Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember those who have died in service of our nation. Many of you know of someone who died during their service in the military. For some, this was your very children. Today, we express a small token of the rightful appreciation due to these men and women.
Let’s pray:
Father in Heaven,
We come before your throne on this day to remember the courage of people who stood against evil in foreign and domestic places. The uniform of our military is a reminder of the justice found in you, holy God. You love justice and you hate the chaos of disordered societies. I pray your healing presence is with fathers and mothers, uncles and aunts, and sisters and brothers who have lost their family members in service to such great ideas of religious freedom. You never intended anyone to be forced into conversion for faith to you and you certainly desire everyone to have the right to know you in all nations. Father, may you bless us with the courage to stand against religious tyranny anywhere and everywhere. Will you give us brave men and women to boldly push back against evil dictators who seek to prevent people from having access to you and your word.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Keep Ephesians 3 open with me. This is the third week to look at one of the most beautiful prayers in all the Bible. It’s as if you are on an escalator moving right into heaven itself. It’s obviously a prayer from the first words in verse 14, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father.”
Generation Z
For the third Sunday, I am challenging our church to use this prayer to pray for a teenager or child in the coming weeks. Generation Z may not be a familiar term for you but are those young people born between 1995 and 2010. Gen Z is quickly becoming the largest American generation yet. According to the US census estimates, there around 68 million of these young people in the United States, a little more than 24% of the total population. Many of these are today’s teenagers and children 18 and under. They have even been called “screen-agers.” They love to use a device to communicate where more than 70% of their communication is akin to texting. In fact, their phone is often their wallet.
On the Same Page
A man backed up his pickup truck to his kitchen door where there was a stove. And the stove seemed to be wedged in the kitchen door, and he was wrestling with it. A neighbor saw what was happening, jumped up in the back of the pickup truck, and said, “I’ll help you.” And they wrestled and wrestled and wrestled. And after a while, the neighbor said, “I don’t believe we’ll ever get this stove in the kitchen.” The man said, “Get it in the kitchen? I was trying to put it on the truck!” We need to on the same page together. We need to unite together to pray as one person for a spiritual breakthrough. Say “amen” if you agree with me.
I am challenging us to pray for a spiritual breakthrough for this generation.
Dropping Out of Church
And this generation is more apt to drop out of church when they move into their young adult years. I will cite three studies in the next couple of minutes that show us that Gen Z is dropping out of church and dropping out of religion. You see the results of a Lifeway study on the screen now.
This Lifeway study shows that many of our young adults are dropping church when they leave the youth group. This is consistent with a recent UCLA study, where around three in ten first-time students spread out over 184 colleges and universities have no religious affiliation. Students with no religious affiliation were just one in ten in 1986. So the number of young adults with no religious affiliation has nearly tripled in a matter of 35 years.
We need to unite together to pray as one person for a spiritual breakthrough.
Warm Personal Relationships
Now, it’s not the universities or the atheistic college professors to blame for our young adults dropping out of church. Studies tell us that this is happening while they are still at home with their parents. It’s not a “there” problem, it’s a “here” problem. Teens are disengaging from church before they ever step foot on a college campus or away from their parents’ home. How do we counter this trend? Let me share with you one more study that I found really helpful. A massive study on religious faith transmission by a University of Southern California sociologist of more than 3,500 people shows that the key is warm family relationships. Healthy, warm relationships are the single most important factor in faith transmission when examining how to successfully keep the next generation in church. In particular, the study indicates that the father is the key. When the father has a warm relationship with his teens and he is engaged, faith transmission to the next generation is much more secure. The study also highlighted those warm relationships with grandparents and the wider faith community were also essential.
Now, sometimes people say, “The church is on its way out.” No, sir, Jesus says, “Not on my watch.” Jesus said, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church” (Matthew 16:18). I’m telling you, the greatest organization on the face of this earth is a Spirit-filled, New Testament, Bible-believing, Christ-honoring, worshiping, praising church.
So let’s pray and encourage with urgency know the Lord will ensure His church will succeed.
Personalizing this Prayer
Again, we need to pray for the transforming power of God to be unleashed in the next generation’s lives as we have never seen before. What if you pulled out the pronouns in verses 13-21 and put in the name of someone of the next generation? Let me show you how this could be done. According to the Social Security Administration, the most popular name for anyone born between 2010 and 2019 is Emma. You’ll see an example of this in your prayer guide inserted in the worship guide. Track with me as you’ll see it there.
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom [Emma] is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant [Emma] to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in [Emma’s] inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in [Emma’s] hearts through faith— that [Emma], being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that [Emma] may be filled with all the fullness of God.
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 [Emma], 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14-21).
Again, personalize this powerful prayer. At the end of this service, I going to challenge families to come together for prayer. I want to ask dads and moms to cross the worship center to pray for their children. Embarrass your children in church today. Again, I want to ask fathers and mothers to find their children to pray for them during the close of this service.
Fathers, what if you adopted this prayer for your daughters?
Mothers, what if you inserted your son’s name inside this prayer?
Students, what if you prayed this very prayer for your teammates?
We desperately need to pray.
With that in mind, I have titled today’s message, “More than You Can Imagine.” Let’s examine how Paul’s benediction to this beautiful prayer beginning in verse 20.
1. He Can Do More Than You Think
Look at verse 20 with me: “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…” (Ephesians 3:20).
1.1 Doxology
What you’re reading is a doxology. What’s a doxology you ask? You ask such smart questions.
A doxology is a short spontaneous burst of praise. Again, a doxology is a short spontaneous burst of praise. Paul’s prayer says “Now to him who is able.” Paul has a burst of spontaneous praise at the end of his prayer.
Oh, how I wish there was a little more doxology in us today! Oh, how I wish more of us would get in a habit of doxologizing! Oh, how I wish there were more doxologizing in the church today! My dear Christian friend, do you have a doxology in you today? Do you have a short burst of spontaneous praise in you today?
So his prayer begins with a burst of praise for God’s power here in verse 20.
1.2 Far More Abundantly
Notice the words “far more abundantly” in verse 20. This is just one word in the original Greek of your New Testament. This is a really rare word in your New Testament and it’s used only 3 times (1 Thessalonians 3:10; 5:13). Paul effectively takes an adverb and then adds a double prefix to it. So not one prefix but a double prefix! We are left with a word that tells us God is capable of doing something that is quite beyond all measure.
1.2.1 The World’s Largest Hydraulic Shovel
Some of you who are Transformer fans may be familiar with the 2009 movie, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. In the movie is a cameo appearance of the world’s largest hydraulic shovel. In real life, you can find this hydraulic shovel in the Canadian oil sands of Alberta. It has the ability to excavate 9000 tons of earth in just one hour. One shovel load can hold up to 94 tons.
How would you describe such a machine? Paul would no doubt be impressed but he would only use one prefix to describe the might of this giant machine.
1.2.2 Simon Biles
Or if you wanted to talk about the greatness of American gymnast, Simon Biles. It seems as if she invents a new vault on the uneven bars that no one else can do. Again, Paul would be impressed but he would only one prefix to describe Simon Biles’ achievements.
But in describing the power God makes available to His children through prayer, the Bibles goes with two prefixes. God is one a whole different level!
Now, this is not the first time Paul has told us about God’s enormous power.
1.2.1 Ephesians 1:19
To describe this incredible power available to you, there’s a pile-up of words back in Ephesians 1:19: “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might” (Ephesians 1:19).
Paul is talking about God’s unlimited power and to show us the amount of power God has for us, Paul literally writes: “according to the power of the power of his power.” Paul piles up words for power here in an attempt to communicate the power available to the believer. How much power is available to the Christian when he/she prays? I’m so glad you asked. Again, you ask such smart questions.
1.2.2 Ephesians 1:20
How much power is available to us?
The very power that raised Jesus from the dead: “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places…” (Ephesians 1:20). The power that got Jesus Christ out of the grave 2,000 years ago is that very same power that can deliver you and me out of our mess today. That’s a lot of power! Plus, it’s the very same power that made Jesus ascend to the right hand of God, the Father. This power even seated Jesus.
1.2.3 Ephesians 1:21
One more time I ask, how much power is available to us? In fact, this power ensured that Jesus had no competitors: “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21).
The very same power that seated Jesus at the right hand of the Father. This is known as the ascension. All this power is working within the believer.
1.3 Praying with Confidence
Let’s pause for a moment. Let’s slow it down as we move back to Ephesians 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…” (Ephesians 3:20).
The Bible says this power is available to any believer. Let’s sum it up: Now that same power which raised Christ from the dead, enthroned Him in the heavenlies, and then raised and enthroned us with Him, is at work within us to achieve infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.
You cannot pray a prayer that exceeds God’s power.
God is not idle. God isn’t taking a break. And God is not dead.
“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…” (Ephesians 3:20).
You cannot ask God for more than He can do; you cannot even think of something greater than what God can do. He’ll go beyond even your prayers. You give me the life of Jesus Christ, there is no moral and spiritual victory I cannot achieve. The very energy that powered Jesus from the grave is offered to believers every day. The very energy that powered the first Easter is available to believers every day.
1.5 Doxology Staircase
Ruth Paxson took this one verse and made what she called the “doxology staircase.” Let me show you…
Unto him
That is able to do
All that we ask or think
Above all that we ask or think
Abundantly above all that we ask or think
Exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think
According to the power that is at work within us.
This isn’t just something to be learned but something to move you.
1.6 Praying with Impudence
Through our prayers, God makes changes to history itself (James 5:16-18). Jesus taught us that God will work justice in the world through our prayers (Luke 18:7–8). The Bible tells us there are many things that he says he will not give or effect until we ask (James 4:2b). When we do ask, he will give us above and beyond what we have asked for (Ephesians 3:20). He will begrudge us no good thing that we ask for (James 1:6).
All of this means we should drop the hammer down when we pray. God is calling on us to pray assertively and confidently! We should be like Hezekiah, who took the threatening letter from the Assyrian king and “spread it out before the Lord” (Isaiah 37:14), offering a mighty prayer for protection. We have a God who runs the universe and is also our heavenly Father. Therefore, Jesus says we should pray with “impudence,” or shameless audacity” (Luke 11:8). Jesus is teaching us to pray rudeness and boldness. God is calling on us to assertively spread our concerns before God.
1.7 One Bolt of Lightening
What do you think about when you consider God’s power? It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? Think about one bolt of lightning for a moment. At any given moment, it is estimated that there are some 6,000 flashes of lightning happening around the globe. That one bolt is only two inches wide. You can only see it for 300 millionths of a second, and there can be up to 40 strokes in that same channel of lightning. Just one bolt of lightning can reach over 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s about five times hotter than the surface of the sun. Your house probably runs on 120 volts but one bolt of lightning has around 300 billion volts. If you could harness the power of just one lightning bolt then you power 56 average homes for a day. The God I’m talking about helping you is the God who controls all that power.
1.8 My Help Comes from the Lord
One of my favorite passages in the Bible is these words from Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2). When you hear “My help comes from the Lord,” you need to know that lightning bolts are nothing more than His chariots.
I think all of us can say, “He has some kind of power.” God says, “I will not let your foot be moved.” God says, “I am your shade in the highest heat of the day.” God says, “I will guard you against the dangers of the night and I will protect you from every menace by day.” Yahweh says, “I will keep from you from all harm.” He has the ability to do this. He wasn’t sleeping when His Son was crucified and He will not catch even a wink of sleep during your crisis.
Again, God is working through the prayers of His children.
“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…” (Ephesians 3:20).
1.9 Personal Questions
Let me ask you a personal question, “Do you believe God can do anything?” The true test of what you believe about God is not what you say, but how you pray. Let me ask you a convicting question. If your private prayers were made public, would people conclude that your God could do anything?
1. He Can Do More Than You Think
2. He’s Worth More Than You Know
Paul shows us how to end our prayers. We end our prayers in praise. “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21).
What is giving glory to God?
Giving “Glory to God” it’s like a football team carrying their coach off the field on their shoulders.
Giving “Glory to God” is like a standing ovation at Orchestra Hall.
Giving “Glory to God” is like the waving and cheers of the crowds on the docks as the battleship comes home after victory.
Praise is the chief occupation of the angels: “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:6)!
There is no denying that doxology is there in every heart of the genuine believer in Christ. We were made to worship and sing. We were made to have a hero to brag about, namely, God. To give God glory is to highlight Him, to make a big deal about Him. And know when God is ready to breakthrough, sophistication isn’t what you are looking for. You’re making a big deal about Him, because of the power working within you.
Would you stand to your feet and just take a moment, to go into His presence. And then confess that you’ve been absent too long. I am not talking about whether you come to church. I’m talking about living in His presence.
2.2 How Do You Pray?
How do you pray for the next generation? If you follow the prayer here, then you’ll pray spiritual wealth for their times of need.
You’ll pray for spiritual strength for their times of weakness.
You’ll pray spiritual eyes for their times of carelessness.
You’ll pray spiritual love for their times of selfishness.
And you’ll pray spiritual depth for their times of shallowness.
Conclusion
Would you move to your family and friends right now for a time of concerted prayer?
Would you find your children or grandchildren if they are in this service for prayer?
Go across the room. Turn in your pews. Bow your heads if you will.
