ephesians 1 15-22 praying as God intended
Advanced praying
Praying as God intended
Ephesians 1:15-22
transition
(NKJV) Ephesians 1 15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
I. Praying for others: The emphasis
A. Others focused praying
(NKJV) Ephesians 1 15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
1. Thought lots about them
2. Cared much for them
3. Spent much time for them
B. Continuous praying
16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
1. Consistency - Keep mentioning
2. Perseverance – not quit
C. Specific praying
16 do not cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers:
1. People
2. Thanks
3. Requests
D. Praying to the one who will act
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
1. God - Father
a) Family relationship with the true God
2. Through Christ
a) Tight relationship of the two
b) Our relationship with the Father depends upon Christ’s work
c) In Christ – Intimate relationship with Father
3. The glorious One
a) Visible manifestation of God and His saving power (Shekinah wilderness)
b) the splendor of the divine presence and power
c) Enlightenment
II. Praying for others: to know Him
17 … may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
A. Personally experience Him
1. Epignosis – experiential knowledge
2. Fulness of knowledge acquired through personal acquaintance
3. Personal knowledge
a) From mind
b) From fellowship
c) From time
B. Develop a spiritual understanding of Him
1. Discernment in divine truth
2. Applied to a living relationship with Him
III. Praying for others: to gain transformational awareness
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know
A. A radical new realization
1. Flooded with light (NLT)
2. Dawning of a new day
3. Flooding of the light into darkness
4. Light for the blind
5. Illumination
B. A new framework for interpreting life
1. Grid for living
2. World view
C. A certain foundation
IV. Praying for others: to live in light of His calling
18 … that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
A. The calling
From Ephesians 1
1. Initiated by God
2. Called to Himself in past
3. Called to walk with Him present
4. Called to be fully glorified in the future
5. Called to live forever with Him for eternity
B. With an expectant future
1. The calling will produce results
V. Praying for others: to live in light of their inheritance
18 … that you may know … what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
A. Awesome benefits
B. Inherit the things belonging to Christ
1. Sonship
2. Rights /wealth of God /access to God
3. Already enjoying aspects of these rights (live in the heavenly places now)
VI. Praying for others: to live in light of the enormous power at work for them
A. Indescribable power
18 … that you may know …
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
1. Unimaginably potent
a) Pile up descriptive words – express the unexpressable
2. Huperballon –
a) Throw over
b) his incomparably great power
c) A totally different category of power
3. Power dunamis
a) Working/Energy energeia / Effective power
b) Capability / Potential / Dynamite waiting to explode
c) Operational power / The sun
4. Strength kratos
a) Power exercised in resistance and control
b) Strength in relation to an end to be gained
c) Massive clam building the Florida canal – dredging and removing dirt
5. Might ischus
a) Bodily strength / Muscular force / Hulk Hogan
B. For their benefit
1. In us (later) perhaps (into)
2. Power toward us – power that has been exerted on our behalf and is now available for us to appropriate
C. Same power exhibited in Christ
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.