Faith is Immersion into the Father (Ephesians 3:14-17)

Key Texts referenced: Ephesians 3:14-16 (primary); Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 3:23; Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3; John 14:6; Galatians 4:4-6; Jeremiah 3:19-20; and others.

Introduction

Church, the word of the Lord this week comes from Ephesians 3:14-16, and it is especially timely. In the broadest sense, Ephesians is known for unity, walking worthy, and prayer. But what’s often overlooked is what Paul is actually praying here and just how much he is commanding us to be like Christ.

We have seen the eternal purposes of God the Father in election before the foundation of the world. We have beheld the blood-bought redemption accomplished by the Son. We have marveled at the mystery that Jew and Gentile are made one new man in Christ. We have traced the sovereign grace that quickens dead sinners, raises them from the grave of trespasses and sins, and seats them in the heavenlies. All of it has been pressing us forward to this moment.

Instead of ending his exposition with a mere conclusion, Paul falls to his knees. He bows before the Father and prays that everything we have heard would explode into living, breathing, embodied worship in our souls. This is not the prayer of a man who has finished his sermon and wants to close politely. This is the prayer of a prisoner in Rome who knows that all true preaching must result in worship—with the body, with the mind, and in spirit and truth. If the gospel has not yet brought you to your knees, then we have missed the point. For this is the very end for which Christ died: that we might know the Father as He truly is, bow before Him as our ultimate Authority, and be filled with all His fullness in the Son.

We will deal with verses 17-21 next week, so today we focus on verses 14-16.

The Posture of True Prayer: We Bow Our Knees Before the Father (v. 14)

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father…”

Paul does not merely say, “I pray.” He says, “I bow my knees.” Beloved, mark this well. The apostle is not content with mental assent or silent meditation. He falls upon his knees—his physical body—in the presence of the living God. His body confesses what his soul knows: submission, reverence, dependence.

In our age, where prayer is often reduced to casual thoughts while driving or quick texts to heaven, the Spirit rebukes us. Before grace quickened us, we were dead in trespasses and sins. Dead men do not bow. But God raised us up with Christ. Yet how often our bodies still act as if we remain in the grave—slouching in pews, arms crossed, shuffling through life with hunched shoulders.

This shows up in our lack of exuberance, in the lazy way we pray and work. How many of us still kneel for prayer? At work, do we sit upright and alert, or do we slump over desks as though the weight of the world still crushes us? Scripture commands us to work heartily, as for the Lord. An upright posture reflects the inner vitality of one raised from death.

Clothing and posture matter. In past generations, garments helped enforce upright carriage and prepared people to bow or curtsy in deliberate honor. Today, loose and formless clothing enables slouching, mirroring the spiritual slouch of unregenerate hearts. The gospel demands a bodily response. Stand up straight in your work. Dress in ways that support dignity, not sloth. And when you pray, bow your knees—literally if you can—because your body, once dead, is now alive to worship.

Your posture preaches every day. Does it declare vigor and praise, or laziness and resentment? Begin today: raise your hands in worship, sit up straight and attentive, and carry yourself with the dignity of one alive in Christ.

The Object of Our Prayer: The Father from Whom Every Family Is Named (v. 15)

“…the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named…”

Paul bows before the Father—the fountainhead from whom every family derives its name. All true authority, love, and life flow from Him. Jesus spent His entire ministry pointing us to the Father, saying, “I am the way… No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He is the Mediator, not the final stopping point.

Our generation has attacked fatherhood relentlessly. Media portrays fathers as bumbling idiots and comic relief. This isn’t harmless; it feeds rebellion against the Fifth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.” Honor is not earned by perfect performance—it is commanded by God. We did not earn God’s honor; Christ obtained it for us while we were still sinners. In the same way, we are called to give honor even when it is not “deserved,” because it honors the God who placed that authority in their lives.

This rebellion reaches even into the church when we elevate Jesus in a way that obscures the Father. But Jesus came to bring us to the Father—the One who first loved us, sent the Son, and sought us when we were lost. In Jeremiah 3, God aches because His people would not call Him “My Father” and follow Him. We must repent of complaint, of dishonoring our parents, and of treating the Father as distant or secondary. Love and praise your earthly fathers and mothers—not because they are flawless, but because God commands it. Speak well of them, serve them, forgive them, and honor the office God gave them. In doing so, you honor the perfect Father in heaven.

The Petition of the Prayer: Strengthened by the Spirit for Christ’s Indwelling (v. 16)

“…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…”

Paul asks the Father to strengthen us with power through His Spirit in the inner man—according to the riches of His glory, not out of scarcity but out of His infinite fullness. This is not about outward strength but deep inward power for the hidden man of the heart, where doubt, temptation, and sorrow attack.

Doctrine without this power is dead. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is the One who fortifies us so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. And remarkably, this strengthening is connected to honoring father and mother. When we walk in obedience to the Fifth Commandment, we position ourselves to receive the Father’s lavish riches.

If your inner man feels weak today, ask: Have I honored my father and mother as God requires? Repent of complaint and withholding respect. Then act: call or write to honor them, serve them without being asked, speak well of them, and pray for them. Cover their weaknesses with love. In your own parenting or leadership, model the honor you give. These ordinary acts of obedience open the way for the Spirit to strengthen you powerfully—leading to Christ dwelling richly in you, being rooted in love, comprehending the dimensions of Christ’s love, and being filled with all the fullness of God.

Conclusion

Beloved, the gospel calls us to embodied worship. Fall to your knees before the Father. Honor the authorities He has placed over you. Ask boldly for the Spirit to strengthen your inner man according to the riches of His glory. Do not settle for slouched living or casual Christianity. Repent, stand upright in diligence, bow low in reverence, and watch the Father pour out His power. To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.