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On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. Do you ever pray for yourself? If you do, here's the best prayer that you can pray.
Lord, I pray that I would not just know about you, but I would know you. I pray that you would help me understand your calling, your riches, your power that you have given to me. That is truly a prayer for every season of life. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress.
Have you ever wondered how to pray for someone you deeply care about? The Apostle Paul provides us with a powerful example in his letter to the Ephesians. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress examines Paul's heartfelt prayer and describes how we can apply it to our own prayer life. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Over the past few years, we've developed a number of creative tools to help you grow deeper in your walk with God. And I'm convinced that one of our best kept secrets is the publication we developed for you called Pathway Magazine. Pathway Magazine contains daily devotional readings, feature articles about your Christian walk, and a variety of other fascinating features.
It's thick, but it's printed in a convenient size so that you can carry Pathway Magazine wherever you go. And to help you get started, I'm prepared to send you your first three issues at no cost just by getting in touch at ptv.org. Click the link at the top of our web page that says Pathway Magazine. And then as we close out our first week of Bible studies in the book of Ephesians, I'll remind you about the brand new book that parallels this teaching series. My new book is called Holy Living in an Unholy World, and it's perfectly suited for your private quiet times or as a centerpiece for your small group Bible study. In fact, I'm prepared to send you a copy of my book when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. Later on, David will explain how you can receive the group study guide for Ephesians as well. Now, let me begin with a personal question. What or who is at the top of your prayer list today? Our Heavenly Father invites us to lay our request before his throne, and today we're going to look at a passionate prayer by the Apostle Paul who thanked God and pled with God on behalf of his Christian friends in Ephesus.
My message is titled A Prayer for All Seasons. I want you to use your imagination for a moment and just imagine you're checking into a luxury beach resort hotel. And because of your elite status in that hotel chain, you're given a special brochure when you check in telling you of all the special benefits that belong to you.
Access to a 24-hour lounge stocked full with hors d'oeuvres, complimentary Wi-Fi, free dry cleaning as you need it, and a host of other benefits. But you never take advantage of any of those amenities because you don't take time to read the brochure and know that they're available to you. You know, a lot of Christians live like that. Even though they are in Jesus Christ, they have elite status with God, if you will.
They never take advantage of the benefits of that status because they don't know what the benefits are. The first three chapters of the book of Ephesians are actually a brochure, if you will, outlining all of the benefits that belong to those of us who are in Christ Jesus. And last time we began looking at some of those benefits. Remember in verses three to 14 of chapter one, Paul outlined seven benefits, privileges we have if we are in Jesus Christ. He says we need to praise God for all He's done for us.
Remember what those seven benefits are? We thank God the Father who has chosen us and adopted us into His family. We thank God the Son who has redeemed us, forgiven us, revealed the mystery of His will to us, and given us an inheritance. And we thank God the Holy Spirit who has secured those promises in Christ.
And when Paul lists all of those things, he interrupts himself, drops to his knees, and offers the first of several prayers in this letter to the Ephesians. And it's a prayer of thanksgiving for the Christians at Ephesus. And this prayer beginning in verse 15 can be divided into two parts. First of all, there's a prayer of encouragement.
Look at verse 15. For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you while making mention of you in my prayers. He was encouraging them. He said, you know, every time I think about you, I can't help but just stop and thank God for you.
That's encouraging. You know, I think of something Jimmy Draper, who used to be associate pastor here many years ago. He used to say, he said, be nice to everyone because everyone is having a hard time.
Isn't that true? We're all having a hard time in one way or another. We need to be encouraged. And so Paul encourages these Ephesians saying, I just want you to know, every time I think about you, I thank God for you. But then notice the specificity of his prayer.
He said, let me tell you two reasons I thank God for you. First of all, for your faith in Christ. Verse 15, having heard of your faith in Christ, which exists among you. Now, it's important to know there are two kinds of faith in the Bible. There is first of all, saving faith. Faith that leads to salvation. But there's another kind of faith. There's not only a saving faith that you exercise one time and you have eternal life. There is a sustaining faith that I think he had in mind here. A faith that leads to obedience after you're saved. Look at Ephesians 1, 1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God to the saints who are at Ephesus, who are faithful. Not who were, but who are right now faithful in Christ Jesus. And then he says in verse 15, for this reason, I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus, which exists.
Present tense. Not a one time act only, but it continues to exist. He's talking about a sustaining faith that's kept them obedient in spite of the culture in which they lived. Do you know what the single greatest evidence of your salvation is? It is your obedience to God. Your continued obedience to God. You know, we talk about the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. We sometimes call it once saved, always saved.
People put the emphasis on the wrong thing. You know how you know you're saved? If you persevere in your faith. If you don't persevere, if you give up or give in to the world, it's not that you lose your salvation, it's you never had salvation. Jesus said in Matthew 10, 22, some of you are saying, I'm not sure I agree with that. Well, you disagree with Jesus then. Look at what he said in Matthew 10, 22.
You will be hated by all because of my name, but it is the one who is endured to the what? The end who will be saved. Now don't misunderstand, our obedience doesn't earn our salvation. Our obedience confirms our salvation. The way to know if somebody is really saved is whether they persevere in the end. That doesn't mean we don't have missteps and mistakes we make along the way, but we continue that long obedience in the same direction.
Oswald Chambers said, the best measure of a spiritual life is not its ecstasies, but its obedience. Paul said, I thank God for you for your faith, your faith that saves you and that same faith that sustains you. But he mentioned something else that he thanks God for about these Ephesians. And that is for your love for all Christians, your love for all the saints, he says in verse 15. Do you remember Jesus' words in John 13, verses 34 to 35? A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. The greatest evidence in the first century that Christians really belonged to Jesus was their love for one another.
That was true of these Ephesian Christians. Romans 12, 10, Paul said, be devoted to one another in brotherly love, giving preference to one another. We're to be devoted to one another. You know what that word brotherly means?
It's the Greek word adelphos, literally from the same womb. The reason we're to be devoted, loving of one another, is because we come from the same womb, the side of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the one who birthed us into existence. And because of that, we're to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul said, I thank God for your faith in Christ, for your love for all the saints. Now, the second part of the prayer is a prayer of exhortation. He said, now, this is what I'm praying that God will do in your life. And by the way, this is a perfect way to pray for other people you love.
It's a perfect way to pray for yourself. He said, first of all, I pray that you would have a knowledge of God. Look at verse 17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Underline that word knowledge. He said, Ephesian Christians, I'm praying that God will give you a knowledge of himself. Now, that word knowledge, the usual Greek word is gnosis, gnosis. But he uses a prefix here on the word gnosis, epi, E-P-I, epi-gnosis. Some translations say, I pray that God will give you a full, a complete knowledge of himself. I think what he means here is, I'm praying that God doesn't give you just an intellectual knowledge of himself, but an experiential, an epi-gnosis kind of knowledge.
That's what he's talking about here. You know, there's a great deal of difference between knowing about somebody and knowing somebody. About 20 plus years ago, I was eating breakfast one morning, gagging down my bran flakes. The TV was on in the background. And I stopped eating because there was an interview with an interesting young woman I had never heard of before. Her name was Britney Spears.
And I sat there and I listened to that interview and I said, now that's an interesting girl. I'd like to get to know Britney Spears. And so I made it my mission to get to know Britney Spears. And it was easy to do.
You know what I did? I went to her website, BritneySpears.com. And I learned a lot of interesting things about Britney Spears. She was born on December the 2nd, 1981 in Kentwood, Mississippi. When she was eight years of age, she tried out for the Mickey Mouse Club, but was turned down because she was too young. She tried again when she was 11 and was accepted on the program, and that began her rise to fame.
And when she and flame. But what I was particularly interested in was she was raised as a Southern Baptist. Did you know that? And yet even though she was raised as a Southern Baptist, if you take the letters in her name and rearrange them, it spells Presbyterian. Now don't spend the rest of the sermon trying it.
It really does. I learned a lot of things about Britney Spears. But I don't know Britney Spears, and Britney Spears doesn't know me. Ladies and gentlemen, there's a lot of difference between knowing about God, having a lot of facts about God, and really knowing God. What does it mean to know God?
J.I. Packer, in his seminal work, Knowing God, tells us what it means to know God. He said, first, knowing God is a matter of personal dealing.
It's more than knowing about him. It's a matter of dealing with him as he opens up to you and being dealt with by him as he takes knowledge of you. Secondly, knowing God is a matter of personal involvement in mind and will and feeling. The believer rejoices when his God is honored and vindicated and feels the acutest distress when he sees God flouted. The Christian feels shame and grief when convicted of having failed his Lord.
Do you hear what Packer is saying? There's a difference between knowing and knowing about somebody. I think about John Stott, the British theologian. He said, there is something fundamentally flawed about a purely academic interest in God.
God is not the appropriate object for cruel, critical, detached, scientific observation and evaluation. No, the true knowledge of God always leads us to worship, as it did Paul. Our place is on our faces before him in adoration. That's the kind of epinosis, the full knowledge that Paul prayed for us, as well as the Ephesians, to possess, knowing God. Firstly, related to that, he said, not only do I want you to have a true knowledge of God, but I want you to understand God's workings, what he's doing in our lives.
Look at verses 18 and 19. I pray the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know three things. First, what is the hope of his calling? Secondly, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance?
And thirdly, what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe? Notice there are three things Paul says we need to understand in our pursuit of God. First of all, that God has called us. I pray, verse 18, that you may know what is the hope of your calling.
What do you mean, pastor? What has God called me to? Well, first of all, he's called you to salvation.
That's the mystery of election. He has chosen you. He has called you to save you.
First Peter 2.9 says, he has called us out of the darkness into his marvelous light. Do you remember when Jesus heard that Lazarus was dead? He went to the tomb of Lazarus and he cried out, Lazarus, come forth. If he hadn't named Lazarus, the whole cemetery would have risen from the dead. He was specific. He called Lazarus, come forth.
And he says the same thing to us. Just think about this. God could have saved billions of people. There are billions and millions of people who will not be saved. But God, for whatever it means, chose you. He said to you, D, come forth. Mary, come forth. Danny, come forth. Robert, come forth. God has called us to eternal life.
We should never get over that fact. He's called us to salvation. Not only that, he has called us to holiness of life. First Peter 1.15 says, like the holy one who called you, you be holy, separate, different in all of your behavior. He called us not to live for ourselves, but live in obedience to Christ, that we might resemble the Christ who saved us.
He's called us to holiness of life. And third, the Bible says, if you're called by God, you're called to suffering. First Peter 2.21 says that he has called us for this purpose, for suffering, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving for you an example to follow in his steps. You know, so many times Christians go through a difficult time and they think they've been abandoned by God. No, God hasn't abandoned you, he called you.
I mean, think about it. If God's plan for his own son, his beloved son, Jesus Christ, if it included horrific suffering, why are we so surprised when difficult things come into our life? Hebrews 5.8 says, though Jesus was a son, he learned obedience by the things that he suffered.
Why are we surprised when God's plan for us includes suffering? He has called us to suffering, but that suffering is a proof in itself that we belong to God. In Romans 8, 16 to 17, Paul writes, the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. And if we are children, we are heirs, and if we're heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him.
God has called you. He said, I want you secondly to understand that God has enriched you. I want you to know what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. God's given us a great inheritance.
He wants us to understand that. Some of that inheritance we get to enjoy right now, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, the supernatural peace that passes all comprehension. But there's a part, in fact, the greatest part of our inheritance that still awaits us, the promise that we're gonna dwell in a new heaven and a new earth, in new bodies that are free from the pain and the suffering, the sickness and the sadness of this life.
That is all yet future. We don't understand all that that means. I think the reason God doesn't tell us everything about heaven is he knows how discontent we would become with life on earth. If we knew what God had in store for us, we wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything we would do and wouldn't be just as worthless as children the day before Christmas break in school or before the semester ends in the springtime. God gives us an inkling, though, of what awaits us in Scripture. And he said, I pray that you might know of not only what you already possess in Christ but what's coming your way one day. I pray that you would understand that he has called you, he has enriched you, and thirdly, he has empowered you. Look at verse 19, that you may know what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe.
He's given us power. That Greek word, uperbalo, H-U-P-E-R is the prefix. We get our word hyper from it. A hyper child is an overactive child.
A hyperbole, hyperbole, a hyperbole is an over-the-top statement. Well, God has given us an over-the-top power, the Holy Spirit of God. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is in your life right now to give you the power to say no to sin and yes to God.
That power is yours. And Paul said, I want you to be aware of that power that belongs to you. What Paul says, we ought to pray for others is what we ought to pray for ourselves. You ever pray for yourself? If you do, here's the best prayer that you can pray. Lord, I pray that I would not just know about you, but I would know you.
I pray that you would help me understand your calling, your riches, your power that you have given to me. You see, we all have a craving, an inward craving to know God. That's why we were made to know God. And to try to satisfy that craving we all long for with other people, with possessions, with accomplishments, it's like trying to satisfy your thirst by eating pretzels.
It doesn't help at all. Only God can satisfy that deepest need, that craving that we have. What is our number one desire in life? To know God. What is the greatest pleasure in life? The knowledge of God. What gives God the greatest pleasure? Our knowledge of him.
What is the chief end of man? It's to know God and to enjoy him all the days of our lives. Remember in John 17, before his crucifixion, Jesus was alone, praying to God the Father. And in that great priestly prayer, he not only prayed for his apostles he was about to leave behind, but he prayed for you and me as well, because he said, I pray not only for these, but those in future generations who will come to know you because of their witness.
That's us. We've come to know Christ. And so, John 17, Jesus prayed for you. You know what he prayed? John 17, 3. This is eternal life, that they may know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you've sent. That is truly a prayer for every season of life. It's humbling to think that even as Jesus entered the final hours before his crucifixion, he paused to pray for you and for me. I'm grateful that Paul recorded his prayer in the letter to the Ephesians.
It serves as a model for you and me. And there's so much more in Paul's letter I want to show you. It's all contained in the brand new book I've written. It's the one that coincides with this brand new teaching series, Holy Living in an Unholy World. Paul showed us that living a holy life begins with understanding the rich spiritual heritage we already enjoy. If you're ready to reignite your passion for God, then this book will help equip you. A copy is yours today when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. Again, my new book is called Holy Living in an Unholy World.
Well, as your radio pastor and Bible teacher, I believe Jesus' return to earth is coming soon. And with this reality in mind, I'm measuring everything I do to make sure my activities serve God's redemptive plan. That's one of the reasons I'm focused on growing the ministry of Pathway to Victory.
I don't know of any more effective tool to reach men and women with the truth of God's word other than radio, television, and the internet. Gratefully, we've encountered loyal friends like you who've come alongside of us to support this mission. We need you, and we're grateful for you. Because of our partnership, we're gaining ground in this all-out effort to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word.
David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. When you support the ministry of Pathway to Victory by giving a generous gift, you're invited to request Holy Living in an Unholy World. That's the brand-new book by Dr. Robert Jeffress. If you'd like to request your copy, call 866-999-2965, or visit ptv.org. Now, when your gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you the complete collection of DVD video and MP3 format audio discs for this series, Holy Living in an Unholy World.
The set also comes with a companion study guide, perfect for at-home use or maybe a small group setting. One more time, call 866-999-2965, or visit ptv.org. You could write to us if you'd like. Here's that address, P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.
I'm David J. Mullins, wishing you a great weekend. Then join us again Monday when our series called Holy Living in an Unholy World continues. That's right here on Pathway to Victory.
Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Picture yourself relaxing aboard a luxury cruise ship as you sail the Mediterranean Sea on the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. This 11-day journey will take you to unforgettable destinations in Italy, Turkey, and Greece.
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