Dakota Community Church
October 31, 2010
Getting to Know Him
Ephesians 1:15-23
15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I 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. 18I 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, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far 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. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Note the trinity reference again and especially the “glorious Father”. I think Paul had a revelation of the Father’s glory that we would do well to gain in this time.
I pursued Kathy
God pursued us!
Matthew 13:44-45
44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Luke 19:1-10
1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a ’sinner.’ "
8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
The point is what happens after the wedding!
The relationship does not end after the wedding – that is the beginning point.
Salvation is not the end of this God pursuit; salvation is the beginning.
I know Kathy now so much more intimately than I did then!
Then I had no idea of her business abilities.
Then I had no idea of her capacity to grow in grace.
Why is this relationship – fellowship so important?
Ephesians 1:17
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.
Paul is about to launch into a great deal of teaching about practical Christian living.
• gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts (2:3)
• live a life worthy of the calling you have received (4:1)
• Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (4:2)
• you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking (4:17)
• Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths (4:29)
• among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality (5:3)
• Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord (5:22)
• Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right (6:1)
What did I leave out of that list? (Husbands)
If we don’t get to know Him we will go back to grudgingly keeping the rules.
GOD IS NOT GLORIFIED BY OUR GRUDGING SUBMISSION
We praise what we enjoy! (iphone, Blue Bombers, children, Dodge Challenger)
We all know people who have turned faith back into law; it is the natural thing to do!
Legalism is the way of fallen man – we will reach God on our own – I did it my way!
Through knowing Him better we avoid that shift. (Gerald’s prodigal older brother)
Break for prayer
Have you fallen away from relationship into grudgingly offered submission?
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
