Ephesians 1:15-23: Summary:On the heels of Paul's great (and longest) sentence on the grace of God in our salvation, he moves to thanksgiving and prayer. He praises the glory of God's grace for its creative effect: a people, a true and visible church, with an amplified faith in Jesus and love towards all the saints. He then prays that the God of Christ and Father of glory may not only sustain that beauty but increase it by giving us 1) a better knowledge of Himself, in which Light, our hearts might further know 2) the hope to which He's called us, 3) the wealth we have in His heavenly assembly, and 4) the (immeasurable greatness of the) power He exercises in Christ for our benefit and ministry as the Body of Christ in this world. As we move into our 'first five' series, giving focus to prayer, this text provides us with something wonderful to pray for our church as a church this year.

Sermon Outline:

Paul's thanksgiving to God for healthy churches. (1:15-16)

Paul's prayer to God for healthy churches. (1:17-23)

That we'd know God better. (1:17)

That we'd know God's inheritance better. (1:18)

That we'd know God's power better. (1:19-23)