Pray to know God more
Series: St Paul's in January
Speaker: Nick Freestone
Date: 14th January 2024
00:00:00 --> 00:00:16 Friends, in this season we're exploring Christianity itself, what exploring Christianity and what seeking to grow in faith in Christ might look like for us in 2024, both as a church but also individually.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:37 And last week, Steve shared from the life of Jonathan Edwards and of others from the book of Hebrews who lived imperfect but outstanding lives, pursuing knowing God with their whole minds and hearts, and how that was of an incredible benefit to their faith but also to the city around them.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:43 Our next step is in a book called Ephesians, in chapter 1.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:52 And in this, we find an encouragement from one Christian to others to pursue knowing God.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 And this comes in the form of a prayer.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:00 It's a prayer that asks God to provide knowledge of God.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 That's right, for God to provide knowledge of God.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:12 Of Him in people, provide knowledge of Him as people seek Him.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:20 This prayer shows us how Jesus meets the needs of every person.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:27 How knowing Him more and more meets the needs of every believer.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:37 And how praying in this manner, in Ephesians 1, actually fuels Christian faith and love for one another and love for their city.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:44 That's an eternal benefit to Christians and their community and everyone around them.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 So here's a question for you.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 Do you seek to grow in your faith?
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 Do you struggle to find a reason to do so?
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 Or have you never put your faith in Jesus?
00:01:59 --> 00:02:06 This passage is relevant to you today, as it was relevant to the Christians who lived in a city called Ephesus,
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 over a millennia ago.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:19 A man called Paul wrote this letter to people in this city, and he knew them very well.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:24 He wrote from prison to this place where he'd been two and a half years before.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 He had helped grow their church.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 He preached publicly for more than two years in that city.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:36 And he knew it really well.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 It was a multicultural place.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 It was a center of the popular religion of the day.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:46 There were temples and shrines, especially to the goddess Artemis of the time.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:51 It was a place of international trade and thought.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:57 It was like the religious, commercial, and intellectual crossroads
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 on your way in and around the Roman Empire.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:09 Imagine main roads all converging, cluttered shop fronts, standstill traffic,
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 people and signs in languages from all over the world.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 Kind of sounds like Chatswood to me.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:21 With our shopping centers like shrines to consumerism and materialism,
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 which are the popular religions of our day.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:28 And the terrible traffic, and the wonderful cultural diversity,
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 and the crossroads of all the train lines of Sydney, it seems.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:37 But while our cities are similar in some ways, they're very dissimilar in others.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:43 For Christians and Ephesians felt the pain of persecution really fiercely,
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 in a way that we cannot imagine as Christians here in Chatswood.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:52 I encourage you to go read the end of Acts 18 and Acts 19,
00:03:52 --> 00:03:57 to get a picture of what life was like in this city for Christians following Jesus.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 But even though our experience as Christians can't be the same city to city,
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 we do face really similar problems.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:12 So Paul asks God for, in prayer, what he knows all Christians need,
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 especially in Ephesus, but also here in Chatswood.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:21 He prays for a knowledge of God that can help us process and cope,
00:04:22 --> 00:04:26 and even thrive in our life following Jesus in our city.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 So, open up to Ephesians 1 with me.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:36 We're going to be in verse 16 and 17 first, so open up with me.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:46 Firstly, we see there in verse 16 and 17 that Paul remembers the Ephesians in his prayers,
00:04:47 --> 00:04:51 and he keeps asking that they might know him better.
00:04:51 --> 00:05:00 Paul gets specific in praying for Christians to know God in three specific ways.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 So have a look there in verse 18, I'm going to read.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:10 He prays that Christians may know the hope to which God has called them,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:15 the riches of his glorious inheritance as his holy people,
00:05:15 --> 00:05:21 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:26 Three areas of knowledge, hope, inheritance and power.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 First, to the hope that God has called us into.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:37 Christians embraced a hope in Jesus Christ when they first believe in him.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:42 They've actually just set a creed declaring what it is that we first believed,
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 and that we still believe.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:51 Christians embraced a hope in all the benefits of the good news.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:59 That God himself, by grace, has called them into forgiveness,
00:06:00 --> 00:06:05 true freedom, purity, safety, certainty, holiness,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 joy beyond measure, and a changed heart.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:13 There are so many benefits that God gives every Christian
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 at the very moment when they follow Jesus.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:23 Increasingly knowing a sure hope in our spiritual reality
00:06:23 --> 00:06:30 helps us turn to our relationship with God to face our present reality.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 What happened when we first followed Jesus in the past
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 is still our sure hope in the present.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 And if you need a reminder at any time
00:06:41 --> 00:06:45 of all that you have been called to,
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 what is your hope in Jesus,
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 there is a board right there on the other side of that wall
00:06:50 --> 00:06:55 that can show you everything available in Jesus,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 or if you follow him, that you have in Jesus.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:04 And from the moment when we came to faith,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:10 we can look forward to a glorious future with God beyond this life.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 In verse 18, Paul describes us as a holy people
00:07:14 --> 00:07:18 that share in a glorious inheritance together.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:20 We're all written in the will.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:26 Colossians 1.12, in another of Paul's letters to a different city,
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 uses similar language,
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 saying that it's God who qualifies us
00:07:32 --> 00:07:36 to share in the inheritance of his holy people.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:40 And while eternity with God is far beyond our imagining,
00:07:41 --> 00:07:45 Scripture is bejeweled like a crown
00:07:45 --> 00:07:49 with promises and pictures of a relationship with God
00:07:49 --> 00:07:54 that will last forever through what Jesus has done for us.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 So we find hope in the past,
00:07:56 --> 00:08:00 and we look forward to the future riches in Jesus.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:05 And for right now, Paul prays
00:08:05 --> 00:08:11 that we would know the incomparably great power
00:08:11 --> 00:08:15 that is literally toward us, for us,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 toward all who believe.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 And that power is that Jesus is ruling right now
00:08:24 --> 00:08:28 over all the happenings, all the kings of this world,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 all the powers that we face in our city,
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 in our nation, in our world.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:38 Nothing is beyond the reign and authority of Jesus Christ.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 So we hope in our past redeemed by Christ,
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 in a future promised in Christ,
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 and we can rest in his power now over our present
00:08:48 --> 00:08:54 as he rules unseen over the chaos of this world.
00:08:54 --> 00:09:02 Why does Paul ask God to grow a Christian's knowledge, though,
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 of their hope and inheritance and in Jesus' power for now?
00:09:07 --> 00:09:11 Why does knowing God more in these three ways actually matter?
00:09:14 --> 00:09:18 It's because this is the knowledge Christians need
00:09:18 --> 00:09:21 to process, cope, and thrive in life, in our city.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:25 And what are we trying to process and cope with?
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 Well, studies and books and arts,
00:09:29 --> 00:09:30 they all come to similar conclusions.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 All people are lonely or hopeless,
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 afraid of illness and death,
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 anxious about finances and housing,
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 frustrated that all of our relationships
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 are just bent to break down.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:51 We might be isolated from the world,
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 a part of interracial conflict,
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 or scarred by trauma.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:03 Every story, every song, every film,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 they all play on how we all long
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 for such problems to be solved,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 and they all look for answers.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:15 And for a poetic summary that I think is quite beautiful,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 we're going to explore, just for a little bit,
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 the chorus of a song by the band Coldplay.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 I was obsessed with Coldplay when I was in high school.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 That was a very long time ago.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 But I find this song called
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 Death and All of His Friends really helpful for us.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 So if you'll permit me,
00:10:34 --> 00:10:38 listen to the words and the longing of this chorus.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:42 I don't want to battle from beginning to end.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 I don't want to cycle and recycle revenge.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 I don't want to follow Death and all of His friends.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 Do you hear the three problems they're bringing up there?
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 Death and all of His friends.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:02 Well, it's Death and His friends' evil and disunity.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:06 This seems a good summary of humanity's struggle
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 to process, cope and thrive in life.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 But Coldplay's solution
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 is Viva La Vida,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 another one of their famous songs.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:23 The title of the album that these songs come from is called,
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 and it's two options,
00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 Viva La Vida or Death and All of His Friends.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 That's their choices.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 And Viva La Vida seems like their solution.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 Viva La Vida translates roughly as,
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 live life while it is long.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 It's based on a painting by Frida Kahlo.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 Viva La Vida means there's so much potential in life.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:51 Keep at it.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 Enjoy it.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 Make the most of it while you have it.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 And even though,
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 Frida Kahlo herself said at the end of her life,
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 I hope the exit is joyful,
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 and I hope never to return.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 The world,
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 and Coldplay,
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 and Frida Kahlo,
00:12:09 --> 00:12:09 and our city,
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 have no reasonable solution
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 to death and all of his friends.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 Death, evil,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 and conflict between people.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 Humanity need a hope better than Frida's,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 better than Chris Martin from Coldplay's.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 We need a future beyond ourselves
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 for this life and beyond,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 and a power over death,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:31 evil,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 and disunity
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 to trust in.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:38 And the good news is that all people have that alternative.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 Instead of death and all of his friends,
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 we don't have,
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 make the best of it while we live,
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 viva la vida,
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 we have Jesus.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 For Jesus came from an eternal life past
00:12:50 --> 00:12:54 that was without even a moment of hopelessness,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 no disunity,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 no lack of love or fear of the future,
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 and he gave that life up.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 He came as our lifeline
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 into our lifetime
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 to his own creation
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 and joined with us
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 in living a life
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 headed toward hopelessness
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 and disinheritance
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 and death
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 and a broken relationship with God.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 Also,
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 he could hand to us for free
00:13:22 --> 00:13:25 a sure hope
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 after paying for our sin
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 in our place on the cross.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:31 And also,
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 we would not have to face
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 another day of our lives
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 without looking forward
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 to a future of safety
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 and of eternal life
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 and of justice
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 and a perfect relationship
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 with our Creator.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 Jesus exchanged
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 his glorious future
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 for a horrifying judgment
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 and end
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 that was ours.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 He embraced death
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 so you could look forward
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 to your glorious inheritance
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 in God's Son.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 Jesus proved
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 that he has the power
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 to rule life
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 right now.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 So let's look back
00:14:07 --> 00:14:07 at Ephesians 1
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 because Paul can't stop
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 talking about
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 how Jesus
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 has actually killed
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 death
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 and all of his friends.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 He has the power
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 over it right now.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 Jesus first
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 conquered death
00:14:22 --> 00:14:22 itself
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 when he rose again.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 That power,
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 have a look there
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 at verse 19,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:29 that power
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 is a mighty strength
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 exerted
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 when God
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 raised Christ
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 from the dead.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:36 The power
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 that proved
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 stronger than death
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 at Jesus' resurrection
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 is the power
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 that will raise
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 his followers.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 And at the same,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 at that same power,
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 raised Jesus
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 to the throne
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 of heaven
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 where Jesus rules
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 in verse 21.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 Above all rule
00:14:55 --> 00:14:55 and authority,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 power and dominion,
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 and every name,
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 now and to come.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 There is no evil
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 done in the world
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 that Jesus' power
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 does not rule over.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 No matter if we see
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 him ruling over it
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 or not,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 we can trust
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 our king
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 through anything.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 And Jesus is also
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 the only ruler
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 who can unify
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 all people together.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 He unifies
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 the people,
00:15:24 --> 00:15:24 his people
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 as the church.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 Have a look there
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 in verse 22.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:29 The church
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 which is his body,
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 the fullness
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 of him.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 Jesus himself
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 is active
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 in the world
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 right now,
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 dealing with death
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 and all of his friends
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 through
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 people who follow him.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47 as his power
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 displayed
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 and impacting
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 the world.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 As if he is here
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 for he is
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 in and through
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 his church.
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 Coldplay song goes,
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 I don't want
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 to follow death
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 and all of his friends.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 Jesus defeated death
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 and all of his friends.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 So follow Jesus.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:14 If you follow Jesus
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 you have hope,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 you have an inheritance,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 you have God's power
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 in Jesus for you
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 right now,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 but you will still
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 feel the effects,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 all the problems
00:16:24 --> 00:16:24 of death
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 and all of his friends.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 We're all a part
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 of this city
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 and if our eyes
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 are open
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 we're all a part
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 of the world
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 whether it's on our screens
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 or right in front of us
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 and it's hard.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 We are so prone
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 to forget
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 the spiritual reality
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 put on this page
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 in Ephesians 1.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 So prone to forget
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 how Jesus
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 gives us life,
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 even life
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 to thrive
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 in our city
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 whether life
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 is hard in Ephesus
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 or whether life
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 is hard in Chatswood.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:54 Paul's solution
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 for all believers
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 is to pursue
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 knowing what we
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 already have in him
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 and not forgetting
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 this knowledge
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 day by day.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 or else
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 one of three things
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 are going to happen.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 We either turn
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 to the world,
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 turn to ourself
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 or our fears
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 to process
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 and cope
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 and try and thrive
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 in our city.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 If we forget Jesus
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 we might turn
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 to the world
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 for answers
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 drifting from
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 all Jesus offers us
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 into a
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 viva la vida
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 lifestyle
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 where
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 our life
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 might not
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 look too
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 different
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 to people
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 down at the mall
00:17:35 --> 00:17:35 who don't
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 have any
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 knowledge of
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 Jesus at all.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 A life that
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 ends up in a
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 dead faith.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 Or we turn
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 to ourselves
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 looking at
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 Jesus
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 and all he
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 has accomplished
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 as not quite
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 enough yet
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 to save us
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 from our sins
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 and so work
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 vigorously
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 and religiously
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 to save
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 ourselves
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 somehow
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 in our way
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 in our works.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 Or we forget
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 and follow the
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 fears
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 of our city
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 of our time
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 the fears
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 that are on display
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 on our screens.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 Those fears
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 can shape
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 our worry
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 and our worry
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 can be so
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 strong
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 that instead
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 of looking at
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 what Jesus
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 has accomplished
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 is enough
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 we actually
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 fear
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 into seeking
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 more and more
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 spiritual experiences
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 in place of
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 that completed
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 works of Jesus
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 Christ.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 Following Jesus
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 means looking
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 to him
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 day by day
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 as if he
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 has gone
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 before us
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 and we
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 are following
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 literally
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 following him
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 step by step
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 into a life
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 of thriving
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 in him.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 But not
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 seeking to
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 know him
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 more
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 leads us
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 to doubt.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 We must
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 respond to
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 our proneness
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 to forget.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 Proneness
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 to forgetting
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 the hope
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 and the future
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 and the power
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 of Jesus
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 Christ
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 by seeking
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 to know
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 God more
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 and regularly
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 remembering
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 all his
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 benefits
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 to us
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 past
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 and future
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 and in
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 our present.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 So what is
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 your next
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 step
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 in getting
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 to know
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 God
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 through the
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 completed
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 wonderful
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 glorious
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 works of
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 Jesus Christ?
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 If you
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 don't follow
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 Jesus yet
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 and like
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 Coldplay
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 you are
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 looking
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 for an
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 alternative.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 Your next
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 step is to
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 explore
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 Christianity.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 God is
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 known
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 and knowable
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 and wants
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 you to
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 know him
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 through
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 Jesus
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 Christ.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 We would
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 love to
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 help you
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 explore
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 knowing
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 Jesus
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 through
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 history,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 through
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 his
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 teachings
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 and all
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 he has
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 done for
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 you today.
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 So come
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 speak to
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 me or
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 speak to
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 someone you
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 know here
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 about what
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 your next
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 step might
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 be exploring
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 Christianity.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 And if you
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 do follow
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 Jesus your
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 next step
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 is always
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 going to
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 be pursuing
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 deeper and
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 deeper knowledge
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 of God
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 through Jesus
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 in the
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 Bible
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 day by
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 day.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 I invite
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 you to
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 take a
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 step that
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 you may
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 not have
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 taken this
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 year toward
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 opening your
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 Bible in a
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 more purposeful
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 way.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 Jess has
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 already mentioned
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 an explore
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 book.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 It's a
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 resource that
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 guides you
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 through little
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 letters or
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 books like
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 Ephesians.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 Day by day
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 helps you
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 understand it,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 helps you
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 pray about
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 it, helps
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 you apply it
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 to your
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 life, helps
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 you know
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 God more.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 I encourage
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 you to get
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 one of those
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 when they
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 come in.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 Or go have
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 a look at
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 our resource
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 table today.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 And do
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 this together
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 with others.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 We have
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 community
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 groups starting
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 up again soon
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 in our church
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 and that's
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 where we
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 every week
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 ask questions
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 of the Bible
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 and of
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 faith together
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 openly.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 Christians
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 flourish in
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 God's word
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 in community
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 and I
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 encourage you
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 to consider
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 joining a
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 group to
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 grow in your
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 knowledge in
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 God this
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 year.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 But you
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 might be
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 sitting here
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 and not
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 want to
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 take a
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 next step.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 Some of
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 us find the
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 idea of
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 knowing God
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 in the
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 pages of
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 books,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 knowing God
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 more with
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 others
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 openly,
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 intimidating
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 or makes
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 us feel
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 afraid or
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 it's just
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 too hard.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 It's just a
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 pressure on
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 our shoulders
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 that leads
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 us to give
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 up.
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 That's been
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 me in the
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 past,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 especially
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 when I was
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 younger,
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 but in
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 and out
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 of season.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 And if
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 that's you,
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 Ephesians has
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 one more
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 encouragement for
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 you.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 Have a
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 look at
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 Ephesians
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 1.17.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 And just
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 look at these
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 verses and
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 look, where
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 does our
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 knowledge of
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 God come
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 from?
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 Does it
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 come from
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 our hard
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 work?
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 Does it
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 come from
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 our intellect?
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 Does it
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 come from
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 how well we
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 know English?
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 No.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 Our knowledge
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 of God
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 comes from
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 God himself.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:23 Paul here
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 asks God
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 that he
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 may give
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 you, as
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 it says,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 the spirit
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 of wisdom
00:22:29 --> 00:22:31 and revelation.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 There is a
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 spirit of
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 God that
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 gives knowledge
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 of him to
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 us day by
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 day.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 A Holy
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 Spirit that
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 works through
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 the words of
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 scripture, in
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 books, and
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 through people
00:22:44 --> 00:22:46 to help us
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 grow in our
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 faith in
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 God.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 And as
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 verse 18
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 says, if
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 you look
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 there, it's
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 only as
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 God himself
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 enlightens the
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 eyes of
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 your heart
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 that knowledge
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 comes into
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 you in a
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 life-giving
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 way.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 Jesus
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 himself, who
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 called himself
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 the light of
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 the world,
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 like a
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 light in a
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 pitch-black
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 room,
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 through the
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 Holy Spirit,
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 does the
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 knowledge-giving
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 that we
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 seek.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 The pressure
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 that you
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 might feel
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 to grow
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 in your
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 knowledge of
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 God is
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 actually on
00:23:22 --> 00:23:24 God as
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 we take our
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 next step to
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 know him
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 more.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 It's a
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 partnership,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 the pressure
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 is on him.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 Paul has
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 told us he's
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 praying for
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 us, for
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 the Ephesians,
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 for knowledge
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 of God,
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 that we find
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 in what Jesus
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 has already
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 done, in
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 what he's
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 going to do,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 and what he's
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 doing in and
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 through us
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 now.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 And his
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 prayer shows
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 us how to
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 take that
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 next step,
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 and that
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 God will
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 work to
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 give us
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 that knowledge
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 as we
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 take it.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 And Paul
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 shares this
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 prayer with
00:24:03 --> 00:24:06 us, as an
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 example of
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 what to pray
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 for, to
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 shape the
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 culture of
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 God's church,
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 of people who
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 follow Jesus
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 together, to
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 be a people
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 who are
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 thankful, who
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 expect big
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 things of
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 God, and
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 who are
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 prayerful
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 observers of
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 fellow Christians
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 around us as
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 he grows us
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 in Christ.
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 How often do
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 you pray, like
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 Paul prays here,
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 for other
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 Christians?
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 If Ephesians
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 1 is an
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 example for us
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 to follow,
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 then we
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 should pray for
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 other Christians,
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 as it says in
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 verse 15,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:42 when we
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 hear of their
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 faith in the
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 Lord Jesus and
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 their love for
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 God's people.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 Beyond just our
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 relationship with
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 God, our
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 relationship, we
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 should consider
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 the work he is
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 doing in the
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 lives of the
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 Christians around
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 us, and look
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 for signs of
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 faith and love
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 in them, and
00:25:01 --> 00:25:03 respond, like
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 Paul, with
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 this unstopping,
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 ongoing
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08 thankfulness, not
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 waiting for
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 something to go
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 wrong in a
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 believer's life,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:13 to pray, but
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 never stopping in
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 thankful prayer,
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 asking God to
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 grow faith and
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 acts of love in
00:25:18 --> 00:25:20 people who we
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 are thankful for
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 as we see God
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 working in them.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 When you have
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 conversations with
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 other Christians,
00:25:28 --> 00:25:30 you should ask
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 how they're going,
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 how are you
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 going, and
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 really want to
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 know.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 That's good
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 friendship, it's
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 good Christian
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 friendship.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 And you
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 should ask
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 what's really
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 going on in
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 this spiritual
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 life.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 How are you
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 going, and
00:25:48 --> 00:25:50 how are you
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 growing?
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 And Ephesians 1
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 demands that that
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 second question,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 how are you
00:25:55 --> 00:25:57 growing, is
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 motivated by an
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 ongoing,
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 unstoppable
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 thankfulness for
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 that person in
00:26:02 --> 00:26:04 your life, and
00:26:04 --> 00:26:06 in your city, and
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 a desire that God
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 would be spiritually
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 imparting knowledge
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 to them through
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 his spiritual
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 wisdom and
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 revelation, that
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 they would be
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 growing day by
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 day in Jesus.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 So is your
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 heart moved
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 toward other
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 believers in this
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 way?
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 Are your
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 conversations in
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 our Christian
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 community filled
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 with questions
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 about growing in
00:26:27 --> 00:26:29 faith, answers of
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 how God has given
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 us a hope and a
00:26:31 --> 00:26:34 future and a rest
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 in the power of
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 Jesus?
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 We want one
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 another to thrive
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 in life.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 But, if you
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 ask, how are you
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 growing, and a
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 fellow believer
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 doesn't know how to
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 answer that
00:26:48 --> 00:26:51 question, maybe
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 they are not
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 growing in their
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 faith.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 And this is not
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 to ask to seek to
00:26:57 --> 00:26:59 shame them, this is
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 to ask to seek to
00:27:00 --> 00:27:02 help them grow, if
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 we can, and also
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 to pray for them.
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 If you're not
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 pursuing God, or
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 you discover someone
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 else is not
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 pursuing God, then
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 it demands action.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 So, are you
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 willing to come
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 alongside someone
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 and help them grow
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 in their faith?
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 To ask them
00:27:21 --> 00:27:23 questions of how
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 they're relying on
00:27:24 --> 00:27:27 God to process
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 and cope and even
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 thrive in life?
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 Do you see signs
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 that they're running
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 to the world?
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 That they're relying
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 on themselves?
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 Or that they're
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 motivated by their
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 fears?
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 Are you willing to
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 commit, even long
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 term, to helping
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 them grow in their
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 knowledge of God?
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 This is the kind of
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 community culture of
00:27:51 --> 00:27:53 faith and love that I
00:27:53 --> 00:27:55 think was on display
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 in believers in
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 Ephesus.
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 And that's why Paul's
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 thankful in verse
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 15.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 I think he'd
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 seen it.
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 I think he'd
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 tasted it.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 And I think he'd
00:28:03 --> 00:28:05 heard of it, even
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 years after leaving.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 And he prays like
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 this all the more,
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 so that the things
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 he's thankful for,
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 their faith in Jesus
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 and their love for
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 each other in their
00:28:14 --> 00:28:16 city, would just
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 grow and grow and
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 grow.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 Because he hears
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 that they're thriving
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 in life.
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 And he wants us to
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 thrive in it too.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 He doesn't want them
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 to get distracted away
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26 from what we really
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 need.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:28 And this is the
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 kind of community
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 that St. Paul's in
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 Chatswood should seek
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 to be.
00:28:33 --> 00:28:35 One where we pursue
00:28:35 --> 00:28:39 openly knowing Jesus
00:28:39 --> 00:28:42 more, knowing God
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 more in him as we
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 live together.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 So the best answer
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 of how to process
00:28:48 --> 00:28:50 life, how to cope
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 with life, how to
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 thrive in life, is
00:28:52 --> 00:28:54 only found in the
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56 hope and the
00:28:56 --> 00:28:58 glorious future and
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 the power that we
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 find only in
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 following Jesus
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 Christ.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 For only in Jesus
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 Christ can we know
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 the hope that is an
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 unshakable foundation.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 Only in Jesus
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 Christ can we know a
00:29:09 --> 00:29:11 future that is an
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 unshakable force
00:29:12 --> 00:29:14 working unseen, an
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 unshakable promise
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 worthy of carrying
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 through life.
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 And only in Jesus
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 Christ can we know a
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 power that is an
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 unshakable force,
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 working unseen in our
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 world right now that
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 drives away despair and
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 the power of death and
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 all of his friends.
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 For Jesus conquered
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 death.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 He reigns over all
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 things and he himself
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 is our head.
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 He is the one who we
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 follow.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 We are his body and
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 his church.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 He alone can unite
00:29:45 --> 00:29:47 people who would
00:29:47 --> 00:29:51 otherwise hate each
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 other.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:54 He alone can unite
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 people from any
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 background, any
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 culture, any gender,
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 any age group, any
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 language.
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 And those who have
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 turned to follow Jesus
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03 need to know deeper
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 and deeper, no matter
00:30:04 --> 00:30:06 their age, day by day,
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 no matter where they
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 started.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:12 All Jesus has been,
00:30:12 --> 00:30:14 all he will ever be,
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 and all he is right
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 now for Christians
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 across our whole world,
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 in our city, in this
00:30:20 --> 00:30:22 room, as we continue
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 to grow as his people.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:26 So that in our
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 growing there would be
00:30:27 --> 00:30:30 such an impact in one
00:30:30 --> 00:30:32 another and on our
00:30:32 --> 00:30:34 city that people who
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 look from other cities
00:30:36 --> 00:30:38 around can see Jesus
00:30:38 --> 00:30:41 on display like he
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 saw it in Ephesus.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 May such a prayer
00:30:45 --> 00:30:47 shape us, change us,
00:30:47 --> 00:30:50 inspire us, and be
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 prayed daily in our
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 community as we live
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 lives following Jesus
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 in Chatswood.
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 I'm going to pray this
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 prayer over us.
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 And whether this is
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 your last Sunday with
00:31:00 --> 00:31:02 us or your first,
00:31:02 --> 00:31:04 whether you know
00:31:04 --> 00:31:06 Jesus yet or not,
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 let us pray in line
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 with Ephesians 1
00:31:09 --> 00:31:11 and ask that God
00:31:11 --> 00:31:13 would know, help us
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 to know him more.
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 Let's pray.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:19 Glorious Father, we
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 praise you that in
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 Jesus Christ there is
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 an alternative to
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 following death and
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 all of his friends.
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 Please help us to
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 follow him and truly
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 live.
00:31:28 --> 00:31:30 Please grant us
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 wisdom and revelation
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 to know you, our
00:31:32 --> 00:31:36 Lord, your son Jesus,
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 deeper and deeper,
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 day by day.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 Would you enlighten
00:31:41 --> 00:31:45 our hearts so that we
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 do not turn to the
00:31:45 --> 00:31:48 dark and that by his
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 light we might know
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 you more.
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 Please give us a
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 knowledge of the hope
00:31:51 --> 00:31:53 we have in all we are
00:31:53 --> 00:31:55 called to in him, a
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 knowledge of the riches
00:31:56 --> 00:31:58 of our glorious
00:31:58 --> 00:32:01 inheritance in him, a
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 knowledge of Jesus'
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 power that is right
00:32:03 --> 00:32:05 now ruling over death,
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 evil and injustice,
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 powerfully binding us
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 together as his church.
00:32:10 --> 00:32:12 Please help us to know
00:32:12 --> 00:32:14 you more and more,
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 oh God, in Jesus,
00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 who is our Lord and our
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 all in all.
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 Amen.