Christ Dwelling in the Heart
Ephesians 3:14-21
Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this reason I kneel before
the Father,
15 from whom his whole family in
heaven and on earth derives its name.
16 I pray that out of his
glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your
inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in
your hearts through faith. And I pray
that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 may have power, together with
all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of
Christ,
19 and to know this love that
surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness
of God.
20 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,
21 to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians
3:14-21
“so
that”
u A Petition for Inner Strengthening (v. 16)
u A Call for Christ to Dwell in the Heart (17)
u A Desire to Comprehend Christ’s Love (v. 18)
u A Request for a Complete Filling (v. 19)
“Be Strengthened in the Inner Man”
How
Strong Are You?
“Be Strengthened in the Inner Man”
How
Do You Get Spiritually Strong?
“Be Strengthened in the Inner Man”
Avenues of Spiritual
Strength:
u Communication of Prayer
u Exercise of Suffering & Obedience
u Feeding on the Word of God
“That Christ May Dwell”
GOD
IN US
u The indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9)
u The indwelling of God the Father (2 Cor. 6:16)
u The indwelling of Christ (Eph. 3:17)
“That Christ May Dwell”
US
IN GOD
1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us
and his love is made complete in us.
“That Christ May Dwell”
US
IN GOD
John 15:4
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must
remain in the vine. Neither can you bear
fruit unless you remain in me.”
“That Christ May Dwell”
When one person lives in another it portrays a close, intimate
relationship, where there is singleness of purpose and activity.
“That Christ May Dwell”
“In Your Heart”
Heart (kardia)
“the
word came to stand for man's entire mental and moral activity, both the
rational and the emotional elements. In other words, the heart is used
figuratively for the hidden springs of the personal life - the seat of moral
and spiritual life.”
- W.E. Vine
“In Your Heart”
Dwell
“The
most frequent verb with this meaning, properly signifies ‘to settle down in a
dwelling, to dwell fixedly in a place
..make a home in your hearts’
- W.E. Vine
“In Your Hearts”
“It
is as the Christian keeps trusting ("through faith") that Christ continues
to indwell. No static condition is in view here but a maintained experience.”
- Expositor’s
Bible Dictionary
“Through Faith”
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,
and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
- Romans 10:17
“Through Faith”
u Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God.
u Ephesians 3:12
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and
confidence.
u Ephesians 3:17
…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith….
“Here
I am! I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
- Revelation
3:20
“Faith
in the Son of God is dynamic, not static, and fellowship with Him a
never-ending adventure; not because He is changing, but because our
comprehension and application of His eternal will must always be growing and
enlarging. Whatever God has already accomplished in our lives, it is only the
preparation for what He is about to do. We are involved in a momentous
transformation whose ultimate goal is the image of Christ Himself .
- Paul Earnhart
I
have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in
me. The life I live in the body, I live
by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
- Galatians 2:20