Transformed By Ephesians - Part 4

Ephesians 1:15–18 NLT

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

Pray

Confession of Faith

I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith! In Jesus Name

Intro: Today, I believe it is crucial that as Christ followers, or believers in Jesus Christ that we know the plan of God in a personal and intimate way. So Paul is telling us that we must grow in the knowledge of God!

It is absolutely essential that we grow so the world will come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.

The foundation or the basis of knowing God is faith and love.

Say Faith and Love

So as a body of believers we must have a strong testimony! People should know about your strong faith in Jesus Christ and the world shoukld know about how strong we love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ

That’s what was happening with the churches at Ephesus! The Ephesian church had a strong testimony, a testimony so strong that it was being buzzed about all over the world.

Their testimony and its strength had reached the ears of Paul.

We need to share with people our faith in God’s love!

John 3:16 NCV

16 “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.

People must hear from you and me that faith we have in God’s love for the people of this world!

We have to make it up in our mind to carry this message of love to the world!

We must make it up in our minds to share this good news with people who are hurting, lonely, confused, angry, sad,

You and I individual and collectively must make it a point to not just have this knowledge, but to share this love from God to his people!

Ephesians 1:15 GW

15 I, too, have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. For this reason

The question is does anyone know that you have faith in Jesus Christ!

Who knows, that your foundation, your basis for life is found in Jesus Christ!

I am not talking about just going to church on Sunday’s

I am not talking about you condemning people for their sins,

I am talking about who knows that you trust Jesus for provide you with your finances… your trust in not in the job

Who knows that you trust Jesus for your marriage,

Who knows that you trust Jesus for your health

Who knows that you trust Jesus with your children and grandchildren

Who knows that you trust Jesus and have faith in Jesus for every situation and circumstance!

Paul said to the churches at Ephesus, - hears is what I’m hearing about you - That your Faith for everything is in Jesus Christ!

I am not hearing about you trusting a man or woman first - I am hearing about you trusting in Jesus for yourself! Not just in Word, but in deed as well!

I am hearing this about you!

Then Paul says, I am also hearing that you are loving the people of God!

In other words, folks are talking about you! People are looking at you, people are reporting about you and hear is the report! You love Jesus and you love each other as well!

That’s the testimony!!!

As I look back over my life And I think things over I can truly say that I've been blessed I've got a testimony

Sometimes I couldn't see my way through But the Lord He brought me out Right now I'm free I've got the victory I've got a testimony

What are people hearing about you!

What are people hearing about you when you can’t see your way out!

What are people hearing about you when the world disappoints

What are people hearing about you when the trials of like come at you like a storm

What’s your testimony!

What is the world hearing about us a brothers and sisters in Christ?

Are they hearing about the love that we have for each other?

What’s the narrative about those who follow Jesus Christ - What’s the narrative heard about the family of God

What is being heard about your faith in Jesus Christ

What is being heard about your love for the brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus

John 13:35 NLT

35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

How are you demonstrating your love for God’s people!

Let say this: As a Follower of Jesus Christ, As A Christian, your life never stands still! You must keep growing or else you will slip backwards!

You must continue to grow in the knowledge and power of God!

God wants us to grow from the trials and tribulations, but he also wants us to grow from the blessings!

So Paul says: I pray for you! Whenever you are doing things for the Lord and whenever you trust in the Lord, it’s always good to have someone pray for you and with you!

Ephesians 1:16 NLT

16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,

Paul said, i am thanking God for you! I am grateful for you!

Sometimes we forget that as a Believer in this world, thing are hard! We need to pray for each other constantly! We need to encourage each other constantly! We need to show gratitude toward each other constantly!

It is not easy to live a life of faith in this world! So this message speaks to us today! If you are bitter towards the church or the people of the church - Pray!

If you have been disappointed by the church body or the people in the church PRAY

If you have been hurt by the leadership in the church PRAY

Paul said in verse 17 he is

Ephesians 1:17 NLT

17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

So I challenge us today to Pray for Spiritual Wisdom and Insight - to grow in our knowledge of God!

Not the knowledge of a god that we created in our own minds and thoughts!

Not the knowledge of a god of religion

But the knowledge of the God of Jesus Christ

The God that Jesus Worshiped when he was on this earth as a man

The God that Jesus came to reveal to mankind

The God that Jesus prayed to, worshiped and revealed!

We must increase in our knowledge of the King of Glory

We must know the one who has created all and rules of all

We must know the one who is omnipotent ( all powerful) - I want knowledge and wisdom from that God

We must increase our knowledge the One who is omnipresent (present everywhere) The one who is so expansive that his very being and presences reaches out beyond the stars and embraces all that is or will ever be

I want to have more knowledge of the one the psalm writer talks about in Psalm 8:1

Psalm 8:1 NKJV

1 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

This is the God we must know. He is the only living and true God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the God of glory.

We must grow more and more in the knowledge of Him;

We must gain an ever-increasing knowledge of Him.

So pray for the spirit of wisdom -

Remember God will give His wisdom and understanding to those who honor Him and His Son.

When Paul talks about wisdom and praying for wisdom he is talking about seeing and knowing the truth.

Having the wisdom to see and know what to do.

This wisdom is found only in Jesus Christ and is promised only to those who search after Him with all their heart

1 Corinthians 1:30 NCV

30 Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin.

1 Corinthians 2:10–16 NCV

10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit searches out all things, even the deep secrets of God. 11 Who knows the thoughts that another person has? Only a person’s spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has given us. 13 And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom but with words taught us by the Spirit. And so we explain spiritual truths to spiritual people. 14 A person who does not have the Spirit does not accept the truths that come from the Spirit of God. That person thinks they are foolish and cannot understand them, because they can only be judged to be true by the Spirit. 15 The spiritual person is able to judge all things, but no one can judge him. The Scripture says: 16 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been able to teach him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

James 1:5 NKJV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

We must pray for a spirit that hungers and thirsts for the wisdom of God!

We must pray for the wisdom to know knowing who God is and how to relate to Him.

We must pray for the ability to know the truth and how to use it.

We must pray for the wisdom to know what to do and how to do it.

We must pray for wisdom to know how to live more and more fruitful lives—for the glory of God and for the welfare of our mankind

Wisdom is different from knowledge. Knowledge is the grasping of facts, but grasping facts is not enough. You need more : You must know how to use the facts. That is where wisdom comes in. Wisdom knows how to use the facts.

Here is my point : it is not enough to know the facts about God; you must know God personally.

You must know how to experience the facts about God.

You must use the facts to develop a personal relationship with God

You must develop growing relationship—a relationship that is intimate, that grows deeper and deeper.

1 Corinthians 2:9–16 NLT

9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. 13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

Finally,

I will leave you with this

Ephesians 1:18 NLT

18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

My prayer for us today is that we would have a testimony about our Faith in Jesus Christ and our love for each other

My prayer is that we would increase our knowledge of God so that we

1. The hope of His calling

2. The riches of the glory

3. The greatness of His power

God Bless you and Keep You