I agree that's smart. Because
they'll be calling to know where it's at. If it's too late, yeah. I don't need any of that. If
you're going down there just on Sunday, or are you preaching
any other day? Nope, just going down, just cover
him so he can do his, uh, we're preaching for a year ago. Let
him know that he has, you know, some chairs for sale. It'd be good to try and just
put them up there for like three bucks or something like that
a piece. I bet we could sell them. Somebody
would pay. Yeah, I think so. I just wish
there was a way to figure out how to set this up as a meal
area. A way to use this area back here,
set it up permanently. I mean now if they gave us access
to back room, you could. It's the whole, it's the room
that goes all the way back to the back wall of the nursery.
So it's a whole, like it's as deep as that. Yeah, this one,
it's this wide. It goes all the way back. I mean,
it's like here. Yeah, it's a good size room. I mean, we stay up at night some
place. I don't know. You know, if we were going to keep him, I
don't know. But I did watch. And, you know, I felt right.
But, you know, if we can throw him out there by three minutes,
at least get $100 worth of work in the fine. And get him in the
line, get him an essay. Yeah. Just how he is. All right,
let's try this again. Sometimes Facebook doesn't want
to work. I know. I'm lucky you're not
cheating. Yeah. We've worn out for two days.
Hello. Okay brethren, let's get started
with our first service, Ephesians chapter 1. Turn to Ephesians
chapter 1, and we'll be looking at verses
15 through 19. So far in Acts 1, we've been
looking at the acts of salvation that the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost do to accomplish the salvation of the Church,
of His people. And so, flowing out of that provision
that our God does for us, that He does for the people of God,
flowing out of His provision, we know that He gives apostles
and some pastors and some teachers, for example, to the church for
their edification and their encouragement. And so here in these verses,
what we see is Paul, who is an apostle, verse one, an apostle
of Jesus Christ, according to the will of God, he's now moved
by the spirit, by that same spirit of provision for the people,
He's now moved in the Spirit to serve his brethren, both in
love to them and we see here in prayer, he prays for the brethren. Look there at verse 15 and 16.
Wherefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus,
and love unto all the saints. This is on the back of what the
Lord has done for his people in salvation. Wherefore, he says,
I also, the Lord has brought me into this to serve you, to
serve you, brethren, to love you and to edify his church. He says, I cease not to give
thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. So Paul would thank the Lord. Thank you, Lord, for the brethren
there at Ephesus. Thank you, Lord, for their love
to the saints, their love of your son and your salvation that
you've provided. Lord, bless them. Bless them,
Lord, keep them. Lord, thank you for the brethren
that you've gathered there in Battlefield, Missouri, for the
glory of your name. to know you, to lift up the banner
of your salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord. That's
what we pray. Lord, bless your people that
are gathered there. Help them to stand and to serve
the Lord, to fight this battle that is raging around us, which
you've already won. Help us, Lord, to love your people
and to serve you in this battle. And so today, what I want to
look at primarily is verses 17 through 19. That's the prayer
that Paul prays for the brethren. That's the substance of it. Now
I've titled this, What I Stand in Need of, He Supplies. What I stand in need of as a
child of God, my God supplies everything I need in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And so we'll look at this prayer
and we'll see a pattern, we'll handle this in a pattern of first
considering what it is that I as a believer, as a child of God,
what do I stand in need of? And then we'll see how your God
supplies all your need, all your need in that regard, okay? So
first of all, let me just say a few things in building up to
looking at this prayer. We know that you're, I speak
to you as believers, right? Believers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That means that you have faith in him. You've been given faith.
You've heard the gospel and the spirit of God has revealed faith
in you. The gift of faith whereby you
look, not to yourself, but to the Lord Jesus Christ, the one
whom God has declared to you that he is your salvation. And so that means that we have
a certain understanding, a certain level, a certain basic level,
at least, of what it is that our God has done for us, what
I stand in need of, and what he's freely provided for me,
all right? And so we hear of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we've heard of what he's done, we heard of what he has
accomplished for us, so that you all have an understanding
of, I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner in Adam, I'm a sinner
in this flesh, I've transgressed against the laws of my God, and
I come short of His glory. And I can't save myself. I can't
do enough to reconcile myself to the living God and to make
myself acceptable unto Him. And Paul In other letters, he
affirms this to us. He confirms this truth to us,
saying in Galatians 2.16, for example, that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but rather a man is justified by
the faith of Jesus Christ. And he teaches us and he's giving
us an understanding that I'm saved not by my faith in Christ,
but I'm saved by the faithful work accomplished by the Lord
Jesus Christ. And so as part of that salvation,
I have faith in Christ because it's something that he's wrought
in me as part of the salvation he's accomplished for his people.
Again, over in Romans chapter five, verses eight through 10,
Paul says to us that God commended His love toward us, in that while
we were yet sinners, before we did anything good, and it doesn't
matter if we did anything evil, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us, for His chosen, elect, redeemed people. Much more then, because of this,
being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through Him. For if when we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more
being reconciled, and this is why I'm reading all this, we
shall be saved by His life. We're saved by His life. Not
the things that we do in this flesh, this old man's life, but
we're saved by the life of our Savior Jesus Christ. Alright,
so as we go through this prayer here, prayed by Paul, I want
you to receive it in terms of, this is what I stand in need
of. This is what The Lord is teaching me. I have a knowledge
of what he's done for me, but I'm learning through his gospel,
through his power and grace and the glory of his spirit, I'm
learning. I stand in need of these things
ever. I ever stand in need of them
while I'm here in this flesh. I'm his child and I need his
grace and mercy. I ever need his grace and mercy
to do for me these things, all right? And so when Paul writes
to us, these brethren, he's speaking to the new man. He's not speaking
to the old man of your flesh that cannot hear these things,
that cannot believe these things, that cannot do these things.
He's speaking with the understanding that he's talking to that new
creation, that new man, which is created of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And so he's revealing to us,
this is what I need, Lord, If I'm going to have it, you must
provide it. I stand in need of these things. Please give these
things to me, Lord." All right? The apostle would tell the Colossians
in 3, verses 3 through 5. Here again, he's speaking of
life. He said, ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ
in God. What life is that? That old man
that sinned, that was that was vile and wicked, that's all been
handled by Christ. He's taken care of it, and that
old man, that life is hid. So that when Christ, who is our
life, that new life, that true life, which is alive in the Lord
Jesus Christ, when he that is our true life shall appear, then
shall we also appear with him in glory. And he tells us the
following, all right? Mortify is an example of what
we're going to see. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the
earth fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence,
and covetousness, which is idolatry. And I just want you to understand
that Paul here now is in preaching. isn't teaching that new man in
you by turning you back to the law, by turning you back to the
flesh, by turning you back to the old man to do these things,
he's declaring that Christ who is our life, who is your life,
he's going to accomplish these things in you. He's the one that's
going to work this in you. He's making it known so that
we see what I stand in need of and then we shall know that he's
going to accomplish all this in us. So this prayer reveals
Christ our life and that this is what he's working in, each
of you, by his grace and power. All right, so what do I stand
in need of? I've heard of Christ now. I believe
him. I know that he's accomplished
my salvation. But in many things, I'm still
learning the wisdom of Christ. I'm learning that I need his
wisdom. I need His Spirit of Revelation. I need Him to teach me and to
keep me and to walk with me and cause me to walk in paths of
righteousness for His namesake. So, for example, we experience
trials. We experience hardships. We experience various troubles
and afflictions and persecutions and hardships. And in one sense,
these try the old man, right? To try and get a reaction in
the flesh, right? To try and provoke us just living
in that old man. And these same hardships, they
prove the new man. They prove the work that our
Lord has accomplished in us and is working in us. That salvation,
he's working in us, all right? And so, The Lord does this because
by His Spirit of wisdom and revelation, He's going to cause His work,
that glorious work, that heavenly gold and silver, that precious
work of the Lord will shine forth more brightly and more gloriously
in His people as He's teaching them and growing them in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So I stand in need of fresh revelations
in the knowledge of Him. I ever stand in need of the knowledge
of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished.
And so Paul prays therefore in verse 17 that the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the
Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him. So that His Holy Spirit dwells
within each one of you that believe Him. As we saw last week, you
are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise. You're sealed with
that Spirit which preserves you and keeps you unto the end and
we're reminded by that spirit that dwells in us that my God
has a purpose for me in the things that I suffer. He has a purpose
in it. All these things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to his purpose. And the things that you suffer,
the hardships and the trials and the sufferings God has a
purpose in the things that each of you suffer and the things
that I suffer. He has a purpose in it. And so
as he's growing us and as he's dwelling in us, He's giving us
a heart and a desire to want to see the Lord shine forth in
glory. We want his work to shine forth
as the noonday, as the brightness of the noonday. In the new man,
we want the Lord to be glorified in our lives. We want to glorify
him and honor him whom we profess to believe and follow after,
right? And so as he's teaching us, We
learn patience and we begin to pray, right? It takes some time.
I know for me, a lot of times in the hardness of my heart and
the hardness of my head, I don't get it. But eventually the Lord
brings me to myself, that is the new man, whereby I realize
I've not even sought the Lord about this. And so we begin to
pray, right? We begin to call out upon him
and ask the Lord, Lord, help me. Help me, Lord. I'm struggling,
I'm sinking down in that old man. I'm not even thinking of
you, Lord, and more than anyone, I need you, Lord. I need your
help and your grace, right? So we seek him for grace and
strength, and by his glorious power, there's even times when
we're moved to pray, depending on the type of suffering you're
going through, that he'll move you to pray for your enemies,
that the Lord would grant them repentance, And he would show
them the error of their ways and do for them what he's done
for you in showing you not only your need, but your accomplished
salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. I need the spirit of wisdom,
right? I don't want to be grow hard
and grow cold like those people in this world are growing, right?
They're increasingly growing in hardness. Their words are
getting sharper, right? They're getting more antagonistic
with one another. Whoever they think the enemy
is, man gets harder and colder and just doesn't want to hear
the truth, right? And that's what is happening
to us with all these difficulties that are coming against us. So
I want to remember my Lord who bore my shame, who was beaten
and spit upon, mocked, rejected and despised of men, yet bore
it patiently for his people." Because there's a purpose why
I'm suffering, and it isn't for me to lash out in the flesh.
It isn't for me to bite back and devour with my tongue, right?
Though I could be in the old man. It isn't for me to, to thrash
back at others and, and, and lash out at them. I want to remember
my Lord who was mistreated for me. You know, after, after our
Lord willingly went with them, that that came to season to crucify
him and And there he is in that mockery of a trial, and Peter,
we're told, denied him. When he had denied him that third
time, and he hears the cock crow, and it says, the Lord looked
on Peter. Peter knew what he had done.
He betrayed his Lord. And it says there in Luke 22,
that right when his friend, Peter, betrays his Lord, denies him
before the people, right then it says, and the men that held
Jesus mocked him and smote him." Right when he's there, the thing
that hurt him most was Peter's denial. And he bore that mocking
and that smiting against him. And it says there, Luke 22, 64,
and when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face
and asked him saying, prophesied, who is it that smote thee? And
Christ could have defended himself there. He could have told them
exactly who smote him. He could have told them anything
they needed to hear and glorified himself and they would have stood
back and said, whoa, God has been among us. But what would
that do for you or me? We'd still be in our sins because
they wouldn't have crucified him then if he had delivered
himself. But he bore that shame and mocking
and despising and rejection to save you because he loves you. He loves you. And he did that
work for you that now believe on him. And so we need that spirit
of wisdom and revelation there in the midst of the trial and
the suffering and the hardships that we're going through, right?
That's what we're seeing here, that we need that same spirit.
We need to bear with that, bear along with those that are our
enemies, because God I would to God that He would save them
and have mercy upon them. As Paul would pray and say in
Philippians 3.10, that I may know Him and the power of His
resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made
conformable unto His death. Why? If by any means, as howsoever
it pleases God to bring me to that point, to bring me to my
death, that I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead,
right? Whether I live a long life and
die of old age or if I die at the end of a sword or a spear
or someone that hates me, right? It doesn't matter. Whatever is
God's will, I'm his servant. He can do with me what he wants.
May he give me that spirit of wisdom and revelation to bear
with it in the knowledge of this is the will of God for me. So
we need that, I stand in need of that. He said, not as though
I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow
after if that I may apprehend that, and I add this word, that
purpose for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Because to live
is Christ and to die is gain. So what does it matter? If I'm
alive, I shouldn't be living to myself. I live to Christ and
if I die, all right, I go off to my inheritance with him forever.
How is that a bad thing? So, all right, but we need that
spirit of wisdom and revelation because the new man doesn't,
I mean, the old man doesn't see it that way, right? The flesh
preserves itself, defends itself, and does everything it needs
to to avoid being persecuted and suffering anymore, right? But in the new man, that's where
that boldness comes in that hour of grace that we needed, and
he gives us that boldness to stand and say, You know what?
This is what I've been called to stand on. Lord, you've given
me your spirit, help me to stand. Stand in the Lord Jesus Christ
and glorify you, all right? So next, too often my eyes are
looking to the things of this world. And because I do that,
I get discouraged, all right? I get discouraged when I look
at all the things I see around me. I get even more discouraged
when I see the things within, all right, when I see my own
my own heart, because I find myself to be weak, all right,
weak of heart. I find myself to be fearful and
to worry about things more than I have need of worrying about
them, all right. Who of you, by worrying, could add one cubit
of stature to his life, the Lord said, right? So with all these
troubles and as far as I search out reasons and answers in the
world, I just get discouraged and troubled by these things.
I don't find any peace or comfort. So what do I stand in need of? I stand in need of the light
of Christ. I need him to come flooding in,
shine his brilliant, glorious light into my heart. Lord, help
me to see what I have need of seeing. Give me understanding.
Cause me, Lord, to have my mind set on the things above where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God. Let me
see your glory, Lord." All right, as Stephen, while he was being
stoned, looked up and said, I see the Son of Man standing on the
right hand of God, standing for me to receive me, ready to receive
me. that we need to see our treasure,
to see our treasure, the Lord Jesus Christ, that I would be given grace to seek Him with
the whole heart, Him who is my treasure, that He be all my treasure. And so what does the Lord do
for us? Verse 18, the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened. Lord, give me that single eye,
that single eye that looks to you and that your light flows
in, your light, your glory shines in to dispel the darkness that's
in my heart from looking at the world and getting so caught up
with it, right? Turn over to Matthew 6, Matthew
6. And let's go to verse 21. Our Lord says, for where your
treasure is, Matthew 6, 21, where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also. The light of the body is the
eye. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall
be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy
whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is
in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness. No man can
serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.
He cannot serve God and mammon." Right, the things of this world.
You have one master, one Lord, one God, one Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ. And so he tells his disciples
that, and as you read it later, he tells his disciples, don't
fret and worry about these things. The Lord knows you have need
of food, He knows you have need of clothing, He knows you have
need of shelter, and He'll provide all those things. But you, He
says in Matthew 6, 33 and 34 at the end, but seek ye first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
added unto you. Take therefore no thought for
the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of
itself, sufficient unto the days, the evil thereof." I need His
Spirit, His grace and power to teach me that, how to trust Him.
How do I be a responsible provider for my family and not fret about
these things or at least have it in the right measure so that
I do what I have to do here but all the while leaning upon the
Lord. in a righteous manner by His
grace and power, not in the flesh. Next, I know that God's righteousness
is the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that. He's revealed to
us. That's why we're not working for salvation. We're resting
in Christ who is our salvation. He's the one I'm to seek. And
in seeking Him, He reveals to us His purpose, right? He reveals
to us His will in the Lord Jesus Christ. All these things will
be revealed, right? And therefore I'll be content,
right? I'd be content in seeing these
things and what His will is for me. And it's that I may know
Him, that I may know Him. So what is it that I stand in
need of? All that joy and peace and rest
that comes in the knowledge and the hope of Christ. that I may
rest in Him. So Paul prays there in verse
18, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, that
I may be happy and content in Jesus my Savior, that I may be
content in Him, that I would be happy just to walk in His
grace and in fellowship with my Lord. And Paul adds, verse
18, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints, right, so that we're given this hope. He fills us
with this hope in the gospel, right, where our Lord reveals
the mystery of his grace in the Lord Jesus Christ, which others
in this world don't see. They don't know. They don't understand
it. They don't believe it. They don't rest there, but that's
what he gives to us and says in Colossians 1, 26 through 28, even the mystery which hath been
hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his
saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning every man
and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every
man perfect in Christ Jesus." Alright, so The Lord is caring
for you. He's providing everything you
need. He's the one keeping you in that fellowship and knowledge
of Him. All right, what else do I stand in need of? Well,
I ever stand in need of God's power, His glory and His grace
continually flowing to me, continually blessing me with all spiritual
blessings in Christ Jesus, right? I stand in need of him ever pouring
out his blessings upon me and never leaving me to myself because
we know if it's left up to us, if it's left up to my will, forget
it, I'll turn. If it's left up to my strength,
my grip shall fail and I shall fall on my face and I shall be
lost forever if it's up to me, if it comes down to me and what
I can do, all right? will surely perish and we will
fall short of the glory of God. We cannot do it of our own strength
and power. So what does the Lord do for
me? Verse 19, and what is the exceeding
greatness of his power to usward who believe according to the
working of his mighty power? So that we understand and we
understand it more and more that my faith in the first hour was
of the Lord's grace and power to me. and my faith in the last
hour shall be according to his grace and power." And everything
in between is all according to him. It's according to the working
of his mighty power. That's how it was in the beginning.
That's how it ever shall be according to the working of his mighty
power. And so brethren, I'm thankful
for the Lord's grace. I'm thankful for you that He's
shown you Christ and shows you your need of standing in need
of these things every hour. And that you see and look to
Him who alone provides this for you. That gives you everything
you need in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so I pray that He continually
supply that need to you. Because what I stand in need
of Our gracious Lord we thank you
Father that before we can ever even think it you already know
and are already doing that which you've purposed from all eternity
to do for your people. Lord we thank you for this grace
and this mercy that you ever pour out upon us in the Lord
Jesus Christ. We thank you so much for our
Lord, our Savior, who willingly bore such contradiction of sinners
against him, that we might know you, and be found in you, and
have this life in you, and this purpose, your purpose, being
worked out in us to the glory, the honor, and the praise of
your name. Thank you, Lord, for giving us
such a wonderful inheritance in our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Father, we think of our brethren. Lord, we pray that
you help those who are struggling, Lord, those that are weak in
faith, those that are weak in trusting you and following after
you. Lord, it's not of us. It's not
of us, Lord, we depend upon you. And so we pray for our brethren
even as we pray for ourselves, because these are the things
that we stand in need of. We stand in need of your grace,
glory, and power. And we pray that you work that
in us and in them as well. And Lord, we pray for those that
are sick, that don't feel well. And Lord, in anything that we
are going astray, Lord, or experiencing of the weaknesses of this flesh,
we pray that you would indeed minister your grace and power
to us. Uphold us and keep us Lord seal
us with your Holy Spirit and let us see your provision and
power being displayed in us to the glory and praise of your
name. It's in the name of Our Savior Jesus Christ that we pray.
Amen Okay, brethren, so we've got about 16 minutes or sorry
14 minutes