Sunday Night 10/1

Have you ever been inspired by a prayer someone has shared with your or prayed over you?

Paul moves into a prayer and thanksgiving moment for the ephesians. He is in a moment trying to both encourage and lift up the Ephesians and give them the recognition that they deserve for their work in God. It is in this prayer that we can see a lot of powerful moments that can inspire us as we look at how Paul strived to encourage the Ephesians.

Ephesians 1:15–21 NIV

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

How would you define Hope?

The confidence that, by integrating God’s redemptive acts in the past with trusting human responses in the present, the faithful will experience the fullness of God’s goodness both in the present and in the future. Also: Future Hope; Longing; Yearning

Past—God’s Actions

Present—Our human responses

Future—God’s goodness and fullness

We experience hope in many ways we experience hope in ways that we can’t imagine yet. Our hope comes from the idea of the past and how it impacts us. It comes to light in the present day for us because we respond to the work and actions of God both in the past and right now to show us his fullness and goodness. We look to the future with Confidence because we have the knowledge that God has been faithful in the past so we can be confident that he will again in the future.

J.D. Greer said this.

What is our hope? that we are going to be face to face with God, be filled with him and be like him. This hope reshapes how we see everything in life. It shows us what God is doing in our pain how he is weaving that glorious tapestry. It shows us what God wants to do with our blessings: to use them for his mission. That hope enables us to overcome temptation.

Paul talks about this hope that he God is calling us to.

Ephesians 1:18 NIV

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

How is “the hope to which he has called you” different from hoping that your team wins the big game or hoping you get a raise?

The diffrence here is the hope that we look for in our team or the raise is something we aren’t sure is going to happen. Biblical hope or the Hope that he has called us to is something that we can look forward to.

Think about that for a moment. We can have hope or confidence that we will one day stand before God.

For some people that may not be a hopeful moment to look forward to. For many they may no want to stand before Go because it is a moment tha tthey may not see a lot of hope in. As Christians though we can be encouraged and be strengthened by the fact that one day we will stand before him.

Have you ever thought about what you are worth to God?

Now i know this question might lead us to thinking very highly of ourselves but this is an important question still. Many of us look at the world and how life is going and we don’t think very highly of ourselves. We don’t think that we can be honored or gracious enough to accept that God views and values us.

Back to Ephesians 1:18

Ephesians 1:18 NIV

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

that Hope is a reminder that he has called us to the “Riches of his Glorious inheritance”

What do you get a rich person as a gift?

Have you ever thought about this. They can buy what ever they want so you can’t just go to the store and buy anything because well they could already do that. Let me change the question a little bit.

What do you give God, who can create anything?

What did jesus obtain on this side fo the cross that he didnt’ have on the other side. It is you and me. We are his inheritance. He highly values us.

Ephesians 3:18–19 NIV

18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

The glory of God the honor of god the fullness of God comes in the knowledge of him and in us comign to know him and worshiping him. It is this worth that feeds our hope because we know that he loves us.

What are some of the most awesome display’s of power you have ever seen?

Ephesians 1:19–20 NIV

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

How does Paul describe God’s Power?

Which is harder creation or ressurection?

God uses the power of ressurection in Jesus to change who we are.

Romans 8:11 NIV

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Creation may be bringing life out of nothing but Resurrection is bringing life back from death.

It would be easy for Paul to look to creation to show God’s power and authority. Creating everything from nothing. Instead he looks to the cross and what Jesus did for us.

It is in the cross that Jesus can make sombodies out of nobodies. He can turn bad things into good things. Look at our lives many of us are marked with mistakes and destructive behaviors and broken relationships yet, God works and moves in all of that mess and muck and can do amazing things. He isn’t restricted by our faults instead he is glorified in them.

Why is it so hard for us to trust in God’s Power?

It is never easy for us to give up control.

Ephesians 1:22–23 NIV

22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.