Title: The Shepherd's Prayer (Ephesians 01:15-23)
Contents 1. When the new year comes, people are busy moving in their own way for a new start. One of them is a new resolution. I have a wish that I will do this or that I want it to be like this.
2. So, there are people who see the secret of soil purification, and the number of people looking for a fortune-teller is still constant.
3. But for those who believe in Jesus, prayer is the best. So this year as well, each prayer center is holding a New Year's Crusade and waiting for the members to participate. Also, in reality, every prayer house will be overcrowded with saints.
4. Although we pray, what we will pray for is important. The term prayer itself is too vague. But prayer must be specific and practical. How to do it Let's organize the standards of prayer through the text.
I. It is a prayer to give thanks for the prosperity of others (15-16)
A. The believers' faith was highly valued.
1. If there is a pastor's wish, it can be said that there is one big thing, and that is that the saints succeed through faith.
2. It is good to experience the Holy Spirit, to experience gifts, and to experience miracles, but if you are not sure of your faith, it is just a house built on sand. Therefore, for pastors, the physical prosperity of the believer may be a cause of anxiety.
4. Paul's thanksgiving was not for the material prosperity of the saints. It is not about experiencing any divine gift. It's not about them getting great fame either.
5. Paul's gratitude was for his faithful faith in the Lord Jesus and his love for other Christians. These two factors occupy a very important place. In fact, these are the basics and cores of faith. 6. Believing, not just believing, but believing faithfully means that a clear confession of faith is presupposed. In other words, it is the belief that you decide that your life is worth investing in. Faith is life. Even if I give all of my wealth, it is not a waste of faith and life. Is it really that we, and I, have this kind of faith today?
7. Confident faith is clearly expressed. So they were able to love other saints. The attitude to treat even the smallest of children in the name of the Lord is love for the saints. Heaven is the place where these people gather.
B. What am I grateful for?
1. Looking back over the past year, we must have thought of things to be thankful for. what are you grateful for
2. Think about whether you have been thankful for other people among your audit items. More specifically, it means that there was gratitude for the prosperity of others.
3. The church and the church are never in competition. Likewise, saints and saints are never the prize of competition.
It's not a price. They're just love partners. All who call on the name of the Lord, to which community they
We were all brothers and sisters. Their prosperity is my prosperity, and their pain is my pain.
4. For my faith now, whether my shepherd will be thankful or disappointed, Paul prayed a prayer of thanks for his saints. Let my shepherd rejoice, rejoice, and give thanks for my faith.
II. It is a prayer for the spiritual growth of the saints (17).
A. I prayed for wisdom and revelation to know God more deeply.
1. Paul's prayer was the second prayer that the saints wanted to know God more deeply.
2. The shepherd always prays for the saints. It is heartbreaking. It is a fact that we can relate to without emphasizing it or expressing it. But the problem is the content of prayer. When you pray for him, what will you pray for him?
3. The subject of prayer is endless. There are so many subjects, but it is impossible to pray for all of them. It must be limited anyway. So, the question of which one to choose among them is very important.
4. But let's look at Paul. He sought the revelation of wisdom and a deeper knowledge of God. Wisdom here does not refer to wisdom to fulfill the desires of the flesh. It is said to be the wisdom of knowing Christ. That is, it is. Paul prayed for it.
5. The heart of all pastors is simply the desire for the members to become one with God.
B. Let's listen to the prayer of the shepherd.
1. This is not to monitor whether the pastor prays for me or not. Before deciding whether or not the shepherd's prayer for me agrees with my heart, I want to know what kind of prayer is the principle.
2. Let's get rid of the erroneous idea that the best thing to do is to pray for the welfare of our children, family, and prosperity. Keep in mind the appeal of the shepherd who prays for me, bearing in mind that a wrong attitude, as if to receive a blessing from a shaman, is not faith.
III. Prayed for three secrets (18-23).
A. He wanted to know the hope that God had called.
1. We preach the gospel diligently, but there are not many people who receive the gospel. The number is extremely limited. I don't know why. There is nothing to lose because they believe in Jesus. Nevertheless, they are deaf to the call to believe in Jesus. They even hate and curse.
2. It is because they have no hope. Therefore, knowing this wonderful secret is a treasure among treasures. A saint who knows this fact is a true saint. Even if the debtor loses everything, even if he is on the verge of bankruptcy, the fact that he has been called is more precious than anything else. can't be exchanged for anything
B. You must know the abundance in the saints.
1. It is the richness of being called.
2. It is an abundance for the afterlife.
3. It is the riches used by God. A person who has this hope can become a prime minister while serving as a slave like Joseph. Like Daniel, even if he is a prisoner, he can become a prime minister.
C. You must know the power of God (19-23).
1. It is the power of resurrection to raise the dead.
2. It is the power for the eternal glory of the world to come (21-22).
3. It is the power to become the head of the church.