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The book of Ephesians, and we’re on a series together, learning and discovering who God is, what it means to our lives, and how that reflects the way that we should live in our lives. The book of Ephesians is a glorious book for us as people to study. I think it’s a wonderful book for us because it communicates for us how to how to live life to the fullest. If I had to tell you in my in my life and my Christian walk, if I could just identify one book of the Bible, that if I just want to get it right for me it’s the book of Ephesians and the second half of the book we’ve talked together for chapters four, five, and six. It identifies for us the way that God would desire to live as light for him in this world. It’s a beautiful way in which it communicates. And I appreciate more than anything the way this book starts, because what God is interested in and what the Apostle Paul communicates to us, is he, as he brings forth this presentation of how we live our lives. In chapter four, five, and six, he he backs up before we get to that point, and he begins to share with us in chapters one, two, and three who God is in our identity, in him. So I think the tragedy would be for us as individuals if we were to come to church and we would say to God, God, I want you to fix my marriage.
God, I want you to show me how to live my life. I want you to show me how to raise my kids in a right way. And I think if we jump to chapter 4 or 5 and six of Ephesians, we can do that. But the the great tragedy and the loss would be that we would also fail to recognize the importance of connecting with God in a relationship with him. Because it’s really compelled, through the relationship of the Lord, that we choose to live our lives in light of his glory. And so what Paul wants us to examine as individuals is before we get to the point where we begin to live our lives. For the name of Christ is to understand who Christ is, and our identity is in him. And as God creates that identity and expresses to us who we are in light of who Christ is, it compels us to live in a way that brings him glory. And today we’re going to end with the end of chapter one. If you’ve brought a Bible with you this morning, I want to encourage you to turn there. We breezed past it last week, but if you begin in verse 15, we’re going to look specifically at what Paul mentions as his prayer for the church of Ephesus. I like what Paul talks about here is because when, when, when you think about what is it a godly man or a godly individual prays about what is the content of their prayer, about what is it they want to speak to God on behalf of themselves, on on behalf of other people? What? What is it a person that is pursuing God? Oh, you see the light right there? What is it? A person that’s pursuing God in their lives prays about? Because it’s important for us as people as well to understand that so we can encourage and enhance our prayer life.
I just want to tell you, as we look at these prayers, this prayer together that Paul mentions in in chapter one, and nowhere in this prayer does Paul say, I’m commanding you to pray this way. Okay, so I’m not going to share that with you. I’m not going to tell you you have to pray this way this morning. But what I want us to recognize is we look at Paul’s prayer. Paul prays three times in the book of Ephesians. He he prays twice and mentions a prayer request at the end of the book. Chapters one he prays, chapter three he prays. And chapter six there’s a prayer that he mentions that we should be praying for as individuals. What is it a godly individual prays for? I got to tell you when I when I immediately talk about prayer. I recognized that for some of us, we just want to turn off right. I want to know the answers to how to improve certain things in my life and what God says about this.
But one thing I don’t want to talk about is prayer. Uh, prayer. Prayer is painful, right? Prayer takes effort. Prayer is something I’m not good at. But I can tell you as well that if we’re considering in our lives. God, what can you do through me? We’ve studied the book of Ephesians, the first two sections out of chapter one, what he says in the very first verse to the faithful in Christ. God is writing this book. Paul is used of God to write this book to the faithful in Christ. And we looked at the story and the history that happened within the city of Ephesus. What God did, he turned the place upside down for his kingdom and glory, and not just Ephesus. The Bible tells us that the gospel went out through all of Asia because of what God did in this church in Ephesus. And it started and their relationship with him. If we could get that one thought right. God can work through us in a powerful way. To the faithful. In Christ Jesus. Meaning really in our Christian walk, we’re not after results. Or rafters a relationship. Bible says, love the Lord your God with all your heart and love others. And as I love the Lord as I’m faithful to him. He takes care of the results. Sometimes we mention just the fruit of the spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, these things that are manifested in our lives.
It’s not about pursuing the fruit. It’s about pursuing Jesus. And then the fruit comes. I got to see within our lives. If we’re desiring for God to do things, the number one priority, I would say to us, the thing that we need to get in focus within our lives is just to pursue Jesus with our hearts. God. What do you want? And you know the wonderful thing about the way God has built his church and the way that God has orchestrated his hand in this world, is he’s created several ways in which we can gather ourselves to know him and draw near to him. One is gathering in a community together to encourage each other. God’s given you certain gifts to encourage the Body of Christ, and likewise for other members of the church. God has gifted all of us in certain ways and God’s desire with that gift. All gifts are about giving itself away. So he creates a church community to do that. It’s a beautiful thing when when God allows his bride to just manifest his glory to one another. He’s created his word. You desire to know God. God has dictated to us in His Word so that we can grow in our understanding of him. And in addition to that, we have prayer. Prayer is a powerful resource for us as individuals to grow in our relationship with God.
And so what I really want to do this morning is I just want to be honest with some of the difficulties that we find in prayer life and if we really are truthful, if you if you look at studies on prayer, not a lot of people pray. And if you do pray, you typically spend most of your time in prayer just asking God to do something right. Not really spending time with the Lord. And prayer is a very challenging thing for us. And so I want us to identify the the importance of what prayer is, what prayer is really about. Talk about some of these dilemmas. And so we’re going to focus on the details of what Paul talks about in the prayer. And then I just want to take a step back and look at the overarching purpose for what Paul’s prayer is about for us as as individuals, what can we see from a godly man praying this prayer? If you think about the challenges of prayer in your own life. Some of us may start from the very beginning and say, you know what? I don’t even know how to pray. And so I’m not involved in it. Some may think of the challenge. You know what? It doesn’t work for me. Some of us may not feel comfortable talking to someone. Someone that we don’t know. You know, talking to God. I know God wants me to pray, but I don’t really know.
It’s just that awkward moment, you know, like the first time you ever come to a church, you really don’t know who these people are. You gather in this building was just don’t talk to me. I just want to come in and slip out the back, all right? It’s just awkward until you get to know people. You got to come a few times to enjoy that. The presence of being here and the relationships with individuals. Um, and it can be the same with God. There’s just an uncomfortableness there. Or what about this? I don’t want to busy God with my petty problems, right? I mean, I’m looking at all the problems in the world, and there’s me here with it. But he could be stopping the tsunami, you know. Or what about the earthquake? You’re not really focusing on the sovereign power of God to handle all things. And so you think that your problems are just that’s that’s the straw that will break the camel’s back, right? Or what about this? I don’t like to pray just because it’s an obligation. I’ve grown up religiously, and every time somebody talks about prayer, they just tell me it’s something I have to do. And so here I grow. It’s like going to the dentist, man. I don’t even enjoy being in the presence of God. I feel guilted by experiencing him in the prayer life. And so I don’t even want to do that.
Or maybe you think it doesn’t work, so why should it even be important? Or how about this? Here’s a big theological thought for us this morning. If you caught this in the last chapter or excuse me, previous verses, it said this God who works all things after the counsel of his will. You think about this in your prayer life? Why in the world would you ever pray for God to do something? If God’s already going to do what God wants to do already? Right. He already knows how he’s going to work everything out. We say that God is eternal. He’s he’s outside of the realm of time. He knows the beginning from the end. Why in the world would you even pray if God knows what he’s going to do before it’s already done? What prayer. If you think about it that way and you don’t get an answer for it, it just seems useless. I don’t need to talk to God. He’s already going to do it. I think about it, but he’s got it under control. Those are just some of the dilemmas of prayer. So this morning, what I want to say to us is I’m not going to give you an answer. I’m just kidding. We’re just going to leave with all those dilemmas. I’m not praying ever again. But no, that’s not what I’m do. I want to talk about why pray? And one of the things I want to talk about when we discuss why pray as people is really what prayer is and what prayer isn’t, because a lot of the reason as to why we don’t want to pray is because we have a poor understanding of what prayer really is all about.
Okay. And so when we consider Paul’s prayer, the first thing that he begins to do, let me just turn there in the passage of Scripture. We’ll start to reason. He says. For this reason, I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, let me just point this out. Paul’s not praying yet, but he’s identifying something about a healthy church. You guys see that they have faith in the Lord. They’re loving each other. That’s what church is about. And there’s more to the content of of the core of what a church is about. But the but the, the driving force to the church is we love God with all of our heart and how we love God and we’re pursuing him in faith. How is that going to impact our lives, to see this world transform for the sake of Christ? That happens in the church, in your family, out in the community, whatever it is. But Paul is saying, you know, this church is healthy. Let me just tell you why. Because they’re loving God with all their heart and they’re loving each other.
And with on that backbone, guys, I’m mentioning this prayer for you. It says, I do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. But the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. Why do we pray? I just want to point out just the purpose behind Paul’s prayer for just a moment. And that is simply this we pray because God desires to use you to accomplish his will in this world. God has a will. God’s will will be accomplished. The Bible says, if we choose not to praise God, even the stones will cry out to praise him. God is going to get his praise right. Amen. Even if you you want to do it or not, God will get his praise. And one day the Bible tells us every knee will bow. So you will be in prayer before the Lord, whether you like it or not. But what God desires more than anything before the stones even cry out. God desires to move within you. This is why I believe this thought is so important, because many times we come to prayer, we we treat prayer like it’s about results. God. The only time I talk to you is when I want you to do something right. But I’m going to throw out a thought here for just a minute. What if God’s primary interest isn’t results? What if God’s primary interest is the process that leads to results? So Bible tells us that God’s desire is to conform you to the image of His Son.
That’s God’s goal for your life. He wants you to look like Jesus. God wants to move and work in your heart to conform you. I believe this if you’re coming to God and you’re saying, God, I want you to fix this problem in my life. I want you to fix this relational stress. I want you to fix my marriage. I want you to. I believe God can intervene in hearts. God can sensitize, make hearts sensitive to whatever he wants us to do. But you know what I think? I don’t think like we just do. I dream of Jeannie prayers. We just close our eyes and we say it and we twinkle our nose. And all of a sudden we open our eyes. And your spouse is just a picture perfect image of what you think your spouse should be, right? I don’t I don’t think that’s how God works. I think this is what God’s interested in God this is I’m praying. If you’re praying for your marriage, God, I’m I’m interested in what you can do in my marriage. God. And I want you to to heal it. I want you to fix it, God, I want you to strengthen it. And you know what, God? I think what God would be interested in that process is in that prayer.
Begin to take your heart. And create a sensitive heart within you. To cause you to transform into his image, to go as his agent, into that relationship, to see things the way that he would desire to see it and carry the love that he would desire for you to carry in the patience and forgiveness. To watch that marriage be healed. God is interested in the results. But I think more importantly, he’s interested in the process of conforming you as an individual to work in that relationship. I believe it’s in Matthew chapter nine. Jesus comes before the disciples and he says this. Pray, I want you guys to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send forth laborers. Right? I can see that. Oh yeah man. God, we got that covered. Lord, Lord, what I want you to do is find people to go out and do what you called them to do. And then Jesus says in chapter ten, verse one, and now, guys, I want you to go. They’re like, wait, Lord, we’re praying for that. You should have intervened divinely here. And just merely some guy appeared to do this. And Jesus says, Jesus is saying, these guys, listen, I want you to pray for it. Because what I wanted to do was work in your heart to then go out and accomplish the task. As you saw a need in the prayer. You prayed for it because it was important.
And now I want to work in your heart to do it. Prayer is about a process. And the reason we pray is that God’s going to accomplish his will regardless, because it’s his will. But what God desires more than anything is to accomplish that will in you and through you. God has chosen you. It tells us in Ephesians chapter one. We saw it together last week before the foundations of the world. He loves you and he’s lavished his love upon you, and you have become a creature of which could profess the goodness of God to this world. And you think how beautiful it is that you then take those requests of the needs that you see in this world, because God is working on you, and you lift up those prayers, and now God is working in you and through you to see those things accomplished. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s not just about results. It’s about a process and experiencing him. Talk about an addition to Paul’s prayer. We recognize when we read that previous verse that in verse 11, where it tells us that God’s going to work all things out according to the course of his will. God already knows the beginning from the end. You read the book of Revelation. It’s a declaration to you that we’re all going to be worshiping Jesus someday and he wins, right? We’re going to be face to face worshiping Jesus.
He wins. The end of the book is done. We know how it concludes. So we can pursue with such great joy knowing that at the end, if we focus on His Kingdom, we win. It’s wonderful. God’s got all things worked out according to his will. Find extreme comfort in that. And knowing when I pray. God, it tells us, works all things together for good to those who love God. God’s got it under control. He’s thinking of my best interest in this world, working things out for his good, to his glory, which is to my benefit. I’m going to belong to a kingdom that is glorious. So regardless of what happens, even though I look at that, the challenge of God working all things out to his will, and I see a dilemma with it, I still can rest comforted knowing that God is going to bring such glorious things to my future. But I would say this about prayer. Knowing that God is going to work all things out according to his will. Prayer isn’t about changing God’s mind. Prayer is really about changing my mind. Malachi chapter three and verse six, I am the Lord, I change not. I think you put it more bluntly. God, I understand right what you’ve said to me. You are God. You are sovereign. You know from the beginning, from the end you’re outside of time. You can see the course of history, which I can’t even fathom.
And you know how you’re going to work, but you desire to work in me. And so I’m taking this opportunity of prayer. Not that I can tell you what to do, God. Not that I can say, oh, you know what, God? He doesn’t he doesn’t know my needs. And I just need to clue him in on the Ferrari or the giant house or the large bank account. I can’t believe he doesn’t know this, right? God is not interested in you changing his will because his will doesn’t change. What is interested is conforming your will to his. A prayer becomes an opportunity for us as people to quiet our spirit before the presence of the Lord. You think of your life right now? How many opportunities you have in your day where your soul is just quiet before the Lord? When you read the stories of Jesus in the Gospels, you’ll see crowds coming after Jesus and he’ll tell us to get away from the crowds. Jesus will get up before the sun comes up, and he will get lost out of the town. And he wants to go up to a mountain, and he gets by himself to be with the father and pray before his presence. He just wants to be before the presence of the Lord. Doesn’t tell us the content of Jesus’s prayer and many of those situations. But it’s just taking the opportunity in the busyness of life, the quietest soul before the Lord.
Not that God can change his mind, but that the Lord can begin to work on our hearts and to conform us to his will. Prayer for us. It’s about a process that God is doing in us. It’s not about changing his mind. It’s about changing our mind that we can see the way that he is working in this world. In addition to that, prayer is more about knowing and experiencing God rather than simply taking from God. Do you have one of those friends in your life where they’re the ones that always come up only when they ever need something? You know what I’m talking about. Or maybe you are that friend. So let me say it this way. Have you ever. Have you ever, like, borrowed a couple hundred bucks from somebody and didn’t have the money to pay it back? And then every time you saw them, it was just awkward, like, oh, man, this is just a weird situation. I don’t have the money. You see him in Walmart? You’re like, oh man, look at you like that. You ever been in that situation? You think about if if that’s what our prayer life has become, how awkward of a situation is to pray before the Lord. Hey, dude, you know I’m backing into me. I need, um, this here’s my to do list. You know, it’s like this. God, I have been building my kingdom. You, oh glorious one, are my servant.
I will give you the list for which you need to take to accomplish my kingdom in this world, right? Doesn’t sound pretty when we say it that way, does it? Because we know what it’s about. It’s about his kingdom, not mine. And you think about the way that we pray sometimes. You know, you’re right. Most of my prayers have just been about me and what I want for the world that I’m trying to build. And little about sitting before the presence of God, allowing him to work in my life to change my mind, to conform to his. Prayer really is about knowing and experiencing God rather than simply taking from God. Let me give you an acronym real quick. This isn’t in your notes at all. This is just some clever thing I heard a while back. An individual once teaching me about prayer told me there’s four aspects of prayer that we need to consider in your life, and it comes in the acronym of the word acts. Acts. You got that? Like a book of your Bible acts. He says the presence of God. When we we want to pray before the God, we consider the acts that we do as individuals. We adore God. Or we confess before God, or we bring thanksgiving before God. Or ask God for supplication, which is to meet my needs. Got to have these needs. God cares about what your needs are. But that’s not what prayer has to be about.
Adoring and experiencing his presence, confessing before him in your relationship, enjoying God with thanksgiving in your heart. Prayer is more about knowing and experiencing God rather than simply taking from him. Paul says that in verse 17, we don’t see the content of it because you’re not a Jew and you didn’t grow up in Israel. But but if you stop for a minute and consider this in light of that understanding what a Jew would be writing here in verse 17, he says that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory. May give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation and the knowledge of him. That’s the really the gist of Paul’s prayer. He goes on in verse 18. I just want to think just a minute of who he’s praying to. The Father of Glory. And we just pacify ourselves and just expressing this very quickly in our prayer life today. We talked to the father. The Bible tells us to. He illustrates most of prayers in the Bible. And when you look at prayer in the Bible, you actually can find prayers both to or to the father, the son, and the spirit. All three are contained within the Bible primarily, though, when we talk about prayer and you read it in Scripture, you see it addressed to the father. When Jesus taught us to pray, he said, pray this way, Our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Right? He addressed it to the father. But you think for just a moment the identity and the importance of saying to ourselves that expression our father. If you began to open up a prayer like that in in first century Judaism, they would consider it as blasphemy. Here’s why. When you read the Old Testament, you’ll discover that the father wasn’t a word that was used to describe God. To suggest that there was such a close relationship between you and God would have been blasphemous to the Jewish people. They didn’t even utter the name of God. And to now think that you’re referring to him in such intimate ways as father. The Bible. When you read in the Old Testament, fathers only used three times, two of which is talking about Jesus in the Old Testament. It’s not even the father as we have perceived it within our minds. And now here it is in the New Testament. Jesus comes along and says, listen, when you pray, this is the way I want you to pray. I want you to pray understanding that when you come before God, this is a place of intimacy and beauty in your relationship with him. You’re experiencing his presence. And you carry the load of the idea with that, that in the Old Testament, the individuals that pursued after God thought of God so sacred and holy to utter such words before him that King it would resulted in death.
And it’s blasphemous. And now the Bible is telling us because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for you. When you pray to God, we can pray to the father and such intimacy. The Bible isn’t declaring to us that God is Father is in the physical sense that we have a father today. What he’s saying to us is there is a new identity that you have assumed in your relationship with God, thanks to Jesus. And we say the word father, we recognize that a father isn’t a authority figure within the home. But he also presents an intimacy to his children. He is a provider. He cares for your need. He loves you deeply. He’s concerned with the way that you mature in this world that he has called you to. And so when you pray. Seek the face of your father. He goes on and talks about the presence of God in this passage, that we’re praying to the father, who is both of authority and intimacy to us, to us. Excuse me. And he goes on and says that he may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. And then he says in verse 18, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. Paul is praying for just three things here wisdom, revelation in the knowledge of him and that your hearts would be open. You look at the content, the specifics of the prayer.
What is wisdom to us? Wisdom isn’t the understanding of truth, it’s the application of it. So, so truth is taught and then you’re wise when you live it, right. That’s a wonderful thing. You read the Bible and then you decide to do something about it, right? It’s not just words on a page. It’s intended to to guide our lives, to give us a way to pursue a path for this world, a knowledge of God and in truth and living. So we want this wisdom. And he also prays that we would have this revelation in the knowledge of him. And I just want to talk about this word revelation for just a minute, because it can become dangerous. And it’s thinking. What exactly is Paul talking about here? I believe God can lead in our hearts for us to do particular things in this world. God impacts hearts different ways. He he compels me in ways to do things for individuals that he doesn’t compel other people. God makes my heart sensitive to what he’s leading, and it may be different from the way that God has made your heart sensitive, but always be encouraged to pursue the way that God would work in your life, the way that God has gifted you to work in this, in this life. But the danger comes in the word revelation in that every religion of the world. Starts with someone saying, I have a revelation from God, right? And this is what he wants you to know.
And then they begin to dictate a bunch of truth they want you to believe. It happens both outside of Christianity and inside of Christianity. This is what God told me. Islam. This is what God told me. I’m a Hindu. Right. There has got to be a way in this world that when someone tells me God said this, God revealed this. God wants me to know this. How in the world am I going to come to the understanding that is really what God had to say? If I believed every kook that came through the door here at our church, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t know up from down. I probably shouldn’t say that as joking because. Because I understand people genuinely believe some of these things. But it’s crazy. How, as an individual who wants to pursue God in this world, am I going to determine that when I’m praying to God? God, give me wisdom to live this life and give me revelation of understanding your truth? How in the world am I going to determine whether or not it’s accurate? How do I know if it’s even God? I got to tell you the one basis that God has given us to measure that as people is His Word. Right now, if you have no confidence in God’s Word and what it presents, and whether or not it’s true that I would encourage you to examine God’s Word as to whether or not it’s true.
But the way all of us collectively together, can look to see, okay, is this what this statement this person is making is accurate or not? As I open up God’s Word and see what God’s Word says. Matter of fact, to validate that God’s Word, even God said to even do that with His Word. In Acts chapter 17, he’s called the Bereans more noble than those in Thessalonica because they received the Word of God with readiness of mind, meaning the apostles went out and they were teaching. But then it says they searched the scriptures daily to determine whether or not it’s true. So they’re even saying to the apostle Paul, Paul, listen, we love your teaching. It sounds great. It could impact our lives. But man, if it has nothing to do with God, even though it sounds good, we’re going to pitch it and call you nuts, man, right? Deuteronomy chapter 13 and 18. It literally says this if someone comes into your life, this is Old Testament law. If someone comes into your life claiming to be a prophet for God, and they say something that doesn’t match Scripture, take them out and stone them. That’s right. That’s how important God’s truth was to him. We don’t want to distort it. We don’t want to eliminate it. God’s truth is relevant. God’s truth is important. God’s truth defines who we are in him.
We need to see him truthfully. So if someone wants to reveal something to you that opposes the truth of God, Old Testament, they’re dead. It’s serious because if we don’t get God right, we don’t get our life right. And to go out into this world and just say, this is it, man, without looking at God’s Word and that is dangerous. James says in chapter three of the book of James, I think it’s in verse one, that those who proclaim to be teachers of God and go out and teach about God, and it’s incorrect. You’re going to be held at a higher standard. God takes it serious. And so it says to me, this prayer is important. God, I want to know you for who you are. Second Timothy chapter three says this all Scripture is given by doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness. God literally saying, My Word is the map to dictate to you whether or not something is true. So I would even say to you this morning, if I’m saying something to you, even if it sounds good or it doesn’t sound good, go find it. Make sure it’s biblical. Because the prayer of our heart is to connect with him, that he may challenge us in this world and encourage us and strengthen us to pursue his glory. And so he says in verse 17, listen, we’re praying with intimacy for God. We we want the wisdom to live right.
We want the revelation of God to understand who he is. Truthfully, we use the Word of God as a basis for that, as the way God has given it to us. And he says this I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. Let me let me just say, I think the first two points are great and they’re horrible without the last point, the first two points are great. It’s good to know God’s Word, knowledgeable of it. It’s good to have wisdom on how to live it, and you can have that without connecting to God. You know that I can understand that God’s word says for me to love my wife, and I can go home and love my wife and I can. I can do that without being connected to God in my in my world. And what he’s saying in verse 18 is that I just want your hearts open to this as God communicates this to you. I really want your heart connected to him, that when you’re pursuing this in wisdom and you’re gathering the knowledge of God, that that God would open your hearts to receive. I love the way the Apostle Paul refers to it as revelation, because you think about in Scripture this way. Bible tells us in second and first Corinthians chapter two and verse 14. You can look this up later to validate me. Or now. We walk as men in this world, blinded unless the Spirit of God awakens us to understand his truth.
I mean, there was a time in my life where when I opened God’s word, I hated it because I didn’t understand it. Not that I couldn’t understand the words as they were written on the page and how they formulated together. But there was no spiritual awakening within me to see the purpose for which God was calling me to see this. God’s Spirit had a supernaturally come into my life and awakened my soul to see the content of these pages the way that God would desire for them to be written. God breathed life into me, and in that I saw life in His word. And Paul is praying for us in this passage. Not only that we have the truth, but that God is breathing his life into us, revealing the truth of what His Word contains, so that our heart in verse 18 would just be connected to him as we live. That’s good stuff, man. Amen. Amen. So that you will know what is the hope of his calling. What are the riches according to relationship in Christ Jesus? Our prayer life. Lest we forget. It’s more about knowing and experiencing God rather than simply taking from him. God is not my servant to complete my to do list. Can I tell you one of the most heretical things that hit the Christian market, I think. I don’t like to criticize church and I don’t.
I don’t like to criticize men as they pursue God. But every once in a while there just comes something so heretical it just drives me crazy. And and one of those things is the Prayer of Jabez. I hate that book. I know some people might like it, and I don’t, but let me just tell you why, and maybe you’ll change your opinion on it if you if you like. Because it carries this idea. Jabez was a guy that lived in the Old Old Testament, and he wanted the God to do these things. So he prayed that God would expand his borders and he’d have these wonderful things. So it carries this idea for you gods, this giant kid on the playground with all the milk money and you’re the bully. And if you show up and you kick him hard enough, enough times, he’s just going to dump all his milk money on you. You know what God is a is a pinata in heaven. And if you just if you just start asking for it, he’s just going to start dumping all this stuff on you. And if you don’t pray for it, he’s just not going to give you. And there’s all these things you’re going to miss out on because you just didn’t ask God for it. I mean, he is your Santa Claus and this is your Christmas, right? The idea of prayer is completely contrary to that. And I think the reason Jabez’s prayer was answered.
Is because Jabez was pursuing God in his life. And as Jabez was bringing glory to the Lord, God answered a prayer that would help him bring further glory to God in this world. Meaning I think it’s okay to pray for money. I do if my family is broke or I need a job or we’re just not making ends meet. I’m not being wasteful with my money, but we’re just not making ends meet. God wants you to love your family, and God wants you to be in a place to support your family. God wants that. And so praying for things like that are completely okay, because God would desire to meet your need in that way, and it brings him glory and helps your family and helps you minister to him. It does. It’s enhancing. It’s a glorious thing. But if you’re just praying to have stuff, just to have stuff, you’re praying for your kingdom, not God’s. You’re praying for your own glory, that God would become your servant and accomplish that in this world. And if that’s the way we look at prayer man, prayer life will just stink. You’re not going to enjoy it. And all you’re going to look at God as a picture of God is that there’s this great me in my little God. He’s like your mini me, right? Meeting my needs. All right, let me go. Prayer in addition to that, is also about bowing before him.
It’s about recognizing his glory. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. So that you will know what is the hope of his calling. What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints? By the way, when the Bible says saints, it doesn’t mean like the Catholic Church got together and said Mother Teresa was really good. Okay. When the Bible says Saints is talking about anyone who has put their faith in Jesus, you have been declared a saint, okay? Those are the saints. Your this church today. Anyone here who has placed their faith in Christ. You’re a saint. Okay. In verse 19, it goes on. And what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe? And these are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might, which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and all authority, and all power, and all dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he put all things in subject under his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. See God’s working in the church to accomplish his kingdom. Do you see that? So when we talk about prayer, it’s about the opportunity to come before my king and bow in submission.
You think about how glorious that is to God when we recognize in our life God, I am uncapable of meeting this need, but you are infinitely glorious, and so I’m bowing before you. Not maybe not literally, but inwardly within my heart. I am bringing myself humbly before you, recognizing that unless God, you intervene, this prayer is not answered. You are my king. I love thinking about that because I feel like that’s the answer that we got to our church building as a church family, you know, two and a half years ago in my house, in my basement, in a small room that I called my office. Really? Closet. Um. We were meeting together, just a group of us from our church, and we just started praying about what God could do for our church in the future. And we recognize once seats in the church get so full, you know, people just stop coming. They just feel squishy. And so we just started praying, God, what could you do? And then Russ brings up the idea of buying a bar two and a half years ago. This is nuts. I don’t want a church in a bar. People will come, you know. Well, wait a minute. It’s got a disco ball. Okay. We’re good. So, so so two and a half years ago, this thought came out.
We prayed for it. And then every day for two and a half years, we drove past this building and we just prayed for it. Stopped on the property. I got in this thought one last this past summer where I wanted to run a lot. So. So I’d run to the building and I would just pray on the property and just every time I passed it. God, if it’s your glory, if this is your will, Lord, please let this happen for your kingdom. We thought to ourselves, there’s not really a mainstream Christian church in our in our city, in this area that can proclaim the name of Christ. Our community needs something to see Jesus. We need something. And so, God, we’re not praying this prayer selfishly. We’re praying this prayer for your glory. Two years went by praying this prayer, thinking about what the Lord wants. And quite honestly, I’m to the place where I’m like, hey, you know this ain’t happening, man. Time to think of a different prayer. And all of a sudden we get a a phone call from a church in West Virginia. Not wealthy at all. Probably double our size. And they wanted to give us $50,000. And then we get a church the next week. A call from North Carolina. Way bigger than us. But in a lower income area in comparison to us. When they come out and visit, they. Utah looks really rich. And they wanted to give us $50,000.
Those are things that just don’t happen. Unless God’s in it. For his kingdom and his glory. It’s not about me. It’s about him. It’s about the experience of his presence in our lives, that he can work within us to conform us for his greater good and glory. It’s not about God serving my kingdom, it’s about him serving his and aligning my mind with what he desires to accomplish in this world. And it begins to change the way that I pray. So let me answer this. Why is God not answering my prayers? Maybe you’re still asking. Maybe you’d be asking that this morning. Why do I feel like God doesn’t answer my prayers? Wouldn’t you just consider for a minute the content of what Paul is praying for? If I were to give you a backdrop to this. He’s seeing a healthy church, and they’re growing in faith and they’re loving each other. He didn’t really know everyone in this church because the church was was growing at such an alarming rate, so enormous the way that God, God was moving in this world. But here’s the kicker for me in this prayer for Paul is that Paul is writing this prayer from jail. When you look in the book of Ephesians, chapter one, chapter three, and chapter six, when Paul is writing these prayers, he’s writing these prayers from jail. Now, I got to tell you, if I’m writing a prayer from jail, if I’m writing you anything from jail, and I want to talk about prayer is God, get me out of here, man.
I do not want to be here. This obviously is not according to your will. I do not want to be in this place. But you look at the content of Paul’s prayer when Paul talks about praying in his need, and he’s, in addition to this, writing to a church that’s enduring persecution for the sake of Christ. You think about these people are enduring hardship because of their stand on Jesus. And so, Paul, if I looked at the prayer, I could tell you without even reading it. Paul’s praying that that would stop. And what’s what’s Paul praying? He says to us in verse 18, look at this. He says nothing about that. That the God of your Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of his calling and the glory of his riches. Forget this kingdom. The other one’s way better. Amen. Paul’s concern. It’s just that relationship with the Lord. Because Paul understands this. If God gets your heart. God will transform your life. I tell you, if I could get anything right in my life. It’s the book of Ephesians, man. I love this book. Every night I take my son to bed.
He kid loves sleep, so it works out great as a parent. We just get next to his crib and I just hold him in my arms and I tell him we’re going to pray. And he just lays his head down on my shoulder. I carry this prayer in my heart for him. Like I can spend my life praying, God, protect my kid and bring them a good mate and give them a good job. I could pray those things. Those are not bad to pray. I can think even better than that. This is what I could pray. God help him to see you for who you are. Amen. God, help him to love you. God, reveal yourself to him. Give him wisdom in this world to pursue you. Because knowing that when God answers that prayer, whatever comes his way. Lord’s going to be there to guide and direct them. How beautiful it is for me that rather than carry all the problems in the world for my son, I could just stop, like the Apostle Paul praying for this church and just say, Lord, make yourself known in his life. If we can just give God our heart. He could transform our life. The reason our prayers don’t work. That’s because most of the time, if we’re honest, if we are praying, we’re just treating God like our servant. Maybe. Maybe I’m being too accusative in saying that. Maybe I should just say me.
I treat God like he’s my servant. And it’s about my kingdom and what I want to see accomplished. And I could even think it’s for godly reasons, but it’s about my kingdom and what I want to see accomplished. First. John says this. This is the confidence talking about prayer. Which we have before him, that if we ask anything according to what is. His will, he hears us. That’s right. God’s not interested in building your kingdom. He’s interested in his. But he’s also interested in the process of conforming you to what he desires to accomplish in this world. And so if you want to see God answer prayer in your life, here’s here’s my encouragement to you. Get with him, man. Stop worrying about your kingdom and start worrying about his. Seek? What is God that desires to make happen in this world and start praying that way? And then when you start to pray, God begins to answer in glorious ways. And it could be about relationship problems that you’re having or or kids that you’re raising or difficulty you’re experiencing. But because you’re pursuing him, his glory, his kingdom, his will for this world. It tells us in this passage, God answers prayer. You think about that this morning? Gary, close in just a moment. Life is not about accomplishments. God’s primarily not interested in results. God’s interested in your relationship with him. God’s given us several ways to connect with him in that way, and one of those ways is prayer. And as we connect to him for his kingdom and glory, and he brings the results and he’s got your best interest in mind.