Ephesians - A Prayer for the Church
Posted on May 2, 2010 by Unknown
Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21 - Listen
Jim uses this prayer of Paul's to ask the question, how should we as the church be praying.
This passage is a prayer following Paul's summary of theology in the preceding section.
Jim says think of these questions as we look at this passage
Why should we prayer?
How should we pray?
What can we expect when we pray for these things specifically?
- The basis for our prayer. (3:14-16a)
- God as Father is still a bold idea in the N.T. church. God usually thought of as Divine Judge, Sovereign King.
- But Jesus taught us Our Father. We are heirs in Christ.
- Because of this we can approach.
- A Father provides, comforts, disciplines, loves, and always acts with the best interest of His children.
- Sometimes we think of God not as our heavenly father, but our heavenly grandfather. I love this... so true. "God wouldn't discipline me, He loves me." One time when we were kids we stayed with my grandparents who were always very kind and loving, and like grandparents didn't really discipline us that much. But over that summer my grandfather had to inevitably discipline us, as like all boys we were app to trouble. And so my grandfather transformed into father one day when he had to resort to threatening to spank us. He said he might have to use a thorn bush switch. Though it seems silly now, we actually thought he might use it, afterall he grew up in the Depression. :-) But he was so loving to us and after that we listened better.
- God can answer prayer.
- What motivates our prayers. Our needs, our desires and good, or God's glory? Do we really find our greatest joy in God's glory. Song from today: "Your loving-kindness is better that life."
- The content of our prayer. (3:16-19)
- There is a connection between prayer and the will of God. We should be praying that the will of God be done in us and in all things.
- Luther says, "The person who studies well, prays well." We should pray as we study. I should be putting this more into practice. It takes patience and discipline to stop for a moment, to be still before God when I find myself excited about a passage. But there is wisdom in this.
- v16 Praying for strength.
- v17 That we may be rooted in love - This is a agricultural metaphor. Like the live oaks we have around here. If alive, they always seem to last through the worst of hurricanes.
- v18 Knowledge of the enormity of God's love. The more I love, it changes the way we act before them. The more we understand God's love for us, the less we'll value our own lives and desires before Him.
- How broad is God's love? So broad it can reach all people no matter what divisions we make for ourselves.
- v19 A life brought into conformity with the fullness of God.
- The promise for our prayer. (3:20-21)
- God has the ability to answer our prayers. v.20 "far more abundantly than all that we ask or think"
- We should be sacrificing our life before Him, and truly believe this promise!
- And the purpose of His Will through us is to bring glory to Himself. v.21
Assignment for the Week: Find three people that you don't know well, and prayer these four things (v16-19) for them daily.
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