Thankful for Christ

[0:00] Good. Well, good morning. Lovely to be back in Brunsfield and to do a new fellowship with you. If you have a Bible, it would be great to have it open at Ephesians chapter 1, which in these church Bibles is on page 1173.

[0:22] We'll be reading from verse 15 down to verse 23. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

[0:44] I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.

[0:54] I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

[1:12] That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come.

[1:34] Well, we thank God for his word and let's just pray as we come to it.

[1:53] Lord, we ask now that you will give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we may know you better, that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened, that we may know the hope to which you've called us, the riches of our glorious inheritance and your incomparably great power at work among us who believe.

[2:17] And we ask this in the exalted name of Jesus. Amen. Well, it's great to pray together, isn't it? We have three daughters and our oldest daughter, Anna, is four.

[2:31] And it's quite instructive asking her what she wants to pray about every night before bed. We say, Anna, what should we pray about tonight? And she tells us the names of some friends. It's usually the same friends.

[2:42] And we pray, thanking God for her friends. She's begun to pray herself and she will just thank God for the lovely day she's had. And then she'll name her friends. How do we pray?

[2:53] How do we learn to pray? What ought we to pray for each other? I was very helped a few years ago when I learned the acronym ACTS. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

[3:04] That's some of the ingredients of prayer. Thanking God, asking him for the things we need. But one way to learn to pray is to study the letters and the prayers of Paul.

[3:16] In Paul's letters we have recorded for us many different prayers. Prayers when he's in prison. Prayers when he's free. Prayers for himself. Prayers for other believers. And it's very instructive to look at these prayers and to learn what Paul prayed for and how we can pray for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters.

[3:35] If I had to recommend a book, I'd recommend Don Carson's book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation. You just have to pretend I've got it. I couldn't find my copy, but it's great. So we're going to look at Paul's prayer today, Ephesians chapter 1, verse 15 to 23.

[3:49] And we will do that really under two headings. Firstly, verse 15 to 17, Paul gives thanks for what he has heard about the believers in Ephesus.

[4:01] He's heard about their faith and their love. And secondly, from verse 18 onwards, Paul prays that they might understand better their God and the gospel which they have heard about.

[4:14] So Paul gives thanks for what he's heard about them and prays that they might understand more about what they've heard about. So firstly then, verse 15 down to verse 17, Paul gives thanks for two things.

[4:27] Firstly, for their faith in the Lord Jesus. And secondly, their love for all the saints. Last week, I expect you studied the first half of chapter 1.

[4:38] And Paul gives this wonderful, deep, rich summary of all that God the Trinity has done in calling people to himself. Paul gives thanks for their faith because he recognizes, chapter 1, verse 3, that God has blessed them with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

[4:56] That God the Father has chosen them to be holy and he has predestined them for adoption into his family. Secondly, he thanks God the Father for that work. Secondly, he thanks God the Son, verse 7, that he has redeemed them through his blood.

[5:11] That he has provided for them the forgiveness of sins and lavished his grace upon them, giving them an inheritance. And thirdly and finally, he thanks God the Spirit, verse 13, who after they had heard the word of Christ, sealed them.

[5:27] And with that seal, their inheritance in heaven is guaranteed. He thanks God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit for the work in the lives of these believers. And that was quite a work, wasn't it, when you think about where they were before they heard the gospel.

[5:43] Chapter 2, you'll be studying this next week, I believe. They were dead in sin and trespass. They were children of wrath. They were Gentiles.

[5:54] They were, chapter 2, verse 12, separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise. They knew nothing about God, nothing about the hope of the gospel.

[6:07] And they were idolaters. If you remember Paul's travels in Acts 18, when he gets to Ephesus, there was there this gigantic temple to Artemis, this great fertility goddess.

[6:19] And the temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. This huge pagan shrine, this meteorite which fell to earth at the heart of it. And it was staffed by all sorts of temple prostitutes.

[6:29] A massive, rich, powerful temple. The people in Ephesus said this, that this god Artemis, whom all Asia and all the world worship. The people were sold into idolatry.

[6:42] They gave themselves to immorality. And these people had been called out of that by God to faith in Christ. And Paul says, I give thanks for your faith.

[6:55] When did we last give thanks for each other? Do we know about the operation of God's grace in each of our lives?

[7:07] Do we know how we came to faith? Do we know the encouragements in our lives? The difficulties? Do we know, as we just prayed at the very beginning there, the people who've come alongside us and helped us? Do we give thanks for each other and for them?

[7:19] And do we give thanks for the many gifts God has lavished graciously upon this fellowship? Gifts exercised, ministering to one another, building up the body of Christ.

[7:32] Paul gave thanks for the faith of these believers. And secondly, he gives thanks for their love for all the saints. There's been a lot of pictures of Kate and Wills in the news this week.

[7:43] And it's lovely to see, isn't it? And she's expecting their second child. A few years ago, of course, it was their royal wedding. And as is often the case at weddings, there was a reading from 1 Corinthians 13.

[7:54] And that contains these wonderful lines that these three remain, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. And Paul is keen, therefore, to draw attention to the love the Ephesian believers have for all the saints.

[8:09] You see, this is a world which lacks love. I got the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh this weekend. I love that journey. I love the other journey as well, I should point out.

[8:19] I love going to Glasgow. But it was interesting coming back in the evening. And I was reading a book. And the carriage, everybody sat in their own seat. Nobody sat next to anyone else.

[8:30] And almost immediately, everyone had their headphones and I was looking at a screen. And I thought, isn't this strange? We're all on the same journey. We could all be talking and interacting. But people just disappear, retreat into their own worlds.

[8:43] We're indifferent to one another. And sometimes we're frankly hostile to one another. I visited an older chap this week. And as soon as I sat down on the sofa, he pulled out a DVD of an old Rangers Celtic Cup final and put that in.

[8:56] I don't know if my conversation wasn't up to much. And he wanted distracted. But it was interesting to see again. The beginning of the match and the Rangers fans had their Union Jacks and the Celtic fans had their Irish tricolor.

[9:09] And you could sense the antagonism, the historical wounds festering. The old firm, people in the same city, just loggerheads with each other. And we've seen it internationally with the South Korean military exercise this week.

[9:24] And North Korea launching all these missiles into the sea. We've seen it with the Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq. And the list is endless. The tension, the friction, the conflict between different people groups.

[9:36] But exactly the kind of conflict there was in the first century between Jews and Gentiles. Paul can speak in this letter about the dividing wall of hostility.

[9:47] Jewish people and Gentiles, they didn't mix. They wouldn't talk together. They wouldn't eat together. They wouldn't worship together. And Paul says the wonderful mystery of the gospel is this chapter 3 verse 6.

[9:58] That Christ came and preached peace to them who are far away and peace to those who are near off. That he has taken away the hostility and made them one. The Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body.

[10:10] Partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. These previously alienated, hostile people are now one in Christ. And Paul says, and they love one another.

[10:22] I give thanks for your love for all the saints. What a wonderful, supernatural operation of God's grace. I wanted to go and see the Angelina Jolie film Unbroken.

[10:36] Maybe you saw that January time. Didn't have a chance to go and see it. But it's about a man, a real man, Louis Zamperini. He died just before the film came out, aged 91. He was an athlete.

[10:47] He sort of fell into slightly criminal ways. And he joined the army in World War II. He was flying over the sea. I think he got shot down. He was then on a raft for about a month.

[10:58] He was rescued. He was taken into a Japanese prisoner of war camp. He was tortured. He escaped from that. He went back home. And he was a broken man. He was suffering probably post-traumatic stress.

[11:09] He turned to alcohol. He became an alcoholic. Things weren't going well in his marriage. And I don't think the film got to the second half of his life. Maybe there'll be a sequel. Who knows? But at that point, one day, somebody had taken to a Billy Graham crusade.

[11:22] And he heard the gospel preached. And he got converted. And he was delivered that night from alcoholism. And he took his athletic skills. And he diverted them towards encouraging young people to take up sport as a way of getting them out of criminal behavior.

[11:36] And he used to travel back to Japan to meet the people who tortured them, to visit them in prison, and to preach the gospel to them. Because he wanted these people to be reconciled to the God who'd made them.

[11:48] And to be reconciled to him, no longer as enemies, but as brothers in Christ. Paul thanks God when he sees the operation of the supernatural grace of love for all the saints.

[12:01] And it is supernatural, is it? Because it's difficult to love people who are different from us. People different backgrounds. People with different hobbies.

[12:12] People who maybe speak different languages, have different cultures, different ways of doing things. Perhaps even different generations. And that's why Paul says in chapter 4 of this letter that we are to bear with one another in love.

[12:25] To work at it. To ask God to give us a love for the saints. That all people might know we are Christ's followers because we love one another. Paul heard of their love.

[12:38] And for that he gave thanks. So he thanks God therefore for what he's heard. For their faith in the Lord Jesus. And their love for all the saints. And having done that, he then goes on having offered his thanksgiving.

[12:50] He moves to intercession. And he prays for them. That they will better understand the things that they have heard about. About God and about the gospel. Chapter 1 verse 18.

[13:02] I pray the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. In order that you may know the hope to which he has called you. The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. And his incapably great power for us who believe.

[13:15] Prior to that verse 17. He asked the God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation. That you may know him better. There are a great many blessings in the spiritual life.

[13:28] We learn that in chapter 1 verse 3. But Sinclair Ferguson writes this. Knowing God is the single greatest privilege as a Christian. John Stott says this.

[13:39] Our greatest claim to nobility is to know God. To be in personal relationship with him. To love him and worship him. That is not just knowing God academically or theoretically.

[13:53] As in believing he exists. It's not just knowing God theologically. Reading the right books about doctrine. But it's knowing God. It's not just knowing God. It's not just knowing God. It's not just knowing God. It's knowing God. It's knowing God. It's knowing God. It's knowing God. In our experience.

[14:04] To have a knowledge of God. Jeremiah promised in the new covenant. The Lord said this. Jeremiah 31. They will all know me. From the greatest of them.

[14:15] To the least. The people in Ephesus at one point had been without God. And without hope in the world. And now they knew God. And Paul wants them to keep on growing in that knowledge.

[14:29] Like the psalmist who wrote in Psalm 119. Open my eyes that I might behold wonderful things in your word. Paul says I want God to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation.

[14:40] That you may know him better. Growing in our knowledge and love of God every day. And then he specifies these three blessings of the gospel.

[14:52] That he wants them to grow up into. Firstly the hope to which they have been called. And as Christians we are people of hope aren't we? In the world our hope is often disappointed.

[15:03] I was quite hopeful at the half time of the England-Scotland game yesterday. That hope 40 minutes later was bitterly disappointed. I imagine 53 days away from a general election.

[15:13] People will be offering us a lot of hope in the weeks ahead. Hope which almost certainly will come to nothing. We live in a world. Where many people have happiness.

[15:24] But not many have hope. You'll probably have read the obituary of Terry Pratchett. Sir Terry Pratchett who passed away this week. Surrounded by a family with his cat on his bed. He was a writer.

[15:36] A writer whose books I used to enjoy. He wrote I think for 44 years. He wrote 70 books. Translated into 37 languages. 70 million copies sold.

[15:47] He was knighted in 2009. International literary star. And this week he died. Very sad. Quite young. 66. And the last hours of his life.

[16:01] Or shortly afterwards. There was. His assistant tweeted. Three comments. About his death. The first two related to a character. In one of his books.

[16:12] Called death. And how death had now met Terry Pratchett. And then the final tweet. Very sadly. It just read this. The end.

[16:24] Famous. Celebrated. Honoured. Hugely successful writer. Quite a well-known atheist as well. And all that could be said. As he lay dying.

[16:35] In the company of his family. Was the end. Lots of happiness. But precious little hope. And Paul says to the Christians. I want you to know the hope.

[16:47] To which God has called you. What is that hope? What is your hope. As a Christian. Well verse 10.

[16:58] Chapter 1. It draws their attention to this. God's purpose. When the times will have reached their fulfillment. To bring all things in heaven. And on earth together.

[17:08] Under one head. Even Christ. God will unite everything. Together. In Christ. Chapter 2. Verse 22. You too are being built together.

[17:20] To become a dwelling. In which God lives. By his spirit. One day we will all be drawn together. In Christ. Christ. And God will be pleased to dwell.

[17:32] Among us. That's what we see isn't it. In very small compass. In the church. People from different generations. And ages. And stages.

[17:42] And backgrounds. And walks. And ways of life. Come together. United in worship. Around Christ. In which God dwells. In the church. By his spirit. And we are given.

[17:53] Sunday by Sunday. Just a tiny little foretaste. Of that great multitude. Drawn from every nation. Tribes. Peoples. And tongues. Gathered before the throne of God.

[18:04] And the Lamb. In which the presence of God. Will shelter us. He will guide us. The springs of living water. And every tear. Will be wiped. Away. From our eyes.

[18:16] All things united in Christ. God and the Lamb. Dwelling. In the midst of them. That is our hope. As individuals. That is our hope. Corporately. Well I wonder when the last time.

[18:28] You actually sat down. And thought about that hope was. It's very tempting isn't it. In Edinburgh. To think you're already in heaven. Certainly as I. Cycled through Holyrood Park.

[18:39] This morning. And then the links. And then past all these nice. Coffee shops. And delis. And Brunsfield. And Morningside. You can think. Well I've arrived. Very precious hope isn't it.

[18:51] We mustn't get distracted. By the enjoyments of this life. Of course it's fine. To drink coffee. And to go to a deli. And to enjoy these things. With thanksgiving in our hearts. But not to think. That's the sum totaling goal of life.

[19:05] Very precious hope. When we're ill. Or dying. Or mourning the loss. Of a loved one. Changes everything doesn't it. The last time I was in this building.

[19:17] Was at the beginning of the year. When a lady in our congregation. Died of cancer in her 50s. And we have the service here. And just before. The day before. I'd been speaking with a brother.

[19:27] Who'd flown in. From New Zealand. To come to the service. And he said. It's a shame. She was young. And still working. Friends etc. But they were believers.

[19:39] And he said. But Jesus. Has called her home. Transforms everything. Doesn't it? It's not simply. The end. It is a new beginning.

[19:50] A new life. Waiting for her. In the age to come. So the Ephesians knew that. They'd had this new start in life. Through their faith. In Christ. And their love for the saints.

[20:00] And they had this new beginning. Death was no longer the end. It was the beginning. Of a new chapter. Paul says. I want you to know the hope. To which. God has called you.

[20:12] And more than that. I want you to know the riches. Of his glorious inheritance. In the saints. When I was at college. Last century. We had this. Block of flats.

[20:22] And it was quite different. To flats now. The internet had only just been invented. En suite toilets. Were things you only found in hotels. And we all had these little sort of rooms. And across from me.

[20:32] There was a big chap called Tom. Who was quite posh. And I didn't realize how posh. But we got on okay. And I looked up Tom a few years ago. And it turns out. He'd inherited this enormous manor house.

[20:43] In England. And he was the lord of the manor. And I regretted not getting to know him better. At the time. Tom had a wonderful inheritance. And in the Bible. God promises his people.

[20:54] An inheritance. Under the old covenant. It was the land flowing with milk and honey. A place where they would dwell. With God. And the New Testament promises us. An inheritance.

[21:07] Something to come. Something Paul is able to describe. As riches. Glorious riches. Something that God has in store. For his people.

[21:19] And the Ephesians probably needed to hear that. Because when they became Christians. There was a financial cost. You remember the riot in Ephesus. As the little silversmiths. Who made these little shrines.

[21:30] Of Artemis. They were worried. Because people stopped worshipping Artemis. And they said. Well we're going to go out of business. Selling our religious trinkets. Some of them.

[21:41] Presumably became Christians. Lost their business. And then there were the magicians. The practitioners of black magic. And they came under the conviction of sin. And they brought all their magic scrolls. And burned them publicly.

[21:52] And Luke tells us in Acts 18. That the price of these scrolls. Would have been 50,000 pieces of silver. These people had lost their riches. When they came to know Jesus.

[22:02] But Paul says. God is no man's debtor. You have the riches. Of a glorious inheritance to come. Jesus counseled us. To store up treasure in heaven. Didn't he?

[22:14] And when we're given a picture of heaven. In Revelation chapter 21. It's not just a posh country house. In the southern English area. It is a city of gold.

[22:25] Whose foundations are adorned with every kind of jewel. It is a city full of riches. Glorious to behold.

[22:36] Well what a comfort that is. If you have suffered loss. Because of your faith in Christ. If you have suffered. In terms of your career. If you have lost some means.

[22:48] If you have chosen to live sacrificially. In order to further the kingdom. What a comfort that is. If you see colleagues who. Maybe don't want to live ethically.

[22:59] Who don't want to do things God's way. Becoming richer and richer. In their cars. Becoming shinier and shinier. In their houses. Getting bigger and bigger. To know that we have the true riches in heaven. We have treasure in heaven.

[23:11] Where thieves cannot break in and steal. Where moths cannot destroy. To enjoy the things we've been given. To have godliness with contentment now. And to know that we have these wonderful riches to come.

[23:26] And again friend. When did you last think about these glorious riches? When did you last think upon the inheritance God has for you? And when did you allow that to change your priorities?

[23:38] To change your time? How am I going to spend the time I have? Perhaps to influence the kind of work you're going to do. How am I going to spend my working years and expend my energy in the service of God?

[23:53] To dictate or influence who you're going to marry. Do I want to marry someone whose treasure is in heaven? Or am I going to marry someone who will just want to pile up treasure on earth? And does it dictate what you pray for and work towards?

[24:08] What you live for and what you look forward to? Paul says I want you to know the riches in store for you. And thirdly and finally and very quickly.

[24:19] Paul talks about the immeasurable, incomparably great power. Verse 19. For us who believe. We know elsewhere in Romans Paul talks about the gospel as the power of God for salvation.

[24:31] For all who believe the gospel had been very powerful in Ephesus. Turning these wicked, immoral, idolatrous practitioners of black magic. Into saints who desired to be holy, who loved one another.

[24:45] Changing idolaters into worshippers of God. Changing immoral people into sexually pure people. Changing the violent into the peaceful. Delivering substance abusers. Delivering people caught up in the occult.

[24:57] Delivering people whose mouths were full of filthy language and gossip and coarse joking. Who had now become a people of pure speech. As chapter 4 and 5 tells us. He says I want you to know the power.

[25:10] That it continues to be at work in you. And he gives us an example of God's power. In fact the example of God's power. In verse 20. This power which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead.

[25:22] Seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. Far above all rule and authority. Power and dominion. And every title that can be given. Not only in the present age. But also in the one to come.

[25:34] Jesus is in the place of supreme honour and power and authority. In heaven and in the earth. You've probably seen in India. There has been a spate of attacks on churches.

[25:48] In Delhi. A lot of churches have been damaged. And the government which is a sort of militant Hindu government. Is really turning a blind eye. Towards that Christians are under increasing pressure.

[25:59] In India. Even though it's a secular state. And when the present Prime Minister Modi. Who's a sort of radical Hindu fundamentalist. Got elected. I wrote to a friend who works at a Bible college in India.

[26:10] And I said. You know. I just want you to know. We're praying for you. And if persecution should come. We'll be upholding you in prayer. And he wrote back just a wonderful email. And he said. My brother.

[26:21] There have been no elections in heaven. Jesus is still on the throne. And that's what Paul says here. God has raised Christ from the dead. And exalted him to the throne of the universe.

[26:34] Why did they need to hear that? Well I want to suggest two reasons. Firstly. Because God had promised to take them to heaven. Hadn't he? Chapter 2. And Graham will be looking at this next week.

[26:46] Verse 4. Because of his great love for us. God who is rich in mercy. Made us alive with Christ. Even when we were dead. In transgressions. It is by grace you've been saved.

[26:57] And God raised us up with Christ. And seated us with him. In the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. In order that in the coming ages. He might show the incomparable riches of his grace. Expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

[27:10] God raised Jesus from the dead. And took him to heaven. And Paul says. He'll do the same for you. He will give you resurrection life. He will take you to be with him. Where he is.

[27:20] God has the power. To raise the dead. And to bring them into his glory. The second reason of course. Is that the Christian life is hard. And we can think we're going to run out of steam.

[27:33] The first time I got on a tram. In fact. Only one of two times actually. Since they were started. I took Anna. On a tram. A little inexpensive day out for her there. And it was going along past Murrayfield.

[27:45] And you know how it sort of goes up a hill. And it just cocked out. And I had a bit of a laugh. I thought well there we go. And it started again a few minutes later. And changed the batteries. Whatever they do.

[27:55] But you see. The tram just ran out of steam. And we can think as Christians. We're just going to run out of power. For the Christian life. And we're just going to stall halfway. And trip up and stumble and fall.

[28:06] And never get up. But Paul says no. God's power. His incomparably great power. Is at work in you. He will fulfill his purpose for you.

[28:17] He who began a good work. Will carry it on until the day of completion. Isaiah said that even youth shall faint and be weary. And young men shall fall exhausted. But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.

[28:31] They shall rise up on wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. Paul says keep going. It is God's power at work in you.

[28:43] And thirdly and finally. The reason I think they needed to hear this of course. Was that Ephesus was a center of magic. And of sorcery. And occultic practice. And presumably many of them had been involved in that.

[28:54] And they had been delivered from it. They'd got rid of their shrines. They'd burned their magic scrolls. At one point chapter 2 tells us. They had followed the prince of the air. That is Satan.

[29:05] But now they had been delivered from him. But of course he doesn't give up easily. I was saying to Graham. As I cycled through the park this morning. There was this little dog.

[29:16] I'd like to pretend it was a big dog. But it was a little dog. And it was chasing cyclists. And I laughed to myself. And thought ha ha ha. And then it began chasing me. And I thought well you know.

[29:27] Come on. Little Cocker Spaniel. Whatever it is. And I started cycling. And I looked around. And it was right on my tail. And I kept going. And for several hundred yards. This dog wouldn't give up.

[29:37] And I thought what am I going to do. And eventually I just sort of shouted at it. And kept going. And it gave up. Got bored. It kept coming after me. There was conflict wasn't there.

[29:48] And Paul says to the Ephesians. In chapter 6 verse 10. That you're in conflict. The devil. You have been delivered from him. But he keeps coming after you. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood.

[29:58] Against the rulers. Against the authorities. Against the powers of this dark world. And against the spiritual forces of evil. In the heavenly realm. Take your stand against the devil's schemes. The evil one was coming after them.

[30:10] Wanting to drag them back. Into darkness. And sin. And hell. And Paul says. Don't fear him. God's incomparably great power. Is at work in you who believe.

[30:22] He has delivered you from the kingdom of darkness. Into his wonderful light. He who is in you. Is greater than he. Who is in the world. Remember when Jesus sent his disciples.

[30:35] Out in Luke's gospel. And he said. Don't be afraid. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority. To trample over snakes and serpents. Nothing will harm you.

[30:48] They had been delivered. From the power of darkness. And God's power would protect them. From it. Well maybe that's a word here for you. Maybe some of you have a background in.

[30:58] Tarot cards or Ouija boards. Maybe you used to go and visit a psychic. Maybe you go into pretty extreme horror films. Or heavy metal music. And you feel oppressed by that. And the good news is.

[31:09] You can be delivered from that. And God can protect you from that. And stop you from going back there. So he wants them to know their hope. He wants them to know their inheritance.

[31:20] He wants them to know the power of God. At work in their life. And it's fitting we finish therefore. With the words of first Peter. Where Peter thinking on these same things says. Thanks be to God who has caused us to be born again.

[31:32] To a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. To our inheritance. Imperishable. Undefiled. Unfading. Kept in heaven for you. Who by God's power.

[31:43] Are being guarded through faith. For a salvation. Ready to be revealed. In the last time. Paul gave thanks. For the things he'd heard about these believers. Their faith and their love.

[31:54] And he prayed for them. Asking that God would help them to know and understand. More and more the things that they had in Christ. Their hope. Their inheritance. And his mighty power at work in them.

[32:07] Let's pray together. Amen. Father we thank you that. In Christ we have every spiritual blessing.

[32:21] That you have laid up for us. A wonderful inheritance. Lord it is. Kept in heaven. Being guarded by your power. Can never be stolen.

[32:31] Never be lost. Never be lost in a financial crisis. And Lord that your son beckons us. On in our journey.

[32:44] That he has gone to prepare a place for us. And he will return to take us. To be with him. To dwell in your presence forever. And to enjoy. All the wonderful things you have in store for your people.

[32:58] So we thank you for that Lord. We pray this week if we are discouraged. That you will lift our heads. To fix our eyes on Jesus. And the hope he has for us. And Lord if we are just getting a bit too comfortable in this world.

[33:10] A bit too relaxed and settled in. That you will help us not to be satisfied. For the trinkets and shiny things of this life.

[33:22] But to look forward to the glorious inheritance we have in Christ. And to make all of our decisions. And to live our lives in accordance with that hope. So we thank you Lord.

[33:33] It is by grace we have been saved. And it is your incomparably great power. That keeps us going. On our heavenward journey. So bless us we ask now. Encourage us.

[33:43] As we encourage one another. Through the singing. And the time of fellowship together. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[33:54] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.