Study# | Pray For Me

Text:

Ephesians 3:13-21:

13 wherefore, I ask you not to faint in my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

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

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Theme:

Pray For Me

Introduction:

The Letter by the Apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus is not written to any specific issues with the church itself. However, it addresses the need for a general Christian understanding and application of sound doctrine.
When I was growing up, there was a song that I often heard in church. It was usually done when we were having what was called “Altar Call”. This is the time of Corporate Prayer when all come together and the minister prays for and with the people. There is a song that I was so used to hearing during this time… “Pray For Me”

Pray for me. Pray for me.

Oh, my brother, pray for me.

When you bow at the alter,

Please don’t forget to pray for me.

It is important during this time to know that it is not only about me or you but is about all of us…that is why it is know as corporate prayer!
- You don’t only pray for you but you also PRAY FOR ME!

Body:

This time and song realizes a concept, action and requirement that is fundamental to the Christian life è PRAYER
- Prayer is defined as the soul’s sincere desire for change, unspoken, unuttered.
- Prayer is a requirement of the believer.
  - Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”
  - Psalms 55:17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
  - 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”
- Prayer gives the believer access to divine power far beyond what the carnal existence can envision!
  - Matthew 7:7 (Luke 11:9), “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”
  - James 4:2, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”
- Prayer is the Key!!!
  - 1Kings 9:3, “And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.”
  - Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
- Prayer is powerful…
  - Abraham’s servant prayed to God, and God directed him to the person who should be wife to his master’s son and heir
  - Jacob prayed to God, and God inclined the heart of his irritated brother, so that they met in peace and friendship
  - Samson prayed to God, and God showed him a well where he quenched his burning thirst, and so lived to judge
  - David prayed, and God defeated the counsel of Ahithophel
  - Daniel prayed, and God enabled him both to tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream and to give the interpretation of it
  - Nehemiah prayed, and God inclined the heart of the king of Persia to grant him leave of absence to visit and rebuild Jerusalem
  - Esther and Mordecai prayed, and God defeated the purpose of Haman, and saved the Jews from destruction
  - The believers in Jerusalem prayed, and God opened the prison doors and set Peter at liberty, when Herod had resolved upon his death
  - Paul prayed that the thorn in the flesh might be removed, and his prayer brought a large increase of spiritual strength, while the thorn perhaps remained
In our text we find a unique reference to PRAYING FOR OTHERS…
- This is known as Intercessory Prayer
  - Intercessory prayer is the praying for or on behalf of others. It is to intercede for another in prayer.
- Ephesians 3:13 gives the context in which Paul speaks, “wherefore, I ask you not to faint in my tribulations for you, which is your glory.”
  - Paul is telling them, “Don’t worry about me!”
  - Most importantly, he wants them to NOT FAINT!
    - To NOT FAINT à not give up…not get frustrated…not “go off”…not “straight trip”
    - We all FAINT on our walk, but with God we will NOT FAINT
      - Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
  - Thusly, in verse 14 Paul says, “For this cause I bow my knees”
    - PAUL PRAYS FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE CHURCH
- God expects us to pray for others!
- Our Salvation requires us to pray for others!
  - For the Believers à Luke 22:32, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
    - Jesus not only made it a requirement, but also gave us the Divine example!!!
  - For the Non-Believers à Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
- The BEST that we can do for another is to pray for them è GIVE THEM GOD!!
  - God is the only one who can fix THEM
  - God is the only one who can see their HEART
  - God is the only one who truly understands them
  - God CAN when we CAN’T!!
    - We SOMETIMES can but God ALWAYS can!!!!
Debate: Do we want others to pray for us? YES
- The old gospel song says…

Somebody prayed for me, had me on their mind,

took the time and prayed for me.

I’m so glad they prayed. I’m so glad they prayed.

I’m so glad they prayed for me.

However, the one praying must be one whom God will HEAR!
- Job 42:8, “… and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.”
- Don’t have just anybody praying over you!!
  - Like old folk would always say, “You can’t clean a dirty window with a dirty rag.”
  - If God won’t hear them then it can make your situation even worse by having them pray for you!
- The person must be RIGHTEOUS!
  - Matthew 13:43, “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
- If they are righteous, their prayer can make a difference!
  - James 5:16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
    - Abraham prayed…and Ishmael was kept safe and alive…Abimalech was healed
    - Moses prayed…and Pharoah was relieved of the plague…Miriam was heard….Aaron was kept…the Israelites were protected and led
    - Samuel prayed…and the sins of the people of Israel were forgiven
    - Solomon prayed…and God dwelt within the Ark of the Covenant…the spirit of God filled the Temple
    - Elijah prayed…and a child was raised from the dead
    - Elisha prayed…and another child was raised from the dead
    - Isaiah prayed…and King Hezekiah was led to pray for himself
    - Peter prayed…and the Tabitha was raised from the dead…he was shown the vision of food being made to eat
    - The Church prayed for Peter’s release from prison…and before they could even say “amen”, Peter was knocking on the door
    - PRAYER DOES CHANGE THINGS!!!!!
      - If you PRAY and PRAY RIGHT, God will MOVE!!!

Conclusion:

To understand the power of Paul’s prayer, let us not overlook WHO PAUL PRAYED TO!

(Verses 14 & 15) “unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named”

Paul didn’t pray to his own abilities
Paul didn’t pray to his own ego
Paul didn’t pray to his friends
Paul didn’t pray to his family
Paul prayed to GOD!
- “of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named”
We must pray to God also…our only HELP
- the Maker and Creator of heaven and earth
- God, the Father!
- God, my ROCK!
- As it says in Jude 1:24-25, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
So, PRAY FOR ME!!!!!
- If you have the love of God within you!
- If you know the power of prayer!
- If you BELIEVE that God can!
And, I will PRAY FOR YOU!!!!!
- Even when you talk about me
- Even when you treat me wrong
- When you are going through
- When you have made it through
- Cause God is Good
- Cause God has been good to you!
- ..

“I love the Lord. He heard MY cry and pitied my EVERY groan. Long as I live and troubles rise, I’ll HASTEN to His throne!”

Let us pray for one another…cause that’s what good Christians do!!!

#394

Pray For Me

Ephesians 3:13-21:

Pray For Me

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