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Oct 23, 2022

I Want You to Live Forever

I Want You to Live Forever

Passage: Ephesians 1:15-23

Speaker: Patrick Lafferty

Series: Song & Dance - The Gospel Melody that Moves in Ephesians

So far in this letter, Paul has barely come up for air, reveling in how God has shown His glory and grace in and through Jesus. Here in this passage he lets His praise of God turn to prayer for those who’ve come to believe. His prayer makes an appeal for their lives to be deeply formed by what they’ve only begun to trust, and so we’ll consider the content of the prayer, the confidence with which he (and we) might pray, and the context in which the outcome of the prayer is most hammered out.

Readings & Scripture

PREPARATION: Psalm 16:5-8, 11
LEADER: The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

PEOPLE: I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

LEADER: You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;

ALL: at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH/SCRIPTURE READING/CORPORATE PRAYER:) Hebrews 7:23-28

LEADER: The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

CENTRAL TEXT: Ephesians 1:15-23
Eph. 1:15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON Romans 6:5-11
LEADER: For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

BENEDICTION: Ephesians 3:20-21
LEADER: Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever..

ALL: Amen

RELATED SCRIPTURES:

  • Psalm 22
  • Isaiah 54:17
  • Matthew 28:19-20
  • John 17:9-11
  • Acts 9:1-4
  • Romans 8:26, 34 / Hebrews 7:25
  • 2 Corinthians 4:4-6
  • 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
  • Ephesians 6:18
  • Philippians 2:5-11
  • Hebrews 2:5-9
  • Hebrews 10:34-39
  • 1 John 4:4
  • 2 Peter 3:15, 16

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Theology being the study of God, and doxology being the worship of God–what is missing from a theology and doxology where there is no prayer?
  2. Paul shares his prayer list. If you had to put those in your own words, what was he praying for? Why might they matter? 
  3. What substantive reasons for suspicion (and worse) do those outside the church have with the church? And those inside? With due respect for those reasons, how would you defend the importance of the church, given Paul’s introductory description of its nature in our passage?

ILLUSTRATIONS:

QUOTES: 

 

  • If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. - C.S. Lewis
  • Love gave the blow which for a while makes the desert more dreary, but Heaven more home-like. There is a homecoming awaiting me which no parting shall break into, no tears mar. - Hudson Taylor

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