Here are notes for my sermon preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship on Ephesians 1:15-23 “Paul’s Prayer”
Ephesians 1:15-23 “Paul’s Prayer”
Intro: Became Christian at 18; Before: God was real, but not important; after: God more important and wonderful than all!
-Continuing as a Christian: Growing in my knowledge of God, finding fresh joy and delight in knowing and loving Him
-Our big need is to know God and a key way that God helps His people: to know Him more.
-God not only provides the remedy for our sin, He also helps us live for Him daily.
*God not only saves us through the gospel, He also helps us live for Him today.*
CONTEXT: Ephesians is apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.
-Today’s passage follows 1:3-14, which is Paul’s prayer of praise
-Now Paul shares about his prayers for the Ephesians
–Paul’s Prayer: God would grant Ephesians a knowledge of Himself and what they have through the gospel
-Ephesians needed it and we need, and we too can receive afresh from God today!
–God not only saves us through the gospel, He also helps us live for Him today.
STRUCTURE: 1. Context of Paul’s prayer (15-16); 2 Content of Paul’s prayer (17-23)
I. CONTEXT of Paul’s Prayer (15-16)
-Paul has heard of their faith and love (15): Although he spent years there, it has been years…
-“Faith in the Lord Jesus”: Christian is someone who has placed their faith in Jesus, as the one who died for their sins
-They trusted in him for eternal life and continue to trust in him as they live out their lives
-“Love toward all the saints”: Christians are called to love other Christians (NOTE: “saint”=Christians)
-Jesus said, ‘they will know we are followers of Christ because of our for each other’ (John 13:35)
*QUESTIONS: -Have you placed their faith in Jesus? Is your life marked by a trust in Jesus?
-Do you love other Christians? Would others look at your life and conclude that this was true?
–REMEMBER: Sin of omission=not intentionally, sacrificially loving others as we ought.
-Paul gives thanks to God and prays for the Ephesians (16)
-“do not cease to give thanks for you”
-Paul shows us the way of godliness: giving thanks for other Christians.
–APP: Make this a practice in your life: give thanks to God for others in your church
-Try giving thanks everyday for others in your life and see how your attitude and life change!
-“remembering you in my prayers”
-Paul was frequent and consistent in his prayer
QUESTION: What is your prayer life like?
-Do we spend more time on social media than praying?
-How might God be calling us to pray more throughout the week?
II. CONTENT of Paul’s Prayer (17-23)
Here is the content of Paul’s prayer: this is what Paul has been praying.
-This is a model for us: we can pray these things for ourselves and other
-Also teaches us about the Christian life: God helps us by giving us knowledge of Himself and our salvation.
-Paul prays that God would give Ephesian Christians wisdom and knowledge of God (17-18a)
-“Spirit of wisdom”=wisdom that the Spirit gives
–“revelation in the knowledge of him”=a supernatural penetrating knowledge God in our hearts.
-“having the eyes of your hearts enlightened”= Result is the darkness taken away, and our eyes behold God!
Paul’s 3 FOLD Prayer for KNOWLEDGE of GOD for the Ephesians (18b-23)
This passage is shaped by the request that the Ephesians would know 3 things about GOD:
1. “hope of their calling”; 2. “riches of their inheritance” 3. “greatness of God’s power”
1. To know the “hope of their calling” (18b) that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
What is this hope? àPAST SAVING ACT OF GOD TOWARD US IN THE GOSPEL
-Hope of eternal life Titus 3:17: “we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
*Calling in Ephesians
-God, in love, predestining a people to be saved (1:3-5); Redemption in Christ (1:7) and Forgiveness of sin (1:7b)
-Being without hope and estranged from God to having hope and reconciled to God (2:12-13)
NOTE: All of these are true and real for every Christian, even if you forget or don’t know about them.
-But our experience of Christianity is much different when we behold these in our hearts.
PAUL’S PRAYER: God would grant that the Ephesians would know the hope of their calling.
-Let’s pray this for ourselves and for each other.
2. To know the “riches of his glorious inheritance” (18c):what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
FUTURE ORIENTED: WHAT GOD HAS PLANNED FOR HIS PEOPLE.
-We have this inheritance as a gift of grace through Christ: Eph 1:11
-We are guaranteed this inheritance and H.S. is our guarantee: Eph 1:14
-This inheritance brings us into the kingdom of Christ and God: Eph 5:5
-The inheritance cannot rot away, but is maintained for us in heaven: 1 Peter 1:4
-The inheritance: be with GOD and with God’s people on the new earth free from sin!
PAUL PRAYED: Ephesians would grasp afresh the reality of this amazing future.
QUESTION: Where is your heart? Are you more excited about earthly riches or heavenly inheritance?
-Let’s pray that God opens the eyes of our hearts to riches of our heavenly inheritance.
3. To know the “greatness of his power toward us” (19-23)
-“Immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe”
-God has a great power toward his people, answering prayer, caring for them, empowering them for ministry and life
-God’s power in our spiritual battles: Eph 6:10
-God’s power through the Spirit opening our eyes to God’s love: Eph 3:16-19
-God’s power at work in us, leading to holy lives and joy: Eph 3:20-21
-God’s power strengthening us to be faithful today: Col 1:11-12
-God’s power in our ministry: Col 1:28-29
-God’s power on display (20-22)
-Raised Jesus from the dead (20a)
-Defeat of death!
-Exalted Jesus to heaven (20b-21)
-Above every other name in this age and age to come!
-Put all things under Jesus and gave him as head of the church (22-23)
PAUL’S PRAYER for Ephesians: to KNOW GOD’S POWER
-This would have led the Ephesians to be more bold in asking God for help in prayer
-This would have led the Ephesians to experience God’s daily help in their spiritual life.
-The same of course is true for us: God will help us to love Him, fight sin, and do good works.
-Let’s pray this prayer for ourselves and each other.
**QUESTION: What does the content of Paul’s prayer teach us?
1 God not only saves us in the gospel, he also helps us live out the Christian life.
2 A KEY way that God helps us is by giving us a clearer knowledge of Himself and our salvation in the gospel.
3 This spiritual knowledge propels us forward to enjoy, love, and follow God.
*NOTICE: Not knowledge of a new or secret thing, but a deeper knowledge of what they already have!
4 It is this knowledge we need as we seek to be faithful Christians in Naperville.
*HOW DO WE GET THIS KNOWLEDGE? We read God’s Word AND as God opens the eyes our hearts to it.
–BOTH are essential: We use our minds and God grants us a spiritual knowledge in our hearts.
OBSERVE ALSO:
-In Paul’s prayer, we see a remarkable God-centeredness.
-Paul did NOT pray for more creature-comforts, relief from difficulties
-Paul prayed the Ephesians would know God more and see more clearly what God has done for them.
NOTE: This is the great difference between genuine Christianity and cultural Christianity:
-Genuine Christianity, God is the great treasure and our main pursuit is to know Him more;
-Culture Christianity, God is a means to an end and other things are the main concern and highest value.
QUESTION: Is God most important in your lives? Does your prayer life reflect this?
CLOSING APPLICATION:
1. Pray this prayer for yourself this week. 2. Pray this prayer for others
