Give Thanks for You
A Prayer of Thankfulness • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Good morning, welcome to NHCC. Please open your Bibles to Ephesians 1.
4 weeks to finish up this first chapter, then on to a different sermon series.
Review- A long word of praise.
Doxology leads to thanksgiving. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving.
Begins with how he prays, then will move to content.
Read Ephesians 1:15-16- “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,”
Pray.
This seems distant.
At least 5 years later.
Circular Letter.
1. Paul’s prayer centers on faith in Jesus and love for the Church.
1. Paul’s prayer centers on faith in Jesus and love for the Church.
Paul has heard of a report.
His prayer of thankfulness and his prayer for the Ephesian church stems from what he has heard about these Ephesian Christians.
How does one hear of another’s faith? Faith cannot be seen, but the fruit of faith can.
So what is the fruit here that Paul was hearing about? Love toward all the saints.
Don’t miss this connection- Faith in Jesus is always accompanied by a love for other believers.
John Gill- “These two graces, faith and love, are inseparable; they always go together, and are to be found in the same persons; and where they are, they can’t be hid…”
Love will be shown and seen clearly.
Biblical concept through and through.
1 John 3:14- “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”
The point made is that faith is shown, it is proven. And John makes clear that it is shown in our love for the church.
John communicates what we have already seen from Paul.
But how is this love shown? How is faith proven? What does love look like? Jesus answers in John 13.
John 13:14-15- “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”
We love as Jesus loved. Which means we serve as Jesus served.
Metaphorically, we wash the feet of one another. We put ourselves beneath each other.
But what should be the volume of this love? How much should there be? John answers again in 1 John 3.
1 John 3:16- “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
John says that if we follow in the footsteps and example of Jesus’ love and service, there is a depth to that love and service that ought to be recognized.
What is the image given? Death. Jesus laid down His life, we ought to do the same. Just like the metaphor of washing feet, now we are given the metaphor of laying down our lives.
So how is our faith proven? Not by our words, but by our love for the Church.
1 John 3:17-18- “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
Faith is shown. Question of challenge- How is your faith shown within the context of the local church?
For many, this is it. What we have now. No relationship outside of the church building, no serving, no giving, no major sacrifice, or laying down of life, or washing of feet.
Paul says that he has heard of the faith of the Ephesian church, displayed through their love for one another.
How is your faith shown? How should it be shown?
2. Paul is thankful for what he has heard.
2. Paul is thankful for what he has heard.
Paul states that he doesn’t stop giving thanks for these Ephesian Christians because of what he has heard concerning them.
We are reminded here of Paul’s love for these Christians, and his love is shown in thankfulness.
Let’s pull apart this thankfulness. For what is Paul thankful? The faith of the Ephesians.
We must keep in mind that this faith in the Lord Jesus is a massive deal.
Remember that this is a pagan culture.
This might be like us going into a place where no one has heard the name of Jesus and see that first bit of faith.
We are reminded of the miracle of faith- Saw this pretty often in Youth Ministry. Someone with no interest giving their life to Christ.
But there is more here. To whom is Paul thankful?
The context makes clear that Paul is thankful FOR the Ephesians, but he is thankful TO God.
Why would Paul be thankful TO God FOR the faith of the Ephesians?
Because as we have seen constantly throughout the opening of our letter, the faith and love possessed by the Ephesians was a gift from God.
Known in eternities past, promised for eternities future.
When we see, as Paul has already laid out, that God is the one bringing everything to fruition, then we thank God.
God becomes the core of our prayers of thankfulness.
Walter Wink- “To pray is to remember who owns the house.”
We are reminded that we belong to God, that we are called by God, that we are equipped by God, and that we are sent by God according to God’s plans for this world.
Question of challenge- Do we see the good in others and give thanks for it?
We often find it easy and natural to point out what needs work. Me with my family.
How many have walked away from the church, or from friendship, or from the faith, because we were unable to see and give thanks over the good that God was doing in their life?
3. Paul’s thankfulness leads to his intercession.
3. Paul’s thankfulness leads to his intercession.
Let’s imagine that Paul had said that he was only thankful for the faith and love of the Ephesians.
We might get the impression that Paul only saw the good in these believers.
In fact, we might despair reading such a letter. Are these Christians perfect? Am I like them at all?
Playing the trumpet- Listen to this, it’ll make you want to bury your horn.
But pay attention to what else Paul says.
I thank God for you and I remember you in my prayers.
This is intercession. I ask God for things concerning you. Made clear by the rest of chapter 1.
Notice what Paul is doing- he thanks God for what he sees, but he asks God for more on their behalf.
This is how we pray. We see the good and thank God. We see the necessary growth and ask God.
John Calvin- “Nothing is more dangerous than to be satisfied with that measure of spiritual benefits which has been already obtained. Whatever, then, may be the height of our attainments, let them be always accompanied by the desire of something higher.”
The very nature of salvation is “already but not yet”
Question of challenge- Where do we find ourselves on this spectrum?
I expect there are some who can see no good in themselves. Cannot see anything more than a dirty wretch.
Likely others who struggle to see any bit of dirt on themselves.
Here is who we are to be. Those who place faith in Jesus Christ alone. Those whose faith is on display through our works of love and affection, specifically within the local church. And those who recognize our own incompletion, we have been saved and are being saved. We are excited by what has already transpired, but we continually look forward to what God will do in and through us.