Text:
Ephesians 3:14-21
INTRODUCTION:
1) This is what we pray for. Randy loved his rented
house very much. After lived in it
for 10 years, he learned that the owner needed to sell the house. He prayed God
to change the mind of the owner so he and his family may stay in the house
where he and his wife had raised their children. But the house was sold. So
Randy then prayed for another house in a charming location. A friend in his
church offered him a home sits on oceanfront with fresh paint, new wiring, new
appliances, new plumbing. Randy said: ¡°Our loving Father led our loving friend
to give us more than we asked for.¡± As I reflect on what I have prayed for,
they look so much like what Randy did, my needs.
2) This was what Paul prayed
for.
Contrary to what Randy had prayed for, in most of Paul¡¯s prayers, he prayed for
churches, Christians, ministries, the gospel, salvation for the unsaved,
character growth, spiritual maturity, harmony between people in churches, etc.
just to list a few. He prayed for needs but not his own. He prayed for better
condition but not material. He prayed for God¡¯s intervention but not for
personal matter or gain. Paul had a much wider scope in his mindset. So when he
prayed, he focused on things that were much more, higher, better, lasting and
glorious than what we used to pray for. It is nothing wrong to pray for our
needs, our daily bread. But in that model prayer of our Lord, He had much more
in scope than what we have.
BEGINNING A HIGHER LEVEL
PRAYER:
(3:14-15)
1) A focus reason: ¡°For this reason¡± (3:14a)
¡°Toutou charin¡± in
Greek means ¡°for this specific reason or cause¡±. This prayer is the concluding
part of Paul¡¯s teaching on the salvation of the Gentile and the Jewish people
in chapter 2-3 in this letter. When Paul began to pray, he had a central
purpose or focus in his prayer. Be specific in our prayers is important not to
beat on bushes or become so general. We often pray for the whole world, all the
lost people, all the missionaries, all their needs. Paul¡¯s reason for his
prayer was salvation of the Gentiles and their shared position in God¡¯s
kingdom.
2) A proper gesture: ¡°I bend my knees¡± (3:14b)
Bending knees or kneeling down in prayer, although it is not a set model, is a
sign of being humble, very sincere and reverent. This is also a very important
element of an effective prayer. Although the Jews did not bow or kneel when
they pray, this gesture symbolizes our complete humility and dependent on the
almighty God when we pray. Whatever position you may use when you pray,
humility, sincerity, complete surrender should be your attitude.
3) The proper object: ¡°I bend my knees unto the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of who the whole family in heaven and earth is
named.¡± (3:14c-15)In human history, many people prayed to many things from the
sun, the moon, mountains, giant trees or rocks. People prayed to the wind,
rain, animals, famous people in history, their ancestors and many man-made
objects, statues or idols. But Paul prayed to God the most high, the Father of
our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Paul ascribed God as the
origin of all things in heaven and on earth. This is not just one of the gods,
but the Father, the beginning, the first cause, from who everything and
everyone is named or belong. If you are serious about prayer and want the
guarantee of real answer, you can¡¯t pray to anyone else but God, the Father.
CONTENT OF A HIGHER LEVEL
PRAYER:
(3:16-19)
1) Be strengthened in God¡¯s
power: ¡°I
pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with might through
his spirit in your inner being.¡± (3:16) The first thing in Paul¡¯s mind when he
prayed was the power of God in his followers, strengthening them from the
inside. Christians are not exempted from trial, hardship or failure in this
world. But we have God¡¯s power inside of us to face the world and whatever may
come to us, we are not afraid to face the world. Paul testifies in 2
Corinthians 4:7 ¡°For we have this treasure (God¡¯s power) in jars of clay to
show that this all-surpassing power is from God, not from us.¡± This is a sign
of spiritual maturity and the source of victory.
2) Be strengthened by the
presence of Christ: ¡°So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.¡± (3:17) The
indwelling of the Lord in our hearts is the next request Paul made for
Ephesians. To indwell is ¡°to take residence in.¡± This is what Jesus said in
John 15:4, ¡°Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by
itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you
remain in me.¡± Do you want Jesus take residence in your heart? Or you just need
him when you are in trouble? We need to remember we cannot face the world all
by ourselves and be strong Christians. We need Jesus to live in us so we may
face with world without fear.
3) Be strengthened by the love
of Christ:
¡°And I pray that you, be rooted and established in love, may have power,
together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is
the love of Christ.¡± (3:17b-18) Throughout history, we all know that the power
of love is all surpassing. If human love is so powerful, how much more is the
power of Christ¡¯ love in us when we have Christ indwells in our hearts. Besides
his death on the cross, most of us don¡¯t understand the immense power of God in
us through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. If we truly know how much, how
powerful, how everlasting the love of Christ is, we will conduct our life in
very different way.
RESULTS OF AN EFFECTIVE
PRAYER:
(3:19-21)
1) Filled by the fullness of
God: ¡°To
know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled the full
measure of all the fullness of God.¡± (3:19) What is the measure of the fullness
of God? And how do we measure the fullness of God? No one knows exactly how to
answer these questions. The only thing we may imagine is ¡°beyond our wildest
understanding.¡± Paul was not talking about we will be like God. But he was
talking about we will be filled with all the love, riches, power, peace and
many aspects of God in us. People in this world try to fill their life and
hearts with things of this world: wealth, power, status, romance, fame, control
of others, success and glamour. But history proves that none of the above may
truly fill the emptiness of man¡¯s heart. God creates man. And man can only feel
fully satisfied when he is filled with the fullness of God.
2) Enjoy the abundance of God: ¡°Now unto Him who is able
to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or imagine, according to the
power that works in us.¡± (3:20 KJV) God is never stingy in his power, gifts or
love to us. He wants to give us the best beyond our imagination. If we pray,
wait and obey his command, allow Jesus to take residence in our hearts, we will
see and experience the exceedingly abundance of God¡¯s work in our life and
tings we do. The super power of God can do all things if we allow Him to do his
work through us.
3) Bring all the glory to God: ¡°to Him be the glory in the
church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!
Amen.¡± (3:21) The ultimate result of our prayer, demonstration of His power and
all the surpassing knowledge we may have has one purpose and that is to bring
glory to God in His church and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that
when we remain in him and bear much fruit, then the Father in heaven would
receive the glory. (John 15:8) Bringing glory to God the Father was the highest
goal in the life of His Son Jesus Christ. We, as disciples of Christ, should
also have that same goal of life in our prayer and pursuit.
CONCLUSION:
1) Prayer is a practice: Like physical exercise is
important to the body, spiritual exercise is important to the soul and prayer
is in the center of this. The amount of time we spend in prayers and the
attitude we have in prayer measure our spiritual condition.
2) Prayer is the lifeline: If there is one thing that
connects us to the Lord, it is prayer. In prayer, our soul connects to that of
the Lord to draw spiritual support for our spiritual growth. Together with
Bible study, prayer brings us up close to the Lord.