brings about all the fruit of the Spirit; His love is the foundation; His love is supreme. May we be rooted and grounded in the love of God, and out of that love may we begin to discover just how awesome is the love that surpasses knowledge. The word of God is not primarily a book of good information; it is a book that has as its main purpose, the total transformation of man; through the word of God and the Holy Spirit working together, we are no longer mere human beings-we are made sons and daughters of God who have been made new, with the Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father making their abode in us!
Ephesians 1:18-19b “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
Blessings,
Buddy
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