Let us turn together in the word of God to Ephesians chapter number three, please. Ephesians chapter number three and reading there the entire chapter versus one through twenty one. Ephesians three, one through twenty one. And we want to especially focus our hearts in upon verses twenty and twenty one. But let's begin at verse one. Paul says this by the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you. How the mystery was made known to me by revelation is I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men and other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel of this gospel. I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power to me, though I am the very least of all the saints. This grace was given to preach the Gentiles in search of the riches of Christ. And to bring to light for everyone, what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things so that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. For this reason, I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in heaven and on Earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirits in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the things. What is the breadth and length and height and depth? And to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now, to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask for thing, according to the power at work within us, to him, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. Well, as a church, we are endeavoring to develop a culture of prayer. And so we publicly and also privately have been focusing our hearts upon prayer and encouraging one another to pray. A couple of years ago, two years ago, in fact, we began a tradition of having an annual prayer meeting on the National Day of Prayer, which we just had a couple of evenings ago. Last summer, we began using the first evening of every month on the Lord's Day to focus in prayer and preaching upon this wonderful privilege that we have in prayer. Our midweek prayer meeting has been used by God and trust and pray that that will begin anew in the near future, but also not just publicly wanting to develop this culture of prayer, but in our private lives, in our family life. To do so as individuals, to do so as couples, to do so as entire families. I hope our little weekly devotional through the Psalms is helping you pray and to focus your hearts upon the needs that Christ says we must pray for. And so I pray that we develop this culture of prayer and we see it as a means of grace that God has given to us to access, as Paul says here, to access God himself, to come into his presence of thanksgiving and to beseech him and to intercede for the needs of the world. We read, for example, of this kind of lifestyle of prayer offered the book of Acts, for example, in chapter two, verse 42, there's that wonderful passage that says that the church devoted itself to the prayer. The early Christian church devoted itself. It was known for a mark of the church was to pray. And so we read throughout the book of Acts, that very idea of devotion, for example, we read in chapter number four that Peter and John had been released after being arrested. And after their arrest and after their release, what do they do? Where did they go? They went to their friend. They reported all that had happened to them. They reported that they had preached the gospel, that they had been arrested for the gospel, that they had been released to preach the gospel anew. And the next thing we read in Acts chapter four, verse twenty four is this. And when they heard it, this report of God's mercy and His grace, they lifted their voices to God in prayer. Later on, Peter was released from prison again for preaching the good news, and the first place he went was to Mary's house. And we're told there in that place, many were gathered together and were praying. The church is known for prayer. The church needs to be known for prayer. We need to be known for prayer. to spur us on to more consciously becoming a church for the culture, life style of prayer. I want to focus in upon what Paul says here in Ephesians chapter three for a few moments tonight. Paul speaks here about prayer, but not just prayer in general, but the super abundance power of it. In verses one through 13, you see there as he's writing to new believers, most of whom were Gentiles, that is non Jew. writing to them about the wonder of the gospel that has now been revealed to them, that they, along with Jews, are incorporated into God's heavenly family, fellow partakers of God's grace, members and citizens of His covenant and kingdom. And then he reminds them in the midst of all this, Paul is praising and Paul is listing off the wonder and the grace of God. He reminds them not to lose hearts. Verse 13. They evidently had lost heart. They had become discouraged. They become despondent because Paul had been arrested to the gospel. But don't lose heart for what I am suffering, Paul said, which is for your glory, for your good. And so to encourage them as they are downcast, he offers for them a prayer. Verses 14 through 21, a prayer for them, a prayer to encourage them. A prayer that we want to focus on for a few moments tonight and notice here, Paul especially emphasizes the power that comes through prayer. He lays it out to us in terms of answering three little questions. Whom does Paul address in this prayer? Why is prayer so powerful? Whom does he address? Why is prayer so powerful? Notice, what does he ask for? Why is prayer so super abundantly power, powerful to access the power and grace of God? Notice Paul's assurance with me, his confidence that what he asks for of this God will be given. May the Spirit stir us up to pray even more tonight. And so prayer superabundant power is found in the answer to this question, whom does he address? I bow my knees before the father, verse 14. God, the father, and notice how Paul, especially and particularly describes God, the father there in verse number 14 and 15, he is the one from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. What he's saying there is this that the church that exists in heaven and the church that exists upon earth, the church that is triumphant over its sins, the church that is militant here in its struggles, the church that is in glory, the church that is under grace is one church. It's one people underneath the fatherhood, the power of Almighty God. The church is named. by him, whether you exist in heaven or you exist in earth. And in fact, Paul brings this out, that it is God who is the father of all of his church. And we all, as all families are named by him. Paul brings this out with a verbal play on words because the term that he uses here for father and family are related to each other. God, the father is pater, he is father of all. All families, the whole family, he says, in heaven and earth, Patria, are named by him. We are joined to him. We are linked together with him. He's the God that we pray to as father, because we are his family related to him by grace. So how does this show us the super abundant power of God in prayer? Well, how often do you hear things like The power of prayer. How many bumper stickers have you seen recently that says something like prayer changes things? We've all seen those, right? The power of prayer. Prayer changes things. But the power of prayer is not prayer. The power to change things is not in the words that are asked or used. The power that we have as the family of God to our father is not in us. But the object. Of our prayers, the one that we address in our prayers, we pray to God, the father who is almighty, who names us, who claims us, who owns us. This means the quote one writer, Robert Murray, Machine, great Scottish preacher, It is not much speaking, but much faith that is needed. It's not much speaking that is needed to manifest the power that God has for us in prayer. It's not much speaking, much words, but it is faith. Believing that it is he who hears us and who answers us. Prayer is a super abundant power, first and foremost, because it is offered to God, the Father, maker of the heavens and the earth. What does he ask, though? When he prays this prayer for the Ephesians and their downcast hearts and their sufferings, notice what he asks. Again, we see the super abundant power In a word, Paul is praying for these Christians to have spiritual strength. That these worried believers would be emboldened and strengthened themselves to pray, themselves to preach, themselves to live it out. He prays that according to the riches of his glory, God's glory, according to the riches of it, he may grant you, that is the word that speaks of his grace, that he may give to us graciously. To be strengthened, notice with power. These weak believers need to be strengthened with power, those who are downcast in their hearts lifted up, those who are saddened to be cheered with spiritual power will have notice for 16 through his spirits. In your inner being. And not for 60 and 70, how closely associated Paul links the spirit with Christ. It is through his spirit in your inner being that we are granted the power to strengthen us. Why? So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. What is he saying there? Paul is using what Jesus says, where he tells us that he is a comforter and he's going to leave the church. And when he leaves, he will not leave with his orphans, John 14, 16, but he will send us another comforter. And that word another in John 14, 16 speaks of another of a similar kind. That Christ and the Holy Spirit, yes, being distinct as persons in the triune God, but so closely linked together that the Spirit we can say is another like Christ. Comfort us. To encourage us. And so Paul is praying that the God of the Father himself would send down power to this church through the Spirit. So that through the Spirit, Christ dwells in us. And if Christ dwells in us, the Spirit dwells in us. If the Spirit is in us, Christ is in us. Romans 8 says that. Our blessed triune God. Paul addresses our triune God to send down power, to send down strength, to cause us, verse 17, to cause us to be rooted and grounded Not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, not being confused and downcast, but rooted and grounded in love. God's love for us, our love for each other. And the spiritual strength that comes from God gives us strength to comprehend the breadth, the length, the height, the depth, to know Christ's love that surpasses knowledge. We are given spiritual ability to comprehend a love that surpasses knowledge. We are given a supernatural understanding, a supernatural power to grasp this understanding of Christ for us. That we are joined together with Jews and that we together are joined together to the father as his family in heaven and on earth. If you need that sort of strength, ask for it, Paul says. So he prays to the Father, he prays that he would, by the Spirit, through the indwelling work of Christ, give us strength and encouragement and power to understand his love for us. But how does he know this? How do we know that if we pray to God that he will actually do the things that we ask and to grant us the things that we need? How do we know this? What confidence do you have? What assurance do you have? What can you stand upon with your own two feet, knowing that you will not sink or that the rub will not be pulled from underneath you? What can you know to give you this confidence? And that's what you see in verses 20 and 21. Paul closes his prayer, as he does so often with doxology, literally words of praise, giving glory to God. And in doing that, he answers this question of what is his assurance that God, the God that he's praying to, will give to him actually the things that he's asking for. Here's his confidence. God's own power. What is our confidence that God can hear us? God's own power. What is our confidence that God will hear us? God is powerful to hear us. What is our confidence that God will actually answer our prayers? God is powerful to give to us all that we ever ask or think. What is his confidence that God actually wants our prayers and delights in our prayers and receives our prayers and accepts our prayers? The power of God. Now to him, verse 20. Him again, the Father, 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. To him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout our generations forever and ever. Paul, what Paul says here is absolutely amazing. He begins his sentence, as we have here in the ESV, now to him who is able. Now to him who is able. Our English text jumbles what Paul is saying, our English text brings out in English, but what Paul says is not in him who is able above all. To he was able to do above all. And to do so far more abundantly, Paul heaps up all these all these terms that God is above all. And that God is far more abundantly able to do above all that we ask or think. The ask or think is after the fact. This is as Paul is saying, we don't even need to ask or think. God is able above all to super abundantly give to us all that we ask or think. The asking and thinking is just inconsequential as it were to Paul. It's God himself. and his power for us. Paul jumbles up the terms and jumbles up the syntax of the of the sentence to emphasize the very beginning of the sentences. Doxology. It's all about the power of God. Your prayers are the means, yes. Through which that power comes. But it's not your prayer. That brings the power. It's not your words that convince God to send his answer, to send his strength. No, it is God who is above all able to grant to us all that we ask or think in a super abundant way. And so he jumbles the syntax, the grammar. To say to us that it is God who has the power potentially to be able to. And the power actually to actually do. Beyond all that we can think, all that we can imagine, and to do so in a super abundant way. How does he do this? How is God able? How is he able, above all, to super abundantly give us above all our askings and thinkings? Notice, it's according to the power at work in us. that word able in verse 20, that God is able is related. This very same word. It's the same roots. He is able to do all that we ask to think because of the power that is actually at work. But notice where the power of that work. It's in us. What he's referring to is back in chapter one. We're in verses 20 through 21. Paul tells us, praising God for this very fact that God has in Christ raised him from the dead. And seated him in the heavenly places far above all rule, far above all authority, far above all power, far above all dominion, above every name that is named, not only in this age, but in the age to come. And that power, Paul says in Ephesians chapter one, is the same power that is at work in us. The same resurrection power that God the Father used to raise his only begotten son is the same power working out as his children. Lifting us, raising us, strengthening us, lifting us, reviving us, restoring us. So what is our need? What are the things that we think we need? What things are we asking because we need them? What is our need? Or what are our needs? That we are thinking and that we are speaking as a church. Do we need to grow? Do we need stability? Do we need self-sufficiency? Do we need our own elders? Do we need to reach the world? We have big needs, don't we, as a church, like all churches, but we have huge needs. Insurmountable obstacles. Humanly speaking, impossible things that we can do nothing to do to solve them. Paul says, that God is able. Thomas Manson, a Puritan preacher, once said it like this faith sets prayer of work. And prayer sets the almighty power of God work. When we believe the things that we ask for. And there are things that God has promised to give to his church because they please him. Our faith. accesses the omnipotent power of God that raised His only begotten Son. What do we need? But there is God. What are we thinking about? He is able. And what are we thinking about that we think are so instrumental things and things that are so beyond even words that we're embarrassed to ask them. He is above all things able, super abundantly above them all to give us the things that we need and think. There's no thought, there's no prayer, there's no word, there's no idea, there's nothing that is above and beyond what he is able to give. So pray. So ask them. Faith sets our prayers to work and our prayers set upon the power of God to work for us. That's why we have begun and that's why we are continuing to endeavor to develop. As a body of believers in ethos, a culture, a mindset, a habits, prayer, As one writer said, the real and obvious test of a genuine work of God is the prevalence, the spirit of prayer. God's mightiest forces surcharge and impregnate a movement when prayers mightiest forces are there, what are our needs? What are our struggles? What are our desires as a church, what are our dreams and hopes? God himself can grant to us those things when we believe through prayer that he will grant them. So let us pray.