SERMON: THE PRAYERS OF PAUL -- UNITY

[Note:  This is the third message in a four-part sermon series.  The link to the next sermon in the series is at the end of this post]

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Romans 15:5-7 (NIV)

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

            -- in The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, there is a section you find in the books that is not shown in the movies that Peter Jackson directed -- the hobbits and Aragorn have made their way to Rivendell, the kingdom of the Elves, where they find Gandalf the wizard attending a gathering of men, elves, and dwarves -- this diverse group, making up all the inhabitants of Middle Earth, are gathered together for a single reason -- to come up with a plan to counter the rising power of the Dark Lord Sauron in their land

            -- but the problem is the three groups differ in nearly every way -- racially, physically, and temperamentally -- on top of all that, they don't really like each other and have actually gone to war with each other in the past -- all of them suspect the other groups are trying to get the ring of the Dark Lord so they'll have the power for themselves

            -- conflict breaks out -- axes and swords are drawn -- bows are bent -- harsh words are spoken -- it looks like war is going to break out among the group -- but finally Gandalf speaks words of calm and settles everyone down, reminding them of the reason they are gathered together in the first place -- to stand against the Dark Lord

            -- when things are peaceful at last, Gandalf observes, "Indeed in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown than in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him." -- in other words, the Dark Lord used disunity among those who had come together to oppose him to keep them from coming together against him

            -- we see the same thing in the world today when Satan sows discord and disunity among the churches to distract them from their mission and their calling -- that is why unity is so sorely needed in the body of Christ today

            -- this morning we are continuing in our four-week sermon series on the prayers of Paul -- in the first message, we looked at Paul's prayer from Ephesians 3:14-21 and talked about praying for power and about praying bold and specific prayers into that power that God has given us -- last week we looked at Philemon verses 4-7 and talked about our need to pray that we would be active in sharing our faith and how that means more than evangelism -- it means true koinonia -- the sharing of our lives with each other as we live out our faith in true community

            -- this week our focus is on praying for unity within the body of Christ -- here in Romans 15 we see Paul echoing the same prayer Jesus prayed in John 17:22 -- in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He wrestled with the decision of the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father that we might be one as He and the Father were one

            -- unity is a common theme in the New Testament -- eleven times in the Book of Acts alone we read of the church being in one accord -- unified in mind and spirit -- and in the epistles -- time and time again -- we see Paul and Peter and the other Apostles issuing a call for unity in the body of Christ

            -- so why the emphasis on unity? -- why does the church need to be unified?

            -- I think Craig Groeschel put it best -- he said, "I would argue with all my heart that one of our spiritual enemy's greatest schemes is to divide the body of Christ -- Why? -- because if we are united, we are unstoppable in what we can do for the glory of God on earth -- but if we are divided, we are deluded and we are weak -- we are ineffective in the way God would want to use us"

            -- so, let's look at this prayer from Paul and think about why we need to add to our daily prayers the request to God that His people would be of one accord -- united in heart and mind

II.  Scripture Lesson (Romans 15:5-7)

            -- look back at verse 5 with me -- Romans 15:5 (NIV)

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus

            -- I guess the first thing we see as we turn to this prayer of Paul is a reminder that we can't do this on our own -- he points out here that it is God who gives us, not only the spirit of unity, but the endurance and encouragement required to bring that spirit of unity to fruition

            -- if you think about it, the church is the most diverse group of people on earth -- in no other religion will you see the diversity that you see in the body of Christ -- as Paul said in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." -- our faith in Christ brings us together, no matter the differences in how the world sees us

            -- as it says in Ephesians 4:4-6, "There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

            -- and this is what unites us -- this is what brings us together -- this is what makes all this possible -- it all comes from God

            -- God gives endurance and encouragement to realize -- to bring to fruition -- the spirit of unity within the church -- as you read these verses in context, it's obvious that Paul is focusing on how we should relate to others, especially in the church

            -- Paul doesn't gloss over the fact that there are difficult people in the church -- just like everywhere else we go, we will find people that are just hard to get along with, even in the church

            -- but we can understand that -- the thing is we're not all alike -- we may not see eye to eye on every issue all the time -- but God gives us the ability to love each other -- to even love the difficult people in our lives -- in spite of our differences as we come together in one accord to be His body on earth -- through His Spirit we overcome our differences and become the community of faith He has called us to be

            -- what does it mean to be in accord with one another -- what does unity look like in the body of Christ?

            -- when we say that the church is supposed to be unified, does that mean the people in the church are going to be like the Stepford Wives -- everybody looking and doing and acting exactly the same?

            -- no, unity in the church is different -- when the Bible talks about unity, it is talking about coming together as individuals with the intent of building relations with one another so that we can create a unified whole -- when we talk about unity in the church, we are talking about building community with each other on the foundation of our faith in Jesus

            -- it's like I tell people in premarital counseling -- you are individuals but you are going to be united -- physically, spiritually, and emotionally -- the two of you are going to come together to form one family -- but, even though the two become one, your individualism remains

            -- after the wedding, you will still be separate individuals with different likes and dislikes -- different talents and skills -- but you are one in purpose -- you are one in direction -- your desires and goals and dreams merge together where you no longer seek what is just good for yourself, but what is good for you as a couple -- as a family

            -- that's what unity in the body of Christ is supposed to look like -- individuals coming together -- united in purpose and direction -- and doing what is good for the body of Christ so that God might be glorified, as Paul prays here

            -- a few years ago, the book, "The Boys in the Boat," was on the New York Times bestseller’s list -- it seemed like everyone was reading it

            -- in this book, we learn the thrilling true story of the 1936 University of Washington crew team which went from backwater obscurity to a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

            -- when you think of Olympic rowing -- when you think of the men and women who excel in the sport of competitive rowing -- you think of places like Yale and Harvard and Princeton -- aristocratic men who are similar in bearing and talents and skills -- in other words, it’s easy for them to come together and form a team because they are already so similar -- they look alike and act alike and have the same skills and talents as everyone else around them -- it just comes natural to them

            -- however, when the University of Washington decided to build a rowing team to compete with the big boys, no one expected them to really be competitive -- it’s kind of like expecting the Jamaicans to field a bobsledding team

            -- the men that joined the rowing team at the University of Washington just were not like the other teams at the more established schools -- they were too diverse -- their kids came from farms, from logging towns and shipyards -- they varied in their statures, physiques, and personalities -- but, despite their differences, they learned to come together as one -- to form a team that beat every other school in the U.S. to win the right of becoming the official American Olympic Team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics -- and, not only competing in the Olympics, but winning it -- taking home a gold medal, when no one game them a chance

            -- as the book's author points out:  "Good crews are good blends of personalities: [they need] someone to lead the charge -- someone to hold something in reserve -- someone to pick a fight -- someone to make peace -- someone to think things through -- someone to charge ahead without thinking.

            -- “Somehow all this must mesh -- That's the steepest challenge -- Even after the right mixture is found, each man or woman in the boat must recognize his or her place in the fabric of the crew, accept it, and accept the others as they are -- It is an exquisite thing when it all comes together in just the right way."¹

            -- look back at verse 5

Romans 15:5-6 (NIV)

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

            -- here in verse 6 we see this week's "So That" statement -- if you remember, when we started this series, we talked about how our prayers should have a purpose -- and we see that in Paul's prayers through these "so that" statements

            -- Paul prays that God would give us a spirit of unity so that we can glorify God -- so that when the church comes together as one -- when the world sees men and women, boys and girls, of all different races and abilities and skills and talents from all different walks of life, coming together as one people lifting up God with one voice and one heart then God is glorified because they'll know this didn't happen on its own

            -- Paul tells us here what unity in the church should look like -- one heart and one mouth -- one voice crying out to a hurting world, "there is hope in the cross of Jesus" -- and one heart crying out and demonstrating through our actions, "Love one another as Jesus loved us"

            -- that is unity in the body of Christ -- that is what Paul prayed for -- that is what we should be praying for as well -- and, keep in mind, when we say unity in the church, we are not just talking about Koinonia, but about the whole body of Christ -- all the believers, no matter what denominational title they may choose to place on themselves

            -- verse 7

Romans 15:7 (NIV)

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

            -- here's how we bring it about -- unity within the entire body of Christ means that we come together with one purpose, one heart, and one mind -- that doesn't mean we give up our individuality, but we channel our individuality towards a common goal:  bringing glory to God and fulfilling His calling on earth

            -- we're not always going to agree on everything -- remember, we are a family, and there is not a family anywhere that agrees on everything -- there are some things we’re just not going to agree about -- some people like hymns -- some people like contemporary praise music -- some people like organs -- some people like guitars -- and, that’s okay -- we can disagree about things like this, so long as we don’t let them divide us and divert us from our purpose and mission

            -- but the way we achieve unity in the church comes through taking a stand and agreeing about the important things -- the foundational things of our faith -- Jesus Christ crucified for our sins and resurrected on the third day to show victory over sin and death -- personal salvation by putting our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ

            -- unity in the church means we don't deviate from the word of God -- we don't let people teach or practice things that are wrong -- that go against the orthodoxy and the teachings of the church over the last two thousand years -- but we don't get hung up on what kind of music someone plays in their church or if they use guitars or organs  -- and we especially don't do this while people on the other side of the world are being beheaded because of their faith

            -- the Greek word Paul uses here in verse 7 when he tells us to accept one another carries with it the idea of receiving someone in your arms and embracing them and then walking hand-in-hand with them through life

            -- that's what Paul is praying that we do in this passage -- that's what we need to do to other followers of Jesus -- as Craig Groeschel says, "You may be different, may have different focus, different emphasis, different style. We accept one another and, hand in hand, we walk together and embrace one another. When we do this then our reputation is going to change. It needs to change."

III.  Closing

            -- let me close by sharing with you a true story that happened a few years ago in a small town in Maryland -- a townhouse caught on fire and the fire department responded within minutes -- but since the town was very small, the fire department was made up of a group of paid firefighters supplemented with volunteers -- and when the two groups showed up at the fire, they got into a fight about who should be the first to carry the hose into the burning townhouse -- the paid professionals or the volunteers

            -- all the while, the house is continuing to burn -- eventually, the county police had to come and separate the two groups and remind them of why they were there -- fortunately, the fire was put out before too much damage was done

            -- how like the church is that? -- rather than fighting the fires of evil in this world -- rather than putting our differences aside and coming together in a spirit of unity against the dark lord, we end up fighting amongst ourselves -- which is just what the devil wants

            -- let me leave you with this thought -- the spirit of unity given by God is the source of strength for His church -- from the word unity, we get the words community and communion -- these words both mean the same thing -- to come together -- to join together -- to become one community -- one fellowship -- one with each other

            -- unity is important in the body of Christ because this is how we form one body and bring glory to God

            -- so this week, as you lift up your prayers to God -- along with your prayers for power and for the ability to actively share your faith -- pray for unity in the body of Christ -- and let it begin with you, as you accept others as Christ accepted you -- so that we might bring glory to His name

`           -- let us pray

[LINK TO NEXT SERMON IN SERIES]

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[NOTE:  This sermon is the third in a four-part sermon series entitled, "The Prayers of Paul."  The scriptures and inspiration for this sermon were from a similar series preached by Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch.TV.]

1 Daniel James Brown, Boys on the Boat (Penguin Books, 2014), pp. 178-179

SERMON: THE PRAYERS OF PAUL: PART 2

[Note:  This is a four-part sermon series.  The link to the next sermon in the series is at the end of this post]

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in your Bibles to Philemon 4-7

Philemon 1:4-7 (NIV)

4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,

5 because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.

6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

            -- this morning we are going to be continuing in our sermon series on the Prayers of Paul -- we began our study by looking at Paul's prayer for the church at Ephesus for power -- specifically, his prayer that the Ephesian Christians would be strengthened in their inner being with the power of God so that they would know and experience God's presence and love in their lives

            -- we talked about how we need to pray bold and specific prayers in our own lives in order to fully know God's presence among us -- and I challenged you to do that as we closed the message that morning

            -- today we are turning to the next of Paul's prayers that we are going to be looking at in this series -- the prayer today is from the little-known book of Philemon -- just one chapter -- a short letter that Paul sent to his friend Philemon in Colosse

            -- before we dig into the scriptures, let me give you the context of this letter, because we need to know the reason why Paul wrote this letter if we are truly going to understand his prayer here in verses 4 through 7

            -- at the time this letter was written Paul was in prison in Rome -- and, although he remained in chains, he had apparently been given the rights to rent a home in Rome and live there -- receiving guests and living as comfortably as he could as he awaited his audience with Nero

            -- one day, a man named Onesimus came to visit Paul -- most scholars agree that Onesimus was a slave -- a runaway slave, in fact -- and that he wasn't a Christian

            -- so we're not sure of the circumstances that brought him to Paul's door -- it could be he had heard of Paul and sought refuge in Paul's home to avoid being captured and returned home to his master -- based on this letter, we do know that Paul was friends with Onesimus' owner, Philemon

            -- no matter the circumstances that brought Onesimus there, Paul welcomed him to his home and he became a much-loved servant and friend to Paul -- Paul described Onesimus in verse 10 as his son, so they apparently had a very close relationship -- during his time with Paul, Onesimus became a Christian -- we don’t know how he came to believe in Jesus, but he was probably influenced by watching Paul live out his faith even while in chains -- and it is almost certain that Paul shared the gospel directly with Onesimus while they were together

            -- shortly after his conversion, a decision was made that Onesimus should return home to the master he had fled -- to make amends for his actions -- and to restore the relationship he once had with Philemon

            -- since Paul knew Philemon well -- in fact, the church of Colossians met at Philemon's home -- Paul wrote this letter on behalf of Onesimus for him to carry back with him to Colossae -- in this letter, Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus back into his household and to forgive him of his past wrongs -- not because Onesimus deserved this from Philemon -- but because Christ requires forgiveness and fellowship from His followers

            -- which brings us to Paul's prayer recorded in this short epistle to Philemon -- look back with me now at verse 4 and let's see what we can learn from Paul's message this morning

II.  Scripture Lesson (Philemon 4-7)

            -- verse 4

4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,

            -- there's an important principle here for us that I want you to see -- Paul prayed for Philemon on a regular basis -- not just concerning this issue with Onesimus, but regularly -- in fact, in the KJV, this verse is slightly different and Paul writes there that he always prays for Philemon

            -- which begs the question:  what do our prayers look like? -- are they inward or outward focused? -- here is Paul -- sitting in chains in Roman captivity -- and his focus is not on his situation -- his focus is not on his chains or his wrongful imprisonment -- no, Paul's focus in prayer is outward -- his prayer is for others -- and, as he remembers them, he thanks God for His work in their lives

            -- in Ephesians 6:18, Paul wrote that we should continue to pray for all the saints -- and Paul shows us here that those were not mere words of instruction, but a way of life for him -- we need to pray for other people -- that God may touch them and use them in bold and powerful ways and we need to thank Him for what He has done in their lives

            -- every Sunday in here we try to take a moment to share our praises and our prayer concerns -- and I want to encourage you to write those down -- to remember them however you need to -- so you can continue to pray for the needs that were mentioned and for all the people who shared their needs and their concerns

            -- prayers for the saints should not be something we pray about just on Sunday, but every day, as the Bible commands

            -- look back at verse 4 again

Philemon 1:4-7 (NIV)

4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,

5 because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.

            -- Paul always remembered Philemon in his prayers, but why did he constantly thank God for Philemon? -- because he continually heard about Philemon's faith in Jesus and his love for all the saints

            -- there's something I want you to see here -- the word Paul uses when he describes Philemon's love for all the saints is agape -- unconditional love -- the love of God expressed to others -- not based on who they are or what they have done but poured out simply because of the overflow of love from God through us

            -- this is not human love -- we are incapable of agape love on our own -- it has to come from above -- it has to come from God

            -- God is love -- and this verse makes the case that it was Philemon's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that was the source of the agape love he showed to others

            --  now, remember the context -- remember the reason Paul wrote this letter to Philemon -- Paul is about to send Philemon's runaway slave Onesimus home -- and Philemon would be in his rights to punish Onesimus harshly -- even to kill him for running away -- so before he even makes his request to Philemon, Paul reminds him here of what it is about Philemon that causes Paul to thank God when he remembers him in his prayers

            -- Philemon cared about other believers -- he loved them with an agape love -- and Paul is laying the foundation here that Philemon is to love Onesimus -- yes, his wayward, runaway slave -- in the same way that he loves others -- as one commentator put it, "this will be an acid test of Philemon's [agape] love for "all""³

            -- we all have people in our lives that are difficult to love -- and in order to love them -- to truly care for them -- we will have to ask God to increase our faith and to fill us with His agape love just as He had done for Philemon -- sometimes over and over and over again, because this is just something that we can't do on our own

            -- verse 6

6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

            -- Paul prays that Philemon would be active in sharing his faith -- now that's a common term in our day -- "sharing your faith" -- we hear it in church all the time -- and what comes to mind when you hear that? -- evangelism -- go out and share your faith with others -- but that concept doesn't entirely sum up what Paul means here when he prays that Philemon would be active in sharing his faith

            -- the Greek word that Paul uses in this passage when he says "share your faith" is Koinonia -- Koinonia means the sharing of your life with others -- it is faith lived out in community -- it is doing life together

            -- Koinonia -- the sharing of our faith -- reflects the heart of the church -- "Christianity is about a transformation of the way we see and think about other people"¹ -- they are no longer just individuals who cross our paths on a Sunday morning -- but they are family -- part of our body -- and together we grow in our faith and express our love and we live out the life Christ has called us to live -- "when we begin to view others as those with whom life and faith are shared equally in Christ, arrogance and bigotry are finished"¹ and the church springs into existence

            -- Koinonia takes place when believers recognize that we need each other -- that we can't do it alone -- that everyone has value and everyone has a place in the body of Christ -- that we are one with each other and we are all part of God’s family

            -- at Chrysalis last year, a young man stood up in chapel and made a statement that quieted the room -- he was a former gang-banger -- he had done some bad stuff -- he had lived a hard life -- he had seen family members and friends killed on the streets -- all he knew was violence and that he had to get out -- so he left his home and eventually made his way to Valdosta

            -- so, he stood up that night and made the statement, “All of you will leave here and go back to your families -- I don’t have a family to go back to”

            -- and those young men stood up and surrounded this guy and loved on him and told him that they were never going to leave him -- that they were his family now -- that he was home with them

            -- when I went back out to Chrysalis this past week, this young man was out there, serving on the Chrysalis team -- and he was different this year than last year because those guys had kept their word and shared their faith and their life and brought him into their families -- Koinonia in action -- he was no longer alone -- he was part of the family of God

            -- that’s what Paul is telling us the body of Christ should look like -- believers sharing their lives with one another

            -- so, when Paul prays that Philemon would "share his faith," he's not just speaking from an evangelistic point of view -- he's talking about Philemon continuing to live out his faith in agape love to all -- believers -- unbelievers -- even to his poor, runaway slave Onesimus

            -- notice the "so that" statement that Paul uses here in verse 6 -- just like in all his prayers we're going to look at in this series, Paul prays on purpose -- he prays that Philemon would be active in sharing his faith SO THAT he would have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ -- as we experience koinonia -- as we give and receive agape love -- we come to fully appreciate and know the grace of God through Jesus Christ

            -- let me give you an example of this through the story of a real-life Christian -- Pachomius was an Egyptian soldier who became a believer in Christ Jesus around 315 AD because of the kindness of Christians in Thebes -- after he was saved, he thought the best way to live out his faith was as a monk -- to go out into the desert wilderness and live a life of contemplation and prayer and study all by himself -- away from anyone who would tempt him or distract him

            -- but after a few years of this, Pachomius began to question his path -- How can you learn to love if no one else is around? -- How can you learn humility living alone? -- How can you learn kindness or gentleness or goodness in isolation? -- How can you learn patience unless someone puts yours to the test?

            -- finally, he came to the conclusion that to be a Christian requires being around people -- ordinary, ornery people -- because God's kind of love is best learned when we live out our faith among the people of this world -- those who are easy to love -- and those who are not

            -- Pachomius began what he called "ascetic koinonia" -- disciplined community -- and in this community with flawed, demanding, and sometimes disagreeable people, followers of Pachomius learned to take hurt rather than give it -- they discovered that disagreements and opposition provide the opportunity to redeem life situations and truly experience God's grace⁶

            -- as Pachomius and his followers actively shared their faith and their lives with others, they began to grasp and truly live out the grace and the goodness of the cross -- thus, Paul's prayer for Philemon

            verse 7

7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

            -- it all comes down to love -- love lived out in a community developed through faith in Jesus

            -- Paul is praying here that Philemon would continue to live out his faith through the active sharing of agape love with all those in the community of faith -- he is praying for Philemon's spiritual maturity -- that he would be able to love even his runaway slave Onesimus and invite him into the community of faith that met in Philemon's home

            -- what we do says more about our faith than anything we say -- how we treat others that aren't like us -- how we treat those who differ in their opinions and their behavior -- speaks volumes about who we truly are in Christ

            -- Philemon had consistently shown love and grace to all the believers in Colossae -- but now he was being asked by Paul to show the same love and grace to Onesimus -- to forgive a hurt -- to receive him as a brother -- to "koinonia" him with agape love

III.  Closing

            -- so let's bring this home -- right now, we live in a divided and polarized nation -- instead of being the land of the free and the home of the brave -- instead of being a united nation -- we have settled into camps of us versus them

            -- we see that played out so many ways today -- from the impeachment trial in Washington and the divisions between the Democrats and the Republicans -- to the divisions in race -- the issue of homosexuality, even in the church -- everywhere we look, we see people taking sides and setting up campaigns against those who disagree

            -- the question for us is how do we respond as the church of Christ? -- what do we do? -- what do we say? -- how do we react to those who differ in opinion from us?

            -- I think the message of the Bible is clear -- Jesus said we must love our neighbor as ourselves -- and this true regardless of what our neighbors believe -- agape love knows no boundaries -- and Christ called us to love both our neighbors and our enemies

            -- as Paul demonstrates in his prayer for Philemon, we must actively share our faith -- share our lives -- share our love -- share the message of the cross -- the forgiveness of sins and new life with Christ -- to all around us -- to those within the church and to those outside the church

            -- we must love as Christ loved -- we must be ambassadors of reconciliation -- bringers of peace -- never wavering in what the Bible says on these subjects -- but speaking the truth in love so that the grace of God might heal the wounds of a hurting nation

            -- one thing I want you to remember -- you cannot legislate morality -- you cannot legislate the things of the heart -- our country has a heritage of racism and intolerance, but you can't change the heart of the nation by the decision of nine justices on the Supreme Court or by a vote in the Senate concerning the removal of an impeached president

            -- the only power that can change hearts and minds today is the power of love expressed through the grace of the cross and the Lord Jesus Christ

            -- so this morning, as I close, let me echo the words of the Apostle Paul as I pray for your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to be expanded and your love for all to be magnified -- as I pray that you be active in sharing your faith and your life and your love with others so that you may experience the grace of Jesus more and more every day and so that our land may be healed

            -- let us pray

[LINK TO NEXT SERMON IN SERIES]

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1 https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Phlm/Pauls-Prayer

2 Third Millennium Study Bible http://thirdmill.org/studybible/note.asp/id/41575

3 Dr. Grant Richison, http://preceptaustin.org/philemon_commentaries_2.htm#richison

4 Based on sermon series from Craig Groeschel, Life Church

5 Christopher Arch, "Why is Fellowship Essential?" http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/why-is-fellowship-essential-christopher-arch-sermon-on-church-body-of-christ-126963.asp?page=0

6 Condensed from Marshall Shelley, "Developing spiritual fruit requires being around people -- ordinary, ornery people," Leadership journal (Spring 1993)

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SERMON: THE PRAYERS OF PAUL -- PART 1

[Note:  This is a four-part sermon series.  The link to the next sermon in the series is at the end of this post]

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 3:14-21

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,

15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

            -- one of my all-time favorite movies is “Mr. Holland’s Opus”  -- I don't know if any of you remember this -- it starred Richard Dreyfuss as a musician -- a composer -- who hasn't found any success in following his dream of composing the next great symphony -- so he ends up taking a job teaching music at a local high school just to pay the bills -- and that’s the way he views it -- just something to do -- just a job that he’s having to do to make money while still giving him time to follow his dream and compose music that will change the world

            --  One of his students is a very serious girl who plays the clarinet terribly, even though she practices constantly -- and as Mr. Holland works with her to try to help, he learns that she is the youngest in a family where everyone excels – except her -- Because she has tried so hard and failed at playing the clarinet, she considers herself a failure in life

            -- One day she comes into the classroom and tells Mr. Holland that she’s going to quit and says that if he knows anyone who wants her clarinet, he can give it to them -- as she walks away, Mr. Holland asks her, “Is it any fun?” -- With a shrug, she answers, “I wanted it to be.”

            -- “You know what we’ve been doing wrong, Miss Lang? We’ve been playing the notes on the page.” -- Confused, the girl asks, “Well what else is there is to play?”

            -- “There’s a lot more to music than notes on a page -- playing music is supposed to be fun -- it’s about heart -- it’s about feelings and moving people and something beautiful and being alive and it’s not about notes on a page -- I could teach you notes on a page -- I can’t teach you that other stuff.”

            -- He has her sit down in front of him with her clarinet and takes the music sheets off the stand and tells her to play -- She tries a time or two, each time coming to a point where her clarinet squawks and squeaks, and she starts to kick herself for her failure --         -- “What do you like best about yourself?” he asks. -- With a shy smile she says, “My hair – my dad says it reminds him of a sunset.” -- “Well, then, play the sunset.”

            -- And she closes her eyes, and she begins to play – really play, not just the notes, but the heart of the music -- She is so amazed when she does the hard part of the song perfectly that her eyes pop open and she stops -- Mr. Holland shares her amazement and says, “Don’t stop!”

            -- And so, on she plays: eyes closed, head beginning to sway with the rhythm of it -- and this time, it's different -- this time, it’s fun.²           

            -- when I thought of this scene in the movie, I thought of prayer -- for many of us, prayer is just like music was to this girl in the beginning -- prayer is serious -- prayer is work -- prayer is duty -- prayer is something we HAVE to do because we are expected to do it as Christians -- but it seems more like a chore than anything else -- and we end up feeling like failures in our prayers more often than not -- that every time we pray, we’re doing it wrong

            -- but this is not the way God intended prayer to be -- prayer should be like playing a sunset -- it should be like sharing our lives with a friend -- it should be like sharing our day -- the good and the bad -- our wants and desires -- our dreams and our hopes -- with a Father who loves us and wants us to succeed -- with a Father who just wants to listen and just wants to know our hearts

            -- this morning we are beginning a four-part sermon series on the prayers of the Apostle Paul in the hopes this may encourage us in our prayer life and help us to recapture the heart of what God really intended when He told us to pray

            -- the first of Paul's prayers that we're going to discuss is found here in Ephesians Chapter 3 -- so let's look together now at this prayer of Paul and see what we can learn from him

            -- verse 14 [read vs. 14-15]

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,

15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

            -- Paul begins his prayer with the words, "for this reason" -- and to understand what he's talking about, you need to know the context of the Book of Ephesians up to this point -- Paul has been sharing with this church that he loved the truth of the gospel and the mystery of the church -- he has reminded them of how Christ died for them on His cross -- how they stand forgiven of their sins by grace through faith in the atoning death and sacrifice of Jesus -- and of the mystery of the church -- how Christ brought together Jews and Gentiles to become one church -- one family -- one people under Him

            -- that is the foundation of Paul's prayer -- that is the truth of God's word that he stands on as he begins here -- “for this reason” -- for all that Christ has done for us -- because of this -- I kneel here in prayer for you

            -- it's important to know this, because the only reason we can come before God is because of what Christ has done for us -- we, too, stand on this promise of the forgiveness of sins and new life with Jesus when we come before the Father in our prayers -- that is why we are told to pray in Jesus' name -- for it is in His name -- as Paul puts it, “for this reason” -- that we can come confidently and boldly before the throne of God

            -- don't get hung up on Paul's statement that he kneels there in prayer for the Ephesians -- prayer is not so much about our physical posture as it is about the position of our heart -- most people in Paul's day prayed standing up, with arms uplifted to heaven -- Paul is making a point here to the people that he cared about them so much that as he prayed, he dropped to his knees before God in a symbol of humbleness and awe and worship

            -- it was Paul's heart and his relationship with God that drove him to his knees -- and if you are led to pray in a similar manner, that's great -- but you can pray as you stand, as you sit, as you drive -- don't close your eyes -- as you go about your day -- the important is not how you pray, but that you pray and that your prayers are real and from the heart as Paul's

            -- one other point before we leave these verses -- up till now in the Book of Ephesians, Paul has been referring to God simply as God -- but here in his prayer, he switches to the use of the term "Father" -- he does this because he is trying to make the point that the church is not just a group of people, but a family with a Father -- and that our name -- our heritage -- our lineage -- is derived from our Father who art in Heaven

            -- verse 16 [read vs. 16]

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

            -- In this prayer, Paul makes four petitions to God on behalf of the Ephesians -- we see the first of these four here in verse 16 -- Paul prays that the believers would be strengthened with the power of God in their inner being

            -- if there is one mistake that all of us make in our prayers it is that we pray without power -- we pray in our own strength and not in the strength of the Holy Spirit within us -- and this leads to two problems

            -- first, because we don't pray with power, our prayers are too small -- and second, because we don't pray with power, our prayers are too general

            -- as James says, "You have not because you ask not" -- we get what we pray for, and when we pray small prayers that are not specific, that is what we get -- we don't get what we desire because we aren't asking God to do anything big in our lives

            -- how many times do your prayers consist of phrases like, "Thank you, Lord, for today -- please bless me and please bless my family -- protect us today -- keep us safe"

            -- I have to admit my prayers sound like this far too often -- small, safe, and general prayers -- and I think God must get frustrated with us because He has all to give us -- as Paul said over in Ephesians 1:3, God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ -- and rather than asking God to move mightily in our lives and in the lives of those around us, we simply pray, "Lord, if it's not too much trouble, please bless us today"

            -- I wonder if God isn't listening to our prayers and saying, "Just ask Me -- just ask Me to do something big -- something that will show off my glory -- something that will show this world what a powerful and great God I am"

            -- let me give you an example of someone who wasn't afraid to pray big and bold prayers in the power of God

            -- Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation -- his friend and assistant Friedrich (ee) Myconius was very sick -- he was actually on his death bed, and his family and friends had gathered around because he was expected to pass on at any time -- Myconius had a farewell message sent to Luther, praying that God would continue His ministry and reformation through him

            -- but listen to how Luther responded -- Luther wrote a prayer in response, "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"

            -- Wow! -- here Myconius is on his death bed, making his final peace with this world, and when he tells Luther he's dying, Luther says, "No, I'm not going to allow it -- My God is not going to allow it" -- Myconius had already lost the ability to speak -- but he recovered from his sickness and lived six more years -- he finally died two months after Luther did, just as Luther asked in his prayer³

            -- now that's a bold, powerful, specific prayer -- and that's the way we should pray to our Father, as well

            -- as Craig Groeschel put it:  "pray big and specific prayers because general prayers do not move God to specific actions"

            -- look at verse 17a

17a so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

            -- here we see a pattern that is common in Paul's prayer -- the use of the phrase, "so that" -- Paul's prayers had a purpose -- and Paul prays here that we would be strengthened with God's power SO THAT Christ may dwell within us through faith

            -- what is faith? -- faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see -- our prayers operate in the realm of faith -- we pray for what we do not see -- we pray for God to move mightily in our lives -- we pray for healing and for grace and for changed lives and transformed hearts -- we don't see any of that -- but we pray in faith, being sure of what we hope for and certain that God will bring His power to bear in our lives so that His glory may be magnified

            -- if we are to transform our prayer life from work and duty to a vibrant life of fun and success, we have to know that Christ dwells within us and we have to have faith that He wants to glorify Himself through us in great and powerful ways

            -- look back at the second part of verse 17b [read 17b-21]

17b And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

            -- the third purpose of this prayer of Paul was that the believers of Christ would know His love -- how is it that we can boldly approach the throne of Christ? -- because we know He loves us and desires the best for us

            -- when we pray, we need to remember that we're not praying to some judge up in the sky who weighs the value of our request against others -- the answers to our prayers are not based on how good or how bad we've been that day -- the answers to our prayers aren't about whether we read our Bible that day or went to church last Sunday

            -- no, the answers to our prayers are based solely on the love of God for us -- and Paul says that love is so deep and so high and so wide that we can't fully encompass it -- we can't know it completely

            -- think of the ocean -- we have no way of truly measuring the width and the depth and the expanse of that body of water -- and that's the way God's love is -- it so much greater than anything we could every imagine -- and God pours out His power and His grace on us because He loves us beyond comprehension -- it’s like Crowder put it in the song, “Oh, How He Loves us”:  “If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking…” -- that’s the way God loves us

            -- so, when you pray, remember this one thing -- God loves you and wants you to have the best in your life -- He wants to give you everything you need -- not because He has to -- but because He loves us and wants us to enjoy life with Him

            -- when we come to God with our requests, He listens as our loving Father -- He listens with a heart turned towards us -- wanting to give us even more than what we ask

            -- what a difference it could make in our prayer lives if we could just grasp how much God truly loves us...

            -- we also see here in verse 19 the final purpose of this prayer of Paul -- he prays that we would be filled to the measure of the fullness of God -- this is a prayer for holiness -- a prayer that our lives would resemble the life of Christ -- that we would live rich and full and abundant lives that reflect God's glory in all we say and do and believe

            -- this is a prayer we should be praying for our families -- for our parents -- our spouses -- our children -- rather than praying, "God bless them -- God keep them safe" -- we should be praying prayers of boldness and power in their lives and asking God to let them reflect His glory and goodness to this world

            -- prayers like "Father God, I pray that you would touch my husband -- my daughter -- my son -- today -- that you would humble them before You and that you would let them be bold in his faith -- I pray that they would bow their knees in full surrender to your Son, Jesus, and they would stand up as fully devoted followers of Jesus, men and women after God's own heart, that our family would be different because they lead us to the things of God and they are close to Jesus, hearing from His Word. That generations would be different because my family fully belong to you."³

            -- prayers like, "God, raise up my children to be spiritual leaders in their school. God, may they stand out for the glory of Jesus. I pray they would be bold in their faith, that they would be leaders in their Faith. -- that they would be an example to others of Your love."³

            -- verse 19 tells us that we should pray for holiness and faithfulness -- in our lives and in the lives of our family and friends -- so that God might be glorified through us and in us

III.  Closing

            -- let me close by sharing with you a story from Skye Jethani's book, "The Divine Commodity" -- in this story, Skye talks about a trip he took to New Delhi, India, with his father -- as they were walking the streets in New Delhi, a little boy -- skinny and crippled -- approached them and cried out, "One rupee, please!  Just one rupee"

            -- after trying to ignore his pleas and just walk by, eventually Skye's father turned to the boy and asked him, "What do you want?" -- "Just one rupee, sir"

            -- "How about I give you five rupees?" his father responded -- the boy's face flashed anger -- he pulled his hand back and sneered at Skye and his father -- he thought Skye's father was mocking him -- making a joke about him -- after all, no one would willingly give up five rupees -- the little boy turned away and started cursing under his breath

            -- Skye's father reached into his pocket -- and when he heard the coins jingle, the boy stopped and looked back at the father -- Skye's father was holding out a five-rupee coin -- he approached the boy and placed the coin in his hand -- The boy didn't move or say a word -- He just stared at the coin in his hand -- Skye and his father continued on and walked past him down the street

            -- A moment later the boy started shouting again, but this time, instead of begging for a rupee, he was yelling, "Thank you! Thank you, sir! Bless you!" He raced after us once again—not for more money but to touch Skye's father's feet. …

            -- Skye writes, "This, I imagine, is how our God sees us—as miserable creatures in desperate need of his help -- But rather than asking for what we truly need -- rather than desiring what he is able and willing to give -- we settle for lesser things."⁴

            -- and we miss out on the blessings He has in store for us -- including the greatest blessing of all -- touching the feet of the Master

            -- it’s just like C.S. Lewis wrote: “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

            -- I want to encourage you this week to think about this prayer of Paul as you turn to God with your own prayers -- I want to encourage you to pray differently this week -- pray the sunset -- pray the beauty of this world -- capture God’s love in your heart and in your words and in your prayers

            -- pray in the power that comes from the Spirit indwelling us -- pray bold and specific prayers through faith -- pray knowing that God loves us -- that God loves you -- and He wants to give you all that you need and desire and want

            -- and pray not just for the things of this world -- but pray that He would change us and change our families -- that He would make us holy as He is holy -- pray prayers that will glorify Him this week

            -- let us pray

[LINK TO NEXT SERMON IN SERIES]

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1  This series was derived and modified from the four part series "Pray" developed and preached by Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch.tv

2 Mary Lewis, First Baptist Church, Sermon Central Illustration, http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-mary-lewis-movies-and-videos-holyspiritattributes-holyspiritinbelievers-2634.asp

3 Craig Groeschel, Sermon "Pray: Part 1," LifeChurch.tv

4 Skye Jethani, The Divine Commodity (Zondervan, 2009), pp. 113-114

Unity

"Indeed in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown than in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him." -- Gandalf, "The Fellowship of the Ring," J.R.R. Tolkien

Working on this week's message in our series on the prayers of Paul, I was struck by this quote from my opening illustration. If there ever was a quote to describe who we are as a people right now -- as a country -- as a church -- even as families -- I don't know what it might be.

Praying today for unity again in our country and our churches. Not that we might all agree on every matter, but that we would come together and remember who we are and why we are here and would agree on the foundational truths, principles, and purposes that united us in the first place.

Romans 15:5-7 (NIV):

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.