Deo Gloria
Sermon for Ascension Day, May 30, 2019
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Ephesians 1:15-23
Theme: An Ascension Prayer for You and Your Fellow Christians
- Don’t stop thanking God for them.
- Ask the Father to give them the Spirit.
- Ask the Father to give them hope.
- Ask the Father to help them see that Jesus is ruling over all.
Chances are you’ve heard someone say it. Perhaps you’ve even said it yourself. “I’m not sure what I can do to help in this situation. I guess all I can do is pray.” All I can do is pray. Sometimes I think we fail to see prayer for the tremendous blessing it is. You and I can do tremendous things through prayer. Let me rephrase that: God can do tremendous things in answer to our prayers. That’s the attitude the apostle Paul had. At the time when Paul wrote this letter, he was under house arrest in Rome, waiting to stand trial before Caesar. What could Paul possibly do to help the Christians in Ephesus, people who were hundreds of miles away? Well, first of all, he could write them a letter to encourage them in their faith. And he could pray for them. In this portion of his letter Paul tells them not only that he is praying for them, but also what he was praying for. As we look at his prayer tonight, we’ll see that it makes a very fitting prayer for Ascension Day and a wonderful prayer we can pray for our fellow Christians.
Paul begins, “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers”(vv. 15+16). How often do you give thanks for your fellow Christians? Being part of a family of believers is another blessing we sometimes take for granted. Perhaps because we irritate each other at times, or get on each other’s nerves, or maybe even sin against each other, we don’t always appreciate our fellow Christians the way we should. But being part of a family of believers is a tremendous blessing.
Imagine for a minute what it would be like if you had come to church tonight and you were the only one who came—nobody else to worship with, nobody else to sing God’s praises, nobody else to join you in prayer, nobody else to share a meal and conversation with before the service. My guess is you’d feel pretty discouraged, a bit deflated in your faith. God knows that. That’s why he brought you into a family of believers, so you would have others to worship with and communion with and sing praises with and pray with and share a meal with and work together with to carry out the work he has given us. He gave you fellow brothers and sisters in the faith so they could encourage you as you follow Christ in your life, and so you could encourage them as well. Don’t stop thanking God for them in your prayers. Thank God that he has brought you into a Christian family and ask his help to encourage one another in your faith.
Paul continues: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better”(v. 17). Does Paul’s prayer strike you as a bit odd? Paul is writing to a group of Christians, people who already believe in Jesus as their Savior, people who already have the Spirit. So why is he asking God to give them the Spirit? Well, why not? Jesus said we could. In Luke 11 he said to his disciples, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”(vv. 11-13). And notice how Paul refers to the Holy Spirit. He refers to him as “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.” The Spirit is the one who reveals to us the truths of God’s Word. As we read and study God’s Word, the Spirit helps us understand the truths recorded on the pages of the Bible and grow in our wisdom and our faith. And notice why Paul asks this on behalf of the Christians in Ephesus: “So that you may know him better.” Do the Christians in Ephesus already know God the Father? Of course they do. But Paul wants them to grow in their wisdom and understanding so that they might know him even better. What a beautiful prayer to pray for our fellow Christians too!
Do the Christians here at St. Paul’s know Jesus as their Savior and God as their heavenly Father? Of course they do. Do the Christians at Trinity in Belle Plaine know Jesus as their Savior and God as their heavenly Father? Of course they do. But wouldn’t it be great if we all got to know him even better, if we got to know his love for us even better, if we got to know his forgiveness even better, if we got to know his faithfulness even better, if we got to know his power even better, that awesome power that he demonstrated in raising Jesus Christ from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, that amazing power that he uses for us and for our benefit day by day? And do you know what one of the most amazing things about our heavenly Father is? That he would want to have a personal relationship with us at all?
You know, we’re not exactly the most wonderful bunch people here in southern Minnesota, are we? We can be kind of grouchy sometimes and impatient and surly. We can bug each other and get on each other’s nerves and sometimes even intentionally annoy one another. Instead of taking each other’s words and actions in the kindest possible way, we take them in the worst possible way and say mean and hurtful things to others and about others. Instead of freely forgiving one another, we hold grudges at times and even try to get even. Truth is we’re sinners, people who are not deserving of God’s love and favor, people who don’t deserve to be part of God’s family, people who do deserve to have God the Father give us good swift kick in the pants and send us to an eternal time out in hell.
And yet, God loves us, loves us so much that he couldn’t bear the thought of sending us to hell. So he sent his Son Jesus to suffer hell in our place, to suffer the awful punishment our sins deserve, so that we might be forgiven. And in love he sent his Spirit into our hearts and brought us to faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. And in love he has given us the sure hope of eternal life in heaven, where we will enjoy unending life as part of his family forever. Boy, I sure want to know a God like that, a God who loves me and forgives me and still wants me as part of his family even though I’ve failed him so often! I want to know him better every day. Pray for me, won’t you? And I’ll pray for you too. Pray that the Father would give us his Spirit so that we might know him better.
Paul continues: “I pray also that they eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints”(v. 18). Life can be pretty discouraging sometimes. You study hard for a test and you still do lousy. You do your best at work and the boss still isn’t happy. It’s still not good enough. You work hard to provide for yourself and your family and you still can’t keep up with all the bills. You strive to love your spouse and be faithful and he walks out on you after 20 years of marriage. I remember seeing a bumper sticker once. It read, “Life stinks….” Actually the bumper sticker had a different word there, but I’m going to use the word “stinks” instead. “Life stinks, and then you die.” And you know, if this life was all there is, I think I’d probably have to agree with that statement. Life really does stink sometimes, and death is an unavoidable reality. And because of that it’s easy for us to become discouraged at times and lose hope.
Thankfully, this life is not all there is. There’s something more, something better, as Paul calls it, “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” God has something in store for us that’s a thousand times better, a million times better than anything this life has to offer: a life without trouble, where nothing ever goes wrong, a life without fear or loneliness, without sickness or suffering, without sadness or heartache or death, a perfect life, a glorious life in a perfect place where we will enjoy the riches of God’s peace and rest and joy and love forever. Pray for your fellow Christians. Pray that in spite of all the troubles and heartaches and suffering they have to deal with in life, they won’t become discouraged and lose sight of the glorious inheritance the Father has waiting for them in heaven.
“…and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
What Paul is saying here is pretty clear, isn’t it? Jesus Christ, our Savior, has been raised from the dead. He has returned to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. He now is ruling over all things as Lord and King of the universe. And he’s guiding and directing all things for the benefit of his people. Like I said, it’s pretty easy to understand. It’s just that it’s difficult to see sometimes.
I’m sure it was for Paul. Let’s not forget: Ephesus was the place where Demetrius stirred up a riot against Paul and the other Christians. And based on his comments in 1 Corinthians, Paul actually ended up in the arena in Ephesus, fighting for his life against wild animals, and where Priscilla and Aquilla may have risked their lives to save him. And where was he now? Under house arrest in Rome, waiting to stand trial for proclaiming the good news about Jesus Christ in places like Ephesus. Was it easy for Paul to see that Christ was ruling over all things for his benefit and the benefit of the early Christians?
Sometimes it isn’t easy for us to see it either. When we see so many in our country turning their backs on God and adopting ungodly values and ungodly lifestyles, when we try to share the good news about Jesus with a family member or friend only to have them reject it and reject us too, when we try to stand up for our Lord and his Word in our classroom at school or at the office and others just make fun of us and put us down, when we see Christians in other places around the world being persecuted and even put to death because of their faith in Jesus, it can be hard to see that Jesus is ruling over all.
But that is the reality, the glorious reality Paul shares with us in these verses. Jesus Christ is ruling over all as Lord and King of the universe. And he’s ruling over all things “for the church,” for your benefit and mine. And as result we can be confident, confident that our Lord really is working in all things for our eternal good. Likewise we can be confident that he is guiding and blessing our efforts day by day as we seek to serve him and live our lives for him and carry out his work. And most of all we can be confident that in spite of the troubles and heartaches and sufferings we do experience in this life, no one and nothing will be able to separate us from him and his love.
Help us to know that, Father, especially when our hearts are darkened with trouble and our eyes are clouded with tears. Help me to know and believe, and help my fellow Christians too. Help us to know and believe that Jesus is ruling over all.
And now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21).