POWER THROUGH PRAYER
EPHESIANS 1:15-23
We began a new series,
A Pathway to Christian Living. It is a journey through the Book
of Ephesians. The Apostle Paul opens the letter with Seven
Spiritual Blessings in Christ. 1. We are
chosen by Love to be Holy. 2. We have been adopted into God's family. 3. God's
glorious grace has been poured into our lives. 4. We have been made free and
forgiven of our sins.
5.
Christ gives us wisdom and understanding. 6. We have received an inheritance
from God. 7. We have become God's own by receiving the Holy Spirit. These
blessings are not random for all but only to those who believe in Christ. We
didn't deserve them, but God was delighted to give them to us so that we might
praise and glorify Him. The Apostle Paul prayed for them after reminding the
Ephesian believers of these seven spiritual blessings. I title this sermon: Power
Through Prayer. Ephesians 1:15-23. Let's see how this prayer applies to
us.
Faith in the Lord and Love
for God's people are inter-connected.
Vs.
15-16, "Ever since I first heard of your strong Faith in the Lord Jesus
and your Love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for
you. I pray for you constantly." Our Faith in Christ saves us and brings
us into God's family. Then comes what? Salvation is the first step of a long
faith journey marked with Love. James urged, "Just as the body is dead without breath, so also Faith is
dead without good works." James 2:26.
As members of Hope
Church, we want to grow in our faith in the Lord and Love for God's people
everywhere. For that reason, we help and support the hurting members of our
church family and respond to the needs of the body of Christ locally and
globally.
The Ephesian believers
expressed their strong faith in Christ through acts of Love for God's people
everywhere. These
two distinct characteristics have earned them Paul's unceasing prayer and thanksgiving
before God. Let's see how Paul's intercession impacts our lives today.
I.
Knowing God through prayer.
Vs.17, "asking God, the glorious Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom (spirit of wisdom), and insight
so that you might grow in your knowledge of God." This whole passage talks
about the kind of prayer we believers should pray. Prayer is a sure way to
reach God's heart and one of the most potent tools we are given, yet it is most
underutilized.
A. J. Gordon, the founder of Gordon Conwell, noted, "The
Church's deepest need today is not for any material or external thing, but the
deepest need is spiritual. Prayerless work will never bring in the kingdom. We
neglect to pray in the prescribed way. We seldom enter the closet and shut the
door for a season of prayer. Kingdom interests are pressing on us thick and
fast, and we must pray. Prayerless giving will never evangelize the
world."
If prayer is the Church's deepest need today, no
wonder the devil tries to deprive Christians of meeting that need. One of the
ways he does it is by keeping us busy and making us tired. We are not busy and
tired while watching our favorite TV series or NFL games, but we give flimsy
excuses, saying, "We are busy and tired when it comes to praying."
How has your prayer life been? Are you more busy than
Jesus and the disciples, who kept prayer as a priority? In this verse, Paul was
not praying for material benefits for the Ephesian believers but that they
would receive Spiritual Wisdom to get to know God, who is the giver of all good
things. Are you stressed out in life? Are you anxious about how to put food on
the table?
Get to know God through prayer, who has your best
interests in mind. Seek the face of God more than the hand of God. That was
what Jesus taught His disciples to do. He told them that the main preoccupation
of the unbelievers was food, clothing, and water. It doesn't mean that the
believers don't need them. The difference is that, unlike the unbelievers, we
are encouraged to seek His Kingdom and live righteously, and God will take care
of all our needs.
II.
Finding Hope through prayer
Vs. 18, "I pray that your hearts will be flooded
with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those
he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance." Many
struggle with mental health-related issues and gender confusion. Our society is
riddled with crime, hatred, violence, and drug abuse. Families and marriages
are broken. On top of that, economic uncertainty frightens us with the
government shutdown threats.
If I want to describe the world's mood in one word, it
is "Hopelessness." But for God's children, there is fullness of Hope.
Paul prayed that in our hearts, we would understand the confident Hope God has
given to all those he called. Are you hopeless today? Are you frightened about
what will happen tomorrow? Don't be afraid. God got your back! He promised Hope
to us.
Jeremiah, 29:11-14, "For I know the plans I have
for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for
disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will
listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by
you," says the Lord." When the
economy in the world crumbles, God has all the resources to take care of you,
your family, our Church, and the whole world. How do I know that God will care
for me?
That confidence can only come from knowing God's
Character. That understanding can come as we search for Him wholeheartedly. How
do we do that? By spending time with God through prayer. Numerous times in my
Christian walk, I worried and anxious about things. But when I cast my anxiety
upon Him through prayer, my fears were calmed, and my Hope restored.
As Paul explained, we are called by God to be set
apart for His purposes. We become God's rich and glorious inheritance. In other
words, we become God's property, and we belong to God. Knowing that we belong
to God by surrendering our lives to Him is a blessing. Let us be assured that
our mighty God knows how to protect and provide for those who belong to Him.
III.
Power through prayer.
Vs. 19-20, "I also pray that you will
understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This
is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the
place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms."
This is an incredible truth that we must understand
and believe. The apostle Paul prayed that the Ephesian Church and the universal
Church of Jesus Christ would realize its inherent power. The Church of Jesus
Christ is the most powerful institution ever in this world, and it is the only
one that will survive when everything else ceases to exist.
This is not my analysis of the Church, but Jesus
Himself prophesied its scope, power, and enduring presence. Matthew 16:18,
"Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this
rock, I will build my Church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it."
The devil thought momentarily he won the victory when Jesus was crucified and
was buried.
The Church of Jesus Christ was born in, empowered, and
operates through the power of the Holy Spirit. This was what Jesus said before
He was taken up to heaven. But to his surprise, the power of the Holy Spirit
raised Jesus from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right
hand in the heavenly realms. That puts Jesus far above any ruler, authority,
power, leader, or anything else, not only in this world but in the world to come.
God has put all things under the authority of Christ
and made him head over all things for the benefit of the Church. That is you
and me and all those who belong to Christ. We are the body of Christ, and
Christ is the head we belong to. As Christ fills everything everywhere with
himself, we are made complete through and in Christ. Paul's prayer is that we
will discover this powerful truth that the mighty God lives in us and gives us
the power to live for Him. All these beautiful truths about God and us can only
be realized when we pray to God in faith. Amen!
