Pray That We Would Know God More Fully

BLANK SLIDE TO BEGIN RECORDING (Please don’t wait for Matt to be on podium.)

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Introduction and Scripture Reading

Scripture Introduction

? If God is in charge of everything, and has foreordained whatever comes to pass, what is the point of praying? Why do anything: Why study the Bible? Why love our neighbor? Why turn the other cheek? Why witness?

Because God always works through means he has given us, and these are his gifts to us for use in our faith.

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Proposition & Outline

We are to pray that God would help His people know Him more fully. As we thank God for faith that allows us to thrive in the world (15-16), we pray for growth in wisdom for one another (17-18a).

Scripture reading

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Ephesians 1:15–23 ESV

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 fullness of him who fills all in all.

Prayer for Illumination

Heavenly Father, may we be filled with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of you, our adoptive Father who has loved us beyond measure, pleasing you as, by your grace and power at work within us, we bear fruit in keeping with repentance, faith, thanksgiving, patience and endurance with joy. Amen.

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I. Thank God for faith that allows us to thrive in the world. (15-16)

Verse 16 doesn’t mean that Paul never stops praying so much as it means that whenever he prays he’s always giving thanks for God’s work in them.

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Colossians 1:3–5 ESV

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 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,

Ephesians 1:15–16 (ESV)

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,

Saving faith (15a)

We’ve seen it before and we’ll see it again—saving faith is a gift from God that we are to be overwhelmingly thankful for. Here Paul is brimming with gratitude for their faith which has brought salvation.

The church at Ephesus was living in hostile territory to Christianity. In Act. 19:23-41, Dr. Luke recounts the cultural clash that came through Paul as he preached that idols, or gods made with hands are not gods at all. This was a crushing blow to the working class economy and it caused quite a disturbance.

Their faith in Christ also threatened their religious pluralism—the belief in many gods and that people who embrace different and even conflicting religious views can and should seek to live in harmony with one another while celebrating each other’s religious distinctives. This isn’t simply a belief that in America we have freedom for religious expression. No, religious pluralism calls for keeping all religions on the same level, no one claiming that their religious is the one true religion.

The city was stirred up into confusion and Luke tells us in Ac 19: 32 tells us most of them didn’t even know why they’d come together (crowd theory at its best). It was chaotic enough that the disciples protected Paul and didn’t let him go out in the crowd.

Amid all this hostility and more to the Christian faith, Paul is incredibly thankful to God for their faith because their saving faith was not simply an intellectual affirmation of Christian belief about Jesus but was, more importantly, an intimate union with Jesus, who provided them with grace and strength to survive and thrive in the world.

This thriving faith through intimate union with Jesus was made visible in their practical faith which works its way out in love toward one another.

Practical faith which works its way out in love toward one another (15b)

Thankful for the love the Ephesian believers possessed “toward all the saints.” “Saints” refers to all believers, who have been “sanctified” or “made holy” by the redemption found in Christ (cf. Eph. 1:1, 18).

This is faith working through love (Gal 5:6).

Illustration

Their faith was not like the man who was attempting to cross the frozen, massive, St. Lawrence River in Canada. Unsure whether the ice would hold, the man first tested it by laying one hand on it. Then he got down on his knees and gingerly began making his way across.

When he got to the middle of the frozen river trembling with fear, he heard a noise behind him that sent a chill through his body. Looking back, to his horror he saw a team of horses pulling a carriage down the road toward the river.

When they reached the river they didn’t stop, but bolted right onto the ice and past him, while he crouched there on all fours, turning a deep crimson from his embarrassment.

If only he had known how firm the ice really was that day.

Application

Christ had saved these brothers and sisters, and Christ has saved you, if you’re resting in Him through faith. And faith that comes from God is a solid and sturdy faith which will hold you up so you can charge straight ahead, and as we love one another we say, “Let’s get through this thing together in Christ!”

Questions:

Whose faith are you thankful for that works its way out through love? Have you told ‘em? Tell them. And tell them in a way that magnifies God for His work in their life which is an encouragement to you.

Brothers and sisters, who’s missing? Would you call them? That’s right, you! They may need encouragement from the individual people who make up this local body of Christ.

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II. Pray for Growth in Wisdom (17-18a)

Ephesians 1:17–18a (ESV)

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...

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Wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

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Open the eyes of my heart to know (18a).

Ephesians 1:18b–19a (ESV)

18b ...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...

The hope God has called us to (18b);

The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (18c);

The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe (19a).

Conclusion and Transition to Communion

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We are to pray that God would help His people know Him more fully. As we thank God for faith that allows us to thrive in the world (15-16), we pray for growth in wisdom for one another (17-18a).

Communion transition

Closing Prayer