Paul’s Prayer For You

 

Eph 3:14-21

You and I are here today to worship. You have come because you desired to come. You wanted to receive something from your time here. You wanted to be touched by God and leave this place a better person than you were when you arrived. All of us have different needs, some are physical, some emotional, some spiritual. But we all have things which we need God to accomplish in our lives. The wonderful fact is that the Lord Jesus Christ knows us even better than we know ourselves and He desires to help us. But first we must realize that He is here and that He wants to help meet our needs. Paul wrote the Scripture we are preparing to read to the Church in Ephesus which had people just like you and I who were there to Worship God and to learn more about His love and His grace.

Lets look today at the prayer Paul prayed and see if something he prayed for would also help us today in 2003 in Portland Maine. We need to hear as the Bible says what the Spirit is saying unto the church. If there were ever a day we needed the words of God to be instilled in our hearts it is today. We need to let God’s Word echo into the year 2003 and receive it into our hearts.

Read Ephesians 3:14-21

I.   For Strength with Might

A. By His Spirit

B. In the inner man

II. For the Dwelling of Christ in Us

A. In our hearts – not with us but in us

B. By Faith

III. For Rooting and Grounding in Love

A. Not a temporary thing

B. Roots provide the connection to be fed

C. Grounded means settled, to have a                                                                 foundation, to be stable, established

D. The Love of Christ is the solid rock

IV. For our Comprehension of that Love

A. To Comprehend – to lay hold of so as to make one’s own, to obtain

B. Breadth – Showing great extent

1.  To all ages – Past, present; young, old

2. To all places- east, west, north, south

3. To all nations – USA, Russia, China, etc.

C. Length – From the beginning of time till

the end of it.

D. Depth – From the lowest estate, slaves

E. Height – To the highest position – kings

F. To Know that Love – a personal knowledge

G. His Love goes beyond our knowledge of it

V. That we might be Filled with all the fullness of God

A. To be filled with all the fulness of God, to have the whole soul filled with                        meekness, gentleness, goodness, love, justice, holiness, mercy, and                             truth.

B. What God fills, neither sin nor Satan can fill;                                                                               consequently, it implies that the soul shall be emptied of sin, that sin                           shall neither have dominion over it, nor a being in it.

C. God wants us to have all that He is and

all that He has to be ours.

VI. Then Paul finishes his prayer with praise

A. To Him that is able to do exceeding

abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to His power                               that worketh in us.

B. To Him be glory in the church – may God get Glory by His church, may He                                     be lifted up by us through Jesus Christ in us.

C. God’s praise is never to end in this world or in the one to come. Eternity will be filled with the praises of His people.