Sojourn Church Princeton

10/08/2024

Prayer for the People (Eph. 1:15-23)

Paul began the book of Ephesians by praising God for the abundant grace he has given his people through Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. Starting in verse 15 he prays specifically for the followers of Jesus in Ephesus. His prayer is short but profound, and it has 3 parts to it: thanksgiving (1:15-16), intercession (1:17-19), and reflection (1:20-23).

He begins with thanksgiving saying, “For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers” (15-16). Apparently, the Ephesians were living out the words of Jesus in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” Paul had heard of their faith and love and it caused him to rejoice and give thanks to God.

Next Paul intercedes for the Ephesians. He prays God would, “give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him” 1:17). Remember that he is writing to people who already know Jesus. In fact, they know him so well that their faith in God and love for one another has a reputation. Still, Paul prays for them to know God even more. It’s important to note the knowledge he is talking about isn’t just head knowledge. It’s about knowing God more deeply and intimately, not knowing things about him. Amazingly, God doesn’t just reveal facts about himself. He reveals himself. He wants a relationship with his people that is ever-growing.

Finally, in verses 20-23 Paul reflects on the power of God. In the New Testament there are 4 words that are translated into English as “power.” Paul actually uses all of them in verse 19. It’s a little hard to see in English so here is verse 19 with the words underlined. “and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” Of course, all these words have slightly different nuances like potential power, active or working power, power expressed through strength, etc. The differences in the words can be interesting, but Paul’s main point in including all of them is simply to emphasize that ALL power belongs to God. Whether potential or active or strong or mighty there is no power that God doesn’t possess. He is all-powerful.

This passage gives us a challenging way to pray for our loved ones and to pray for ourselves. It’s good to pray for the needs and even the wants of people we care about, but this passage is a reminder that we should always be praying for a deeper and more intimate relationship with our creator. We know him and we want to know him more. We want this for ourselves, for our families, for our friends, for our cities.

"I Want to Know You" from our new album "Only a Holy God" recorded live at our church St Paul's Castle Hill available to purchase athttp://apple.co/2h3qIGd ...

09/26/2024

A Poem of Praise (Eph. 1:3-14)

In Ephesians 1 Paul begins the main content of the book by praising God for what he has done for his people. Verse 3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” The blessings here don’t refer to wealth or health or even happiness, but to the work of God in calling, saving, and preserving a people for himself.

Paul praises the Lord for three specific ways he has poured out blessing to his people. Each of these is tied to a person of the Trinity. And at the end of each section, Paul concludes with a refrain that these blessings are to the praise of God’s glory. (1:6, 12, and 14).

First, Paul praises the Lord because believers have been chosen by the Father. He says, “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (1:4). Second, he praises the Lord because believers have been redeemed by the Son. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of his grace” (1:7). Finally, he praises the Lord because believers have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. “In him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of the promise” (1:13).

If you are a follower of Jesus, your status, identity, and hope is secure in the Lord. You can rest in these truths that God has chosen you, redeemed you, and sealed you, and he has done this with joy and love. Notice some of the language Paul uses in this passage. He says things like, “He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing” (3), “In love he predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters” (4-5), “according to the good pleasure of his will” (5), “He favored us in the Beloved” (6), “according to the riches of his grace” (7), “which he lavished on us” (8), “According to his good pleasure” (9). According to Paul, God is not an angry caregiver who reluctantly agrees to grace you with his presence. He is a loving Father who has adopted you as a son or daughter, and he takes joy in abundantly providing everything you need through Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. Let’s take some time to reflect on the abundant grace God has shown us, and may we declare with Paul that it is all “to the praise of his glory.”

This Fall we are reading and studying through the book of Ephesians together. This is some reflection from our time a few weeks ago. We’d love to have you join us.

For more information visit: http://sovereigngracemusic.org/Recorded at WorshipGod11 for the album "The Gathering". Devon Kauflin sings "Come Praise and Glori...

09/06/2024

We want to be people who serve our community well and seek to do good for those around us. This is what teachers do every day. We're grateful to partner with and pray for Green Elementary School, and we wish them the best this school year.