Hope in Christ

Have you ever been somewhere you weren’t sure you were supposed to be? It’s confession time… I remember many year ago my wife and I were in town from Chicago. It had been a long day of travel, and when we got to Kirksville we heard that my parents were at a wedding. Come to find out it was Brooke and Nathan Kelsey’s wedding! I wasn’t entirely sure we should go, but since I’d know Brooke my whole life and Nathan since Jr. High, I decided to crash the wedding party. I was great saying “hi” and “congratulations” to them, but I’ve always wondered if I should have been there. I didn’t have an invitation.

Some of you may have been living the Christian life, but you’re not sure that you’ve been called or invited by God to His family. Let’s stand for the reading of God’s word from Ephesians 1:15-23.

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 the 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 …”

Prayer outline:

Request: that God … may give to you the Spirit of insight and revelation in the knowledge of him (1:17)

Purpose: in order that you might know (1:18b)

Content:

(1) what is the hope of his calling (1:18b)

(2) what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints (1:18c)

(3) what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe (1:19)

Evidence:

(a)which power he exercised in Christ (1:20)

(1)by raising him from the dead (1:20a)

(2)by seating him at his right hand … (1:20b)

(b)he subjected everything under his feet (1:22a)

(c)he gave him as head over everything to the church (1:22b)

Prayer outline:

Request: that God … may give to you the Spirit of insight and revelation in the knowledge of him (1:17)

The deep things of God are God’s wisdom and power to change individuals through the crucified Christ. In the present context the believer is to come to know him intimately and as a result the believer will become acquainted with God’s actions described in the following verses” ~Harold Hoehner

Purpose: in order that you might know (1:18b)

Content:

(1) what is the hope of his calling (1:18b)

“In Greek thought hope consists merely of a consoling dream of the imagination designed to forget the present troubles but yet leaving one with many uncertainties. On the other hand, in the OT the hope of the righteous is directed toward the eternal God who will protect and ultimately deliver if not now, certainly in the future.” ~Harold Hoehner

Hope of being in Christ

Romans 5:4–5 “4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Romans 8:24–25 “24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Galatians 5:5 “5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.”

Colossians 1:5 “5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,”

Titus 1:2 “2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began”

Those with no hope:

Ephesians 2:12 “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

Hope to what he has called you. In greek this word is used like an invitation to a banquet. God has called you. God has invited you to hope in Christ. This hope is produced by God’s call on his life. How do I know if I have been invited by God? Good question:

A couple years ago we went to our Taekwondo teacher’s induction into mastership. There was a whole big ceremony and celebration. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if I was allowed in, or in the right spot, but I had a certain hope if someone asked me why I was there. I’m here at the invitation of my master, and I took him up on his invitation. Have you taken God up on his invitation to hope in Christ? If so, you are in Christ at the invitation of your master.

(2) what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints (1:18c)

"Paul prayed that we would come to know God more intimately in order that we might know the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints. It shows that the believers are valuable to God because he purchased them in order to inherit them. This inheritance will be fully realized in the future. Therefore, whereas the hope that was produced by his calling looked back to the past, his inheritance in the saints will be fully realized in Christ’s coming to get his saints.” ~Harold Hoehner

(3) what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe (1:19)

Evidence:

(a)which power he exercised in Christ (1:20)

(1)by raising him from the dead (1:20a)

(2)by seating him at his right hand … (1:20b)

(b)he subjected everything under his feet (1:22a)

(c)he gave him as head over everything to the church (1:22b)