Pauls prayer for the Ephasians

Yeah, that's what I'm talkin about.

A pride. All right. If you would take her mom wasn't with me to the book of Ephesians.

Ephesians chapter number 3.

Ephesians chapter number 3. Begin reading a verse number 14.

And while you're making your way to Ephesians chapter 3, Let's Open up with a word of prayer. Great and Mighty, father. We thank you, Lord, for this day that you given it. Thank you, Lord for life. And for all the many blessings, God, that's you. Bestow upon us, many things. That we would even fail to recognize. the father, we acknowledge that every good and perfect gift comes from above and a grateful or for this time of fellowship tonight. We pray God your blessings upon this Bible study. pray for the Lord for

The great tragedy riffic tragedy. In, in Texas. All those Families, that were affected by that school shooting, father. I pray, that even the midst of this.

Horrific unimaginable situation is God. I pray that you would wrap your arms around those families gone. I pray that. Somehow someway.

That you would intervene in the lives of those people.

Give them comfort.

I pray Lord for our country. I pray God. That's

We realized tonight.

The evidence of when you remove your hand of blessing off of a Nation. And we see the consequences of that. That in itself is a judgement in. Father, I pray that we would repent.

father, we just

Pray God, that you would help us tonight to focus in on your word. Father, I pray that you help us to apply it to your heart and do our hearts and lives lore that we would be able to live out father the Christian life that you would that you have called us to live out. We love you. Ask all these things in Christ name. Amen, if he's in chapter 3 and verse number 14, Paul says, for this reason, I bow my knees to the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. From whom the whole family in Heaven and Earth is named. He would Grant you a cording to The Riches of his glory to be strengthened with Mike through his spirit in the Inner Man. That Christ May dwell in your hearts, through faith. That you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints. What is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge that you may be filled with the fullness of God. Not to him, who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in US. To him be glory in the church by Christ. Jesus, to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. To say that the Apostle Paul was greatly use of the Lord would be an understatement, knowing the fact that the Apostle Paul. Wrote 13 books of the New Testament. We know that the Apostle Paul is greatly use of the Lord. And there's no doubt that Paul surrendered, his life to the service of the Lord be caught. And because of that, God used the Apostle, Paul to established churches, and God used him to encourage many churches on his missionary Journeys. And as the years went by, as you read the epistle, the letters that he wrote to those churches. You see that Paul's love for the church has never diminished get a great love for them. He was committed to doing all that he could do to ensure their continued progress even in his absence. So many cities church is Paul with it. He would have stablished them. He would start them. He would stay a year or two, maybe three years and then you would turn it over to another pasture or elders. Then he would leave and start another shirt. That even in his absence. He had a great love and a concern for those churches. In this Paul, well, understood and embraced a fundamental truth and that is prayer is needed, as well as powerful for each and every Church. While away from them, Paul continue to pray for the churches. He knew the value of lifting them up in the Lord, in prayer to the Lord. And it's something that what we're looking at here is a prayer that Paul pray, specifically for the Church of Ephesus. And for the next few weeks. When we looking at the different prayers, that Paul prayed for the church is such as the prayer in Colossians are the prayer that he prayed for the colossian church. Then also the church in thessalonica, but notice as we look at this prayer, number one, he prayed for their development. He pray for their development. Verse 16. Paul said that he would Grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with my, through his spirit, in the Inner Man. So Paul was concerned. He was very concerned about the spiritual development of the Believers here at Ephesus. You know, if the charge was going to continue the new at the church was going to prosper, there, have to be continual growth. And specifically speaking here, spiritual growth. And that is likely one of the greatest hindrances to the church. In our day, few churches are seeing much spiritual growth. There are many churches who may be growing numerically. But how many churches are truly growing spiritually? And think about this, Paul's concerned about this. He's praying to this end. We need to pray that God will develop Fellowship in our in our fellowship that he would mature Us in him. I noticed a couple of things when you can need to consider about our development. Number one, the source. Paul, pray that the church would be strengthened by the power of God. We see that number 16, race said that, he God. Would Grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened. That he that John was strengthened the church. Paul did not look to the political system that the church will be strengthened from you. Do not look to the social or economic systems of this world to provide strength for the church. No. He called upon the Lord who provide through the riches of his glory. Many churches are stagnant today. Many churches are dead spiritually because they are depending sadly upon the wrong things. How many Place more emphasis on the numbers than they do the Necessities? They Place more emphasis on the presentation rather than power and works rather than worship. Paul wanted the church at Ephesus to experience an outpouring of God's glory. So this is why he tells them that he's praying that they would find their strength, not, from an outside Source, but from God himself.

Do we realize that tonight? Then if we are going to be a strong Church of we're going to be a spiritually growing church that we have to rely solely upon God, himself to give us the strength. We must realize that. He pray for their development. He names the source. It is God. But then notice the struggle, he mentions. Paul not only pray, this prayer just to have pot and speed me Paul had not pray. This prayer just to have something to say this was not a prayer of a of a vain repetition. Paul, since the great need among the church, And we remember that life in Ephesus. During this time, especially living a being a Christian was very difficult. Very difficult. It was not easy for the church. They were not surrounded by multitudes. Who encouraged them, worshiping? The Lord Jesus. And so if they were to survive spiritually, they had to become strong in the Inner Man. They had to become strong spiritual. That's what Paul saying that he God. Would Grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might through his spirit in the Inner Man. They needed the Holy Spirit controlling their lives, instead of the desires of the flesh. We think about our lives as Christians today, that we to find ourselves as Christians living in a very hostile environment.

This world does not embrace the faith, the Christian faith. This world does not encourage our faith. They are not concerned with our spiritual well-being or our relationship with the Lord. And so if we are to survive. And prosper, spiritually. Our only hope is to be strengthened in the Inner Man by the Holy Spirit.

So as you pray for, for our church in the individuals in this church, pray that God would develop us through the outpouring of his power that we might be strengthened by the Blessed, Holy Spirit. And so Paul, here. He says, he prayed for their development. We see the source, and the struggle, but then noticed, he prayed for their dwelling. He prayed for their dwelling. We notice this number 17.

That Christ, he says may dwell in your hearts by faith. So Paul was concerned with what they allowed to abide within their hearts. The term dwell there. Speaks of a permanent dwelling not, just a brief visit. He desire the church to allow the Lord to have preeminence and their lives at all times. And this is not, he's not talk about lost people, allowing Christ to indwell them through salvation. He's riding to the church's riding to individuals who have already been saved.

So he's riding through these same individuals, he wanting them to, to rid, their hearts of the cares of this world. He's wanting them to rid their hearts of The Last of The Flash and allow their heart, allow the Lord to have preeminence in their life. In other words, this was not just for Sunday, living. The Christian life is not just for Sunday, but every day For all who are born again Christ dwells within their hearts. We are in the well by him and praise the Lord, that will never change. However, if we're not careful, over time, we can bring some things in and place them in places that they do not belong to where we'd no longer.

Have the Lord Jesus as the preeminent one in our life. And that's what Paul is talking about when he means that Christ May dwell in your heart that he would have preeminence in your life. If he is truly Lord, then he then the question is is he your master? Notice also, he prayed for their devotion. He prayed for their devotion.

417 that Christ May dwell in your hearts through faith. That you being rooted and grounded grounded in love. That is and this is speaking of God's love agape. Love. It is love, that is not dictated by circumstances. It is not love. That is dictated by situation that is not prejudiced or restrained. It is a law that is constant. It is love that is pure and never changing and is not a conditional. Love. We desperately need to the love of God within our hearts. For other people. He also revealed an important truth that they were to be rooted and grounded in love. They were to literally build their lives and the church upon that Foundation. This was an essential element that had to exist exist. If the church was to prosper and continue that without love in the foundation, the church would eventually crumble and fall when the storms of life pain until he says, that, that Christ May dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love. And then I love what he says, I'm Verse 18 and 19 that you may be able to comprehend with all the saints. What is the width and length and depth and height? To know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, which passes understanding another words. We cannot really even comprehend tonight. The love of Christ. The love that God has for us. We cannot really comprehend John 3:16. We cannot put it in words. How we are the benefactors of his love. To know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge. One of my favorite songs, concerning the love of God. The first verse says, this. The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and it reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair bowed down with care. God, gave his son to win his erring, child. He reconciled and pardon from is sin. And that last verse? Says this could we with ink the ocean fill? And were the Skies of parchment made. Were every stalk on earth? A quill and every man, a scribe by trade. To write the love of God, above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from Sky the sky. And so it is true to know the love of Christ passes knowledge or understanding and even if all the oceans were filled with ink and if somehow we could write the love of God and enjoy raining the ink of the oceans. We never would begin to explain the love of God. It is only in heaven. When we are there at the feet of Jesus, will we even comprehend be able to comprehend the great love that Christ has for his own. We pray that they would be rooted and grounded in this love. Why is that? Because if we know of Chrysler? And we understand it to our best ability that we can humanly speaking. Then it'll be then we'll have the a better ability to love one another. And that is what the church is to be about. We are to love one another. but notice also, he prayed for their depth. He prayed for their debt and verse 18.

Again, he says that they meet they may be able to comprehend with all the saints. What is the width and length and depth and height? To know the love of Christ with passes knowledge that you may be. Filled with all the fullness of God, not knowing the life of Paul. Paul had experience the fullness of God. He knew what it was as, as he said in other and other books, he knew it was to abound in the Lord. Until he genuinely desires the Saints at Ephesus to for them to also experience the fullness. This bonus as well. Fullness has the idea of a ship that has been filled with all his cargo and completely manned for the journey with Sailors, rowers and Soldier. Paul didn't want them to make the trip without all that they needed. He wanted them to. He did not want them to struggle and just barely survived. He wanted them to enjoy the fullness of the trip. He wanted them to experience the fullness of God's grace and power. And listen. We desperately need that fullness in our day. They're too many believers who are just floating along so to speak. They're going through the motions making their way through life, but there is a lack of Joy. There is a lack of power. Paul says, we can know the fullness of God in our lives.

So this is a great prayer for us to pray for our fellowship that we might know, and we might enjoy the fullness of God that we would have Bound in the Lord. That we don't just have to barely survive. We don't have to live a Christian Life of defeat. We don't have to come in and do. Or the service has never experienced in the power and presence of God. We can have his fullest. We need to pray that each and every one of us would have experienced the wonderful. This wonderful fullness that Paul speaks about. So again, I read to you this prayer in Ephesians 3:14 for this reason. I bow my knees to the father. Of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. From whom the whole family in Heaven and Earth is named. That he would Grant you. According to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with my, through his spirit. In the inner man, that Christ May dwell in your hearts, through faith. That you being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all the saints. What is the width and length and depth and height? To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him, who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us to him, be glory in the church by Christ. Jesus, to all generations, forever. And ever. Amen. Let's pray Our Father. Or we thank you. Lord for this.

Prayer that is written down. Or get chosen. To record this prayer for this particular church and father. I pray that we would adopt. The same prayer. I pray God that you strengthen us. Grow us Lord and your love. Grow us in your truth. Grow us in your knowledge. And Lord help us to love as to the best of our human ability to love others. Lord help us to understand the fullness and to know and to live and Victory. Help us to live abounding in the Lord. Not just struggling to survive, but Lord living victoriously. Not in our own strength, but Lord in. Your power. We pray also Lord, as we get ready to. Do I have the ministry meeting? Father? We pray your blessings upon it.

We asked all these things in Christ name. Amen. Are we?

Call the church to order for the monthly.