The Preeminence of Prayer

The Preeminence of Prayer

Ephesians 1:3 – 23

There is great fear, even despair in the world at this time. COVID-19, the dreaded coronavirus from China has spread across the world. One wave is going through, taking many with it, and now another, reportedly deadlier wave has begun in Asia. In many countries around the world, people are staying home, ordered to do so by their governments. Many are afraid, some are in denial, and some are angry. This is a time when people might do things no one would have imagined of them only a few months ago. Crime is increasing, in spite of laws being enacted ordering people to stay home. All the while, this invisible enemy stalks its prey, spreading sickness, fear… and death.

Ephesians 1:3 – 23

1. THE PREEMINENCE IN PRAYER

GOD — “For Thine is the kingdom…”

Here is the main thing: God is in control. It all belongs to Him. Evil entered the world when the first man, created by God, in the image of God, with a free will like God, chose to sin against God. By that one act, mankind, whom God had given dominion over the Earth to, handed that dominion over to the devil, or Satan. The devil became the god of this world. But God is still in control. Just as there is a limit to how far the waves of the sea can encroach upon the land, God has set a limit on just how far Satan and the evil of man can go. This world is corrupt and that corruption continues to spread, but God owns the kingdom that will last forever. His is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. This corrupt world is not going to last. God is in control. The day is coming when the evil that seems to be so much in control is going to finally be brought down. When the last person in this world to do so enters that kingdom, God’s just judgment will rain down on this world, and all sickness, sin and death will be wiped out.

But we who have trusted in Jesus Christ have a mighty Saviour, who died in our place to take away our sins, who was raised from the dead by the mighty power of God and set at His own right hand in the heavenly places. He is far above all principalities, powers and dominions, both in this world and in the next. He is the head over us, the churches of this world, and the church in heaven of which we all are made a part in Him. What a God! What a Saviour!

I Heavenly Places v 3

  1. It might not seem like it in this world, especially in this present situation, but if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are blessed by God with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

    1. The word translated, “blessed,” in this context is talking about God causing you to prosper, making you happy, bestowing His blessings upon you. These are spiritual blessings and benefits that you enjoy, right now in Christ, who is in heaven.

    2. The reason there are Christians who don’t seem very happy is a lack of realization of their position in Christ. Christian, you are already seated spiritually in the heaven with Christ. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. You already have eternal life! This present life with all its troubles is just temporary.

II Chosen v 4,12

  1. Underline verse 4. Christian, you are seated with Christ in the heavenlies because God chose you before the foundation of the world! He chose to make you holy and blameless before Him in love.

    1. In other words, God chose to take away all your sins because He loves you! He planned to take away all your sins and make you holy, even before He created the world!

  2. Underline verse 12. This proves the foreknowledge of God. He chose you from before the creation of the world, because He already knew you would put your faith in Jesus Christ.

    1. God has chosen to make all who put their faith in Jesus Christ holy and blameless. Christian, He knew you before He created the world and He predestinated you to the highest standing in eternity of any creatures, to be children of the King!

III Predestinated vv5,6

      1. Christian, God has predestinated you to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto Himself! It is the good pleasure of His will to do this.

        1. Does this mean that God chose you at some time in the distant past as one of the people he would save, while he chose not to save millions or even billions of others? Not at all!

        2. The Bible says that if you put your faith in Jesus Christ to take away your sins, you are saved and you are “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.” 1 Peter 1:2

          1. God knew from before the foundation of the world who would put their faith in Jesus Christ and He predestinated all whom He knew would be saved to become His children. “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:13

          2. Christian, when you turned from your own way to God by faith in Jesus Christ, He made you acceptable! You and I have done nothing. God gave us a gift and when we simply accepted it, He washed away our sins and made us acceptable in the beloved, which is Jesus Christ.

IV Redemption 7,14

      1. We have redemption in Jesus Christ through His blood, the forgiveness of all our sins. We were naturally sold out to sin; Christ redeemed us, bought us back, by His blood.

      2. Why blood? Your life is in your blood (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:11; Deuteronomy 12:23).

        1. When you sin, you make yourself a god above Almighty God, because you choose at that point to reject his authority. It is impossible to weigh just how serious it is to reject the Creator of all things, who has offered you His love. The Bible says that the penalty is death. That is separation from the body in this world and separation from God thereafter.

        2. The only way for human beings to be redeemed, for all have sinned (Romans 3:23), is for a perfect life to be given in place of yours. Blood must be shed to redeem you! But God Himself, the Righteous Son, became man and His perfect blood was shed for you. His life was given for yours. It is a gift. When you accept His gift, He saves you by His grace. He has done it all for you.

V Sealed 13 (Eternal security)

  1. You cannot lose your salvation! Some teach that you can, but the Bible tells us, right here in verse 13, that you can’t lose your salvation. You are sealed by God the Holy Spirit.

    1. Then look at verse 14. You are sealed until when? Until the redemption of the purchased possession! That is you, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. You have been redeemed, but the redemption is not complete until we meet Jesus in the air! There is simply no place in there for you to lose your salvation! What a Saviour! What a God!

VI Inheritance 11,14

  1. We have an inheritance. The Holy Spirit seals us until we meet Jesus; this is the “earnest” – or down payment of our inheritance. In other words, this is the guarantee that we will receive the inheritance! Once again, this is proof that no truly born again child of God can lose his or her salvation!

  2. We have an inheritance, but what an inheritance it is! “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:16,17 Imagine, Christian! We are joint-heirs with Jesus!

VII The Kingdom 15 – 23

  1. “For thine is the kingdom.” Verses 15 to 23 describe this kingdom we have an inheritance in. This is the kingdom that belongs to God. God owns it all. When we pray, we ought to pray recognizing that everything belongs to God and works according to His perfect will. Everything we have read and talked about, this morning, is part of God’s divine plan and is working according to His sovereign plan.

    1. It is SO good for God to have preeminence and SO good for us to give Him preeminence in our lives by truly trusting in Jesus Christ as our Saviour.

    2. We have an inheritance in this kingdom with Jesus!

VIII Conclusion

Jesus Christ is sovereign over all. He died for us and when we put our faith in Him, we become His brethren, joint-heirs with Jesus. Romans 8:29 tells us that He is the firstborn among many brethren. That’s you and I, Christians! But Jesus Christ, Himself is subject to the Father, giving Him preeminence over all (For thine is the kingdom). The day is coming when Jesus will bring the bring the completed kingdom before His Father, “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” 1 Corinthians 15:28 On that day, there will be no more sin, no more pain, or COVID-19 or any sickness, no more sadness.

God will wipe away every tear and make all things new. This is the kingdom we are agreeing to!