YouTube and Podcast teaching for….God Graciously Gives To Those Who Ask. EXPOSITION ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE study #93 (Luke 11:5-13)

God Graciously Gives To Those Who Ask. EXPOSITION ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE study #93 (Luke 11:5-13)

This section of Scripture that we will dive into in this study is really an extension to what we looked at in our first study here in chapter 11. We remember that one of Jesus’ disciples said in Luke 11:1b Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples. It was this statement that showed the importance of prayer for this disciple. Jesus was their example of someone that was always in prayer. Jesus in His humanity needed to pray for strength because of the weakness of the flesh. Jesus who is the Son of God had lived far from sin in eternity and now had come to earth in flesh. Jesus’ example of a person that prays often should show us our need to pray more than we do now.

We looked at the contents of this prayer in our last study that showed us our direction of prayer which is in knowing that God is sovereign over all things. He is the ruler of all things, He is our provider, the One that forgives, the One that gives to us mercy and the One that protects us. But often we are impatient with God in our prayers. We tend to pray for selfish desires expecting God to do what we say when we say it. Even when our prayers are not selfish we often times find ourselves discouraged because the fact that we are not seeing God move in the way we think He should.

Now that we have the model for what the contents of our prayers should be and the direction of giving glory to God, we now come to look at the fact that we must be persistent in coming to God. The lesson will point to the fact that when we ask, God will give. But there is always something that we must keep in mind in any prayer we pray and that is God’s will and purpose. If we go outside of the walls of God’s will in prayer then we will not receive what we ask for but if we ask in God’s will then we will receive. Let’s look at this as we work through this section of Scripture.

1.A lesson of PERSISTANCE in prayer.
Look with me at Luke 11:5-9 that says Then He said to them, “Which of you has a friend and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶ for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷ and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot rise up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not arise and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. ⁹ “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

The story that Jesus just told is given to us to show us the persistence we must have in prayer. I do want to point out that this is just a story. Not everything in this story is parallel to the reality of prayer but it is the principle that needs to be the focus. For instance God will not speak to us in the way this friend did to the man asking for help. God will never tell us to not bother him, God will never be asleep and unable to rise up to help us.

The story is not meant to be deceptive in this sense but the principle of the persistence is the focus. With that in mind I do want to look at the original word here that we see as persistence. It is the Greek word anaideia (an-ah’-ee-die-ah’) which means the shamelessness a faith-led believer has who is not halted by human fears. The idea shows a boldness with persistence. It isn’t that we come to God in arrogance or thinking that we deserve anything that we ask for but the idea is that we will not leave from prayer or go to prayer with the idea that God will not answer our prayers.

The boldness to continue to go to God in prayer about something shows that we trust God, it shows that we believe that we will receive what God has promised to us as His children. This story points to the fact that we must not give up on God’s promises. But let’s make sure that as we have seen already in our last study is that the reality of what our prayer consist of and that is God’s will and purpose.

This persistence will pay off in God’s time as we will receive what God has promised to us. This will carry us into the next verse and our next point.

2.We will RECEIVE what we ask for in prayer.
Look with me at Luke 11:10 that says For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

I do want to point out that many people use this verse to say that God will give to them anything they ask for. If you were to take this statement of Jesus alone then I could very well see why your theology of prayer would say that. But we must take the whole of Scripture to determine what we should be asking for.

For some people when they do not get what they ask for in prayer then they blame God. They say that God must not love them or that God isn’t even real because they did not receive what they asked for. James 4:3 says You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

We see that when we don’t get the answer we want it is because we have prayed a selfish prayer. Some people say that God answers prayer with a yes at times, a no at times and wait at other times but we need to make sure that this is a biblical principle. I think this is a good assumption but we need to be certain that when we think that God did not answer with a yes then we need to examine our motive of our prayer.

James had previously spoke of this very thing concerning praying in chapter 1, he says in James 1:5-8 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Be certain that this is not the name and claim it theology that is out in the Christian culture of our time. This is back to the same reality of prayer that we have been speaking of since last study. We must trust God will give to us what He has promised so when we do trust, we will pray for the right thing and therefore we will receive what we pray for. It is just as Jesus has said in verse 10 here in Luke 11, everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

The circles back to the fact that not only are we to trust God but we must be persistent and patient. Once again we see in James this very clear command. James 5:7-11 says Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. ⁸ You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹ Do not groan, brothers, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. ¹⁰ As an example, brothers, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we count those blessed who persevere. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

We must trust God and we must allow that trust in God to help us to continue to be faithful in ministry and in prayer. We can be patient in knowing that God will fulfill every promise that He has given to us in Christ. That goes back to know that God is a loving God who gives to us His grace daily. This leads us to look at our next 3 verses in our last point for this study.

3.God’s gracious GIVING in prayer.
Look with me at Luke 11:11-13 that says But what father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? ¹² Or, if his son asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

So the idea that our asking in faith, our asking in God’s will and us receiving comes into to full focus here. Our prayers are not selfish therefore we should not be asking God for selfish things. Instead our prayers are towards God, for the glory of God because of His gracious giving of all that we ask. Now we see here that we don’t see superficial things as what we receive but the Holy Spirit.

I do not think that we can find anywhere in the Bible that praying to God for someone to be healed or for some direction in a situation is sinful but that should not be our primary focus as to why we pray. Our prayers should be to help us in spiritual growth. To have this happen we need help because we can not on our own power grow. We need the Holy Spirit and when we come to God with the right attitude, motivation and direction then we will receive from God exactly what we need.

Jesus makes it clear here that not even us as sinful, wretched and evil people will give to our own children things that will harm them. So if we being evil and sinful will give good things to our children how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

So often I hear people talk about how God is interested in the little things in our life and I would agree but never are we told to pray about those things. In fact Jesus says in Matthew 6:32-34 For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We are to acknowledge that God is the giver of all of those things but that should not be the focus of our prayers. I have been guilty of this in the past and what we do when these things are the focus of our prayers instead of getting the Holy Spirit to help us to grow is we start to doubt. The more we focus on the things we think we need instead of what God wants to give to us, the more we turn from God’s will and start to live our life for those little things. We must keep our focus on God and what He wants for us as we pray.

As we come to a close for this study I want to magnify the fact that Jesus specifically uses the Holy Spirit as the center of what we ask for. In Matthew 6:7-8 Jesus says before His example of prayer or commonly known as the Lord’s prayer: And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Therefore, do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

When we look at all of this combined with what we briefly hit on in this study, we conclude that our prayers must be centrally focused on asking for the Holy Spirit to work in our life. There are many ways the Holy Spirit works in us that include salvation, sanctification, illuminating of the Scripture, discernment, encouragement, unity with Christ, glorifying of God in the way we live and many more. I encourage you to think about how it is that you are praying. Follow Jesus’ example that shows us the urgency to pray daily, to glorify God, to thank Him for His provision, protection and for His gift of the work of the Holy Spirit in us who have been saved.

YouTube and Podcast teaching for….The Contents Of Our Prayers. EXPOSITION ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE study #92 (Luke 11:1-4)

The Contents Of Our Prayers. EXPOSITION ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE study #92 (Luke 11:1-4)

We have now made it to the 11th chapter of Luke and we find a familiar section of Scripture that shows us the contents of what our prayers should be like. As Jesus has continued to move through the Judean region He has certainly gathered even more people along the way but of course He still has His twelve disciples that have continued to follow along into this area. What will be important to notice in this section is that Jesus teaches the disciples a prayer that He would never pray because He never sinned and therefore did not need to ask for forgiveness of sins. So this is commonly known as the Lord’s prayer but in reality it is Jesus’ teaching of how to pray.

So with that in mind we come to this text to help us in times of prayer as well. Many of us have been taught prayers that are self centered and focused on what God can do for us in the realm of emotions and material blessings. Here we will see that the focus is not on those things but on worship to God for what He has provided and what He will provide, on His gracious mercy and on protection from falling into sinful patterns of life.

I hope that this study will help each of us to learn how to pray from how Jesus Himself taught us. With that let’s move now to our first point.

1.Jesus will GUIDE us in how to pray.
Look with me at Luke 11:1 that says And it happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

I love to notate each time I see it in Scripture that Jesus is an example to us about the importance of praying. Sadly most of us lack in this area. We may say a quick little prayer at times of distress or when something big is happening in our life but rarely is praying a normal priority for us. I say this because I have talked with many people that have told me of their personal struggles in this area, I have heard many great preachers and theologians speak of their lack in the area of prayer so with that I feel that this is something that many people lack in their walk as a Christian.

Sadly this lack of communication with God shows a lack of true worship to God. I know this may seem harsh but it is true. We may attend church regularly, we may give consistently, we may even be a teacher or preacher of the Gospel but when we lack to pray this shows our lack of trust in the God we say we follow. Kevin DeYoung said and I quote: ¹Prayerlessness is an expression of our meager confidence in God’s ability to provide and of our strong confidence in our ability to take care of ourselves without God’s help. End QUOTE.

Charles Spurgeon said and I quote: A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. and he also said He who lives without prayer, he who lives with little prayer, he who seldom reads the Word, and he who seldom looks up to heaven for a fresh influence from on high—he will be the man whose heart will become dry and barren. However, he who falls in secret on his God, who spends much time in holy retirement, who delights to meditate on the words of the Most High, and whose soul is given up to Christ—such a man must have an overflowing heart. As his heart is, such will his life be. End QUOTE.

So Jesus is our example of the need to pray. If Jesus the Son of God prayed to the Father for direction and communion then we need to pray more often. In our text we see that Jesus prayed then one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

This was not a command but rather a statement meant to show the eagerness to be like His Lord. Earlier in Jesus’ ministry He had spoken similar words from what we know as the Sermon on the Mount. There you can see the same type of prayer but not exactly. The wording is a little different but the contents of the prayer remains the same. It is these contents that we will dive into for the remainder of this study as we look down through verse 4. Let’s look at the first of these in Jesus’ response in verse 2 and our second point.

2.We must GLORIFY God as we pray.
Look with me at Luke 11:2 that says And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.

This must be where every prayer starts and finishes. Prayer that does not glorify God is a selfish prayer. I have been guilty of such prayers and for that I need this model for prayer to be more active in my life as well. I love the fact that Jesus does not rebuke this disciple for His statement to want to know how to pray. Jesus goes right to the point of how to pray and with that we need to take note of the contents of this prayer. It isn’t about reciting this prayer word for word in some type of ritualist act but rather the direction of our prayers.

I don’t want to feel like I am just quoting people left and right in this study but I can’t help but quote Charles Spurgeon on this very point once again. He says and I quote: Let not your prayers be all concerning your own sins, your own wants, your own imperfections, and your own trials, but let them climb the starry ladder and get up to Christ Himself. Then, as you draw nigh to the blood-sprinkled mercy seat, offer this prayer continually, “Lord, extend the kingdom of Your dear Son.” Such a petition, fervently presented, will elevate the spirit of all your devotions. Mind that you prove the sincerity of your prayer by laboring to promote the Lord’s glory. Our best prayers when we are in the best place are for our glorious King, and for the enjoyment of his Father’s smile. END QUOTE.

Our motivation to pray must be for God’s glory and not for some emotion feel good moment. The direction of our prayers is towards God and every element in our prayers is towards God and to glorify Him. That word hallowed that we see in verse 2 means to set apart as holy or to treat as holy. When we come to God in prayer we must recognize that He is the only source of everything we have materially and spiritually. God is the only God and if His glory is not the focus of our prayers then our prayer will be useless and empty.

The phrase Your kingdom come is another form of recognizing God’s rule and reign. It shows the fact that we submit to His sovereign will that is summed up in His kingdom. God’s glory is our focus of our prayers and that is evident by the fact that we desire His kingdom to rule in our lives and in the lives of others. So we must seek to come to God with the mindset of not getting what we want but glorifying Him for His majesty and sovereignty over all things.

That recognition of His sovereign reign shows up throughout this prayer as we will see in our next point.

3.Knowing that God is the GIVER as we pray.
Look with me at Luke 11:3 that says Give us each day our daily bread.

We must always know that God is the One who provides everything we have. Nothing we have is from our own source. Yes we may go to work, we may have a great budget to save and not over spend but if it wasn’t for God’s grace then we would not have what we have. The idea of praying to God is not so much for material items but just the recognition that He is the provider of all things is so important. Jesus says in Matthew 6:30-33 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ³¹ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ ³² For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

This prayer of daily bread is showing that we trust God to take care of us each day. It isn’t that we are looking for God to supply to us abundance or more than we need but that we trust that God will provide each and every day. This does not mean that God will not provide more than we need at times but that should never be our motivation in prayer. A prayer that seeks for abundance of wealth is a selfish prayer that will not be fulfilled.

We are taking each of these points a little at a time so that we can understand the significance of the contents. Here we see that God is our provider and we need to ask God for this provision in the position that we are humbly asking because He will graciously give.

Psalm 145:15-16 says
The eyes of all wait on You,
And You give them their food in due time.
¹⁶ You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

We understand that God does provide for non-Christian and Christian alike but this recognition of Him being the One that provides is significant in our prayers. A prayer that glorifies God will praise Him for His provision of daily food. This brings us to look at another piece of this prayer in our next point.

4.Asking God for GRACE as we pray. Look with me at Luke 11:4a that says And forgive us our sins,
For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

This here is something we all need every day, in fact many times throughout our day. Now I want to make clear that this forgiveness is not so we can remained saved or earn salvation in some way but rather to stay in fellowship with God. Our fellowship with God is that we know that we are in need of His grace because of our own sinfulness. This asking of forgiveness shows the humbleness of our prayers. We do not just thank God that He saved us then continue to live the way we want. We seek to live in holiness and righteousness but we will sin. When we sin we come to God asking for the forgiveness of those sins because this shows that we know we have lived in a way contrary to the way He has commanded us.

It is as John says in 1 John 1:9 where he says If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

See asking God to forgive us, cleanses us from those sins and keeps us connected to Him in the way we need for spiritual growth. But when we choose to not recognize our sins or confess them then we are saying we don’t need God’s cleansing, we don’t need God’s grace and mercy. He says further in 1 John 1:10 that If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

So even as a professed Christian, when we live in a way that does not ask for forgiveness then we have said that we have not sinned and we do not need God’s forgiveness. You may think you have His grace because you said a prayer or made a profession of faith but in reality you only make God look like a liar and His Word is not in you when you continue to live in sin without acknowledging your sins.

Another clear point we see is that a person that is truly grateful for the forgiveness that God has given will in fact do the same to others. Jesus says that part of our prayer should include forgiving others of what they have done to us, He says this in Luke 11:4 For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

Matthew’s version of Jesus’ teaching on prayer says in Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

The fact is that we as Christians cannot be unforgiving and uncompassionate to others. We ask God to forgive us of the greater offense and we also forgive others of their lesser offense towards us. This is something we must pray to God about because it is difficult at times to forgive others. Our pride, our ego, our self centered desires get in the way and therefore we need to pray to God for this as well. This brings us to look briefly at our last point for this study.

5.Seeking for God to GOVERN our path as we pray.
Look with me at Luke 11:4 with our focus on the last sentence, it says And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.

We must remember what James 1:13-14 says: Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

What James says is not a contradiction to what Jesus had taught here about prayer. This idea is that we will be protected by God in every circumstance we find ourselves in. God does not tempt but we are placed in times of trial. In those times we look to God for direction and guidance to endure the trial.

Most people know what 1 Corinthians 10:13 says No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

The prayer to not be lead into temptation is our acknowledgement that God is able to and will protect us from all potential trials that will cause us to sin. All of this prayer points to the fact that God is sovereign, all powerful, the provider, sustainer and protector of our lives. I’m afraid that to many of us have been taught prayers of self centeredness that focuses way to much on ourselves. I hope as we continue in the next section that we will notice that there is only one focus that our prayers should have and that is to give glory to God for everything that He has given to us from eternal life to the food on our plate.

1. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/prayerlessness-is-unbelief/ ↩︎

YouTube and Podcast teaching for….Praying At All Times For Others And Ourselves As We Face Spiritual Warfare. EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS study #35 (Ephesians 6:18-20)

Praying At All Times For Others And Ourselves As We Face Spiritual Warfare. EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS study #35 (Ephesians 6:18-20)

Now that we have finished up our look with the pieces of the soldiers armor in spiritual warfare, I believe we come along to a very important weapon that is not listed in relation to a piece of the armor. This study will be about prayer which is the communication that we have with God who is our Commander in Chief. The idea of prayer is us speaking to God concerning things in our life but we must be sure that none of what we pray for needs to be about selfish wants. As we will see in this study, prayer is about us talking with God about personal matters but should never be that we come to God with selfish or sinful desires we want fulfilled. All of what we pray for should guide us to be victorious as we live and preach boldly the Gospel. This will be the next to last study in this great book of the Bible and will provide for us a direction we must have in every day living. Let’s look now at our first point for this study.

1.Prayer, petitions and being alert.
Look with me at Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

As I mentioned in the opening of this study, this is not listed in relation to a piece of the armor but this is highly important for our victory in battle. If we go around with all of the pieces of the armor on but have not listened to or communicated to God then there would be some confusion at times. Throughout our look in the pieces we notice that everything really points back to God. God is truth, His Word is Truth, He has given us righteousness through Christ, He helps us in practically living out that righteousness, the Gospel of God is peace, our faith is in God, our salvation or victory is because of God’s strength and instruction and then finally the piece that gives us the power to destroy our enemy in spiritual battle is the Word of God.

Every piece we have is connected to God and is learned from the Word of God. We know who God is to some extent from nature but we know God in a salvific way because of His Word. It is His Word that gives us instruction and stability in the battle. The Word of God is God speaking to us so that we can follow Him into victory. So we know we have Him speaking to us and here in our text for this study we have the opportunity to speak to God.

Now we know that a soldier in battle will not communicate some selfish desires. The focus will be on communicating the issues that they encounter as they approach their enemy or when they are approached by the enemy. So this is what we too must keep in mind as we look at this section of Scripture. Let’s look first at the first part of this verse. Ephesians 6:18a says praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit.

Notice the extent of our prayer time. It is not when we feel like it nor is it just at church but at all times. The original language really shows that we pray during all seasons. This does not indicate spring, summer, fall and winter but rather every season of life. This is not that we stay in a posture of prayer but that we simply pray at any time. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 carries the same weight when it says pray without ceasing.

The idea is that we will be in constant communication with God. We first allow Him to speak to us through His Word then we come to Him. Notice that we do not come to Him for selfish reasons though. What does Paul say we must come to God with? prayer and petition in the Spirit.

Now please do not jump to the conclusion that this is speaking of some form of speaking in tongues because there is nothing that points to that whatsoever. What we see here is two different words that shows to us what we should be praying to God about throughout our life. Prayer is the communication of the general things in life like we see throughout portions of the prayer our Lord taught us in Matthew 6:9-13. He speaks of praying of adoration to God, thankfulness, God’s provision, forgiveness and protection. It is this prayer that is the model for our prayers that will lead us to also pray for petitions.

These are the more deep and heart felt prayers that come from a deep longing. This again is not pointed towards our selfish wants but rather points to something that is effecting us inwardly. So our prayers should be with a sense of adoration and worship to God and with heart felt emotion. These prayers and petitions are to be prayed in the Spirit. Nothing indicates some heavenly language nor does this give to us some special power in prayer. This is to show us that we need to be guided by the Spirit of God that lives in us even in our prayers. At times we all come to God in selfish and demanding petitions. To pray in the Spirit is to be guided by the Spirit with what needs to be prayed. Romans 8:26-27 says And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; ²⁷ and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Again nothing in Romans points towards some gibberish type of prayer but simply shows us that we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into prayer because we are often deceived by our own selfishness.

Paul moves on to say in the remainder of verse 18 and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Now that we have learned of how to be victorious in spiritual battle we are to not just stop there. Paul continues by guiding us into what we must do in helping others as well. He starts by saying that we are to be on alert. This Greek word, agrupneó (ag-roop-neh’-o), literally means to be vigilant, to stay awake, to be watchful. The idea is that we will be looking out and not just living life as if nothing is going on around us. But here this alertness is not just for us but really is pointed towards others as well. This alertness is founded in our perseverance and petition for all the saints.

Our perseverance shows our continual connection with God. It shows our stability and faith we have to continue in spite of the spiritual battles we have faced. This perseverance is to help others in their time of need. We watch out for others that may be falling into error or sin, and we stay strong to help them. We have already seen this word petition so we know that our heart felt prayers goes beyond what we pray for concerning ourselves but also for the needs of others. This brings us now to look at our last point for this study.

2.Praying for others boldness in sharing the Gospel.
Look with me at Ephesians 6:19-20 as well as on my behalf, that words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel— ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains—so that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

I know often we look at the people in the Bible as if they are superhuman in a sense. We can easily think of people like Paul or any of the Apostles as people that had an extraordinary boldness in sharing the Gospel but often this was not the case. We must remember that they are human as well with struggles and the continual rejection that could bring discouragement.

A good example of this was in Acts 4. At this time Peter and John had been arrested for speaking about Jesus. At their release from prison they were threatened by the Sanhedrin, the council, and told to not speak about the name of Jesus. Of course Peter and John told them that they could only speak about what they knew to be true. They were released and then went to their friends and recounted what all was said. In their time of prayer listen to what they said from Acts 4:29 and what happened in Acts 4:30-31 And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your word with all confidence, ³⁰ while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders happen through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed earnestly, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with confidence.

This shows us that they knew what they needed to do but there would be the struggle because they knew their own weakness. Paul speaks this of himself often as he does in here in Ephesians 6:19-20 but also with words like we see in Colossians 4:2-4 that says Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; ³ praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been bound, ⁴ that I may make it manifest in the way I ought to speak.

The request Paul makes here is not for some selfish gain or to build up his ministry but it is in sharing with boldness the Gospel. We too need boldness and confidence that comes from what we know to be true about salvation. Paul never seemed to have a problem with being bold as you can find him often speaking to kings and religious officials all throughout the book of Acts. I believe though that Paul knew that he needed this support seeing that he was imprisoned during the writing of the book of Ephesians. Even though we do read in Acts 28:30-31 And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, ³¹ preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, unhindered, I believe that he knew it would be easy to get discouraged and look negatively at his situation. Therefore he needs the prayers of those that are his fellow workers in the ministry and also from those that look at him as their spiritual guide or pastor.

This helps us to look at our own leadership of our church. Are you praying for your pastor, your elders, deacons, leaders in small groups? The people that are being used in spreading the Gospel may be able to help and guide others but they may be struggling at times with spiritual battles that keeps them from have the boldness to want to continue in what they are doing. These leaders need our prayers because just like Paul says at the end of Ephesians 6:20 so that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak, this too needs to be the goal of every teacher, preacher, pastor or group leader in our churches. But they need our prayers and support so that they can continue to speak with boldness the Word of God in spite of the pressure from our culture to change Christianity.

As we move to our last study what I want to focus on will be in what he says at the end of verse 22 concerning the encouragement towards the Ephesians in helping them to have a heart that is established in spite of the difficulties, the persecution and the executions that were happening right before them. We will look at how this entire book of Ephesians has encouraged us and how we can apply these principles to our life so we can live in victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Podcast teaching for….A Prayer To Receive Strength By The Power Of God. EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS study #15 (Ephesians 3:14-21)

A Prayer To Receive Strength By The Power Of God. EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS study #15 (Ephesians 3:14-21) – Disciple's Direction

A Prayer To Receive Strength By The Power Of God. EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS study #15 (Ephesians 3:14-21)

As we move now to our last section of chapter 3 we will look really at our last portion in these great 3 chapters in the area of doctrine concerning our salvation. In the next 3 chapters we really will see more of a practical view of how we are to be living our lives as Christians. But for this study we will see Paul go into a prayer and exhortation towards these Ephesian believers for their strength, spiritual growth and to know Christ more than they do now. It is always obvious in Paul’s epistles that he desires to see those that he comes in contact with to grow spiritually. He does not just want them to understand doctrine or theology, he does not just want them to come to Christ but never change or never have a desire to get rid of sin, he always presses the point to allow God to work inside so that we can live out this Christian life the way we are supposed to.

So as we look at this section of Scripture it will be obvious that this is his purpose. He has shared with them about God’s sovereignty in salvation, he has showed them how God tore down the barrier between the Jews and the Gentiles, he has showed them how God had planned the inclusion of the Gentiles, he has shared how God’s plan for the spreading of the Gospel to the Gentiles has placed him in prison and now he will build the bridge between those doctrines and the practical way to live. This is done through what Paul prays for first and what we will look at in our first point.

1.Paul prays for the Ephesian’s strength.
Look with me at Ephesians 3:14-16 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. What Paul says in verse 14 really takes us back to what he was talking about in the last section of Scripture which points to the fact that these Ephesian believers could easily fall into a discouraged outlook for what Paul is facing. Remember he stressed to them in the last section in Ephesians 3:13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

So it is for this purpose that he fears they may lose heart that he bows on his knees before the Father. He knows that the persecution of many and even his own imprisonment could lead to a discouraged outlook to continue or even to become a Christian for many. So he prays to God who he addresses as Father and as the One from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. This I believe is Paul referencing the supreme sovereignty of God over all things. He says that God is the Father of all both those in Heaven and on the Earth. We are already a part of the family of God, we are not waiting to be transferred to His family. We are His family and He is our Father. So I do believe that this reference is pointed to believers and not to every person that has ever been born. This is simply showing the child, Father relationship that we have with God that gives us access and boldness to come before Him in prayer.

What I really want to focus on is the content in what Paul prays for here. He says in Ephesian 3:16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.

Now this is the focus point of Paul’s prayer, yes we know why he is praying, yes we understand that he is praying to God the Father but it is this prayer that shows his desire to see these fellow Christians strengthened in spite of what is happening around them. We notice that he does not pray that they will somehow have enough faith to get the strength they need but rather that this strength comes to us according to the riches of his glory. Of course this is the way that a person can have the strength needing in the difficult times. We know that this is referenced back all throughout what Paul has already spoke on in this letter. It is God’s sovereignty and authority that we depend on not our own faith. Our faith will fail, our weak minds will doubt God at times so we need God to grant to us this strength so that we will be strengthened at the times we need. It is like what Isaiah 40:29-31 says He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. ³⁰ Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; ³¹ but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

It is what Paul speaks of in Philippians 4:13 when he says I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

It is what Paul says again in Colossians 1:10-11 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.

The point is to look towards God for strength and this is what he prays for concerning the Ephesian believers. This of course is not some super power type of strength to move objects or do some miraculous act but he hopes this power will be filled in the inner being he says at the end of Ephesians 3:16. This is the focus of spiritual growth not in some outward manifestation but inside of us. The inner man is where our emotions and ultimately our actions originate from and this is where we need to be strengthened. Paul’s motivation for them to be strengthened is not for his gain but rather for their gain. This is what we will unpack in our next point.

2.Paul prays for the Ephesian’s to know Christ more.
Look with me at Ephesians 3:17-19 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. He hopes this strength will allow Christ to dwell in their hearts through faith. I do not believe he is speaking here about Jesus coming to live inside of them in relation to salvation. He has already spoke very much and to the point about how they are redeemed. I think we see here that he desires that they will be strengthened in a way that gives them the faith to make it through the persecutions and problems of life. I believe we see Paul express that then it will be obvious when they are given this strength, that Christ is dwelling in them because of their faith that is seen in the way they live. I think that is why he says in that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth.

Listen to how Paul puts this idea in Colossians 2:6-7 that I believe makes the point even clearer, he says Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

See salvation has already happened so it is about how you are walking in that salvation. It is about how you are conducting your life and this shows up in the way you are living. We all need strength sometimes and this is obvious that this is the point Paul is making here. The reference to the breadth and length and height and depth is to say that nothing is outside of our understanding if God gives to us the strength in whatever situation we find ourselves in. If God allows us to be in a situation then He will give us the strength and the understanding to know that He is with us in that situation. Paul then points us to the real motivation of why his speaking on this and that is pointed to what he says in Ephesians 3:19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The reason why Paul prays for the strength of the Ephesian believers is ultimately so that they will know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. I love that he makes clear here that this knowing of the love of Christ in beyond knowledge. It is not known by reading about it or hearing others talk about it. The love of Christ is known because of how you are filled with the fullness of God. Knowledge is great, we need to study and learn, we need to continually educate ourselves through Bible reading and studying but the point of all of that is to be filled with God. It is to move away from sin and your old way of living to living for God because of Him living in you.

Of course all of what Paul is writing about sends him into an exhortation towards God for this amazing work in us. Look at what Paul says in the last 2 verses of this chapter in Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

This of course is speaking of God’s almighty power and sovereignty. We may ask for this strength and God will give us this strength. But also God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. The fact is, we must never limit God in our thinking. We must never think that we are in such a horrible situation that God could not help us get through it. He may not bring us through it that way we think He should but He will always get us through the situation we find ourselves in. Sometimes God removes us out of situations and sometimes He leaves us in our problems, either way this is power at work within us. It is this power that we have that should bring us to a sense of adoration and exhortation as Paul has. It is because we know that God is working in us and He will strengthen us in every area of our life. This is what Paul says as a praise to God in Ephesians 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

All of salvation from the plan of salvation, to our redemption, to our sanctification to our glorification points to God not us. For this reason God deserves the glory and receives the glory for the work of salvation that is the means of salvation as well as the work of sanctification. We can not take the credit for any of it because it has all been done by God’s sovereignty and power as He has planned for us before the world was created.

This will move us to Paul pressing the issue of living out our lives as those that have been saved. We must allow God to work in us and change us in every area of our life.

Bible Passage For The Day 2-24-2023

Matthew 6:9-15

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Podcast for….Communication in the Battles. THE ARMOR OF GOD STUDY #8 (Ephesians 6:18)-Revised from Original Study Original Post Date(10-13-2020)

Communication in the Battles. THE ARMOR OF GOD STUDY #8 (Ephesians 6:18)-Revised from Original Study Original Post Date(10-13-2020) – Disciple's Direction