The Need for Inner Strengthening
By
Rev. Todd W. Allen

Villa Rica 4/10/05
Ephesians 3:8-21 

The apostle Paul explained the mystery of Christ to the Ephesians, how that the Gentiles have been included in the people of God so that now in Christ there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. He went on to explain that the reason he was suffering was for their glory and that they shouldn't be discouraged.

How amazing! Paul is in prison because he had offended the Jews by preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, and now he encourages them about the fact of his suffering. It was for their glory. They have come into the faith of Abraham and are included in the lists of the redeemed. His suffering was for their benefit.

The great apostle understood the reason for his suffering and he not only accepted it but used it to encourage the Gentile converts at Ephesus. How much easier it is to cope with trouble and accept suffering when we know the reason for it, especially if we also can believe that some good thing will come out of the suffering. God doesn't always give us the explanation for our sufferings but we have Romans 8:28 that tells us, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. This at least ministers the knowledge that nothing that happens to us is intended to result in a bad ending.

There is a good purpose served by everything God allows to come to us by His providence. We may think Providence is frowning on us but behind that apparent frown is a smiling God who is willing good to us. We can by faith accept that because the Word of God says so.

Paul says in verse 16 that he bowed his knee in prayer to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that he would grant them, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.  

Paul sets forth in this verse what every Christian needs to know – that we need strengthening in the inner man. 

Now the natural thing we all do when we have a problem is to try and figure out a way to handle the problem. That's not necessarily wrong but when we have done all we know to do and the pressure of the problem is still there we can have another problem ­- the problem of the troubled spirit.

          The world has its remedies for a troubled spirit.

People turn to drugs and drink. They turn to amusements

and distractions. Some people seek escape in work. We

have our workaholics. But these remedies are really no cures for the troubled spirit. They only sedate the bad feeling. The troubled spirit is still there and is not removed.

          Paul prayed for the Christians at Ephesus to be

strengthened with might by God's Spirit in the inner man. Paul understood that they needed that. And when you need strengthening you may not feel like praying. You may be too weak to pray at all. We can get bogged down in our spirits to the point that we are fainted away.

 God uses adversity and trials to refine and purify our faith. Let me mention three D's that we require strengthening against in the Christian life.

First there is the D of Doubt. There is not a one of us that doesn't have moments of doubt. That doubt can take many forms, but basically it is a doubting that

God either knows or cares. We can doubt that God is even there at all, because if he were there why did this happen?

We may look at a circumstance in our own life or the life of another person and we can begin to experience doubts about God's love or even his existence, because if he is there and knows this thing is happening, why doesn't God do something to relieve or correct this situation. Right at that point you need strengthening in the inner man.

Closely related to doubt is "fear". When we face some circumstance or power that threatens us we are likely to experience fear. Anger frequently is a reaction against fear. We want to get rid of the fear and so we work up an anger to resist that person or circumstance.

The Bible tells us that perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18).

The strengthening that Paul says we need is to so trust the love of God that we stop having doubt and fear. To continually be in a state of doubt is to invite fear to grip your heart.

The second D is the D of Disappointment. Disappointments come to all of us. And if we belong to the Lord we wonder, how come? Why did this disappointment have to be? Why didn't God let this thing happen the way I had hoped and even prayed? And even if we do not blame God in any way for the disappointment, we can get down at heart when we get disappointed. Again, we need strengthening in the inner man. It is very hard to lift yourself up when you are disappointed.

            The third D is the D of Discouragement. Discouragement can grow out of disappointment. One of Satan's most deadly weapons is this one. We can get so blue, so low, that nothing lifts us up.

I like the illustration about the Devil having a yard sale, and all of his tools were marked with different prices. They were a fiendish lot. There was hatred, jealously, deceit, lying, and pride--all at expensive prices. But over to the side of the yard on display was a tool more obviously worn than any of the other tools. It was also the most costly. The tool was labeled, DISCOURAGEMENT.

          When questioned, the Devil said, "It's more useful to me than any other tool. When I can't bring down my victims with any of the rest of these tools, I use discouragement, because so few people realize that it belongs to me."

The company of the discouraged is a very large company. Several years ago, the Hayden Planetarium in New York City issued an invitation to all those who were interested in applying to be a part of the crew on the first journey to another planet. Eighteen thousand people applied. They gave the applications to a panel of psychologists, who examined them thoroughly and came to the conclusion that in the vast majority of applicants they had applied because they were discouraged with their lives here and hoped they could find a new life somewhere else.

Surely, what is needed when discouragement comes is the strengthening of the mighty Spirit of God. God certainly does minister that strengthening and he uses prayer to supply that strength. Do you ever pray for others to be strengthened with His might in the inner man? Paul did it and he gives us the example in this Ephesians passage.

The apostle also tells us that our inner man needs a greater comprehension of God’s love. In his prayer he asks 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Eph. 3:16-19

           We need to come to a settled understanding that Christ is able to do immeasurably more that we can ask or even imagine. This is stated for us in the closing verses of the chapter -- 20Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 

Eph. 3:20

Paul uses terms of measurement to convey his thoughts. The love of God is so vast, so great, and so high that it passes knowledge. There are some things we cannot learn from a book. Some things, the things of Christ, must be spiritually communicated. As he illuminates our minds and hearts the soul receives, as it were, new eyes for the contemplation of heavenly mysteries. The Holy Spirit makes our understanding of the Bible possible. We must have the scales removed from our natural eyes to see the deep things of God.   

          The thing Paul is saying here is that faith must move onward until it comes to a settled assurance that no matter what happens Christ's love will never change. We are to become so rooted and grounded in love that we cease to doubt, we cease to fear. We cease living in a state of discouragement.

           David went through his times of spiritual impoverishment. Psalm 42 is a good example. His father in law king Saul was hounding him. He was an exile from his homeland. He had been banished from the sanctuary of God and the visible means of grace connected with the established economy. He felt greatly deprived. He felt alienated and cut off from the right worship of God. His soul thirsted after God. God’s presence was not as before and he was greatly distressed. All of the afflictions that had been on him for a long time had pressed upon him so that he was depressed and discouraged. His soul was troubled.

In Psalm 42 David asks the question, why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. Psa.42:5

David recognized his problem. His solution was to stir himself to trust that God’s help will come, he would not always remain in this state of depression.

In Psalm 27 he gives himself counsel and comfort, ¹³   I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Psa. 27:13 -14  

  Again, David says in Psalm 116:7-8, ⁷ Return to your rest, O my soul,    For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. ⁸  For You have rescued my soul from death,

My eyes from tears, My feet from

stumbling. Psa. 116:7-8   

What it boils down to is this. Christians can experience discouragement, disappointment, doubt, despair, depression but it is not interminable, it is temporary. In due time God will revive us and restore us. Our ability to comprehend the infinite love of God is restricted by our finite minds. We can only see through a glass darkly, yet the love of Christ is so sure, so steady, so unfailing, that we can know in our hearts that we shall be revived. We can know as David did that he will never leave us nor forsake us. 

You may, like David, be downcast. You may have a troubled spirit. But the strengthening that comes from the Spirit of God revives us again and again. We cannot explain that to someone in neat theological language. But we know that his love never fails. It may be brighter in our souls at some times than at other times, but God never leaves us in a state of disquietude permanently.

          David rebukes his soul for his troubling emotions, he was angry about his doubt, his unbelief? "Why, says he, are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him     For the help of His presence. Psa. 42:5 

     His expression of consternation was an evident

proof of his uncertainty, his doubt as though he supposed

himself to be forsaken by God. But his relief was sought

in telling himself that he shall again praise God for the

help of his presence. Should this not be our remedy as

well when we feel discouraged?

In another Psalm he debates with himself in anxious and miserable perplexity, and even raises a dispute concerning the nature of God:  Psa. 77:7-9

⁷    Will the Lord reject forever?

  And will He never be favorable again?

⁸ Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?

  Has His promise come to an end forever?

⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious,

      Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion?

But he goes on to say,  .¹⁰    “It is my grief,

That the right hand of the Most High has changed.”¹¹ I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

¹² I will meditate on all Your work

And muse on Your deeds.¹³  Your way, O

God, is holy; What god is great like

our God? ¹⁴   You are the God who works

wonders; You have made known Your

strength among the peoples.¹⁵  You have

by Your power redeemed Your people,

The sons of Jacob and Joseph.

          This is the way faith is revived and rekindled. Though our feeble faith may waver and flicker like a candle in the wind yet God is faithful and will not let us stay in that state of unease. We recall his deeds of old. We remember his former blessings and meditate on his Word that shows forth his wonders and power.

We especially remember the salvation that he wrought in his beloved Son. We are saved through faith in him. That is never rescinded. We cling to his many assurances that he will never leave us or forsake us and nothing can snatch us out of his powerful hand.

          How many of you receive it today? Are you his today?  I invite you to come to him. Repent of your sins and ask him to be your Shepherd and King. He will save you and forgive your sins and lead you safely to his heavenly home.

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The paper and sermon manuscripts from Pastor Todd W. Allen are made freely available for review and distribution. We only request that proper web page attribution be provided if distributed for any reason. Please be gracious to forgive typos and errors of expression. These notes are faithful approximations of what has been preached. May God be glorified in the preaching of His Word.

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