Title: Paul's Prayer / Ephesians 1:15-23
Contents Paul's Prayer / Ephesians 1:15-23
As a man of prayer, the apostle Paul gave his disciple Timothy the first admonition. That is prayer. Prayer, no matter how much, is not enough.
And it is prayer that we ask the saints to give.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
It is prayer that our Jesus exhorted and emphasized to his beloved disciples.
The Lord healed the sick, preached and taught the word of God, and most of the remaining time was spent in prayer. He just prayed in the empty fields and prayed in the mountains... He taught his disciples to pray like this by setting an example.
That is why he taught the 'Lord's Prayer', 'watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation', and he taught the importance of prayer by saying, 'This kind of thing cannot go out except through prayer.'
Let's think for a moment. Even Jesus, the Son of God, who is powerful and powerful, devoted so much time to praying with blood and sweat. How can our weak and lacking lives not pray?
The prayer of the saints gives the benefit of faith growth, and it is the privilege and duty of the saints for God's blessing. Although we are weak when we kneel before God, when we stand up from the seat of prayer, we are refreshed and stand up as people of power.
That's right. Only those who prayed overcame the world, and only those who prayed took on the great work of the Lord.
However, one thing to remember is that prayer cannot take precedence over the Word of God.
In other words, we must lead a life of reading, listening, and praying God's Word.
No one should be neglected, and no one should be biased. The Word and prayer are things that all believers should strive for.
The saints reflect on themselves through prayer every day, and when they lay down their sins before God and pray for repentance, they will be forgiven and receive God's grace, love, and the grace of forgiveness.
Not only that, we will receive answers when we express our wishes before God in prayer. Therefore, prayer is the greatest blessing God has given to the saints he loves.
How grateful would it be to ask a thirsty person to come and drink water because there is a spring here? I'm going to go get some water right now. Prayer is more grateful than asking someone who is thirsty to come and drink water. I can't because it's hard to come and drink water It's nonsense to say that I can't drink because I'm busy.
Then, it is impossible to say that the word to pray is absolutely burdensome, or that it is difficult because you are too busy. Prayer is easier and more grateful than asking them to come and drink water. But why not? Because people who are dying of thirst are told to dig in the ground and drink water. It's because they misunderstood prayer.
Now we need to know the gratitude of prayer. We must realize the necessity of prayer.
Otherwise, prayer will always be a burden, and you will end up being a person who has absolutely nothing to do with the blessings of prayer.
The state of faith is manifested through the life of prayer. Therefore, it can be said that a life of gratitude and a life of prayer are the measure of faith.
Therefore, I hope that we will follow the prayer of the apostle Paul and come to these words with the desire to win in the midst of difficult and turbulent factions and live like saints.
Verse 17 says, “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, that you may know God.”
The meaning of 'father of glory' here means God the Father who is worthy of glory. In other words, we cannot but give thanks and glory when we think of the wonderful grace of God who chose and saved us among the billions of sinful people.
And it is to praise the wonderful attributes of God's grace and love shown in the spiritual illumination and the assurance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the saints.
In Acts 7:2, we read, "Steven said, "Brothers and brothers, listen: the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he was in Haran." Without realizing the grace and love of God and His disposition, we cannot lead a moving life of faith, and we cannot call God Abba Father.
So the Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian church members to come to know God.
I hope that we too will have a blessed life of ardent saints who are overflowing with gratitude and emotion just like Paul did when we are to lead a life of faith. To do that, you must know God right away.
So the Apostle Paul prayed, 'Give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that you may know God.'
The phrase 'spirit of wisdom and revelation' refers to the Holy Spirit.
Except through the Holy Spirit, we can see the luxurious houses on earth, but we cannot see the glorious heavens and we cannot know God.
Therefore, above all else, we must continually grow in the wisdom given by the Holy Spirit and in clear knowledge based on the Word. So, when we realize the deep meaning of the gospel and live the lives of believers according to God's will, we will overflow with gratitude and peace.
It is the Holy Spirit who gives wisdom and reveals truth. That is why the Apostle Paul prayed for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit above all else.
What our saints need today is nothing else, but a clear knowledge of God, understanding God's will for the saints, and obeying God's Word. This is the right life as a saint. Through this life, God is glorified. This is also the secret to receiving God's grace and blessings greatly.
So Paul continued to pray in verse 18, "Open your hearts and eyes, and what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints?" did it.
In the Bible, the 'heart' becomes the pillar of perception, faith, words and actions. The mind is the heart and center of human existence. So the Bible emphasizes the heart of the saints.
Romans 10:10 says, “With the heart a man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Matthew 12:34 says, "... out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks."
In 1 Samuel 16:7, it is said, "...People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
When the work of the Holy Spirit departs, the eyes of the heart become blind. Then you will not be able to know God, and you will not be able to understand His grace and love.
The eyes of the heart and spiritual eyes are opened when the heart is pure. You can see God, realize God's grace and love, and live a life of gratitude, joy, and fervent faith right away. That's why Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."
And the Apostle Paul went on to pray, asking him to know “what is the hope of his calling.
Hope enables believers to live strong and courageous lives. Not only that, you will live a life full of confidence and joy.
Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope, like an anchor to the soul, strong and strong, entering within the veil.”
The hope of God and the hope of heaven are like the anchor of the soul, so no matter what winds of tribulation and pain may blow, you can move forward without being shaken in the slightest.
That's right. The hope of the saints is to become a living strength and also to become the strength that sanctifies us. 1 John 3:3 says, "Everyone who has this hope in the Lord purifies himself, just as he is pure."
And Paul went on to say, "I want to know what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints."
Here, 'inheritance' refers to the riches that Paul enjoys as an inheritance from God, all the blessings of salvation, and especially the blessings of heaven that he will receive in the last days.
This enterprise is not just a blessing that I can enjoy alone, but an 'inheritance in the saints', that is, an enterprise to be enjoyed with the saints.
Also, he said that this corporation should be the object of the saints' hope, and one of the means to obtain it is 'ability'. So in verse 19, we asked for 'power'. "I pray that you may know what is the exceeding greatness of the power which he bestows upon us who believe according to the might of his power."
This power (strength) is necessary for the fulfillment of hope and acquisition of inheritance, and it refers to the power given through the filling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in order to enjoy the grace and blessings that have been given to you right away, you must have the ability to bear it.
Let's say my father gave me a good music recorder as a gift. What good is it just to have it? You must be able to use it. You must also have the ability to use it right away. That way you can listen to good music.
Now, in order to enjoy the grace and blessings God has given us rightly and abundantly, we also need to have the capacity to bear. That is the filling of the Holy Spirit.
It is the ability to make wishes come true. What, then, is the specific ability?
It is made clear in verse 20. It speaks of 'the power of resurrection'. This power is given to those who believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. With this power, the saints will be resurrected to eternal life in the last days. Therefore, without the assurance of resurrection faith, the life of a powerful believer is impossible. That is why they asked for the power of resurrection faith.
Finally, in verses 21-23, the position of Christ is mentioned, and it is said that he is above all names, has dominion over all things, and all things are subject to him, and is the head of the church, and in him all things are full.
The Lord also rules all things with this power and rules the church.
Therefore, as long as we have the power of Christ who rules and dominates all things in Christ, our only hope will not be shaken, and no one will take away our only joy.
When the saints also receive this power, they will not be slaves of material things, but will become blessed and wise beings who use and govern them properly.
He gave the church this power and established it over all things. Therefore, Christ loves the church and protects and sustains it with infinite power.
Moreover, as in verse 23, it is said that in all things He fills all things.
It is the highest glory of the Church that Christ is united with us to achieve its fullness. For example, it means that this meeting is completed because you participate in it. As a bridegroom, he loves our church as if he is incomplete without the bride, so the church is complete.
That's right. There is nothing lacking as long as we have Christ. There is nothing to be afraid of. You can achieve eternal hope and enjoy the blessed inheritance as much as you want.
Dear saints, Like the Apostle Paul, I pray in the name of the Lord that all the abundant blessings that are infinitely supplied to our church and families will come to us in full as we serve Christ in the midst of prayer.