The hope to which you are called
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
If you have your Bibles please turn to
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 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.
It is amazing how when I start working our way through a book in the Bible that a lot of the times the teachings wind up matching up perfectly. To be honest; I forgot that the kids service was coming up but I also just started Ephesians and I didn’t want to take a break from it that quickly. Yet when I was looking at these verses we are going to cover. It lined up perfectly for the kids. So usually I start by asking the kids questions.
Instead I want to start by telling the kids that I pray for them and I don’t stop giving thanks to God for them in this church. And to see the number of kids growing in the church and to see them getting older. Every month they ask me questions up here and also some of their answers are better than mine.
So step 1 for all of us in this church is that our kids and these kids would know who Jesus is. Not only would they know Him but they would truly follow Jesus and put their faith only in Him. That faith will carry you all to adulthood. That you will always look at Jesus as the foundation of your lives
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, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
How and where do we get wisdom?
The hope for which He has called you. Now here is where pre-destination that we talked about two weeks ago starts to get very interesting. Again not whether God called you to be saved. I think we have covered that. Here is the interesting part. God has called you to something in your life. A lot of times that calling begins in childhood. As a kid your faith is untainted by the world and over time the world and the enemy starts chipping away at who God is calling you to be.
So let’s ask some questions now
What do you think you want to be when you grow up?
Now here is the secret of Christianity. You have the power of Jesus in your heart. the same power that God used to raise Jesus, is the same power that helps you. So when we are going through tough times where should we go? When our dreams seem impossible. Who makes the impossible possible? Who leads us through this life?
Ephesians 1:21-23
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. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
This is probably the most important thing I can teach anyone. If you can remember this one lesson it will help guide the rest of your life. God is the creator of all things. With Jesus He is given all rule and authority. Every name is under Jesus. He is the head of everything. He is our Lord and our Savior. Without Jesus in our lives we are lost because He is everything.
I want to close with
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
The Kingdom of God is the greatest place to be in the world. You are in the Kingdom when you believe in Jesus. It will never be shaken. We need to always be in Awe of who Jesus is and always thank God for everything we have in our lives.
Let us pray
