An Inspired Prayer Request

This message will exhort you to do 3 things:

Pray

Pray for your church

Pray specifically for spiritual strength, knowledge of Christ’s love, and a filling of God’s fullness

Open the Passage

Ephesians 3:14-21

Pray

Introduction to the passage

Ephesians was written to the “To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.” (1:2)

Paul reveals the mystery of the church - The Jew and Gentile becoming one body in Christ

This revelation drove Paul to pray (1:15-19) (3:14-21)

We have Paul’s prayer written here

This prayer is divinely inspired scripture

The best way to pray is through scripture

James 4:3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

We often pray for carnal things - but prayers for spiritual growth will get answered

Luke 11:13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Prayers of the Puritans

We see the work of the trinity in the lives of believers in our passage

The Father grants

The Spirit strengthens

Christ dwells in the heart

It is exciting to see what God is doing at Windsor

It is also humbling

Let’s pray for God to continue to work here

Our passage gives us some things to specifically pray for

1. Pray for Spiritual Strength (v.16-17a)

A. The request is for the Father to “grant” the strength

We cannot rely on our own strength to accomplish God’s work

We must request God “grant us” the strength needed

There is no good offering that we can give to God without his enabling

How often do we assume that God will make us strong without asking for his blessing?

You cannot grow spiritually without God’s granting

B. The request is “according to the riches of his glory”

God’s riches are inexhaustible

He does not reach a point that he cannot supply strength

God desires glory in the church and will give us what we need to receive glory

C. “strengthened with power”

Churches need to be strong

Strength is a result of consistently resisting opposition

False Doctrine

Temptation

The Devil

Apathy

D. “the inner man”

Christ has created a new creature within you that he will strengthen

The new creation of Christ within the believer (2 Cor. 5: 17)

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.

E. “that Christ may dwell in your hearts”

Strong Christians will have Christ continually dwelling in their thoughts, desires, emotions, and actions

2. Pray for Comprehension of Christ’s Love (v.17b-18)

A. “rooted and firmly established in love”

Love is the source of our strength

It is the center of our faith

It is what establishes us as Christians

It is the chief characteristic of Christian disciples

Yet - How do we know what love is?

Because of Christ's love

Christ’s love is manifested more clearly against the backdrop of our sin - Romans 5:8

It is the motive for our every endeavor

We gather together because of His love

We go to a world that is dying because of His love

The breadth of Christ’s love span’s the entire world –John 3:16

The length of Christ’s love lasts for eternity –Romans 8: 38-39

The depth of Christ’s love reaches the sinner - 1 Timothy 1:15

The height of Christ’s love takes the sinner to heaven –Ephesians 2:6

We should seek to know this love in a greater capacity

Experiencing Christ’s love is greater than any knowledge you can gain

Can you pray God would reveal more of His love to you and to this church?

3. The Result - God’s Filling (v.19)

Do you desire to see God’s fullness manifested in your life? Here at WCF?

The Father masterfully orchestrating our services, our community groups, our weekly interactions with others

Jesus Christ constantly abiding within our every thought and deed

The Holy Spirit empowering us and strengthening us to accomplish the great work of God

This is what I believe the fullness of God looks like.

Conclusion

A. His Ability

B. The Limitation of our Prayers

We cannot fathom what God is able to do

C. God’s Power Works within Us

D. Glory in the Church

Christ is working to sanctify his church and cleanse it. Ephesians 5:25-27

E. God created the church and desires glory from it - That’s you!

He is glorified when we are spiritually strengthened by His Spirit

He is glorified when we abide in Christ’s love

He is glorified our lives are filled with His Fullness