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Book: Ephesians
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Ephesians 3:13
I. "Wherefore I desire that you faint not at my tribulations for you."
A. At the beginning of the chapter he called himself a prisoner
of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles.
1. Much of the persecution against Paul was over the fact
that he preached the gospel to the Gentiles.
a. He even had problems with those in the church.
b. Many in the church who had a background as
Pharisee's felt that you could not be saved
unless you became a Jew.
c. They felt that salvation was for the Jews only.
d. James had suggested to Paul to avoid any
controversy that he demonstrate that he was
still a Jew by going through Jewish rite of
purification.
2. The Jews who were not Christian's could not stand it
that Paul had gone to the Gentiles with the gospel.
a. When Paul declared that Jesus had sent him to
the Gentiles it created a riot among the Jews.
b. They had already tried to kill him because they
thought that he brought a Gentile in the
temple.
B. This was behind Paul's being in prison in Rome awaiting his
appeal to Caesar.
C. In his second Corinthian epistle he recounted some of
tribulations he endured for taking the gospel to the Gentiles.
2CO 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one.
2CO 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I
suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
2CO 11:26 [In] journeyings often, [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of
robbers, [in] perils by [mine own] countrymen, [in] perils by
the heathen, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the
wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false
brethren;
2CO 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
2CO 11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me
daily, the care of all the churches.
2CO 11:29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn
not?
2CO 11:30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern
mine infirmities.
2CO 11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed
for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
D. Paul said, "Which is your glory."
II. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ."
A. Paul's prayer life.
1. Kneeling is a sign of submission.
2. There are many scriptures that speak of kneeling
before the Lord.
1KI 8:54 And it was [so], that when Solomon had made an end of praying
all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from
before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with
his hands spread up to heaven.
2CH 6:13 For Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, of five cubits long, and
five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the
midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon
his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread
forth his hands toward heaven,
EZR 9:5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and
having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and
spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,
PSA 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the
LORD our maker.
ISA 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in
righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee
shall bow and every tongue shall swear.
DNL 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into
his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward
Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and
prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
LUK 22:41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and
kneeled down, and prayed,
ACS 7:60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not
this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell
asleep.
ACS 9:40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and
turning [him] to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened
her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
ROM 14:11 For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall
bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
PHI 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in
heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;
B. Paul's prayer list.
EPH 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my
prayers;
ROM 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel
of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in
my prayers;
PHI 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
PHI 1:4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with
joy,
COL 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
praying always for you,
1TH 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you
in our prayers;
C. Note that Paul's prayers were to the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
1. In the 12th verse Paul speaks of the boldness of access
we have in coming to God through Jesus.
2. In speaking of prayer Jesus said, "And whatsoever you
shall ask the Father in My name, that will I do that
the Father might be glorified in the Son."
3. I do not make a legalistic thing about this, but it
would seem that our prayers should be addressed to the
Father, to whom we have access through Jesus.
4. In the gospels many requests were made to Jesus.
a. The Canaanitish woman who said, "Lord, have
mercy on my daughter." and who finally cried,
"Lord, help me."
b. The blind man that cried, "Have mercy on me,
thou Son of David.
5. An interesting thing to me is the Jew who has such
reverence for the name of God that he will not seek to
pronounce it, and in writing will not even write God in
his letter but leaves out the vowel, writing G-D. Yet
he dares to approach this holy and awesome God in his
sinful state seeking to be justified by his good works.
D. Jesus was often claiming that God was His Father. We are
studying the eighth chapter of John this week, and look at how
many times in that chapter alone He refers to God as His
Father.
JOH 8:16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but
I and the Father that sent me.
JOH 8:19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye
neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should
have known my Father also.
JOH 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of
man, then shall ye know that I am [he], and [that] I do nothing
of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
JOH 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that
which ye have seen with your father.
JOH 8:49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and
ye do dishonour me.
JOH 8:54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is
my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
III. "Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." WE BELONG
TO THE FAMILY OF GOD.
A. This is not a verse that supports the doctrine of the universal
Fatherhood of God.
1. That is, that all men are the sons of God. Some are bad
sons and some are good sons, but nontheless sons.
2. Jesus said to the Jews, "You are of your father the
devil, and his desires you do."
B. The reference to the whole family is the whole family of God
made up of both Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ.
GAL 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his
Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
ROM 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of again to fear; but
ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father.
ROM 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are
the children of God:
C. Jesus made it very clear to Nicodemus that just being born a
Jew did not automatically make you a son of God, you must be
born again to become a part of the family of God.
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