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Spiritual Retreat 2018 : The Prayers of the Apostle Paul : Session 3

14 July 2018

SPIRITUAL RETREAT
Theme: “The Prayers of the Apostle Paul”

Continued from Session 2

6. “That you may know what is the hope of His calling” (Ephesians 1:18b)

a) Knowledge may be spoken of as having: –
i) Many dimensions
ii) Much depth
iii) Wisdom and revelation help us to know things at a deeper level
b) What is the hope of His calling
i) God’s calling to salvation
ii) Calling to service
iii) Calling to special/ specific ministries
c) The place of “hope”
i) Faith and hope
ii) Hope is that which has not been fully realised yet
iii) Hope has an important place (Romans 5:1-5)

7. “What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18c)

a) The glory of God is truly and deeply profound
b) It cannot be fathomed with only the human mind
c) There are riches which lie hidden, waiting to be revealed
d) This glory is found in the “inheritance of the saints”
e) A glimpse of the inheritance of the saints is described in (Ephesians 1:3-14)
i) Blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3)
ii) Chosen in love… before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:14)
iii) Chosen to be holy and without blame (Ephesians 1:4)
iv) Predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself (Ephesians 1:5)
v) Full redemption (Forgiveness of sins etc) (Ephesians 1:6-7)
vi) Grace made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence (Ephesians 1:8)
vii) The mystery of His will had been made known to us (Ephesians 1:9)
viii) He will gather all things to Himself… in the fulness of time (Ephesians 1:10)
ix) We have obtained an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11)
x) We have been given the Holy Spirit as our Seal and Guarantee (Ephesians 1:13-14)

8. “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” (Ephesians 1:19)

a) This power was promised by the Lord (Acts 1:8)
b) It is released by the Spirit of God
i) Through His filling
ii) Resulting in empowering for ministry
c) Nature of God’s power
i) Exceeding greatness
ii) It is immense and beyond full comprehension
d) Recipients of this power of God
i) Toward all who believe
ii) To all who seek it
iii) To all mature enough to utilise it wisely
e) God’s power at work
i) According to God’s own might
ii) According to His divine will and plan

9. “Which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His 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” Ephesians 1:20-21

a) The greatness of God’s power described
b) This power was proven and demonstrated in what God did with reference to the Lord Jesus Christ
i) God raised Him from the dead
ii) Seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places
iii) Far above all principality… power… might… dominion… every name
iv) In this age
v) In the age to come

10. 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 fulness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

Appreciating God’s plan for the Church

a) The Church is the body of Christ
b) The church was meant to share in the power and glory of Christ Jesus the Lord
c) The church was meant to be filled with the fullness that God has given to Christ