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Hearts Enlightened (Ephesians 1:15-23)

Scott Kercheville
09/13/15 - Sun PM

Series: Ephesians (Your Identity in Christ)

God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. God chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless. In love God predestined us to adoption as sons. We have redemption from sin through Christ’s blood. God lavished all wisdom and insight on us so we know God’s final plan to unite all things under Christ. God set us aside as his heritage and gave us his Spirit to assure us that we are his and to give us a downpayment on our inheritance until he obtains us. We have finished Paul’s first major sentence from verses 3-14.

Having never seen how each sentence ties to the next in Ephesians, I have been wondering how Paul can transition from “every spiritual blessing.” We have seen how the most important response we can have is to praise God’s glory. This is the awesome purpose for which God created us. But what do we do next? Paul shows us in Ephesians 1:15-23 what must now follow when he recounts how he does not cease to pray because of what God has done. But why is prayer such an important response to these blessings? What are the contents of Paul’s unceasing prayers? Notice Ephesians 1:15-16.

Paul's Prayers

• Paul prayed with thanksgiving (1:15-16).
• Paul prayed for enlightenment (1:16-23)…
  • To know the hope to which we have been called.
  • To know the riches of God’s inheritance in the saints.
  • To know the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.

Conclusions

1. Pray for enlightenment.
2. Re-study Ephesians 1:1-14 to more fully see how greatly blessed we are.
3. Read scripture to continually grow in knowing God.