Sermon Tone Analysis

Ephesians 1:15-23 "God's Plan for Growth"

Ajax Alliance Church.

Sunday February 26th, 2023.

Ephesians 1:15-23 [15]For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, [16]I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, [17]that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18]having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, [19]and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20]that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21]far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

[22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

(ESV)

The economic effect of recent economic policy on international monetary systems has meant wild swings in valuations and many investors are worried about the growth possibilities amidst some fragile economies.

The economic approach that many governments have taken is to spend on everything in the hope of enabling recovery.

Economists note that what we lack is a plan for growth based on economic fundamentals.

This is the economic foundation for growth.

Ephesians 1:3-14 talks about the foundation of God's plan for growth in the Christian life.

The Apostle Paul has set forth the amazing blessings believers have in Jesus Christ, blessings that amount to our personal inheritance of all that belongs to Him.

In the remainder of the chapter (vv.

15-23) Paul prays that the believers to whom he writes, including us, will come to fully understand and appreciate those blessings in God's plan for growth.

Where do you want to grow in your life?

What stands in your way?

Do you know what God wants of you?

Do you know how he wants you to do it?

If you come to understand what God has provided you, and in faith, put into work what He instructs, the task will be guaranteed successful.

We know that the efforts will be successful, for God blesses and equips His believers what He commands.

In Ephesians 1:3-14 Paul focuses on believers' comprehension of their resources in their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

God's plan for Grown comes from the 1) Prayer (Ephesians 1:15-16), 2) Person (Ephesians 1:17), 3) Promise (Ephesians 1:18), 4) Power (Ephesians 1:19-20) and 5) Position (Ephesians 1:21-23) that believers have in Christ.

God's Plan for Grown comes from the:

1) Growth through the Prayer to God. (Ephesians 1:15-16).

Ephesians 1:15-16.

[15]For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, [16]I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, (ESV)

Please turn to 1 John 2

In light of their marvelous inheritance in Jesus Christ (For this reason), Paul now intercedes for the possessors of that treasure.

His immediate audience included not only the believers in Ephesus but probably those in all the churches of Asia Minor.

Traffic by sea was brisk in those days; visitors were allowed to see the famous prisoner, Paul, in Rome; and the bond of Christian fellowship was very strong.

For all these reasons it is not surprising that although about four years had now elapsed since the apostle carried on his labors in Ephesus - labors from which the people of the surrounding territories also benefited (Acts 19:10, 26) - he had been kept well informed.

That is how he could say that he heard.

From letters, as well as through personal reports from friends who visited him in prison, he had received considerable information from and about the churches.

He heard two things that indicated the genuineness of their salvation, and for those two cardinal marks of a true Christian-faith in Christ and love for other Christians-he affectionately praises them.

Those two dimensions of spiritual life are inseparable (cf 1 John 2:9-11) (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001).

Vol.

7: New Testament commentary: Exposition of Ephesians.

New Testament Commentary (95).

Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)

These two obvious marks of faith show the genuineness of salvation as John explains:

1 John 2:9-11 [9] Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

[10] Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

[11] But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

(ESV) "KEEP YOUR PLACE IN 1 JOHN"

* The love of God and the love of others is the basis for all godly growth.

In the second half of verse 15, Paul praised their "faith in the Lord Jesus".

The emphasis here is on true saving belief, with the lordship of Jesus as the object of that belief.

Coming to Christ in faith means submitting to him (cf Matt.

8:19-22; 9:9; 10:37-39; Luke 9:57-62), willing to give up all we are and have (cf Matt.

13:44-46; 18:3-4; 19:16-26), and to leave all and follow Him (Matt.

19:27).

Paul is not praising the Ephesians for some later, supplemental act of faith but for the original faith that brought them to saving submission to the sovereign Lord.

This is the same saving faith with which they entered the Christian life and in which they were continuing to live.

It is the news not of their conversion but of their perseverance that provokes Paul's thanksgiving.

(Muddiman, J. (2001).

The Epistle to the Ephesians (p.

83).

London: Continuum.)

Turn over from where you were in 1 John to chapter 3

A second mark of genuine salvation is love for all the saints, and because of such love Paul offers thanks for the Ephesian believers.

Faith finds its focus in Christ and expresses itself in love to others.

Such outgoing love is the evidence of genuine faith (Gal 5:6).

(F.

E. Gaebelein (Ed.),

The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon (Vol.

11, p. 29).

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

John described the effect of love like this:

1 John 3:16-18 [16] By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

[17] But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

[18] Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

(ESV)

That is the sort of love the Ephesian Christians then had for all the saints.

Significant here is the word all; they loved all their fellow Christians!

The reason this is so striking, of course, is that this is often not true in Christian circles.

As Jonathan Swift (himself a clergyman) so rightly observed: "We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another."

Our surface Christianity arms us with what we think are proper prejudices and a rationale for criticizing those who fall short, keeping them at arm's length.

Not so with the Ephesians!

That is why the word for "love" here is agape - a thoughtful, volitional, purposeful love that wills to love even the unlovely - the very love of God himself.

(Hughes, R. K. (1990).

Ephesians: the mystery of the body of Christ (p.

50).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.)

* Unfortunately, our love often defaults to how the world loves.

They love those like them.

And there is often the assumption that it starts with a feeling.

But biblical love is an action not motivated by feelings but loving others like God loves us.

At the time of writing, the Christians to whom Paul wrote his Ephesian letter had the right balance of faith and love, and it was for their great faith and their great love that the apostle assured them, in Ephesians 1:16 I ... do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering/while making mention of you in my prayers.

The apostle's prayers for his spiritual charge are always remarkable.

They are very short, but wonderfully deep and comprehensive; very rich and (magnificent) in aspiration; powerful in their pleas, whether expressed or implied; and exhaustive in the range of blessings which they implore.(Spence-Jones,

H. D. M. (Ed.).

(1909).

Ephesians (p. 6).

London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)

Illustration: The Ephesian church not only rested its salvation but also its everyday life on Christ.

The Ephesians believed Christ would take care of them through thick and thin.

Their faith was not like the man who was attempting to cross the frozen St. Lawrence River in Canada.

Unsure whether the ice would hold, the man first tested it by laying one hand on it.

Then he got down on his knees and gingerly began making his way across.

When he got to the middle of the frozen river trembling with fear, he heard a noise behind him.

Looking back, to his horror he saw a team of horses pulling a carriage down the road toward the river.

And upon reaching the river they didn't stop, but bolted right onto the ice and past him, while he crouched there on all fours, turning a deep crimson.

If only he had known how firm the ice really was that day ... The Ephesians knew Christ had saved them and could hold them up, and as a result they were charging straight ahead.

For this, Paul thanked God.