Thanksgiving and Prayer, 14 June 2026
14 06 26 Filed in: Sermons | Ephesians: Our True Identity
Thanksgiving and Prayer
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 14, 2026
Ephesians 1:15-23
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving and praise.
Summary: Paul loves his audience and thanks God for them. Their faith and love are encouraging and inspiring. He wants them to know their calling, their inheritance, and their powerful LORD.
If we can have Christmas in July, I want to propose today we have Thanksgiving in June! Gratitude is powerful. In fact, at a time when so many are feeling anxious, did you know gratitude and anxiety cannot coexist at the same time in the brain? If you want to change your mood, your mind, your focus, pause and develop an attitude of gratitude. You can begin with this truth: God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.
Today we’re in week three of a long series on the book of Ephesians, a letter written by an early Church leader named Paul sometime around A.D. 55. Many believe it was written to a church in modern day Turkey, but it’s possible the intended audience was different or broader. Regardless, let’s imagine it was written to us! We could rename the book “Findlay!”
Last week set the context, encouraging words about God’s blessings and our identity in Christ as followers of Jesus. Last Sunday’s scripture was one long verse in the original Greek. We ended with this text:
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14)
This week’s text was also one, long verse! Context is necessary to understand the first three words of today’s passage:
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Ephesians 1:15-16)
The faith and love of these believers are inspiring to Paul. They have faith toward God and love toward people. I want to say you can’t have one without the other, though many claim to do so. They love to sing on Sunday…but can’t stand their co-workers on Monday! Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God and love others as yourself, and Paul praises these people for doing both. They love God and all His people. Do you?
Paul thanks God for his audience and prays for them. He doesn’t stop giving thanks!
Thanksgiving and prayer are two of the greatest gifts we can offer God…and others.
College First family, I thank God for you. I love you. I love hearing stories about what God is doing in and through you. I love your generosity, gratitude, volunteering, and caring. I love meeting people new around here who have said they have been warmly welcomed. I love seeing small groups serve together, Next Gen leaders love and equip our future leaders, and our spiritual sponsors praying for kids at camp, mission trips, and Bible quizzing finals.
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.
(Ephesians 1:17)
I can relate to this, too. I have five prayers for College First: direction, protection, passion, unity, and good fruit. I pray for wisdom for myself and our leaders, and I long for all of us to know Christ better, not just know about, but actually know Jesus. I want the world to know the LORD, but especially you. The word “better” implies growth, maturity…sanctification is the fancy word for becoming like Jesus, which occurs as we spend time with him and are filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul prays to the glorious Father, seen in Jesus, for the gift of the Spirit.
I pray 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 his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:18-19a)
There was a popular song in the 90s called “Open the Eyes of my Heart.” I didn’t know my heart had eyes! This refers to the inner being—which includes the emotions, mind, and will. Warren Wiersbe notes,
The inner man, the heart, has spiritual faculties that parallel the physical senses. The inner man can see (Ps. 119:18; John 3:3), hear (Matt. 13:9; Heb. 5:11), taste (Ps. 34:8; 1 Peter 2:3), smell (Phil. 4:18; 2 Cor. 2:14), and touch (Acts 17:27). This is what Jesus meant when He said of the people, “They seeing see not, and hearing they hear not” (Matt. 13:13). The inability to see and understand spiritual things is not the fault of the intelligence but of the heart. The eyes of the heart must be opened by the Spirit of God.
Hope is not a wish, like hoping it doesn’t rain on your BBQ. Our hope is in the promised. Return of Christ for us, the Church. Without him, we have no hope, but in Jesus we have a living hope.
The word called is an important word for Christians. The word church combines two Greek words that mean “called out.” Elsewhere, Paul says we are “called by his grace,” we have a “holy calling,” we’ve been “called out of darkness into his marvelous light” and “called to glory.” This is who we are, church!
I had to read this next part again. When I saw glorious inheritance, I thought it referred to our inheritance in Christ, but actually it’s His inheritance in us, his holy people! God sees value in us. We are his wealth, his investment. He’s looking at our future, not our past. Christ will be glorified in us and we in him.
Then Paul mentions God’s incomparably great power…for him to use for his own selfish pleasure? No! It’s for us, for us who believe. This is dynamic, divine, eternal energy available to us! How big is your God?
That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ 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 name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:19b-21)
Did you catch that? His incomparably great power for us who believe is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! That’s more power than all of the AI data centers in the world! It’s the greatest power in the universe!
Where is Jesus now? He is at the right hand of the Father, above all. His reign is eternal. King Jesus is on the throne and for a season allowing people to be tempted by evil. I don’t understand why he doesn’t eliminate the enemy now, but the day is coming.
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:22-23)
All things are under Jesus’ feet, including all demons and spiritual forces.
Jesus is over the Church, his bride, his body on earth…us! He is the head and we are the body. We must always be connected! Decapitation harms the head and the body! What is your part? Are you hands that help? Hearts that care? Lungs that sing? Feet that go? Backs that carry the loads of others? Arms that hug? Tongues that teach? Minds that discern? We are the body of Christ, and each of us is a vital part.
As we spend time with Jesus, know Jesus, and become like Jesus, we will be a signpost pointing others to him as we go and make disciples of all nations. It’s all about Jesus! God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.
So What?
The song “Holy Forever” contains these lyrics taken from our text:
Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest Your name stands above them all All thrones and dominions All powers and positions Your name stands above them all
The name of Jesus is the greatest. Jesus is the greatest. There’s no one like our God!
When you get stressed, don’t look down at your problems. Look up at His power.
Don’t worry about the future. Wonder about His faithfulness.
Don’t get depressed about your situation. Dial into His solutions.
In summary, Paul prays that they might know
God (17b)
God’s calling (18a)
God’s riches (18b)
God’s power (19-23)
I pray that for you…for all of us. If we truly grasp these realities, we will be transformed. We will become like Jesus…and his Kingdom will come and his will will be done here on earth as it is in heaven for His glory. Amen!
Credits: Some ideas from Warren Wiersbe and Jerry Murray.
Ephesians: Finding Our True Identity
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
June 14, 2026
Ephesians 1:15-23
Series Big Idea: For followers of Jesus, we find our true identity in Christ.
Big Idea: God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving and praise.
Summary: Paul loves his audience and thanks God for them. Their faith and love are encouraging and inspiring. He wants them to know their calling, their inheritance, and their powerful LORD.
If we can have Christmas in July, I want to propose today we have Thanksgiving in June! Gratitude is powerful. In fact, at a time when so many are feeling anxious, did you know gratitude and anxiety cannot coexist at the same time in the brain? If you want to change your mood, your mind, your focus, pause and develop an attitude of gratitude. You can begin with this truth: God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.
Today we’re in week three of a long series on the book of Ephesians, a letter written by an early Church leader named Paul sometime around A.D. 55. Many believe it was written to a church in modern day Turkey, but it’s possible the intended audience was different or broader. Regardless, let’s imagine it was written to us! We could rename the book “Findlay!”
Last week set the context, encouraging words about God’s blessings and our identity in Christ as followers of Jesus. Last Sunday’s scripture was one long verse in the original Greek. We ended with this text:
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14)
This week’s text was also one, long verse! Context is necessary to understand the first three words of today’s passage:
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Ephesians 1:15-16)
The faith and love of these believers are inspiring to Paul. They have faith toward God and love toward people. I want to say you can’t have one without the other, though many claim to do so. They love to sing on Sunday…but can’t stand their co-workers on Monday! Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God and love others as yourself, and Paul praises these people for doing both. They love God and all His people. Do you?
Paul thanks God for his audience and prays for them. He doesn’t stop giving thanks!
Thanksgiving and prayer are two of the greatest gifts we can offer God…and others.
College First family, I thank God for you. I love you. I love hearing stories about what God is doing in and through you. I love your generosity, gratitude, volunteering, and caring. I love meeting people new around here who have said they have been warmly welcomed. I love seeing small groups serve together, Next Gen leaders love and equip our future leaders, and our spiritual sponsors praying for kids at camp, mission trips, and Bible quizzing finals.
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.
(Ephesians 1:17)
I can relate to this, too. I have five prayers for College First: direction, protection, passion, unity, and good fruit. I pray for wisdom for myself and our leaders, and I long for all of us to know Christ better, not just know about, but actually know Jesus. I want the world to know the LORD, but especially you. The word “better” implies growth, maturity…sanctification is the fancy word for becoming like Jesus, which occurs as we spend time with him and are filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul prays to the glorious Father, seen in Jesus, for the gift of the Spirit.
I pray 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 his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:18-19a)
There was a popular song in the 90s called “Open the Eyes of my Heart.” I didn’t know my heart had eyes! This refers to the inner being—which includes the emotions, mind, and will. Warren Wiersbe notes,
The inner man, the heart, has spiritual faculties that parallel the physical senses. The inner man can see (Ps. 119:18; John 3:3), hear (Matt. 13:9; Heb. 5:11), taste (Ps. 34:8; 1 Peter 2:3), smell (Phil. 4:18; 2 Cor. 2:14), and touch (Acts 17:27). This is what Jesus meant when He said of the people, “They seeing see not, and hearing they hear not” (Matt. 13:13). The inability to see and understand spiritual things is not the fault of the intelligence but of the heart. The eyes of the heart must be opened by the Spirit of God.
Hope is not a wish, like hoping it doesn’t rain on your BBQ. Our hope is in the promised. Return of Christ for us, the Church. Without him, we have no hope, but in Jesus we have a living hope.
The word called is an important word for Christians. The word church combines two Greek words that mean “called out.” Elsewhere, Paul says we are “called by his grace,” we have a “holy calling,” we’ve been “called out of darkness into his marvelous light” and “called to glory.” This is who we are, church!
I had to read this next part again. When I saw glorious inheritance, I thought it referred to our inheritance in Christ, but actually it’s His inheritance in us, his holy people! God sees value in us. We are his wealth, his investment. He’s looking at our future, not our past. Christ will be glorified in us and we in him.
Then Paul mentions God’s incomparably great power…for him to use for his own selfish pleasure? No! It’s for us, for us who believe. This is dynamic, divine, eternal energy available to us! How big is your God?
That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ 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 name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:19b-21)
Did you catch that? His incomparably great power for us who believe is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! That’s more power than all of the AI data centers in the world! It’s the greatest power in the universe!
Where is Jesus now? He is at the right hand of the Father, above all. His reign is eternal. King Jesus is on the throne and for a season allowing people to be tempted by evil. I don’t understand why he doesn’t eliminate the enemy now, but the day is coming.
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:22-23)
All things are under Jesus’ feet, including all demons and spiritual forces.
Jesus is over the Church, his bride, his body on earth…us! He is the head and we are the body. We must always be connected! Decapitation harms the head and the body! What is your part? Are you hands that help? Hearts that care? Lungs that sing? Feet that go? Backs that carry the loads of others? Arms that hug? Tongues that teach? Minds that discern? We are the body of Christ, and each of us is a vital part.
As we spend time with Jesus, know Jesus, and become like Jesus, we will be a signpost pointing others to him as we go and make disciples of all nations. It’s all about Jesus! God is awesome and worthy of our thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.
So What?
The song “Holy Forever” contains these lyrics taken from our text:
Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest Your name stands above them all All thrones and dominions All powers and positions Your name stands above them all
The name of Jesus is the greatest. Jesus is the greatest. There’s no one like our God!
When you get stressed, don’t look down at your problems. Look up at His power.
Don’t worry about the future. Wonder about His faithfulness.
Don’t get depressed about your situation. Dial into His solutions.
In summary, Paul prays that they might know
God (17b)
God’s calling (18a)
God’s riches (18b)
God’s power (19-23)
I pray that for you…for all of us. If we truly grasp these realities, we will be transformed. We will become like Jesus…and his Kingdom will come and his will will be done here on earth as it is in heaven for His glory. Amen!
Credits: Some ideas from Warren Wiersbe and Jerry Murray.