The Assurance of Paul (Eph 1:15-23)
The Second Presbytery regular meeting (1/31/2014)
15For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18having 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, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far 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. 22And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Greeting: I am glad to meet you again in the our regular presbytery meeting.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your wonderful love to us. Clean out dirty heart, unbelief, ungodliness, unrighteousness and unfaithfulness with the precious blood of Christ Jesus. Open our eyes to know and your truth. Especially Establish on the sound doctrine reformed theology and biblical teaching to glorify you and to enjoy you and your truth in our ministries. Lead us to the world of grace through this Word of God. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Introduction:
- First of all, we are thinking the assurance of the Apostle, Paul about his normal Christian life through his prayer for Ephesian church. As we know his prayer contents is the assurance of his proclaim and his theology and his faith for the church. Just like as Jesus prayed 6 titles to God the father in the John chapter 17, actually it reflected the ministry of Jesus, the redemption of Christ. His prayer is his purpose of his works. So we can assure that the prayer of Apostle is his assurance and his purpose of proclamation for the church. Basically we can find the wonderful assurance out of his prayer.
- We thank God for his guide of our presbytery, CBPCP for his glory and his eternal economy. Especially we thank our presbytery members for following the regulation of presbytery humbly. I want to exhort the assurance of Paul to CBPCP.
- We need to assure the hope of God’s calling.
- Verse 18 says ,”18having 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, “
What is the hope of God’s calling? It is what God give us for blessed lives in the present and future ages. God called for us in order to provide the wonderful purpose, heavenly blessing, redemption and the detailed wonderful things for us, at the least, forgiveness, purpose, power and peace. In a short word God prepared everything in our lives. So the Christian always claim the eternal hope, living hope as Peter said, “ “ What it is important is to get the wonderful hope in the time of God’s calling personally. So we are Christians, we have to assure our treasure, the hope of God’s calling. If you are God’s calling already you have the eternal hope. Do you believe in it?
But many Christian ignore this hope in his actual life. Just like a dead person they despise his precious life, I cannot any things, I do not have any things. It is impossible. Always complain for his present situation. Especially we meet some sever suffering in our ministry; We have to assure this hope in it. Then God shall work in the situation through our faith. As Paul did in his assurance we have to make sure that in our heart.
In my case I am wondering in my life for my daughter’s depression for 2 years . Then I complain to God for this thing. In the last year I came back to my home in USA. During two days I observed my daughter in hospital. She stayed in the similar state in the hospital although my wife and two daughters helped her very sacrificially. I was frustrated of that. I thought that God does not want to go to Cambodia. I kept in silence. However at the third day she was changed obviously into good condition, she had good repose of my question. She has some peace. I realized that she got the big event in her thought. So last Christmas day my daughter can stay in the house two day with us. Our God sometimes works as the speed 10 miles per hours although he works his ministry as 100 miles per hour. I praise in God who have worked in his eternal plan. We need to assure of the hope of his calling.
- We need that assurance of abundant inheritance in Christ.
- In the verse 18 the Apostle prays “ 18having 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, “ He wanted that the church should take the assurance of inheritance, present blessing and eternal rewards , all your hopeful things shall be included in it. You have all resource in your life for God gave us the Holy Spirit to us. Actually the grace of Holy Spirit is the Abraham’s real blessing. Galatian 3:14 says, “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith“.
- When we served the our churches we need many hangs for our successful ministry. But actually our present situation is very poor or miserable. Then we have to think that we have wonderful resource in our lives in Christ. Because we have received abundant resource in Christ.
In order to we get this resource in our lives we have to ask to God , seek to God and knock the door in the name of Jesus. In this time our presbytery should concentrate on the prayer and studying the Scripture. It is our mission in our presbytery.
- Finally we need to assure have the immeasurable power in us.
Paul prayed assurance of hope, assurance of inheritance and also he added to ask to know the power in Christ, the resurrected power, It means that he has use his power for establish his kingdom in the miserable wilderness. So verse 19 says “19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, “
We have to give caution to this prayer. He did not too get three now but to make them known three things in the illumination of Holy Spirit.
Do you know that things in your heart? Already you got it. So you have to claim that things in Christ in your ministry. If our presbytery members can claim this things you can get wonderful miracle in your present situation. I believe in it. Why do we claim that hangs in our poor situation? Because God provided these things to the church be the merit of Christ.
Conclusion:
Our presbytery was established at Cambodia where is the center of East- South Asia in culture and geography, but have called for the one of killing field. Our presbytery has wonderful resource in Christ. In order to establish the kingdom of God in them. Our concern must be in the spiritual state of Cambodia church and people. Although the country was covered by green colors actually their inner state is the gray or, black because they fall down into the mixture religious stream. So we need to establish the assurance of the Apostle. We have the hop of God’s calling, the abundant inheritance and the immeasurably power in our heat.
My beloved presbytery pastors,
Do you have this assurance in your heart in your ministry? If the prayer of Apostle is the truth exactly we should assure that fact in our lives.
Let’s pray,
Lord we thank you for your wonderful grace make us assured three things , the hope of God’s calling, the abundant inheritance and immeasurable power. I pray n the name of Jesus. Amen.