Turn to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1, we are just beginning to walk our way through the letter to the church at Ephesus. And last week, we saw in Paul's introduction some pretty powerful words of praise and adoration for God, that God has blessed us that God has chosen us, that He has predestined us to be adopted as His children, that God has graced us, and that He has made known to us the mystery of His will, and He has done all of these things, either in Christ or through Christ, and He has done it for those who listen and who believe. And if we have listened and believed, we saw that He has sealed us and secured us with His Holy Spirit, and now This morning we pick up in Ephesians 1 and verse 15, and we're going to look at verses 15 to 23 where Paul turns his focus from an explanation of worship to God and blessing the Lord to his local church in Ephesus. So Ephesians 1. Verse 15 says, as we read earlier, for this reason, I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you while making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion in every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him his head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this letter. We thank you for the opportunity we have to study it. I pray now that you would help us to hear your voice, God, that you would speak in spite of me. That is our only hope this morning, that you would grace us with a word from your spirit and your word. And we will thank you for it in Christ's name. Amen. Martin Lloyd-Jones said this about Ephesians, and I think it's a good reminder for us as we walk our way through this letter. He said that we must never forget that this is a pastoral letter. and that its purpose was thoroughly practical. The apostle must not be thought of as a theologian who sits down to write a theological disquisition. His object was to help Christians. to strengthen them and to encourage them in their daily Christian living. And as we are working our way through this letter on Wednesday nights in our home groups and then as we gather together on Sunday, the question repeatedly surfaces either verbally or in the looks of people's eyes when I say next Sunday we're going to look at chapter 2. And next Wednesday, we're going to look at chapter 2. We're going to come and I'll preach on chapter 2, and then we'll look at chapter 3, and then we'll look at chapter 4, and then we'll look at the first portion of chapter 5, and then the latter part of chapter 5, and the first part of chapter 6, and then we'll finish the letter. And the question is always, how on earth can you cover that much ground in this letter? And if we want to be theological, if we want to pretend to be seminary professors where Paul intended for the church at Ephesus to gather together and parse every verb and find some hidden meaning, we might can do that. But the point is, this is a pastoral letter that was to be practically applied, not a theological letter that is supposed to be studied infinitely. And we find ourselves falling into the trap of always trying to dig so deep that we miss the main points. And then we sit around in our small groups and we sit around in our churches talking theology and never doing anything. And a lot of that goes back to us trying to dig so deep we missed the main point. We're not wanting to do that as we go through these letters. We want to see what it was that Paul was bringing out, and then not be hearers of the Word, and talkers of the Word, and theologues of the Word, but to hear the Word and do the Word. And if we're going to do that, we just need to see what he says. So I just want to put that before us and regularly remind us in the words of Martin Lloyd-Jones that this is a pastoral letter. This is not written by a theologian who's trying to give you a great dissertation. This is something for the church to read and not just sit around and talk about and try to plumb the depths of necessarily, but to read, to listen to, and to apply to our lives as a church. So let's do that this morning as we look at verses 15 to 23 because it's really very clear what is going on here. Paul is moving from blessing the Lord for all of the blessings that he's poured out upon his church to then looking at his church and saying, here's what I've been doing as I think about you. And what is it that Paul says he's been doing? as he thinks about them in verses 15 to 23. We get a snapshot of the Apostle Paul's prayer life for the church at Ephesus. He says, I'm praying for you guys, and here's what my praying for you looks like. His prayers take two forms. There's a prayer of thanksgiving for the church at Ephesus, and then there's a prayer of intercession for the church at Ephesus. So there's a prayer of thanksgiving, and then there's a prayer of intercession for the church at Ephesus. And that's how we're going to break this text down this morning. First of all, by looking at Paul's prayer of thanksgiving for them in verses 15 and 16. He says, for this reason, I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus, which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, do not cease, what? giving thanks for you while making mention of you in my prayers. I don't stop giving thanks for you, Church at Ephesus. Why? Because you have been able to build some of the most awesome buildings that can be utilized for ministry that have ever been known to mankind, right? Wrong. I'm always giving thanks for you Church at Ephesus because you are always able to hold some real big crusades and get a whole lot of people from the community to come in, repeat the sinner's prayer, baptism, turn in those numbers, baptize them, then turn in those numbers to the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board and never see those people again until next year when you do the crusade all over again and baptize them all over again. That's what I'm proud of you for, Church at Ephesus. Is that what he says? No. What does he say? Two very, very simple things that he gives thanks for. And it really takes all of our theology and all of our practical Christian living and just smashes them into two categories. He says, first of all, I give thanks for you because of your faith. Vertically speaking, I'm giving thanks to you for your faith vertically. What is faith? Hebrews 11 says, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. We need to understand what faith is because if you turn on the television preachers, this is what faith looks like. It looks like a three-year-old having a temper tantrum and holding their breath turning red, turning blue, in an attempt to get their way from their parents. Because if you as parents don't give me what I want, I'm going to hold my breath so long that I'm going to pass out. That's what the television preacher does. We're just going to muster up enough faith, quote-unquote faith, and we're going to yell, and we're going to scream, and we're going to plead, and we're not going to eat, and we're going to pout until God gives us what we want because of our great faith. That is not faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. And where do we find our hope? We're going to see it later on in this text, but in a nutshell, we find our hope in the Scriptures, in the Word of God that point us to Christ. So it is the assurance of the things we see on the pages of Scripture. It's the conviction of things not seen. The conviction of things that we have come to terms with in the Word of God that we don't see practically working out, that don't seem to make common sense, that we by faith hold on to because God said so. Not because God said so in some mysterious way like He speaks to the television preacher. But because God says so in the pages of scripture. God says one thing. It doesn't make sense in our 21st century American culture. And yet we hold on to that and hope with the conviction that God is faithful. That's what faith is. That's what faith is. James chapter two. If you just turn to James chapter 2, we need to be reminded that this faith is not just about talking, but it is about doing. James chapter 2, verses 14 to 26 should be a familiar passage of scripture to most of us. James chapter 2, beginning in verse 14, he says, what use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? So I've seen this in scripture. I believe that's what the scripture saying. I believe that's a promise from the Lord in the scriptures. Man, I believe that, but I'm not practically living it out and hanging on to it. If you say you have faith, but there's no works, can that kind of faith save him? Does that kind of faith prove anything? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace, be warmed and be filled, and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so, faith without works is dead being by itself. Verse 18, but someone may well say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe in shudder, but are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac, his son, on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works and as a result of the works faith was perfected and the scripture was fulfilled which says, and Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness and he was called the friend of God. What does that scripture say? That Abraham believed God And it was accounted to him as righteousness. So when was Abraham made righteous? When he believed God, when he had faith. But that's not where it ended. He went on and laid his son on the altar at the command of God and was willing to sacrifice his son, his future, his hope, his inheritance, his legacy at the word of the Lord. And God said, Now I know, Abraham, that you Really, believe me, Abraham was justified. He was made right by his faith. But that faith worked itself out and proved itself on the altar of sacrifice. And the same way we can talk theology, we can talk doctrine, we can talk faith. But if that faith does not have any practical, clear works to back it up, then all it is is hot air. We are justified by faith. We're made righteous by faith, but not without works. We are not justified by works. Don't get me wrong. We can't work ourselves into justification. There's no way we can be good enough. But don't fool yourself into thinking that faith without works is worth anything. Because it's nothing. It's dead. He goes on in verse 24 and says, you see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the words of John Calvin, a man may be justified by faith but a faith that justifies is never alone. A man may be justified by faith alone, but a faith that justifies is never alone. It will always have works. Verse 25, in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. Just say that we have faith that doesn't work. that doesn't show itself, that doesn't prove itself is equal to saying I'm alive when my spirit has left my body and I'm a corpse lying in a coffin. It's not existent. So we can talk about faith, and we can talk about Jesus, and we can talk about scripture, and we can talk about all these things, but if it doesn't manifest itself and work itself out in holiness, then we are missing something. And it's become a heavy burden of mine as I hear so many Christians talking about their freedom and their liberty and they want to exercise their freedom and they want to exercise their liberty because they're everything and all is in Christ. That's fine and good. But if we put more emphasis on our freedom and our liberty than our holiness, we're missing something. Faith brings about holiness. Faith brings about works. And without that, you don't have faith. You've just convinced yourself. That you're OK. And Paul looks at the church of Ephesus and he can't open up their chest and look in their heart, so to speak. There's no way he can see their faith. There's no way he can hear their faith by looking inside of them. The only way he can know that they have faith is in what they are doing. In their works. In their holiness. In their pursuit of holiness. But notice in Ephesians that this isn't just generic faith, this is particular faith. Faith in particular in the Lord Jesus. He says, I've heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus. They are putting their faith, their trust, their hope in Christ and it is working itself out. and proving itself so that Paul gets word of it all the way in prison and is able to write that every time I pray, I am overflowing with thanksgiving because of the real, visible, working, lasting faith in my church at Ephesus. Years after planting my church at Ephesus, I'm still hearing about this faith. So one thing he gives thanks for is faith, vertical faith. Then secondly, He says, I give thanks for your love for all the saints. So vertically, he's thankful for faith. Horizontally, he's thankful for their love for all the saints. First John 2 3 23 says this is his commandment that we believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Remember, we talked about Samuel Rutherford and the famous preacher who visited his home. And if you weren't here, I'll just retell the story. If you slept through it, I'll tell it. Maybe you can stay awake this time. Samuel Rutherford, this famous preacher, visits his home and his wife is lining up the servants, you know, for Sunday worship. And she's making sure they're clean, making sure they're dressed appropriately, and she begins to catechize these servants to make sure that they're ready for the Lord's Day. And this minister who visits, this famous minister, dresses like one of the servants and falls in line for who knows what reason. He's standing in line and Samuel Rutherford's wife is coming through and she's catechizing the servants and she sees him and she recognizes that he's new and thinks that he might not know much. So she says, sir, how many commandments are there in the scriptures? And he says, 11. And she just chews him out, up and down, because he didn't even know that there were ten commandments given in the scriptures. He thought there were eleven. She talks about his ignorance, and she just gives him a good bawling out before church. Well then, as they get to church, this famous minister takes off the dress of the servant, and he puts on the dress of the minister, and he ascends the pulpit. And on the front row, there's Samuel Rutherford's wife. She's watching him. preach and she begins to think he looks strangely familiar. She can't quite place where she's seen him before, and he begins to preach on the 11th commandment. And she begins, as he unfolds that, begins to want to ease under the front pew, I'm sure, as he unfolds the 11th commandment from John 13, 34 and 35. A new commandment I give to you that you love one another. And that would be great, but he doesn't stop there, even as I have loved you, that you love one another. So we love one another, but we must love one another as Christ loved us. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. gives thanks in this prayer for their vertical faith and for their horizontal love. And really, doesn't that just summarize the Christian life? I mean, I know there's a whole lot more to it, but if we were going to smash it into two words, wouldn't you say it would be faith and love? Vertical faith, horizontal love. Now he not only gives thanks, but he also intercedes for them. So what does his intercession look like for them? Now supplication is you praying to God for your own burdens and your own needs. Intercession is when you are praying for others. So Paul now says, I've let you look in on my thanksgiving part of my prayer. Now I want to allow you to look in on my intercession part of my prayer. What am I praying for you? Look in verse 17, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. So what is he praying for them? He's praying for them several things, but he begins this unfolding of what he's interceding for them over with saying, I'm praying that you would get wisdom, that you would get a spirit of wisdom and a spirit of revelation in the knowledge of Him. If you turn over a few pages to Colossians, and I believe that Colossians and Ephesians were written at the same time, and as we study Colossians, we're going to see a lot of parallels. And they were both delivered by Tychicus to the churches, so I think he took them both. Paul must have wrote them both together. because there's a lot of parallels. In Colossians 1, in verse 9, look at what he prays for the church at Colossae. In Colossians 1, 9, for this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Do you see a parallel there with the church at Ephesus? At the church of Ephesus, he's praying for a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that they may increase in their knowledge of him. At Colossae, he's praying for their understanding and their knowledge of him. There's two ways that we receive this wisdom. There's two ways that we receive this revelation. There's two ways that we receive this spirit. One is outward and one is inward. Outward would be as you're sitting here, something that might be read from the scriptures, might penetrate your heart, might open your eyes, and you are given a word from the Lord, from the scriptures. Then there's the inward way when you wake up in the morning and you open the scriptures and it's just you and the Lord and the Holy Spirit would take something on the page and drive it into your heart and change your life. So there's an outward and then there's an inward way that we are given wisdom and revelation. But I want you to notice that the end goal of this wisdom and revelation is not a deep and mysterious knowledge of the deep and mysterious intricacies of God's Word that nobody else is smart enough to figure out. No, this knowledge, this revelation, this wisdom that he wants the church at Ephesus to get hold of is the knowledge of him. It's the knowledge of who? The knowledge of Christ. Christ should be our focus. And when our eyes focus on Him, you know what happens when our eyes focus on Christ and not on all of these other things? If we get our eyes focused in on Christ, everything else comes into focus and the lights come on. Look in verse 18. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. So when we focus in on Christ, when we get this wisdom, revelation and knowledge of Christ, the lights come on and our focus on everything else becomes clear. 2 Corinthians 4, 6, God who said light shall shine out of darkness is the one who is shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. He is shown in our hearts, the eyes of our hearts. to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. So Paul is praying that they would get the wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of Christ so that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened. They would be able to focus And then here are the practical things he intercedes for in light of that knowledge. First of all, that they might know what is the hope of his calling. Look in verse 18. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know. Now notice these words, what is. Okay, if you're using the NASB, what is. So I'm praying that you will know what is the hope of his calling. That's number one. That you might know what is the hope of his calling. Now what is he talking about there? He is referring here not just to a general call like is going out in this church and in churches all across America this morning, there's a general call of the gospel, there's a general call, follow Christ, there's a general call of scripture going out all over this land this morning and much, much, much of that general call is going to land before it ever hits the front row and disintegrate right there. But out of that general call, there's also an effectual call. And what that means is the Holy Spirit will pick up that general call and He will drive it into the heart of someone out there who doesn't know Christ, who is not following Christ. He will pick up the general call and He will drive it into that person's heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. have an effect. It will be an effectual call that will open their eyes, that will break their heart, that will change their mind, and they will say, today I want to follow Christ. Now we have all been in one of those two places. Either we have been the heart of stone that the general call bounces off of and never seems to penetrate, and that's you this morning. Or we are those who at some point the Holy Spirit took the Word and broke up that heart of stone and impacted our lives and opened our eyes and changed our hearts and we responded to the Gospel call. Our minds were changed. We went from a heart of stone who didn't want to hear the Word, who didn't respond to the Word, the Word didn't affect, to all of a sudden the Word of God affects. And we see things differently and we're looking through a new lens. Do you see the difference in the general call and the effectual call? And the good news is if we are still six feet above where they put coffins, There's hope for that general call to become an effectual call in our lives, right? If we're still six feet above the ground, if we're still alive, there is hope that this morning, even if you have been that heart of stone, even if you have been that person who never seems to be affected by the gospel, there's still hope this morning that the Holy Spirit of God would take His word and drive it into your heart, and change your mind, and change your life. And open your eyes. Now, here's what I believe Paul is saying here. He's saying, I want you to know the hope of his calling. If you have received the effectual call so that your desires have changed, and you know, I no longer want to walk according to the course of this world, the word of God. It now affects me. It changes my perspective. I want to follow Christ. If there's been that shift in your life where you can say, you know what? The Word is no longer just bouncing off of me, but it's affecting me. It's changing me. It's giving me new hungers and new desires and new passions. And I'm beginning to see a difference in me. That should bring us hope. Because God doesn't affectually call people that aren't going to be saved, right? He doesn't effectually call lost people. Well, you know, the Word of God affected me, and I responded, and, you know, I hungered for the Word of God, but then I went to hell because I didn't cross all my T's and dot all my I's, you know, and I messed up there at some point, and I've just blown it, and I'm gone now. Is that how it works? Listen to what John 1 12 says, as many as received him. And you need to listen to this, kids and teenagers. and grown people. As many as have received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. So let's say that you are sitting out in the service this morning. You're questioning your salvation. You're wrestling with your salvation. You're struggling with doubts. Here's one question you can ask yourself. Have I gone from being a brick wall to now Am I hungry for the Word? Have I gone from being blind to now having my eyes open so that I see things in the Word? Have I gone from having no taste for the Scriptures, no taste for the sermons, no taste for the Bible studies, to now I'm hungry for those things and I long for those things? Has there been a shift? Then that is probably evidence that there has been not just a general call in your life, but an effectual call in your life that has affected a change in your view and understanding and desire for the Word of God. And if that has happened in you, that should give you hope. Because if that's happened and you've received Christ, then there's hope for you because those who receive Him, He also gives the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. And John 6, 37 says, All that the Father gives me will come to me. Okay, so do we want to focus on all that the Father gives me? Let's try to figure out all that the Father gives me, because you really don't look like the kind of person that would fit into the category of all that the Father gives me. You weren't born in a privileged family. You weren't born in the right part of the neighborhood. You weren't raised up in the right kind of environment. You didn't go to the right kind of church. So I'm thinking you might not fit into that category, all that the Father gives me, because frankly, if I were the Father, I wouldn't give you. And let's be honest, that's where we like to count. We want to talk about, well, who has the Father given to the Son? Do they really qualify? Do they really look like they fit? How about we focus in on all that the Father gives me? Will come to me? And say, how about we focus on, will you come to Christ? Have you come to Christ? Are you coming to Christ? Then guess what? If you're coming to Christ, it's giving evidence that the Father has given you to Christ. And he goes on and says, And the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. So how many of you are waiting to get things just right before you come to Jesus so that he won't cast you out? He doesn't say, get things just right before you come to me and I won't cast you out. He says, if you come to me, if you come to me this morning, October 2nd, 2016, just as you are, I will not cast you out. And if you come to me, it gives evidence that my Father has given you to me. Because nobody's coming to me that He didn't give to me. So there should be hope in the fact That our desires have changed and the Holy Spirit of God has affected a change in us. And I think that's what Paul is saying. I'm praying that you would know enough of Jesus to recognize that there is hope in the fact that he has called you. And you can hang on to that. I know we, how many times have you heard me say that it's not a past tense decision, but it's a present tense faith. I used to say that all the time. I would say, you know, if I wanted to see if you were alive, I wouldn't ask to see your birth certificate. I would ask to check your pulse, right? So how are you today walking with Christ? Yes, there's merit in that, but there's also merit in the fact that I can look back and say, Christ opened my eyes. He changed my desire. He made me new. He made me think differently. And maybe it was just a little at first, but I can see where he has given me new tastes and new passions. And there's hope in that Ephesians 4, 4, If you just turn over there, it says there's one body and one spirit. Just as also you were called in one hope of your calling, don't neglect the hope of your calling, if Christ has called you to himself, there is assurance in that. So they he prays that they might know what is remember those two words, what is the hope of his calling? Now read on in verse 18, it says that you will know what is the hope of his calling, and then he says, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints? So what is the hope of your calling and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints? Remember Ephesians 1.11 that we looked at last week, what did he say? That we were predestined to be adopted as his children. And then verse 11, also we have obtained an inheritance. having been predestined according to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will. We've been predestined to be adopted as God's children and therefore heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus. And listen, there's an inheritance involved in that. And we could stay here all morning talking about all of the things we inherit as being children of God. But I just want to give you one scripture that will hopefully help you see the culmination of it in Revelation chapter 21. Revelation chapter 21, look at this scene unfold for us in Revelation 21 verses 1 to 7. Revelation 21, 1 to 7, then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he will dwell among them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be among them, and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death, There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away. Verse 5, And he who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And he said, Write for these words are faithful and true. And then he said to me, It is done. I'm the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit These things, and I will be his God and he will be my son. Just soak up those first seven verses and I think we have enough of an inheritance that we don't have to go any further to get excited and encouraged. Would you not agree? We are going to inherit a new Jerusalem, whatever that looks like, whatever that is. coming down from heaven. We are going to inherit a new heaven and a new earth. We are going to inherit Christ who is going to dwell among us. It's a tabernacle among us. We are going to inherit springs of water that flow. We're going to inherit new bodies that don't suffer pain, that don't shed tears of mourning or grief anymore. We're going to inherit all of these things unfolded for us in Revelation 21, 1-7. And more, and Paul is saying, I'm praying for you that you would get a grip of the hope of your calling and that you would get a grip of what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. And then that they might know what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe. Look in verse 19. So we have what is, what is the hope of his calling? We have, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints? And then in verse 19, what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe? What is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe? Think about that. The surpassing greatness. What does that even mean? The surpassing greatness of his power. How can you surpass the greatness of His power? The surpassing greatness of His power. We could pull a Martin Lloyd-Jones and preach on those two words, couldn't we? Surpassing greatness. What is that? We can't even wrap our minds around it, but Paul is saying, this is what I'm praying for you, church at Ephesus, that you would know what is the surpassing greatness of His power that is directed towards you who believe. This is not the greatness of His power directed at the universe and the stars and the in the orbit of the earth around the sun and the galaxy and the moons. This is not the greatness of His power that brings the tide of the ocean in and the tide of the ocean out. This is not the greatness of His power that gives the ducks a brain to migrate in the winter down south. This is not the greatness of His power that causes our hearts to beat and our eyes to focus and our lungs to breathe and us to live another day. This is the greatness, the surpassing greatness of His power that is directed towards His church. And His church is made of individuals so as to surpass the greatness of His power that is directed to us. And if you turn back to Colossians 1 and verse 29, look at how he describes it there. Colossians 1, 29, Paul says, for this purpose also I labor. striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. So Paul is saying, here I am. I'm laboring according to the power of God that mightily works in me. And he's looking at the church at Ephesus and saying, that surpassing greatness of his power is directed at you as well. So pick it up and labor according to the great power that is at work within you. So this is a prayer of thanksgiving. for their faith vertically, for their love horizontally. This is a prayer of intercession that they might know what is the hope of their calling, what are the riches of the glory of the inheritance that He's preparing for the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Now, look in the latter part of verse 19, because Paul summarizes his prayer. He kind of goes ADD on us, and he jumps over here and says, drive this home for you. And he says in the latter part of verse 19, these are, these are, these things that he just prayed for, are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might. In other words, these things, these things happen according to the strength of His might. These things happen in the same way the strength of His might happens, which I'm about to unfold for you. So, your faith, your love, your inheritance, your hope, your power, it all parallels this great Strength of his might is in accordance with those things. Okay. So what is the strength of your might verse 20? Which he brought about in Christ. So now he's showing us This is what this power that I'm talking about that is working in you in all of these areas That parallels all these areas this power is the power that was brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, in every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come." Get this, he's not talking about future, Jesus is over everything. He's talking about right now, Jesus is over everything. And that ought to just make us a little happy this election season, right? That Jesus is over everything. All things are subject to Christ. And verse 22, he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him his head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who feels all in all. And here's what I want you to see. That faith that is working in you towards Christ is brought about by the same exact power that rose Christ from the dead, ascended Him into heaven, set Him at the right hand of the Father, and put all things in subjection under His feet. That love that we exercise is not something we muster up in ourselves or pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and are able to do on our own. That love that is shown between believers is the same power that affects that love that rose Jesus from the dead, ascended Him into heaven, set Him at the right hand of the Father, and put all things in subjection to Him. That hope of your calling, that hope of that calling, was provided by the same exact power that raised Jesus from the dead, ascended Him into heaven, set Him at the right hand of the Father, and put all things in subjection under His feet. That great inheritance that is being provided for us and that is going to be given to us in Revelation 21, 1-7, among many other things in Scripture, was affected by the same exact power that rose Jesus from the dead, ascended Him into heaven, set Him at the right hand of the Father, and put all things under His feet. That power that works in you as individuals that make up the church of Jesus Christ, that power that is directed towards you, that surpassing greatness of His power, is the same exact power that raised Jesus from the dead, called him up into heaven, set him at the right hand of the Father and put all things in subjection under his feet. Paul is praying and he's giving thanks for them and he's interceding for them knowing that the power today is the exact power that the Father utilized to raise Jesus from the dead, conquer death, conquer hell, conquer the grave, catch him up into heaven, sit him down at the right hand and put everything in every age under his feet. That's the power that is directed to us today. And that just fast forwards me to Ephesians 3 20, who says now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us. To him Be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. I think if there's one thing Paul is wanting the church at Ephesus to take away from this is, yes, I'm praying for you. Yes, I'm thankful for you. Yes, I'm interceding for you. But listen, the reason we have hope is because there is power in Christ. And that power is directed towards you today. So, my question is, do you have the hope of your calling? Is Christ speaking to you? Is His Holy Spirit penetrating your heart, or is this just another general call As the Holy Spirit picked up any of these words and penetrated your heart and changed your mind and begun to give you a new passion and a new thirst and a new hunger, then maybe this morning you need to claim your inheritance and come to Christ and embrace the power of Christ in your life for the first time. Please don't leave this place. If God is speaking to your heart and you need to turn from your sin and put your trust and your faith in him without seeing me or Darren or Kelly or someone, we'd be glad to point you to Christ. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We pray simply that you would do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or imagine. We need your grace. We need your mercy. We need your help. God, whatever you do, we'll give you praise for it because we know that you're good and sovereign and wise. And we pray these things in Christ's name. Amen.