Ephesians 1:15–23
Thanksgiving for the Believers
Ephesians 1:15–16
"Therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:"
Philippians 1:3–5
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now..."
Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom and Revelation
Ephesians 1:17–18a
"...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened..."
Colossians 1:9
"For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;"
Insight into Spiritual Blessings
Ephesians 1:18b–19
"...that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power..."
Hope of His Calling
II Thessalonians 2:14
"To which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Riches of His Inheritance
Romans 8:17
"And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ..."
Power for Believers
Philippians 3:10
"...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings..."
Description of God’s Power in Christ
Ephesians 1:20–23
"...which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power... And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body..."
Christ Raised and Seated in Heaven
Hebrews 1:3
"...when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..."
Christ’s Authority Over All
Colossians 2:10
"...and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."
Christ as Head of the Church
Colossians 1:18
"And He is the head of the body, the church... that in all things He may have the preeminence."
Ephesians 2:1–3
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
I was spiritually dead before Christ
I lived in sin, disconnected from God. This spiritual death wasn’t physical but a separation from the life of God.
Sin was my way of life
I walked (lived) in trespasses and sins—it wasn’t just an occasional failure but a habitual pattern.
The world once shaped my values and direction
I followed the "course of this world," meaning I was influenced by the world’s values, not God's.
I was under the influence of Satan
"The prince of the power of the air" refers to Satan. Before salvation, I unknowingly followed his rebellion against God.
Disobedience was part of my nature
I was counted among the “sons of disobedience,” people who reject God's authority.
I used to live to please my own desires
My life was driven by the lusts of the flesh and desires of the mind—self-centeredness ruled my decisions.
I was deserving of God’s wrath
Because of sin, I was "by nature a child of wrath." Without Christ, I stood under judgment.
I was not alone in my condition
Paul says, “we all once conducted ourselves…” reminding me that this was everyone’s condition before Jesus saved them.
But He Did Not Leave You There.
Ephesians 2:4
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us