Prayer for Spiritual Power
Notes
Transcript
Paul’s Powerful Prayer
Paul’s Powerful Prayer
For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Unity Theme - Family
Paul returns to the theme of Family. We are not talking about the world, we are talking about those who believe in Christ - both Jew and Gentile - are part of the family of God. We are part of God’s household.
Paul prays you would have increased spiritual strength!
I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit,
Paul prays that the Ephesians would have increased spiritual strength.
Based on the internal work of the Holy Spirit.
This is specific. It’s not strength based upon yourself. It was not strength based upon some special strength that was limited to the people of Ephesus. This is a specific and special strength based upon the Holy Spirit. BUT more than that, it is being strengthened with power in the INNER BEING through the Holy Spirit.
What is this inner being? This is Spiritual strength!
Spiritual strength is not physical strength. Physical Strength runs out. Doesn’t take long.
Spiritual strength is not resolve. Resolve is psychological strength. It is tough. But in the end, even resolve can run out.
But you add in Spiritual Strength. Strength that does not come from you, but works through you. It is incalculable! It is immeasurable!
You see physical strength can be used to change your situation - you can physically leave.
Psychological Strength can be used to overcome something as well.
But Spiritual Strength is different. It is not a change of situation, it is a change inside that says situation is irrelevant.
Spiritual strength only comes from God and charges everything else.
See Paul wants us to have the proper charge to handle whatever the created world can throw at us.
My phone is pretty useful. It is not that strong - the cracks prove it. But the computable power this thing has is way beyond what was used to put a man on the moon. It is impressive and the battery lasts a long time.
But when it dies - no amount of physical or psychological action is going to recharge the phone. You can’t push up the phone into working. You can’t converse the phone into working. You can’t just move the phone from here to there.
You have to charge the battery to make the phone work and use the features that the phone has.
Paul is reminding us that we must go to the Lord to get ur battery charged and have the spiritual strength to accomplish the tasks that we have set before us!
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Paul prays that Christ may dwell in your heart.
Now remember we are not talking about being saved. Sometimes we get lost in the message that the Gospel is a salvation message. It is, but the Bible is NOT JUST a salvation message - it is also a message about how to live your life after salvation. It does not end at salvation.
This part right here is interesting.
The word dwell means to inhabit or live in. So may Christ inhabit your heart; may Christ live in your heart.
In other words: May Christ make Himself at home!
Now when we tell people who come over to make themselves at home, we don’t often really mean that do we. We don’t expect them to get ‘at home comfortable’. We don’t want them to go through our closets and drawers.
But Paul prays that Christ may make himself at home in your heart. Brothers and Sisters if you want Spiritual power, Jesus has to be free to roam through the entirety of your life - to every nook and cranny - to every closet and drawer.
If you want Spiritual Power in your life, Jesus needs to be fully at home - He must have full access - so he can straighten things up and clean out your closets and junk drawers!
If you want to really experience the fullness of Christian life, if you really want to experience all that God has for you, Christ must be the Lord of your heart.
Paul prays that you would be rooted and firmly established in love.
Rooted - like a plant has roots - specifically I think of a tap root. That all important root that goes to the main source and provides the largest portion. Not just planted - but settled with roots so deep that you can’t be pulled out! Rooted in love!
Paul prays that your root would be FIRMLY established in Love!
Firm like a solid foundation. Not a foundation built upon the sand where the waves come and destroy the structure - but built upon Christ the solid rock - the very definition of love - because GOD is love!
Paul prays that you may be able to comprehend something beyond comprehension!
There is a purpose behind being rooted and firmly established in love -
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
This is a maturity thing - it is something you grow into - there are stages and periods of growth. Look at what you are attempting to comprehend:
The length and width of God’s love.
The height and depth of God’s love.
To know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge!
But not JUST the length and width!
NOT Just the height and depth!
Not JUST about Christ’s love!
Not just God’s love 101!
Paul is praying that we can comprehend something that is humanly impossible to comprehend! It is individually impossible! You cannot fathom this kind of comprehension alone, not can you comprehend this kind of thing without the Spirit!
Paul says “with all the saints”!
God wants you to know that in order to truly understand the length and width, the height and depth, the fullness of the love of Christ - this is a family effort - it takes all the saints!
Brothers and Sisters, Christianity is not a solo sport! We are part of the body and in order to be healthy we must be a part of and remain with the body!
Your individual experiences of God are limited! We sing a song - I am so glad to be part of the family of GOD!
You have to be a part of the family and with the family to truly see how God is working in the lives of others, to learn how truly amazing God is!
Paul prays “so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God!”
and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
“so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God!”
We are going to be filled with something. We can only be filled with so much! What are you putting into the container that is your life?
Tony Evans says:
If you dip a thimble into the Pacific Ocean, you’ll get a thimble’s worth of ocean. That’s it. Your container is at full capacity. Most Christians want a tanker full of blessings, but only have a thimble worth of relationship with the Lord.
We need to understand that God want’s your spiritual capacity increased so you can comprehend God’s love with other believers and be filled to capacity with His fullness. God will only give you as much of Himself as YOU can handle. He will not waste the manifestation of His glory on vessels unprepared to handle it.
Paul reminds us that God can do more than we can imagine!
Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—
What can God do?
Genesis 1:1 God can create.
Dan 3:17 - He is able to rescue from the fiery furnace.
Dan 6 - He is able to shut the lions mouth.
Matt 9 - he is able to give sight to the blind
Heb 7 - he is able to save completely
John 11 - He is able to resurrect the dead
Ex 17 - He can bring water from the Rock
He can rain manna from heaven
Take a shepherd and make him a king
Make a barren womb give life
What does your testimony say about God?
There is a reason I share what God has done in my life - it is called Testifying! It is a legal term. When someone says what is your testimony, imagine you are sitting in a court room telling the jury what God has done to you. You need to be able to convict God of what He has done in your life. But so often when someone gives a testimony, the opposing counsel could come back and ask: Have you even met God before? More than in passing?
Because we leave out the PERSONAL! We leave out the stuff that we don’t want anyone else to know. The dirty. The ugly. The struggle. The SIN! Because we don’t want people to look at us different. WHen in reality it’s that stuff that people need to know to know what GOD is capable of doing! People can read the Bible, but what is HE doing now?
I can tell you: when I was in the Army I took multiple explosions. Brain damage. Severe TBI. Traumatic Brain Injury. I havre gone back and read the reports. Listed to Jeanie’s story of how I was. Walking into walls. Seizures. Could not remember anything. Doctor would tell me the same thing multiple times. Memory loss. The army was working to medically retire me. Counselors were telling Jeanie it would be easier to divorce me. After all, I wouldn’t know. My cognitive abilities were degraded.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY GOD. WHO IS ABLE TO DO ABOVE AND BEYOND ALL THAT WE THINK AND ASK!
He healed me!
He restored ME!
AND through a lot of work, tears, pain, struggle, prayer, MIRACLES, MERCY AND GRACE - I started imporving.
I had conversations. I tested and passed qualifications to continue being a Combat Medic. I was so treated that I could treat others. I was so healed that I could get back to saving lives.
you might think your story is over - but it only took 6 months from me to go from mandatory medical retirement because I was to damaged to function - to passing tests, re-enlisting and getting approved to go to nursing school.
Oh I graduated that as well!
Then I got a Bachelors degree.
Then I got a Master’s Degree.
Then I started a Doctoral Degree.
I was on my way out - BUT GOD!
Took a soldier with a damaged brain and impraired mental function, and put me in a position that is 95% mental! I couldn’t remember - GOd say’s
Let me show you how awesome I am!
God says’s you may be little, but I am immeasurable!
God can work exceedingly beyond your wildest dreams!
“according to the power that works in us”
We may be weak - But His spirit is strong in us!
I remember being on the fire department. Pulled up to this house fire and it was fully involved. Ran over to this little YELLOW contraption called a fire hydrant. It is not much. Stands just a few feet high. Hooked the hose up to it. turned the flow on. The hose came to life. The fire was no match for the amount of water that flowed through this tiny little hydrant and extinguished the flames of devastation.
The hydrant did not contain the water - but it was connected to a system that doesn’t run out!
Are you connected to the system that never runs out?
Paul reminds us to always give glory to God!
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
It’s all about HIM! And the greatest manifestation of God’s glory is the Church.
