Being Established in God's Love -- Ephesians 3:14-21

In 1585, settlers from England set foot on North America in present-day Virginia. Sir Walter Raleigh was granted a charter by Queen Elizabeth I and a group of settlers led by Sir Richard Grenville left England on April 9, 1585. They established their colony by building a small fort in August, 1585.

The colonists created bad relations with the natives when they burned and sacked a native village in retaliation for the alleged theft of a silver cup. Sir Grenville left the colonists to get more supplies from England. The colony appeared abandoned, and Grenville left a small detachment of 15 men to maintain their claim to the colony. A new group of settlers were dispatched to the area in 1587, led by John White. He re-established the colony and sought to improve relations with the natives, but had mixed results.

Governor White returned to England to seek further assistance for the colony. When he left, there were 115 people living at Roanoke. White left in late 1587. A series of delays prevented the relief from leaving England until the spring of 1588. The two ships had to turn back, and no further relief was sent for another three years due to England’s war with Spain.

Finally, on August 18, 1590, White returned to Roanoke, only to find the colony deserted. There was no trace of the settlers, nor was there any hint of evidence as to what had happened to them. There was only one clue: the word “Croatoan” carved into a post of a fence. It was believed the settlers had relocated to Croatoan Island, but further explorations found no such colony.

To this day, the mystery of Roanoke remains unsolved. It is called the “Lost Colony.”

Establishing new things in different places is a difficult endeavor. Such is not the case with God’s new creations. We are established in Him, rooted in Him, empowered by Him. By God’s grace and mercy, we are secured in our relationship with Him.

Central Truth: As a new creation, we are rooted and established in God’s love and power.

We are established in Christ:

1. By what God does for us (14-17a)

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is one of encouragement through their relationship with God. In 2:19-20, Paul writes, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.” Paul then explains his role as apostle to the Gentiles, and it is after this explanation that he writes our passage for today.

In response to Paul’s calling and to our place in the kingdom of God, Paul expresses his adoration and submission to the Father by kneeling in His presence, acknowledging the special place we have with the Father, being united in Him and through Him.

Paul then offers his prayer, expressing his desire for God working in the lives of the readers.

The first thing Paul recognizes is that God, out of His riches, blesses us and strengthens us. We are strengthened by and through the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling us and leading us. Paul reminds Timothy that the Spirit is not one of timidity, but of power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). This power allows us to stand up against the forces of Satan, resisting him and his efforts to derail our ministry and our relationship with the Father. This power enables us to do the things God calls us to do. This power is derived from the Father through the Spirit, and it is part of us every moment we are alive.

The reason God grants us this power through His Holy Spirit is so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. Jesus reminded the disciples that He and the Father would abide with them if they obeyed His commands. This obedience is an expression of our love for and faith in Him. The presence of Christ within the believer is an extension of His promise of the sending of the Counselor, the Holy Spirit.

There are certain people we always want around us. These people are our friends, the ones who know us and, despite our quirks and eccentricities, love us anyway. Such friends are always welcome. They are a comfort to us, they build us up and bring us joy. Such is the friend we have in Jesus, and Paul reminds us that God strengthens us with the power of the Holy Spirit in order that Jesus may always dwell in our hearts. And this is done by faith. We believe Jesus, we believe the Father, and that belief is founded on firm grounds. We know that God is faithful—true to Himself—and we know that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. We know that the Holy Spirit takes from Jesus and informs us. These are our faith statements, and we accept what Jesus teaches because we believe in Him. Faith is the key to our relationship with God.

God, through His riches, empowers us through His Spirit in order that the Son may dwell in our hearts. This is the foundation of all that we are and all that we believe.

1. To be empowered by His love (17b-19)

The reason God does the things mentioned in the previous verses is so that we may have power to grasp the fullest knowledge possible of God’s great love for us.

A few weeks ago, I listened to an interview with a woman who had written a book about her experiences in a quasi-cult. She grew up in the church that likes to protest at soldiers’ funerals. Her grandfather was the founder of the church, and her family played a prominent role in it.

She said her grandfather didn’t believe in God’s love, but did believe in God’s judgment. The church was taught that God was an angry, holy God who would bring judgment on fallen people and societies. They had no use for the passages of Scripture that spoke to God’s love and compassion.

And that’s sad. There is no doubt in my mind that God is a holy, righteous God and that His judgment will be swift and merciless to the unrepentant sinner, both as individuals and as a society. But I also believe that God’s love is the driving force that compels God to seek our salvation and our redemption. John 3:16 speaks of a love that is so great that it can only be expressed in the sending of Christ to die for us. And Paul wants us to realize this love to the fullest. The whole premise of Paul’s prayer is focused on God’s love.

He wants to remind us that we are rooted and established in that love. The deeper and broader the roots of a tree, the more secure it is. The root system allows the tree to resist droughts, to withstand the hurricane’s winds and to grow and be nurtured. The roots establish the tree and allow it to be secure.

In the same way, God’s love roots us in Christ and establishes us in a secure relationship with Him. Being rooted in Him allows us to be nurtured and fulfilled. Being established allows us to resist temptation and the forces of Satan. Being rooted and established gives us a security that frees us to grow and explore the truths that are found in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul wants us to take that security and use it to discern the full magnitude of God’s love. His description of this love—the width and length and height and depth—lets us know that there are dimensions and solidity to this love. It is not an ephemeral thing, but something that can be grasped and held on to. It is a concrete realization that comes through the power of the indwelling Christ within us, and we are able to find comfort, strength and assurance in that love.

It is a love that is beyond knowledge—again, it is taken by faith. This is not an emotional love, but one of a deep, conscious awareness of God’s promises and our relationship with Him.

1. To give praise to the Father (20-21)

Paul’s words of prayer and worship inevitably lead him to words of praise and thanksgiving to God the Father. We notice in these two verses that Paul credits God with incredible abilities, His involvement with us and His eternal glory.

Paul expresses the magnitude of God’s abilities by saying God is able to do so much more than what we ask for or imagine. This is not to say that God is chintzy in His gracious gifts to us. Rather, it is a gentle reminder that God is vastly more than our greatest imaginings. “Able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Consider the full meaning of those words. God—the Creator of the universe, the giver of life, the Sustainer and Provider—is far beyond our wildest imagination and desires. Realize, of course, that the asking we do that gets God’s answer is a request within the submission of our will to His. But think of all that awaits us if we will but ask Him.

I have a friend who is not a big fan of the hymn, “Showers of Blessings.” There is a line in the chorus—“Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.” The line is taken from one of the Old Testament prophets, but my friend doesn’t like it. When asked, he always responds, “God’s blessings are already pouring out upon us; all we have to do is receive them.” That’s what Paul is getting at. There is so much more that is available to us, if we will but ask it. We can ask more if we will just imagine it.

Again, do not interpret these words to mean that God is waiting to give us untold millions of dollars if we will only ask. He is not a heavenly ATM. He is the God that delights in giving us gifts, but those gifts must be in alignment with His will and His plans for us. If we want to make this verse really our own, then the first thing we should ask God is, “Give me the imagination to dream of what You want to do through me. Show me what You want to happen in my life for Your glory.”

The reason God is able to do so much is that His power is constantly at work within us. And, again, we think of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God—telling us the things of God, bringing to our remembrance the teachings of Christ—this power is within us, working to transform us into His likeness and to seek and to do His perfect will. It is not a some day thing. Rather, it is a present day thing. The key is to surrender to His will, listening to His still, small voice amidst the cacophony of the world around us. Taking time to walk with Him and talk with Him. Spending time with the Father and the Son through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is well within His ability and it is something we should be doing each day.

When we talk about God’s glory, we generally refer to His presence on earth. The glory of the Lord shone in the face of Moses when God met with Moses in the tabernacle. The glory of the Lord guided the people of Israel through the wilderness. The glory of the Lord shown on the night of Jesus’ birth. The glory of the Lord was revealed in Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. And His glory was revealed through the Son, who is the exact image of the Father on earth. The glory of the Lord is the earthly presentation of God in our world.

And that glory shines through the church and in Christ for all generations. Why does it shine in the church? The church is Christ’s body on earth. We come together, united in our separate gifts of the Holy Spirit, and we, seeking and yielding to God’s presence and will, let Him work through us and so bring glory to Him on earth.

Conclusion

This new creation that God has made in us is one that is rooted and established in Him. It is done through His grace and His power and His will. The Spirit that indwells us roots us in Christ. And we have access to the Father through His Spirit. We can have anything our heart desires as we yield our heart to Him who dwells in it—Jesus Christ.

Is your faith strong enough to embrace the promises of this passage?