Now we'll look at the next verse in Ephesians chapter 1. Here the Apostle Paul is going to utter a prayer on behalf of believers. He is praying for them, and as such he is praying for us today. We believe it's also a lesson on how we can pray for ourselves as well as for others. When we think of the Lord's prayer back in Matthew 6, which the Lord Jesus gave as an example to the twelve, so this prayer is an example for us today, and is just so appropriate. Because it goes with the introduction of what the Lord gave the Hebrew children who were in abject poverty of idolatrous religion without knowing they were so. And that is why He used such language as this: "When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Paul's prayer starts out with "Wherefore..." Now what have we said over and over about wherefore? When the Apostle Paul says "Wherefore" what is he reflecting on? Well what he just said in the previous few verses, and here he's just proven that here we are positioned in Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who is to guide us and reprove us in all the things that we need to know. And we're waiting for the day of salvation when this old body will disappear, and we'll have a new body (salvation is the continued operation of God's working within us through the darkness of faith in receptive Love in Grace which had its beginnings in our redemption and this is reflected in the prayer of Christ given to the Hebrew children, "God's Will be done"), but until that day of this salvation-
Ephesians 1:15a
"Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith..."
We want no need, to make people aware, when we read Paul's letters, how he's always referring to believing and faith. But here's a key faith only works through Love, God's Love not mans because mans love is only superficial at best. Not what we can do, but rather that we trust, yes our trusting in what God has already done through Christ and in Christ. This is why we're to become a Christ-one. And then on this basis we can move into what he's now asking of us on our behalf.
Ephesians 1:15
"Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints."
Now that reminds me of a verse in I John chapter 3. Let's just start at verse 11, because we don't like to just jump on one verse. We think most of you realize that by now. We don't like taking one verse out its content as this leads to distortion or twisting of scripture. Which causes strife and confusion. And gives way to mans opinion which we're to crucify daily along with our intellect, will, emotions, desires and concerns about what others may or may not think or say about that which the Lord gives us to share or say. For the Lord said this as recorded in Matthew chapter 10: "take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."
I John 3:11-12
"For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous."
Boy now that's plain language isn't it? And it's never changed. The unbelieving world hates the believer. He might not always show it, but he would if he had the chance, and so Cain had his chance, and sure enough he showed it. Verse 13.
I John 3:13
"Marvel not my brethren, if the world hate you."
A lot of people have the idea that since Christianity is such a tremendous experience, and lifestyle, because there isn't another lifestyle on earth that can come close to it. When we look at a good Bible based Christian home, and we couldn't ask for anything better. But you see, the world can't see it that way. The world thinks we're a bunch of kooks, and we've got our heads in the sand, or high in the clouds because we're so heavenly minded and all these other things. So don't be amazed if they don't like our lifestyle, and that's what John is saying here. You see God's Love out shines that of the worlds because it does not seek it's own profit but rather the profit of the other because we seen them as having greater value than ourselves and so it must be. We're to lay our life down moment by moment and daily in this fashion because we're revealing God's character by so doing. We don't even draw attention to our selves in any way or fashion whatsoever. This is why Paul's prayers are so powerful and why they for the past 2000 plush years have never meet rejection or denial from God, because they align with His Will.
I John 3:13-14a
"Marvel not my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, (from an unsaved, saved state [first estate] to a more saved [the second blessing] state) because we love the brethren."
John is speaking of fellow believers. The world won't necessarily, but we have that affinity to other believers that no matter where we go we can have a love for them, and it's an immediate love. It's God's self-sacrificial, illuminating Love that reaches deeper and brings Life to those near. We've shared this with you before, wherever we travel, and spend sometime with fellow believers, we're not strangers for 5 minutes, why is that? Because there's that affinity, we can't see it or put our finger on it, but He's there. And the moment we sit down at a table and have a cup of coffee, or just begin talking and we don't talk about sports or the weather or politics, but rather we talk about the BOOK! The revelation of Christ. And that's the way it should be, because "we know we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren." Now back to Ephesians chapter 1.
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