Paul’s Prayer (Part 1)

Let me just read the prayer to you.

It's printed in your bulletin.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, [clears throat] 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 His...

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, forever and ever.

Amen." Amen.

Well, uh, I, I know that a first run through that thing does not look all that unusual.

It looks like a typical Pauline prayer, kinda high and lofty and kinda vague and general.

I tell you that Paul is asking for something for... from God for all of us.

Don't forget, uh, of course you've forgotten, uh, as I said when we started [laughs] the book of Ephesians, uh, back in the mid-'50s or whenever it was-

[laughs]

... uh, that the Book of Ephesians was almost for sure a circulatory letter.

It was not a letter that was, uh, written strictly for the Ephesians.

It was probably a very general letter.

You notice there's very few, uh, r- references to individuals like the other letters, very few references to specific problems.

Instead, it's a very general letter, and probably it was sent out to all the churches everywhere, and the one that came down to us happens to be the one that went to Ephesus and had the Ephesian name put at the top.

So, this is really a letter really for all of us, of course.

Of course, all the letters are, but in this, in particular, this was really written for all the churches.

And Paul is asking for something here that is so astonishing that when I describe it, I...

In fact, all the way through y- this, this, this week and next week, I'm gonna have to continually remind you that that which Paul is asking God for and exhorting us into is not just for super saints.

It's not just for, uh, absolute spiritual titans.

It's for every single person who names the name of Christ, every one of us.

And what he is therefore saying by this prayer, that there's something available to us that actually should make us ashamed.

Let me just read the prayer to you.

It's printed in your bulletin.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, [clears throat] 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 His...

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, forever and ever.

Amen." Amen.

Well, uh, I, I know that a first run through that thing does not look all that unusual.

It looks like a typical Pauline prayer, kinda high and lofty and kinda vague and general.

I tell you that Paul is asking for something for... from God for all of us.

Don't forget, uh, of course you've forgotten, uh, as I said when we started [laughs] the book of Ephesians, uh, back in the mid-'50s or whenever it was-

[laughs]

... uh, that the Book of Ephesians was almost for sure a circulatory letter.

It was not a letter that was, uh, written strictly for the Ephesians.

It was probably a very general letter.

You notice there's very few, uh, r- references to individuals like the other letters, very few references to specific problems.

Instead, it's a very general letter, and probably it was sent out to all the churches everywhere, and the one that came down to us happens to be the one that went to Ephesus and had the Ephesian name put at the top.

So, this is really a letter really for all of us, of course.

Of course, all the letters are, but in this, in particular, this was really written for all the churches.

And Paul is asking for something here that is so astonishing that when I describe it, I...

In fact, all the way through y- this, this, this week and next week, I'm gonna have to continually remind you that that which Paul is asking God for and exhorting us into is not just for super saints.

It's not just for, uh, absolute spiritual titans.

It's for every single person who names the name of Christ, every one of us.

And what he is therefore saying by this prayer, that there's something available to us that actually should make us ashamed.