Ephesians 1 - 11.28.24
SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 1:17-18a, 22-23 NIV
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,
may GIVE you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
so that you may know HIM better.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
in order that you may know…
HIS incomparably great power for us who believe.
God placed ALL things under his feet and
appointed HIM to be HEAD over everything for the church,
which is HIS body, the FULLNESS of HIM who FILLS everything in every way.”
OBSERVATION
Talk about a Thanksgiving Prayer…
Paul reminds the believers in the church at Ephesus who Christ is—and who they (we) ARE—in CHRIST.
ALL things are under Christ’s feet.
Christ is the HEAD of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.
Paul takes the analogy further…
Christ is the HEAD of The Church…
We, as The Church, are The BODY of Christ—His Fullness.
APPLICATION
Is there a Power Shortage in our lives?
Paul explains:
The POWER of The Holy Spirit, THROUGH the resurrected, ascended Jesus Christ,
is Available to ALL Christians—by Faith.
HIS Power is To “us-ward” who believe.
“…that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and HIS incomparably great power for us who believe.”
(Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV)
Paul is speaking about a dynamic, mighty, divine, living, eternal energy that is Available to us!
A wealth of riches that has been FREELY given. But what good is this wealth if we leave it locked up and never draw on it?
When Paul explains that Christ is the Head and we ARE Christ’s body—the practical application is that there is a LIVING Connection—right here—right now—between us and Christ!
THROUGH His Holy Spirit-we are UNITED to Him, share in His resurrection, and are seated in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6).
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”” (Acts 1:8 NIV)
PRAYER
LORD Jesus,
I pray that out of YOUR glorious riches YOU will strengthen us with your power through YOUR Spirit in our inner being,
so that Christ may DWELL in our hearts—through faith.
And I pray that we, being rooted and established in love,
may ALL have power, together with ALL the Lord’s holy people,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is YOUR Love,
and to KNOW this love that SURPASSES knowledge—
that we may be FILLED to the measure of ALL the FULLNESS of GOD.
Now to HIM who is able to do immeasurably MORE than ALL we DARE to
ask, hope, or imagine, according to His POWER that IS at WORK
WITHIN us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout ALL generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
(Ephesians 3:14-21 NIV)
Tina L Kudelka