We're going to look at Ephesians 5 in just a few minutes, but I was thinking this morning how I should begin and what I should pray, because I always like to pray before I do anything, because we're told to walk by the spirit, be led by the spirit, and surely one of the ways to walk by the spirit as you teach is to ask God, the Holy Spirit, to come and help you.

So that's why I always pray before I preach or teach.

But as I was thinking, okay, we're going to look at Ephesians 5.

Ephesians is a sixth chapter book, and the first three plus are really foundational and glorious,

which if you don't have, chapter 5 about male and female in marriage will probably be interesting but it won't hit home

like it will if the first three chapters of Genesis I mean Ephesians the first three chapters of

Ephesians have become yours and interestingly there are two prayers in those three chapters,

one in chapter one and one in chapter three. And they are among my favorite New Testament prayers,

largely because they embody in the way they pray so much truth about God and so much truth about the way he relates to us.

So I thought, well, there's probably a correlation then between whether we as a people are open to Chapter 5 and what it teaches and whether we pray like this and that prayer is answered.

So let's do that.

Let's pray.

Father, I bow my knees before you, the Father, from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named.

Asking that according to the riches of your glory,

you might grant us here to be strengthened in the inner man by your power.

And that Christ might dwell might inhabit might manifestly make his home now consciously in our hearts that we being rooted and

grounded in love, his love, your love, may have power

to comprehend what is the height and depth and length and breadth and to know the love of Christ

which passes knowledge and be filled with all the

fullness of God now unto to him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly beyond all that we ask or think by the power at work within us.

To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations.

Amen.

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