The Strength of prayer

Dustin Alley

Prayer • Sermon • Submitted a month ago • Presented a month ago

Ephesians 3:14–21

Prayer

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Handout

Introduction

Introduce self

Dismiss children

Great easter weekend. Let’srecognize some amazing people before the message today.

First, glory to God for the results. And thanks to those of you that helped out with the egg hunt and easter Sunday. If you were apart of that would you mind standing up please?

Let’s showour appreciation ot them and the rest of the over 50 volunteers that helped make our easter egg hunt and Easter service a success!

Today we are starting a new series on Prayer.

Prayer is often over complicated for a number of reasons but in short it is a conversation with God. While I do believe it should be a respectful one it doesn’t mean you can’t laugh. While I believe it should one of hope it doesn’t mean you can’t cry. While it should be based on your faith it doesn’t have to sound religious. While you should repeat your prayers they should not be vain repetition.

Prayer is often the most under utilized discipline in a Christians life. And I believe it’s because it’s underestimated and misunderstood.

Today, I want you to see the strength in prayer.

The strength of prayer is not in what you are praying but in who you are praying to. His strength is seen when you pray specifically and according to what He can do.

Character-Christian not seeing God work in their life

How many of you have had prayers answered before?

How many of you have wanted to see God work in your life and used prayer as a lat resort?

and last questions, how many of you have prayed prayers you haven’t seen an swered and question if God is actually working or going to do anything?

I get it. I’ve been there too.

we get discouraged and stop praying or believe that God doesn’t want to answer it.

Problem- Prayers are too small and too general

Often times the problem with our prayer life is that we are too small and too general with our prayers.

We ask for God to help us have a great day…but do we ask for what would make it a great day?

we ask for God to help with our finances…but do we ask for what would help?

We ask for God to heal…but do we ask for how?

We can find ourselves never developing our prayer life past that of our kids program prayers.

“God, thank you for my family, my friends, let us have a good day, and be good.”

We get to general and then are too small with our prayers too.

Ephesians 3:20 “20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”

Psalm 50:10–11 “10 For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: And the wild beasts of the field are mine.

We have a God that can do exceeding and abundantly above all that we could ask or think and yet we still ask only small things.

I’m not tellling you not to ask small things but I have a question for you: Do you have any prayers that if God answered it would scare you?

Have you heard of a guy named Elon Musk?

Do you know his net worth? I looked it up last week, 195 Billion

Now. Let’s say you get a meeting with Mr. Musk. He says to you “I have 195 billion dollars, you can ask anything you want of me, what do you want me to do?”

I’ve got some ideas.

you ask him “Well, Mr. Musk, thank you for allowing me to ask. I think your a great guy, you’ve done some great things. I’d like to ask you to give me $10 for lunch. If that wouldn’t be a problem.”

What would you say about that person? “YOU IDIOT!” You could have had anything you wanted

When we go to God and aren’t specific or praying big, we are leaving things on the table. For what reason? Humility?

John 14:13–14 “13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Jesus said ask for anything.

But we don’t. It’s almos tlike we don’t think God can or will.

Agitated-lose faith, bothered God’s not involved

Then, we lose our faith and get bothered thinking God’s not involved. Either becuase you aren’t praying for him to be involved or your praying selfishly.

James 4:2–3 “2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

Another question for you: If God answered all of your prayers, would anyone else be impacted by it?

We pray generally. We pray small. And we pray selfishly. What if we prayed not according to what we think could be done but according to what He can do.

How would that change our lives and the lives of those around us?

Do you think God wont’ answer yor prayers? Do you think you are not fit to pray prayers that big?

Charles Spurgeon said “Not to pray because you do not feel fit to pray is like saying, “I will not take medicine because I am too ill.”

When we choose not to engage in prayer, pray to small of prayers, or too general, we find ourselves not being invigorated by God answering them for us.

Leadingg us to love faith and stop praying all together

Solution-Pray specific, pray Big

So pray big. Pray sepcific.

Pray according to God’s will and not just in word only. Pray so that when God answers His kinggdom is advanced.

Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Guide-Paul in Ephesians

For our series we are going to be looking to Paul’s prayers and taking them into consideration as we grow in this area of prayer together as a church.

For those tha tmight not know, the Apostle Paul was a man that started out with the name Saul. He was raised a Jew and became a pharisee. He was very well educated and a strict follower of the law. So much so that when the followers of Jesus began preaching the gospel and how Jesus was the Son of God, he had them killed.

Now, after his conversion on the Damascus Road and some time of training he has become the first missionary and the writer of much of the New Testament.

In eph 3 he gives us 3 things to pray with that will allow the strength of prayer to be seen.

Journey- Eph 3:14-21.

Ephesians 3:14–15 “14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,”

1. Pray with purpose

When you pray, pray with purpose.

Prior to verse 14 Paul is talking to them about the gospel being made known to the gentiles. And not only the peasents of the day but to the rulers and the authoriteis of the world woud know it as well.

How was this being done? By Paul’s imprisonment. He was in prison writing this letter to them and in verse 13 says

Ephesians 3:13 “13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.”

And for this reason, the reason of them not fainting, of the gospel being presented to kings and rulers, people who the common man wouldn’t usually get an audience with, for this BIG purpose, I’m kneeling before God.

Often times we can find ourselves in a position where we say things like “I don’t know what to pray.”

I want to help you with that.

Let me ask some questions and you answer them ok:

If you believe in the God of the Bible then you must believe the things the bible says about God.

If you beleive the things the Bible says about God; do you believe God is love?

1 John 4:8 “8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Do you believe that he desires for you to have an abundant life?

John 10:10 “10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

This is not a promise of health and wealth.

It means you find:

Meaning

Joy

Purpose

Peace

Love

If you have a God that loves you, who wants you to abundant life…do you believe what we saw the bible say earlier? The part about God being able to do above and beyond what you migght think or ask?

OK if you believe those things you can write down: What woudl give my life meaning for the kingdom? Mother, father, spouse, entrpreneur, management position, missionary, pastor..and ask for God to grow you in that area. Then seek out ways to grow through study or even better through discipleship with another believer.

What woudl bring me great joy? Kids saved, bills paid on time, Retirement account funded above what’s expected, church budget invreasing to reach more for Christ,

It’s not about not being content with the simple things of life it’s about recognizing what God could be doing. Are we asking Him to? No revival? are we praying for it? Or is it being answered and we don’t see it.

Christianity thrives in Conflict…

Those are just two questions you could go on: What would give me an abundant life spiritually?

Ask for it and 10X it.

It got back to me the other day that one of the girls in our church said to someone “Well, my pastor says go big or go bigger”

Why do I say that? Becuase I may think Big but God thinks bigger. Remember, he can do more than I can think or ask. But am I asking? Am I asking with purpose?

Paul had a purpose when he bent the knee. It was to see the kingdom advanced in a mighty way. Put all of oyur requests under that umbrella and see what God does with your faithful obedience to Him.

Pray with purpose and

2. Pray with specificity

Ephesians 3:16–19 “16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

Paul told them his prayer right here. notice how he was specific:

He prayed for them to be strengthend

He prayed for Christ to dwell in their hearts

He prayed they would be grounded in love

He prayed for them to know the love of Christ.

He was specific about what he was asking God to do.

Have you ever worked with children to teach them to pray? God bless the dog, the house, the people, and let us have a great day.

Can I tell you someting? As adults, we find our prayers to be just like that.

What if you were to pray like PAul prayed?

“God, I ask you to bring about circumstances that would bring my children to salvation. Lord use me in their journey to not get in your way. Bring to light anything I”m not seeing that is keeping me form being a husband and father that you woudl have me to be. Fill me iwth your love grace and mercy towards my family and friends.

God give me physical strength as I face medical issues. Give me spiritual strength as deal with the things going on in my life. Allow me to hav emotional stability whe I have that hard conversation.

Lord allow our church to reach more people with the gospel towards our first goal of 10% of our community and see 30 million dollars come in towards establishing a gospel presence in Bristol and New England.

God give me the words I need to say to land that job interview, however if that new job would hinder my effectiveness for your kingdom in any way I surrender it to you and ask for a means of earning more that will put your kingdom first in my life.

Help my daughter battle her depression God by using me to show her your love and let her see the comfort the Holy Spirit can bring. Remove friends from her life so she isn’t burdened and tempted by them.

Convict my son of his sin and bring him to the place of asking for forgivenss from you.

When we pray this way we can know that god is working.

Ask Craig sometime about the prayers he was praying about coming up here. He prayed specifcally and I honestly don’t think I know all of the things he prayed for but God answered.

Martin Luther, father Reformation, friend/assistant Friedrich(ee)Myconius.1540, Myconius sick—expected die shortly. Farewell message to Luther.“I command you in the name of God to live because I still have need of you in the work of reforming the church. The Lord will never let me hear that you are dead, but will permit you to survive me. For this I am praying...because I seek only to glorify the name of God.” Martin Luther

Myconius, already lost ability speak, recovered&lived 6more yrs. Finally died two months after Luther did

Wheny ou pray specific, you can know God worked specifically, increasing your faith and allow you to pray with expectancy.

3. Pray with expectancy

Ephesians 3:20–21 “20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

Have you ever prayed before and just tagged on the end “in Jesus name” because that’s what your supposed to do?

HAve you ever thought of what you are actually doing?

John 14:13 “13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Sounds like I should be able to ask for anything right?

God I’d like to be 6’5 have 3 lambos 2 yachts and evertyhing in betwen in Jesus name…and now I expect to see a poof of smoke an thye appear right?

Notice the second half of that verse “That the father may glorify the son.” Pray big, Pray specific, and pray with an expectancy of God answering accroding to His glory.

We often want to pray with expectancy that God will answer our prayers how we want. and if we don’t see them answered that way we think he didn’t work…

Now, let me pause for a second. and tke a slight detour.

If you are praying for someones healing or recovery and they don’t. Don’t start shaking your fist at God. As followers of Jesus we don’t look at this life as the end. The finality of death in this life brings about negative emotions of pain and loss however when we take the God sized view of things, they are better off.

I’m not diminishing the pain of loss but I’m also not going to elevate ourselves above God or dimish the importance of keeping an eternal perspective in mind with our prayers.

We pray big and specific, we pray expecting God to work…but not according to our will but His. We pray in the name of Jesus because it is only through jesus that we can even approach God, our Heavenly father.

Resolution-Pray specific, pray Big, pray often.

What is one pray, one big prayer you need to pray?

I want you to take that prayer card, the green one, and write down right now, what that prayer is. If it’s personal, keep it and pray over it. If you’d like for your church family to join you in praying for this Big specific prayer, Bring it up here and lay it at the foot of the cross.

Impact-Negative: nothing. Life doesn’t change and you have no access to the supernatural work of god. Positive: God works and you see your life transformed.

Will you choose to conitune to neglect prayer and not call on God to be involved with your life? Nothing wil change. you will cut yourself off from the sutpernatual power of God

Or start praying..start seeing how God can be glorified in your answered prayers. Seek his kingdom.