Reading: Praying to Know God (Slides)

What is your highest aim?

High aims

• Knowing deep doctrine
  
• Building a strong church
  
• Living a holy life
  
• Winning war against demons

Highest aim

• Spirit to know God our Father in Christ: riches, power, indwelling, love, fullness, glory

Ephesians 1:15-23

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰ which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 3:14-21

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.

Take stock

• Is knowing God your highest aim?

• How well do you know God?

Is this a realistic prayer amid flourishing paganism?

• Idol factories, sorcery stores, mystery cults, countless religious options
• Temple of Artemis, a wonder of the world
• Thousands of temple prostitutes, and pornography on the pots and pans
• Commerce, marble streets, mosaic floors
• Theater/stadium that seated 24,500
• Christians seemed just another minor cult

Is this a realistic prayer for ordinary people?

• Ephesian Christians were girls, boys, moms, dads, shop owners, farmers, salesmen, garbage collectors, money lenders, well educated, uneducated.
• This is a realistic prayer for people of all kinds, ordinary people like us. We are ordinary, but our God is extraordinary.

Is this a realistic prayer for messed up people?

• Ephesian Christians were vulnerable to lying, stealing, anger, fighting, gossip, grudges, greed, dirty jokes, immorality, getting drunk; nagging wives, harsh husbands, bratty kids, slack workers, mean bosses.
• This is a realistic prayer for people who mess up in all sorts of ways. We are sinners, but God is gracious to sinners, putting us in Christ and Christ in us.

Spirit-enlightened heart

. . . may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened (1:17-18)

• Understanding more of God's Word: Seek Spirit of wisdom and revelation
• Experiencing more of God's reality: riches, power, indwelling, love, fullness

Knowing our Father in Christ

• the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father [Father of glory] (1:17)
• the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth is named (3:14-15)
• Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7)

Slave or son?

• Prodigal son's inner voice: "I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.”
• Father's voice: "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:22-24)
• Elder son's complaint: "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.”
• Father's voice: "My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” (Luke 15:22-24)
• Do you know how loved you are and how rich you are as God's child?

Spirit of sonship, not slavery

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:15-17)

Praying to know God

Seeing and savoring our Father's glory in Christ

• Riches
• Power
• Indwelling
• Love
• Fullness

Riches of Grace (Slide from Les Miserables of Valjean being forgiven for stealing)

Riches

• Riches of God's grace (1:7) the incomparable riches of his grace (2:7)
• the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (1:18)
• the unsearchable riches of Christ (3:8)
• I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you (3:16)

Power

• . . . his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. (1:19-20)
• I pray that you... may have power... 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 (3:17-20)

Interactive indwelling

• I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (3:16-17)
• Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)
• Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27)
• We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (1 John 4:13)

The Beloved within

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me....I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. (John 17:22-26)

Love

• In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. (1:4-5)
•  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved (2:4-5)

Praying to know lovethat surpasses knowledge

Too practical for God's love?

Fullness

• And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (1:22-23)
• that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (3:19)
•  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (4:12-13)

Oh the bitter shame and sorrow,
That a time could ever be,
When I let the Savior's pity
Plead in vain, and proudly answered:
"All of self, and none of Thee!”

Yet He found me: I beheld Him
Bleeding on the accursed tree,
Heard Him pray: "Forgive them, Father!”
And my wistful heart said faintly:
"Some of self, and some of Thee!"

Day by day, His tender mercy,
Healing, helping, full and free,
Sweet and strong, and ah! so patient,
Brought me lower, while I whispered:
"Less of self, and more of Thee!”

Higher than the highest heaven,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, thy love at last hath conquered;
Grant me now my supplication:
"None of self, and all of Thee!"

Praying to know God

Seeing and savoring our Father's glory in Christ

• Riches
• Power
• Indwelling
• Love
• Fullness

God-glorifying heart

• Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. (Westminster)
• God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. (John Piper)
• Father of glory... inheritance of glory... riches of his glory... to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.