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1:34Widely considered as one of the greatest men of prayer and faith since the days of the New Testament. That was how this one writer described him. He lived, again, nearly the entire 19th century, most of that in Bristol, England. And he led four far-reaching ministries, but perhaps you know him best for the orphanages that he ran. He ran some orphanages and he ministered to orphans in some extreme poverty and poor conditions. And he would take them in and he'd feed them, he would clothe them, he'd educate them in his orphanages, and he cared for them as many as 2,000 orphans at a time. More than, it says more than 10,000 in his lifetime. 10,000 orphans. So incredible ministry, incredible impact, far-reaching. And it said that in the course of his ministry, he never made the needs of his ministries known to anyone except to God in prayer. It was only through the annual reports that the people that followed his ministry or that were praying for him and supporting him learned of how God had provided. For the needs of the ministry in that previous year. It's very interesting, right? He didn't tell anyone, only through prayer, and yet God answered. He says this of him: that Mueller had over 50,000 specific recorded answers to prayers in his journals. 50,000. 30,000 of which, he said, were answered the same day or the same hour that he prayed them. Incredible. I mean, think about that. 500 definite answers to prayer each year.

3:35Or you can put it another way: more than one per day, every single day for 60 years. You think about that, having God answer your prayer once a day, every day for 60 years. That's a lot of answered prayers. And it goes on to say that God funneled over a half a billion dollars in today's dollars through his hands and through his ministries as a direct answer to his prayer. And so you might be thinking, okay, well, this guy knows how to pray. I mean, how was George Mueller praying? He must have gotten it right. And he goes on to say, and he quotes from some of Mueller's journals, that for the first 10 years of his ministry, it says he often speaks. Struggled in prayer. Struggled. Struggled to get into the spirit of prayer. Struggled to really feel like praying at all.

4:41He says this, and one of, Mueller says this in one of his journal writings. When I rose, when I got up in the morning, I began to pray as soon as possible. And generally, I spent all my time until breakfast in prayer, or almost all the time. At all events, I almost invariably began with prayer. But what was the result? I often spent a quarter of an hour, or a half an hour, or even an hour on my knees before being conscious to myself of having derived any comfort, any encouragement, any humbling of the soul, etc.

5:19And often, after having suffered much from the wandering of my mind for the first 10 minutes or quarter of an hour or even half an hour, I only then really began to pray. And so I found that interesting in my own life because it resonated with my own experience with prayer, not the answered prayer every day for 60 years, but the struggling part. And I wonder if that resonates with your experience with prayer. I mean, do you struggle sometimes with a wandering mind as you approach God in prayer?

6:01Like George Mueller described, and I imagine that that may be the case. And this morning I want to look at an example of Paul's prayer. Paul was also a great man of prayer. We have many of his prayers recorded in the New Testament for us to read and study, and that's what I want to look at this morning because I think it gives us a glimpse into what it looks like to be an effective person who effectively prays.

6:35Let me read the text for us this morning that we'll be studying. It's again in Ephesians chapter 3, beginning in verse 14, and I'll read all the way through the end of the chapter, verse 21. It says, This, for this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and the length, and the height, and the depth, and to know the love of Christ.

7:31Which surpasses knowledge, and that you may be filled up with all the fullness of God. Now, to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. May God bless the reading and the study of his word. As I mentioned, this is Paul's prayer for the church in Ephesus. And by God's grace, he saw it fit to record it for us that we might study it and that it might benefit us and shape us as we seek to pray to God. And so that is my prayer this morning: that we might benefit from studying Paul's prayer and that you might benefit from it as much as I have benefited from it this week. And so let me make a few comments, a few introductory comments regarding the placement of this prayer within the broader context of this letter. I believe it's strategically placed right in the middle, right in the middle of Paul's letter. If you've studied Ephesians, you know that it kind of naturally breaks in half. You have. The first half, first three chapters of Paul's letter are extremely theological. He is recounting and articulating some great theological truths about our salvation in Christ. And then in chapters 4 through 6, the second half, we see Paul turning his attention to the practical truths of how to actually live out those things that he described in chapters 1 through 3. How do you walk in wisdom? How do you walk in love and walk in these truths that God has given to us? And then tucked in the middle, right between the theological and the practical, we have this prayer. This prayer. And I think Paul does this intentionally because prayer is often the means by which the theological truths become practical realities in our lives. It is prayer that connects the theological to the practical. It is through prayer that we gain an understanding, a proper understanding of who God is and who we are and how we are to relate to him. And it is through prayer that we obtain the strength that is needed to obey what we read.

10:29And so Paul. Prays for this church or these churches here in Ephesus. And again, he records it for us to learn from. And so let me say this. If you're here this morning and there are areas in your personal life that are not consistent with the truths that you know about God, or if you're not living in a way that you know you ought to be, then may I suggest to you that there is a disconnect and it's likely in your prayer life.

11:08If that describes you this morning, then you need to examine your prayer life. You need to take a closer look at how you pray and why you pray and the things that you pray for. And so I hope to do that again this morning. And while Paul was not intentionally setting out an instruction manual on prayer, there are, I think, several observations that we can make about his prayer that will then serve as an example for us when we pray. Let me give you the basic outline, and I have forgotten my clicker. There he is. Thank you.

11:53Next time you just jump up and down, I'll see you. Let me give you the basic outline of Paul's. Prayer for the church. In verses 14 and 15, we have the prelude to Paul's prayer. Perhaps you recognize that as we were reading through it. These are the introductory remarks, if you will, of Paul's prayer in verses 14 and 15. Then in verses 16 through 19, we see Paul begin to petition the Lord. We see the petitions of Paul's prayer, the things that he is asking for.

12:32And then lastly, in verses 20 through 21, we have Paul praising God, giving praise to God in his prayer. And so those are the three main sections that we'll be working through. This morning, we're just going to deal with the first one, the first two verses, verses 15, or 14 and 15, dealing with the prelude of Paul's prayer. And I want to show you, as we look at this, I want to show you three essential components of an effective prayer. If you want to be effective in your prayer life, these three things need to be present. And so I want to look at these so that you'll pray more frequently, that you will pray more consistently, and ultimately pray more effectively in your own lives. So let's look at the first component of an effective prayer. First component. Is that you must pray for the right reason. You've got to pray for the right reason. Notice the first phrase in verse 14. It says, For this reason I bow my knees. For this reason, there was a reason for Paul's prayer here in Ephesians 3.

13:51There was something that had caused him to pray, something that we need to understand. And let me just remind you that Paul had plenty of reasons to pray. If you remember the situation in which Paul found himself as he was writing this letter to the Ephesians, he was not in the best of circumstances. You remember he had been falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the synagogue beyond that wall, that barrier that had the signs that said, if you enter, if a Gentile crosses here, they were to be put to death. And they were accusing him of bringing someone across that wall. And so there was an uproar, and they captured him and put him into prison. So he was writing this letter. He was praying this prayer in a Roman prison, chained to a Roman guard by his wrist 24 hours a day.

14:57That was the condition in which he was writing. Writing this prayer. His accommodations, of course, inside of prison were anything but luxurious. This was a prison cell. And his life was in danger. He was in great danger. His enemies hated him. They wanted him dead. And, of course, as always in the context of a Roman prison, things could change really at any moment and go from bad to worse. And so he was on the brink of death. The threat of death surely would have been in the back of his mind as he was writing this prayer. And so you can imagine there's a whole host of reasons that Paul could have prayed, and he would have been justified in praying it. Perhaps you could imagine yourself in that same situation and praying things like, oh, God, I've been falsely accused. God, vindicate me.

15:58Vindicate me from this injustice. Oh, God, I'm in prison. I'm in chains. God, come defend me. Come fight for me. Oh, God, I'm wasting away in this prison. Oh, God, sustain me. Come provide for my needs. Oh, God, I'm on the brink of death. My enemies will surely overtake me. God, spare my life. Let me live. I think we could all imagine perhaps praying prayers like that, and maybe. Imagine Paul praying that, and he would have been completely justified in praying for those things. Those would have been valid reasons to pray, and yet that is not what he prays for in this letter. We don't see any of these circumstantial reasons showing up in this prayer. And so, if these less than desirable circumstances were not ultimately the reason for his prayer, then what was? What was his reason? Well, he tells us, and like most preachers, he is long-winded, and it takes a little work to trace it back to see what ultimately caused him to pray. But I want to trace that for us here briefly. If you recall, Paul actually began his prayer not in 3.14, but back in 3, verse 1. Do you remember that? We covered that some time ago, and you'll notice there in chapter 3, verse 1, that he uses the exact same phrase for this reason. For this reason. He starts to pray at the beginning of chapter 3, and then he stops, and he doesn't pick back up in his prayer until verse 14. And so, if we're going to understand the reason, we've got to go even further back in chapter 2. And we need to see what was on Paul's mind leading up into this. Prayer. Go back to chapter 2, verse 11. Chapter 2, verse 11. Let me just highlight a couple things to help us get our mind around this.

18:13In chapter 2, verse 11, it is here where Paul was reminded of all the things that God had accomplished in Christ. These were the things that were on his mind, the things that God had accomplished in Christ. Let me point a few of them out. First of all, the only command in this passage is to remember. And so he's calling these Gentile believers to remember as Paul was remembering. And what were they to remember? Well, in verse 12, they were to remember that as Gentiles, they were separate from Christ. They were excluded from Israel. They were strangers to the covenants of promise. They had no hope, and they were without God in the world. That was their condition as Gentiles. That was our condition as Gentiles. But he says, but now in Christ, here's what God has accomplished. You who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. He says, remember this. You were far off. You were cut off. You had no hope. But now you do have hope. You have been brought near. This is what God has done in Christ for you. You have been united to God in Christ. That's the first thing he reminds them of. Secondly, he reminds them that they have not only been united to God, but they have been united to each other in Christ. See that in verse 15 and 16. It says that in himself, that is, in Christ, he made the two into one new man.

20:06He made the two groups, the Jews and the Gentiles, that are in Christ, and he put them together. He united them. He tore down that barrier that existed between them. And he united them into one new man, one new humanity, the church. And he established peace among his people. And he reconciled them to each other in one body to God through the cross. Paul reminds them of this great accomplishment that we have in Christ, to be united to God and united to each other. And then thirdly, notice verse 18. He reminds them that in Christ, our access to the Father is secured. Christ secured our access to The Father, for through him, through Jesus, we both have our access in one spirit to the Father.

21:09And it was these great truths about Christ and what God had accomplished in him and for us that Paul was remembering. And as he remembered these truths and he began to explain them to the Ephesians, he was moved to pray. He was moved to pray for them. And so in 3:1, he says, For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for the sake of you Gentiles. He was praying for them. He was moved to prayer because of the things that God had accomplished. But he pauses and he gives us a little bit more. He gives us a little bit more in chapter 3, verses 2 through 13.

21:56Not only was Paul marveling at all these great and wonderful truths that we have in Christ, but he also marveled at the fact that God had chosen to reveal his eternal purpose behind all of it. And that's what we see again in those verses of chapter 3. He paused his prayer as he was reminded of this great mystery that had been revealed, this mystery of Christ and the church. And it had been revealed. To him as an expression of God's grace for the Gentiles. You remember that? And Paul picks up on this in verse 8 of chapter 3. He says, To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given. And it was given that I might preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.

22:56He was commissioned to preach. This was his ministry to the Gentiles, to preach to them these riches, these rich truths of Christ in the mystery that has now been revealed. And the purpose of it all was that the manifold wisdom of God, verse 10, might be made known through the church, to the rulers and the authorities in heaven. This whole thing was designed by God according to his eternal purpose, which he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. And it was designed to put God's manifold wisdom on display for the entire universe to see. This is what God had revealed to Paul. And this is what was on Paul's mind as he then resumed his prayer in our passage this morning, verse 14. It was the eternal purposes of God that shaped Paul's perspective on his Life, on his ministry, everything.

24:04And again, it's here where we see the reason for Paul's prayer become clear. It was the basis, the basis of Paul's prayer was his knowledge of the revealed purposes of God. And it was as he meditated upon this revelation that it compelled him to pray for this reason. I bow my knees. Do you see that? Do you see the connection that Paul has made? Paul's prayer was a direct response to the revealed will of God, and he allowed it to shape every aspect of his life, every aspect of his ministry, even how he viewed the very circumstances in which he found himself. He saw it in light of the revealed will and purposes of God, and it shaped how he prayed. It shaped what he prayed for.

25:06And so I think as we observe this and we see the reason for which Paul prayed, it becomes instructive for us. And so I ask you this morning, what causes you to pray? I mean, think back over maybe the last few days, the last week or month or year. What are some of the reasons behind your prayer? I imagine maybe for many of us, our prayers are primarily filled with requests concerning our circumstances, our needs, the things that we want, sometimes maybe even demand. And if we're truly honest, once we have exhausted all of those things, we sort of lose interest in prayer. Maybe after struggling for a while to think of other things to pray for, we begin to direct our minds towards other things, and then eventually we abandon the exercise altogether.

26:11Oh, how often our prayers become disconnected from God's revealed will. And friends, may I suggest that this happens because we often neglect the greatest resource that we have for prayer on the planet earth. We have God's word. We have God's revealed will. Prayer does not have to be a struggle because he's written down his will for us in his word. One of the commentators I read put it this way: This is why Bible reading and prayer should always go together. For it is in Scripture that God has disclosed. His will, and it is in prayer that we ask him to do it.

27:06I like that. It's in Scripture that he's disclosed his will, and when we pray, we're simply asking God to do the very things that he has already willed. And so I exhort you, give yourself to the reading of God's Word. Study it. Meditate upon its truths regularly, daily, and you will find that you will never lack a right reason to pray. Let me read this what George Mueller said. After about ten years, as I mentioned, of struggling through prayer, he learned this perhaps from the Apostle Paul.

27:53He says, After ten years, I scarcely ever suffer now in this way. For my heart, being nourished by the truth and being brought into the experiential fellowship with God, I speak to my Father and to my friend. Vile though I am and unworthy of it, I speak to him about the things that he has brought before me in his precious word. It often now astonishes me that I did not see this point sooner. And I hope that we too would learn from the Apostle Paul. And let God's word and God's will become the reason that we pray.

28:37May it shape our prayer. Okay, so that's the first component that I think we can see here of an effective prayer. There's a second, and that is that we must pray in the right posture. We must pray in the right posture. Now, I know some of you may be thinking, aha, I have figured out my problem. I have been praying in the wrong posture all these years. You know, when the pastor says, bow your head and close your eyes, I've been peeking, right? And there's some of you out here, I see you when you pray.

29:16Maybe that's why my prayers aren't working, right? I'm not bowing my head right, or I'm not kneeling, I'm not, you know, doing it the right way. Well, that's sorry to tell you, that is not the answer. You have not discovered the secret. Because there is no prescribed posture for prayer, at least in the physical sense, anyway. In fact, in Scripture, God tells us of many faithful people praying in many different postures. Let me just give you a few examples of this. Because as I was studying this, I had actually forgotten how much Scripture describes the different postures of prayer.

30:00The Bible. Perhaps one of the more common postures is standing. We see that in the Old Testament. 1 Kings 8, 22, it says that Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the assembly of Israel. And he spread out his hands towards heaven. He's standing before the Lord, offering a prayer. In the New Testament, Mark 11, we see Jesus assuming that we would be standing while we pray. 11:25, it says, And whenever you stand praying, forgive. And if you have anything against anyone, forgive, that your Father also in heaven may forgive you. So he assumes standing. Luke 18, the Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed, God, I thank you that I'm not like that man. And then shortly after, the tax collector standing far off, praying, God, beating his breast, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. So you can stand and pray. You can raise your hands and pray. You can sit. I know some of you are relieved to hear that. You can sit while you pray. 2 Samuel 7, then King David went in and he sat before the Lord to pray. You can kneel to pray, as we saw in Ephesians here in our passage. Daniel 6, 6. That he went up into his upper chamber where the windows faced Jerusalem, and he got down on his knees three times a day, and he prayed and gave thanks to God.

31:41Christ kneeled and prayed in the garden. Acts 9, Peter knelt down and he prayed before he raised Tabitha. You can also fall on your face before God. How many of you have ever done that? Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the Lord, crying out to God. Revelation, you see the angels standing around the throne, and the elders and the living creatures, and it says they fell on their face before the throne of God and worship before a holy God. So there are many postures of prayer.

32:24When you pray, you can stand, you can sit, you can kneel, you can lay down on your face, you can lift your hands up to the sky, you can bow your head down to the earth, you can cry out loud, you can even pray silently like Hannah did in 1 Samuel, where it says that she was praying in her heart, her lips were moving, but there was no voice. You can pray silently. So there's no prescribed posture. And while that may be the case, I don't think that it is insignificant that Paul here in Ephesians. 3 chose to bow his knees. You see, the physical often reflects the spiritual, does it not? And the outward expressions of the body often are a reflection of the internal expressions of the heart.

33:21The word that Paul uses here for bow, it's translated as bow, is a verb. It literally means to bend. To bend. And its general use, it refers to the bending of the knees to physically sit down. You're going to go sit down in a seat, you've got to bend your knees. And so, in the general sense, it refers to that. In the New Testament, it's actually only used three other times outside of this text here. Three other times. Let me briefly point these out to you. You can turn there if you'd like. Two of them are in the book of Romans.

34:02Romans chapter 11, verse 4. Here, Paul is making an argument that God has not rejected his people. And in verse 4, he quotes from the Old Testament, 1 Kings 19:18, he quotes God's response. The question of has God rejected his people? And he says, I have kept for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. There's our word, bowed the knee to Baal. And again, he's quoting back at a time in Israel's history where many had bowed the knee to Baal. Many had abandoned the Lord in Israel and had served Baal as their God. And God reminds the prophet Elijah: no, there's still a remnant. There are still 7,000 who have not bowed the knee, who have not submitted themselves to Baal, but they are still submitted to me.

35:18They still honor me with their lips. They have bowed the knee to me. And so you see one example here of this word being used in a context of submission, of submitting to a higher authority. Turn over to Romans 14:11. Again, Paul making an argument that we're all going to stand before God and give an account to God. And in verse 11 of chapter 14, he quotes Isaiah. Isaiah 45, which says this, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. And if we were to go back to Isaiah and look at the context of that, it's in the context of God telling that the nations would one day come and bow the knee before God himself. And so again, you see this concept of submission, of bowing as an expression of submitting to a higher authority. There's one other use. Turn over to Philippians, Philippians chapter 2.

36:42Familiar passage, probably, to many of you. Beginning in verse 9, Philippians 2, verse 9, Paul says, This, for this reason also, God has highly exalted him, speaking of Christ, and he bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Again, an example of bowing. Bowing the knee before, in submission before Christ.

37:36And so, when we observe the kind of these three uses of the word, the only other three uses that we have in the New Testament, it becomes clear that Paul is expressing, when he says, I am bowing my knees, he is using that as an expression of total submission and reverence to God the Father. He is submitting himself to the Father. Listen how the psalmist puts this: it says, Oh, come and let us worship and bow down, and let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Friends, I believe that this is exactly what Paul was doing here when he bowed in prayer. As he was bending his knees, he was also bending his will.

38:28That's what true prayer is: it's a bending of the will, not of God's will, but of our will, a bending of our will. It's an expression of humble and reverent submission to the will of God. And that is Paul's posture in prayer that we observe here in Ephesians 3. And so, I ask you, what about you here this morning? What is the posture of your prayers when you pray? Do you come? Bowing on your knees in humble submission to the will and purposes of God? Does that characterize your prayers?

39:10Or do you come demanding for your will to be done? Do you come praying, God, God, give me this? God, give me that. God, I need this. God, I want that. God, I need this now. Is that how you pray? Listen, prayer is not about getting what you want. Prayer is about asking God to do what He wills. And so when you pray, you must pray in this posture. You must submit your will to the Lord. And may we echo the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave us perhaps the greatest example of this the night before he was crucified. Listen to what it says in Matthew 26, 39. It says, And going a little farther, he fell on his face and he prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.

40:20So we need to pray for the right reason, and we must pray in the right posture. Lastly, let me point out that we need to pray. Pray with the right view of God. Notice before whom Paul is bowing his knees. It says, For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. It says, he bowed before the Father. Not any Father, not just any Father, the Father.

41:02Paul, of course, is referring to God, and he addresses him with this title of Father. Now, as you look throughout the Testament, this is a theme throughout the Bible, old and new. But perhaps when you look at the New Testament, it often refers to God as our Father. You see that often, and especially in Paul's writing. In fact, over 40 times in his letters, Paul refers to God as Father. If you were to scan through his letters, just the first few verses, oftentimes, his opening letter sounds, many of them sound like this, Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

41:50And so you can survey those in your own time, but it's all over the place when you look at Paul's writings. He references him as Father. And this title really highlights two important aspects about God that I think are good for us to recognize, especially in the context of prayer. The title Father combines really the aspect of God's supreme authority as Father over all creation. And it also combines with it his supreme care for his people. So his supreme authority and his supreme care.

42:35First, you need to remember that when we come and bow before God as our Father, we are bowing before the Creator of the universe. Don't ever forget that when you approach God in prayer, He is the Creator. And He's the Father in that sense, that He is the supreme God, the Supreme Deity, the highest authority in the universe. He is the originator of all that exists and all that has ever existed. He is the one who spoke everything into existence with His Word. He is the one who has established His throne in the heavens, and He is the one who sees the end from the beginning. He is God, the Father, and there is no other life. Like him.

43:31Therefore, when we bow before the Father in prayer, we must recognize that He has authority over our lives. And we must recognize that we are but mere creatures coming before our Creator. And when we see God in this light, when we view God like this, prayer could not be a more serious endeavor. And it should cause us to never approach God in a casual or flippant manner as if God were one of us or as if God were one equal with us.

44:14Because He is not. He is not equal to us. He is God the Father. And when we recognize Him in this way, we cannot help but bow our knees. When you see God as the eternal God, the Father God, you bow before Him and it humbles the most prideful of hearts. Pride cannot exist when you view God as your Creator. And it produces a holy fear of God that will bring you to your knees. And so, a right view of God, again, first recognizes the supreme authority of God, but it also recognizes His greatness. Care for those in his family. That's the second aspect of this title of Father. And it's one that we do well to remember and never forget. God is a good father, and he cares for his family. Let me briefly comment on a few things that Paul has already mentioned in the letter to the Ephesians. Let me just draw out a few characteristics of God as our Father.

45:30Back in chapter 1, verse 3 says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Did you know that God the Father is a generous Father? He is so good. He is so generous. He has not withheld anything. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. Verse 5, He is a loving Father. In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself. In love, He adopted us as His own children. What greater love is there than that? That through Christ we might be adopted into God's family. He's a loving Father, He's a gracious Father. Verses 7 and 8, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished on us. The riches of his grace. He has forgiven us our sins. If we come to Christ, he will forgive every single last one of them. He's a gracious father. He's a glorious Father. Verse 17 of chapter 1, he is the father of glory. Everything glorious that you could ever see or imagine comes from the father. He's the father of glory. He is a merciful and he's a kind father. Chapter 2, verses 4 through 7 says that he is rich in mercy. He's great love, which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions. He made us alive. He raised us up. He seated us in heaven with Christ so that in the ages to come, he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness towards us. God has extended his kindness towards us in Christ. And lastly, he is an approachable father.

47:48You can approach him. We have access. Verse 18 of chapter 2, I've already read this, but it's in him that we have access to the Father. Friends, if we have... A Father like this, why would we not come to Him? Why would we not come and bow before Him in prayer? In closing the last phrase, we have to ask the question: who are the ones that can expect this level of care from the Father? Who are the ones that can call God their Father?

48:28In other words, who is in God's family? This last phrase is a little difficult to understand. You read through some of the commentators. They argue back and forth on what it means, but I think if we were to summarize it, it's saying that exactly what it says, God's family is a family that's in heaven and on earth, and they are ones who derive their name from him. They are the ones who have been born from him.

49:05Or in the context of salvation, the ones who have been adopted sons. We derive our being, we derive our name. We bear the Father's name. Those in heaven who have gone on before us, those who are still on earth here this morning, everyone who has been born of God can be said. To be children of God. Turn with me real briefly to 1 John. 1 John makes this clear. There are really only two families. You can only be in one of two families. Did you know that?

49:461 John chapter 3, verse 10. It says, By this, the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious. Two families. Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. Which family are you in? Are you in the family of God? Are you born of God? Or are you in the family of the devil? Is he your father? I think Paul points this out as he prays. He bows his knees before the Father, and he beckons us to come to him. Perhaps you're here this morning, and you don't know the Father like that. You are not in God's family, and the exhortation to you is that you can be. You can come to the Father, but you've got to come on your knees.

51:00Through Christ, you must bow the knee to Christ and accept God's perfect will for your life. And so, this Paul's prayer beckons us to do that. And he beckons us to view God as our Father, as a good and gracious Father, one who extends grace to the uttermost. So, I pray that you would come do that this morning. In conclusion, I just leave you with a few questions to consider. Do you pray? Are you a person who prays?

51:40What causes you to pray? Do you let God's will shape your prayers? What posture do you pray in? Are you proud? Do you come before God proud? Or do you humble yourself before him? Do you view him as your father? I pray that this would shape your prayers this week as you go out and live for Christ. I pray that you would be men and women and children of effective prayer. As the music team comes up, let me close us in prayer. Heavenly Father, God, we acknowledge your sovereignty this morning over all creation, over all the earth. And over our lives, and over every detail, and every circumstance. God, none of it is outside of your perfect will.

52:41And God, as we approach you this morning, that we bend our wills to yours. God, help us to see the truths that you have revealed about yourself, the truths that you have revealed about our own hearts and the nature of our own hearts. I pray that those would be the forefront of our minds as we bring those things to you in prayer. And God, may we see you for who you really are as a good and gracious Father. And may we come to you this morning in Jesus' name.