Rabbi Schneider - Know and Experience God's Power
The prayers that we're studying, these are the prayers that the apostles themselves prayed; reflect the Father's will. It gets right to the heart of the issue. And the reason I'm so excited about bringing you this Word is because in my own prayer life I try to model my heart's desires expressed through prayer through these apostolic prayers. And when I do, I'm so confident that Father is answering those prayers. Now not all prayers can be answered in an instant. Some prayers are answered, beloved ones, over time. We're on a journey. You know, the, the life of faith, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. So many of these concepts that we're studying in the apostolic prayers of the apostles and then applying them to our own life, beloved, these are prayers that we'll continue to pray throughout our entire faith journey in this world. And as we do, there's gonna be supernatural increase in all these things.
I want you to know, you're gonna have more by asking. In other words, the Father is good and He just blesses. He's just a good God. You know He causes the sun to shine outside, whether we ask Him to or not, right. He's just a good God. And because of that His goodness is always being expressed and poured out. But hear this, we receive more when we ask. I want to say it again. We receive more when we ask. And so I want you to realize that as we ask the Father for these things that we're focusing on through the apostolic prayers, you're gonna receive more of them fulfilled in your life. More of the reality that you're asking for will come to you as you ask Him.
So with that said, we are now in the Book of Ephesians, chapter number 1. In this prayer, as I got done last week, I was talking about how Paul prayed that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened. And then he named a number of things that he asked the Father to enlighten our heart about. And I'm not gonna go into all of those right now. I want to encourage you to get this entire series, Apostolic Prayer, and just review it because it's really something that will last a lifetime. I'm not gonna go in and review everything that I covered during the last previous broadcast. I'm gonna pick up right now, beloved ones, chapter 1, verse 19. Hear the Word of God. This is for you. Paul is speaking here that we would know the power that's at work in our life. And he says right now in 19:... and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
I spoke about that last week. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might, which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. So again, last week I ended on this that Paul is praying that we would understand that the same power that raised Yeshua, God's Son, from the dead, that same power that brought Jesus back to life, that brought His flesh back to life, that same power that rolled away the stone, that same power that lifted Him, spirit, soul, mind and body through every principality and power to the very right hand of the Father, that same power, that unconquerable power that raised Jesus from the dead, beloved, that same power is at work in our lives, in your life and in my life. You know what that means? It means you are a conqueror and there's nothing that can separate you from the love of God.
The Bible says, no, in all these things, in everything we'll ever face in life, things that happened in our past, even things that perhaps are still haunting you that happened to you when you were a child, maybe you grew up in a home where your parents abused you spiritually or mentally, some of you even physically. You know what? You're gonna conquer that thing. That, that which victimized you in the past, beloved, it's not gonna hold you forever. Even as the grave couldn't hold Jesus, and the reason it's not gonna hold you forever is because the power that raised Jesus from the dead, that conquered everything, that power is at work in your life. You're gonna get through it. You're gonna get over it. And you're gonna get beyond it.
Whatever happened, maybe you just got fired from your job. You're struggling with low self-esteem. Maybe your spouse cheated on you or left you and you're so wounded inside you don't know if you're ever gonna recover. I want you to hear me, beloved one, you're going to recover. I speak supernatural recovery over your lives right now. Whatever it is that you're going through, whatever has wounded you, I want you to know, you're gonna get your full capacity back and become more whole than ever because the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, made Him whole, and then exalted Him to the right hand of God, that same power, beloved one, is at work in all God's children's lives. We're more than conquerors. And so Paul talks about this and this is extremely applicable for each one of us. Even if you're sick, you know, if you're sick and you're laying down right now, or, or sometime in the future, you know what you do when you're sick? You call out to God and believe Him for the same power that raised Jesus from the dead to be at work in your life so that it will even affect your body and restore you back to health.
You see, the Bible tells us that if the power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, that He's gonna give life, Paul said in Romans, to our mortal body. So this is so applicable. We walk in resurrection life. Now it's important to realize that sometimes Father will bring us through things in our life, seasons, circumstances that make us weak. Paul learned of this and he explained it to us in the Book of Corinthians when he, when he said that there was a thorn in his flesh that was bringing hurt to his life. He kept praying to Father to take away this thorn from his flesh that was weakening him. And eventually the Lord spoke to him and said, No, Paul, I'm not gonna remove this thorn in your flesh because in your weakness My power is being perfected.
In other words, as God made Paul weak, Paul was left with no choice than to reach out to God for strength. And as Paul was reaching out to God for strength because he was so weak, he had no power of his own, as he reached out to God, the resurrection life of Jesus was imparted to him, ministered to him. And through that Paul was being made strong. And so as Paul was crying out to God in this difficulty asking Father God to remove him from the difficulty, God said, No, Paul, I'm not gonna remove you from this difficulty right now because it's making you weak. And in your weakness My strength is being perfected. So I just wanted you to be aware that sometimes the Lord even brings us through trials, wilderness, times of weakness, even times of pain, so that in those times we'll call out to Him. And in calling out to Him we receive the resurrection power of Jesus, and that makes us whole. It makes us strong. We go a step backwards sometimes to go five steps forward.
So the power that raised Jesus from the dead, beloved, listen, this is a present reality. This is our life. This is not some gibberish. This is not some religious talking. This is not some fairy tale. This is the power, beloved, that upholds us and sustains us. It's the power that keeps us young and strong, okay. Hallelujah. And so Paul is talking about this here, and Paul was praying in Ephesians, 1, that we would know this power that's at work in our life that raised Jesus from the dead. And he said in verse 20: ...which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him form the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.
Now listen to this: ...far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come, or in the one to come. Continuing on he says: And He, the Father, put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Let me just speak about it generally for a second. What Paul is saying here is that the power that's at work in our life, listen to me, it's more powerful, listen, than anything. The power, beloved, that raised Jesus from the dead, that's at work in your life, is more powerful, get it now, than anything. I'm gonna say it again. The power that's at work in your life and my life, it is more powerful, listen to me, than anything you'll ever face, any circumstance, any relationship, any illness, anything. It's the power that raised Jesus from the dead above everything and then gave Him the name above all names; that at the name of Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus of Nazareth, every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is Lord.
Now I love what Paul points out here. He says that God, that Father God, listen to now, gave Jesus, listen now, to you and I, to the church. In other words, this One that has conquered everything, this One that conquered death, conquered disease, conquered sickness, conquered all the power of the enemy, the Pharisees couldn't hold Him, the Sadducees couldn't hold Him, the grave couldn't hold Him, demons couldn't hold Him, Satan himself couldn't hold Him, death couldn't hold Him. Nothing could hold Him. He descended to Sheol then He rose to the highest part of the heaven to the Father's own right side so that everything now is subjected under His feet. And now God gave this One whom everything is subjected to and is under His feet, He gave Him, beloved, to you and to I, to the church. Let me read it again: ...He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, that's you and I. You know what this means? You have been given the One, listen to me, that has conquered everything.
Now if that doesn't make you a winner, I don't know what does. If that doesn't make us somebodies, I don't know what does. If that doesn't give us confidence, nothing will give us confidence. This is a sure thing, beloved ones. You see, when you know this in your life, you can walk with your head held high. You can stand up straight. You can look people in the eye with confidence, with courage, because Jesus, the Conqueror, the Exalted One, He lives, my friend, in you and in me. What a blessing. So right now I'm just gonna pray this, beloved ones, for you and I, for the church. See Paul prayed it for us. Paul said, I pray that you'll know this. I pray that Father will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, Paul said here in Ephesians, chapter 1, to understand this. I want to encourage you to make this part of your prayer life. Don't just pray it once. Keep praying. I'm gonna pray it all for us now.
Father God, we want to thank You for Paul's prayer here. We want to thank You, Father God, for showing us what You desire for us; Father God, that it's Your desire that we would understand that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in our lives, and that because of that, Father, nothing can conquer us; that Your people, Father, are an undefeated people; that Father, we may stumble but we'll never fall because of Jesus that lives in our life. Father, I pray that You would give us a spirit of wisdom and understanding, as Paul said, a spirit of wisdom and revelation to understand this. Father, in Jesus' name, we come knocking right now and asking. Thank You for releasing revelatory knowledge about the power that's at work in our life, and that because of it, in Jesus' name, Your people, Father God, are unconquerable winners. And everybody that in agreement said, Hallelujah and Amen. Praise the name of the Lord.
We're gonna continue on the journey. We're gonna go forward a couple of chapter in the Book of Ephesians, to Paul's next Apostolic Prayer. It's in Ephesians, chapter number 3, beloved. Hear the Word of God. Ephesians, chapter 3, beginning in verse 14, Paul says: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father... So I just want to make note, he's praying. That's what he's saying. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father. It's an expression of prayer. ...from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name, that He would grant you... Here's the prayer. This is why he's bowing his knee. This is what he's asking for. This is what he's praying for as he's interceding for you and I in the heart of God. He says: I pray, verse 16, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man...
Now this is very similar to what we just got done covering. There's a power that's at work in our life. It's the power that raised Yeshua from the dead. And Paul's praying now that we would be strengthened by that power, get it now, church. I love this expression, in the inner man. Look at that verse with me: ...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man... Did you know, beloved one, that you have an inner man? There is something inside you that's more than your body. You are more than you realize. You have an inner man.
You know, years ago, 30 years ago, I was going through a deep season of repentance in my life, and the Spirit of God filled me from above. And He literally came down through my head and took possession, let, get is now, of my inner man. The reason I'm pointing this out, I was so aware of what was happening, I literally felt the Spirit of Elohim, Himself, the Spirit of the Living God, come through my head. He traveled through my head, and then He took possession, beloved one, of my inner man. I literally felt Him take possession of something deep inside me. And I knew in that instant in the midst of the experience that I really had an inner man. There was something inside me that was my inner man 'cause I felt the Spirit of the Lord come in and actually take ahold of me and speak to me through that inner man. This is what Paul is praying for; that you would be strengthened by His Spirit in your inner man.
Right now, Father God, I just speak life, and release life, resurrection power, Father, in Yeshua's name, into the inner man of all these beloved children of Yours that are watching right now; Father, over everyone that's under the sound of my voice right now, in Yeshua HaMashiach's name, I release life and power by Your Spirit into their inner man to be built up, Father, for Your glory.
Taking a side step here, you know, Yeshua said that which you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; that which you loose on earth will be loose from heaven. This is why I can step out and say to you, I release life in your inner man in Jesus' name, because Jesus said what you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And so I loose right now, in Jesus' name, I release to you, beloved ones, in humility under the authority of God that you would be strengthened by God's Spirit right now, by the Holy Spirit in your inner man.
Now Paul continues on here. He says that as you're strengthened in your inner man, he says, verse 17: so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith... In other words, if we, as we get strengthened, get it now, in our inner man, Christ, Paul says, dwells in our heart through faith, and that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend. Now I want to just share this with you right now, beloved one. As you get strengthened in your inner man, you're gonna be able to abide, get it now, on the inside where Christ abides in you.
You see, Jesus, right now abides in us through His Spirit on the inside of us. The place to seek Him is not predominantly on the outside, although we're always paying attention to what God's doing in the outer world, but the primary place that we experience God is on the inside. And as you get strengthened in your inner man, as Paul prayed, by His Spirit, what's gonna happen is you're gonna more and more come into yourself. You're gonna more and more sink down into your soul, into abiding where Jesus is. And in that place, beloved, you're gonna find a peace that you'll never find in this world. That's why Jesus spoke of a peace and joy that He gives us that's not of this world. So right now, I just want to bless you.
Father, in Yeshua's name, I ask You to strengthen Your people, Your church, especially those, Lord, that are tuned in to this broadcast right now, that are looking to You through me. Father, I ask you to strengthen them in their inner man. And that being strengthened in their inner man, Father, they would be able to comprehend Your love, and to abide in Your Spirit and in Christ Jesus. Father, in Jesus' name, I release a blessing, I loose a blessing right now, by Your Spirit, by Your power over Your people to draw us deeper in to Your Son. Father, help us to abide on the inside where Christ is. Father, You said the mystery of the Gospel is Christ in us the hope of glory. Father, help us to comprehend the mystery that Jesus lives in us. Strengthen us in our inner man. Father, we love You and we thank You for all these things today, and for granting our prayer's request.