Prayers in the New Testament            June 17

 Paul’s Prayer in Eph. 3:14-19

Review: Last week we talked about the Apostle Paul’s last petition in his prayer for the Ephesians found in chapter one. We examined God’s power and how it relates to us as believers.  In our discussion we learned that God’s power is for us, and is unlimited and greater than any power we can know. Can you recall anything else about God’s power?  (Miraculous, flows in and through us, our faith finds its origin and sustenance in God’s power, we are shielded by God’s power and finally that power is in the person of Jesus Christ)

Introduction:  Today we will examine another prayer of Paul’s found in Eph. 3:14-19.  Let’s start by reading this passage.  You will notice that Paul begins with the phrase, “For this reason.” The reason he is referring to here is the fact that the Gentiles (all non Jewish people) who have become believers in Christ are now part of a new Spiritual Body (The Church) united with the Jews who have also become believers in Christ.  Paul speaks of this being the mystery of Christ.  Whereas in the past the Jews were God’s chosen people to bring God’s message of salvation to the world, now God has created a new Spiritual Body, made up of believers in Christ.  Because God has done this Paul prays this second prayer for the Ephesians. Let’s take a closer look at exactly what Paul is asking God for. 

Strength: What is Paul’s first request? (Strength) Paul connects four things with strength, four characteristics; can you pick them out? See vs. 16 (out of His glorious riches-Source, with power, through His Spirit-Agent, in your inner being-place of strengthening.)  In order to better understand the nature of this strength that Paul is praying for we need to look closely at these four truths. 

A) Source of Strength:  What is the source of this strength that Paul is praying for? See vs.16 (His glorious riches) Now we know that God’s glorious riches are beyond measure but the way this is translated here we may not get the full meaning.  The NIV uses the phrase, “out of,” which is better translated, “according to.” You may be saying what’s the big difference here, out of or according to.  But let’s say for a minute that a millionaire was going to give you some money.  If he gave you money “out of” his riches, he may give you only a small amount, say 200 dollars.  But, on the other hand if he gave you money “according to his riches,” this would be more in line with the standards he is used to; on the scale of his riches or according to the style of his riches.  The idea of immeasurable, bountiful, beyond what we can imagine is more the meaning we should understand here.  This idea is meant to build on the concept of our glorious inheritance that is ours in Christ.  So we are praying for that strengthening that comes from God’s riches, unfathomable, unquantifiable glorious riches that we are learning to comprehend but that we will never fully understand the depth of in this life. 

B)  Power:   Next Paul explains that this strength is “with power.” Last week we learned about the nature of this power; it is God’s power for His agenda and purposes, and that it is incomparable and great.  Two words used to help us understand that this power is unlike anything we know or can comprehend. It too is something off the scale that cannot be measured.    

C)  The Agent:  According to our passage who is the agent of this power?  (Holy Spirit) Eph.3:16 says, “…He may strengthen you with power through His Holy Spirit…” Have you ever asked yourself this question; why do I need the Holy Spirit in my life?  What if we could just ask God for His forgiveness, and be given a ticket to Heaven.  Would that be enough for us? Even though God has asked us to live holy (separate) lives, lives that reflect the character of Christ to others, can’t we do this on our own?  Do we really need that deeper connection with God that only comes from having God’s Spirit living in us? Can we accomplish the divine tasks that God has given us without His Holy Spirit in us? Can we live the Christian life as God intended us to in our own strength? Do you find it hard to live the Christian life; are you feeling defeated and weak as a Christian most of the time? That is a good thing; but, you may ask, why is that a good thing? 

In his series on Ephesians Charles Price from the Peoples Church in Toronto says, “Unless we (believers) understand that for every divine demand we need divine dynamic.  For every divine enterprise we need divine energy, and enabling.  For every divine strategy, we need divine strength; we are never going to live the Christian life as God intended us to.  We are only going to religionize Christianity, make it a religion, a set of rules that we do our best to implement and follow. Unless there is supernatural involvement in our lives we cannot live the Christian life. Does God’s Spirit live in you; and if He does, then where exactly does the Holy Spirit reside in us?

D)  In Your Inner Being: The remainder of Eph. 3:16 says, “… in your inner being.”The Holy Spirit comes to live in a person at the time of conversion.  Prior to His taking residence within us our nature inside and out are identical, we are dead to God and unable to respond to Him.  God draws us to Himself by the Holy Spirit who illuminates our understanding, convicting us of sin and rebellion toward God and eventually bringing us to a place of repentance (where we turn around and begin to respond to God).  Next we confess our sin and ask God to come and live within us and direct our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Once God’s Spirit comes to live in us, our inner being, which was dead to God, is regenerated.

  This truth is revealed to us in Eph. 2:1-5 which gives us a picture of who we were outside of Christ and who we have become in Christ.  Listen to some of what is said here, “As for you, you were dead…but because of His great love God made us alive with Christ…raised us up with Christ.”  The change that has occurred in us is also described in 2 Cor. 5:17 were we read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…”If we are in Christ our inner being is the abode of the Holy Spirit.  Paul goes on to encourage each of us by reminding us that, regardless of what is happening in our lives we are being renewed daily from within.

 2 Cor. 4:16 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away but inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”  What Paul is referring to here is the work of the Holy Spirit in our inner being.  This is the only way Paul could cope with the life he was living as he was writing and preaching the Gospel.  A life described in the book of Acts that included being whipped, stoned and left for dead; being persecuted, maligned and mistreated.  How did Paul get through this stuff, how did he cope?  While his outer man was suffering, his inner man was being renewed day by day, by God’s Spirit. Do you know this truth in your own life?  That though outwardly you may be suffering, for example; ill health, financial difficulties, family or marital problems, or business failures, inwardly, if you are in Christ, you are being renewed day by day, by His Spirit.

Are you praying daily that God would strengthen you with power, through His Spirit, in your inner being?  What is the goal in praying like this on a daily basis?

Conclusion: The answer to that question is found in verse 17 were we read, “… so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”  In the Greek the word dwell conveys the idea, “settle down.”  Christ settles down in our hearts by faith; by faith we trust Him.  Christ changes our hearts, and consequently our words and thoughts; in short we are being renewed.  What happens to us as this process takes place is a deepening confidence in God to carry us through anything the world or the Devil can throw at us.  We begin to exhibit the peace of God even though we are going through the wringer of life.  We begin to live out of the growing confidence we have in Christ instead of living in fear of the future.  Our daily living is not characterized by anxiety and failing hope but a quiet trust in God, a quiet knowing that He has our best interests in mind.  This doesn’t mean that everything will be rosy and God will do everything we ask Him, but it does mean that despite what is going on around us we do not lose heart because we know that through His Spirit we are being renewed day by day and strengthened daily to stand, in faith, to rest in Christ.   

Let’s begin each day by asking God that out of His glorious riches, He would strengthen us with power in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith.          

Prayers in the Bible

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians/Power

Review:  Today we will be talking about Paul’s prayer in Eph. 1:15-23 and dealing with his final petition.  Paul has been asking God to help the Ephesians know God better. He has prayed that the Father would give the Ephesians the spirit of wisdom and revelation in order to help know Him better.  Paul has also asked that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened so that they would know three things.  Can anyone remember the first two?  Right, the hope to which God has called them, and the glorious inheritance that is theirs in Christ.  Paul’s final petition for the Ephesians is that they may come to know God’s power. 

Scripture: Eph. 1:15-23

God’s Power:  We want to examine closely verses 18 and 19 and then break down the adjectives Paul uses to describe God’s power.  Verse 18 starts out, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know… His incomparably great power for us who believe.” It is imperative first that we realize that the enlightening of the eyes of our heart is not something we can accomplish for ourselves humanly speaking.  This is an act of God, only He can do that for us. So we are asking God to do for us, and others what we cannot do for ourselves.  Now let’s look at how this passage describes God’s power.

God’s Power 

What is the first word Paul uses to describe God’s power? His, we must never lose sight of the fact that the power we want to know and experience more and more is God’s power. Stop for a moment and think, why do people want power; ask yourself, why do I want to experience this power.  If we were honest with ourselves we would have to admit that we want power so we can use it for our own ends, to help us accomplish things, to further “our” agenda.  But if this is how we want to use God’s power we will have to ignore the fact that it is His power, for His purposes and His agenda. 

Incomparably Great

These two words in their original Gk. are very interesting.  The word incomparably, “Huperballo” means to attain a degree that extraordinarily exceeds a point on a scale of extent, to go beyond or surpass.  The second word, “megethos,” means, greatness; a quality of exceeding a standard of excellence.  There is nothing here on earth that compares to this power; it exceeds anything we can imagine. 

Power

The word used here is the Gk. Word “dunamis,” a word from which we get our English word dynamite.  It carries the meaning of, miraculous power, by implication, miracle power, strength, mighty work.  It is spoken of God, the Messiah, and great power of God meaning His mighty energy.  It implies the greatness, omnipotence, and majesty of God.  It is also spoken of a person or thing in whom the power of God is manifested. 

For Us

How does this power relate to us?  How do we experience it in our everyday lives?  Why do we need this power?  In order to more clearly understand this question we will have to examine Scripture.

A)  Eph. 3:20 tells us, “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…”Because God lives in the believer His power is at work within him or her.  That means that His power is at work changing us from the inside out and that His power also flows through us to accomplish His purposes.  What exactly is that power doing in us?  Phil. 1:6 says that God is doing “a good work in us.” In Gal. 4:19 the Apostle Paul says that he is experiencing the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in the believers of the Galatian church. God’s power is at work in us because He is changing us to become more and more like Christ as we die to self and respond to the work of His Spirit in us.

B) In 1 Cor. 2:5 Paul talking to the Corinthian believers says, “… so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power”.  The word rest carries the meaning, resting upon something, being dependant on it for ones origin and continual existence.  So our faith finds its source in God’s power, but it is also sustained by God’s power.  Since we cannot live the Christian life without faith and faith rests in God’s power it is to our great advantage to become more and more familiar with this power.

C) 1 Pet.1:3-5 tells us that through faith we are, “shielded by God’s power.  Eph. 6:16 exhorts us to,” take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” In our spiritual journey we may lose sight of the fact that we as believers are in a spiritual warfare.  The day you gave your life to Christ you became an enemy of Satan and his evil forces and they are constantly warring against you. God’s power protects you by shielding you through your faith, extinguishing the lies that Satan launches at you.

D) Lastly we need to come to a clear understanding that God’s power, that power we need so desperately, is not some intergalactic force, or some kind of unexplainable energy source but is actually a person.  In 1 Cor.1:23 were Paul is again talking to the church he says, “Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” As we come to know Christ we gain a deeper understanding of the power of God in our lives; an experiential understanding that only comes through relationship. 

Conclusion: Let’s recap as we close our time together. 

·     God enlightens the eyes of our hearts

·     The power we are praying for is God’s power, for His agenda and purposes

·     God’s power is greater than anything we can imagine, it exceeds every power we know

·     God’s power is miraculous, it lives in us and flows through us

·     God’s power is, for us. It enables us and flows through us to create Christ likeness

·     Our faith rests in God’s power

·     We are shielded/protected by God’s power

·     This power is Jesus Christ living in and through us

This has not been an exhaustive study of the power of God.  Scripture is loaded is more helpful information to assist you in your faith journey.  Since I gave you a handout last week, and there are two more parts to that handout I thought it better not to overload you with too much material.  If however you would like to learn more about God’s power come and talk to me and I will do what I can to help you. 

  

Attention!  New temporary location for July and August.


Hi everyone, due to a summer closure at the Middle School, we will be meeting at the Chestermere Recreation Centre, from Sunday July 1st until Sunday, August the 26th, in Meeting Room #2. (blue and white room) Our service begins at 10:30 am. 

Prayers in the Bible- Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians

June 3, 2012

Review: We are continuing our series on prayer, specifically prayers in the New Testament.  Our Scripture passage we have been studying includes a prayer of the Apostle Paul for the Ephesian Church.  His greatest concern for them was that they would know God better through the knowledge of Christ.  His deep concern for them is demonstrated by his prayer where he continually asks God to give the Ephesians the spirit of wisdom and revelation so they may know Him better.  Paul has also prayed that the Ephesians would come to know the hope to which God had called them. 

Introduction: Today we will re-read our passage in Eph.1:15-23 and discuss the last two aspects of Paul’s petitions.  A) that the Ephesian believers would come to know the riches of His (Christ) glorious inheritance in the saints, and B) that they would come to know His incomparably great power for us who believe.

The Inheritance:  CBS news recently reported on the story of Max Melitzer, a 65 year old man who has been homeless for decades in Salt Lake City.  Max and his brother lost touch with one another many years ago, but in 2010 his brother died and left him $100,000.  The family hired a private investigator to look for Max and a year after his brother’s death, following a two month search, found him in a Salt Lake City park.  The investigator told Max the good news and then took him out for a seafood dinner.  As inheritance stories go this is an interesting one but you may be asking yourself how this applies to me.  Let’s see what we can learn from this story. 

Points to ponder: Max wandered around Salt Lake City for a year as a homeless rich man.  His needs were met, but he did not know it.  The investigator who found him did not make him rich.  He already was, but didn’t know it.  The PI gave him the good news; spoke the truth, truth he needed to be reconciled to his inheritance.  Due to nothing more than, “not knowing” what belonged to him, Max missed approximately 365 good night sleeps, over 1000 good meals, and perhaps 365 hot showers.

A Homeless Rich Man: Max was a homeless rich man, he was rich but he didn’t know it.  As a believer you too have an inheritance; a glorious inheritance, do you know what it is and when you will receive it? Scripture describes your inheritance with phrases like, guaranteed, rich, eternal, kept in heaven and something you will receive at a later date.  In part this is true; these Scriptures speak of one aspect of the inheritance but, the inheritance really has two parts.

 As believers we are like children not yet old enough to become heirs of the full inheritance due us.  We are currently enjoying a small part of the total inheritance but when we get to heaven, we will receive our full inheritance. So we have an inheritance in part right now and the second part is coming later.  Most of us may be tempted to think that an inheritance is something we receive after the fact; and in part, this is true.

Stop for just a moment and ask yourself, “What is my inheritance?  What part of this inheritance is available right now for me?”  Maybe the question we should be asking ourselves is not what my inheritance is but who my inheritance is.

Jesus Christ is Our Inheritance 

As I was reflecting on all of this I realized that what our   inheritance is can be summed up in two words, Jesus Christ, He is our inheritance. Next I had to ask myself what benefit that is to me today, right here, right now.  How does this fact affect my day to day living? Or another way to say this is, “What is mine in Christ?”  Let’s examine Scripture and see.

Saviour: Jesus is my Saviour; I have salvation in Him alone.  Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”If you are here today and have any doubt about whether or not you are saved (born again, have given your life to Christ) you can settle that issue today.  Admit your need to God, confess to Him that you are a sinner and ask Him to save you in Christ and He will. 

Hope:  Jesus is my living hope.  1 Pet. 1:3 says that God in His mercy has “given us new birth into a living hope.” At times some of the difficulties in our lives drain us of all hope and we despair.  There is a way out of this hopelessness, we need to refocus on Christ our living hope, and His unfailing love and care for us.  We need to reflect on the many times He has met our needs and answered our prayers.  This reflection builds faith and increases our hope.

Joy:  As believers our joy is based on our relationship with Christ and Scriptural facts.  Unlike happiness, which is based on happenings, real joy comes from relationship.  John 15:9-11 says, “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love.  If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commands and remain in His love.  I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Are you experiencing joy in your walk with Jesus; is that joy based on scriptural facts.  Facts like God loves you more than you can know, regardless of what you think of yourself or what others say about you or what may have happened to you in the past.  If you are a believer you are a child of the King, the very life of God, eternal life is in you.  Nothing Satan can throw at you can defeat you because you are In Christ, kept by the power of God.

Wisdom: In Christ we have all the wisdom we will ever need, for every situation in life.  Col. 2:1-3 says, (Paul talking to the Colossian church) “I want you to know how much I am struggling for you…my purpose is…be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  In James 1:5, the author says “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously and without finding fault, and it will be given him.”  Are you currently struggling through a difficult situation, confused and unsure of even what to do? Will you pray and trust God to give you His wisdom through Christ.  Are you willing to wait for His Holy Spirit to lead you?  Are you willing to trust God to meet this need just like He has met so many of your other needs? 

Conclusion: Remember our story of Max, the homeless rich man.  How many believers (some of us included) walk around seemingly unfamiliar with all they possess in Christ?  Instead of rest and peace they live anxiously.  Instead of joy and meaning they live with emptiness.  Instead of assurance of love they live in shame. 

The world is full of people like Max; people wealthy in Christ beyond imagination, but walking around in spiritual poverty.  Do you know all of what is yours in Christ?  Are you interested in finding out more?  I have prepared a handout for you which will help you learn more.