EPHESIANS 1:15-23 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 15 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.

EPHESIANS 1: 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: 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,

EPHESIANS 1: 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,

EPHESIANS 1: 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: 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.

APPRECIATED You are APPRECIATED by Jesus.

EPHESIANS 1:15-23 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 15 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.

VERBAL PLENARY INSPIRATION It means is that God wrote the Bible through people, and so though it’s Paul’s voice, it’s God’s words. He’s speaking to all of his people, including us.

omniscient God is omniscient.

the glory does go to God, but the appreciation can go to his servants. Sometimes what can happen is in our desire to give all glory to God, we don’t allow others to appreciate us or we don’t appreciate others. Yes, the glory does go to God, but the appreciation can go to his servants. You can do both.

glorify Him and thank them If God sends someone and uses them, you can glorify Him and thank them.

discouraging people Sometimes we can give all glory to God and not give appreciation and thankfulness to people, and as a result, we could be actually discouraging people when we should be encouraging them.

FIVE AMAZING THINGS ABOUT APPRECIATED PEOPLE

APPRECIATED PEOPLE EXCHANGE GRUMBLING FOR PRAYING

GRUMBLING PRAYING GRUMBLING is when you talk about people to other people. PRAYING is when you talk to Jesus about people.

He knows that Jesus appreciates his hard work Paul’s not grumbling, he’s praying. He knows that Jesus appreciates his hard work.

PRAYER SCRIPTURE PRAYER is when we talk to God. SCRIPTURE is how God talks to us.

knowJesus suffered Jesus loves Jesus is generous he sees, he knows, he appreciates, and he’s thankful for you The key to overcoming your grumbling is to know that the Lord Jesus suffered for you, that the Lord Jesus loves you, that the Lord Jesus is generous toward you, and in any way that you are obedient to him, he sees, he knows, he appreciates, and he’s thankful for you.

stop grumbling loved caredappreciated That allows you to stop grumbling because you know that you’re loved, and cared for, and appreciated, and it allows you to start praying for the well- being of others.

APPRECIATED PEOPLE EXCHANGE COMPETING FOR CELEBRATING

don’t feel appreciated competitive If you don’t feel appreciated, all of a sudden you become competitive with others.

HOW TO CELEBRATE RATHER THAN COMPETE

WE SHOULD REALLY APPRECIATE JESUS.

EPHESIANS 1:17-20 may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 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.

EPHESIANS 1: 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,

EPHESIANS 1: 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,

there’s always something new to learn about Jesus It doesn’t matter how long you’re a Christian, there’s always something new to learn about Jesus.

WE SHOULD HAVE A DEEPER EXPERIENCE WITH JESUS.

EPHESIANS 1:19-20 incomparably great power for us who believe 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,

obedient generous serving He never ceases to give thanks for you You know, if you have been obedient, if you have been generous, if you have been serving, if you have been God says He never ceases to give thanks for you.

rejoice at God’s grace in their life rejoice at God’s grace in your life You don’t have to grumble, you can pray. You don’t have to compete, you can celebrate. You don’t have to become jealous of what other people are doing, you can rejoice at God’s grace in their life and rejoice at God’s grace in your life.

APPRECIATED PEOPLE EXCHANGE BITTERNESS FOR THANKFULNESS

EPHESIANS 1: 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 1:21-23 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church 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.

it’s about your name bitterit’s about Jesus’ namethankful When you think it’s about your name, you get bitter, but when you realize it’s about Jesus’ name, you get thankful.

Jesusthe church Paul here is thankful for two things: he’s thankful for Jesus and the church.

love Jesus love the church We really want you to love Jesus and love the church, and it’s not just so that we can use you to grow a bigger church.

guard your heart against bitterness stop thinking it’s all about your name your fame It’s in part so that we can guard your heart against bitterness, that you would give your life to what Jesus gave his life to, the well-being of his people, and that you’d stop thinking it’s all about your name and your fame and it would be about his name and his fame.

PRAYERS

CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP prayer One of the keys to CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP is prayer, and soaking everything in prayer, and intersecting everything with prayer.

the shortest distance between two people is prayer Pray. Pray. Let me say this: the shortest distance between two people is prayer. You want to make a stranger a friend? Pray. You want to make an enemy a friend? Pray.

changes us brings us alignment with God’s will Sometimes prayer moves the hand of God, but usually it changes us and it brings us into alignment with God’s will.

opens your heart to talk to him all the time because he loves you We see that if you know that you’re appreciated by God, that he loves you, and he’s thankful for you, and he encourages you, it opens your heart to talk to him all the time because he loves you.

APPRECIATED PEOPLE EXCHANGE PERFORMING FOR SERVING

brag about what they’ve doneexaggerate what they’ve donetell everybody what they have done People who don’t know that they’re appreciated, they have to brag about what they’ve done, they have to exaggerate what they’ve done. They need to tell everybody what they have done.

God appreciates us exchange our performance for service Knowing God appreciates us allows us to exchange our performance for service.

PERFORMANCE Done for the sight and approval of others Causes us to be enslaved to others’ opinions, unable to say no, and prone to being overworked Done knowing that God is watching and approving, whether or not anyone else is. Frees us to do what God wants, thereby saying no is needed SERVICE

PERFORMANCE Presses us towards perfectionism, where we seek to do everything just right so that others will praise us Causes us to focus on the “big things” and only do what is highly visible or significant Allows us to do our best knowing that God’s appreciation of us is secure, regardless of our performance Allows us to do simple, humble, menial tasks, the “little things,” and God equally appreciates both SERVICE

PERFORMANCE Where people are an audience and you want their praise It’s not enough because the audience isn’t big enough Where God is the audience It’s enough because the audience is One SERVICE

God sees the heart and sees that there are very different motives between serving and performing. Jesus says that he is a servant ; he’s come not to be served but to serve. That’s different than performing. You can see two people doing the same thing, and God sees the heart and sees that there are very different motives between serving and performing.

APPRECIATED PEOPLE EXCHANGE BOASTING FOR ENCOURAGING

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE FEEL UNAPPRECIATED?

WE OBSESS ABOUT MAKING KNOWN EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.

WE EXAGGERATE.

WE LIE.

he’s not boasting, he’s encouraging. What we can appreciate about the example of the Apostle Paul, again, he’s not boasting, he’s encouraging. He’s not talking about all the things that he’s done, he talks about all the things that they’ve done.

Jesus appreciates you served given prayed growing We want you to be very encouraged, we want you to appreciate who Jesus is and what he’s done, and I want you to know that the Lord Jesus appreciates you. If you have served, Jesus says thank you. If you have given, Jesus says thank you. If you have prayed, Jesus says thank you. If you are growing, Jesus says thank you.

No one got more done than Jesus, but it was not performance, it was service. And he wants to free you from the performance trap and let you enjoy the serving like he did. No one got more done than Jesus, but it was not performance, it was service.

CONCLUSION

WHO DO YOU NEED TO THANK?

criticize one another withdrawals appreciate one another deposits When we criticize one another, we make withdrawals ; when we appreciate one another, we make deposits.

let us seek, by the grace of God more deposits than we do withdrawals And then, as we need to correct or criticize, we realize we’re making withdrawals, but let us seek, by the grace of God, like the Apostle Paul, to be people who have far more deposits than we do withdrawals.

WHO DO YOU NEED TO THANK?