Know The Hope of His Calling

Ephesians Series Part IV

Paul’s letter to Church in Ephesus

One of the most important documents ever written

Likely written while he was imprisoned in Rome

Exalt the Lord, His Purpose, His Omnipotence, Omniscience

Truth, Love and Unity emphasis

First part (1-3) Most profound writing of Paul

God’s magnificent saving purpose,

His plan to bring all things together in unity in Christ

Spiritual blessings, chosen before

Important theological affirmations

Second par (3-6) practical application

1) faithful in Christ Jesus:

2) blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

3) chosen in Him before the foundation of the world,

4) Holy

5) without blame before Him in love

6) adopted as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself,

7) accepted in the Beloved.

8) redeemed through His blood,

9) forgiven of sins,

10) The recipient of the riches of His grace abounding toward us in all wisdom and prudence

11) have obtained an inheritance

12) predestined according to the purpose of Him

13) to the praise of His glory.

14) sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise

15) Received from Him you the spirit of wisdom and

16) The Spirit of revelation in the knowledge of Him,

17) eyes of my understanding being enlightened;

18) I am made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

19) I am loved, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses,

20) I am made alive together with Christ

21) I am saved by His Grace (by grace you have been saved),

22) I am raised up together, and (with saints and Him)

23) I am made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

24) I have been saved by grace, through faith,

25) His workmanship,

26) created in Christ Jesus for good works,

27) in Christ Jesus

28) brought near by the blood of Christ.

29) He Himself is my peace

30) have access by one Spirit to the Father. (through Him)

31) no longer strangers and foreigners,

32) fellow citizens with the saints and

33) members of the household of God,

34) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

35) being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

36) fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel

37) in whom I have boldness and

38) access with confidence through faith in Him

39) strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

40) Christ may dwell in my heart through faith

41) rooted and grounded in love,

42) able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height

43) able to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;

44) filled with all the fullness of God.

That is only the first three chapters

This week we will finish chapter 1

Paul’s prayer for the Church - for us

Ephesians 1:15–23 NKJV

15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which 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 principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

How does it make you feel when you hear of other people’s faith?

Especially, people who stand up for their faith, or act based on love through faith?

Paul’s first thought here is thankfulness, as he begins to pray.

He was thankful to hear about their faith in Jesus

He was thankful to hear about their love for all saints

These are two things we should strive to have in abundance always

Faith and love

Do we love “all saints”? (it is evident that some do not)

We should be thankful, and express this thankfulness

especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ - here and throughout the world

This should be part of our prayers regularly - we have so much to be thankful for

Paul made mention of them in his prayers

Do we pray for one another?

I am afraid that most Christians today don’t pray for much beyond their immediate family (if that)

It is evident that the people in Ephesus were not Paul’s immediate family.

Are you making mention of me in your prayers? Of each other?

Paul prayed for the churches

Knowledge, understanding

Hope

Power

the finality and universality of God’s rule

Without ceasing - this was a regular activity, not just when they called him with a request

We complain about having so little power, but how many people are following the program? God’s program.

Paul prayed for them to receive “Wisdom” and “revelation”

“In the knowledge of HIM” - not just genrally

We need wisdom

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”

Wisdom is beyond knowledge - more than just intelligence

Are you praying for wisdom? Are you praying for wisdom for others?

And for “revelation”

Divine understanding

Things of God are spiritually discerned

Cannot be understood by the “natural man”

You must seek this “Spirit of revelation”

We should greatly desire this for one another - to the point of prayer

Love results in this kind of desire

God desires to grant you this wisdom and revelation

Paul prayed that their eyes would be “enlightened”

We can get distracted by so many things

sometimes the truth can be right in front of our nose and we refuse to see it

We can get confused, blinded by the faithlessness of the world

Lord let our eyes of our understanding be enlightened!

To know

God has a calling on your life

What is success?

Knowing your purpose in life

When we know the hope of His calling it is much easier to perform.

much easier to bear the burdens when we know the master

Have Hope

Paul wanted them to know the riches of the glory of inheritance

The exceeding greatness power to us-ward

Have you considered His greatness lately?

God is not getting tired

He neither slumbers nor sleeps

His power is omnipotent

His power us toward us - who believe

He didn’t say toward everyone - but toward us!

Not only is God all powerful

But He directs this power toward you - for your benefit (If you believe)

We spend too much time talking about how big our problems are instead of talking about how big our God is.

It is His good pleasure to direct this power “us-ward”

He loves you

Let’s pray like this for each other!

I am thankful for you

I want you to know the love of God which passes knowledge

I want you to be enlightened, and grow in Him

To

Ephesians 1:20–21 NKJV

20 which 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 principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

Ephesians 1:20–21 NKJV

20 which 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 principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

Ephesians 1:20–23 NKJV

20 which 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 principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

eph.1

He is above all power and might and dominion

He

Far above principality and power

What He has promised, He is able to perform

We can have confidence in these prayers

Know The Hope of His Calling

Know The Hope of His Calling

Who we are in Christ (Through Faith)

Paul’s Prayer

Know the Hope of His Calling

God’s Exceeding Great Power

Know The Hope of His Calling

Know The Hope of His Calling

Who we are in Christ (Through Faith)

Paul’s Prayer

Know the Hope of His Calling

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God’s Exceeding Great Power