1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:05,320 Father in heaven, we rejoice and what you have given us this day. 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:09,920 Thank you, Holy Spirit, for the work that you have done and are 3 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:14,800 doing even now to illuminate the words that you carried Paul the 4 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:19,120 apostle along to write that we even this day might feed upon 5 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,760 them and having our lives transformed because of the good 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:27,440 news of the gospel proclaimed. We ask that you would remove 7 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,760 from us everything that would distract us so that we might 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,960 truly hear the word of God proclaimed and because of the 9 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,240 work of your Spirit might be transformed. 10 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,640 This we pray in the name of Jesus, Amen. 11 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:47,120 I'm going to read verses 15 and 16 of Ephesians chapter 1. 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,360 If you're new with us and this is your first Sunday, welcome. 13 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,960 We're in a study of this small letter to the Church of Ephesus 14 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,880 written by the Apostle Paul. We are moving slowly through 15 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:04,120 this to understand more deeply what it is that the Lord has for 16 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,520 us because of our union with Him. 17 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,600 So I'm going to read 2 verses. These two verses follow this one 18 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,400 long sentence that Paul wrote, carried along by the Spirit, 19 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:19,560 that speaks of exquisite and exquisite detail of what it 20 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,040 means to belong to Jesus, to be one with Christ. 21 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,280 It speaks to the sovereign grace of God and calling the people to 22 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,320 himself before all creation. It's remarkable. 23 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,720 And now from that great statement, from that great 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,080 doctrine which leads to doxology, praise and worship, 25 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:38,920 Paul enters into a prayer for the people. 26 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,880 And this prayer is filled with many petitions. 27 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,320 But the petitions don't come until verse 17. 28 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,560 Instead, it begins with praise and Thanksgiving for two 29 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,720 specific things that Paul has heard about the people of 30 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:53,840 Ephesus. Listen now as I read from 31 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:58,960 Ephesians 115 and 16, for this reason, because I've heard of 32 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:02,800 your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the Saints, 33 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,520 I do not cease to give thanks for you. 34 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:09,919 Remembering you in my prayers. This is the word of the Lord. 35 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:13,160 Thanks be to God. Please be seated. 36 00:02:18,540 --> 00:02:24,020 Most Sundays there are people who are visiting this church for 37 00:02:24,020 --> 00:02:27,700 the very first time. Some of them are looking for a 38 00:02:27,700 --> 00:02:31,200 new church home. Some of you started attending 39 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,720 this church on its very first Sunday of May of 1991. 40 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,360 We're coming up on our 35th anniversary and you've never 41 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,080 looked for another church. Some of you have come more 42 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,840 recently, some of you many, many years ago. 43 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:48,640 I'm often asked the question, particularly in the season 44 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,760 spring, from parents whose kids are about to go to college. 45 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,120 Do you know of a church in whatever particular city that 46 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,280 their child will be attending? A university, You know of a 47 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,520 church, And I often ask the question, what are you looking 48 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,640 for in a church? It's an interesting question. 49 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:11,760 Historically, according to the Belgic Confession Article 29, 50 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:14,400 there are three marks of a church. 51 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:16,680 We in the PCA embrace these three. 52 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,120 The three marks of a true church are faithful preaching of God's 53 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,720 Word, the proper administration of the sacraments. 54 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,280 The sacraments are baptism, which we witnessed this morning, 55 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,880 as well as the Lord's Supper. And the third one is the 56 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:36,520 exercise of church discipline. Most of the time when we speak 57 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,840 of looking for a church, we have a lot of other things in our 58 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,160 mind. A lot of times it's centred on 59 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:48,800 music and style of music. It might be the preaching and 60 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,640 the personality or the power or the reputation of the preacher. 61 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:54,760 It might be the size of the church. 62 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,400 Some like a large church, some like a small church, some don't 63 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,240 know. It might be the building itself. 64 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:02,840 It might be so many things. It might be the ministries. 65 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:04,920 They have a great youth ministry, a great college 66 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,720 ministry, a great young adults ministry, a great ministry to 67 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,240 seniors. They have a wonderful VBS. 68 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:14,560 It might be many, many, many things, but Paul gives us a gift 69 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:19,519 here in writing to this little church that he planted. 70 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:27,000 He has heard something about them, and what he has heard 71 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:33,720 about them gives us great understanding of what should 72 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,440 matter most. Now, the three marks of the 73 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,760 church are essential, but they're not the only things that 74 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:44,440 exist in a true church. Paul highlights 2 things here 75 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:50,160 that are most important to him. They're so important that 76 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:54,880 because he's heard that they exist in this church, he can't 77 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:59,000 stop thanking God for the reality. 78 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,880 What are they? It's very easy to see verse 15 79 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:08,240 for this reason, because I've heard number one of your faith 80 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:15,120 in the Lord Jesus and #2 your love for all the Saints. 81 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:22,960 If someone were to ask you later today or even this week, what is 82 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,960 PCPC like, how would you answer the question? 83 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,600 I'm often asked on an airplane what I do for a living. 84 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:35,320 And I know usually if I say I'm a pastor, there's going to be a 85 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,000 wall that goes up or an invitation to have a long 86 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,200 conversation that I might not really want to have. 87 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:48,520 So protecting myself for that situation from being a wall, I 88 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:50,760 usually say something different. It's not a lie. 89 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,240 I just know it's something they've probably never heard 90 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:55,240 before. And then we'll see how it goes 91 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:57,360 from there. What do you do for a living? 92 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,160 I look at them and I simply say I'm a shepherd. 93 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,200 I know, I know. But I am. 94 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,120 I am What? What do you mean? 95 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,560 I'm a shepherd. It's another name for a pastor. 96 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,000 Oh, you're a pastor? At that point, the awkwardness 97 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:16,120 is there. There's been some laughter. 98 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:20,680 So we begin to talk, inevitably. Tell me about your church. 99 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,760 What denomination are you in? How large is your church? 100 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:27,800 What style of music? All those things. 101 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:36,640 But what I want to say and what I want you to say is what I want 102 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,320 and long for and pray. And I think you do as well to be 103 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:47,640 true that like Paul, if it is true of us, that there's faith 104 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:53,160 in the Lord Jesus Christ and love towards all the Saints. 105 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:58,000 That's what I want to speak of before I talk about the city, 106 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,760 before I talk about the denomination, before I talk 107 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:04,160 about the size, before I talk about the missions, before I 108 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:12,040 talk about the complexities. As a shepherd, if I can say with 109 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:17,160 great conviction, I had the privilege of shepherding A flock 110 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:23,960 where there is faith and the Lord Jesus and there is love 111 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:28,800 towards all the Saints. Paul is about to reveal to this 112 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,880 people what it is he's petitioning them for. 113 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:33,760 We're going to get into that next week. 114 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:39,760 But before he petitions them, petitions the Lord, he says I 115 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:48,320 can't stop giving God thanks. My gratitude will not cease 116 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:55,080 because of two things, your faith in the Lord Jesus and your 117 00:07:55,080 --> 00:08:00,000 love toward all the Saints. I want to get into those in just 118 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,160 a moment, but first I want to talk about prayer. 119 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:08,240 Paul was a man of prayer. You see it in everything he was 120 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,400 called to write. He was a man of prayer because 121 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,320 Christians are to be people of prayer. 122 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:19,440 Paul learned to pray. He followed the apostles who 123 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:22,840 learned to pray, and they learned to pray from Jesus both 124 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:25,000 on what he taught and what he modeled. 125 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,960 He would frequently withdraw to go be alone to pray to the 126 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,560 Father. Prayer is an important part of 127 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:35,960 the life of a believer. Paul modeled that. 128 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,679 Richard Phillips commenting on Ephesians. 129 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,840 This particular passage is this, the first of Paul's prayers 130 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:49,120 recorded in the book of Ephesus. He writes these words at the 131 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:54,040 opening of his chapter. Prayer is the loftiest and most 132 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:57,960 spiritual exercise of which we are capable as Christians. 133 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:03,200 Prayer is having an audience with God, worshipping Him, 134 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,840 directly asking of Him, and receiving spiritual blessings in 135 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,080 His presence because of our union with Him. 136 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:17,800 It is no surprise, therefore, that prayer is difficult, Ian 137 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,080 Hamilton says. For many modern churches, prayer 138 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:27,000 is seen as supplemental and not fundamental, peripheral and not 139 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,440 central to the church's life and mission. 140 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:31,880 Yes, we pray. We pray before meetings, we pray 141 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:38,440 after meetings. The prayer is essential for us. 142 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:42,120 It's foundational. It's not supplemental. 143 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,800 It's so important for the body of Christ to see how important 144 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:48,880 it was to those who are leading the church. 145 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,160 Ji Packer speaks of its difficulty. 146 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,240 The man who wrote Knowing God, an amazing book, a little over 147 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:58,680 50 years old now, wrote a book called Praying. 148 00:09:58,680 --> 00:10:01,320 He co-authored it. The introduction. 149 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:03,880 They speak of Ji Packer this way. 150 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:10,080 With his endorsement, Ji Packer, as a Christian Pilgrim and 151 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:15,400 catechist theologian, sees himself to be very much a needy 152 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:18,920 junior in God's school of prayer. 153 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:24,200 What a humble statement. It's why so many men who've been 154 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:27,400 called to lead God's church when asked near the end of their 155 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:29,880 life, if you could do things over again, what would you do? 156 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,360 Inevitably, almost always, it seems to be. 157 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:37,880 I wish I would have studied the Word of God more, meditated more 158 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:41,120 upon that word, and prayed more fervently. 159 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:45,800 More time for those things. The enemy doesn't want us to be 160 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:50,000 a people of prayer. Paul's going to write in another 161 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,000 letter to the Church of Thessalonica, pray without 162 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:57,200 ceasing. He's modeling that right now. 163 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:00,320 What does it mean to pray without ceasing? 164 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:02,600 It doesn't mean you're on your knees and never get up. 165 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:07,920 It means that you're so in tune with your union with Christ and 166 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:10,880 so overwhelmed by His faithfulness to accomplish His 167 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:15,680 purposes, that when you hear of someone's faith in Christ and 168 00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:18,760 when you witness the love that this the body has for one 169 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:21,200 another, you can't stop thinking about it. 170 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:23,800 And as you meditate upon that, what you can't stop thinking 171 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:25,920 about, you offer praise and Thanksgiving. 172 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:28,840 That's praying and Thanksgiving without ceasing. 173 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:34,680 When we turn to the Word of God and we see the prayers in 174 00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:38,920 Scripture 1st, we see the importance of prayer. 175 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,880 Second, the prayers that are in Scripture can instruct us on how 176 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:45,440 to pray. If you're struggling to pray, 177 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,920 and we often do, just pray the prayers that are here. 178 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:53,800 What you hear Paul petitioning for next week is on a sermon. 179 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,760 Next week is Unbelievable follows in verse 17. 180 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:03,440 But they also help us evaluate our prayers. 181 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,880 Are we praying for the things that the apostles prayed for? 182 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:12,880 Are we praying for the things that Jesus himself prayed for? 183 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:18,280 Do I pray like that like I'm praying for this church? 184 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:24,280 How often have you said, I praise God that there are people 185 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:30,160 in this sanctuary who truly do have faith in the Lord Jesus? 186 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:36,240 I praise God that I see pockets in this church, sometimes large, 187 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:39,800 sometimes small, where brothers and sisters are loving one 188 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,520 another as Christ called us to love. 189 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:46,880 Yes, there's room for growth, but when you see any faith, 190 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:51,240 faith in a child, faith in parents bringing their children 191 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:54,840 for baptism, faith when someone tells her they've just come to 192 00:12:54,840 --> 00:13:00,320 saving, faith, rejoice. Praise God where you're sitting 193 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:01,960 now. If you know the people in front 194 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:05,120 of you, have faith in the Lord Jesus, the people behind you, 195 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:11,840 beside you, praise God because in every case it's a miracle of 196 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:15,960 regeneration. It is a miracle of God causing 197 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:23,080 that which was dead, a heart for him to suddenly beat, to be 198 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,240 resurrected, to come alive. So if you have faith in the Lord 199 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,960 Jesus and you know other people who have faith in the Lord 200 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:32,240 Jesus, don't cease to give him praise and Thanksgiving. 201 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:37,800 This is what Paul, before he moved into one petition, tells 202 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:39,720 the people at the Church of Ephesus. 203 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,480 It's not just here, by the way, though I believe this was a 204 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,240 circular letter that would be sent around. 205 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:50,080 Listen to how he speaks of the same two things in his letter to 206 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,200 the Church of Colossians, Colossians 1, three and four. 207 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,640 Listen to this. We always thank God the Father 208 00:13:56,640 --> 00:14:00,880 of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you, since we heard of 209 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:04,760 your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for 210 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:09,760 all the Saints in Philemon verses four and five. 211 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:14,360 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers 212 00:14:14,680 --> 00:14:18,480 because I hear of your love and of your faith that you have 213 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,000 toward the Lord Jesus and for all the Saints. 214 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:27,520 In Second Thessalonians chapter one, verse 3, Paul writes, we 215 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,680 ought always to give thanks to God for you brothers, as is 216 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:36,680 right, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love 217 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:40,680 of everyone of you for one another is increasing. 218 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:43,280 So this wasn't a one off for Paul. 219 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:48,160 When Paul asked about the Church of Ephesus when news was brought 220 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:54,080 to him from someone else and the news was the people there have 221 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:57,960 faith in the Lord Jesus and the people there who have faith in 222 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,360 the Lord Jesus, they are loving one another. 223 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:06,240 All the Saints. Paul praises God without 224 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:10,000 ceasing. Let's take these two phrases for 225 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:11,880 a moment. Faith in the Lord Jesus. 226 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,800 Why would Paul give praise to God and thank God without 227 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:20,360 ceasing? Every word that Paul writes, 228 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:23,120 he's carried along by the Spirit to write. 229 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:28,480 And so when the Holy Spirit, God himself designed the prayers of 230 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:31,840 these Saints to be recorded, this is really important for us. 231 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:37,000 Paul prays for this reason, for all that I've said in this 232 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,840 wonderful doctrine, this beautiful doxology, because I've 233 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:42,680 heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus. 234 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:50,560 Every one of those words matter. Faith in the Lord Jesus, the 235 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:55,400 Lord Jesus, our union with him mentioned up to 15 times already 236 00:15:55,400 --> 00:16:00,880 in the book of Ephesians. Paul is saying, I can't stop 237 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:06,120 giving thanks because that faith which you have is a gift that He 238 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,960 has given you, written before all creation. 239 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:12,720 There was a moment in time when the Holy Spirit ordained that 240 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:16,480 you would come to saving faith. And now that faith has been 241 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,840 realized and people are professing faith in the Lord 242 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,920 Jesus, this is important. They're not expressing faith in 243 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:27,920 a religion. They're not expressing faith in 244 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:32,240 an idea. They're not expressing faith in 245 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:37,720 moral teaching. They are expressing their faith, 246 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:43,160 which is me, which means they have rested and received Jesus 247 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:48,360 alone for their salvation. He's the only one who could save 248 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,680 them. And So what Paul is saying is, 249 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:55,960 just like I was saved on the road to Damascus, these Saints 250 00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:00,320 have had their eyes opened, their ears open, their mind 251 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,240 open, their heart has begun to beat for Christ. 252 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,480 When he speaks of faith in the Lord Jesus, it is not 253 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:12,760 supplemental. It is not a condiment to be 254 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:15,560 sprinkled on life. What he's saying is when we have 255 00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:21,119 our faith in the Lord Jesus, it means Jesus dominates every part 256 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:30,440 of our life, Not just his ideas, but him himself, his teaching, 257 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:37,600 his prayers, his life, and us. It dominates what we think about 258 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,400 our future. It dominates how we think about 259 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:42,840 our past. It dominates how we think about 260 00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:46,560 the resources he's given us. It dominates how we think about 261 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,920 school, how we think about work, how we think about hobbies, how 262 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,520 we think about our neighbor, how we think about one another. 263 00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:01,760 It's not just moral teaching and it's not just an idea. 264 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:13,920 It's faith in the Lord Jesus. And I know this congregation is 265 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:19,360 made-up of many who have that true faith because of its size 266 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:21,920 and because of where we live, it's possible that people can 267 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,640 think they have that faith but truly do not yet. 268 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,000 And you might be here today exploring. 269 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:30,960 And I'm so glad that the Lord has you here. 270 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:35,200 We want to help you. Paul is celebrating. 271 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:41,080 He's giving God praise and Thanksgiving because he sees and 272 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:45,560 hears the people of Ephesus have faith in the Lord Jesus. 273 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:53,640 But that's not all. What follows is what should 274 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:58,280 follow, that whenever a person has true faith in the Lord 275 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:04,640 Jesus, not in their own works, not in their own morality, not 276 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:09,880 in their own giftedness, but in the Lord Jesus alone, when that 277 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:14,760 grace overwhelms them and they say I trust you, I want you to 278 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,040 dominate my life, I want you truly to be who you are in my 279 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:23,520 life, the Lord. Then what follows is life in 280 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:30,120 Christ lived out, which expresses itself fundamentally 281 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:35,600 and primarily through love, love for others. 282 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:41,200 And what Paul calls attention to here specifically is love for 283 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:53,120 all the Saints, all the Saints. That little word all is really 284 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:57,720 informative. What Paul doesn't say is this. 285 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:04,120 I thank God without ceasing because of your faith in the 286 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:08,720 Lord Jesus Christ and that you love some of the Saints. 287 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,880 He doesn't say you can love the ones who are most like you, who 288 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:20,160 agree with you, who live in the same zip code as you, who look 289 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:25,080 like you, who root for the same same teams as you or vote the 290 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:27,760 way you vote. He doesn't. 291 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:33,200 He says there's love toward all the Saints. 292 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:39,600 The reason Paul celebrates is because both faith in the Lord 293 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,040 Jesus Christ and love towards all the Saints requires God's 294 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,520 sovereign grace. You can't have faith without the 295 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,400 sovereign grace of God, and you cannot love the way Christ is 296 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,920 calling us to love without his grace. 297 00:20:54,480 --> 00:21:01,080 Loving people is not easy. And the kind of love that Paul's 298 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,480 talking about is important here. It's agape. 299 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:09,200 And what that means is it's not primarily the the sentimental, 300 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:14,480 emotional feelings or passion oriented love. 301 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:16,760 There's words for those things because those things matter too. 302 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,120 But the word Paul uses here is the word agape. 303 00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:25,440 And the word agape means a decision to love, a choice to 304 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:29,160 love. It's a love that is not going to 305 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,840 be conquered by the other person's unwillingness to show 306 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:35,280 love back, even if they're in Christ. 307 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:41,880 It is a love that endures. It's a love that enables you to 308 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:46,080 be wounded by another who is in Christ, and by God's grace and 309 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:50,480 for His glory still choose to love that person, even if they 310 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:55,520 don't reciprocate that love. It is a remarkable love, and 311 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:59,160 it's the primary word that God uses to speak of His love for 312 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:04,400 us. While we were still sinners, 313 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,840 Christ died for us. God demonstrated His own love 314 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:13,480 for us in this, His own love for us in this. 315 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,800 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 316 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:23,720 This love is not a sentimental love, nor is it a superficial 317 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:28,360 love. Paul didn't say I thank God 318 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:31,760 without ceasing because you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 319 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:37,800 and you are the friendliest church or you're the most polite 320 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:41,320 church. You can be polite and you can be 321 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:45,160 friendly and we should be, but you can be those things and 322 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:49,200 still not love. Agape love is not sentimental, 323 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:53,840 It's not superficial, it is sacrificial. 324 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,040 It is the body of Christ. Anybody who's in the first 325 00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:03,720 category of I have faith in the Lord Jesus, that is, it is their 326 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:09,000 new hearts instinct, because of who they are in Christ, to 327 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:15,440 sacrifice for the good of a brother and sister, to give of 328 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:23,000 themselves, to not think of themselves more highly than they 329 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:27,000 should, to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain 330 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,680 conceit, but in humility to consider others better than 331 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:34,000 yourself. It is a body of Christians that 332 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:39,800 Paul would celebrate without seizing to give thanks, who 333 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:44,640 would hear of a need and say I am his brother, I am her 334 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:50,120 brother, I am her sister, she is my sister. 335 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:56,160 What God do you want me to do to show your love towards them? 336 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:02,160 It's not a list that we make and say, I've been a Christian this 337 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:07,640 long, I've checked these boxes. I don't have to do that anymore. 338 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:13,600 It's an unending love. It's a love that you continue to 339 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:19,920 give until you are taken home to heaven and love then perfectly. 340 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:25,040 It's not sentimental primarily. It's not superficial for sure. 341 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:31,520 It's sacrificial always. And when it's present, we all 342 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:39,280 know it and so does the world. Jesus said just before he died. 343 00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:43,400 A new commandment I give you love to his disciples. 344 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,200 A new commandment I give you. Love one another as I have loved 345 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,080 you. All men will know you are my 346 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,040 disciples if you love one another. 347 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,400 But how sad it is for the watching world sometimes to see 348 00:24:56,400 --> 00:25:01,080 some of the most gruesome fights and arguments and hatred between 349 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:06,680 Christians. You can't control what the other 350 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:10,360 person does. You actually can't control 351 00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:16,200 yourself either. But you and I can abide in Jesus 352 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:23,120 who does give us everything we need, everything we need to 353 00:25:23,120 --> 00:25:27,520 respond and love to whoever he's put before us. 354 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:36,480 What I would really love to see in my life, in my family's life, 355 00:25:37,120 --> 00:25:40,880 and in the life of this church already exist in certain places. 356 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:48,240 But when we who all professed faith in the Lord Jesus, realize 357 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:54,480 that the flow of that reality is to love all the Saints, then it 358 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,920 really does begin to transform the culture. 359 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:03,600 It's that because I've been dominated by the Lord Jesus, I'm 360 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:08,880 going to love the way He loved. And His love is the only one 361 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:13,840 that can dominate you to love people who are not loving you 362 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:19,560 back, not loving you in return. Loving others is hard. 363 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:28,040 I am hard to love. And the people who are easiest 364 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:33,000 for me to love would be the ones to say, yes, that's true, honey. 365 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:39,240 And yes, that's true Dad. But by his grace, when he 366 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:43,760 reveals that in me, because he gave me faith in himself and 367 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,920 there's faith in the Lord Jesus, I want to love. 368 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:53,720 Well, there may be people in your mind even now that you know 369 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:58,800 are hard for you to love. There's probably reasons why do 370 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:02,920 not hear this message and think I immediately need to rely upon 371 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:05,560 my own strength and power and go love better. 372 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:10,440 You don't have enough power. Sinclair Ferguson writing about 373 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:14,520 First Corinthians 13, that definition of love in an Advent 374 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:15,840 devotional. It's beautiful. 375 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:20,040 He said, baby, the best thing you can do is take the word 376 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,080 love. In first Corinthians 13, love is 377 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:25,320 patient, love is kind. Love does not envy. 378 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,320 It does not boast. Love keeps no records of wrongs. 379 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,240 And he said, what you might do is put your name there so it 380 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:33,960 would sound like this. Mark is patient. 381 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,760 Mark is kind. Mark does not envy. 382 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,560 Mark does not keep records of wrongs. 383 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:44,320 And it doesn't take long before you realize I don't have it. 384 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,600 And that's the point. And now put the name Jesus 385 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:54,560 there. Jesus is patient and Jesus is 386 00:27:54,560 --> 00:28:02,000 kind and go down the list. And all those things, if you 387 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:08,720 have faith in Christ, are true because of his pursuit of you, 388 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:14,640 His love of you. And if he has loved you that way 389 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:22,160 and you've had faith in the Lord Jesus who loved you that way, 390 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:28,840 ask him to give you the power to live the way He's called you to 391 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:31,600 live. And we can. 392 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:38,720 How do I know? Because when Paul heard about 393 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:43,360 the Saints in Ephesus's faith in the Lord Jesus and love toward 394 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:49,200 all the Saints, he couldn't stop praising God because it happened 395 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:55,160 and it does happen. Jesus, thank you for this word. 396 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:58,560 Thank you for your love for us above all things. 397 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,000 Thank you for the grace of opening our eyes and giving us 398 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,120 faith. Thank you for the moment we 399 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:06,200 rested and received you for salvation. 400 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:08,360 And maybe that will be for some. Even this day. 401 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:12,400 We praise you for that. We praise you for the faith in 402 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:15,720 the Lord Jesus that we see in other people, and we praise you 403 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:19,080 for the love that we have toward all the Saints. 404 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:23,520 And we trust you that where that is absent in our own lives, that 405 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:26,840 by your power and your presence you can correct. 406 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:30,760 And then the radiance and the fragrance of you Christ Jesus 407 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:34,680 and us will move into this really Dark World. 408 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:40,080 And there that command that you gave will bear its fruit. 409 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:43,480 All men will know you are my disciples. 410 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:50,040 If you love one another, we pray this in Jesus name, Amen. 411 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:50,760 Please stand.