Sunday, June 22, 2014 pm
STUDIES IN EPHESIANS
Paul’s Prayer to the Ephesians
Ephesians 1:15-21
Tonight we continue our study of the book of Ephesians.
We have spent the last several lessons examining our blessings in
Christ. Following Paul
description of “every spiritual blessing” which included those
mentioned, Paul reminds these brethren that he was praying for them.
In our text this evening we will notice what Paul prayer for on
their behalf.
a.
Therefore – Paul has
just described the spiritual blessings found in Christ.
b.
While the church at
Ephesus had experienced problems, Paul had heard good things about them
and that is what he commends them for.
c.
He had heard of their
stand – it is believed that it had been years since Paul had been with
these brethren, yet he still thought fondly of them and was concerned
about them. How much do we
think about brethren with whom we have had good relationships?
d.
Their
faith in the Lord - in
difficult times, facing persecutions and other troubles, they still
demonstrate faith. This is
more than mere belief in God – they TRUST God and have demonstrated it
in their lives (and in the body).
2 Cor. 5:7 notes that we walk by faith and not by sight.
Paul commended Philemon for his faith – Philemon 5 – it was a faith
toward all the saints (and love)
What type of FAITH do we have as the Lord’s church here?
This faith is not exclusive to individuals.
We need faith as the Lord’s church as well.
Paul’s thoughts about Ephesus are not exclusive to this church.
He praised the church at Colosse in much the same way.
Colossians 1:4, Romans 1:8 finds Paul praising that church as
well. NOTE that he speaks of
their faith being spoken of throughout the whole world.
Sometimes church get “reputations” some good and some bad.
As a church we ought to learn to trust God in our decisions.
We must stand with Him regardless of what others think or are
doing. In time it will
become known to others. May
we always strive to be known for a faith that stand in “the faith” (Jude
3, Rom. 1:16-17).
e.
Their
love for all the saints –
agape love – as with faith, this is imperative in our lives.
It is a fundamental quality in the lives of Christians (Hebrews 13:1,
Matt. 22:37-39, etc.)
It is ALSO a fundamental quality that we read of frequently in godly
congregations. Many of the
epistles that are written to churches, including Ephesians, call for
love. Consider 1 Corinthians
13 which describes love. It
is within a context dealing with strife within the congregation (1 Cor.
12-14 – spiritual gifts).
As the Lord’s church we ought to love God and His word, one another, and
the lost. Again
this is something Paul had heard of with Ephesians.
What about us?
a.
We need to frequently
remind ourselves of our need to be praying.
i.
1 Thess. 5:17, Ephesians
6:18, Luke 18:1, etc. call for us to be a people of prayer.
ii.
Our prayers are not only
for our own needs and the needs of our own brethren, but others that we
know of. James 5:16 tells us to
pray for one another.
iii.
Paul had a long list of
congregations he prayed for frequently.
Virtually every congregation he worked with was in his thoughts
and prayers – Rom. 1:9, Phil. 1:4, Col. 1:9, 1 Thess. 1:2, etc.
iv.
What a lesson for us.
As we hear of brethren and godly congregations that are
struggling with setbacks do we pray for them?
As we hear of congregations that are standing firm and prospering
in the Lord do we pray for them?
Here at Rose Ave, we are blessed to partially support a good number of
gospel preachers throughout this country.
How often do we pray for these brethren and the works they are a
part of?
b.
What he prayed for:
That God would give them:
i.
The spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him
– that they might know
the truth and apply it with wisdom.
This would include knowledge “in Him”.
The idea of knowing God is different than simply knowing ABOUT
Him. It is similar to the
difference between believing IN God and believing God.
The latter is much deeper and comes with maturity.
Through the wisdom of His word (not simply knowing it, but also
DOING it) we develop a relationship with Him.
We are His children and He is our Father.
(John 14:23) Phil. 3:8-10 finds Paul as He suffers loss and
serves God he is able to KNOW Him.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 find a challenge to Judah as they faced Babylonian
captivity. “23 Thus
says the Lord: “Let not the wise
man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty
man glory in his might, Nor
let the rich man glory in his
riches; 24
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and
knows Me, That I am the Lord,
exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For
in these I delight,” says the Lord.
AND His will for us!
ii.
That they might know the hope of His calling
– there is real hope in His calling!
Hope is confident assurance or expectation.
Later in this letter Paul will speak of their former conduct noting that
they were without hope (Eph. 2:12).
He will also refer to the “one hope” (Eph. 4:5) But now they have
hope. Regardless of what man
does if we know God, we can have hope.
Colossians 1:5 speaks of their hope laid up in heaven.
Heb. 6:19 speaks of our hope being anchored in heaven.
Heb. 10:23 – they were instructed to hold fast their confession of hope
without wavering.
1 John 3:1 – our hope will lead to our purification.
We will take steps toward purity.
iii.
That they might know the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints.
As we earlier discussed our blessings in Christ we mentioned our
inheritance in Ephesians 1:11.
1 Peter 1:4 describes this inheritance in heaven as incorruptible,
undefiled and that does not fade away (eternal).
In our text, we find it described as rich and glorious.
God doesn’t give us left-overs.
Our inheritance is not a pittance, but it is as grand and
glorious as He is above us.
We are HIS CHILDREN!
iv.
That they might know the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who
believe.
1.
A closer look at this
verse gives us a greater understanding of how powerful God really is.
His POWER is actually demonstrated in the remaining verses of
this chapter.
2.
We often equate power
with authority and they do complement one another, but power is the
ability to execute one’s authority without hindrance.
GOD has all authority.
The way He has proven that to us is by His power.
These verses emphasize that power.
Let’s consider this for the remainder of our time.
There are 4 words used in our text:
a.
Power
– from the Greek, δύναμις
(dunamis) which means the
potential to exert force in performing a function.
It is a word that is translated often as might or strength.
Our English word “dynamite” is a derivative of the root of this
Greek word.
For example: A police
officer might have the authority to apprehend a fleeing car thief, but
he may not have the power to do so, which is why when we witness
pursuits on our freeways, police officers respond en-masse.
Together they execute their authority with power.
This power is described as both exceeding
(supreme, of far greater degree,
surpassing) and great(ness) – of high magnitude.
AND it is directed toward US who believe!
God has used His power for us!
b.
Working
– from Greek, ἐνέργεια (energeia) a word from which we get our English
word “energy”. It means, to
be engages in an activity or function, focusing on the force being used.
(BDAG) describes it as “the state or quality of being active,
working, operation, action”.
God has the ability to put His will into effect.
Think of the scheme of redemption!
c.
Mighty –
from the Greek, ἰσχύς (ischus), it means something of great capacity or
potential. God is able to execute His will with GREAT ability. In fact
it is with GREATER ability than anything man can do.
When we speak of “almighty God” we have this in mind.
d.
Power
– is from the Greek, κράτος (kratos) which means, one who has power to
rule (this is our idea authority).
But it carries with that authority the might and strength to do
it. When you hear of someone
who is able to back up His words it is this idea.
3.
He has demonstrated that
power throughout History.
When we read of His works in the Old Testament we see His power.
In this text Paul mentions 4 ways that He demonstrated His power
a.
By raising Jesus from
the dead
b.
By seating Him at His
right hand in heaven
c.
By exalting Him above
all other sources of authority (Matt. 28:18)
d.
By making Christ head
over the church which is His body.
It
is in this power that we find the hope of His calling AND the glory of
His inheritance. And when you
consider the magnitude of His power do you want it being directed toward
you or against you. Think
about that! In our next lesson we are going to examine these four ways
that God demonstrated His power.
And
thus we have Paul’s prayer for the brethren at Ephesus.
Let us consider these things as we pray and include them when
appropriate.