A Prayer we would All Love to Receive

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Goal:

That all of us would know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.

2:1–10 An new identity (with a card!)
2:11–22 Christ has broken down the walls, and taken the hostility on himself
3:1–13 God has now revealed the secret, hidden through the ages, that the unity of his people will break the power of darkness

I kneel before God and pray:
That he would give you
1. power in your inner being
2. Christ’s love and presence in your hearts
That you would grasp the truth of
1. The immeasurable greatness of the God who promises these things
2. his love that surpasses knowledge
As a result you will be filled up with God

Verse 14–19 is one continuous sentence. Then the praise at the end is a second sentence
v.14 “Bow the knee” Position in prayer
- This is not a 1-off prayer. —back in 1:16 he says he never ceases praying for them
v.15 “God names the groups” Ps.147 says he names the stars – his power
- Some translations say “every family in heaven and on earth” but the word is more general, and here included groups of angels or evil powers
- This is important because one of the big issues in Ephesus was that it was a centre of pagan and demonic worship
v.16 Now we come to the three requests:

v.16 Power in the core of your being
- Note that I have preserved the original word order, because it carries some emphasis
- Is that the part of us that most needs strengthening? —is is for me!
v.17 Christ in our hearts, rooted & grounded (foundationed) in love
- Two images, one from plants and one from construction
- A tree planted by the river of love, with it’s roots in the river (a bit like Ps.1)
- The house built on the rock, not the sand
  - and here the rock is love!
But does Christ not already live in us if we are believers?
- Yes, but does he have full possession of every room in our house?
- ? Robert Munger: My Heart, Christ’s Home
Are these good prayers or what?
- How about if we pray these for each other
  - One of the main takeaways today is going to be how we pray for each other
- Let’s do it now— Think of a person who you care about and would like to receive this prayer...
  - or you can simply pray for the person next to you

Dear Father
I pray that you would grant ........

I kneel before God and pray:
That he would give you
1. power in your inner being
2. Christ’s love and presence in your hearts
That you would grasp the truth of
1. The immeasurable greatness of the God who promises these things
2. his love that surpasses knowledge
As a result you will be filled up with God

But oh, that God would speak
and open his lips to you…
Can you find out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
It is higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
Its measure is longer than the earth
and broader than the sea.

“…that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Dear Father
I pray that you would give ........ some idea of

I kneel before God and pray:
That he would give you
1. power in your inner being
2. Christ’s love and presence in your hearts
That you would grasp the truth of
1. The immeasurable greatness of the God who promises these things
2. his love that surpasses knowledge
As a result you will be filled up with God

Our goal is to see God’s kingdom come in Toronto, demonstrating
- the love of the Father,
- the truth of Jesus Christ,
- and the power of the Holy Spirit.