River of Life Church

LIVING RESURRECTED Part 3 – Growing Up In God
Mother’s Day 5/12/19

Ephesians 1:15-23 - For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit 18 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, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 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. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

The reason for the prayer – “every spiritual blessing IN CHRIST.”

Jesus often used natural things to point to spiritual truth.
Naturally, you were “IN” your father, then “IN” your mother growing and developing before you were “born”.

Eph. 1:13-14 - 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.

John 3:4-12 -
Nicodemus grew old, but he did not grow up “healthy in God.”


After John the Baptist and Jesus were born, they both “grew and became strongin the Spirit.”

Luke 1:80– And the child grew and became strong in spirit,and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Luke 2:40- And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

The content of the prayer
“I keep asking…for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better…that the eyes of your heart be enlightened that you may know the hope…the riches…the incomparably great power for those who believe.”

The results of the prayer
Just like Jesus and John – God’s plan for you is to “be born of the Spirit” and grow strong “in the Spirit”. To “grow up in all things into Christ.” He also gave us a family to grow with. That family is the church, “the body of Christ.”

Eph. 4:13, 14-16
so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

(MSG) - God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that