Transcription
[Music] if you knew tonight we've started a series last week on Ephesians chapter 3, this passage of Scripture that ends with that incredible verse, now unto Him who is able to do more than we ask or imagine. Our God is able to do more, and so we're talking about that, and really the goal is for us to be able to think about prayer, get ourselves motivated to pray, not only now, not only this week and next week, but then as we start on July 29th, 21 days of fasting in prayer that are going to be life-changing for the church, for the community, and for everybody who's a part of James River, and especially for everyone who sets their heart on seeking God as together we fast and pray. We've got a little handout that we're going to be giving you that will give you suggestions on how you can fast and pray; some will do with Daniel fast, some will choose to fast in other ways, and we'll be talking about that, but it's going to be absolutely powerful, and I am very, very energized because honestly the one thing that has made all the difference I know in my own life and in this church has been prayer.
I was telling somebody this past week, you can draw a before and after when the church said we're going to pray. The church radically, fundamentally became totally different instantly. We began to see more people saved, more people baptized exponentially. We began to see God do a work that honestly defies human explanation or quantification or qualification outside of just saying, you know, I don't know what to say, God has done something amazing. That's the story of James River, and God wants that to be the story of your life. He wants it to be the story in your home, he wants it to be the story in your work, he wants it to be the story in every aspect of your life. The Lord has touched me so that when people look at us they say, you know what, I know them and I can't explain; they're smart, they're talented or not, but what's happening in their life is amazing. I love it when people look at the church and say, you know, just defies explanation, God has done something amazing. And so my prayer is that as we, as you hear about prayer, as we talk about prayer, you become so energized by prayer that you'll pray and see God do more than you can ask or imagine.
So we're gonna continue to make our way through Ephesians chapter 3, taking a few weeks to do that. As we look at it, last time we started in verse 12, and the idea is we're going to look at it, then we're gonna get into the altar, we're going to pray, we're going to call on God, and we're gonna believe that God is gonna do more than we can ask or imagine. In fact, I would just ask you to do this because one of the things, you know, God gets the glory by doing it in your life, but especially as you tell others what he's done in your life. So I hope that you'll make a list of what you were asking God to do, and then when he does it, you'll fill out one of the praise cards so that we can rejoice with you, so that we can share your testimony with others, so that others will be encouraged to persevere in faith and see God do for them something as miraculous and powerful as he's done for you. Amen.
So last time we started in Ephesians 3 and verse 12: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. So we learned that we can come boldly; that means we come, the idea is we don't have to be fancy in the way we come in terms of our speech. A lot of times people have the idea they have to use King James language, thees and thous and therefore zan and all of that, but no, we can come and just tell God what's on our heart. And as we come, we come with a boldness that's free of apprehension, like, God, you've got... we come knowing God's not disappointed with us. I think there's some people, and the reason why your prayer life is difficult, while it's hard, is because you feel you're disappointed with yourself, and because you're disappointed with yourself, you think surely God's got to be disappointed with you. And I just want to remind you: God's not nearly as surprised by your failures as you are; he's expected way more problems than you did, and God loves you anyway, and he invites you to come, and he invites you to come boldly because he's given you access. That's introduction: as we saw Jesus introducing you to the Father the moment of your salvation, and now you can boldly come into the presence of God, and you don't have to run in and run out, but you get to be in the presence, enjoy the presence, spend time in his presence so that you're changed by his presence. And then you have confidence: confidence that God loves you, confidence that God hears you, confidence that God has power to help you, confidence that he will help you, confidence in the goodness and the graciousness of God, so that when you leave that place where you had access, where you came in with boldness, you leave with this confidence: I prayed, I know him, I know he heard me, and I know what he does. I have confidence. I can't wait to see what God's going to do with that.
Then that is the backdrop as Paul thinks about that. Listen to what Paul says, Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 14: for this reason. What reason? The reason is that we have, we can boldly have access and confidence through our faith in Him. Paul says, 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... As we look at this, what I want to give you is just quickly three fundamentals of powerful prayer. Three fundamentals of powerful prayer.
The first one is reverence. Look at it: he says, for this reason I kneel. Give me the next part: I kneel. He is confident, he is praying, and then all of a sudden Paul says, I know you say, well what's so unusual about him saying I kneel? I mean when you pray you kneel. Well, in the Jewish way of praying, you didn't kneel; you stood. I mean you get an idea of that; it would have been common to stand. That would have been the common posture of prayer in the Judaism of Jesus' day and of Paul's day. An example of that would be in Luke chapter 18, remember when Jesus tells this parable and he says two men went up to the temple to pray, and the publican he stood praying, and the other stood praying. They're standing there, they're praying. So commonly people would pray standing, and the Bible doesn't issue any rules on the posture of prayer. As you read the Bible, you find people prayed as they walked, people prayed as they rode, people prayed as they stood, as they sat, as they laid down. But here's Paul saying, I kneel. I think implied in that are a couple of things that are instructive for us. When you and I come into the presence of God, the two things would be that there is an earnestness about it, and then not only is there an earnestness about it, but there is also a humble dependence attached to it.
Now let me just say this: we ought to pray everywhere all the time, but we also ought to pray alone with our heart undividedly focused on the Lord. You know, I understand that as you're alone with the Lord, you could be... there's no person that I know of that doesn't battle at times attention deficit disorder when it comes to prayer. I mean like one minute you're like, oh Lord I love you and thank you for doing this, next minute you know you're thinking about what you're going to be doing when you get done praying, or you know you're looking out the window and you're saying, well looks like it's gonna rain, and all of a sudden you're in another place. And then what happens is you get up from that and you say, well what? I mean, well what happened there? That wasn't a very good prayer time. Let me just tell you this: that when we come to the Lord, it's like it would be like this: when my grandchildren come and they sit on my lap, they may be occupied with a thousand different things, every now and then interacting with me, but generally interacting with the world around them. But you know what? I'm just delighted they're in my lap. I'm just delighted that they came to see me. I'm just delighted that I get to see them. I'm delighted I'm in the same space with them, and whatever they want in that moment, they are getting it. Do you think I'm a better grandfather or father than God? Well, that's kind of the next point, but we're gonna get back to earnestness here. Earnestness focused on God.
Listen to this: Elijah was a man just like us; he prayed earnestly. What the idea is, literally it's he prayed, prayed; he double prayed; he prayed with intensity; he prayed. You see, there's a prayer that doesn't pray; there's a prayer that's half-hearted, that's lethargic, that's not thinking. But Paul says, listen, I get on my knees. In other words, I am determined to seek the Lord. I'm not saying you have to get on your knees, because prayer ultimately is not a posture of the body; it's a posture of the heart. But it's Paul saying, listen, I'm dialed in on this. I want this from the Lord, I need this from the Lord, I want this for you from the Lord. I'm praying for you, I'm asking God, and Paul is saying I'm getting on my knees and I'm gonna get ahold of God. That's a powerful prayer, that's a fundamental for prayer. It is also that humbling of ourselves to say, you know what? I don't care what anybody else thinks. I don't care what else is going around me, not in an unkind way, but in a way that says I desperately need God, I'm dependent upon God, my hope is in the Lord. I thank God for all the other people and all the other things in my life, but ultimately when it comes down to the basics, it's me and God, and I gotta have God help me. And if he doesn't help me, it doesn't matter what anybody else does. When you have that kind of humble dependence on God coupled with an earnestness, as it says, God, I'm gonna fervently pray, I'm gonna earnestly pray, I'm gonna pray in my praying, I'm gonna dial in, I'm gonna focus on you: that is a fundamental of powerful prayer. We might not all do it the same, but the heart of it is the same. Are you with me?
Second fundamental: relationship. Relationship. Look at this as Paul writes: for this reason I kneel before the Father. Oh, that's a great word: I kneel before the Father from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. Listen, what is it that Jesus? When the disciples are watching him, they're watching him pray, and here's what the disciples gather; are you listening? Can you imagine the privilege of listening to Jesus pray? Wouldn't that have been something? And as the disciples watch the frequency with which he prays, they also observe the fervency; you say he prayed fervently, but he prayed with loud cries and groans, Hebrews I think it's five seven says, or five eight. But as they're watching that, here's what instantly they understand: the secret to Jesus' life is not his miracles, and it's not his preaching, and it's not his love, and it's not whatever else; it's his prayer. They understand it's because he knows how to pray that he lives such a powerful life. So in Luke chapter 11 and verse 1, we read this: one day Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray. Jesus, we watch you, and it's obvious the secret to your life is how you pray. And Jesus said to them, when you pray, say Father. You're coming to a Father; you're not coming to some distant deity. Jesus prayed to the Father; he walked with the Father; he watched the Father; he said, I only do what I see my Father doing. His relationship with the Father was the basis for all of his miracles, for all of his ministry. He didn't view God the Father as distant; he viewed him as close. He didn't view him as disconnected; he viewed him as intimately involved. He didn't view him as indifferent; he viewed him as loving. He saw the Father, and who knew the Father better than the Son? But he saw the Father as generous; he saw the Father as loving; he saw the Father as merciful; he saw the Father as forgiving; he saw the Father as ready for conversation. He's our Father; he cares; he understands.
Listen: if you feel God has... if you've given your heart to Christ and you feel as if God is constantly disappointed with you, then perhaps you're serving the wrong God, because you're not serving the God of the Bible. You thought you were? The God of the Bible is absolutely delighted. I have time to take all the verses that... but he dances over... can you imagine the God of the Bible dancing over his children, exalting, happy in his children? When you come to God, he is way happier to see you than you are to see him; he is thrilled that we came. And you know, for a lot of people, what happens is their own earthly father can color their view of the Heavenly Father, and that might be something you need to work through; you need to give thought to. Martin Luther, the great reformer, said, when I go to pray the Lord's Prayer (and I'm paraphrasing), I struggle with the first words, our Father, because my father was such a harsh and unrelenting man. So sometimes that keeps people. But you've got to work through and understand that he's a Father in the best sense that you could ever have a Father. An understanding of his fatherhood and our relationship to him is absolutely foundational to a vibrant, powerful prayer life.
John Owen, one of the great Puritans, said this: look at this, but just remember he is our most loving Father. Every other discovery of God without this will but make the soul fly from him. To think of his awesomeness, his holiness, to think of his justice, to think of his grandeur, to think of his omnipotence, all his power—if you have that without the relationship of Father, you would cower from him, you would hide from him, you would be terrified of him. But when you understand that he's Father, that he loves you so much that he not only thought of you before you were created, he willed your creation, he planned for your salvation, and he planned for you to be adopted as his child because he wants to be your Father and you to be his child, not only for time but for all eternity—he's our Father. He says this: but if the heart be much taken up with this, the imminence of the Father's love—in other words, if your heart gets a hold of just how incredible his love is, just how amazing it is—I mean John says this in First John chapter 3: he says, behold, it's like, can you believe this? Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us! Can you believe that God loves us so much that he lets us be his kids? He made a way. I mean when John's thinking of the love of God, he goes right to the Father and says, you have no idea how much the Father loves you. He says it cannot choose but be overpowered, conquered, and endeared unto him. When you understand the Father's heart for you in his love for you, it's an overpowering thing, it's an endearing thing, it's a heart-conquering thing. This, if anything, will work upon us to make our abode with him. If the love of the Father will not make a child delight in him, what will? I mean, you know what? Listen: what makes kids delight in a parent or grandparent? It is the love of the parent or the grandparent towards them; they can sense it. Put this to the venture: exercise your thoughts upon this very thing, the eternal, free, and fruitful love of the... here's what he's saying: if you want to really grow an intimacy with God—because the book is Communion with God—if you really want to experience the presence of God, set your heart on doing one thing: thinking on, growing in your understanding of the Fatherhood of God in his great love for you. That one thing will revolutionize your prayer life. The more you know of God's love for you as a Father, the more you will seek Him, the closer you will find yourself walking to Him. This is the wisdom of the ages. And see if your heart be not wrought up upon to delight in Him. If it doesn't just make you just like, God, you love me? Wow. We love Him because He first loved us, and when we understand how much He loves us, it just makes us love Him more.
Well, number three: I'm asked musicians to come. The third fundamental of powerful prayer: resource. It wouldn't do any good, would it, to pray to a God who couldn't answer? Wouldn't be terrible if God said, you know what, I appreciate your call and I'm glad that you got a hold of me today; we'd love to help you, but there were five billion people in front of you and I'm out. But call back tomorrow; lines are open at six and I will be there; you know, we'll see if we can help you. Be terrible, wouldn't it, if there was an end to his supply? Listen, we can pray with confidence because... watch us: I prayed that out of his glorious riches. His glorious riches, not just his riches, his glorious riches. One commentator puts it this way: like this, Paul draws attention not simply to the idea of source—that's God—thereby signifying out of the wealth of his glory, but also indicates that God's giving corresponds to the inexhaustible riches of that glory. God's never gonna run out of anything that you and I need. He's never gonna run out of the power that you need. He's never going to run out of the love that we need. He's never going to run out of the mercy that we need. He's never going to run out of the help that we need. He's never going to run out of the grace that we need. It is on a scale commensurate with his glory. He gives as lavishly as only he can give. There's nobody who can give like our God. Nobody. He gives as lavishly as only he can give. God, the gracious giver of all good things, graciously gives and gives and gives, and he delights in doing it. He delights. I mean, by the time Paul gets to, now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above—I mean exceeding, it's way beyond abundantly, it's way more above, it's way higher than you'd imagine—I mean he's able, he's able to do more than we could ask or we can imagine. I don't know about you, I can ask a lot and I can imagine a lot, and I can even touch the tip of the magnificent, glorious, abundant provision and will and plan. God's got a bigger plan for your life than you do. I'm telling you, he does. God is more interested in what's going on in your life than you are. He's counted the hairs on your head; nobody that I know in here has done that. I don't think. He knows. He knows. He is interested to a degree that boggles the mind in you. This is why when you come to Psalm 37 and verse 23, the Lord delights... the steps of a righteous person are ordered directed of the Lord, and he delights in every... how many details? Every detail of their life, every detail of their life, every detail of a life. You're coming to a God who knows you, who loves you, who's happy you showed up, who wants to show you his inexhaustible supply and ultimately bring you to a place where it's more than you can ask or imagine. Amazing, isn't it?