Title: Thanksgiving and Prayer / Ephesians 1:15-23
Content Thanksgiving and Prayer / Ephesians 1:15-23
To summarize what has been said above, first, the blessing of election through the Father and God, secondly, redemption through the Son Jesus Christ, and thirdly, we should praise the Triune God for the sure inheritance of heaven received in the Holy Spirit.
In short, the Apostle Paul cannot but give thanks and praise to God whenever he thinks about the work of salvation based on God's infinite love.
In fact, our lives are miserable beings with no hope of perishing forever. Life is worse than animals. Until we truly realize this fact, there can be no thanksgiving and no powerful praise.
How can we thank and praise the grace and love that Jesus Christ has redeemed for us through the shed blood of those who are condemned to be cursed?
Romans 5:5-11 says, "Hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us, for while we were still weak, as promised, Christ died for the ungodly. It is not easy for one to die for the righteous, and some dare to die for a good one, but God demonstrates his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
And much more, then, since we have been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved from the wrath through him; for, since, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, because of his life. we will be saved, and not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now obtained the reconciliation.”
To summarize this verse, it means that our lack and weakness can never stop God's love. In theological terms, this is God's 'irresistible grace'.
Rather, God took pity on our shortcomings and weaknesses and gave us more grace. This is because the blood of Christ, the crystallization of God's love, is more than enough to forgive the sins of all mankind.
Therefore, God's gracious salvation cannot be absolutely canceled and cannot be destroyed. So, the certainty of salvation was guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, this chapter emphasizes more than anywhere else that 'all spiritual blessings in Christ come from heaven to God's people.
Therefore, apart from Christ, human beings will always fall into wretched despair, and it is telling us that without spiritual fellowship with Christ, we cannot live an abundant life. Thus, in the true sense of the word, Christ is the eternal foundation of the church and the source of all life and blessings.
Therefore, since only Christ is the foundation of perfect salvation, receiving all the spiritual blessings of the saints can only be received through Jesus Christ, and it is through the church that is his body, it is revealed in today's translation.
Today's text tells the purpose of thanksgiving and prayer that the Apostle Paul offered to God for the people of Ephesus.
In verse 15 it says, “For this reason I also have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints”. It means 'due to'.
The Apostle Paul heard many stories about the members of the church in Ephesus, but not all of them were good news. He is also well aware that the members have made grave mistakes that deserve warning and reproof. That is why I wrote these words to correct that point, but I did not reprove them from the beginning, and I am withholding all reproofs up to 4:17-6:9.
That's right. Our God delights in rewarding rather than punishing. So, according to Deuteronomy, if God's wrath extends to a thousand generations, God's blessing extends to thousands.
The reason that the Apostle Paul was able to continue to give thanks and pray even when he was living in an uncomfortable and painful prison life was because he thought of the comfort and blessings in Christ before the pain of the present.
Depending on what a person thinks first, his attitude toward life changes completely.
In the same position, some will live in hell and some will live in heaven.
(Yes). A couple of friends are walking through a wide, cool meadow. A river flows in front of it, and a beautiful mountain like a flat wind spreads across the river.
It was such a superb view that even an angel would come down. One friend exclaims in exclamation, intoxicated by the expansive meadows, golden streams, and the beauty of which even an angel can come down. But the other friend frowns at the sight of a cow dung a little away from his face rather than the beautiful scenery in front of him, and grumbles.
These two friends are in the same situation, in the same situation. Nothing is different.
But his state of mind is different. Depending on the attitude of the mind, one is walking in heaven and the other is walking in hell.
In this way, the saints who always keep in their hearts the grace given by God and the splendid kingdom of heaven, are thankful, rejoicing, praising, and living a blessed life in any circumstance.
That's right. True gratitude, peace, and joy are the blessings that can only be enjoyed by those who are in the eternal arms of our Savior Jesus Christ. And it is a blessing given to those who obey us because we worship and give thanks to the Lord who paid the penalty for our sins and redeemed us.
The Apostle Paul heard only the good news among many news, and he was thankful and prayed.
It says, “I also have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.”
The Apostle Paul was thankful to hear about the faith and love of some of the saints.
The true life of faith is a combination of faith and love. In particular, faith is a right relationship with God, and love is a right relationship with the saints.
That is why, according to 1 Corinthians 13:1 and below, it is said that without love, all life of faith is in vain. In 1 John 4:21, it says, "If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. He who does not love the brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."
The bud of faith can only bloom through the love of Christ. It will bloom in full bloom. To become a mature Christian.
Galatians 5:6 says, “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any effect, but faith working through love.”
Although there were many things wrong with the Ephesians, they still had warm love and concern for each other, so the apostle Paul continued in verse 16, saying, "I do not cease to give thanks for you, but I speak of you when I pray." .
It is the same for everyone, but when we pray with a grateful heart, there is power in prayer, and such prayer is also pleasing to God. However, if you pray with a heart of resentment or complaint, you lose the power of prayer, and God does not accept such prayers. These prayers are heard and answered by the devil. So that's what ruins him.
The Apostle Paul's thanksgiving can be divided into two parts.
The first was to thank others for their work. In general, people are grateful when their work is going well. But there is little to be grateful for for the good things of others.
When a cousin buys a rice paddy, it is a symbol of corrupt lives.
If we give thanks because our neighbors are doing well, God is pleased, and to those in need, God gives us the blessing of peace.
Second, he thanked him for all the grace he had received.
People often forget the grace they have received. However, when something embarrassing happens, it is seldom that we forget it, and we grumble and complain. This is unfortunate.
This kind of person is not going to be good at anything. In fact, nothing happens.
I have no peace in my heart. That is why the mind becomes sick and the body becomes sick.
However, it is easy to forget what is sad and not forget the grace you have been given, and the heart that is always grateful is always at peace. So everything will be a blessing. In fact, things that don't work will work. Such a person will be enriched in spirit and healthy in body. Why? Because God takes pleasure in such people and gives blessings.
In addition, the apostle Paul did not stop praying for others as he did for himself.
In Romans 1:9, it says, “…I always speak of you in my prayers without ceasing”.
Philippians 1:4 says, "Whenever I make supplications, I always make intercession for all of you with joy." In Colossians 1:9, it says, "...I do not cease to pray for you, I pray that you may fill your spiritual wisdom and understanding with the knowledge of God's will."
This is the beautiful and blessed image of a mature Christian, and it is the vessel of the saints who will receive abundant blessings from grace and blessings. Without such a vessel, the grace and blessings that God gives freely would have nothing to do with it. You cannot receive anything.
Also, the contents of the apostle Paul's prayer can be found in verse 17 and below.
It tells the Ephesians (1) what the hope they are called to, (2) what the inheritance they are waiting for, and (3) the power of God to make that hope a reality and make that inheritance their eternal possession. I prayed because I wanted to know this right away.
In fact, it is because it is the most important and the most blessed thing for the saints. I'm going to talk about this in the next lesson.
Dear saints! I hope that you will become a person of thanksgiving and prayer like the apostle Paul.
Therefore, I pray in the name of the Lord that you may be strengthened in spirit and body through God's abundant grace, and that all things may be blessed and prosperous in the Lord while God is pleased.