A Prayer for The Saints

Introduction

Text: Eph 3:14-21

Title: A prayer for the Saints

First Prayer: Eph 1:17-19

“VICTORY IN CHRIST”

Posture of prayer (vv.14-15)

Paul’s posture

Matthew 6:5 NASB95

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

Kneeling/Desperation

Acts 7:60 “60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.”

Luke 22:41 “41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,”

God’s position

every (the whole) family

Perfect Father

Petition of Paul (vv.16-19)

Strength through Christ (vv.16-17)

Eph 1:18-19

Phil 4:13

Acts 1:8

2 Corinthians 4:16 “16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

“rooted and grounded in love”

Galatians 1:4 “4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”

Galatians 2:20 “20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Comprehension/Knowledge of Love (vv.18-19)

Comprehend (18)

The Message of Ephesians c. Knowing Christ’s Love

Paul prays that we may have power to comprehend the love of Christ in its full dimensions—its breadth and length and height and depth. Modern commentators warn us not to be too literal in our interpretation of these, since the apostle may only have been indulging in a little rhetoric or poetic hyperbole. Yet it seems to me legitimate to say that the love of Christ is ‘broad’ enough to encompass all mankind (especially Jews and Gentiles, the theme of these chapters), ‘long’ enough to last for eternity, ‘deep’ enough to reach the most degraded sinner, and ‘high’ enough to exalt him to heaven.

Job 11:7–9 NASB95

7 “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? 8 “They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? 9 “Its measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.

Know (19)

Romans 8:35-39

Praising of God (vv.20-21)

Able

2 Corinthians 9:8 NASB95

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

power working in us

Philippians 2:12–13 NASB95

12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Conclusion

The Message of Ephesians 1. The Introduction to His Prayer (Verses 14–16a)

For it is in Scripture that God has disclosed his will, and it is in prayer that we ask him to do it.