WEBVTT 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:07.759 I'm so excited to open the word from Ephesians 1 with you this morning. 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:15.119 But before I do, I want to um, as an intro to the sermon, I want to invite a friend and now relative to come up. 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:18.160 His name is Ben Smith, and he's a real follower of Jesus. 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:21.920 And he's got a great story of how the Lord has reached him. 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:26.480 And I think it's going to be helpful for what we're going to see in the scriptures today. 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:28.160 So would you welcome Ben? 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:39.039 Good morning, everyone. 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:39.840 Good morning. 00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:42.799 Isn't it wonderful to be in the house of the Lord today? 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:45.759 It's such a good thing to be here and worshiping with you guys. 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:54.399 Really just felt such a uh a joy celebrating the good news of who he is in our hearts, through us, in us, for us. 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:56.640 And um, I'm here today as a friend. 00:00:56.640 --> 00:00:58.000 I see a couple friends in the audience. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:00.640 There's Buddy Walker in the back in the middle. 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:03.039 And uh it's just wonderful to be here. 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:05.359 I come from enemy territory. 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:14.560 I was once an enemy of God, but he's made me a friend and a brother. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:16.000 He's called me friend. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:20.159 And so he's even, you know, Romans chapter 8, it says heirs too. 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:20.319 Yeah. 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:23.359 That we would suffer with him and know him and his suffering. 00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:26.640 And that's really through the love that he's offered us and extended to us. 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:28.640 And so it's just such a pleasure to be here. 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:34.000 And uh, I'm also from Alabama, which from what I understand is also enemy territory. 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:35.519 Roll tide, isn't anybody? 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:38.480 No, okay, just one or two, one cousin in the room. 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:43.599 Oh, we got somebody that a brave soul in the back who was once part of the body and in the back as well. 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.200 So I hope hopefully I won't take up too much time. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.079 Um, just wanted to share with you guys a little bit of a story. 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:54.719 So uh in 2023, I came into relationship with Jesus. 00:01:54.719 --> 00:02:00.400 He revealed his love for me, he set me free, praise the Lord. 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:15.439 And um I had grown up going to church, actually, I knew many, many of the people that are connected through this body, through master builders, Neil Silverberg and Shelley, um, and also just so many of the individuals that were there. 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:18.080 And so I heard the good news, I heard of the gospel. 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:25.280 I even had encountered God's love for me in different times and places through his grace that he's poured out for all humanity. 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:28.719 But I didn't know him, I didn't have a relationship with him. 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:40.560 And it wasn't until many, many, many years later, two years ago, in May of 2023, that I came to the absolute end of all of my own effort and all of my pride. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:44.719 And Jesus was there to pick me up and save me and set me free and make me whole. 00:02:44.719 --> 00:03:06.000 And that came through a long journey of a lot of a lot of wandering, all the wandering that I could do, but it was also through the faithfulness and the kindness and the gentleness and the longsuffering and the prayers, which I think which Mark's gonna talk today about, of family, of friends, of individuals in my life that loved me with the love of Jesus. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:09.919 And uh I'll just give you a small example of that. 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:16.400 In 2020-ish or so, I had been married, I went through a divorce, made a lot of mistakes in that. 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:18.800 I was unfaithful to my wife. 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:22.960 And my parents came and they visited me that weekend. 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:25.199 And my my father gave me a coat. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:27.199 He said, Hey, this is a big coat, it's too big for me. 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:28.560 Would you like to have this? 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:32.800 And I was heartbroken and just really discouraged. 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:35.439 But I was like, Okay, I'll take the coat. 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:42.000 Throughout the week, I found in the coat, my dad had left some handwritten notes. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:47.759 And one of the notes that just really struck me then was one that he wrote. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:50.080 He said, Your mother and I are proud of you. 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:53.280 And so he had shared the gospel. 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:58.080 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, because he looked at me as a son. 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:08.560 He looked at me as his in the identity of a son that didn't earn my place with him, but was established in who I was because he had said I was. 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:11.039 And that's the heart of God for all of us. 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:13.919 And that's the heart of God for those who don't believe yet. 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:20.720 And so when we were worshiping this morning and we were talking about how God has called us to love as he has loved, that's the message to the lost. 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:34.480 You know, when we're called to go out and disciple the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it's done through the power of his spirit and his fruit that is able to come forth in our life and bear fruit in the lives of others. 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:44.000 So those people that you know in your life, if they're wandering away from God, if they don't know him, if they've if they've mocked him, I was one of those people. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:50.319 And so, you guys, in your prayers, you just break the roof off and lower them down to Jesus in your prayers. 00:04:50.319 --> 00:05:00.160 Break the roof off and lower them down through the acts of service and the kindness and the love and the gentleness and the self-control that you show them and the testimony of God who's overcome heartbreak. 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:05.199 Things that would break mortal man don't break those who are filled with the Spirit. 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:16.480 And so I just I call you guys to lift yourselves up in prayer and in faith and strengthen yourself in the life and the truth of who he is and what he's gonna do, because he said, Ask anything in my name and it will be done. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:21.680 And so when we cry out to salvation for those that we love, we know that it's in his will. 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:24.560 Cry out, believe, hold fast in faith. 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:25.199 I love you guys. 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:26.800 Thanks for having me today. 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:42.000 Yeah, yeah, you use that microphone to heckle me. 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:42.480 That's right. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:44.000 That's that is correct. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:46.399 Wow. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:48.160 Praise God. 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:50.959 And I know, you know, I was married into this family, you know. 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:53.759 I know there is a lot of followers of Jesus. 00:05:53.759 --> 00:06:03.040 I mean, Amy's family has 11 kids, and Ben's family has eight kids, and so there's a lot of people praying and and a whole church praying. 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:08.480 And uh I think we all probably would agree that prayer changes things, right? 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:25.040 But sometimes we we feel kind of paralyzed because we're not really sure how to pray for our loved ones, especially the ones that are close to us, and we don't sometimes we don't it feels like we don't see things moving uh when we're praying for our family and friends and acquaintances. 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:33.600 And but our passage this morning really gives us hope and it helps us with practical direction for how to pray for our people. 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:37.839 So uh let's look at uh Ephesians 1, verse 15. 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:41.439 Let's learn how Paul is praying for his people. 00:06:41.439 --> 00:06:47.360 Starting in verse 15, he says, uh, for this reason. 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:50.000 Now stop right there. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:57.759 Okay, when whenever whenever anybody says for this reason, you have to think a minute, right? 00:06:57.759 --> 00:06:58.959 For what reason? 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:00.399 What reason is he talking about? 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:08.800 You can't we can't start there because he's told us something before, and we need to go back and kind of review that. 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:15.759 So let me just give you a flyover of what we've talked about and what Paul wrote in the first few verses of this chapter. 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:18.240 So so here's what he said. 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:30.720 He opened this whole book saying, we bless God because God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, and God has chosen us. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:34.000 It means he has set us apart as dear to himself. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:38.639 He chose us in Christ, he chose us before the foundations of the world. 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:49.600 He chose us to be holy and set apart unto him because of his love, and he determined beforehand that we would be sons and daughters of his through Christ. 00:07:49.600 --> 00:08:02.879 He made us accepted in his love, accepted in the beloved one, because this is what he wanted all along, resulting in the praise of his glorious grace. 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:17.120 And we've been bought back to God with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, released from our bondage, pardoned from our sins, because of his overwhelming grace, which he poured on us in Christ. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:18.079 In Christ. 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:23.360 We in him, our anchor, he in us, our engine. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:32.720 It was God's plan from the beginning to conform all things to his will through Christ, resulting in the praise of his glorious grace. 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:38.879 And we've been included in Christ since we've heard the gospel, and there's full redemption coming. 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:56.080 And we've been sealed, marked, and kept by the Holy Spirit as a down payment, as a surety of what's to come, to live in the fullness of his redemption because of Jesus, which results in the praise of his glorious grace. 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:56.799 All right? 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:58.960 Yeah, that's good news. 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:01.279 Okay, now we can keep going. 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:03.759 That's what he told us for this reason. 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:05.440 So let's keep reading. 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:55.759 For this reason, because I've heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you my prayers, 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, 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, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. 00:09:55.759 --> 00:10:05.440 So, Father, this morning we ask you to open our eyes, help us to see what it is you want us to see from this passage. 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:08.080 In Jesus' name. 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:08.799 Amen. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:15.120 So Paul founded this church in Ephesus, he's the one that fathered it. 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:26.960 And not only that, but he stayed there for three years, laying a foundation there, and he loved those people, and he loved them, and he continued to shepherd his flock even when he wasn't with his flock. 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:34.559 He shepherded them by writing letters like this, but he also shepherded them through his prayers. 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:40.960 You know, we can shepherd, we can actually pastor our flock by praying for them. 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:44.799 And in his prayer, we can find wisdom as to how to pray for our loved ones. 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:46.320 And this is really the question for this morning. 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:48.000 How can I pray for my people? 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:52.240 I think this is, you know, these are pretty heady words that he has here. 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:57.279 I actually read this passage uh for many years, and I thought, wow, that's so deep. 00:10:57.279 --> 00:10:58.960 I'm not sure what it says. 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:04.159 Uh, but it's really uh eminently practical. 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:11.120 He he prays for his people in certain ways, and we can grab those ways and start praying for for our people as well. 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:12.879 So, how do I pray for my people? 00:11:12.879 --> 00:11:16.480 And maybe the the first question we ask is, what is prayer? 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:20.320 And prayer is communion with God. 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:22.399 It's a form of communion with God. 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:29.519 It's talking to him, it's listening to him, it's telling him the desires of our heart, it's listening to his heart as well. 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:39.679 And it includes thanksgiving and praise and confession of sins and requests for needs and for protection and for direction. 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:53.440 But the definition that's helped me the most in my walk uh for prayer, and you've you've heard this from this pulpit before, is prayer is an invitation into the heart and the mission of God. 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:55.440 It's an invitation. 00:11:55.440 --> 00:12:05.120 God invites us to know him into his heart, and then from that place of knowing him into his mission, to join with him in what he wants to do. 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:09.200 To know him and then also to make him known. 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:12.480 So, what is the what is God's heart for my people? 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:15.039 That's a great place to start for prayer. 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:22.559 And you know, your people are the people that are on your heart, the people that who who you love, the people you're concerned about, the people that you pray for. 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:27.360 It could be your family, it could be your friends and acquaintances, whoever, whoever, it doesn't matter. 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:29.279 But what does he want to do in their lives? 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:43.279 How can I partner with him to see that come to pass as Jesus prayed, your kingdom come, Lord, your will be done here, right here, right here in my loved one, as it is in heaven. 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:49.519 So let's focus on a few phrases that Paul uses that can help guide us as to how we can pray for our people. 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:56.320 Uh, first, of course, what we started with for this reason, for this reason, he starts there, all the things that God has done. 00:12:56.320 --> 00:13:02.320 So we pray for people because of all the things that God has already done in Christ. 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:06.399 So far, in this letter, there is nothing for us to do. 00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:08.480 We've read, this is 20 verses. 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:17.039 We've read 20 verses so far, zero commands for us, except maybe you might want to say it's a command for us to thank him for what he's done. 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:23.440 But everything that he's said so far is uh is for what is what God has already done for us in Christ. 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:29.120 And what he has done, he has done not because of anything we have done, right? 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:32.639 Zero contribution from us. 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:37.600 It is God, which is why God gets the glory. 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:42.240 Everything is from him, everything is through him, everything is to him. 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:44.559 To him be glory forever. 00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:53.039 So all the focuses on what is God, God has done in Christ to fulfill his purposes, resulting in the praise of his glorious grace. 00:13:53.039 --> 00:14:06.080 And I think that's a really important point to make in prayer, that it's what God has done already, it which motivates us and energizes us for prayer. 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:11.840 What God has done in Christ is our motivation and our energy behind our prayers. 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:16.559 So it's not something that we are like trying to whip up within ourselves. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:21.840 It's not something that we're trying to bring, bring God down because he doesn't want to be here. 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:27.039 But if we whip him up enough, he'll come down. 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:30.320 Or if we whip ourselves enough, he'll come down. 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:35.120 No, he's already come in the form of Christ. 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:40.879 He's already interacted with us, and he wants to continue, and he's inviting us to partner with him. 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:55.440 So, because of this, for this reason, Paul says, I have not stopped praying, or I cease not to mention you in my prayers, or I keep asking, I keep asking, I keep asking. 00:14:55.440 --> 00:15:06.240 There's a perseverance to prayer, there's an endurance, there's a tenacity to prayer, and and it's compelled by love. 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:10.720 Our love causes us to continue to pray for those people we love. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:14.720 So and model is basically Paul's just modeling what Jesus taught. 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:24.960 And you remember in in uh Luke chapter 18, Jesus told a parable that all men should pray and not give up. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:26.639 And that's what he was doing. 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:33.039 Paul is saying in other places he said, I uh pray without ceasing. 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:46.000 He said, in later in this book, in the book of Ephesians, in chapter six, when he's talking about spiritual warfare, he says, keep on praying in the spirit at all times with all kinds of prayer. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:51.840 And this uh urge to pray is all through the scriptures. 00:15:51.840 --> 00:16:27.759 Like Hannah prayed for a son with desperation, like the prophets prayed for Israel with great burden, like Elijah prayed to God to show his power with great zeal, like the psalmists pray about everything in life with all of the emotions of life, like Solomon prayed over the temple with great dedication to God, like Jesus prayed over Jerusalem, weeping, weeping with burden, like Paul prays for his friends without ceasing. 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:32.080 I keep asking, I keep asking, I keep asking. 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:36.799 When we don't see the answers we want, I keep asking. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:44.320 If we don't see things happen when we want them to happen, I keep asking. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:49.200 Even when it looks like nothing is going on at all, I keep asking. 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:53.039 There's something to this persistence in prayer. 00:16:53.039 --> 00:17:01.679 And I want to just uh play you a little story here, very quick story, about what the importance of keeping on asking. 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:08.000 This is why you cannot stop praying for your unbelieving friends and family members that have walked away from Jesus. 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:13.279 There was a time in my life where I totally turned away from the Lord and was living in sin and was okay with it. 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:24.240 But then one day I was walking home, and I the best way I can describe it is like the lights turned on and something lifted off my eyes, and I realized in that moment I need God. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:25.839 I need to get out of this lifestyle. 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:30.319 And later on in life, I asked the Lord, why was it just like an and suddenly moment? 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:32.960 Like it just felt like the lights just turned on. 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:35.839 And he told me it was the prayers of the saints. 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:39.119 It was hundreds of people praying for me to come back to him. 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:43.440 And then he showed me a picture of the bowls in heaven filled with prayers. 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:48.160 And just one more prayer just tipped that bowl out and brought breakthrough in my life. 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:51.200 So, this is to encourage you to don't stop praying for that person. 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:54.160 It can feel redundant, but it is not purposeless. 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:57.920 There is purpose in every prayer, and all it takes is one more prayer. 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:00.319 Amen. 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:03.359 One more prayer. 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:04.960 Tip the bowl. 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:11.279 You know, there is a such thing as that last prayer before something happens. 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:12.640 Right? 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:14.799 Don't stop. 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:17.039 I keep asking, I keep asking. 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:20.400 Your prayers are not purposeless ever. 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:28.000 God has burdened you to pray for these people for a reason, because he wants to partner with you to bring his kingdom into their lives. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:32.400 So he says, I never stop, I keep asking, I cease not, I don't stop. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:33.680 What is he don't stop? 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:35.519 He doesn't he doesn't stop giving thanks. 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:38.480 I know, I never stop giving thanks for you. 00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:44.480 So prayer is begins, or Paul begins his prayer for his loved ones with thanksgiving. 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:46.480 He thanks God for them. 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:53.599 So there's something really powerful about being uh about starting this whole thing with thanksgiving. 00:18:53.599 --> 00:19:01.680 And so before I ask for protection or for before I ask for provision or for purpose in my loved ones, I just thank God for them. 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:02.559 Lord, thank you. 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:04.720 I thank you for my children, God. 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:08.319 I thank you that we prayed for them and you gave them. 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:11.119 I'm grateful for their presence in my life. 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:14.960 I'm grateful for what they mean to me and how you've blessed my life through them. 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:16.960 I thank you for the gifts you've given to them. 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:25.200 God, I thank you for what you've already done and how you've worked in their lives already, and how you've been faithful to them, how you've provided for them, for your calling on their life. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:26.559 I thank you, Lord. 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:27.759 I thank you. 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:32.720 And that like recalibrates me, like sets me right. 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:38.880 It puts my mind in the right position to hear the other things that God wants to speak to me about them. 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:42.880 It's like a springboard into hearing the voice of the Lord for them. 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:44.400 So start with thankfulness. 00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:49.039 I keep on asking, and I don't stop praying for you. 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:56.400 And then Paul begins to see himself as partnering with God in prayer. 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:03.039 In fact, Paul has such an understanding that he's working with God in prayer that he includes the entire Trinity in this prayer. 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:17.279 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father, the glorious Father, would give you the spirit, capital S, of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, Father, Son, and Spirit in this prayer. 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:23.279 He's working with the whole Trinity here to bring something into existence. 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:45.279 And so Paul's prayer life has this growing knowledge of and relationship with the entire Trinity, the glorious Father, the saving Son, and the empowering spirit at work with me when I'm praying, really, and with you when you're praying. 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:46.640 God is at work. 00:20:46.640 --> 00:21:05.039 So he prays, first of all, to God the Father, the Father of glory, he says, the most high, exalted, glorious God above all gods, who is loving, providing, protecting Father, God most high with us in relationship. 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:09.759 So we are praying from a position of relationship. 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:14.559 The first word in Jesus' prayer is Father. 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:22.480 When they said to him, Jesus, we've seen the Pharisees pray and we've seen you pray, we prefer yours. 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:24.960 So would you please teach us how to pray? 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:26.559 And he taught him how to pray. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:29.039 And he said, When you pray, pray like this. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:29.599 What? 00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:46.880 Father, you start with Father before you're asking for the forgiveness, before you're even praising him, before you're asking him to deliver you, or asking for your needs to be met before anything. 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:49.440 Father relationship. 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:59.440 It's from a place of relationship, it's from a position of being beloved sons and daughters that we're praying, which is why we can pray with boldness. 00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:10.160 Because we're sons and daughters, and we're able to partner together with this purpose as I pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus through Jesus Christ, right? 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:13.680 So we have a name beyond compare. 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:15.680 I love what we sang this morning. 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:17.440 I love everything we sang this morning. 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:26.319 It was great about it, it was so focused on Christ and His name and His power and His position in the heavenlies. 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:35.920 We have a name beyond compare above every name to which every knee bows, to which every power submits because of the work of the cross. 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:41.519 All authority, Jesus says, given to me in heaven and earth, therefore go. 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:45.359 I have all authority, so take it and go. 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:46.480 Let's work together. 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:48.160 Let's work together in prayer. 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:58.960 So we're praying from a position of power, a position of relationship with the Father, a position of power, because there's a name that we wield, this name of Jesus. 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:07.200 And Jesus is seated above in the heavenly places, chapter one of Ephesians. 00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:23.200 We are seated together with him in the heavenlies, chapter two of Ephesians, where all the rulers and principalities are working in chapter three of Ephesians, and we're wrestling in the heavenlies, chapter six of Ephesians. 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:27.519 But we're there with him who has the name above every name. 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:30.079 There's power in these prayers. 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:36.000 You're not just muttering to the ceiling, brothers and sisters, when you're praying. 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:39.440 You're not just speaking to this guy. 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:42.000 There's power here. 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:51.839 We're praying from a position of power, raised up with Christ, praying with authority, especially for those you have relationship with and those you love. 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:56.960 Those you have authority over, you have authority in the spirit over too. 00:23:56.960 --> 00:24:02.000 For your prayers, parents, your prayers for your children have authority. 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:04.799 They're special prayers. 00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:12.000 I can pray for your children, but I think your prayers are even more powerful for your children than mine, than mine would be. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:18.319 So we pray to the Father, a place of relationship through the Son, in the place of power. 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:21.599 And then we pray by the empowering help of the Spirit. 00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:26.240 This is the beautiful thing, is we don't pray by ourselves, even in our own wisdom. 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:28.559 We have the help of the Holy Spirit. 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:32.960 So we pray from a position of wisdom beyond our understanding. 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:34.960 You know what? 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:39.039 The Holy Spirit is the only one who knows what to do. 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:43.519 I don't know what to do. 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:49.039 Most of the time when I'm praying, I'm not sure exactly what to pray for, but the Holy Spirit does know. 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:50.559 And he helps us. 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:53.519 And here's what Paul said in Romans 8, 26 and 27. 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:56.960 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. 00:24:56.960 --> 00:25:00.640 For we do not know what to pray for as we ought. 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:05.839 But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:09.359 And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit. 00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:14.000 Because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:17.359 He helps us in our weaknesses. 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:21.359 And maybe you remember, we talked one time about that Greek word. 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:23.039 He helps us in our weaknesses. 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:25.759 It's a you might remember because it's a funny word. 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:28.720 Does anybody remember that? 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:30.559 I tried to get y'all to say it. 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:35.279 You can say it, right? 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:37.119 Sunanti lambonomai. 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:38.880 It's a great, it's a great word. 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:45.759 It's a great and the word means to take a hold of something opposite of together. 00:25:45.759 --> 00:25:50.960 In other words, the Holy Spirit and I are carrying this thing together. 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:52.880 He on that side, me on this side. 00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:53.839 That's the picture here. 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:55.279 He helps us in our weakness. 00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:59.359 I can't do it by myself, but he and I together are carrying this thing. 00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:02.240 We're working together with the Holy Spirit. 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:04.559 The Holy Spirit is working together with us. 00:26:04.559 --> 00:26:06.319 He helps us in our weakness. 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:09.279 I'm not sure how to pray, but he does. 00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:10.960 He does. 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:20.160 In 1 Corinthians 14, verses 14 and 15, Paul says, If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:21.839 What am I to do? 00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:25.279 I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray also with my mind. 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:26.400 With my mind also. 00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:29.839 I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:33.839 He's talking about understanding your prayers and not understanding your prayers. 00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:39.039 He's talking about the gift of tongues in terms of praying to God. 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:45.200 And so the Bible speaks of praying in the spirit versus praying it with your understanding or in your mind. 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:53.039 And also it says that we're able, that prayers, when we're unable to think of adequate words, we're helped. 00:26:53.039 --> 00:26:57.839 So in those times when we don't know how to pray, the spirit himself helps us. 00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:03.359 Sometimes it's with no words at all, just deep burden. 00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:08.079 Sometimes it's with strong cries and tears. 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:13.039 And sometimes it's with praying in the spirit, praying in an unknown tongue. 00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:20.240 And when we pray in an unknown tongue, the the first Corinthians 14 says we speak directly to God. 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:23.440 It says that we speak mysteries with our spirit. 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:26.960 It says that our spirit is praying, not merely our mind. 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:29.440 And it says that we're giving thanks well. 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:34.720 And this is why we're able to pray perfect prayers with the help of the Spirit. 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:45.279 In Romans 8, he who searches the hearts knows what's the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 00:27:45.279 --> 00:27:48.000 The Spirit prays according to the will of God. 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:53.759 So you don't have to speak in tongues to receive the help of the Spirit in prayer. 00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:54.400 Okay? 00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:55.599 You don't have to. 00:27:55.599 --> 00:28:02.160 But if you don't yet pray in tongues, I want to encourage you to ask for this gift. 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:03.200 It's a help. 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:05.200 It's been such a help for me. 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:07.200 I don't know how to how to do it. 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:10.160 Ask, earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. 00:28:10.160 --> 00:28:12.480 You know, that same chapter says. 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:13.680 And ask God for it. 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:16.079 Or let us pray for you this morning for it. 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:20.160 It's a gift that God gives to strengthen you, to help you to pray. 00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:24.160 But don't think that you're inadequate to pray if you don't pray in tongues. 00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:28.079 The Spirit makes intercession for you and empowers you to pray in English too. 00:28:28.079 --> 00:28:29.759 English is a language. 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:30.319 Okay. 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:31.759 It's a good one. 00:28:31.759 --> 00:28:33.039 And God speaks it. 00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:34.160 So it's okay. 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:37.119 But there's but there's also a gift that you can be given. 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.240 No, so you can we can pray for these and earnestly desire these gifts. 00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:43.039 Point is we're not alone when we pray. 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:46.960 The entire Trinity is active in our prayer life. 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:53.680 We join in partnership with the most powerful being in the universe, and we're helped in prayer. 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:57.759 He invites us into his heart and into his mission. 00:28:57.759 --> 00:28:59.279 This is beautiful. 00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:05.440 Okay, so now we understand, as Paul understood, we're working together with God in prayer. 00:29:05.440 --> 00:29:08.160 He empowers us to pray and he works with us. 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:09.359 So let's get practical. 00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:11.279 Let's talk about what does he actually pray? 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:12.400 What is Paul doing here? 00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:16.960 When he's praying for us and praying for the saints, praying for his people, what does he do? 00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:18.640 How is he praying specifically? 00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:24.880 Well, he says that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation. 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:30.000 Okay, so first of all, he's praying for God to work on the level of the spirit. 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:38.559 I want so, because you see, what he's talked about up to this point is so mind-blowing, he has to stop in the middle of it. 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:43.519 All the things that God has done for us in Christ and the ramifications of what God has done for us in Christ. 00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:50.960 And the position that God's lifted us up into with Christ, He's He has to stop and say, God, just open their eyes. 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:55.440 It's too much for any of us to really grasp on our own. 00:29:55.440 --> 00:29:57.680 It's beyond our understanding. 00:29:57.680 --> 00:30:04.720 So God, in the in on the Level of the spirit, on the level of the spirit, work in their lives. 00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:12.240 And you know, we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but honestly, what we see is flesh and blood. 00:30:12.240 --> 00:30:15.519 This is reality in our lives day by day. 00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:28.240 We see real life, and sometimes what we see in the natural causes us to falter in our prayer lives because we don't always see it changing at our tempo. 00:30:28.240 --> 00:30:35.680 But God is moving in the spirit realm, which affects the physical realm. 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:38.400 So Paul says, God, would you pray? 00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:43.039 Paul says, God, work at the level of the spirit in my loved ones' lives. 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:45.519 Second thing is he prays for wisdom. 00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:46.000 Yeah. 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:47.759 Beautiful thing to pray for. 00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:50.720 If you don't know anything else to pray for your loved one, there you go. 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:51.759 Pray for wisdom. 00:30:51.759 --> 00:31:05.200 Wisdom that they would come away from the foolishness of man, the foolish ways of the world, and they would open, their eyes would be open to see the wise ways of God. 00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:06.559 There's two ways, right? 00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:12.559 And in Proverbs, it says that there's a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in death. 00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:18.640 And in James it says we can pray and ask for wisdom if we don't have wisdom. 00:31:18.640 --> 00:31:20.319 And he gives it. 00:31:20.319 --> 00:31:24.400 And he doesn't hold it back, but he pours it out liberally. 00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:27.920 So we can pray for wisdom on our behalf. 00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:31.039 We can pray for wisdom for our loved ones too. 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:34.720 God, open their eyes and help them to see. 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:37.119 Help them to see your ways. 00:31:37.119 --> 00:31:42.400 Take them out of their own thoughts and what they think is right. 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:44.880 The ways that seem right but are leading to death. 00:31:44.880 --> 00:31:48.079 Lord, would you help them to see? 00:31:48.079 --> 00:31:53.680 Which is the next thing he says, that their eyes and their understanding would be enlightened. 00:31:53.680 --> 00:31:57.119 The word here is apocalypse. 00:31:57.119 --> 00:31:59.279 Give them an apocalypse. 00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:01.359 Open their eyes, a revealing. 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:08.400 It literally means to strip off what is hiding something from seeing. 00:32:08.400 --> 00:32:10.880 Make the truth seeable, Lord. 00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:18.960 Like on the Isle of Patmos, John was just seeing things that were already there, but we couldn't, he couldn't see before. 00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:25.359 And suddenly there's a revelation, an apocalypse, and he can see things that are real. 00:32:25.359 --> 00:32:37.200 And so this is what Paul is saying, God, just strip off all the things that distract or um or hide what's true. 00:32:37.200 --> 00:32:40.079 God, open eyes, open the eyes of their heart. 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:42.799 Do you know that your heart has eyes? 00:32:42.799 --> 00:32:49.039 Do you know that the heart of your loved ones have they have eyes? 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:50.880 Those hearts have eyes. 00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:52.799 It's interesting, isn't it? 00:32:52.799 --> 00:32:55.920 He says here, your loved one's heart has eyes. 00:32:55.920 --> 00:33:03.039 So it's a word that literally means physical eyes, but it's also used for eyes of your mind or eyes of your heart. 00:33:03.039 --> 00:33:08.640 It just means to give them the function of being able to see. 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:10.160 That's what it means. 00:33:10.160 --> 00:33:12.400 Open the eyes of their heart. 00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:18.160 God, I ask you to work on the heart level so that at the very core, my loved ones get it. 00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:18.880 They get it. 00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:21.920 They get what you who you are and what you want to do. 00:33:21.920 --> 00:33:24.079 Lord, open their eyes. 00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:27.359