 So let's read Ephesians chapter 1 verse 15 to verse 23 and we're going to get into the apostles prayer for the saints. Ephesians 1 beginning at verse 15 therefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints do not cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come and he put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all so as we've been going through chapter one Paul has been outlining the blessings that believers have in the Lord Jesus Christ and he now prays that believers will come to understand and appreciate those blessings now he's praying for them we asked the question what is it that has moved him to prayer well what moved him to prayer he says to us is that visitors have come and given him a good report people had taken the time to come and see him in jail and informed him of the condition of the church there in Ephesus he was under arrest now why was he under arrest as I was reading this I began to think and preparing I began to think that I ought to explain a little bit as to why the apostle Paul was a jailbird and he was he went to prison he went to jail several times in his ministry and all and Ephesians is one of those epistles or letters that is referred to as a prison epistle so you see he's under arrest and so let me give you a summary of why he's under arrest when you begin to read in the book of Acts Paul had been in the city of Jerusalem and what he had done is he had entered into the temple grounds as they had entered into the temple grounds there in Jerusalem an unbelieving Jew had stirred the people against him claiming that Paul was anti-Jewish he had said that Paul taught against the people the law and the temple he also claimed that Paul had brought Gentiles into the temple and in doing so had defiled it you see that in Acts 21 they had seen somebody by the name of Trophimus he was an Ephesian they had seen him with Paul and they assumed that Paul had taken him in the temple and so a mob had gathered together and and it was a dangerous place but Paul was allowed to speak to this mob and and when he did so he began to give his testimony as he was speaking he told them that God had sent him to to reach the Gentiles and when he got to that point Acts 22 verse 22 says that the crowd listened to Paul until he said this then they raised their voices and shouted rid the earth of him he is not fit to live when the mob got out of control the commander removed Paul for his own safety and he wanted to know why he had been accused by the Jews so he assembled the chief priests now when Paul was standing before these chief priests he noted that some of them were Pharisees and some of them were Sadducees now because the Sadducees deny resurrection Paul began to speak concerning the resurrection he said it's because of my belief in teaching in the resurrection that I stand before you now and when he did that it created a great a great chaos ensued we'll put it that way this was a point of contention between the two they began to argue the argument got violent it was so violent the commander ordered Paul back to the barracks he was then jailed for two years and finally he stood before the governor a man at that time by the name of Festus now Paul saw that Festus was partial to the Jews and so instead of going through a mockery of a hearing he appealed to Caesar you see that in Acts 25 so before going to Rome he stood before a man by the name of King Agrippa and then he went to Rome while awaiting trial in Rome Paul was under house arrest and it was during that time that he wrote the prison epistles Philemon Colossians Philippians as well as this book here Ephesians while he was in prison he was able to receive visitors Acts 28 verses 30 and 31 says that Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house and received all who came to him preaching the kingdom of God teaching the things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence no one forbidding him and so he was continuing to minister and all he could receive visitors and so visitors have come and some from so from those who had visited him Paul was able to receive information about the condition of the churches and and he was blessed to hear that the Ephesian church is doing well notice verse 15 how he says it he said I also heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for the saints that was the good report that caused him to pray with such joy he was blessed he was blessed by how the Lord was moving in the church when the church is doing well it blesses mature believers it will especially bless the pastor of that church in 3rd John verses 3 and 4 John the apostle said it gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth you went on to say I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth so when a pastor an apostle as as paul but a pastor a church leader gets a report that the church is doing well it causes them to have great joy and that's what paul is feeling you see every congregation every church has a reputation and that reputation in the community may be better known than we think all churches have these reputations and some have good reputations and others not so good you see the reputation of that church is produced by people who attend the church the reputation of that church is is is known by the pastor it's known by the congregation and paul when he was writing to the Corinthians in 2nd Corinthians 3 verse 2 said it like this he said you yourselves are our letter written on our hearts known and read by everybody and so when the church disperses after a church service that's when the church's reputation is is magnified throughout the community and and every pastor knows that their church has a reputation and when you read the bible you see that the churches that are listed very often are are mentioned with certain reputations let me give you some examples for example the church at Rome when you read the the letter to the romans the church at Rome was known for something was known for its faith in christ when paul wrote to the romans in chapter one verse eight he said this to them he said your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world so the roman church was known for its faith that was the reputation the church in thessalonica the thessalonians had had a reputation for works and love for endurance evangelism for perseverance through trials when paul wrote to them in first thessalonians chapter one verse three he said this he said we continually remember before our god and father your work produced by your faith your labor prompted by love your endurance inspired by hope in our lord jesus christ in first thessalonians one eight he said from you sounded out the word of the lord not only in macedonia and anicaea but also in every place your faith toward god is spread abroad so that we need not to speak anything in second thessalonians chapter one verses three and four he said this he said we ought always to thank god for you brothers rightly so because your faith is growing more and more and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing therefore among god's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials that you're enduring so you see churches have reputations we see the reputation of the romans we see the reputation of the thessalonians but we also know of the reputation of the Corinthians to be called a Corinthian was a dirty word during the time of the writing of 1st and 2nd Corinthians and and unfortunately Corinth was pretty much living up to the reputation the church at Corinth was living up for the living up to the reputation of Corinthians it was this church was known but it was known for its carnality and divisiveness in 1st Corinthians 1 10 and 11 he said I appeal to you brothers in the name of our lord jesus christ that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought my brothers some from chloe's house have informed me that there are quarrels among you so you can have a reputation every church does and the Ephesians do the Ephesian church has a great reputation they're known for their faith towards god and their love for the saints verse 15 tells us genuine faith is manifested in love towards others especially for those who are in the household of god and that's why he speaks of their faith in jesus and their love for all the saints remember once again what is the mark of a genuine christian what is the mark of a believer what is the birthmark some of you perhaps have birthmarks i mentioned to you that i have one i have a birthmark it's here on my on my rib cage and uh my mom had a birthmark and and so i sometimes felt that i didn't belong to the family so my mom i'd say i'm just a little kid you found on the street you adopted i'm not yours you know i said that when i was 60 years old i mean i never i never got over it but i used to say that because in my family i i didn't look like everybody else my i have blue eyes blue green eyes i have light skin brown hair and the rest of my family black hair olive complexed my dad had blue eyes but i just didn't seem to fit in and so i would say that i'd say i'm just somebody you found on the street and you brought into the house and my mom would lift up her blouse and there is a birthmark on her and she'd point to it and she'd say this is my mark and you have my mark you belong to me and she would do that as a when i was a little boy so when we Marie and i had our first baby Corinne what's the first thing i did i lifted up you know and i looked and there on her rib cage is a birthmark so she has the mark of the beast i mean she has a mark she has a mark of her father and you want to know something when she had our first grandson my Josiah when i held him when he was just born she said dad look at his rib cage and my Josiah my first born grandson has a birthmark you know and you do too and the birthmark you have is the love of God by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another what is the mark of the believer the love of Christ and so in this passage he's commending them because their love that they have for one another for the Lord Jesus Christ is seen also in the things that they do for one another Christian love is that love that doesn't pick and choose amongst who is the most beautiful person i think one of the sad things that this world does that the church should never do is to to look at the one they think is the beautiful person to the ignoring of the person that may not be outwardly beautiful i believe that we have to be aware of those things because that can even happen in churches the love of God and love for one another is revealed in compassion and concern it's love for one another first john 419 and 20 we love him because he first loved us if a man says i love god and hates his brother he's a liar for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen how can he love god whom he has not seen we see that love in the ministry of jesus christ he he cared for the lepers and the cripples the possessed the the promiscuous he he cared for the tax gathers he he he cared for the grieving families and christian love is demonstrated by service and sacrifice this church exhibited it and it's their faith and their love that prompted paul to pray for them and he did it with a thankful thankful heart notice verse 16 you know he says that he didn't cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers i think of you and when i do i lift you up to the lord and i give thanks for you isn't that a beautiful thought guys that when someone thinks of you they give thanks for you that's a beautiful thought that somebody would actually lift you up in their prayers and simply say you know father i sure love them thank you so much for putting them in my life thank you so much for the good influence they have been to me thank you jesus every thought about them lord is is good towards them it reminds me of what paul said to the flippian church in chapter one verses three and four when he said i thank my god upon every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine making requests for you all with joy he says in verse 17 as he's giving thanks and making mention he goes on to say this is what he's making mention of this is what i am praying for verse 17 that the god of our lord jesus christ the father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him i'm praying that god may give you certain things now remember not only is he an apostle but he's a teacher and as a teacher he's instructing them about what they have in jesus christ and so the fact is it's god who gives spiritual understanding he does that through the holy spirit in john 1426 jesus said it like this he said the helper the holy spirit whom the father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that i said to you so it is god who who gives understanding through the power of the spirit those who don't have the lord don't understand the things of the lord that's why in first Corinthians 2 verse 14 paul said the natural man doesn't receive the things of the spirit of god for they are foolishness to him nor can he know them because they're spiritually discerned so when he was speaking about this natural man here in first Corinthians 2 14 and he said the natural man does not receive the natural man is the one who's called the unspiritual man the one who hasn't been born again the one who doesn't have the spirit of god dwelling within them the natural man is the carnal man the unredeemed man so he says the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit of god when he says the natural man does not receive that word receive is a greek word that means does not welcome it's like someone's knocking at your door and you look through the side curtain there you see it and you don't open the door the natural man is looking at the spirit of god will say in a picture knocking at the door but he will not receive him he does not welcome him in so the natural man doesn't receive the things of the spirit of god why they're foolishness to him the things of the lord are moronic the word foolish is where we also use the word moronic it's a greek word speaking of imbecilic it makes no sense to them you as a believer try to speak to someone who doesn't know the lord it's it's not like you're better and they're worse it's not one of those things it's just they don't know what you mean so you say well you know what the lord blessed me because he opened the door for me to get a good job and they said that job would have been there anyway i mean what you're saying god gave you the job for come on didn't you knock on the door didn't you give your application didn't you it was you who did it but you tell a brother and the lord or a sister in the lord i got a job the lord opened the door and they'll go hallelujah praise god do they have another opening because they understand right they do they get it they understand prayer for them isn't the last thing they do when they're in a circumstance it's the first thing they do because the natural man doesn't do that the natural man says i can't do anything else but pray but the spiritual man says the first thing i need to do is pray see it's reversed it's a reverse kind of order the natural man doesn't receive the things of the spirit of god they are foolishness neither can he know them for their spiritually discerned neither can he understand them completely because it takes the holy spirit to show you what divine truth is and so paul is praying for these Ephesians that god may give him understanding i am praying that god will give you he says the spirit of wisdom and revelation that he may give you the spirit of wisdom may you come to understand how precious fellowship with god truly is because that in and of itself is real wisdom and may you come to realize what you already have in jesus christ that is revelation so it isn't that we are lacking something because in christ we already have everything we need sometimes we simply don't know it sometimes we don't make use of it sometimes we simply don't believe it but we have it it's like that old woman older woman whose son was in the military and he had been gone for a number of years he had been in active service he'd been overseas he'd been a number of years since mama had seen her boy and he came home to surprise mama and he went up to the old house that he grew up in hadn't seen in years and comes to that picket fence and and the gate is coming off off the it's off its hinge and he looks around and there are weeds everywhere and he steps up into the into the porch the front porch and the screen door is is ripped and knocks on the door it rattles mama opens the door and he steps in and mama's her clothing is old and disheveled and mama was what happened to the house what happened what happened oh honey you know i don't have any money i don't have any money she says i couldn't keep it up i'm barely making ends meet he says but mama what did you do with with all of the all of the money i kept sending you she said what are you talking about he'd been sending her money orders she didn't know what a money order was so she said what do you mean he said i sent you money orders every month i took out of my pay and and i sent you money to support you what's it look like he says well she's well come over she walks into a room and she had wallpapered the wall with the money orders she had the resources and didn't use them and a lot of christians are that way we have in christ so many riches and we just don't use them maybe you don't believe it we never exercise it no we we have what we need in christ we need to know that that's what paul wants us to understand in second peter in chapter one verse three it reads his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence now this doesn't mean that we shouldn't seek the Lord for a deeper relationship with them seeking to have a deeper relationship should be our top priority a man that i like to read devotionally his name is aw tozer tozer said i want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after god the lack of it has brought us to our present low estate so we ought to be pursuing god hungering for him the desire for god the hunger for fellowship with him that's the christians driving force jeremiah 29 13 in the old testament god said you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart in psalm 84 verse two the psalm is that i long yes i faint with longing to enter the courts of the lord with my whole being body and soul i will shout joyfully to the living god the desire for god and hunger for fellowship should be our driving force and as christians we can have that deep and personal relationship with the lord it reminds me of exodus 33 11 where the lord spoke to moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend we can have a relationship with god it's what he he desires us to have and paul wants us to know that psalm 27 verse 4 one thing i have desired of the lord and that will i seek that i may dwell in the house of the lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the lord to inquire in his temple you come to faith in christ and and your road in salvation begins and and you're born again and and you begin to pursue him and you pursue him not the things he gives you but the person he is in john 17 verse 3 this is eternal life that they may know you the only true god in jesus christ whom you have sent i think it's a very improper attitude for a believer to have where they only want to pursue things and not the person in marriage that doesn't work in marriage that wouldn't work you don't pursue things from that person you pursue that person i've said this before i'll say it quickly home isn't my house home is wherever my wife is i'm at home when i'm with her it's a relationship it's not a destination it's not possessions no it's knowing him knowing him and that's what he's praying notice what he's saying in verse 18 he says that the eyes of their understanding he says may be enlightened now the word understanding is an interesting word it's the word cardios it's where we get the word heart and the heart speaks in in the hebrew way of thinking of understanding what what what that speaks of is the inner man in its entirety so he's saying this he's saying may you be made completely and entirely aware of heavenly things may you be aware that you are adopted as god's children through jesus may you know for certain that this has been god's pleasure to do so may you cherish and live in the freedom from bondage that god gave you when he redeemed you may you come to know deeply of the costly grace of god that made this possible may you eagerly await the obtaining of your inheritance in heaven and live as if you expect to be there may this understanding provoke you to live to the praise of his glory and so that's what he's praying you see the more you drench yourself in the word of god the deeper your understanding of the things that are awaiting you will grow in colossians 3 16 let the word of christ dwelling you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in songs and him spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the lord that's what worship is anyway isn't it it's singing with grace in our hearts not to the person in front of us but to the lord and thankful for the scripture that says make a joyful sound and to the lord a joyful noise unto him because sometimes that's what it is it's a noise but it's joyful and it's a good thing well listen paul is saying notice you once you once were in spiritual darkness when we get to chapter 4 we'll get a greater understanding of what they one time were which would include us when we get the Ephesians 4 17 through 19 this is what he'll say he says i tell you this and insist on it in the lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking they are darkened in their understanding separated from the life of god because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts having lost all sensitivity they've given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity and they're full of greed he said they're they're darkened they're dark and their understanding is dark in that word darkened means to be blinded or obscured understanding again speaks of the inability they're unable to discern the deep things he says you've been separated you're estranged you're unable to participate in the things of god due to ignorance ignorance is often the result of willful blindness and rejection and the result has been as you are hardened before you came to faith in christ you were hardened the word hardness in the greek language is speaks of a callousness but it also is a word that's a that's a strong word it's speaking of spiritual stupidity he said this is what you were before you came to faith in christ but you need to know something this is a key you need to realize you are no longer in spiritual darkness you need to realize that when you came to faith in christ your darkened minds the bible says were enlightened the word enlightened means to shine or to shed light it speaks of being brightened when i was in india i i saw the gurus in india i've spent a month in india two different occasions i went once for uh 16 days in the other i think 12 days so i spent a month in in india had opportunity to see some of the gurus that they have some of them in places called ramaswaram in different places and uh what they would do is they will have a devotee somebody who will come to them and they're seeking instruction or prayer or something and sometimes what the um what the guru will do is they'll press their their their forehead speaking of this eye that they're going to open up and and uh and what they'll do is they'll press there and there are those who will report that they see a bright light that will shine well there's a gland here in your forehead and when it's pressed in a certain way it gives an electric charge it gives a sense of of illumination and that's where they say they have been enlightened that's where that phrase is coming from that's what it's referring to spiritual enlightenment problem is is no i didn't get enlightened because somebody put a thumb in my forehead i got enlightened because the holy spirit brings light that's that's how you're enlightened the bible says in isaian 9 verse 2 the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death upon them a light has shined so i'm 18 verse 28 for you will light my candle the lord my god will enlighten my darkness and second chrithians chapter 4 verse 6 god who said let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ in creation when god created light let there be light that's what god is telling you when you got saved you when i got saved we who walked in darkness were spiritually stupid ignorant against god pursuing the things of the world and then he enlightened you he enlightened our darkness and now we can see i i see clearly now for the first time i see clearly now because god opened up our eyes to see and so what does he want he says verse 18 that you may know that you may know what is the hope of his calling what are the riches of the glory he prays that they might understand the hope of his calling riches of the glory and the greatness of his power that you may know that word know that you may perceive that you may perceive the hope of his calling that that that scene being enlightened may become knowing may god move before you so much that it becomes the natural pattern of your life may god move in your life so much that you begin to just be so sensitive to the spirits leading that you know he's saying talk to this person or he's saying go here or he's saying stop may you become so sensitive may that happen this is a prayer of paul that we would know what the spirit does in our lives so we might move in that hope that he has that we may see those things and that we might see the hope notice he says in verse 18 that you may know what is the hope of his calling what is the hope of his calling well it's it's to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ God's plan for our lives is that we all will have resurrection glory and be like him in Galatians 5 verse 5 paul said this he said for through the spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope in 1st John 3 verse 2 beloved now we are children of God what we will be has not yet been made known but we know that when he appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is we shall see him as he is my goodness i don't understand that but one day i will fully understand that i will know like the revelation when we studied the revelation well back i will know that the lion is a lamb i will know that i will know that jesus bore those stripes on my behalf i'll know that in more full sense because sometimes i don't realize it to the depth it should affect me i'll know that he he bore that cross for me in a deeper sense i'll understand more deeply the tears that he wept over Jerusalem and for a friend who had died i'll understand that i'll understand some of the things that i don't understand now why he allowed this to happen or how come that took place at that point there's no need for an explanation because i will know even as i am known it will all make sense at one time it's all going to be one of those aha and those moments where out makes sense why did i doubt you've got why did i think you didn't love me why did i think you treated me unfairly why i'm so wrong those things will know he wants us to grow that in that knowledge now to know that our god is control of all things and he's doing a work in us right now and no matter what it may be no matter what it may be and how it appears right now it all works out in the end as i've shared with you before one of the young men in one of my classes that i teach asked me what is the deepest lesson you've ever learned as a christian i've been walking with the lord for a while now and i said what is the deepest lesson i can say that quickly it all works out in the end it all works out in the end it all tied together i just didn't see it being woven in the mighty will of god i didn't see it but now i'm starting to see it oh you allow that to happen so i would go over here to do this so that i could meet this person over here who is going to do now i get it and so that's starting to take place in a little bit for me and prayerfully it'll be taking place for all of us so we will know even as we're known second he says that we may know what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints that word riches speaks of abundance of something valuable he says oh my prayer is that believers will come to understand salvation the hope of being with christ and enjoying his blessings will become the number one desire of your heart motivating you in romans 8 16 and 17 the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit we are children of god and if children then heirs heirs of god joint heirs with christ if indeed we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together and then third what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe the exceeding greatness of his power is an incredible statement the exceeding greatness is a phrase that speaks of the immeasurable might of god himself the infinite power of god was displayed when he resurrected jesus christ and the same power that resurrected jesus dwells in us in romans 8 11 if the spirit of him who raised jesus from the dead is living in you he who raised christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his spirit who lives in you the spirit that raised the dead body of christ dwells in me dwells in you you are the temple of the spirit of god and the spirit of god dwells in you all that we would understand that we need to understand that we have power through jesus christ it is the same power that raised him from the dead that resides in us it's the power of the holy spirit who has been given to us you shall receive power after that the holy spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me jerusalem judia samaria to the other most parts of the earth this holy spirit the promise of the father who has come upon those who have waited for him and said god may your spirit baptize me in your power that holy spirit dwells within us who are the temple of god and he speaks on and he continues in verse 20 and he says which he worked in christ when he raised him from the dead and seeded him at the right hand in the heavenly places he's saying that god raised jesus first he raised him from the dead like he says in acts 1330 god raised him from the dead but second he says god seeded jesus at his right hand in scripture often the right hand is a place of power and authority it's a place of power and authority exodus 15 verse 6 your right hand oh lord has become glorious in power your right hand oh lord has dashed the enemy in pieces first peter 322 he has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of god angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to him and so the same divine power is at work in those of us who believe when we um when we perform baptisms i will read out of the book of romans in chapter 6 and i will read this roman 6 verse 4 we were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father we too may walk in newness of life the old man is is dead the old man that old nature that old person we have been buried in christ and and i speak to the people and some of you have heard me say this and when we're going to baptize and i give this introductory message prior to the baptism i say that if you've ever gone to a funeral you've ever gone to a burial most have many have some haven't and you go to the graveside there's something perhaps i'm unique in this i i don't think so but i don't know there's something about when the casket is lowered into the open grave and and when that tractor comes and pushes the dirt onto the coffin there's a finality to that there's a finality to that it's just dead and buried dead and buried my father's mother my grandmother dies my dad's very strong man and i'm standing with him reviewing my little grandma's seed her body in a casket my grandma was four foot ten little thing and my dad says you see those hands son and i look at my grandma's hands folded in front of her she's wearing a little peasant dress that she would wear and her little hands are gnarled with arthritis and i'm looking at them i said yeah daddy i see them he says those those hands made a lot of tortillas my dad my dad had a sweet sense of humor and i laughed i said i'm sure i i know they did because when we went over on saturday's grandma would always make us tortillas i said yeah i know daddy he said she used them on my head more than once and he he was in good spirit you know as you would expect but when we went to the grave site and i stood next to him shoulder to shoulder and they said the last words and the casket had been lowered i'll never forget how that when the that tractor the small tractor pushed the dirt into that open grave and it hit that coffin my father just let out he choked a sob that was so deep i i felt it so i i believe there's just something about the dirt over the coffin that says it's over it's done they're dead and that's baptism for you when you went into the water dead and buried it's over it's done and then you came out resurrected in eternal life that's the picture that's what we have in christ dead and buried but alive because of him and so we may walk in newness of life he's praying may god cause you to understand this in christ we've received power and his power resides in us and it brings us to glory in him we haven't been left fatherless we're not spiritual orphans we don't care for ourselves he cares for us in verse 21 he goes on and he says far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come he's exalted to the highest dignity and honor that exists and and and could ever be imagined god raised christ from the dead and jesus gives life to those of us who believe he raises a sinner from the death of sin and gives them power the power of everlasting life in john 524 most assuredly jesus said i say unto you he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life shall not come into judgment but has passed from death into life we have life in him it's far above all principality all power and might and dominion he is above every name jesus is exalted above principality power might and dominion and name notice that these words speak of all possible forms of power principality and power speaks of rulership it speaks of governmental power it can speak of human government but also speaks of all created power in this context paul is speaking of angelic power both that which is good and that which is evil when he speaks of might this speaks of physical and spiritual power when he speaks of dominion that speaks of the lowest level of authority but all the words apply to angelic beings of great rank and authority and he's making it clear christ is above all in verse 22 and 23 he put all things under his feet gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him who feels all in all god has given christ all power in heaven and earth he owns the church he bought it with his own blood in first peter 3 22 the apostle said that jesus has gone into heaven is at the right hand of god angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to him colossians 1 15 through 18 he is the image of the invisible god the firstborn of all creation for by him all things were created both in the heavens and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through him for him he's before all things in him all things hold together he is also head of the body of the church he is the beginning the firstborn from the dead so that he himself will come to have first place in everything and ultimately all will bow before jesus and he wants us to know that in philippians 2 9 and 10 therefore god exalted him to the highest place gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth every tongue acknowledged that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father every time i read that i think one thing i think this every knee every tongue which means buddha will say you are lord which means muhammad will say you are lord every knee will bow every tongue shall confess that jesus christ is lord and so i do that now because he is my lord but every knee will bow even those who rejected him and they will have to say you are lord so let's do it now because we're going to do it one way or another right so i made a choice a long time ago i bow my knee before the father in heaven and jesus christ whom he has sent to redeem me i bow my knee before him and he speaks in verse 23 of the church which he says is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all he is the one who completes or fills everything the church he bought with his own blood is what makes his total dominion complete the church he saved is the crowning evidence of his complete lordship and as the church is his body he loves us and he takes care of us we'll see in chapter five when we get there in about three years when in Ephesians chapter five verses 29 and 30 no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it just as the lord does the church for we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones the lord takes care of us when we get to Ephesians five and i begin to teach a series it'll be a series on marriage and the family because you see that in Ephesians five i will be sharing about the relationship we husbands have with our wives my wife needs to know that i that i love her enough to lay my life down for she needs to know that she does know that that i'm to wash her with the water of the word that i'm supposed to be a spiritual leader we'll look at those things why because jesus takes care of us because he has washed us with the water of the word because he has regenerated us because he is our master he is our lord he is our savior but he loves us as a groom loves a bride and when we get there we'll see the depth of how how god loves us and and how we men and and the wives also will love their husbands and it's a great great portion of scripture where we see the practicality of of what marriage is intended to to to demonstrate marriage is intended to demonstrate christ and his bride that's why divorce is such a serious thing to god that's why in malachi god said i hate divorce why because it breaks the image that god intended marriage to have that jesus and his bride forever united together with him loving us caring for us protecting us and us loving him in return that's what marriage is supposed to be we'll see that when we get to chapter five but as he's closed here he wants us to know we belong to him he loves us he laid his life down for us and we can walk in newness of life as we yield to jesus christ father we ask that you