Do you struggle to pray? In those times when prayer seems difficult, forced or pointless, chances are we've over complicated it, we're simply distracted or we're unaware of its transforming power. Paul has a great prayer for Ephesians that's just as relevant for us today. His prayer in Ephesians 1.15-23 reminds us that God's power is among us and available to us, it's just that too often we're unaware of it. The reality is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power at work among believers today.

We finish the second half of the longest (and maybe the most epic) sentence in the New Testament. Paul blesses God for blessing us and for revealing his plan. What's God's plan? The Father will sum everything up in Jesus in the end. That's great news for us. And, to show he's serious, he's given us the Holy Spirit as a seal and promise we'll make it there safely. Now we can look ahead with hope.

In this sermon, we look at the longest sentence in the New Testament. It's dense, epic, and wild but it's not a theological rant, it's an eruption of praise. Paul praises the Father for all he's done to bless his people IN and THROUGH Jesus Christ. We are blessed with so much more than we can see in Jesus, and it's all a part of God's plan that he set out before the foundation of the world -- we're told he blessed us, chose us, and predestined us. When Christians today hear the words "Chosen" or "Predestined", we can get a little squirmy. In Ephesians 1.3-10 we'll see that these words shouldn't be a source of controversy but a reason to celebrate the God who wanted a people to be blessed and find life in him.

When reading such a challenging, expansive, and optimistic New Testament letter as Ephesians we may be tempted to ask, "That's beautiful, but can I actually live this way?" The answer we find is a resounding "yes" because of the mysterious reality of our LIFE IN CHRIST. We'll discover that Ephesians not only gives us the big picture view of our life in Christ but also the power to actually live it out. In this sermon, Pastor Adam explores some of the challenges regarding this letter and sets the stage for the series.