WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.100 Well, if you've got your Bible open, please keep 00:00:03.100 --> 00:00:08.119 it there at Ephesians 3, 14 to 21. And let's 00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:10.580 pray, let's ask God for help as we look at his 00:00:10.580 --> 00:00:16.239 word now. Gracious Heavenly Father, we ask that 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:20.440 you would help us to see how powerful you are 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:23.820 and help us to be people who access that power 00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:28.660 by prayer. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:00:29.929 --> 00:00:33.549 Well, back in 2024, when we were living in Broken 00:00:33.549 --> 00:00:35.869 Hill, there was a big storm that hit the town 00:00:35.869 --> 00:00:39.890 and it caused a massive power outage. It wiped 00:00:39.890 --> 00:00:43.390 out seven old transmission towers, the diesel 00:00:43.390 --> 00:00:45.310 backup generator that was meant to power the 00:00:45.310 --> 00:00:48.710 town failed, and we had weeks of rolling blackouts. 00:00:48.789 --> 00:00:50.490 And if you're thinking, this sounds familiar, 00:00:50.770 --> 00:00:55.070 yes, I have told you about this before. But one 00:00:55.070 --> 00:00:56.890 thing that was particularly annoying about this 00:00:56.890 --> 00:01:00.829 event was out at the edge of town was a solar 00:01:00.829 --> 00:01:05.930 farm, a really big one. It could power 23 ,000 00:01:05.930 --> 00:01:10.189 homes. And the town of Broken Hill has only 17 00:01:10.189 --> 00:01:14.230 ,000 people. So it's more than enough. But it 00:01:14.230 --> 00:01:17.730 was not set up to actually be able to do that. 00:01:18.930 --> 00:01:22.349 You know, good government foresight there. But 00:01:22.349 --> 00:01:25.930 10 days of regulatory negotiations and emergency 00:01:25.930 --> 00:01:29.189 software updates, that's what it took before 00:01:29.189 --> 00:01:32.590 they could start using it. And I just thought 00:01:32.590 --> 00:01:35.250 it was silly. You know, the power that everyone 00:01:35.250 --> 00:01:39.090 needed was there, but the problem wasn't the 00:01:39.090 --> 00:01:41.329 power, it was the willingness to access it, wasn't 00:01:41.329 --> 00:01:45.409 it? Now, I reckon the same thing happens with 00:01:45.409 --> 00:01:49.810 God's power in our lives. There are times where 00:01:49.810 --> 00:01:54.430 we're weak, and vulnerable. And God's power is 00:01:54.430 --> 00:01:59.569 there. It's available. But we're unwilling to 00:01:59.569 --> 00:02:03.890 access God's power. Think of those times where 00:02:03.890 --> 00:02:06.370 you sin again and again and again. You just get 00:02:06.370 --> 00:02:09.729 in a pattern and a habit of sinning. And rather 00:02:09.729 --> 00:02:12.949 than come to God and try and deal with it and 00:02:12.949 --> 00:02:15.909 get His power, you either bury it, avoid it, 00:02:15.909 --> 00:02:19.879 or try and fix it yourself. Or are there times 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:23.479 where we fight, we have conflicts and tensions 00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:26.539 and relationships that fracture, whether at home, 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:28.240 whether in church, whether at work, whatever 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:31.659 it might be, and we get angry and we complain. 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:37.280 But we don't try and access the power needed 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:42.419 to forgive and repair and repent. Or we face 00:02:42.419 --> 00:02:46.639 temptations. You know, we've got these growing 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:49.099 desires within us to think and live like the 00:02:49.099 --> 00:02:52.780 world around us. And rather than utilise God's 00:02:52.780 --> 00:02:55.099 power which is there, we convince ourselves, 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:56.939 oh no, I'm strong enough to handle it, I'll be 00:02:56.939 --> 00:03:01.300 fine, I'll be fine, when we won't be. Or we get 00:03:01.300 --> 00:03:05.000 downhearted. Things don't go as expected in our 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:09.259 life. We feel bitter and disillusioned with God. 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:14.129 We get in a rut spiritually. And whilst God's 00:03:14.129 --> 00:03:16.930 power is there to comfort us and strengthen us, 00:03:17.189 --> 00:03:22.490 we don't access that power. See, God's power 00:03:22.490 --> 00:03:26.030 often sits there idle, just like that solar farm, 00:03:26.889 --> 00:03:29.569 because we don't access it anywhere near the 00:03:29.569 --> 00:03:33.430 amount we should. And if you're here today and 00:03:33.430 --> 00:03:35.189 you're not yet a Christian, you might be thinking, 00:03:35.830 --> 00:03:37.810 well, you know, that's all well and good. You 00:03:37.810 --> 00:03:40.590 guys believe in this powerful God and whatever. 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:43.659 It sounds like a bit of a psychological crutch 00:03:43.659 --> 00:03:47.120 to me. If that's you, I hope you'll keep listening 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:49.780 too. I want to show it's not. I want to show 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:52.639 you it's the most amazing power you've ever encountered. 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:56.759 Because today I want to show you how real and 00:03:56.759 --> 00:04:00.960 how great God's power actually is. I want to 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:05.080 show you how important it is for our lives. And 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:07.620 I want to show you how to access it and keep 00:04:07.620 --> 00:04:11.080 accessing it. Here's the big thing we're going 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:15.979 to see from our passage today. God's power transforms 00:04:15.979 --> 00:04:21.740 our lives when we're invited in by prayer. God's 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:24.939 power transforms our lives when we're invited 00:04:24.939 --> 00:04:28.160 in by prayer. And there's three things we're 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:30.740 going to see in our passage about how to pray 00:04:30.740 --> 00:04:35.420 about God's power. Pray to our powerful Father. 00:04:36.750 --> 00:04:41.149 we pray for the Spirit's power within us and 00:04:41.149 --> 00:04:44.910 we pray for power to grasp Christ's love. It's 00:04:44.910 --> 00:04:47.310 just another one of those awesome Trinitarian 00:04:47.310 --> 00:04:50.509 passages in Ephesians, isn't it? Pray to our 00:04:50.509 --> 00:04:52.930 powerful Father, pray for the Spirit's power 00:04:52.930 --> 00:04:56.470 within us and pray for power to grasp Christ's 00:04:56.470 --> 00:04:59.290 love. So let's have a look at the first one. 00:04:59.810 --> 00:05:04.339 Pray to our powerful Father. I mean, how can 00:05:04.339 --> 00:05:07.519 you be sure prayer even does anything? Is it 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:10.740 just me with my cup of coffee and my hands together 00:05:10.740 --> 00:05:13.740 looking at the roof? Like, is it just me and 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:18.079 the roof? No. No, it's powerful. And not because 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:21.660 prayer is a magical trick or technique or some 00:05:21.660 --> 00:05:26.079 psychological hack. Prayer is powerful because 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:30.720 of who you're praying to. God is living and active. 00:05:30.939 --> 00:05:37.420 He's strong and mighty. And this reality inspires 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:42.480 us to pray and changes us as we pray. Take a 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:47.360 look at verse 14 with me. For this reason I kneel 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:51.480 before the Father from whom every family in heaven 00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:56.259 and on earth derives its name. It's saying God 00:05:56.259 --> 00:06:01.449 is the source of everything. All names, all families, 00:06:01.509 --> 00:06:05.750 they sovereignly come from him. I mean, Adam 00:06:05.750 --> 00:06:11.389 named the animals. Parents name their kids. I 00:06:11.389 --> 00:06:13.990 named my firstborn, Ethan James. I was trying 00:06:13.990 --> 00:06:16.149 to get as many spy names in there as I could. 00:06:16.649 --> 00:06:19.509 Ethan Hunt, James Bond. I couldn't get Jason 00:06:19.509 --> 00:06:22.149 Bourne in, but you know, maybe we'll have another 00:06:22.149 --> 00:06:27.050 one. I don't know. But it was, naming is a sign 00:06:27.050 --> 00:06:30.350 of care and authority, isn't it? That's that's 00:06:30.350 --> 00:06:32.629 when someone gets to name someone else. It's 00:06:32.629 --> 00:06:36.089 a sign of care It's a sign of authority and ownership 00:06:36.089 --> 00:06:38.569 of that person. They belong to you. They belong 00:06:38.569 --> 00:06:44.449 to your family and In 3 9 in Ephesians we see 00:06:44.449 --> 00:06:47.449 that the God we worship is the God who created 00:06:47.449 --> 00:06:52.910 all things So he cares for us. He's got authority 00:06:52.910 --> 00:06:56.649 over us. We belong to him, but his power is unmatched 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:00.639 And that's why Paul says in verse 20, that amazing 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:16.839 verse, God's answers to our prayers will exceed 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:21.620 our asks. You know, AI, if you've ever used AI, 00:07:21.819 --> 00:07:25.779 it can do some amazing things, can't it? Even 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:28.240 AI couldn't work out the amazing things that 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:32.680 God is doing. He's infinitely wise, infinitely 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:37.480 powerful. And he's proven it, hasn't he? Because 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:42.079 it's according to the power in us. What's that 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:46.959 power? In chapter one we learnt that that power 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:51.199 is resurrection power. It's the same power that 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:55.339 raised Christ from the dead. and seated him in 00:07:55.339 --> 00:07:57.920 the heavenly places. And it's the same power 00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:02.600 that spiritually raises us from the dead. That 00:08:02.600 --> 00:08:05.420 God could take sinners who were shaking their 00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:07.339 fists at him going, I want nothing to do with 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:09.839 you. I've bought Satan's lie. I want to live 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:13.319 life my own way and do my own thing. That's the 00:08:13.319 --> 00:08:17.579 best way to live. That he could take them and 00:08:17.579 --> 00:08:20.699 turn them around. and make them go, yes, I want 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:23.259 to worship you God, you're the best, you save 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:25.620 me, you love me, you're the most amazing God. 00:08:27.660 --> 00:08:32.120 That's incredible power. And nothing is impossible 00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:35.100 for God. He's the creator, he's the redeemer. 00:08:35.700 --> 00:08:40.259 Nothing is impossible for him. And nothing could 00:08:40.259 --> 00:08:43.759 be better than the answers he gives us when we 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:48.250 pray. Nothing could be better than what he's 00:08:48.250 --> 00:08:53.210 doing in the world. You probably know the US 00:08:53.210 --> 00:08:56.590 President has a briefcase that follows him around 00:08:56.590 --> 00:08:59.809 wherever he goes. It's called the nuclear football. 00:09:00.610 --> 00:09:03.990 He can call on nukes to be launched anywhere 00:09:03.990 --> 00:09:07.750 at any time. I mean, that's power, isn't it? 00:09:08.570 --> 00:09:11.610 I don't know why they keep voting in the sort 00:09:11.610 --> 00:09:14.169 of people they vote in to have that power, but 00:09:14.169 --> 00:09:18.970 anyway. You want someone really good with that 00:09:18.970 --> 00:09:21.970 power, don't you? Because you can wipe out cities 00:09:21.970 --> 00:09:27.289 just like that. And yet even that power is limited 00:09:27.289 --> 00:09:32.490 in its strength. It's only destructive, isn't 00:09:32.490 --> 00:09:37.409 it? It's not constructive power. And it's very 00:09:37.409 --> 00:09:40.470 excessive power. You can't get a proportional 00:09:40.470 --> 00:09:43.429 response with that sort of power. Actually, it's 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:45.889 a really bad idea to use that sort of power because 00:09:45.889 --> 00:09:48.610 there'll be huge consequences if used poorly. 00:09:50.409 --> 00:09:53.090 You know, you think, yeah, that's power. Nukes 00:09:53.090 --> 00:09:57.529 are powerful. But compare it with praying to 00:09:57.529 --> 00:10:02.409 our powerful God. Do you think that praying to 00:10:02.409 --> 00:10:04.529 our powerful God is more powerful than being 00:10:04.529 --> 00:10:10.169 able to launch nukes? It is. Because when you 00:10:10.169 --> 00:10:13.470 pray to our God, he's going to honour and bless 00:10:13.470 --> 00:10:16.509 those prayers and use them for good. His actions 00:10:16.509 --> 00:10:19.269 are good and constructive, his actions will be 00:10:19.269 --> 00:10:21.669 proportionate to what is needed, he will bring 00:10:21.669 --> 00:10:25.750 about the best outcome and when we pray it always 00:10:25.750 --> 00:10:27.769 works not because our prayers are so good but 00:10:27.769 --> 00:10:32.389 because our God is so good. He's the one who's 00:10:32.389 --> 00:10:35.029 wise, he's the one who's in control and he's 00:10:35.029 --> 00:10:39.830 infinitely powerful. What could be more powerful 00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:43.820 than praying to him? to invite Him into your 00:10:43.820 --> 00:10:46.639 life to act. If you do that, it's only going 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:50.419 to go well, isn't it? I think too often we make 00:10:50.419 --> 00:10:53.539 prayer the last resort rather than the first 00:10:53.539 --> 00:10:58.460 resort, isn't it? We need to pray to our powerful 00:10:58.460 --> 00:11:02.240 God more because He will do more than we ask, 00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:07.820 think or imagine. My dear mum who's here today, 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:11.960 she got divorced when I was three. And I can't 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:14.919 remember if I did, but as a kid, I'm sure I would 00:11:14.919 --> 00:11:18.100 have been praying then that my parents would 00:11:18.100 --> 00:11:21.940 have got back together. But you know, from my 00:11:21.940 --> 00:11:24.600 divorce, sorry, from my mum's divorce, it meant 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:28.279 my mum went back to church and her faith reignited. 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:31.860 And that meant for me, I got dragged along to 00:11:31.860 --> 00:11:33.460 church. It might have been kicking and screaming, 00:11:33.460 --> 00:11:38.740 but I still went. And I became a Christian. And 00:11:38.740 --> 00:11:42.029 I found hope. and meaning and a loving father 00:11:42.029 --> 00:11:46.850 better than anything I'd ever imagined. What 00:11:46.850 --> 00:11:50.429 God gave me exceeded what I would have asked 00:11:50.429 --> 00:11:54.990 for and it always will when we pray to him because 00:11:54.990 --> 00:12:00.389 he's that good and that amazing. But one of the 00:12:00.389 --> 00:12:02.870 reasons I think Christians slide into prayerlessness 00:12:02.870 --> 00:12:07.590 and look confession time at least I do I think 00:12:07.590 --> 00:12:09.730 the reason I struggle to pray sometimes is because 00:12:09.730 --> 00:12:13.970 it feels like God says no. Or that he does very 00:12:13.970 --> 00:12:17.409 little. That he's going to do less than I ask 00:12:17.409 --> 00:12:21.590 for or imagine. What do you do then? What do 00:12:21.590 --> 00:12:23.669 you do then if you're feeling like that? If you're 00:12:23.669 --> 00:12:27.830 there going, I'm struggling to believe prayer 00:12:27.830 --> 00:12:32.830 is even doing anything. Well, my answer might 00:12:32.830 --> 00:12:37.460 surprise you. Don't white -knuckle it. Don't 00:12:37.460 --> 00:12:41.340 just push through and keep praying. I'd want 00:12:41.340 --> 00:12:45.539 to suggest you stop praying for a second. Briefly 00:12:45.539 --> 00:12:50.860 pause and take the time to remember who you're 00:12:50.860 --> 00:12:55.440 praying to. The God you're praying to is the 00:12:55.440 --> 00:13:00.799 one who made and rules all. He's the God who 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:04.000 did more than we can ask or think at the cross, 00:13:04.139 --> 00:13:07.629 didn't he? in sending his own dear son to die 00:13:07.629 --> 00:13:11.470 for our sins and bring us into eternal life. 00:13:11.509 --> 00:13:14.250 He's done more than we could ask or think in 00:13:14.250 --> 00:13:16.590 creating the church, in creating a church of 00:13:16.590 --> 00:13:19.210 people from all nations and all tribes united 00:13:19.210 --> 00:13:23.590 in Jesus. And I'm sure if you look at it, he's 00:13:23.590 --> 00:13:25.730 done incredible things in your life that you 00:13:25.730 --> 00:13:28.490 can remember. Things that at the time looked 00:13:28.490 --> 00:13:31.350 horrible and you went, I can't understand why 00:13:31.350 --> 00:13:34.299 God is doing this. And then... Years later, you 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:36.139 look back in the rear view mirror and you go, 00:13:36.299 --> 00:13:41.679 oh, I get it now. And you let those truths sink 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:46.200 in. And you thank God for them. And then you 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:49.740 start praying again. Because you're praying from 00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:55.200 a different mindset, aren't you? See, if you 00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:58.659 know that God is that good, that wise, that powerful, 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:02.980 it will make you more prayerful and more bold. 00:14:03.179 --> 00:14:08.799 in prayer. But not only that, it'll also change 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:11.480 what you pray for. Yes, pray to our powerful 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:14.460 Father. See that He's a powerful Father and pray 00:14:14.460 --> 00:14:18.080 to Him. But also, pray for the Spirit's power 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:21.480 within us. Pray for the Spirit's power within 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:26.159 us. Come with me to verse 16. Paul says there, 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:29.620 I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:32.100 strengthen you with power through His Spirit 00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:35.820 in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:41.240 in your hearts through faith." So Paul is praying 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:44.840 for them to be strengthened inwardly, spiritually. 00:14:46.059 --> 00:14:48.960 How? What's it mean to be strengthened like that? 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:53.200 He's saying, I want you to continue to believe 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:57.000 in the gospel. I want you to have a faith that 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:00.100 stays strong by trusting in the riches of God's 00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:03.990 glorious grace. He's praying that they'd keep 00:15:03.990 --> 00:15:08.049 going as Christians. That Christ would dwell 00:15:08.049 --> 00:15:10.309 in their hearts. I mean at one level, if you're 00:15:10.309 --> 00:15:12.330 a Christian, Christ is dwelling in your hearts. 00:15:12.769 --> 00:15:15.570 So why would he be praying that again? Because 00:15:15.570 --> 00:15:18.649 he's saying, I want it to keep going. I mean, 00:15:18.710 --> 00:15:21.169 this is temple language, Christ dwelling in your 00:15:21.169 --> 00:15:25.429 hearts. He's trying to say, I want you to be 00:15:25.429 --> 00:15:30.330 a fitting place for Jesus to live. It's praying 00:15:30.330 --> 00:15:33.529 that Christ would be so deeply established in 00:15:33.529 --> 00:15:36.409 their hearts and would be so at the center of 00:15:36.409 --> 00:15:42.309 their lives that their lives just reek of Jesus. 00:15:43.549 --> 00:15:46.429 And this is pretty key. It's bridging the next 00:15:46.429 --> 00:15:49.870 section. So the first half of Ephesians is all 00:15:49.870 --> 00:15:53.389 about how God creates our unity in Christ, but 00:15:53.389 --> 00:15:56.389 then the second half is all about how we maintain 00:15:56.389 --> 00:16:00.639 our unity in Christ. And this is the bridge to 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:04.059 that. He's been talking about the identity we 00:16:04.059 --> 00:16:06.580 have in Christ in chapters one to three, but 00:16:06.580 --> 00:16:08.700 now in the second half, he's gonna start to talk 00:16:08.700 --> 00:16:10.799 about how we live it out. And if we're gonna 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:14.740 do that, we need to pray, don't we? We need God's 00:16:14.740 --> 00:16:20.000 help to help us live out our new identity. And 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:23.500 so praying that Christ would be so at home, so 00:16:23.500 --> 00:16:26.740 present in us, that it changes our lives, that's 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:29.039 the right thing to be praying for, isn't it? 00:16:31.179 --> 00:16:34.710 When we move to Cairns... We moved into Trevor 00:16:34.710 --> 00:16:37.970 and Sue's house and they left it really, really 00:16:37.970 --> 00:16:40.809 nice for us, actually, if I'm honest. But now 00:16:40.809 --> 00:16:43.169 that we're new occupants living in their house, 00:16:43.389 --> 00:16:45.629 some things have changed. If you were to come 00:16:45.629 --> 00:16:48.389 to our house, you would find there's a lot more 00:16:48.389 --> 00:16:51.190 toys than maybe they would have had, a lot more 00:16:51.190 --> 00:16:55.129 bunk beds, a lot more monkey bars. Trevor's office 00:16:55.129 --> 00:16:59.070 has now become the kids' Lego room. And you'd 00:16:59.070 --> 00:17:01.149 find there's a lot more divots in the front lawn 00:17:01.149 --> 00:17:04.950 from where I've practiced my golf swing. I mean, 00:17:04.970 --> 00:17:07.170 that's just what happens when someone new moves 00:17:07.170 --> 00:17:12.009 in. They reside there and the house changes to 00:17:12.009 --> 00:17:16.410 match who they are. And it's the same as Jesus 00:17:16.410 --> 00:17:21.150 moves into you as a person. If he resides in 00:17:21.150 --> 00:17:25.029 you, everything about you starts to change, doesn't 00:17:25.029 --> 00:17:29.700 it? Your life starts to change. And it takes 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:32.799 strength for that to happen. It takes strength 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:36.240 to do that work of changing everything so that 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:39.819 it's fitting for Jesus. And it's the same with 00:17:39.819 --> 00:17:43.119 us. That's why we pray for God's Spirit to strengthen 00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:46.660 us so that he can renovate and transform our 00:17:46.660 --> 00:17:50.819 hearts to make us as people a fitting place for 00:17:50.819 --> 00:17:54.859 Jesus to live. I mean, that's the Spirit's work. 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:58.589 It's crucial work. especially when our hearts 00:17:58.589 --> 00:18:02.230 tend to be so sinful and we're so susceptible 00:18:02.230 --> 00:18:06.710 to Satan's schemes. We need the Spirit's help 00:18:06.710 --> 00:18:12.089 to help us be strong, to create a place where 00:18:12.089 --> 00:18:16.990 Jesus can live within us. But this work will 00:18:16.990 --> 00:18:22.750 stall and stagnate if we don't pray. Yet so often, 00:18:23.299 --> 00:18:26.099 Prayer for this sort of stuff. I know in my life 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:29.240 slides into the background Because there's all 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:31.700 these other things that seem so urgent and important 00:18:31.700 --> 00:18:37.059 and pressing That bills coming in Let's pray 00:18:37.059 --> 00:18:40.359 for money with that or is there that promotion 00:18:40.359 --> 00:18:42.880 coming? I want to pray about that. I've got a 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:45.380 health issue Let's pray about that. Oh, there's 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:47.759 a bit of friction in that, you know We're dealing 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:50.359 with this kid and he's doing this thing. Okay, 00:18:50.359 --> 00:18:54.059 let's pray about that And yes, those are important 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:59.299 things to pray about. But what's the most important? 00:19:01.059 --> 00:19:03.460 It's to pray that our hearts would keep being 00:19:03.460 --> 00:19:07.359 transformed, isn't it? Praying for our hearts 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:09.640 to be transformed more than our circumstances, 00:19:09.779 --> 00:19:12.839 that is the key. Yes, pray about your circumstances, 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:17.299 but pray more for your heart. Pray through your 00:19:17.299 --> 00:19:20.779 feelings, your beliefs, your thoughts. pray that 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:24.000 you'd change. It might be something like this, 00:19:24.180 --> 00:19:27.119 Father, please may your spirit strengthen me 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:32.339 so I am more content, joyful, wise and generous 00:19:32.339 --> 00:19:38.220 when money is tight. Or, Father, please help 00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:41.240 me that I would work well in my job as if I was 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:43.680 serving Christ even when my boss is being a jerk. 00:19:44.210 --> 00:19:46.630 Even if I don't get that promotion and I feel 00:19:46.630 --> 00:19:49.269 stuck in my job, help me to trust that you're 00:19:49.269 --> 00:19:54.789 in control. Father, help me to be kind and patient 00:19:54.789 --> 00:19:58.309 and not bitter when my health is crashing. Help 00:19:58.309 --> 00:20:02.329 me to keep my hope strong in that one day my 00:20:02.329 --> 00:20:04.730 health will be perfect when I see you forever. 00:20:06.869 --> 00:20:11.990 Father, help me to see the problems I bring to 00:20:11.990 --> 00:20:15.630 the different relationships I'm in. Not just 00:20:15.630 --> 00:20:18.069 to see the other things that other people are 00:20:18.069 --> 00:20:21.589 doing. Help me to see my part and help me to 00:20:21.589 --> 00:20:26.630 change. Praying prayers like that, that's real 00:20:26.630 --> 00:20:30.750 power, isn't it? Praying prayers like that to 00:20:30.750 --> 00:20:35.950 a powerful God, that does something. They're 00:20:35.950 --> 00:20:39.950 prayers that change you deeply. But we aren't 00:20:39.950 --> 00:20:42.250 just to pray for our individual inner change. 00:20:42.309 --> 00:20:44.809 There's another thing we're to pray for. We're 00:20:44.809 --> 00:20:49.490 to pray for power to grasp Christ's love. We're 00:20:49.490 --> 00:20:53.049 to pray for power to grasp Christ's love. Have 00:20:53.049 --> 00:20:55.190 a look with me at the second half of verse 17 00:20:55.190 --> 00:20:58.470 there. So he says, so that Christ may dwell in 00:20:58.470 --> 00:21:00.349 your hearts, here's his prayer, through faith, 00:21:00.410 --> 00:21:03.829 and I pray that you being rooted and established 00:21:03.829 --> 00:21:07.630 in love may have power together with all the 00:21:07.630 --> 00:21:12.170 Lord's people to grasp. how wide and long and 00:21:12.170 --> 00:21:15.970 high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know 00:21:15.970 --> 00:21:18.470 this love that surpasses knowledge, that you 00:21:18.470 --> 00:21:20.990 may be filled to the measure of all the fullness 00:21:20.990 --> 00:21:27.789 of God. Hallelujah. So he's saying, Paul's praying 00:21:27.789 --> 00:21:30.710 that they'd be rooted, think soil, that they'd 00:21:30.710 --> 00:21:34.269 be able to grow and flourish. And he says that 00:21:34.269 --> 00:21:37.490 they'd be grounded. Think foundation of a building. 00:21:37.869 --> 00:21:42.349 rooted and grounded in love. He's praying for 00:21:42.349 --> 00:21:47.430 a culture of love, an environment of love. And 00:21:47.430 --> 00:21:51.089 that should be our prayer too. Actually, funnily 00:21:51.089 --> 00:21:54.410 enough, it's in our vision for 2030. We pray 00:21:54.410 --> 00:21:56.829 our church would double in size to 200 people 00:21:56.829 --> 00:22:01.930 because we're growing in love. We're praying 00:22:01.930 --> 00:22:04.589 for a culture of love. And who wouldn't want 00:22:04.589 --> 00:22:08.319 to be in a community that loves deeply, a community 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:13.359 where each member loves like Jesus does. The 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:17.339 church I grew up in, it was a place of amazing 00:22:17.339 --> 00:22:20.799 love. It's a small little church of about 60 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:25.380 people. We had a lot of young guys there who 00:22:25.380 --> 00:22:28.119 had some tricky family things and we had, there 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:30.980 was this one particular guy, Nathan, he was just 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:34.180 like a father figure to many of us. It was so 00:22:34.180 --> 00:22:38.559 loving. And there was just immense generosity 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:40.859 from different people, but also their willingness 00:22:40.859 --> 00:22:43.460 to have hard conversations when they needed to 00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:46.519 be had. And it was a safe place, a place where 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:49.960 you felt loved, cared for and secure. There was 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:52.819 forgiveness and growth, there was people sharing 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:55.700 life in each other's homes, people owning their 00:22:55.700 --> 00:22:59.279 mistakes, people being humble. And I think of 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:02.289 here too. I think this is a loving church. I've 00:23:02.289 --> 00:23:05.109 been here a year. I've found it to be a very 00:23:05.109 --> 00:23:07.869 loving church. I've seen the way people give 00:23:07.869 --> 00:23:10.690 each other meals. I've seen the way people have 00:23:10.690 --> 00:23:13.750 supported each other through things like cancer 00:23:13.750 --> 00:23:17.130 and other hardships and other pain. I've seen 00:23:17.130 --> 00:23:20.150 the encouragement and the prayer and the serving 00:23:20.150 --> 00:23:25.049 that people give to one another. Now, contrast 00:23:25.049 --> 00:23:27.369 those two churches with the Sydney Swans right 00:23:27.369 --> 00:23:32.740 now. Yes, you can talk to me about the Sydney 00:23:32.740 --> 00:23:35.359 Swans at the moment. I am a Sydney fan. I know 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:40.319 it is horrible. It is an awful situation Because 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:43.380 of these five toxic and selfish players now, 00:23:43.380 --> 00:23:46.779 I don't know exactly what happened or what was 00:23:46.779 --> 00:23:51.380 done But they had players on their team who'd 00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:53.880 been in four losing grand finals who were going 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:58.299 for another tilt at the Premiership Love wouldn't 00:23:58.299 --> 00:24:02.279 have done what they did, would it? And you know 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:04.339 what? It's going to be really hard for the players 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:07.339 in the club right now as they try and work out 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:09.700 this whole thing of, did these players come back 00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:13.900 or not? What would love do? How do you forgive 00:24:13.900 --> 00:24:16.640 in this situation? How do you make the other 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:19.660 players feel safe and the women's team feel safe 00:24:19.660 --> 00:24:22.019 when all this has happened? How do you? I'm glad 00:24:22.019 --> 00:24:26.150 I don't have to work that one out. But see, a 00:24:26.150 --> 00:24:29.769 footy club, they tend to focus on professionalism 00:24:29.769 --> 00:24:35.230 and discipline. But love? That's tricky for a 00:24:35.230 --> 00:24:39.690 footy club. Because how can you have love? What 00:24:39.690 --> 00:24:42.210 would unite a footy club in a loving way? What 00:24:42.210 --> 00:24:45.309 creates a culture of love? Well, Paul tells us 00:24:45.309 --> 00:24:47.569 here what creates a culture of love for churches. 00:24:48.910 --> 00:24:52.190 It's Christ's love. Did you see it in verses 00:24:52.190 --> 00:24:56.349 18 and 19? Just have a read of it again. That 00:24:56.349 --> 00:24:58.589 you may have power together with all the Lord's 00:24:58.589 --> 00:25:01.630 holy people to grasp how wide and long and high 00:25:01.630 --> 00:25:03.849 and deep is the love of Christ and to know this 00:25:03.849 --> 00:25:06.569 love that surpasses knowledge that you may be 00:25:06.569 --> 00:25:08.230 filled to the measure of all the fullness of 00:25:08.230 --> 00:25:11.670 God. What will create a culture of love? It's 00:25:11.670 --> 00:25:16.309 Christ's love. And we need power, we need strength 00:25:16.309 --> 00:25:21.849 to grasp and know Christ's love. Really? Why 00:25:21.849 --> 00:25:27.329 is it that hard to receive love? Well, yeah. 00:25:28.569 --> 00:25:31.390 Because comprehending and receiving and experiencing 00:25:31.390 --> 00:25:35.829 love is not actually easy. See, our sinful nature 00:25:35.829 --> 00:25:38.470 keeps trying to poke holes in Christ's love. 00:25:39.609 --> 00:25:41.869 It's always whispering in our ear, oh, you can't 00:25:41.869 --> 00:25:46.180 trust Christ's love. Your sin is too great. Oh, 00:25:46.180 --> 00:25:48.299 Jesus hasn't really got your best interests at 00:25:48.299 --> 00:25:50.539 heart. You'd be better off if you do it your 00:25:50.539 --> 00:25:55.099 own way. And the Spirit needs to keep powerfully 00:25:55.099 --> 00:25:59.519 reminding us that Christ's love is true and sufficient 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:03.920 and beautiful. And the other reason that we need 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:06.759 power and strength to grasp Christ's love is 00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:10.420 that His love is so great. Did you see it there? 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:15.450 It surpasses knowledge. The dimensions of his 00:26:15.450 --> 00:26:18.309 love, its height, its length, its width and depth, 00:26:18.650 --> 00:26:21.809 they're incalculable. There's always more to 00:26:21.809 --> 00:26:25.430 see, more to learn, more to experience. The closest 00:26:25.430 --> 00:26:28.829 picture I've got is it's like snorkeling on the 00:26:28.829 --> 00:26:33.029 Great Barrier Reef. I mean, it's a joy to see, 00:26:33.170 --> 00:26:36.109 doesn't it? It's just so good, but it takes energy. 00:26:36.509 --> 00:26:39.710 It takes energy because it's so vast and you 00:26:39.710 --> 00:26:41.950 could be swimming around all day and kicking 00:26:41.950 --> 00:26:44.670 with your flippers and looking around and you'd 00:26:44.670 --> 00:26:46.970 go, wow, I still haven't seen everything. There's 00:26:46.970 --> 00:26:51.150 more to see, isn't there? Or think of astronauts 00:26:51.150 --> 00:26:54.269 going out into space in a rocket ship. There's 00:26:54.269 --> 00:26:56.210 always more to see, isn't there? Well, we've 00:26:56.210 --> 00:26:59.309 done the moon. Been there, done that. What's 00:26:59.309 --> 00:27:02.490 next? Let's go to Mars. You know, that takes 00:27:02.490 --> 00:27:05.000 a lot of energy, takes a lot of effort. But it's 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:07.539 worth it because there's great things to discover. 00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:13.240 Well, Christ's love is like that. It's immeasurably 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:17.920 incalculable. I mean, think about Christ's love 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:22.740 for a second. Think about how undeserved it is. 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:27.220 That's incalculable, isn't it? How undeserved 00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:29.960 Christ's love for us is. Think how costly it 00:27:29.960 --> 00:27:33.650 was for Jesus. Could you ever grasp or measure 00:27:33.650 --> 00:27:36.789 or comprehend how costly it was for Jesus to 00:27:36.789 --> 00:27:39.730 experience the full weight of God's wrath as 00:27:39.730 --> 00:27:45.049 he hung on the cross? Think of the benefits of 00:27:45.049 --> 00:27:49.109 Christ's love. Think about how amazing it is 00:27:49.109 --> 00:27:52.650 that you can have eternal life in glory and paradise 00:27:52.650 --> 00:27:56.930 with the ruler of the universe. What could be 00:27:56.930 --> 00:27:59.599 better than that? You could... Spend your whole 00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:01.720 life trying to calculate it, and you'd never 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:04.339 be able to fully grasp how good it's going to 00:28:04.339 --> 00:28:09.940 be. And think how steadfast Christ's love is. 00:28:10.299 --> 00:28:15.019 How loyal. That he doesn't just love you at the 00:28:15.019 --> 00:28:17.400 start, and then if you keep going really well, 00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:19.319 he'll keep loving. No, he loves you through the 00:28:19.319 --> 00:28:23.900 ups and downs, doesn't he? You could spend a 00:28:23.900 --> 00:28:26.980 lifetime swimming around Christ's love, swimming 00:28:26.980 --> 00:28:31.559 in it, and there'd still be new wonders and depths 00:28:31.559 --> 00:28:36.460 to discover, wouldn't there? But sometimes our 00:28:36.460 --> 00:28:40.200 problem is we're so busy that we stop reflecting 00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:44.140 on the magnitude of Christ's love. It's like 00:28:44.140 --> 00:28:46.400 that power station in Broken Hill, that solar 00:28:46.400 --> 00:28:50.599 plant. It's there, but we just don't access it. 00:28:51.359 --> 00:28:54.380 And we go, well, why am I feeling so far from 00:28:54.380 --> 00:28:58.299 God right now? Why am I being so unloving to 00:28:58.299 --> 00:29:00.940 other people? Why do I feel flat as a Christian? 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:05.240 And it's because we've stopped trying to comprehend 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:11.319 Christ's incomprehensible love. That love is 00:29:11.319 --> 00:29:14.619 everything. It fuels our joy. It shapes our ethics. 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:17.400 It inspires our worship. It unites our church. 00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:20.220 It comforts our griefs. It heals our wounds. 00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:26.509 It calms our fears. But it takes strength from 00:29:26.509 --> 00:29:32.029 the spirit to take that love to heart. To keep 00:29:32.029 --> 00:29:37.369 trying to grasp how great that love is. And without 00:29:37.369 --> 00:29:39.829 God's enabling, we will be distracted. We'll 00:29:39.829 --> 00:29:43.910 be resistant. We'll be unsure of it. And that's 00:29:43.910 --> 00:29:48.210 why we need to pray about it. Pray that we'd 00:29:48.210 --> 00:29:55.130 have the power to grasp Christ's love. I don't 00:29:55.130 --> 00:29:58.250 know what you do for a prayer habit, but is there 00:29:58.250 --> 00:30:00.569 some way you can have that as something you pray 00:30:00.569 --> 00:30:05.950 for every single day? Maybe just try it for a 00:30:05.950 --> 00:30:08.329 month or two months or something like that. Crack 00:30:08.329 --> 00:30:11.549 open this bit in Ephesians and just use it as 00:30:11.549 --> 00:30:16.430 a template for your prayers. Just pause, remember 00:30:16.430 --> 00:30:20.009 how much Christ has done for you. Remember the 00:30:20.009 --> 00:30:23.799 benefits, the cost. how undeserved, the loyalty 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:29.259 he's shown you, and pray about it. Find some 00:30:29.259 --> 00:30:34.220 way to do this consistently because it will transform 00:30:34.220 --> 00:30:37.759 you and strengthen you in the most amazing ways. 00:30:40.940 --> 00:30:44.220 All right, let's tie some threads together. We've 00:30:44.220 --> 00:30:46.680 seen today that there's power from God that we 00:30:46.680 --> 00:30:50.779 need. Power that transforms our lives in a myriad 00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:55.900 of ways. And this power exists, it's there. But 00:30:55.900 --> 00:30:59.200 our problem is we often don't prioritise accessing 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:03.460 it. We need to pray to our powerful Father. We 00:31:03.460 --> 00:31:05.759 need to pray for the Spirit's power within us. 00:31:06.039 --> 00:31:09.759 We need to pray for power to grasp Christ's love. 00:31:10.440 --> 00:31:14.559 Sum it all up, God's power transforms our lives 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:19.819 when we invite it in by prayer. So how's all 00:31:19.819 --> 00:31:23.480 this play out in our lives? Well, if you're here 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:27.640 today and you're not yet a Christian, is God's 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:31.400 power a psychological crutch? And I want to say 00:31:31.400 --> 00:31:36.539 to you, yes, I need a crutch to lean on. It's 00:31:36.539 --> 00:31:40.180 not a bad thing. It does do psychological work 00:31:40.180 --> 00:31:44.920 on me. But it's so much more than that because 00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:48.970 it's real and it's true and it's good. Because 00:31:48.970 --> 00:31:52.630 God is real, true and good. And you can access 00:31:52.630 --> 00:31:57.670 it by prayer. And if you've never done that before, 00:31:58.289 --> 00:32:00.829 why not make today the day that you do that? 00:32:01.630 --> 00:32:04.049 Why do you want to keep going in your life without 00:32:04.049 --> 00:32:08.289 such an amazing love? Without such amazing strength? 00:32:09.170 --> 00:32:11.369 Think of all the comfort you're missing out on 00:32:11.369 --> 00:32:15.730 by not having that in your life. So if you've 00:32:15.730 --> 00:32:17.849 never done it before, come up the front today. 00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:22.759 pray up the front with me or whoever's up here 00:32:22.759 --> 00:32:27.119 and pray that you'd experience that love and 00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:31.500 power. But if you're a Christian here today, 00:32:32.180 --> 00:32:36.279 I've got two things for you. The first is we 00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:39.700 need to be people who pray for the gospel to 00:32:39.700 --> 00:32:43.259 go deep. That's what Paul's doing here, isn't 00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:46.819 it? Pray for the gospel to go deep. I mean, this 00:32:46.819 --> 00:32:49.930 is how It works in the structure of Ephesians 00:32:49.930 --> 00:32:53.990 1 -3. Paul talks about how God has blessed us, 00:32:54.289 --> 00:32:56.869 and then he spends time praying that we'd know 00:32:56.869 --> 00:33:00.369 this. And then he talks about how God has united 00:33:00.369 --> 00:33:03.750 us in chapter 2, and then there's a little excursus, 00:33:03.809 --> 00:33:06.130 which is kind of like brackets, you know. But 00:33:06.130 --> 00:33:11.490 then he prays that we'd experience this. Paul's 00:33:11.490 --> 00:33:15.269 modelling to us what we should do. We need to 00:33:15.269 --> 00:33:18.250 access God's power. We need to access that spiritual 00:33:18.250 --> 00:33:20.950 strength. We can't let it just sit there idle. 00:33:21.609 --> 00:33:25.309 We need to pray our theology. We need to pray 00:33:25.309 --> 00:33:28.690 about the truth of the gospel. That's how we 00:33:28.690 --> 00:33:31.589 get it deep into our heart. That's how we strengthen 00:33:31.589 --> 00:33:35.849 ourselves spiritually. So pray for the gospel 00:33:35.849 --> 00:33:39.349 to go deep into your hearts and the hearts of 00:33:39.349 --> 00:33:43.380 everyone here. Pray for a culture of love that's 00:33:43.380 --> 00:33:48.160 driven by Christ's love for us. But I also want 00:33:48.160 --> 00:33:54.299 to say, pray big prayers expectantly. If God 00:33:54.299 --> 00:33:56.859 is the sort of God who can do more than we ask 00:33:56.859 --> 00:34:00.900 or think, that should make us bold in prayer, 00:34:01.079 --> 00:34:04.859 shouldn't it? Our vision is very bold, I think. 00:34:04.880 --> 00:34:09.010 Maybe it's not bold enough, but... For the God 00:34:09.010 --> 00:34:12.090 we have, why wouldn't we pray that we'd see 200 00:34:12.090 --> 00:34:14.829 people here? Why wouldn't we pray that we could 00:34:14.829 --> 00:34:17.949 see a culture of love growing and growing and 00:34:17.949 --> 00:34:21.610 growing? Why wouldn't we pray that that non -Christian 00:34:21.610 --> 00:34:24.530 friend who we think, there is no way they'll 00:34:24.530 --> 00:34:26.130 ever become a Christian, why wouldn't we pray 00:34:26.130 --> 00:34:29.170 that they would become a Christian? That sin 00:34:29.170 --> 00:34:31.510 we think, oh, there's no way I'm ever going to 00:34:31.510 --> 00:34:34.250 overcome that. I'm always going to, no, pray. 00:34:35.070 --> 00:34:39.670 Christ's love will change you. That temptation 00:34:39.670 --> 00:34:42.269 that conflict in church. Oh, there's no way those 00:34:42.269 --> 00:34:44.550 two are ever gonna solve it I mean, do you know 00:34:44.550 --> 00:34:46.329 what they're like? They're stubborn as mule. 00:34:46.590 --> 00:34:51.150 No pray Pray that God's love would change them 00:34:51.150 --> 00:34:55.269 that it would powerfully move in them and It 00:34:55.269 --> 00:34:57.909 may take time. It may not go the way we expect 00:34:57.909 --> 00:35:02.329 but trust that God is so powerful He's doing 00:35:02.329 --> 00:35:07.019 something epic I'd encourage you, if you struggle 00:35:07.019 --> 00:35:09.780 with this, come to Revive Prayer Meeting. Fridays, 00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.500 7am, 119 Camarunga Road. It is so good. I love 00:35:14.500 --> 00:35:17.159 it there. It is just such an encouraging time. 00:35:17.340 --> 00:35:19.199 Come and just spend half an hour praying with 00:35:19.199 --> 00:35:22.219 us. Or pray at home, pray on the way to work, 00:35:22.380 --> 00:35:26.559 pray in growth group, do all those things. But 00:35:26.559 --> 00:35:28.619 if you want to break out of that persistence 00:35:28.619 --> 00:35:33.389 in pattern, it's going to take prayer. If you 00:35:33.389 --> 00:35:35.389 want to be a healing force in your relationships, 00:35:35.469 --> 00:35:37.650 it's gonna take prayer. If you want to say no 00:35:37.650 --> 00:35:40.349 to temptation when its pull is strong, it's gonna 00:35:40.349 --> 00:35:43.510 take prayer. If you're so downhearted and discouraged 00:35:43.510 --> 00:35:45.809 that you're in a massive rut, it's gonna take 00:35:45.809 --> 00:35:49.110 prayer. Prayer that accesses God's power and 00:35:49.110 --> 00:35:52.010 sees Christ's amazing love. And not just once, 00:35:52.429 --> 00:35:56.889 something consistent, isn't it? So what will 00:35:56.889 --> 00:36:03.230 you do? Will you make time to access God's power 00:36:03.230 --> 00:36:11.949 or you let it sit there idle. Let's pray. Gracious 00:36:11.949 --> 00:36:14.730 Heavenly Father, we ask that you would help us 00:36:14.730 --> 00:36:19.150 to be people of prayer. I know it's a struggle 00:36:19.150 --> 00:36:25.969 for me too. Help all of us to pray more, to pray 00:36:25.969 --> 00:36:30.500 gospel -centered prayers. to pray consistently 00:36:30.500 --> 00:36:35.539 and to pray with great confidence that you are 00:36:35.539 --> 00:36:38.760 able to do more than we ask, think or imagine. 00:36:40.280 --> 00:36:42.659 And we thank you that every time we doubt that 00:36:42.659 --> 00:36:47.199 we can look back to the cross and see that you 00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:50.139 have done more than we could have ever asked, 00:36:50.320 --> 00:36:53.760 thought or imagined by sending your son to die 00:36:53.760 --> 00:37:00.219 for us. Please Father. Help us to be people who 00:37:00.219 --> 00:37:03.619 pray to you and who are strengthened by your 00:37:03.619 --> 00:37:07.840 power. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.