Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Today, we are wrapping up our series called Great prayers of the Bible.

So far, we have studied Hannah's prayer of exaltation, David's prayer of repentance, and the high priestly prayer of Jesus.

For our time together in God's word, let's turn our attention to Paul's prayer for spiritual strength.

If you would, please open with me in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians.

We will be reading from the third chapter, starting with verse 14.

As you turn there, I'll share the context of this passage.

Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians to encourage and strengthen them.

In a basic overview, the book itself can be said to be split into two parts.

Chapters one through three tell us how God has been gracious toward us, while chapters four through six give practical instructions on living in and sharing that grace.

In other words, Paul is writing his letter to detail the grace coming in and how grace should go out.

Up until this point in the book, Paul has been walking his readers through deep theological concepts, as is typical with Paul.

At the very beginning of chapter 3, Paul takes a break from the heavy theology he has been working through to share a prayer with his readers but quickly breaks off to make another point.

You see, Paul is about to detail his prayer for the strength of the Gentile believers, and he takes a moment to explain that he is suffering on their behalf, as he describes his calling as an apostle and his ministry toward them.

This is important for the Ephesian believers to understand because when he prays for their strength, they need to know that he is passionate about it.

These are not simple words for him; this is not just a common prayer, but he pleads for them with deep love, and it's important to Paul that they know that.

The significant difference between this prayer of Paul and the others we have studied is that this is not a written prayer; instead, Paul gives a report of his prayer for the Ephesians.

Within this particular prayer, there are four clear petitions that Paul makes on behalf of the Ephesian believers.

I'm going to read the prayer in its entirety, and then I would like to break down the four petitions as we move through our time together in the word.

Essentially, we will see that Paul intercedes for the Gentiles so that they will have:

1. inner spiritual strength.

2. the indwelling of Christ in their hearts.

3. the ability to comprehend all the dimensions of spiritual realities.

4. knowledge of the love of Christ.

As we prepare to unpack Paul's prayer for Spiritual Strength, let's look to the Scriptures together.

While penned by Paul, these are the sacred inerrant words of God, breathed out and profitable to us for learning, correction, and training in righteousness; may we receive them as such.

Before we break down the passage, let's look to the Lord for guidance.

Prayer

**CHANGE SLIDE**

The Proper Posture of Prayer (Vv.

14-15)

Before we can deal with the petitions Paul is making on behalf of the Ephesians, we need to look at the position, or the posture, through which Paul prays.

In verse 14, Paul says he bows his knees before the Father.

Last week, we learned that Jesus took a reverential posture, typical of the Jews, as He lifted His eyes toward Heaven and began to pray.

Paul says he bows, though.

The reason that Paul kneels is found in looking at earlier portions of the letter.

At the end of Chapter 2, Paul explains that the church is composed of "living stones" as a spiritual temple built from all races, tribes, and nations.

He describes that this temple is laid on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus as the chief cornerstone, holding the whole structure together as it grows into a holy temple.

Paul explains that in Christ, the church is being developed into a place for the presence of God to dwell, which should make us think of the Tabernacle, and the Glory of the Lord, as a pillar of fire, signifying His dwelling with His people.

Unlike the Tabernacle, however, this spiritual temple is a place where the presence of God will never leave.

Having developed this incredible image, Paul shares in Ephesians 3:10 that even the angels give glory to God for the beauty and design of the church.

In the final analysis, when Paul sees the majesty and the goodness of God's plan to build such a beautiful church partly through his own ministry as an apostle, he falls to his knees in awe and humility before his heavenly Father.

It's not just humility that Paul shows us, however.

Paul also shows great confidence as he reports his prayer for the Ephesians.

In Ephesians 3:8, Paul identifies himself as less than the least of all God's people, yet He calls God Father, understanding that He has created all things and given an identity to all people.

That is to say, the sovereign God, who Paul teaches, is not worshiped in temples made with human hands but in a spiritual temple constructed of human hearts, Paul simply, yet intimately, calls "Father."

Paul is both humbled and made confident because God allows himself to be addressed in such an intimate way by someone the Holy Spirit inspired to describe himself as the very least of all the saints.

What an amazing grace Paul has experienced!

His desire for the Ephesians, and by extension, us today, is that we, too, experience the fullness of that same grace.

So, to help his readers understand that such grace is even more expansive than our minds can imagine, Paul reports four primary petitions he makes on their behalf.

I want to walk through those with the time we have remaining together.

**CHANGE SLIDE**

A Prayer for Strengthening with Power Through God's Spirit.

(V.

16)

Paul is saying, "I am humbly but confidently approaching the throne room of God pleading that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being.”

To enjoy life, one must be strengthened enough to experience the various daily situations that come in this life, whether good or bad.

As I was developing this message, I was thinking about the need to be strengthened, and I could not help but think of certain animals being born in the wild as they stumble around and try to figure out what their legs are for.

If you've seen a nature documentary before, then you know some animals, especially if they are migrating animals, are sometimes born on the run.

For instance, a wildebeest being born must be able to get up and move with the rest of the herd quickly, or it will not survive.

According to National Geographic, "Calves learn to walk within minutes of birth and, within days, can keep up with the herd."

In 2017, more than a million people logged into a live stream to watch as April, a now famous Giraffe, gave birth to a nearly 6-foot-tall calf — a male named Tajiri or Taj.

I remember watching videos after the birth, and watching the baby giraffe stumble around was funny.

Taj reminded me of my very tall brother, who we joke hit his growth spurt and never recovered.

A year later, Tajiri was over 10 feet tall and had no issues walking or running.

He was strengthened enough to enjoy life, as much as a giraffe in a zoo can, anyway.

Likewise, we as Christians must be strengthened not just to enjoy life but to live an obedient life.

Paul was praying that the Ephesian believers would be strengthened with power through God's Spirit, knowing they would have to be strong to continue moving forward in their Christian walk.

Last week, we noted that Jesus was praying for unity among believers.

Today, we see that Paul was praying for strength among the believers.

As Paul details his prayer for the Ephesians, I wonder, how often are we praying for the spiritual strength of our fellow believers?

Tomorrow is the annual Trunk or Treat.

Now, that is just one example, but my point is, in addition to praying for God's faithfulness, are you praying for strength, not just for yourself, but for the other volunteers and leaders?

We should be humbly getting on our knees before God and confidently, yet passionately, asking Him to strengthen us as we continue to walk, shining light into the darkness.

God's Spirit must strengthen us if we are to comprehend and experience the grace Paul is talking about.

Paul knows we must also confirm that Christ dwells in us with power, so he reports the second petition.

**CHANGE SLIDE**

A Prayer for Christ to Dwell in our Hearts Through Faith (V.

17a)

The indwelling of Christ in our hearts is where love is produced (Ephesians 3:17).

Receiving Christ cannot be just an idea or head knowledge.

His presence fills and affects us.

When the Tabernacle was completed, the glory of God came, filled it with His presence, and made it Holy.

When Solomon finished the temple in 2 Chronicles 7, the glory of God came and filled the temple, leading the people to bow with their faces to the ground and worship Him.

Here, Paul essentially says that he is praying for God's glory to come through the Holy Spirit and fill our hearts with Christ.

When Christ truly dwells in you, your heart is changed.

I wonder, with what have we been filling our hearts?

The world has given us a pretty exhaustive list of things we can fill it with, but none of that leads to real-life change.

Filling your heart with the wrong stuff will never lead us to experience the fullness of God's grace.

Many of you know I own one of those tiny "Smart Cars."

It takes a specific type of gas.

Have you ever filled your gasoline tank with the wrong fuel?

I'm not saying I have; I'm just checking to see if you have.

What happens?

It doesn't work correctly, right?

In fact, it can actually cause a lot of damage if you put the wrong stuff in your gas tank.

The engine is designed to be fueled with something specific.

Likewise, our hearts were designed by God to be filled with him by the power of His Spirit.

We ought to be powered or fueled by the Holy Spirit, who centers our hearts on Christ Jesus.

As the Holy Spirit develops a love for Jesus in you, we are assured that Christ is dwelling in your heart through faith.

One of the signs of true Christianity is a deep love for Jesus himself, his completed work on the cross, and a desire to obey Him faithfully.

Do you sense a love within you for Jesus?