I. "WHEREFORE AFTER I HEARD OF YOUR FAITH IN THE LORD, JESUS, AND YOUR LOVE TO ALL THE SAINTS."
A. Fourteen times faith and love are listed together as the characteristics of a child of God.
B. Eleven times faith and charity are listed together.
C. Faith in Jesus as Lord will be manifested by a love for the saints.
1. Jesus told the disciples that the sign to the world that they were His disciples would be their love for one another.
2. John said that this is the sign by which we know that we are His disciples is that we love one another.
D. Notice faith in the Lord, Jesus.
1. I would remind you again that Lord is not His name but His title.
2. It signifies our relationship to Him.
3. As our Lord, He has commanded us to love one another. If He is truly our Lord, we must obey.
E. It is interesting that when Jesus wrote to the church of Ephesus several years later His chief complaint was that they had left their first love.
1. Once noted for their love, how tragic that they should come to a place where they had left that love.
2. Jesus was calling them to return to their first love.
F. The church of Ephesus was brought to a faith in Jesus Christ through the preaching of Apollos who was an eloquent man mighty in the scriptures and able to convince the Jews through the scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
1. Priscilla and Aquila, who had been co-laborers with Paul in Corinth had moved to Ephesus and there met Apollos, they are the ones who probably wrote to Paul with the report of the many people who had come to a faith in Jesus and spoke of their love.
II. "I CEASE NOT TO GIVE THANKS."
A. There are some churches that bring grief to the heart of a pastor.
1. The church at Corinth was fraught with problems stemming from their carnality. Paul said that he wrote to them out of anguish and sorrow with many tears.
2. The church at Galatia had caused grief to the heart of the Apostle for they had turned from the gospel of grace in Christ to another gospel, which was not really a gospel. Those who were called Judaizers had followed Paul to Galatia and told them that they could not be saved through faith in Jesus alone. It was also necessary to keep the law to be righteous. Paul said that was not good news, Paul told them that if righteousness could come by the law, then Christ died in vain.
B. There are others that bring thanksgiving and joy.
ROM 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
Phl 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
Phl 1:4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
COL 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
1TH 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
2TH 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
III. "MAKING MENTION OF YOU IN MY PRAYERS."
ROM 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.
COL 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
1TH 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
1TH 3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?
2TI 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from [my] forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
PHM 1:4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,
A. Wouldn't you like to have been on Paul's prayer list?
B. Think of the prayer list he had, as he carried on his heart all the churches, and the leaders of those fellowships.
1. He mentions the things that he suffered for Christ plus the daily care he had of all the churches.
2CO 11:13 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2CO 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2CO 11:15 Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
2CO 11:16 I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
2CO 11:17 That which I speak, I speak [it] not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
2CO 11:18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
2CO 11:19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye [yourselves] are wise.
2CO 11:20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour [you], if a man take [of you], if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.
2CO 11:21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.
2CO 11:22 Are they Hebrews? so [am] I. Are they Israelites? so [am] I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so [am] I.
2CO 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I [am] more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
2CO 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one.
2CO 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
2CO 11:26 [In] journeyings often, [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils by [mine own] countrymen, [in] perils by the heathen, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren;
2CO 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
2CO 11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
B. I marvel at how profound the prayers of Paul are.
1. In our next lesson we will get to the actual prayer of Paul, and then in subsequent lessons we will study his prayer for them in chapter 3.
2. I encourage you to study these prayers, and then if you want to pray for me, just pray for me these things that Paul prayed for the Ephesians.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
