Sermon Tone Analysis

*Lesson 15*

*/Commendation and Prayer Request/*

*/Eph 1:15-18a/*

 

This is the 3rd major section of Paul’s epistle to the believers in Ephesus.

The first section was the Prologue where Paul announced the author, recipients, destination and a greeting (Eph.

1:1-2).

The second section was the Praise, where Paul announced the reason the Triunity of God is blessed, namely because of all the spiritual blessings God has given us.

These include election, predestination, adoption, grace, redemption, forgiveness, wisdom, insight, the mystery of His will, and sealing with the Holy Spirit.

This was the longest sentence in the Greek NT.

The third section begins another long Greek sentence.

It extends from 1:15 to the end of the chapter.

This section is Paul’s Prayer.

It is very normal for Praise to God and Prayers to God to be long sentences.

So, we have the Prologue (1:1-2), the Praise (1:3-14), and now the Prayer (1:15-23).

1.

Prologue (1:1-2)

            2.

Praise (1:3-14)

            3.

Prayer (1:15-23)

 

As I mentioned early in our study this sequence is rare in Paul’s writings.

Paul always begins with a Prologue.

In eight of Paul’s 13 epistles he includes the same greeting in that Prologue (“grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; cf.

Rom.

1:7; 1 Co. 1:3; 2 Co. 1:2; Gal.

1:3; Eph.

1:2; Phil.

1:2; 2 Thess.

1:2; Phlm.

1:3).

Usually he follows the Prologue with a Prayer for the recipients of the letter (exceptions are 2 Corinthians 1:3-14 and Peter’s first epistle, 1:3-12).

However, in Ephesians he departs from that order and interjects with Praise to God and follows it with a Prayer (1:15-23).

The Prayer begins with a Commendation (1:15-16a) and moves to Supplication for His readers in (1:16b-23).

In light of the previous context this might be called /“the prayer for those who already have everything”./

Why do we usually pray?

John Stott says,

 

“For a healthy Christian life today it is of the utmost importance to follow Paul's example and keep Christian praise and Christian prayer together.

Yet many do not manage to preserve this balance.

Some Christians seem to do little but pray for new spiritual blessings, apparently oblivious of the fact that God has already blessed them in Christ with every spiritual blessing.

Others lay such emphasis on the undoubted truth that everything is already theirs in Christ, that they become complacent and appear to have no appetite to know or experience their Christian privileges more deeply.”

C.

PRAYER FOR WISDOM AND REVELATION (1:15-23)

 

1.

Commendation (1:15-16a)

 

*/Greek Text: 1:15-16a/**/ /**/Dia.

tou~/to kavgw.

avkou,saj th.n kaqV u`ma~/j pi,stin evn tw~/| kuri,w| VIhsou~/ kai.

th.n avga,phn th.n eivj pa,ntaj tou.j a`gi,ouj /**/ 16  /**/ouv pau,omai euvcaristw~/n u`pe.r

u`mw~/n /*

*Translation: 1:15-16a For this reason, I also, having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and the love toward all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you*

 

            */Dia. tou~/to kavgw/*., *“For this reason, I also”*.

/Dia touto /means */for this reason /*or */therefore/*.

Paul is saying, in light of all the spiritual benefits that God has given to you (1:3-14), and particularly God’s sealing you with the Holy Spirit in 1:13-14 Paul has reason to give thanks and to make requests to God for you.

Paul is saying that because of all that has been given to the believers in Ephesus he now has something to say.

Just because believers have every spiritual blessing does not mean that we do not need prayer.

First, Paul commends them by noting their spiritual advancement since he left Ephesus 5-6 years ago.

Paul had taught them Bible doctrine 5-6 hours a day for 2 ½ years.

But he left Ephesus around 56AD and he is writing this letter in 62AD from Prison in Rome.

So, 5-6 years had passed since Paul had been with them.

However, Paul had received a report about their spiritual condition over the last 5-6 years.

We know this because Paul says…

            *avkou,saj th.n kaqV u`ma~/j pi,stin evn tw~/| kuri,w| VIhsou**,**~/ **/having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus/*.

The two things Paul had heard about were their */faith/* and their */love/*.

*/Having heard /*is an aorist active participle.

The aorist participle “refers to that time between the report about them and the writing of the epistle.”[1]

PAUL IN EPHESUS                                                                    PAUL IN PRISON

            2 ½ yrs doctrine                                                                  praying  writing

  

     54AD                    56AD                                                                             62AD

 

\\ So, here’s Paul, he’s stuck in prison, he knows many of these people but he hasn’t seen them in several years.

Several reports have come to him about the */faith /*and */love /*of the believers in Ephesus and so all he can do from prison is pray for them and write to them.

Paul never left an opportunity wanting.

It would encourage them greatly to know that their first Bible teacher was praying for them.

Notice that the letter is very doctrinal.

Paul never let an opportunity pass by without instructing.

This is the mark of a Bible teacher.

It’s not that he’s a “Jesus Freak”.

It’s simply that God has laid a special task and burden on the heart of the Bible teacher.

He wants to impart truth because he knows how practical doctrine really is.

So, the fact of his hearing of their faith and love is what motivated Paul to continually pray for them and write this letter.

However, many commentators cite this verse as proof that Paul did not really write this letter, that the letter is pseudepigraphal (i.e. that whoever wrote the epistle wrote it under a false name, not their true name).

However, there are several reasons this is absurd.

/First/, Paul had not been in Ephesus for 5-6 years.

Doubtless there were many new believers that Paul did not personally know.

/Second/, Paul knew so many people from his extended visit there that he would not want to mention some without mentioning others.

Thus, he leaves off all names.

Interestingly, in Paul’s letters to places where he spent very little time he does mention names in the closing of the letters.

Probably because he did not know many people in those places.

*/Faith /*here seems to refer to more than the faith the exercised when they became Christians.

The contexts indicates that the faith Paul had heard of concerns not only salvation but also sanctification, their faith was growing.

This is evidenced by the fact that Paul had received many reports of their faith and the love which they show to one another, which Paul mentions next.

As we know from 1 John “loving one another” was the */old commandment/* given freshly by Christ in John 13:34 and to which we are called to make afresh day by day as we “love one another” as Christ loved the apostles.

It is the mark of a disciple of Christ, a believer who is in the advanced stages of fellowship with God.

This is new for the Ephesians, for they had previously placed their trust in Artemis and now their faith is in the */Lord Jesus/*.

*/Lord /*refers to the “authority” of Jesus.

They had put themselves under Jesus’ authority.

*/Jesus/* is the human name that the angel told Mary to name her child (Matt.

1:21).

*/Jesus /*means “YHWH saves”.

When put together */Lord Jesus /*means “the authority of YHWH saves”.

They were having faith in the authority of YHWH and not in their own authority.

GOD

 

 

                                                            F

                                                            A

                                                            I          

                                                            T

                                                            H

 

                        Saint 1                                                              Saint 2