Sermon Tone Analysis

Born Rich!

(Insert Slide of Jesus and his wounds)

There is a story I have heard and read several times of Jesus still bearing the marks of the cross talking with the angels, and Gabriel said “Master you must have suffered terribly down there, do they all know about how you loved them and what you did for them?”

Jesus replied “no, not yet, but a few know.”

Gabriel was shocked and said Master what have you done, what have you done to let everyone know what You did for them?

Jesus replied I asked Peter, John and the other Apostles to make is their life work to tell others about me.

Starting in Jerusalem, Judea and then out from there.

But Lord, said Gabriel, what if they become tired or weary or just give up?

what about centuries from now the word does not carry, do you have another plan, another way to tell all the world?”

Jesus replied “no, I’m counting on them.”

(INSERT SLIDE: WE ARE THE CHURCH!) - Find a picture

We are the church the means to get the word of Christ to all the world. in our passage today we will see the riches we were born as Christians with and our responsibility of those riches.

For not only do we receive an inheritance, we are Jesus inheritance to the Father.

He is counting on us and Paul understood it and writes this prayer of encouragement that starts here and basically ends in chapter 3.

We were born rich with a great inheritance when we were born again, but that is not enough, we are to grow in our understanding of the riches we have, if we don’t understand them then we won’t know what to do with them.

In the prayer you will not see Paul asking for God to given them anything they did not already have in them, rather prays for God to reveal to them what they already have.

As introduction still more to go so you may get the fullness of what Paul is stating.

Enlightenment

(Slide) Enlightenment

(Slide) All enlightenment comes from the Holy Spirit (i.e.

Isa11:2; Jn14:25-26, 16:12-14)

(Slide) Enlightenment comes to the heart of the believer

(Slide) So you can see (Psm119:18)

(Slide) So you can hear (Mt13:9)

(Slide) So you can taste (Psm34:8)

(Slide) So you can smell (Phil4:18)

(Slide) So you can touch (Act17:27)

The heart of the matter is this, you cannot see spiritual things, understand spiritual things without the spirit of God opening your eyes to see them.

This is again revealing in you what is already in you.

Rich in Love

(Slide) How would you like to have someone say they heard that about you?

(Slide) How would you like to have someone say they heard that about you?

(Slide) Faith in the Lord

(Slide) Love for all the saints

(Slide) In other words Love and loyalty!

These two things should be very evident in any true Christian, one more than words, but actions.

The word spread to Paul of their faith and the love of all the saints.

We show our love when we love the people God brings in our path.

(Slide) William Barclay says “The true christian loves Christ and his fellow men.

More than that, he knows that he cannot show his love to Christ in any other way than by showing his love to fellow men.”

Paul not only prays for them, he gives thanks for them, because of their faith and their love.

(Slide) So one of the riches of His glory and to His glory is - LOVE

Rich in Knowing God

The greatest thing to know is to know God and to be known by God.

The greatest thing to know is to know God and to be known by God.

(Slide) Atheist’s claim there is no God

(Slide) Agnostic’s claim if there is a God we cannot know Him.

Paul wanted the church to understand what he understood that outside of knowing God anything else is not knowing much

(Slide) WILLFUL IGNORANCE - willful ignorance lead people away from God, Paul expands on that in Rom1:18ff

(Slide) From ignorance to Idolatry

(Slide) From Idolatry to immorality

(Slide) From immorality to indecency

(Slide) From indecency to being handed over

(Slide) We as believers need to grow

(Slide) To know God personally - Salvation (Act4:12)

(Slide) To know Him increasingly - Sanctification (Ph3:10)

(Slide) To know Him perfectly - Glorification (1Cor13:9-12)

Remember we were created in His image (Gen1:27); separated because of our sin (Isa59:2); our walk with Christ to have us returned to the state in which we started.

The more we know Him, the more we learn, know about ourselves.

Riches of knowing God’s calling

The “ekklesia” the called out one’s

We were called out by the gospel message, by His grace

It is a holy calling

Out of the darkness and into the light

and called out to glory

Not by any works, but by grace!

Because of His calling this we have hope

The faithful assurance of good to come.

We were once without hope

but now we have a living hope

(Slide) Hope brings the power, the dynamic force needed to live in the riches and to share the riches of His calling.

(Slide) To be pure (1Jn2:28-3:3)

(Slide) To be obedience (Heb13:17)

(Slide) To be faithful (Lk12:42-48)

So be filled with enough powerful hope as to be these things and let that be your motivation to live for Christ today in word and deed.

Riches of His Inheritance

EP

Pay attention to the last part of the verse, “the riches of the glory of HIS inheritance in the saints”.

Not only do we have an inheritance in Him, we are His inheritance!

Let this sink in, we are His glory.

Through Jesus Christ we are His glory.

No longer a slave to sin, no longer defined by our past, no longer constrained by what the world says, but by what God says about our assured future.

- WE ARE GOD’S INHERITANCE - Now that should motivate you to live for Him today, live to serve Him, live to please Him, live to share Him, live to glorify Him.

When Christ returns for His inheritance He will be glorified

When we receive our inheritance in Him we will be glorified

Does this make you want to be dedicated and devoted to the Lord - Are you starting to understand some of the riches we have in Him?

The Riches of God’s Power in Us!

Eph1:

God has made us His inheritance by showing His love in Christ Jesus.

By His promise of our heavenly home, it gives us hope, built on nothing less the Christ and His righteousness (Phil3:9) - His righteousness brought His power to us

(Slide)the dunamis “power”

(Slide) the energeia “the working”

(Slide) the kratos “the mighty”

(Slide)and the ischus “power”

(Slide) in other words “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength.”

- Warren Weirsbe

(Slide) God’s divine, dynamic, eternal energy is available to us, because we are His and has given us His Spirit.

We need God’s power to help us for

Leaving it to us, our power we fall short, we miss the mark, but God’s power helps us to use God’s riches in us for His purpose and His glory.

(Slide) That power came when Christ was crucified, and was raised from the dead (v.20)