BEING THE CHURCH THAT PRAYS
Ephe 1:15-20
I. THANKFUL: INCREASING BURDEN TO PRAY
• As a church and
• For the church.
1. FOR MATURITY
• That our hearts would be gripped by God.
• That our eyes would catch the eternal; and
• That our lives would reach its full purpose in Christ.
2. THE LORD SAID IN MT 21:13
• ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’
3. “A CHURCH THAT PRAYED”
• This is our prayer isn’t it?
• That we would be in our times that church that prayed.
4. THE CHURCH IN THE BOOK OF ACTS WAS A CHURCH THAT PRAYED\
i. Acts 1:13; 2:1. The 120 praying in one accord for 10 days. [On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon them].
ii. Acts 4:24, 31. The church prayed and the place was shaken-- when Peter and John reported the Sanhedrin's threats.
iii. Acts 6:6. The church prayed over the seven men appointed to serve.
iv. Acts 12:1-11. The church prayed fervently -- James was martyred & Peter imprisoned; and God miraculously delivered Peter from the prison.
v. Acts 13:1-2. Church was praying and fasting, when the Holy Spirit called Paul and Barnabas to go on their first missionary journey.
5. HUDSON TAYLOR
"Since the days of Pentecost, has the whole church ever put aside every other work and waited upon Him for ten days, that the Spirit’s power might be manifested?
We give too much attention to method and machinery and resources, and too little to the source of power."
6. OUR DAILY BREAD [APRIL 24]. SPURGEON'S "BOILER ROOM."
Five young college students were spending a Sunday in London, so they went to hear the famed C.H. Spurgeon preach. While waiting for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man who asked, "Gentlemen, let me show you around. Would you like to see the heating plant of this church?"
They were not particularly interested, for it was a hot day in July. But they didn't want to offend the stranger, so they consented. The young men were taken down a stairway, a door was quietly opened, and their guide whispered, "This is our heating plant."
Surprised, the students saw 700 people bowed in prayer, seeking a blessing on the service that was soon to begin in the auditorium above. Softly closing the door, the gentleman then introduced himself. It was none other than Charles Spurgeon.
II. PAUL PRAYED FOR THE CHURCHES and
• You cannot read an epistle of Paul without him praying for them.
A. SOME CHURCHES HE EXPRESSES HIS JOY AND THANKFULNESS
1. UNFORTUNATELY:
• He does not mention this about every church he wrote to.
• [We know this wasn’t perfunctory or part of the greeting]
2. EXAMPLES
• Romans 1:8. “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.”
• 1 Cor 1:4. “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus”
• Phil 1:3. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,”
• Col 1:3. “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
• 1 Thess 1:2. “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,”
7. EPHESIAN CHURCH WAS ONE OF THEM
• Prayer to the Ephesian church which we want to look at today was one of them.
READ:
Ephe 1:16. “[I] do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;”
1. WHY THANKFUL?
Ephe 1:15 “…having heard of:
• the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and
• Your love for all the saints,
a. IN OTHER WORDS:
• An upward relationship of trust in the lord and
• An outward relationship of love evidenced within the church.
b. ANYTHING YOU NEED TO REMEMBER TODAY, IT IS
• UPWARD FAITH & OUTWARD LOVE [SAY IT]
c. THE ANSWER TO THE PRAYER
• Is connected with the community of faith.
2. PAUL, THEN BURSTS FORTH INTO A PRAYER FOR THE EPHESIAN CHURCH
• It is a prayer for the church…
3. NOT A PRAYER FOR HIMSELF
• Even though he is a prisoner.
a. THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THIS “UPWARD FAITH” AND “OUTWARD LOVE” THAT:
• Excites Paul beyond his circumstance and situation.
4. OUR OBJECTIVES FOR TODAY TWO-FOLD:
i. Catch the excitement of Paul for the church
ii. How we can pray similar prayers at NLBC. [www.newlifebiblechapel.com]
5. PRAYING, PRAYERS THAT…
• Takes us beyond our immediate temporal needs; and
• Anchors us on the divine.
6. QUOTE: LAWRENCE RICHARDS
“I suppose it’s all right to pray for that addition to a new Sunday School wing. Or the funds to go on the radio. But if we want our church to truly be the church, the things Paul prayed for here are vastly more important.”
7. READ: THE PRAYER
• Ephesians 1:15-20
III. CONTEXT OF THE CHAPTER [vs. 1-14]
• After a brief greeting, Paul gets into the meat of things.
A. CHAPTER DIVIDED INTO TWO
i. PRIVILEGES of what we’ve received in Jesus Christ; and
ii. PRAYER for what we ought to receive in Jesus Christ.
• Privilege and Prayer the two parts of the chapter.
B. PRIVILEGE: 12 THINGS CHRISTIANS HAVE IN CHRIST
• Look at the privileges in Christ…[11 verses]
1. HOMEWORK: [COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS NAME THEM ONE BY ONE]
• Take time to read and find the 12 things listed here.
• This is not the entire list.
• Nevertheless, the list must blow your minds.
i. Chosen [ Eph 1:4]
ii. Holy and blameless [ Eph 1:4]
iii. Predestined [Eph 1:5, 11]
iv. Adopted as sons [Eph 1:5]
v. Accepted in the Beloved [Eph 1:6]
vi. Redeemed through His blood [ Eph 1:7]
vii. Forgiven [Eph 1:7]
viii. Revealed His mystery to us [Eph 1:9]
ix. Obtained an inheritance [Eph 1:11]
x. Sealed with the Holy Spirit [Eph 1:13]
xi. Earnest of our inheritance [Eph 1:14]
xii. Made God’s own possession [Eph 1:14]
C. PRAYER: SECOND PART - WHAT WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE IN CHRIST
• Brings us to the passage.
1. LITERALLY, IT IS NOT ABOUT RECEIVING SOME MORE…
• …Because, we have EVERY spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus [Eph 1:3].
2. PRAYER IS…
• That we will KNOW what we DO have in Christ Jesus.
D. LISTEN -- “YOU’VE GOT NO IDEA WHAT’VE GOT”
1. ILLUS: SWISS KNIFE OR A LEATHERMAN MULTI-TOOL
• Most of us do not use the full range of functionality. Our ignorance is dwarfing us as Christians.
• No wonder Paul prays for the church.
2. ILLUS: DON’T BE LIKE CHIEF CROWFOOT
• Crowfoot, the chief of the Blackfoot nation in southern Alberta.
• He gave the Canadian Pacific Railway permission to lay track from Medicine Hat to Calgary.
• In exchange, he received a lifetime railroad pass.
• Reportedly, Crowfoot put the pass in a leather pouch and wore it around his neck for the rest of his life—
• But he never once availed himself of the rights and privileges.
CHRISTIAN, ARE YOU LISTENING?
3. FOR THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG…
With a Christian…
• who squanders the privileges of heaven for the straw of the earth!
IV. PAUL’S PRAYER: THE REQUEST
• Paul prays for two things that will give in three specific results.
A. NOTICE THE TWO TITLES IN THE ADDRESS
V. 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you:
• These titles don’t appear anywhere else.
1. NOTICE: PAUL PILES WORDS FREQUENTLY IN THIS PRAYER
• The inability of our language to express the intensity of the prayer is obvious.
2. THE DOUBLE TITLE REMINDS US OF…
a. UNIQUENESS
• … of the One who answers prayers:
b. RELATIONSHIP
• That He is both our God; and
• Our Father.
B. THE TWO REQUESTS
1. A SPIRIT
• “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.” [v.17]
2. AN ENLIGHTENED HEART
• “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, “ [v.18]
C. WARREN WIERSBE: ON THE NEED FOR BOTH
• Wisdom and Revelation comes FROM the Spirit of God; and
• Understanding comes TO the heart of the believer.
1. THE SPIRIT OF GOD MUST REVEAL
1 Cor 2:11. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
• Spirit of God must reveal to us.
2. OUR SPIRIT MUST BE QUICKENED
1 Cor 2:14. But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
D. ILLUS: TO UNDERSTAND THIS [TAKE OFF YOUR GLASSES]
1. “ABILITY” TO READ
is measured two-fold.
• Comprehension; and
• Capability
2. TO READ I NEED BOTH THE
• Knowledge of the language; and
• The GLASSES to read.
I cannot read with just one of the two.
• “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.” [v.17]
• “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, “ [v.18]
E. ILLUS: ZEDEKIAH SAW NO CITY [C H SPURGEON]
• Zedekiah had his eyes put out by the king of Babylon.
• Then he was taken down to the imperial city.
• But as for being able to enjoy anything, he might as well have been in a desert.
• There were vast halls, palaces, hanging gardens, and a city wall which was the wonder of the world.
• But the blinded monarch beheld nothing of all the grandeur of the golden city and to him her wealth was as though it had not been.
OH CHRISTIANS! WE ARE OFTEN LIKE ZEDEKIAH.
F. ILLUS: STANDING BEFORE AN OPEN FRIDGE
• I don’t if it happened to y’all; it’s common at the Roberts residence.
• We open the fridge stacked with food and ask – what’s there to eat?
PAUL PRAYS THAT WE HAVE THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM & KNOWLEDGE AND
THE EYES TO SEE E.
V. PAUL’S PRAYER: THE RESULTS
A. THE THREE RESULTS
• The Purpose
• The Prize; and
• The Power
B. THE WHY? THE WHAT? THE HOW?
1. THE PURPOSE:
• This is the “Why?”
• “Why has all this been given?”
a. KNOW THE…
• “The hope of His calling” [v.18]
2. THE PRIZE:
• This is the “What?”
• What is the end goal?
a. KNOW THE …
• “riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” [v.18]
3. THE POWER:
• This is the “How?”
• How will all this be accomplished?
a. KNOW THE…
• “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” [v.19]
LET’S LOOK AT EACH OF IT INDIVIDUALLY.
VI. THE PURPOSE
“That you may know what is the hope of His calling…” [V.18]
• What a phrase!
A. CONNECTS THE FUTURE HOPE WITH THE PAST CALLING
• If we even understand the colossal work of redemption done through the calling;
• We will realize that it was only the beginning.
1. IF OUR BEST OF LIFE IS THIS…
“Why then are we
• the creation of God,
• have the call of God, &
• valued by the cost of the cross
2. THE LIE OF THE DEVIL
• There’s nothing more to Christian life than this.
• He’s lying to you that God has maxed out on His credit card.
3. REVERSE QUOTE: JIM ELLIOTT
“HE IS A FOOL who keeps what he cannot keep to lose what he cannot lose.”
B. HOPE CONSTRAINS US TO CONTINUE…
• We can bear today because of this hope.
1. C H SPURGEON:
• Hope stimulates our efforts.
• Hope calms our sorrows
• Hope takes the fascination out of temptations, and
• Hope supplies a new aim for life…
C. HOPE CONVINCES US OF THINGS IN THE AGES TO COME…
• This explains the “WHY” I was called?”
D. EPHESIANS GIVE US TWO REASONS
1. DISPLAY TO YOU THE SURPASSING RICHES OF HIS GRACE
READ
Eph 2:6-7. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
• Paul says be blown by what is yet to come.
2. DISPLAY TO THOSE IN HEAVENLY PLACES OF THE MANIFOLD WISDOM
READ
Eph 3:10-11. So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
a. GIVEN ONLY TO THE SAINTS
THIS is neither the privilege of the mighty angels;
Nor of the massive stars, He knows by face.
This is the blessing of the poorest saint saved by grace.
E. NOT THAT WE DO NOT HOPE… [SPURGEON PARAPHRASED]
1. BUT THAT WE HOPE IN ..
• little things,
• temporal things, and
• mediocre things.
2. ILLUS: LIKE THE BOATS OF OLD
Without the compass, who would sail close to the shore.
While the vast oceans lay for them to freely explore.
3. HOPE LAUNCHES US INTO THE DEEP
• Hope says – Launch out into the deep [Luke 5:4].
• Enough of the mediocrity.
VII. THE PRIZE:
What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, [v. 18]
A. NOT THAT WE HAVE AN INHERITANCE IN GOD…
• V.11. In Him we have obtained an inheritance –
B. HERE WE READ: THAT GOD HAS US AS HIS INHERITANCE
1. JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE TO PURCHASE YOU!
• Let it not fall off your tongue too easy.
2. THE PRICE IS DETERMINED BY THE VALUE
• “The price paid indicates the value THAT person places on the person or the object”
3. ILLUS: APPLE PRODUCTS
• At the risk of offending the Anti-Apple lobby.
• Those who buy Apple products pay a premium because of the value they place on the product.
• They are often ridiculed for their extravagance.
4. SIMILARLY: THE PRICE PAID IS RIDICULED
• The Devil, the World and the Flesh will tell you it is ridiculous.
• They tell the lie that “No one cares for you to pay so much for you. Don’t be fooled”
5. TELL THEM THE WHAT
• Tell them what you have in Christ.
What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, [v. 18]
a. TELL THEM…
IT IS NOT THE CREATION…
• The glorious landscapes.
• The mighty oceans
• The wonder of a snow flake
• The multitude of galaxies
b. AND WHILE WE ADMIRE ALL THESE…
• None of these cost the God of Heaven -- incarnation and a death like no other.
c. JESUS PAID THE PRICE SO THAT YOU AND I WOULD BE HIS PRIZE
• His prized possession. [James 1:18]
6. QUOTE: F.F.BRUCE
“That God should set such high value on a community of sinners, rescued from perdition and still bearing too many traces of their former state, might well seem incredible were it not made clear that He sees them in Christ, as from the beginning He chose them in Christ.”
VIII. THE POWER
“and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” [V. 19]
A. JOHN CALVIN: THE PILING UP OF WORDS
Why Paul throws in just about every word that he can to describe God’s power towards us who believe?
“We never form adequate conceptions of the treasure of the gospel, or if we do, we can’t persuade ourselves that these things pertain to us, because they are so far from what we experience.”
B. OUR EXPERIENCE SEEMS SO FAR FROM REALITY
• You step out of that door and you are confronted with the reality of life.
• Storm after storm badgers you.
1. THE NEED FOR RELIEF FROM TODAY’S PAIN…
• Often dulls our desire for the promised future.
2. LET THE EYES OF OUR HEART BE ENLIGHTENED
• May the Spirit be our constant Comforter.
• May we learn to see not with our physical eyes but with the enlightened eyes of the heart.
C. POWER AVAILABLE NOW: [EPH 1:20-21].
• The power that raised Christ from the dead; and
• Seated Him at God’s right hand in the heavenly places.
1. JOHN PIPER
• “resurrection power now”
2. IN CREATION…
• It took but a word.
a. BUT IN SALVATION…
• God indicates through the limitation of OUR language
• It is the power that SAVED us.
b. AND, IN THE PRESENT
• It is the power that SUSTAINS us.
READ
Eph 3:20. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
c. AND IN THE FUTURE…
• It is the power that makes us STAND before Him.
READ
• JUDE 24-25. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,….”
IX. THE SO WHAT?
A. PAUL’S PRAYER IN SUMMARY
1. PAUL PRAYED FOR:
• A spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ; and
• That the eyes of our heart would be opened.
2. SO THAT, THEY’D KNOW…
a. THE PURPOSE:
• Is the “hope of our calling.”
b. THE PRIZE:
• Are the “riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints”
c. THE POWER
• Is the “immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might”
B. THAT’S THE SAME DESIRE FOR US AS A CHURCH
• This prayer made on behalf of the Ephesian church would be answered for us here.
1. WE’D BE KNOWN FOR THE
• Upward relationship of trust in the Lord and
• Outward relationship of love evidenced within NLBC.
2. FOR THAT IS WHAT SPURRED PAUL’S PRAYER
• Convicted to take action
• Convinced of what we are missing; and
• Confess our utter need and dependence on God.
C. WOULD YOU BEGIN TO PRAY?
With increasing intensity
• For the Church
• As a Church.
