Ephesians 1:15-18
Paul’s Prayer
Intro:
Dear God Did you mean for the elephant to look like that or was it an
accident -Norma
Dear God, Who draws the lines around the countries? -Nan
Dear God,
Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed
for was a puppy. -Joyce
Dear God,
I want to be just like my Daddy when I get big but not with so much hair all
over. -Sam
Dear God,
I didn't think orange went with
purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday. That was cool. -Brandy
Dear God,
I went to this wedding and they kissed right in
church. Is that okay? -Neil
Child
like prayers – so honest / so innocent Prayer is important –
we
know – God desires us to be people of prayer { Pray not lose heart
A)Power in Prayer /
Prayer is a mark of a persons dependency on the Lord
B) But Prayer can be
tough – hard to discipline / hard to concentrate / easily distracted – ( Paper
no cares – prayer – million thoughts )
1)
Why is that ? Satan knows the power of Prayer/ For that reason
He like to distract us from praying
D) One of the things
that inspires me to pray is reading the prayers of great men & women of Prayer
1)
Spurgeon / Murray /
Bounds / - Learn a lot from their prayers- model prayers for us to glean from
& be inspired by
As
great as their prayers are nothing matches the prayers that we find in the
scriptures – because they are divinely inspired
A)They are a Blessing to us for 2 Reasons: 1st Because they Reveal God’s heart toward us { This is what God wants for our lives
B) This is what is first & foremost on his heart for
us: This is what is most important { This is what God
wants for us !!!
1) Now it’s interesting
when we look at Paul’s prayers. He
rarely prayed for the things that loom so large in our
prayers—
C) Things like better health, or more money, or a job situation, or family problems, or the world crisis,
1) whatever it might be
at the particular time—he rarely prayed for those kinds of things.
D) Now that
doesn’t mean that those things are wrong or that we shouldn’t be praying for
those things – 1 Peter 5:7 Cast your cares
…. Cares for you
1) It is not wrong to pray for those things at
all – especially in times like this
but what is revealed in so many of Paul’s
prayers is the eternal perspective
E) So much of what we pray
for has to do w/ temporal things – changing our present
circumstances –
1) But what the Prayers
in the NT – reveal to us is that – God is most interested in the Eternal
That
is right perspective to have in light of the current situation: Greatest fire
storms in California’s History : 543,000 acres / 1200 homes
A) Temporal – it is all going to burn – reminder –
B) Not making light of people’s suffering – but it is true
1) We don’t take anything w/ us – { Different reactions – Women at Festival of life – { Her home is not here !!!!
C) For that reason –
Paul’s Prayer is good for us to study !!!! – Reveals God’s heart –
2nd
Reason important: Teaches us how to Pray for others
A) Every get tongued tied – mind goes blank – what should I pray for
Follow this example -
B) See in short that Paul prayed primarily that people might know God better. RD v. 15-23 { See what we can learn about Prayer
C) Note several things
1st when He prays/ After
teaching / v.15 marks a Change in the
Chapter: A)Paul spends verses 3-14 verses talking to the people about God & His blessing
B) Paul broke out into this long continuous
celebration of Praise Concerning the Blessings of God – In Christ
1) We studied those blessings that Paul mentions—the
blessing of election; the blessing of adoption; the blessing of
acceptance;
2) the blessing of
redemption; the blessing of
forgiveness; the blessing of illumination; and then finally the blessing of
assurance.
C) And so
after giving us an overview of what he meant by “God
blessing us with every spiritual blessing,”
1) Paul then immediately goes into prayer for his
readers that they might be able to now comprehend everything that he’s been
communicating to them.
D) He prays
that they would have divine insight
into these things.
That is our need !!!!
1) We need the Spirit of God to come upon us and to
bring these things home to us, to make them real in our own personal
experience.
Good model to follow:
A) After He talks to the
people about God – He pauses to talk to God about the people. Prays for them
B) Great Model for every teacher –
teach / then pray
1)
Every parent – talk to
kids – pause talk to God
2)
Every employer – talk
to employees – talk to God
2nd
Notice how often He talks about them: Do not cease …….
A) After hearing of their faith & Love he says I do not cease …..
ceasing = tickle in the throat – always bringing them before the father –
B) We find this phrase often in Paul’s epistles – Prays always or without ceasing –
C) Paul was not only an
apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor/teacher, and a church planter, but he was also a man of prayer.
1) He was constantly in prayer.
D) Paul would travel from place to place. Sometimes he would travel by foot, and
sometimes he would travel by ship,
1) but he spent a lot of time on the road
traveling, But it wasn’t wasted time.
E) As he was traveling, he meditated on the
Scriptures. But it’s obvious that he
also spent a lot of time praying for those that he had
been ministering to, 1) those he
had been able lead to Christ, and those that were part of new churches that had
been planted.
F) Paul must have had a prayer list a mile long, and
spent his time praying for the people, as he would
journey from place to place.
Sometimes we get into a mindset that we can only pray under
certain circumstances, or at certain times, or in certain locations.
A)And we really miss out on a lot when we get caught
up in that mentality.
B) I’ve had times before where (I’m not consciously
doing it), I’m driving down the road, and I’m burdened. Lot on my mind
1) Pray for that
Later tonight – home or Church
or prayer place
C) I’m going to tell the Lord all these things.” And then it dawns on me, “Wait a
second. Why don’t I just tell Him right
now?
1) He’s not going to be any more attentive to me
this evening when I’m at home, than He is going to be right now when I’m
driving down the road.”
D) As God’s people we can pray any time, any place, all the
time. It doesn’t
matter.
1) We can take whatever we’re doing, and we can turn
it into a prayer time.
E) Courson: Every stop light – Pray for something :
List
1) Pastor Brian –
certain days prays for certain things: Missions day
Sick
days – Prayer cards
3rd
The Tone of Paul’s prayer / V.16 Gives
thanks –
A) He says When I heard
of your faith and your love for all the saints – I GAVE THANKS –
B) This is a beautiful
statement – Paul heard of their Faith & Love
1) Love is really the outworking of faith. Paul in writing to Timothy said, “The end of the
commandment, the purpose, the goal of the commandment of God is love from a
pure heart and genuine faith.”
C) Here Paul mentions how their faith had manifested
itself in love.
1) It was their faith in the Lord Jesus that worked
itself out in their love for all the saints.
D) That is what true faith does it results in you
becoming more loving
1) More giving – Less
selfish more selfless
E) Home groups have seen: James points out that
genuine faith is revealed by the concern that awakens in us for the Hungry /
hurting / heartbroken
1) The needy & the Homeless { Our willingness to
reach out
F) Costa Rica – Hannah’s Plight – I couldn’t ignore
it !!! The Spirit !!
So Paul
rejoiced in their Faith & Love – I do as well !! Prayer
of thanks
A) Philippians
– 1 Paul rejoiced – simple fact that like him they were partakers of Grace – {
They know the Lord !!!
B)
Note this is a prayer for them when
things are going well
1)
Sometimes only pray
when need / only pray when someone bugs us Lord deal w/ them get them ….
Help them
C) Paul says the very
thought of you / Your faith , Your love for God’s people causes me to give thanks
1)
Good model
to follow
Now lets consider the first thing on the list concerning
the Content of Paul’s Petition v.17
17 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)First thing He prays is that they would grow in Wisdom & Revelation in the Knowledge of Christ
B)The atheist says there is no God! The agnostic
says if there is a God He cannot
be Known / abstract force -
1) But Paul says there is a God & We can know Him
C) This is at the very heart of God's desire for us! He wants us to
know Him!
1) JN.17:3 Know = intimately closely!
D) When Paul prays that they would grow in
their knowledge of JC
wasn't just intellectual / factual knowledge
1) Knowledge that was by experience a
fullness of knowledge!
E) Know about someone /diff. to know them! Billy Graham
1)Knowledge comes from time & experience! God wants us to
know Him!
Now
The Ephesians had a relationship w/
Christ but Paul prayed it would Grow!
Know Him & Experience Him in our daily lives!
A)Marked by wisdom & Revelation
B) Wisdom speaks of Knowledge applied – taking what we know to be true of Christ – taking what we have experienced – putting into practice
1) 1st Missions trip – I didn’t have a clue what we were going to do
C) We were on our way to
Hungary & Yugo w/ no plan –
1) I experienced God
leading us in a mighty way: I
experienced – His direction step by step – watched Him open doors
D) Learned from that –
Go on a missions trip – Don’t need a Plan –
1) Usually have an idea
but blessed are the flexible
E)Provision: I have experienced God Providing – supplying all my needs
1) So as we take steps
of faith as a Church that are huge – I believe God is going to provide – Wisdom
– application of Knowledge
The
word REVELATION – SPEAKS OF INSIGHT – OR UNVEILING
A) I love this – There is a lot about Jesus – they Knew – But Paul was praying for further unveiling
B) Ever wonder why 4 gospels ? Reasons of writing to different people groups / each one has a little different emphasis
1) Matt. Gospel presents
Jesus as the Messiah - the King of
the Jews & the redeemer . He was writing to a Jewish Audience
C) Mark purpose in writing
was to reveal Jesus as
the servant of men - His audience was gentile readers especially those
throughout Rome.
C) John’s Gospel
revolves around 7 specific miracles & the 7 I am Statements Jesus made
about Himself. And focuses on the Deity
of Christ
1) Revealing very clearly
that Jesus is the Son of God
D) Luke’s Gospel presents Jesus as the perfect man / The Son
of God who came to live among sinners, love them, help them, and die for them.
1) Luke’s gospel has a
universal appeal - focus is to present the good news of Jesus Christ to
all men - Proclaim the hope men can find in Jesus alone
E) But over all each
gospel’s purpose is to show us Christ / as if the Father is saying if you
don’t get this the first time – repeat it 3 times See MY SON
1)
He is the source of all true wisdom & Knowledge
A)Love Romans / One Romans
–/ One Ephesians great / One Isaiah –
but 4 gospels stay in this – regularly read this / It is my
Son
B) Time Make – Picture
Removal service – Extract someone thru scan
computer – Developed by a man engaged who had all these pictures of himself in
Europe – each picture different woman – removed
C) Listen you pull Jesus out
of Your Bible study / not going to be getting a true picture / take Jesus out
the picture gets altered / Volume ….of Me
D) In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & Knowledge
1)
Given
us all things that pertain ……… Knowledge of Him
A.) How can they have those insights &
understandings they are unlearned untrained! But they realized
they had been with Jesus
1)
How
Be w/ Jesus ? One way read gospels – Watch Him w/
C) Pray – Heavenly insight – More Knowledge of Jesus
–
1) The
more we understand Him – Grow in our knowledge of Him / the
more
that we Become like Him
2nd He
prays that they would have a Better grasp of His plan for them v.18
A)Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be blind? Not be able to see anything / tree / flower/ sky?
B)I once experimented w/ being blind .
I was 5yrs old problem was I was riding a bike ! ( Motor cycle
bike) How far ride w/ eyes closed
1) Didn't
get far / rode into a jacked up truck!
C)What is interesting about some cases of blindness
is there is nothing wrong w/ the optical part of the eye/ Vision takes place
1) The
problem often times is the result of a film that covers the
eye
ball causing blindness.
D) If the
film could be surgically removed that person could see.
Sometimes we can be so blind to the plan that God has for
us
A)So In v.18
Paul prays for some enlightenment- eyes of their heart open to see what God has for them/
B)
Road to Emmaus -