Praying for the Saints to know God
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsPaul praise God for the Ephesians and prays for their continual growing in the knowledge of God.
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Prayer
Prayer
We pray for lots of things
Health, wisdom, protection, finances, things we need, things we dont need
We pray for our children, for their well being, for their spouses or future spouses
We pray missionaries, churches, for souls to be saved and the community changed
But one thing that may often slip us in our prayer is what we see in Pauls prayer for the Ephesians today
That is praying for ourselves and others to grow in knowledge of the Holy one
Im not saying we shouldn’t pray for the previous things I mentioned but most of the time when Paul makes mention of praying for others- its always praise for God for them and desiring for them to grow in the knowledge of God
So lets look at the Word today
Vs 15-16 “For this reason,”- because of Gods sovereignty in redeeming His people through Jesus and sealing them for eternity and now because of their faith that has been evident
Paul says I keep praying for you
Isnt it encouraging to see someone you knew before they were a Christian, get saved and now live a faithful life?
Paul says I praise God for His work in your life and also praise him for your life of faith which is clearly displayed
Faith in Christ and love for the saints- hallmarks of a redeemed life
If we lack either- we are in spiritual trouble
Jesus diffuses the trap that is set before him by the RL in Matt 22
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
John goes to great lengths to explain this truth in 1 John
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
These two elements were clearly seen in the church at Ephesus and I pray these are seen in our church
Vs 17-18 What does Paul specifically pray for?
That God would give them wisdom and knowledge of God through the HS
the word for knowledge here is one that means exact, complete knowledge not just facts
Pauls desire is that God would continue His work through the HS so that each one would move from basic knowledge of God to a deep full knowledge of God
Its the HS that takes the word of God and makes it clear for us
He illuminates our minds to understand the truths of Gods word
“Growth in knowledge is indispensable to growth in holiness.”- John Stott
So I think it is important for us to remember, just because the HS is the one who works in us so we can understand the Word of God
He doesnt magically whisper it in our ear nor does he make the bible magically open and read itself to us
We must diligently seek to know him
"The Christian life could be described as getting to know God better every day. A friendship which does not grow closer with the years tends to vanish with the years. And it is so with us and God."- W. Barclay
Another great quote I read this week is by W. Weirsbe
"To know God personally is salvation (John 17:3). To know Him increasingly is sanctification (Phil 3:10). To know Him perfectly is glorification (1 Cor. 13:9-12)."
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
So Paul prays for the Ephesians to move beyond basic knowledge of God into the deep truths of His word
Growing more and more into a mature Christian life
Growing more and more in our relationship to the one who chose, called and redeemed us
in Vs 18- Paul continues his prayer for them
“having the eyes of your hearts enlightened”
This is past tense statement with present tense action
The HS has opened the eyes of Gods people but again thats not it
We havent arrived to our spiritual peak at salvation
We are equipped by the HS with our spiritual gifts at salvation, however through growing in our knowledge of God through His word, those gifts become refined as we faithfully do his work
Paul makes mention of three ways he longs for the Ephesians to grow in knowledge
To know the hope to which He called us
-Its enough for salvation to understand Christ and the cross
-but there is more to which we should desire to know
Think about when you went on your first date with your spouse
-You knew enough to realize you wanted to get to know them more
-Over time and conversation you began to realize what they like and dont like, their past life, the bumps, bruises, their hopes and dreams, and yours alike
It would be foolish to think after years of dating and marriage- you woudlnt know them any better than your initial knowledge that attracted you to them
In a similiar way, it would be foolish to think that in the life of the believer- one who has been chosen by God, bought by Christ, and set apart by the HS would be content to live barely knowing their Redeemer
A Child of the King
I once was an outcast stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe, and a crown.
When we realize the inheritance we have in Christ it transforms our minds and lives because we realize our hope in him is a certain hope unlike hoping for rain
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;
That assurance of our salvation should propel us to be like him
2. Riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints
-prior to this, in vs 14 Paul spoke the believers inheritance in Christ
-here he speaks of God inheritance in the saints
-We may not think of that often
-But the believer is the divine pursuit and delight of God that came at a great cost to God
The payment has been made but yet the final redemption and removal of sin still awaits
And on that day- what day that will be
This helps soldify- the eternal security of the faithful
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Why? Because I am his and he is mine- bought with the precious blood of Christ
3. Immeasurable power of His greatness toward believers
John Stott said- “If Gods calling looks back to the beginning, and Gods inheritance looks to the end, then surely Gods power spans the interim period in between.”
It is that power than has been given to believers in VS 19 to empower us to persevere to the end, to resist sin and strive after him in the midst of opposition
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
Everything we need for life and godliness has given to us in Christ
You may think God hasnt equipped you well, but according to this verse- in Christ God has given us all things we need and the power of God overseeing us
The end of vs19 thru the end of Vs 23 Paul defends that power of God by showing 3 way God has/is showing His power in Christ
by raising Christ and seating him in heavenly places Vs 19-20
-its the power of God that raised Christ from the dead
God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
and then
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Death and hell have no power over God and its clearly displayed in Christ resurrection and ascension
2. By seating him above all things
-there is no being in life, past,present, or future that compares to Christ
All things have been placed under Christ rule
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
Adam fell in sin and lost his position as head of mankind but Christ lived perfect obedience to the Word and is set as head over all things
3. By seating him as head over the church Vs 22-23
Its Chris who is head, beginning, the cornerstone of the church
He is one to whom the body is attached
Yet what is body without a head and head without a body
Christ who is sovereign over all things is intimately connected to his people and loves his people
Various metaphors help our understanding: As the bridegroom is not complete without the bride, as the vine is not complete without the branches (cf. John 15), as the shepherd is incomplete without the sheep, as the head is not complete without the body, so the Church is the complement of Christ!
This is an astounding wonder which caused Calvin to exclaim:
This is the highest honor of the church that, unless He is united to us, the Son of God reckons Himself in some measure imperfect. What an encouragement it is for us to hear, that not until He has us as one with Himself is He complete in all His parts, or does He wish to be regarded as whole!
Our Lord Jesus Christ has an inexplicable, unfathomable love for us so that he sees himself, as a groom, incomplete without us! What a lofty position this gives to the Church. Even in eternity we will never get to the bottom of this. Those who are hurting in ways no one else can understand must conclude from this that Jesus does understand and care!
Application-
May we pray for the we and fellow saints will grow in understanding and knowledge of God
-I think this must be the primary desire of our hearts for our our lives and the church
-Once we do- things change
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face
things of the earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”