Prayer - Week 4

[00:00:01] We will be having services Friday, Saturday and Sunday for Easter. [00:00:10] And it's a wonderful time to worship, but it's also a wonderful time to do exactly what Christ did on Easter. Serve somebody else. [00:00:22] So if you'd like to. If you'd like to be our partner and serve in one service Friday, Saturday or Sunday, you can sign up at the welcome desk. [00:00:41] What might God do for to all the people who are going to come on Easter, who only come on Easter if we have a church full of people committed to serving them when they get here? [00:00:59] Who knows whose heart it might change if you just gave away an hour of your life and gave it away to serve the many people who are gonna come in here. [00:01:16] My second tip is you probably don't want to come to the 11 o'clock service on Easter. There's nowhere to sit and nowhere to park. So, oh, Father of glory, you have in your great design, left us this beautiful instruction in Ephesians, chapter one. [00:01:43] And we're praying that your Holy Spirit would enlighten the eyes of our understanding so that we could comprehend what it is you're saying about yourself in these verses and that it would make us better people. In Christ's name, amen. [00:02:02] Paul said to the church at Ephesus, I'm praying for you. [00:02:09] And then he told us the prayer request that he's made for. [00:02:14] And Paul's prayers sound very different than many of our prayers. [00:02:23] We're usually asking God for things that are of temporary value. [00:02:29] We're usually asking God for things that have only to do with the material life. [00:02:34] But Paul teaches us that there is a deeper prayer life then just praying that your dog is okay when you take him to the vet. Now, yes, pray for your dog. But if that is the extent of your prayer life, you're missing the point. [00:02:56] So this is what Paul said he was praying. [00:02:59] First of all, he said, I'm praying that you might have a spirit of wisdom. [00:03:08] And then he said, I'm praying that you have a revelation of the knowledge of God. [00:03:16] And then he said, I'm praying that you would know what is the hope of your calling. [00:03:21] And then he said, I'm praying that you would understand the riches of the glory of the inheritance that he has for you. [00:03:30] And this week we're going to study. Paul said, I'm praying that you could understand the immeasurable power of God. [00:03:40] This is what he said, that you might understand what is the extraordinary greatness of his power unto us, the ones who are believing according to the energizing of the strength of his might, which he energized in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavens, far above all rulers and authorities and powers and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age, but in the one that is about to come. [00:04:28] Paul blessed God and said, I give thanks to you. And the reason I give thanks to you is because you have immeasurably greatness of power. [00:04:47] In fact, Paul got carried away here. If you look at this, he used five different words to describe the power of God. [00:04:58] He couldn't get it done in. He couldn't get it done in a shorter phrase. So he used five different phrases to help us understand the power of God. Let's look at them one by one. [00:05:13] The first thing he says is, your English Bible translates it, sir. [00:05:22] Surpassing. Sometimes I like the immeasurable, but it actually means extraordinary, supreme, in fact, off the measuring scale. This word means if this is the measuring scale, the greatness of his power is off the scale. It's on a scale all by itself. [00:05:47] There is absolutely nothing we can compare the power of God to, because there's nothing like it. [00:05:56] The power and the ability of God that works in our lives is extraordinarily great. [00:06:07] Ah. [00:06:09] Why is this important? [00:06:11] Because if you don't really think about how great God's power is, it affects your prayer life. [00:06:19] Do you see? [00:06:23] I'm never gonna ask my great granddaughter who was worshiping God boldly this morning. [00:06:31] I'm never gonna ask my great granddaughter to exert herself the way I ask her grandmother to. [00:06:43] You ask people according to their strength and their ability. [00:06:50] So when I'm praying, if I underestimate the power of God, then I underestimate what he's willing to do and how he's willing to act in my life. Do you get that? [00:07:07] Don't ever ask me to fix your car. You'll regret it. [00:07:11] I do not have the capacity to do that. [00:07:15] But there is. When I think of God, there's nothing that is beyond his capacity. He has the power. He has the extraordinary power to do beyond what we are able to ask or think. And that should affect your prayer life. You should pray to God as someone who is completely powerful enough to do everything that you need done. All right, now I need to speak to some of you who have a little cynicism about prayer. You say, if God is so powerful and he wants to answer my prayer, why when I prayed this prayer, God didn't answer it. [00:08:03] Okay? [00:08:04] Because God doesn't just answer prayer by his power. He also answers prayer by his wisdom. [00:08:12] Do you get that? [00:08:14] We are not wise enough to know that sometimes God says that's not really good for you. [00:08:22] I want you to imagine that your 12 year old son comes to you next week and said, I want to drive the car to school this week. [00:08:33] And you say, you know, I'm really sorry, I can't let you do that. No, I mean I really want to. I need to drive the car to school this week. [00:08:46] Unless you're an absolutely terrible parent, you're going to say no, you're just not ready for that. But that doesn't mean that you're not powerful enough. That doesn't mean that you're not capable. It doesn't mean that you don't want him to be happy. It simply means that in that request, wisdom trumps power. [00:09:13] I want you to imagine that your 16 year old daughter comes home with a new boyfriend and says, we want to get married next week. [00:09:22] I'm so in love with him. You don't understand. [00:09:26] I can't live without him. I have to. Okay, again, unless you're an absolute loser. As a parent, wisdom has to prevail. [00:09:41] So in my prayer life, sometimes I ask God for things and in my mind I think I'm right and this is a good thing. But God is looking me like a 16 year old girl saying I want to get married to my new boyfriend next week. And in his wisdom he says, yeah, we're going to have to pass over that one church. [00:10:14] All right. [00:10:17] God answers our prayer not just by his power, but by his wisdom. All right, the next word, the next is according to the immeasurable power. [00:10:31] I'd like to translate this word a little more interestingly. [00:10:36] It means the power that is connected with capability. The power, it's not brute force. It's the power that comes from being capable. It's the power that comes from being able to do certain things. [00:10:59] God's power is directly connected to his ability. [00:11:06] You can have, you can be a very strong person and not have certain abilities. [00:11:11] So their ability is a different kind of power than just strength. Do you see that? So God's power is directly connected to his ability. [00:11:23] He not only has the power to do it, he has the ability to do it perfectly. [00:11:29] And then he uses this word. The Greek word is energea. And we get our word energi from it. We just changed the ending. Our word energy comes from this Greek word and it's exactly what it means. [00:11:48] The ability to Energize something. [00:11:51] All right, so let's put this together. [00:11:56] The extraordinary ability, directed power of God energizes God's activity in us and through us. [00:12:08] There is a spiritual energy that God shares with us through Jesus Christ. [00:12:18] That's why we have to learn how to serve God in a way that draws on his energy and not just exhaust ourselves. Church, we need to learn to live in a kind of way that. That we draw on the energy that God makes available to us and not try to do it all by ourself. [00:12:41] And then there's a fourth word. This extraordinary ability, directed power energizes us because we have a sense that God has a grip on us. [00:12:57] Jesus uses this image that he holds us in his hand, and God holds us in his hand. [00:13:08] So we are held by the hand of Christ and the hand of God. It's a physical image. You can hold things better with two hands than you can one. Right? So this idea is that God exerts His energy in our lives, and part of that energy is he holds us. [00:13:30] In what way does he hold us? [00:13:33] Have you been at times in your life when you're just at the end of yourself? [00:13:37] Anyone? You're just at the end of yourself? [00:13:41] Ah. [00:13:43] Ah. There is an incredible God who, when you are at the end of yourself, he's not at the end of Himself. And whether you know it or not, he's holding you. [00:13:56] He's holding you. [00:13:58] His steadfast love is holding you. [00:14:02] All right. He holds us in another way. [00:14:05] Uh, have you ever been tempted to do something wrong? [00:14:11] Thank God. [00:14:13] Good. I don't want to be the. I want to be the last sinner in this church. [00:14:22] It's called restraining grace. [00:14:25] How many things would we have done that we would have regretted if God had not held us? [00:14:33] If he had not restrained us, if he would have not changed our thinking, if he would not have redirected us? [00:14:42] And the last thing I want to say is he holds us secure for his eternal purpose. [00:14:50] Now, some of you grew up in churches that taught you if you messed up real bad, you could lose your salvation. [00:14:59] You could be a Christian your whole life, and at the end, if you did something really bad, God would throw you out. All right? [00:15:07] They taught you that, but it's not true. Church, you are not held by yourself. You are held by the power of God. [00:15:18] He will never let you slip. He gave you a promise. I will never leave you or forsake you. Can you hear that, brothers and sisters? Not for any reason, not ever, at any time. Will I leave you or forsake you? He will hold you no matter what happens in life. [00:15:41] And then the fifth term is a term that is for innate strength. This is innate physical strength. God has not only the spiritual strength to do everything he wants to do, he has the innate physical strength. [00:15:58] He holds the universe together by the word of his power. Did you hear that? It's an odd phrase. [00:16:07] I'm not so much of a materialist that I. That I can't imagine that there's something of the innate strength of God that makes the universe work the way it works. It's more than just. [00:16:22] It's more than just physics. [00:16:25] There is a great balancer. [00:16:29] There is a great maintainer. [00:16:32] There is one who is so strong he's. He's able to hold the universe in the balance that he wants it. [00:16:43] If you live in a physical universe alone, I feel sorry for you. You're missing half of the creation of God. [00:16:53] And then Paul said, this power isn't shared equally with everybody. [00:17:01] We have this idea that God treats everybody equal in the same. It's not true. [00:17:09] Do you treat your children the way you treat the kids down the block? [00:17:17] Well, I don't. [00:17:22] I mean, if they need help, I'll help them. But I don't buy their shoes. I don't take them to the Dairy Queen. [00:17:29] All right? God treats his children different than those who aren't his children. And the proof of that is in this passage, he exerts this power. For whom? For those who believe. He exerts this power for us who believe. [00:17:50] God does not spare any power to accomplish his complete work in. In those who put their faith in Him. [00:17:59] In fact, faith itself is an expression of God's power. [00:18:05] God has already worked in you in a powerful way. When you have faith. Do you hear that? [00:18:12] Faith is a gift of God, not of works. Lest anyone should boast, the very faith that I have in God is an expression of his power working in me. [00:18:26] I hope you know that. It requires an immeasurable power from God to change us from sinners into people who are faultless before him in love. [00:18:39] You have underestimated how much power it takes for God to change you from being a desperate sinner into somebody who is faultless before him in love. [00:18:50] It requires a power that is greater than even Paul's ability to describe. [00:18:57] In fact, Paul is going to tell us the only thing I can compare it to is it takes as much power to change me from a sinner into somebody who is faultless before God in love as it took to raise Christ from the dead. He's going to make that comparison in the Scripture. [00:19:24] Through this extraordinary ability, directed energy, God accomplishes His complete purpose in you. Here I am back at this theme. Would you hear this? Would you open your heart to this? [00:19:37] God is at work in our lives for a bigger purpose. And that purpose is to prepare us to abide with him eternally. [00:19:49] Everything God is doing in your life has a goal and an end. And that goal and end is to prepare you to be exactly what he created you to be and to abide with him forever. And he exerts divine energy in all our lives in a daily way to keep making that happen. [00:20:12] So I learned this week a new theological idea. There is striving strength and there is overcoming strength. [00:20:24] When God exerts energy in our lives, it expresses itself in two ways. One, I'm striving and the other I'm overcoming. Talk about both of these. Striving strength is if you'll pay attention in your life. There are things you're always struggling with, and it takes the grace of God to help you struggle with them. [00:20:49] We all have issues. [00:20:52] We all have inner stuff going on, and we have to struggle with that. We have to strive with that in our life. [00:21:00] And what you struggle with may be different than what somebody else is struggling with. So God gives a certain level of grace just to help me struggle with that. So I don't give up and quit. [00:21:13] But what he really wants to do is he wants to exert enough power in my life to change me. So now I don't need struggling strength anymore. I have overcoming strength. I'm winning the battle consistently. I'm getting a track record for getting it right. As in the past, I got it wrong again and again and again and again. With overcoming strength, God recreates me. And I face these temptations with an energized soul. And I have. I have the capacity to overcome consistently. Can you hear this, Church? That is the work of God. He starts working in us with striving strength. But his goal is for us to have overcoming strength. [00:22:02] The blessed God employs the same power in us that he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him in glory. Look at verse 20, which he energized in Christ, raising him from the dead and seated him at the right of him in the heavens. [00:22:31] When it says that God exerted this strength. [00:22:35] Have you ever thought about who raised Christ from the dead? We're gonna celebrate Easter Sunday next week. Who raised Christ from the dead? In fact, the entire Trinity raised Christ from the dead. Let me share some verses with you. Hebrews 13:20. [00:22:55] Now, may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ. [00:23:04] This says, God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. But I don't want to quit there. [00:23:12] The great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with every good that you may do his will. Look, look. Working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Christ Jesus. [00:23:28] God the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead. And with the very same power he raised Christ from the dead. He's working in us so that we can do what is absolutely pleasing in his sight. All right. Jesus raised himself from the dead. In John's Gospel, Jesus was teaching, and he said this. No one takes my life from me. I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down. Look. And I have the authority to take it up again. [00:24:02] This charge have I received from my Father. [00:24:06] Right there. Jesus said, I raise myself up. I have authority to raise myself up. [00:24:12] The Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead. Romans 1:2, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scripture concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness, by his resurrection from the dead, the Spirit of holiness, the Holy Spirit raised Jesus Christ from the dead. The entire Trinity raised Christ from the dead. Now, why am I making a big point about that? Because as the entire Trinity raised Christ from the dead, the entire Trinity is at work in us, energizing the work of God in us so that we can be who God wants us to be. In the very same way that the entire Trinity raised Christ from the dead, the entire Trinity is at work in you, day by day, lifting you up, directing you, recreating your heart, helping you to think better thoughts. It is the entire Trinity of God that is at work in you. By this great power that Paul described. [00:25:26] What happened to Jesus after the resurrection? [00:25:29] He was seated at the right hand in the heavens. This is the idea that when Jesus Christ rose from the dead, God exerted power, and he set Christ down on the throne right next to him in heaven. [00:25:48] It's a beautiful picture. [00:25:51] I've read to you about the throne room of heaven before in Revelation. It's a beautiful picture of Christ sitting on this big gemstone throne and the glory of the Lord and the holy angels that say, holy, holy, holy. And the 24 elders seated around him. And the my reds and my reds of beings. [00:26:17] Jesus Christ right now possesses the throne of honor in the presence of God because God raised him to that place. Listen. Listen. And it is the very same power that seated Christ in heaven that will one day seat all true believers of God in heaven. In the very same way that God lifted Christ up to heaven, he has the power to raise each and every one of us and seat us in glory and honor in heaven. [00:26:55] Someday. [00:26:57] Someday the archangel will shout, the trumpet will sound. The dead in Christ will rise first. And those who are alive and remain, they will be caught up to be with God forever and ever, because the power of God guarantees it. [00:27:20] The same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him on his throne will raise us up and seat us in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. [00:27:29] By faith, we can do all things through this divine power. If God can do all these things, then by faith, what am I able to do? [00:27:42] What is it that you could be getting done if you simply understood the power of God and how he wants to work through you? [00:27:51] What might you try? What might you try if you really, really believed in that power? What might you pray if you really believed in that power? [00:28:01] That's what Paul is saying. If you could only understand the greatness of God's power and how he wants to work in us and through us, it would change the way you live. It would change the way you pray. It would change what you're willing to try. [00:28:20] And then Paul says in verse 21, he is seated far above all rulers and authorities, powers, lordships, above every name that is named, not only in this age, but in the one that is about to come. [00:28:41] Christ is far above all other powers. No one is even close. [00:28:47] There is this myth out there that somehow or another Jesus and Satan are fighting it, fighting it out for the world. [00:28:56] There's this myth out there that someone or another Jesus and Satan are fighting it out for the human soul. Look, Satan is so much weaker than Christ, it's unimaginable. He has no ability. He. He is our adversary. He goes about seeking whom he may devour of us, but he has no capacity to fight God. He is a finite, created creature. And our Lord Jesus Christ is infinite, eternal, immortal, incomprehensible, the only true God. [00:29:32] There is no ability in the unholy one to resist anything that Christ says He has to do. He is our adversary and we have to submit ourselves to the Lord and resist him. But he has no capacity. He is nowhere near able to contend with the Lord Jesus Christ because it's Paul's Style. You're starting to get a sense for it. He has to pile stuff up. He had to give us five definitions for the power of God. Well, now we come to who Christ is over. And he's got a list. Four of these. [00:30:20] He first lists first authorities and rulers. [00:30:25] Wherever there is a ruler anywhere, Christ is over them. [00:30:30] You hear that? [00:30:35] Even rulers who have a ego problem, God is over them. [00:30:46] Even those who think they can do whatever they want, God is over them. [00:30:53] The second, not only is he over all, all rulers, he's over all people who have the power of authority. [00:31:04] This is the idea that the. The authority isn't theirs, but they exercise the power of it. And then he uses a word, the same word that we translated the the ability of capacity. Anybody who has a natural ability that makes them powerful, anybody has a natural capacity that makes it powerful. Christ is over them. And then he says, he's over all lordships and dominions. [00:31:35] He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is over all. [00:31:42] This means that all earthly authorities are subject to Christ. All heavenly authorities are subject to Christ, and all evil authorities are subject to Christ. [00:31:52] Can Paul let it go here? No, he adds one more. Look what he does. [00:31:58] And if he didn't cover it in all of that, if there's any other name named out there, there's anybody else who think they're the big deal, Christ is over them. If I didn't cover it in the first list, then I'm gonna throw it under this. Any name that is named, any authority that has authority, any place that authority comes from. The power of Christ is greater than all of that. Can you hear this? He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. [00:32:29] Church, the one God who chooses to exert his goodness, kindness, love, grace and strength through us. He is uncontestable. [00:32:51] Church, you can strive against God, but you can't win. [00:32:57] Can I give you a hint? All the resisting you do of God, you don't have a chance of winning. He is the Lord God Almighty. [00:33:11] That's why the Scriptures teach us, humble yourself. [00:33:18] Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and He will lift you up. Do you hear that? You humble yourself because he has the power to exalt you. [00:33:31] And then Paul says, I'm not just talking about these rulers and authorities. I want you to know it's not only in this age, but in the age to come. [00:33:45] Christ rules with sovereign power in our present age. [00:33:51] Some of you need an image of what Christ looks like today. [00:34:00] It would help you so I'm going to read you a passage from the Revelation. It's a peek into heaven, John said. I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And on turning, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the lampstands, one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe, with a golden sash around his chest. [00:34:32] The hairs of his head were white like wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire. [00:34:40] His feet were like burnished bronze refined in the furnace. And his voice was like the roar of many waters. [00:34:51] In his right hand he held seven stars. And from his mouth came out a sharp two edged sword. His face was like the sun, shining in its full strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his hand on me, saying, fear not, I am the first and the last, the living. I died. And behold, I am alive forevermore. And I have the keys of death and hell. [00:35:24] That is our Lord. [00:35:26] That is our Lord in the closest description you could get. And when John sensed him, the sense of him overwhelmed him so much, he just collapsed. But what did Christ do? He did what he always does. He exerted divine power and he raised him up. [00:35:44] And then listen how gently he speaks to John. [00:35:49] Fear not. [00:35:50] You don't have anything to fear. I am the first. [00:35:55] Before there was anything, I was there. [00:36:00] I am the last. If there ever comes a time where there is nothing, I will be there. You have nothing to fear. I am the first. And I am the last. [00:36:12] Ah. Ah. [00:36:15] I am the living one. [00:36:18] You have nothing to fear. You. You are afraid to die. I already died. [00:36:24] I've already conquered death. And because I rose, you will also rise. This great ruler, this one of infinite power, this one who has sovereign domain overall, he speaks to us in his glory. But he speaks with a gentle voice. And he says, I'm all powerful. You have nothing to fear. I've got this covered. From the first to the last. [00:36:52] That's the God to whom you pray. Church. That is the God you call Savior. That is the one who is preparing a place for you. That where he is, there you may be also. [00:37:04] But he doesn't just reign in this world. He reigns in the world to come. Revelation 1:8. [00:37:12] Jesus said, I am the Alpha and the Omega. That's the beginning and end. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek Alphabet. Omega is the last. [00:37:25] I am the Alpha and Omega, says the Lord God, the one being the one who is and the one who is coming, the Pantokrator. [00:37:39] You want to say that Word. Don't you say it with me. Pantocrator. Let's say it together. Here we go. Pantocrator Just sounds awesome, doesn't it? [00:37:50] We translated it. Almighty, Listen to what Jesus is saying again. [00:37:54] I'm the first and the last forever, throughout all eternity, I will be the first and the last. And guess what? Throughout all eternity, I will be exerting this divine power that Paul is trying to describe to you. This powerful reign of Christ is not a temporary thing. It is an eternal thing. This power is not a temporary power. It is eternal power. The power grid of the Almighty will never grow old in decay. The power grid of the Almighty will always be fully energized and fully competent to do all of God's eternal purpose. Church Is this your God? [00:38:39] Is this the God that you're relating to? Is this the God you pray to? Is this the God you think about? Or have you created a little idol in your heart where somehow or another Jesus is less than all of this and so you gotta cover your own base because you just don't know if he'll do it? Church do we insult the dignity of divine power by treating him as if he's only semi competent? [00:39:16] Do we lose the benefits of the experience of the empowering presence of God because we have constructed a religion that is more about what we do and don't do than about what God does and what God is? Church I want you to pray to God like he is the Almighty God. [00:39:42] I want you to have faith in God like he is the Almighty God. [00:39:49] I want you to understand better and better what it means that he is the Almighty God. [00:39:57] Our dear Heavenly Father. [00:40:00] I pray that your Holy Spirit would do what only your Holy Spirit can do. [00:40:06] And I pray that right now, in the quietness of this moment, you might do something holy. [00:40:13] I pray for all of us who are in this room and I pray for everyone who's online. [00:40:19] I pray that in this, this moment, right now, your spirit would pass over our hearts and we would have a sense of your greatness. [00:40:34] Our inner self, our psyche, our soul would be touched by the wonder of who you are. [00:40:46] And Father, I pray that as you touch us in our inner soul, our prayer request might change and we might begin to pray for these very beautiful spiritual blessings that Paul said are available to those who have faith in you and call upon your name. Amen.