Faith & Love in the Church
October 23, 2024
Pastor Mark Bauer
I think most of us know that Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians in verses 3-14 with a long sentence, a sentence that praises God who has blessed the church; God who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. And as Paul describes these spiritual blessings, he emphasizes God's sovereignty. Quoting from D.A. Carson states this about these opening verses in Ephesians, “Paul has been outlining God's sovereignty especially in redemption, as the anchor for God's grace and as the source of the blessings enjoyed by his people.” Carson then goes on to write and say this, “As he, being Paul, thinks about God's sovereignty, Paul then finds specific things to pray for. And in verse 15 and 16, Paul writes of two specific things that he has heard of regarding the church; their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and their love toward all the saints. Their faith and their love, two things that are anchored in and flow from God's sovereign grace and intervention in their lives. And for this, he gives thanks as he remembers them in his prayers.”
So I'd like us to look briefly at the faith and the love of the church that Paul has heard of, for which Paul gives thanks for, and consider how these two things can help shape our prayers for the church, for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
First then, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith, as we know, is a gift of God that we receive by grace, grace that comes from a sovereign God. And were it not for the gracious intervening work of a sovereign God in the life of a sinner, a sovereign God who chose us before the foundation of the world according to the purpose of his will; if it were not for that intervening work we would have remained dead in our sins, separated from God, hostile enemies with no hope and without God. But God, because of his rich mercy and his love made us alive, not because of anything that we did, but it was because of his grace, his glorious grace. And it's by that grace that he transformed us from death to life so that we might be able to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8 says this, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it's the gift of God.” So as Paul thinks of the spiritual blessing, a blessing that comes from God, a blessing that every believer has received, Paul gives thanks, thanks to God in his prayers.
As we think of this, how does this shape our prayers, and how do we then have this impact on our prayers for our brothers and sisters in Christ? Well, I suggest that as we hear of their faith, their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should also give thanks to God. For we know that that faith is a faith that comes from grace, the grace of a sovereign God who has blessed all who believe with this immeasurable precious gift of faith. So even though a believer might be struggling, he may be suffering, he might be in the midst of trials, despite all of these things that he might face, trials that are grievous and painful, yet we know that these trials are but for a moment and that for God's people, there is still yet a glorious inheritance that awaits for all those who have faith. So therefore, knowing that we have faith, that the believers have faith, those that we're praying for, we can give thanks to God for that faith to a God who is sovereign, who has worked in their lives to bestow that faith through grace. So we can praise God for that.
And secondly, as we think of love, love toward all the saints, we know that love for God's people flows from the work of a sovereign God in the life of a person. Jesus commanded us to love one another. In John 13:34, Jesus, who's speaking to the disciples said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” We are to love one another in the same way that Jesus loved us. We are commanded to have a Christ-like love, a sacrificial love that is for one another.
How is this possible for us to love in that way? I suggest it is only by God's sovereign work in the life of a believer. For it is God who by his grace transforms us from being a self-centered, self-loving person to a person who will love others, who will love them to the point of sacrifice, of even giving ourselves for them. So when Paul hears of the Ephesian church walking in love, love for one another, he gives thanks to God when he remembers them in his prayers. For Paul knows that it is God alone who is the source of the love that they have toward all the saints. As we're told in 1 John 4:7, “Behold, let us love one another where love is from God.”
So how then would this shape our prayers? I suggest that when we hear of God's people walking in love, love for one another, love in thought, love in word, love in deed, let us give thanks, thanks to God. For we know that it is God who is the source of their love; God who is the one that has transformed them to have a heart of love, love and ability to love the saints, to love one another.
So as we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, for the church, let us remember their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and their love toward all the saints. And let us give thanks, thanks to a sovereign God who is the one who intervened in their life by his grace and who continues to work in their life as the source of all blessings.
Pastor Mark Bauer
Ephesians 1:15, 16, "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."
I think most of us know that Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians in verses 3-14 with a long sentence, a sentence that praises God who has blessed the church; God who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. And as Paul describes these spiritual blessings, he emphasizes God's sovereignty. Quoting from D.A. Carson states this about these opening verses in Ephesians, “Paul has been outlining God's sovereignty especially in redemption, as the anchor for God's grace and as the source of the blessings enjoyed by his people.” Carson then goes on to write and say this, “As he, being Paul, thinks about God's sovereignty, Paul then finds specific things to pray for. And in verse 15 and 16, Paul writes of two specific things that he has heard of regarding the church; their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and their love toward all the saints. Their faith and their love, two things that are anchored in and flow from God's sovereign grace and intervention in their lives. And for this, he gives thanks as he remembers them in his prayers.”
So I'd like us to look briefly at the faith and the love of the church that Paul has heard of, for which Paul gives thanks for, and consider how these two things can help shape our prayers for the church, for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
First then, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith, as we know, is a gift of God that we receive by grace, grace that comes from a sovereign God. And were it not for the gracious intervening work of a sovereign God in the life of a sinner, a sovereign God who chose us before the foundation of the world according to the purpose of his will; if it were not for that intervening work we would have remained dead in our sins, separated from God, hostile enemies with no hope and without God. But God, because of his rich mercy and his love made us alive, not because of anything that we did, but it was because of his grace, his glorious grace. And it's by that grace that he transformed us from death to life so that we might be able to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8 says this, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it's the gift of God.” So as Paul thinks of the spiritual blessing, a blessing that comes from God, a blessing that every believer has received, Paul gives thanks, thanks to God in his prayers.
As we think of this, how does this shape our prayers, and how do we then have this impact on our prayers for our brothers and sisters in Christ? Well, I suggest that as we hear of their faith, their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should also give thanks to God. For we know that that faith is a faith that comes from grace, the grace of a sovereign God who has blessed all who believe with this immeasurable precious gift of faith. So even though a believer might be struggling, he may be suffering, he might be in the midst of trials, despite all of these things that he might face, trials that are grievous and painful, yet we know that these trials are but for a moment and that for God's people, there is still yet a glorious inheritance that awaits for all those who have faith. So therefore, knowing that we have faith, that the believers have faith, those that we're praying for, we can give thanks to God for that faith to a God who is sovereign, who has worked in their lives to bestow that faith through grace. So we can praise God for that.
And secondly, as we think of love, love toward all the saints, we know that love for God's people flows from the work of a sovereign God in the life of a person. Jesus commanded us to love one another. In John 13:34, Jesus, who's speaking to the disciples said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” We are to love one another in the same way that Jesus loved us. We are commanded to have a Christ-like love, a sacrificial love that is for one another.
How is this possible for us to love in that way? I suggest it is only by God's sovereign work in the life of a believer. For it is God who by his grace transforms us from being a self-centered, self-loving person to a person who will love others, who will love them to the point of sacrifice, of even giving ourselves for them. So when Paul hears of the Ephesian church walking in love, love for one another, he gives thanks to God when he remembers them in his prayers. For Paul knows that it is God alone who is the source of the love that they have toward all the saints. As we're told in 1 John 4:7, “Behold, let us love one another where love is from God.”
So how then would this shape our prayers? I suggest that when we hear of God's people walking in love, love for one another, love in thought, love in word, love in deed, let us give thanks, thanks to God. For we know that it is God who is the source of their love; God who is the one that has transformed them to have a heart of love, love and ability to love the saints, to love one another.
So as we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, for the church, let us remember their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and their love toward all the saints. And let us give thanks, thanks to a sovereign God who is the one who intervened in their life by his grace and who continues to work in their life as the source of all blessings.
Posted in Pastor Devotional