|
|
Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 28th January 2007 PMI KNEEL BEFORE THE FATHER AND PRAY Pastor Linton SmithIt is fascinating to watch a child learning to ride a bike. At first - hesitant.. then.. full of confidence.. then too confident! The ideal is a steady confidence.
That is what you and I need as well - a steady confidence to face life.
In Ephesians 3:14-21 Paul prays a most inspiring prayer. It has been described as ‘enraptured supplication.’ If we pray this prayer for ourselves.. for others.. it will give us confidence to face life with all its challenges.
This is how Paul prays..
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
John Stott compares this prayer to a staircase. Paul says he bows before the Father.. the gloriously rich Father.. and prays that according to those riches.. God will strengthen his readers through the Spirit who lives in them.. that they will allow Christ to dwell in their hearts.. will put down their roots deep into the love of God.. will grasp the magnificence of the love of God.. will know that love in experience.. and be filled with all the fullness of God. Then.. it is almost as though Paul reaches the next floor.. pauses.. and bursts out in praise to God.. To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.. according to His power that is at work within us.. to Him be glory.. in the church.. and in Christ Jesus.. through all generations, for ever and ever.
Let’s ponder this prayer together tonight.. apply what it has to say to our lives.. and learn from it how to pray for ourselves.. and for others.
All that Paul says here can be summarized under three prayers.
The first prayer is this: Pray that believers will..
Paul writes.. Ephesians 3:16,17.. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
Paul prays that God may strengthen us with power through His Spirit in our inner being, and then quickly adds so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
This is not two prayers, but one. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ. Paul's prayer amounts to this: May the Spirit of Christ give you inner strength by dwelling in your inner being.
When we first put our faith in Jesus His Spirit comes to live in our hearts or inner being.
Paul has made this clear in
Ephesians 1:13.. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit..
And if that is not clear enough, it is made very clear in..
Romans 8:9,10.. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you..
Those who belong to Christ have the Spirit of Christ living in their inner beings.
Believe that.. And go a step further..
Let the Spirit of Christ DWELL there. This word, dwell, means to take up permanent residence, to settle down, to be at home. There is another word that means to visit as a guest! When we are at home.. we go into any room we want to.. do as we like.. but not when we are a guest. Can you imagine a guest in your home.. walking through the whole house.. opening doors.. looking in rooms.. and cupboards? I think we would say, How rude!
The Spirit of Jesus is not rude.. He will not go where He is not invited to go. So this is the question we must all answer if we would have inner strength. Have we allowed the Spirit of Christ to be at home in our inner beings? Have we said to Him, My inner being is yours.. make Yourself at home! Do we keep on saying that to Him. Do we behave as though we mean it? Or do we keep some doors shut and locked to keep Him out? Don't have any secrets. Open up the whole of your life to Him. Let Him be more and more at home in your hearts, as the New Living Translation puts it. Do it now. Do it daily!
Paul puts this another way in..
Ephesians 5:18.. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Don’t let wine control you. Let the Spirit of Christ control you. Someone who is filled with anger is the grip of anger. Someone who is filled with the Spirit is in the grip of the Spirit! Daily.. and even moment by moment.. recognize that the Spirit of Christ is in your inner being.. and let Him take control.
Pray like that.. for yourself.. for others.. that you.. they.. will make Christ at home in their inner lives.. allow Him to take control!
The second prayer is this. Pray that believers will..
Paul goes on.. Ephesians 3:17-19.. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
There are two pictures here. Paul wants us to established in love.. to have love as a firm foundation.. like a house on a firm foundation. He wants us to put our roots down deep into the love of God.. like a tree that has put its roots down deep into the soil.
When we were here in Perth in the 80s we planted a fast growing gum tree in the back yard. Within nine years it was a huge tree, strong and resilient in the strongest winds.. and the reason for that was that its roots went down into some very fertile and well watered soil. About 2 meters down the roots would have been in permanently wet soil.
If we would be strong and resilient like that.. if we would have inner strength.. if we would face life with steady confidence.. then we need to put our roots down deep into the love of God.
Quite a few years ago now.. I saw a snippet of a speech made by the late Princess Dianna.. about bulimia. She spoke passionately about the lack of confidence children experience when their parents expect too much of them.. when they demand performance and even perfection.
Good parents love their children unconditionally.. say to them.. I love you.. and will love you whatever you do. Those children are secure, strong and confident.
God loves us like that. He loves each one of us so much that He gave His Son to die for us.. Put your roots down deep into that love.. say to yourself, God loves me.. that is all that matters.. and you will face life with a steady confidence.
When our roots go down deep into God's love like that.. then some wonderful things will happen..
We will begin to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
We will say with Paul..
Romans 8:38,39.. I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And we will know in experience.. this love that passes knowledge..
In Romans 5:5 Paul writes.. God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
When the Spirit of Christ.. the Holy Spirit comes into our lives.. that is what He does.. He pours out the love of God.. and as we allow Him to be at home in our inner lives.. allow Him to take control.. He continues to do that!
And we will be filled with all the fullness of God.
What an amazing statement!
At its simplest it means we will be like God. People will see God in us!
At its most profound it means we will be filled with God - all of God!
We will be very different people.. like God wants us to be..
Like the people Paul urges us to be in..
Ephesians 4:32 – 5:2.. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
So pray like this for yourself.. for others.. that we.. they.. will put down roots deep into the love of God.. and so grasp the greatness of His love.. experience it.. and be the kind of people God wants us to be!
The third prayer is this: Pray that believers will..
· BELIEVE GOD CAN.
Paul bursts into praise of God..
Ephesians 3:20,21.. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Many years ago I was encouraged by Numbers 13.. which we read tonight. God wanted these people to take on a huge challenge.. to go up into a hostile land.. and take possession of it. They refused. They said, It is too hard, it can't be done. That day I wrote in my journal, Lord, please save us from that attitude. And He did. As a church at that time.. we were facing a huge challenge.. to build a church building.. to borrow money.. when interest rates were 18%. God gave us the courage to press on.. and the building was built.
Never say, It can't be done, but say, God can!
Why? Because God’s power at work in us is huge! Incomparably great!
In Ephesians 1:18-21 Paul writes.. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know.. his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
That is the power that is at work within us.
That is why God is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine!
In the face of that how dare we ever say, It can't be done!
Instead we should face the situation squarely.. whatever it is.. understand the difficulties and how great they are.. pray about it.. and continue to pray until God shows us the way ahead.. and gives us peace about it.. and then press ahead.. saying, God can! Nothing is impossible with God!
Here then is how we can pray for ourselves.. for one another..
Pray that we.. and they.. will allow the Spirit of Christ to dwell in our hearts
Pray that we.. and they.. will put down roots deep into the love of God..
Pray that we.. and they.. will believe God can!
|