| Ephesians 3:1-13
Four Steps to Power
Jeremiah 6:16, “This is what the Lord
says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where
the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ But
you say, 'We will not walk in it.’” At the time this was
written, Judah was at a crossroads in her history. We in America are also at a crossroads--as a
nation we're on a slippery slide on the way to a cliff with oblivion at the
bottom of the cliff. What the Church
needs right now is power. There are four
key steps to obtaining power from God:
- Deny ourselves,
- Humble
ourselves,
- Pray--prayer,
prevailing prayer.
- Seek God's face
Ephesians 3:1-7, “For this cause I
Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 if ye have heard of
the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 how that by
revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 whereby, when ye
read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 which in other ages
was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy
apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his
promise in Christ by the gospel: 7 whereof I was made a minister,
according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual
working of his power.” i.e. “I BECAME
A SERVANT [MINISTER] OF THIS GOSPEL BY THE GIFT OF GOD'S GRACE GIVEN ME THROUGH
THE WORKING OF HIS POWER.”
- DENY
YOURSELVES: In verse 7 he said he
was a minister or servant of this gospel. You don't become a minister unless you're
a prisoner of Jesus Christ, verse 1. He was a prisoner because he kept opening
his mouth. He states in verse 1 that he was a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Paul was first a prisoner of Christ by
denying himself. Your first step
to power is to deny yourself. Chain
yourself to Christ is the first step to power. Paul was a prisoner for the Gentiles,
other people, as verse 1 states. Mom's with little children feel like
they're prisoners in jail. They in
fact are prisoners of Christ for their children. In verse 6 we see that Paul was given a
dispensation--a stewardship to preach the gospel. The mystery was the gospel that made the
Gentiles and Jews co-heirs of the kingdom of God and the Promises of
Christ. That message angered the
[unconverted] Jews to no end. Verses
8-13, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace
given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of
Christ; 9 and
to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created
all things by Jesus Christ: 10 to the intent
that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 according to the
eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 in whom we have
boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13 Wherefore I
desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.” i.e. ‘Don't worry about my
chains. Rejoice that I'm a prisoner for you.’
- HUMBLE
OURSELVES: verse. 8, “Unto me,
who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I
should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ…” Paul considered himself less than all
the saints. He felt he was the
least of all the saints. God
uses the humble to show forth his power. You can deny yourself (step one), but can
still have a problem with pride. We
think we have something going for us, when we really don't. We can have all the doctrine right, but
forget the depth of God's power. Never
think you know it all. Don't care
so much about head knowledge, but be happy because we know God. Solomon
had spiritual head knowledge beyond our ability to understand, yet his
salvation is in question to this very day.
- SEEK
GOD'S FACE: Verse 8-11, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all
saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning
of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 to
the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by [through] the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 according to the
eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord…” Every sermon reveals the insight, depth
and span of God's knowledge and riches we have in Christ. The manifold
wisdom of God is being revealed in and to his Church, Christ's body of
believers. Even the heavenly realm
of holy angels are learning by watching and listening to what is being
taught and preached within the Church, Jesus Christ's body of believers.
- IV.
WE CAN PRAY WITH BOLDNESS. PRAYER MOVES MOUNTAINS. We obtain the power of God when we ask
for it, and we deny ourselves when we pray for God's power. Every single revival has started with
earnest prevailing prayer. If you don't believe me, just read this:
There
is a tombstone in upstate New York which reads “Daniel Nash, labourer with Finney, mighty in prayer.” Daniel Nash prayed in every town Charles
Finney had a revival in. Over 100,000
people were brought to Christ in Rochester, New York. It's hard to minister
without power. There's a whole other level of power here that we need. Father
Nash, as some called him, would quietly slip into a town three or four weeks
before Finney's arrival, rent a room, find two or three other like-minded
Christians to join him, and start pleading with God. In
one town the best he could find was a dark, damp cellar; it became his center
for intercession. In another place, Finney relates, “When I
got to town to start a revival a lady contacted me who ran a boarding house. She said, “Brother Finney, do you know a
Father Nash? He and two other men have
been at my boarding house for the last three days, but they haven't eaten a
bite of food. I opened the door and
peeped in at them because I could hear them groaning, and I saw them down on
their faces. They have been this way
for three days, lying prostrate on the floor groaning. I thought something awful must have happened
to them, I was afraid to go in and I didn't know what to do. Would you please see about them?” “No, it
isn't necessary,” I replied, “They just have a spirit of
travail in prayer.” Do you want to
see the effect of Daniel Nash’s intercessory prayer in just one city? Read on. A convert in Rochester, New York, left a
description of Finney’s revival ministry in that city in which more than a
hundred thousand came to saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus within one year. He wrote: “The whole community was stirred. Religion was the topic of conversation, in
the house, in the shop, in the office, and on the street…The only theater in
the city was converted into a livery stable; the only circus into a soap and
candle factory. Grog [beer] shops were closed; the Sabbath was honored; the
sanctuaries were thronged with happy worshippers; a new impulse was given to
every philanthropic enterprise; the fountains of benevolence were opened and
men lived to do good." The report continues: ‘It
is worthy of special notice that a large number of leading men of the place
were among the converts--the lawyers, the judges, physicians, merchants,
bankers and master mechanics. These
classes were more moved from the very first than any other. Tall oaks were bowed as by the blast of a
hurricane. Skeptics and scoffers were
brought in, and a large number of the most promising young men. It is said that no less than forty of them
entered the ministry…It is not too much to say that the whole character of
the city was changed by that revival,” wrote this eyewitness. “Most of the leaders of society being
converted, and exerting a controlling influence in social life, in business,
and in civil affairs, religion was enthroned as it had been in few
places….Even the courts and the prisons bore witness to its blessed effects. There was a wonderful falling off of crime. The courts had little to do, and the jail
was nearly empty for years afterward.” That’s power--the power of prevailing
prayer.
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