Because God is at work all the time. That’s happening in your life right now. God isn’t wasting stuff. God isn’t, oh, how did that happen? No, He’s moving. Because He’s big. And He’s powerful. And He’s constantly thwarting, The enemy, you know, we’re looking right now to move on to our next lead pastor, right?
We’ve only had one I’m, sorry for that, but that We’ve only had one in all these years 43 years brown hair mustache Turn into this
But I am absolutely certain that god cares more about this church than any of us And as godly leaders are crying out with a prayer of jehoshaphat. Oh god, our eyes are on you You I am absolutely positive God is going to, to orchestrate this thing to his own glory and grace. I’ve prayed for the last 20 years.
That the years after me would be the time when God did his greatest work in this church. I believe he’s gonna do that. I, I’m absolutely positive he’s gonna do it. Why? Because he’s a God of power. And we can pray and embrace the power of God.
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Pastor Mark Willey
Sermon Excerpt from “Praying for Christians”
Video Transcript:
He’s prayed three things here. Hope to which he’s called you, the inheritance they are to God, and now the capability God’s power can give them.
He says this in verses, 18 and following, about his power, verse 19 and following, about his power that is manifested. I’m not going to take time to go through all that. I just want to highlight the practicality of it. In Ephesus, there was tremendous demonic opposition. This is the book where he’s going to talk about spiritual warfare and lay out the whole reality of it.
This is the book where he’s going to talk more about principalities and powers and authorities of dark places than any other book in the New Testament. This is a city that was filled with opposition. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in doing my life with God for a number of years, The enemy is utterly, incomparably more powerful than I am.
In a moment of time, he could snuff me out. He could snuff you out. He could shut down this service in a second. There’s only one reason he doesn’t. We are protected by the shielding, circling power of God. That’s the reality. That is the reality. And Paul is reminding these people who felt the hot breath of the enemy every day living in Ephesus.
He says, I want you to be, I want you to, I’m praying that you will, you will be consumed with the fact that God is on your side, the power of God. Reading recently, writing by Tim Keller, and I was just struck by a little story he was telling. And he was talking about God at work. in circumstances and how we tend to not be aware of just the big things that God is doing all around us every day.
He told the story when, when he was, in seminary. During that time, hap the Watergate break in happened with Richard Nixon, the president, wiretapping into Democratic headquarters. And as a result of that, Richard Nick Nixon was removed from office in disgrace, and Gerald Ford took over. And at that same time, Tim Keller was at, at seminary and there was a speaker that was supposed to come to the school.
And he said, and he was not able to get here from Britain because of some political issues. And it was a guy they, they had wanted to hear speak. And so a guy was on the board of the school and his, his, I can’t remember his first name, but he was the son of Gerald Ford. He was on the board of Gordon Conwell.
And so he pulled some strings because his father was after in a pretty important position in the world at this moment as the president. And he got some strings pulled and this guy was able to come to speak at Gordon Conwell. And he spoke at Gordon Conwell and, and Tim Keller tells the story of how sitting out there, this guy absolutely changed my life.
As a matter of fact, he’s the reason I became a Presbyterian, talking with him and, and, and, and realizing I, I embrace what he’s saying and, and where he’s coming from. Tim Keller then left Gordon Conwell and he went down to a small rural church in Virginia. Amazing church, diversity, amazing things he did there.
But he’s in a little country church there, nobody knows him. But some Presbyterian leadership, because he was a part of their movement, reached out to him and they said to Tim, would you be willing to consider starting a church in downtown Manhattan? And so Tim Keller was called to go to this church in, in, in Manhattan, and, and in the story, Tim Keller’s talking to the people of the congregation in, in Manhattan at Redeemer Church, and he said, if you today can look back and there’s any way that God has, has brought good out of your life through Redeemer Church.
You owe it all to the Watergate break in. And he traced it. He did it. Basically saying, why? Because God is at work all the time. That’s happening in your life right now. God isn’t wasting stuff. God isn’t, oh, how did that happen? No, He’s moving. Because He’s big. And He’s powerful. And He’s constantly thwarting, The enemy, you know, we’re looking right now to move on to our next lead pastor, right?
We’ve only had one I’m, sorry for that, but that We’ve only had one in all these years 43 years brown hair mustache Turn into this
But I am absolutely certain that god cares more about this church than any of us And as godly leaders are crying out with a prayer of jehoshaphat. Oh god, our eyes are on you You I am absolutely positive God is going to, to orchestrate this thing to his own glory and grace. I’ve prayed for the last 20 years.
That the years after me would be the time when God did his greatest work in this church. I believe he’s gonna do that. I, I’m absolutely positive he’s gonna do it. Why? Because he’s a God of power. And we can pray and embrace the power of God. Okay, so here we come. And, and in Sixers terminology, in regards to succession, they may trust the process.
We’re trusting the processor. Okay, conclusion. Let’s put some shoes on the bottom shelf. Here we go. Okay. Number one, pray this prayer for yourself. Ephesians chapter one, pray through it and pray it for yourself. Secondly, really meditate on these truths
that your confidence is in you know God and you know there’s a purpose for your life and you know your future. There’s a contentment that you have in that you are God’s inheritance that he has deeded to himself and there’s a capability that is found in God is working for you. And as you reflect on those things, I encourage you, and I’d encourage you to write this down.
Ask this question, how would my life be different if I really knew this in my life? If I really knew this, how would my life be different in the way I do life with my wife or husband, with my kids in my job, with my coworker, with my finances? How would my life be different in my school if I really knew this?
Number three, remember that Jesus Christ prayed these truths for you. He prayed that they would know the Father. He prayed that they would experience the Father’s love for them. He prayed that they would be protected and empowered, all three parallel Paul’s prayer here. And last, pray this for others. The next time you feel prompted to pray for somebody and you don’t know what to pray, well, pray this way.
God, help them to know the hope to which He’s called. Help them to remember who they are in your sight. Help them to embrace and experience and remember your power. Amen. Your creative power to work in their lives.