Who’s chosen? You! You who trust in God- you are the chosen one. Paul, the writer of Ephesians, shares a prayer for those he identified at the start of his letter. He has a great hope for these people and lets them know he has some specific prayers for them. I also have great hope for YOU as well, so I’m using this text in Ephesians both because it’s the next passage in the sermon series on Ephesians at my church but also because it’s my final Sunday in Texas. I do have a prayer for you. Watch my last sermon preached on 10 May 2026, a.k.a. “Mother’s Day” for those of us in the United States. This sermon is titled, “Prayer For the Chosen” from Ephesians 1:15-23 and it is linked below. I pray you notice what catches your attention and I invite you not to wait- bring it to God in response today.
I preached this sermon for my home church were I served as the Connections Pastor. Impact Temple Church, located in Temple, Texas, is about an hour north of Austin and 2 hours south of Dallas/Fort Worth.
Scroll down below to watch a recording of the sermon or the entire service! Scroll down even further to watch my ‘After Sermon Background Preaching Tips‘ video where I’m keeping up my routine of sharing a few thoughts after I preach.
I am always hopeful that these offerings would bless and encourage you in your own journey with God and in your ministry of service to others. Feel free to reach out to me or leave a comment below, anytime. Blessings and peace!
Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT
15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,[a] 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom[b] and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.[c]
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
A few recent photos from my time at Impact!
Preaching Tips Background Video
In this video share, I talk about not knowing what the future will hold for me next as this is my final Sunday in Texas. Where will be my next home church? Will I be ever be given another opportunity to preach? I share how this sermon relates to my very first sermon and how I felt which was different than before when I started. I talk about the sermon text a little bit and my hopes for those listening. I then share a closing prayer with you all.
May you be blessed!
Do share with me what resonates with you, in your particular roles of ministry (or however you’ve come to find this particular video)! Thanks!
You can watch my After Preaching Tips video playlist here.
You can find the rest of my Sermons here! https://sejanashines.com/preaching and my Sermons playlist here.
Here’s a new link with all kinds of ways to connect with me! https://lnk.bio/sejanashines.
Feel free to share a comment with the community by scrolling all the way down and entering it below! Or you can send a message that goes to my email here:
Share your comment