I. EXORDIUM:
Are you praying in tongues?
Yes.
1 Corinthians 14:2 (Amplified Bible)
For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].
II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:
Believers/unbelievers
III. OBJECTIVES:
To show that GOD is the LORD JESUS CHRIST Himself in us as Wisdom and Revelation having within us His deep and intimate relationship.
IV. TEXT:
Ephesians 1:17 (Amplified Bible)
[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,
V. THESIS:
Praise, worship, glorify, adore, bless, honor, acknowledge and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You are the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation within me having our deep and intimate relationship and experiential knowledge together.
VI. TITLE:
Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the deep knowledge of JESUS
VII. EXPLICATION:
A. Author: Apostle Paul
B. Date written: 60 A.D. to 64 A.D.
C. Purpose: To show believers their position in CHRIST and encourage them to walk accordingly
D. To whom written: church at Ephesus
VIII. MAIN BODY:
Ephesians 1:17 (Amplified Bible)
[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,
Ephesians 1:17 (New King James Version)
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
A. Always hold on to GOD thru prayers.
"[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,"
Our relation with GOD is He is our FATHER and our GOD as well.
Ephesians 1:3 (Amplified Bible)
May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm!
John 20:17 (Amplified Bible)
Jesus said to her, Do not cling to Me [do not hold Me], for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brethren and tell them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.
The LORD JESUS has set us an example to follow, that He is totally 100% dependent on the FATHER GOD.
John 5:30 (Amplified Bible)
I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord—but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me.
John 15:5 (Amplified Bible)
I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
ILLUSTRATION: It is interesting to note that when the disciples saw JESUS in His human form, they wanted to learn the praying styles of the LORD JESUS rather than His preaching styles. Because JESUS's prayer life exceeded His preaching life. No verse in the bible that taught us reading the disciples wanted to learn how to preach from the LORD. For preachers, take this as a role model in the LORD JESUS, you don't need to spend more time developing your preaching styles, spend more time in praying, and your preaching styles will follow.
Luke 11:1 (Amplified Bible)
THEN HE was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, [just] as John taught his disciples.
ILLUSTRATION:
And The Rains Stopped
It was almost time for the "Old-fashioned Revival Hour" to go on the air. The broadcast was originating in a tin-roofed tabernacle in Waterloo, Iowa. As Dr. Charles Fuller, the dean of gospel broadcasters, stood on the platform before the microphone, a heavy rain began to fall and pound upon the tin roof, making it impossible for the broadcast to go forth with its Bible-saturated message. Dr. Fuller prayed, "Lord, if You don't stop the rain, the Old-fashioned Revival Hour will not be able to go out over the air. For Jesus' sake, please stop the rain!"
How illustrative of Dr. Fuller's simple faith in the power of God was that prayer! Within three minutes, the rain stopped suddenly, and the program went out without the slightest interference. But five minutes after the close of the service, a torrential downpour occurred.
—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
ILLUSTRATION:
During one of my interviews to a higher position, I kept on mentioning that I pray a lot to the interviewer, so somehow the interviewer got mad at me, seeing he is an unbeliever. I went and told him to his face, that he does not need to underestimate the power of prayer and that prayer makes us strong to do the job. Somehow I convinced him not because of my prayer life but I convinced him because during one year of my work, I have no absences and I have no lates, not even one. So you can convince people of this world with the results. For them it's to see is to believe, but for us, it's reverse, it's believe first then we will see GOD'S hands.
Mark 11:23-24 (Amplified Bible)
Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.
For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].
B. Pray for Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the deep knowledge of GOD
"that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,"
PRAY and PRAY, and PRAY until the SPIRIT OF GOD manifests Himself in your human, mortal life. What to pray for? First, that the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the deep knowledge of GOD be upon me. Needless to say, that Wisdom and Revelation is a Person and that is the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Our 3 Examples of spirit of wisdom resting on them:
1. Joseph
Genesis 41:38-39 (Amplified Bible)
And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find this man’s equal, a man in whom is the spirit of God?
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Forasmuch as [your] God has shown you all this, there is nobody as intelligent and discreet and understanding and wise as you are.
2. JESUS CHRIST our LORD
Isaiah 11:2 (Amplified Bible)
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord—
3. Daniel
Daniel 5:11 (Amplified Bible)
There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the holy God [or gods], and in the days of your father light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—the king, I say, your father—appointed him master of the magicians, enchanters or soothsayers, Chaldeans, and astrologers,
4. Believers of the LORD JESUS
Luke 12:12 (Amplified Bible)
For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour and moment what [you] ought to say.
Luke 21:15 (Amplified Bible)
For I [Myself] will give you a mouth and such utterance and wisdom that all of your foes combined will be unable to stand against or refute.
John 14:17 (Amplified Bible)
The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.
Colossians 1:9 (Amplified Bible)
For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things—
Colossians 2:3 (Amplified Bible)
In Him all the treasures of [divine] wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and [all the riches of spiritual] knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and lie hidden.
Spend some time in prayer for yourself to be developed and spiritually grow by praying for Wisdom and Revelation to abide in you, as you abide in JESUS.
John 15:4 (Amplified Bible)
Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.
Do this by praying in tongues even if you ran out of prayer items to pray for still in the Spirit you are praying.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (Amplified Bible)
Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];
Ephesians 6:18 (Amplified Bible)
Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).
IX. CONCLUSION:
Praise, worship, glorify, adore, bless, honor, acknowledge and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You are the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation within me having our deep and intimate relationship and experiential knowledge together.
