Eph 3:13-end
Lk 7:11-17
Do you ever think that perhaps at times we settle for too little in our Christian lives?
Our Christianity can be a bit hum drum, comfortable, domesticated.
We can have a so-so “Yeah, okay, fine, thanks”, “plodding along”, mediocre kind of faith.
In the Epistle, we have Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian Christians.
It teaches us the kind of gospel-shaped, gospel-centred, gospel-driven prayers we can pray for ourselves and for others.
And these are big prayers.
Paul has a vast, limitless vision for his readers.
This is a prayer that can lift our sights and re-focus our aims.
Here are spiritual heights to press on towards.
This is a prayer to open our eyes to new spiritual possibilities.
Here is something of the fullness of Christian experience that should be our goal.
It’s a prayer for strength, love and knowledge.
Just notice the resources available to the Christian in prayer:
The riches of God’s glory
God’s riches are greater than the combined wealth of the Times Rich List.
The multi-millionaires in Dragons’ Den have nothing on the living God.
As we come up to Harvest time, we remember that “The world is his for he made it.”
The cattle on a thousand hills are his.
We are enabled by the mighty strength of the Spirit.
The same Spirit of life by whom the world was made, who raised Christ from the dead.
And the goal of this strengthening?
“that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith”
Christ lives in the hearts of all believers by his Spirit
This is a prayer that Jesus might be at home in our lives
That he’d make himself comfortable and have the run of the house
That he would be the Land Lord, the honoured guest, the true Owner occupier, not the live-in-help, or a temporary lodger, camped out on a sofa-bed in the corner.
Is Jesus allowed into every room of our lives?
Can he rearrange the furniture and throw out the old rubbish?
Paul prays … that they “may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge”
It’s the children’s chorus, isn’t it:
“Jesus’ love is very wonderful! So high, you can’t get over it; so low you can’t get under it; so wide, you can’t get round it.”
Love for young and old, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, black and white, respectable and disreputable.
It reaches down to the worst sinner.
It goes on for ever.
We know this love “with all saints”
Saints = believers, holy ones, set apart / sanctified by God
We do this not on our own, but in communion with one another, indeed, in fellowship with all God’s people around the world and down the centuries.
We celebrate our unity and common participation in Christ in this Holy Communion.
Did you notice Paul wants them to know the love of Christ that passes knowledge?
You can know it really and truly, but only in part.
You can never know it fully, because it passes knowledge – it’s inexhaustible.
Our little minds and hearts can’t take in the vast dimensions of it.
There’s always more to know.
Paul prays that “we might be filled with all the fullness of God.”
We might think that a blasphemous prayer, if it weren’t in the Bible.
Think of God’s infinite love, power, wisdom, goodness, beauty, truth, glory.
That’s what Paul wants us to be filled with.
We want to offer ourselves fully to God so that God will pour into us all of himself that we are able to hold.
Our cup with be pressed down and overflowing with the fullness of the inexhaustible God.
Streams of Jesus’ living water will flow out from us and give life to others.
All this is not too much to hope for.
Jesus “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”
As our gospel reading showed us, Jesus is even able to raise the dead!
That’s the miracle that Jesus has done in us, spiritually speaking.
We were dead in our transgressions and sins and Jesus has made us alive with his almighty power.
Jesus has compassion on the weak, despairing and helpless.
In the midst of the ongoing tribulations, a touch and a word from Jesus can transform us with his new life, to the glory of God.
Let’s never settle for anything less.
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