Praying Like We Mean It, Part 2

Today on Insight for living. I give thanks to the father because you are living your life loyal to Jesus, you are trusting him regularly.

When you come to those obstacles in life you trust him to get you through the when you encounter a situation in his plan for you. That's difficult to understand.

Panic you rely on him. I give thanks for you because of your life of faith in Jesus talking to God doesn't come naturally to visit often feel so one-sided that sometimes it seems awkward in the words feel the calm will the key to advancing our prayer lives is found in the model.

Paul provided to the Ephesians and today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll's teaching from Ephesians chapter 1 verses 15 to 19. In this passage Paul gives us a whole new perspective on prayer and what it means to truly enjoy spending quiet moments in God's presence. Chuck titled today's message praying like we mean Paul prayed like he meant. Remember where he was under arrest know what would Paul pray and mean so much and praying it.

That would make such an impact that the spirit of God would ignite his words and drill them into the text of sacred Scripture. He's had this grand doxology appraised in verses 3 to 14 and now he turns to a meaningful intercession 15 to 19 are tendencies to go all the way to verse 23, but that's about Christ which we will consider next time, but this is the prayer for this reason I to having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints do not cease giving thanks for you to give thanks for what he has just set forth in verse 15 and then he makes mention of things about which he intercedes in verses 17 through 19.

Got it.

Let's look at the first part for what does he give thanks. 15 he has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus which existed among them, and second, he gives thanks because of their love for all the saints, not faith in the Lord Jesus is not a reference to their conversion that was earlier. That's chapter 1 verse 13 you believe that Christ died for you and rose again.

You believe that he forgives your sins.

If you simply call on him in faith. You are converted. Verse 13. I've got written in my margin conversion.

This is when they believed they were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. We've looked at that. So verse 15 is not going back to that time, but is now looking at where they are in living their lives. I give thanks to the father because you are living your life loyal to Jesus, you are trusting him regularly. When you come to those obstacles in life you trust him to get you through them when you deal with difficult people you trust the Lord to help you in those relationships. When you encounter a situation in his plan for you. That's difficult to understand. You don't panic. You rely on him. You lean on him. I give thanks for you because of your life of faith in Jesus.

Your living by faith you're walking by faith, just as you wants when you were converted, believe by faith. So this is a reference to their loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ to give thanks for the but please observe that there loyalty to Jesus is not the only thing he also gave thanks for their love for all the saints that balances it out doesn't the loyalty to Christ is vertical. I live my life to please him to obey him to follow his teachings to respond to others as he teaches me to do.

That's loyalty to Christ.

Now the end of verse 15 says, also your love for all the saints. Please observe it's all saints, not just the saints in your church are not just the saints in your Bible study group or not just the saints who look and sound and smell just like you do are just those sites that are your age are those things that you get along with a little better than those you don't. It says for all the same, add something here that needs to be said, in a practical way of admonition you need both to live a balanced life.

You need the truth that need guide you into loyalty to Christ and you also need others.

If the truth you are getting is moving you away from people.

There's something wrong with what you're hearing our loyalty to Christ should work its way out in the love for one another. A church that has truth but lacks love is not a church. It's a big Bible class cultivating a click, leading to a plan that becomes occult. Cults are very exclusive. We are right. Everyone else is wrong. We have the leader we need to be listening to and listen to no one else. We need to follow one person's teaching man or woman.

We need to follow only that person were loyal to him. Wait a minute. He said I give thanks because of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ not your loyalty to some person when you follow the teachings of Christ, you discover that your arms pull away from yourself and open and embrace other believers.

I hope in your growing up in Christ, that your love relationship is deepening for others. I hope that you are not becoming exclusive clannish cliquish.

I hope that you pray for other churches that you believe and other ministers and you read other books you study from the materials of other qualified teachers. Something dangerous happens when we only follow the teachings of one man. It borders dangerously close to idolatry. They didn't do that.

They had a love for all the saints on the way.

When that happens we we really begin to mature, we realize we need one another. I me when you're in need. You're not that particular you got a flat and somebody stops you don't say are you an evangelical believer that is a pre-tribulation Opry dispensation is is is I do you want is a thanks. Whatever you can do on I like to have your help would be great. You're sick and you got somebody walks in and says I think I can provide this particular cure that and you don't you don't ask a lot of credentials. That is about the religion you want to know are you qualified to treat me, and if you are on listening. Be careful please in your healthy state not to be calm, exclusive cultic.

Be careful about. He gives thanks that they weren't that that they had faith in the Lord Jesus, and they had a love for others, it was growing. Please observe his intercession. Also, where he makes mention of them in his prayers ever have someone look at you and someone who really respect and heard them say you know I prayed for you this past week that make you feel great. What there are certain individuals that I greatly respect and on occasion I've had them say to me truck this past week.

I don't know what you were going through. But I prayed for you. I feel wonderful about that, about the apostle Paul saying to you people in Ephesus.

I I make mention of you I make mention of you in my prayers. What he pray verse 17 verse 18 verse 19.

This is what he mention any prayed like he met. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Father glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. It's great. I pray as I think about you people in Ephesus in a culture that's idolatrous in a lifestyle that's licentious, surrounded by the majority who were listening to Rome and the Emperor taking their cues from him. I pray that you will come to a full knowledge of God.

How do I get to a full knowledge of God.

How do I get to a deeper understanding of the workings of God, look at this 17 verse through a spirit of wisdom and revelation, a spirit of wisdom and revelation. See, I pray I make mention of you in my prayers for 17 that God may give you wisdom revelation that leads to the knowledge of him started the end knowledge at peak and gnosis. It is the word for full knowledge, broad knowledge and deep knowledge and awareness of the workings of God. An understanding of how he guides his people on their pilgrimage from earth to heaven.

I pray that you will grasp a full knowledge of God at work in you and through you and beyond you and so I asked for him to give you wisdom and revelation. I don't think the spirit of wisdom is the Holy Spirit. I think it is the cultivation within us of a spirit of discernment. That's the first translated here saw Fiat wisdom that you gain a discernment about life and you also gain an unveiling of truth, the word revelation the park… Is the same word translated revelation as in the last book of the Bible, the revelation it means the unfailing.

I pray that the Lord would open your mind so that you are able to get his wisdom in the midst of your circumstance that will help you come to a knowledge of him, and second, that he will unveil the truth so that you will have insight. That's how you get there wisdom mixed with insight discernment mixed with insight lead you to a broader understanding of God. Practically speaking, what is that mean this is all part of the illuminating the illuminating work of the spirit. When you came to Christ, the spirit of God began to dwell inside of you, permanently. He took up his residence in you, and since he is God he is there to do a work of God in your life. From him comes a grasp of spiritual understanding. You haven't had it before you were converted, you walked according to the prince of the power of the air will see that later in this book you listen to the enemy the adversary you walked with him you slept with him you ate beside him. You took his advice. You follow his leading. You will you cooperated because you couldn't do anything else before Christ. When Christ came to live inside you with cut with his coming king, the Holy Spirit who sealed you and now that he lives inside you. He is there to give you Sophia and apocalypses wisdom which is discernment and revelation, which is insight. The wisdom is the ability to take biblical statements and apply them to practical situation.

Insight is the ability to see and to the Scriptures so that they are revealed unveiled to you and you get God's perspective. Example I am moving through life and suddenly I find from my visit with my position that I have a serious disease. Before I knew Christ.

The first response would be panic and maybe even us a touch of the of bitterness.

I mean, I've lived a pretty good life. How could if there is a God.

How could this happen to me.

How could this occur in my life. But now that I've come to Christ immediately through the prayer of my friend who's asked that I might have wisdom and and and revelation. I see this as an opportunity to trust God. This is not an accident.

God is sovereign over all of life, including my health.

I'm taking fairly good, took care of my life I meeting as I showed on getting the kind of nutrition.

I only get the kind of rest and I come down with this disease why God's in it.

There's a purpose there's a reason he sovereignly is at work in my suffering now with things outside my control. He also is at work. Some of you find yourself in middle the middle of life, you thought you'd be rearing your family happily married and your husband or your wife walked out.

They left you are now finding yourself in a whole different set of circumstances, humanly speaking, you have reasons to panic to rush to judgment to be better unforgiving full of all the anger that that kind of circumstance which is so unfair brings to you, but in the spirit of wisdom began to think not respond that that's a dead-end street I'm surrounded by people who live like that and with the spirit of wisdom, I'm going to trust God to have his way in this. I don't know where it's going to lead and so I need to find in his word, instruction, and suddenly a Sunday morning service like this becomes an oasis in your desert and you turn from verse to verse and you see from section to section. This is for me.

This is exactly what I need to hear.

This is precisely the kind of insight I've needed, and it begins to make sense to you that God is at work in spite of the difficulty of your situation. Wisdom is the ability to take spiritual truths and apply them to practical everyday circumstances that's that's that. That leads to a sense of of of the revelation insight into what God's word means.

In light of what I do from this point on. That's why he prays makes mention of them in his prayers and asked that the Lord would give a spirit of wisdom and revelation enough will or knowledge of him give evil tip. This is a great prayer to ask for your children pray for your children, especially those teenagers and on those moving into adult life.

Those who are now adults pray that God would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation. You know why you pray that God would give that to them because it's the only way it's going to come. James 15. Do you recall that verse. James 15 if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and will be given the last time you prayed for one of your children to have wisdom.

Revelation Lord I pray that as my son or my daughter opens the Scriptures, even if it's in a study there involved in, or even if it's in a church service or something or not doing on their own.

Just being led may the truth of your word begin to be unveiled. I'll tell you when that happened you gets you get really serious about your walk, you start getting sensitive about rather than just looking for for the best looking man or woman.

You might consider marrying you get beyond the looks start thinking about character. You start paying attention to spiritual truth. Are they are they sensitive to the things of God that that's that will be better in the long run that's wisdom that's realizing the value of character over and above appearance in the search of a mate and then you serious about the unveiling of truth and you start searching the Scriptures and you see mine this is this is really for me and love.

This is in God's hands. I'm not going to panic. I'm not going to let this drive me to some kind of addiction for all need something else to hang onto to hold me together wisdom and and revelation lead me to the knowledge of him. Michelle you versus Scripture love this verse go to one verse for it. One chapter.

Sorry one book.

Further, Philippians 3 verse 10 locate that this is Paul's great desire to. She wonder what Paul's goal was in life. I think 310 states that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, that I may know him. I think that's his determined purpose in life. What years what years.

I'd suggest this is a pretty good one.

Until a better one comes along choose this one that I may know him and they really know the amplified Bible says my determined purpose is that I may know him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of his person more strongly and more clearly you say will Chuck wait a minute, mother of two small children. I mean you got any idea well it's right we had for so I can imagine how easy it would be with two but we had. I can imagine it's it's got its challenges, and some I got five all right. Hats off to yet, but let me tell you something out of here. How many kids you got run around. I don't care how many struggles you got related to the domestic world in which you live. This works, Lord, I pray for a discernment regarding how to know each one of my children.

I pray that you would help me understand how you put them together when they came from my womb or when we adopted this child. How this child is made.

Help me, no makeup help me know what's the best discipline.

What's the best motivation help me know how to how to guide this child as you would have this child guided because he's different from her or from his brother. I need wisdom I need the unveiling of truth, so that I can be the kind of mother you would have maybe I am by nature irritable when I am pressed for time and I'm weary and I got I get tired then I tend to lose perspective. I pray that you would help me with the wisdom I need to do the best I can with the time I've got. That's how it works its way out not back to Ephesians 1. Michelle you verse 18 it goes even further. He still pray. The first was that he would that they would have a knowledge of him of fuller knowledge of God.

I pray then this is a great statement.

The eyes of your heart may be enlightened but great. The eyes of your heart just to your heart batting there with a that's is not about the organ in your body that pumps blood in the New Testament the word heart is the compilation of my emotion and volition intelligence, emotion and will, that's all contained in the meaning of the word heart and soul. I pray Lord that at the seed of the mind and the emotions and the will of these saints who are friends of mine in Ephesus and you who are a part of the flock of the stronger our community church and you are visiting who love the Lord Jesus I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened that you'll wake up mentally, emotionally, volition only that you'll find your mind open that you will find your emotions willing and you'll find your will, submissive to the father's direction, whatever it may mean not not to where you want to go not to do what you want to do, but I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. This is a divine enlightenment like no one so that I won't live my life clueless, selfish, going, and were in the direction I choose to go. I pray that they will have their minds opened their wills available and their hearts, their emotions on target so that they might know the word no will get on the little arrow pointed up the knowledge of him and no here's about knowledge. If you like to mark your Bible marked the next three what's WHAT that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance, that you may know what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe you're listening to the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll were midway through a study in Ephesians chapter 1, the check is titled praying like we mean it and learn more about shocker this ministry. Visit us online@insideworld.org. Just before we sign off today all of us at Insight for living, would like you to know that we are praying this series will inspire you to become God's agent of grace in a world that's craving to feel a touch of his kindness 2020 will go down in history as a year filled with uncertainty, fear, and even contempt. It's all the more reason to instill these biblical principles from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, so that we become a people of grace along these lines, let me remind you the check is written, the daily devotional for you to add a measure of biblical inspiration and ear day receiving the daily devotional by email is free to subscribe, just go to Insight.org and follow the simple instructions while you're there, take a look at the searching the Scriptures study notes to coincide with each of Chuck's radio messages. These interactive notes are found@insight.org/studies and finally on Sunday morning. Remember you can join the online worship service at Stone Breyer community church.

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