Sermon Tone Analysis
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Intro
Story
William Randolph Hearst was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications.
He was one of the richest men in the world in the 1920s and early 30s.
He invested a fortune collecting art treasures from around the world.
He collected Greek vases, Spanish and Italian furniture, an extensive library with many books signed by their authors, and paintings and statues.
At one point he owned some furniture from Charles Dickens, George Washington's waistcoat, and Thomas Jefferson's Bible.
Once his storage filled up, he bought a five-story warehouse in New York City, and even hired staff to document each item and some ex-military guards to protect it.
One day Mr. Hearst read the description of a valuable art item which he sent his agent abroad to find.
After months of searching all over the world, the agent reported that he had finally found the treasure.
To the surprise of Hearst, the priceless masterpiece was stored...in none other than the warehouse...of William Randolph Hearst.
PAUSE
He had been searching all over the world for a treasure he already possessed.
If only he had known what he already had...
Maybe you’re not a millionaire, but have you ever done something like that, where you didn’t realize what you already had?
I made a list and went grocery shopping last week with the kids, and I had noticed that the ketchup was almost gone in the fridge, so I put it on the list.
We bought ketchup, and then when I went to put it away in the pantry, there was already a nice, brand new bottle of ketchup just sitting there in the pantry!
So now we have two ketchups!
I didn’t need anything new, I just needed to know what I had.
I think sometimes as Christians we forget what we already have.
We take it for granted, or we get distracted, and we just live like everybody else.
We don’t realize the treasures that we already have.
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I want to read to you a prayer today.
This is Ephesians 1:15-23, and it’s a prayer by the Apostle Paul, who is arguably the greatest Christian in all of history.
He spread the gospel from Israel all over the Mediterranean, to Turkey, Greece, Syria, and Crete.
He planted many many churches.
He spent 3 years in Ephesus, where he trained up Timothy, and Titus, and other young leaders to take the gospel all over the world.
He wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, which has shaped the beliefs of Christians for 2000 years!
1/3 of the 8 billion people alive today say that his letters carry spiritual power and authority over their lives!
I want to know what his prayer life was like.
What kinds of things did He pray?
How did he minister to others?
What did He pray over them?
Well good news, many of his letters contain his prayers, and we can get a glimpse of what he would ask God for.
We can see what Paul would pray over you and me.
When we read this passage, we can see that
Central Truth: The greatest Christian in history would ask God to reveal to you the value of the eternal hope and the supernatural power that God has already given to you.
Turn with me to Ephesians 1:15-23
Paul wants God to give the Ephesians a spirit of wisdom and revelation, and he thinks that God will do that by making Himself known to them.
The knowledge and wisdom combination tells us that we are not just talking about mere facts here, but about the application of truth to life, a practical understanding of how to live life.
The more we get to know God Himself, the more wise we are.
We get to know God’s way of thinking about things, and we can live in the way that He wants us to.
We make better decisions in light of eternity.
We have better perception of spiritual things.
The more we get to know God Himself, the more spiritual truth we can know.
This word revelation means revealing or unveiling, like God is opening the curtains to uncover these spiritual truths about Himself for us to know.
And God and Paul want us to know something this morning.
In Christ, we are rich.
We have been given an inheritance from God that is a priceless treasure, because we will spend eternity with Him.
AND, we have the limitless power of God at work in our lives, and nothing can take those things away.
I don’t want you to forget what you have from God.
I want to remind you today of:
2 priceless assets from God in your spiritual portfolio:
In accounting, you have assets and liabilities, and in Christ, we are rich.
I want you to know just how spiritually rich you are this morning.
Asset 1: The hope of an eternal inheritance
v18 - in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people
We have been called to a specific hope.
This word “called” or “calling” is often used in Scripture to refer to how God has saved us.
It’s an invitation to follow Jesus.
He says “come, follow me”, and when we accept that invitation to repent and believe in Him, we receive a specific hope.
What is our hope?
Is it just that we can have a positive outlook because God gives meaning to the world?
It’s actually much more than that.
Our hope actually extends beyond just this life to eternity.
The hope of Christ followers is that we will receive a glorious inheritance from God.
What is our inheritance?
The writers of the New Testament used this word just as the Jewish writers of their time were using it.
They said that our inheritance from God is eternal life.
It’s already ours, we just have to wait for it.
Jesus said this to his disciples:
So if we follow Jesus, we will receive a reward, both in this life, and in eternity!
What does this mean for our lives?
1.
We can feel confident to surrender every part of our lives to Jesus.
Our surrender to Jesus will be rewarded.
Whatever we give up in this life is a small thing compared to the reward of eternal life that we will receive when Jesus comes back.
So don’t hold back any part of your life from Him. Live all in for Jesus, because it’s worth it!
2. We can have joy during our trials.
Paul wrote Ephesians from prison for sharing the gospel.
So when he says that you can have hope that God reveals to you, he isn’t just treating the difficulties of life lightly.
He is living this out.
In the midst of this dark, damp prison, while feeling hungry and cold, Paul still has hope.
He knows that this life and all of the suffering that we experience will end one day, and we will be with Jesus forever and everything wrong with the world will come undone when Jesus reigns over all the earth.
Peter says something very similar:
We have an inheritance that is more precious than gold.
It will never tarnish or fade.
Our inheritance is more certain than wealth, and having this hope can bring us joy in the midst of our trials.
*LOOK UP
No matter what is going on around us, the eyes of our heart are fixed on Him as we anticipate His return.
Anyone feeling grieved by various trials this morning?
I don’t know all of your trials and struggles, but I do know that all of us face difficult times in life.
Losing a job
Struggling to make ends meet
Being mocked for your faith
You can have hope in the midst of your pain and your struggle, because this life is not all there is.
This is not the end.
Jesus is coming back, and He will make everything right in the world.
Our trials are painful, but temporary.
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Your faithfulness in this present life will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus returns.
He will reward your faithfulness!
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