We’re picking up our series in Ephesians again looking at what it means to be a Christian. In the second half of Ephesians Chapter 1, Paul prays for the church family. This is a model for mature Christian prayer.
Our passages today: Ephesians 1:15-23 and 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Preacher: Ian Bayne, 21st February 2021
Recap
Let’s recap verses 1-14 that we looked at before Christmas.
Understanding the author helps us to understand the intent of the book. We looked at the apostle Paul and how he was converted from a self-righteous persecutor of the church to a transformed individual.
The recipients of the letter were at Ephesus – they were recognised as the church of God. When I was growing up there was a backlash against organised religion and an emphasis on personal faith. Actually, scripture says there’s a mix of both. Elders and Deacons are organised and recognised. But we all have a part to play:
Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
Westministher Shorter Catechism
1. We are to worshop God
All Christians are saints: called to worship God. We’re saved by faith.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Ephesians 2:8
It’s not because of what we do, though what we do should follow. Have you ever been disappointed because you aren’t as you want to be? Even despite your best efforts? It’s a comfort that we are both saved by faith and called to live by faith.
2. We are a family
We have faith in Jesus. This means we become incorporated into His body, a family, a Church of Christians. This is why the family aspect of church is so important.
3. We are blessed
We have a huge amount of blessings stored up for us in eternal life, and we can draw down on some of this now. Some of the trials we go through in life are only bearable because of faith.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 1:3 ESV
When we look at our lives we can only see the past and present as it relates to us.
4. We are predestined
he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Ephesians 1:5 ESV
We did not choose God, before He chose us. We need to be born again to enter the Kingdom.
Our passage explained
Our passage starts with an apostolic prayer. There are two of these (the other is in Ephesians 3). This is the Church Family Prayer if we want to give it a name.
When someone asks “how can I pray for you?” we tend to think of something mundane, but here we see the better answers we can give!
When we’re young believers we may pray in a child-like way. God loves this, but we do need to grow, and we can use the apostles’ prayers to model ourselves on.
The previous verses are talking about the status of believers. We did a very brief recap, but look how this flows from talking about the church to praying for the church.
- The preparation of the prayer
- The growing of the prayer
- The sowing of the prayer
1. Preparing
Firstly Paul gives thanks for fellow believers:
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
Ephesians 1:15 ESV
What is he giving thanks for? He’s giving thanks for their faith and their love for one another. This prepares our heart.
2. Sowing
Paul prays for knowledge for the church and for the ability to use it well (wisdom).
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
Ephesians 1:17 ESV
3. Growing
He also prays that we would be enlightened to know more about God’s calling. It’s for the Church to pray for one another to know God’s calling.
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:18 ESV
This calling is an inheritance for believers, and Paul wants us to understand it.
It’s amazes me how much God loves us – He gave His life for us, he wants us to understand more about Him, and He grants us power to get us out of tricky situations.
Application
1. Give thanks first and supplicate second
We can treat God as a supermarket, with a list of demands.
fools rush in where angels fear to tread
An essay on Criticism, Alexander Pope (1711)
When we cook meat, we let it rest for tender results. Season your prayers with thanksgiving.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
Thanksgiving helps us to focus on what’s important and puts everything in perspective.
2. Have patience
Back in the day, long car journeys with children were challenging as they would always ask “are we there yet?”. We didn’t have screens to keep them entertained for hours – we had to play games.
We can be like this as Christians. Even mature Christians are not there yet.
We don’t really understand the attributes of God.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7 ESV
3. Pray for each other
If we pray these things for each other all the detail will fade into insignificance.
Christian counselling is quite different from secular counselling. The counseller has all of the answers before knowing the problem. It’s helping the counsellee understand the answers.
Pray for one another as Paul did: with thanksgiving for knowledge and wisdom so that we can understand God’s plan for us.
Resources
Questions? Please contact us. Inspired? Come and worship with us on Sundays.
