Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20091213.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Ephesians: Overcoming Our Insecurities In Christ
Part I: The Believer's Secure Position In Christ, Ephesians 1:1-3:21
L. Overcoming Insecurity In General By Experientially Fellowshiping With Christ
(Ephesians 3:14-21)
  1. Introduction
    1. God's program for the believer in Christ is that he be spiritually strengthened so that Christ becomes at home in his daily walk, which experience dispels all insecurities one may experience in this life.
    2. The way this program can occur is detailed in Paul's great Ephesians 3:14-19 prayer, and we view that prayer with Paul's reflective doxology in Ephesians 3:20-21 for edification:
  2. Overcoming Insecurity In General By Experientially Fellowshiping With Christ, Ephesians 3:14-21.
    1. After having broken off his sentence in Ephesians 3:1 to write about his ministry to Gentiles, Paul resumed the thought introduced there at Ephesians 3:14, claiming he bowed his knees in prayer to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, Eph. 3:14-15.
    2. This introduction to his prayer is followed by the report of Paul's one request, that God, by the riches of His glory, might cause the readers to be strengthened in the inner man so that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith, that is, "that Christ may, literally, 'be at home in,' that is, at the very center of or deeply rooted in, believers' lives," Ephesians 3:16-17a; Bible Knowledge Commentary, N. T., p. 631:
      1. The term "dwell" here does not refer to the indwelling of Christ that occurs at salvation, Ibid., for all believers experience that, so there would be no need for Paul to write about it to his readers, Ibid.
      2. Rather, it refers to what Jesus predicted in John 14:21, 23 and Revelation 3:20 where He spoke of manifesting Himself and making His abode with the believer in his life when he keeps His commands!
    3. The REASON for this strengthening by the Spirit unto seeing Christ dwell in one's life would be that he might be rooted and grounded in God's love, that he might be SECURE in his realization by Christ's presence in his life of the REALITY of Christ's LOVE for him, Ephesians 3:17b!
    4. Specifically, Paul wanted his readers to be able one day to comprehend the breadth, length, depth and height, to come to know the love of Christ for them that passes regular human knowledge, that they might appreciate the overwhelming greatness of God's love for them and for all believers, Ephesians 3:18-19:
      1. The KJV and RSV translate Ephesians 3:19b as "that you may be filled with all the fulness of God," but this erroneously implies that God's full deity can be contained in a believer's life, Ibid., p. 632.
      2. A better translation is offered in the NIV where the Greek preposition, eis is highlighted by the addition of the qualifying phrase, "to the measure" of all the fulness of God, Ibid. The fulness of deity resides in Christ (Col. 2:9-10), but Paul prayed that the believer might appreciate this fulness in his walk, Ibid.
    5. The goal of this prayer request becomes evident later in Paul's epistle, for he wants Jewish and Gentile believers to come to be so overwhelmed by God's love for them that this realization spills over into one's authoring love toward fellow believers in the Church, cf. Ephesians 4:13; Ibid.
    6. Thus, Paul ended his explanation of this great prayer with a doxology, expressing his own praise to God due to his personal appreciation of the abundance of God's love that he had come to know, Eph. 3:20-21:
      1. Paul referred to God as being able to exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, Eph. 3:20a.
      2. God was able to do this according to the power of His Spirit (Eph. 3:16) Who works in us, Eph. 3:20b.
      3. To this God, Paul expressed glory in the Church by Jesus Christ occur throughout all ages, world without end, Ephesians 3:21. This statement wonderfully predicts the eternal state when the Church under Christ will experience eternal bliss in an endless world of peace and divine blessing!
Lesson: God wants us believers to rely on the Holy Spirit so we can heed His commands, for then Christ will manifest His astounding love for us in the details of our daily lives so that we become overwhelmed with the immensity and depth of Christ's love for us so as to reflect love from our own hearts onto other believers! Such a program dispels all insecurities in the believer.

Application: May we rely on the Holy Spirit for a godly walk that opens up the door to Christ's amazing displays of divine love for us, displays that motivate us in turn to reflect His love for us to one another!