By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist
Ephesians 1:15-23 – September 11, 2023
While you won’t find this Sunday on any ecclesiastical calendar, I have always viewed this Sunday, the Sunday after labour day, as the start of the new church year. Family Night has restarted. Keenagers has restarted. Small groups are restarting. The kids are back to school for a new school year.
I usually like to use this Sunday to remind you of who we are and who we are called to be as a church – and I will be doing some of that. I will remind you of the vision of Asbury. But what I really want to do today is remind you of God’s vision for you. If we get this right, the vision for Asbury will fall into place.
****
Last week, we started a series on Ephesians. Let me give you some background on the letter that the apostle Paul wrote. On Paul’s third missionary journey, he lived in the city of Ephesus for two years. He ran into problems in the Synagogue in Ephesus, so Acts 19 records that he and his disciples moved to the hall of Tyrannus. Paul spent the next two years mentoring/discipling a number of people in that hall.
What is the most telling is during this time or shortly after, at least three new churches were established by Paul’s disciples in the towns and cities close to Ephesus. Churches were established in Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colossae.
Paul, as he writes this letter, is now in prison in Rome. He writes it to Ephesus, to the church he knows. But he is also writing to the churches that were established by his disciples. Here is what he says,
Ephesians 1:15–16 (NIV)
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.
Paul says I have heard about your faith. I have heard how you love God’s people. It causes my heart to be filled with thanksgiving. And I want you to know this – I have been praying for you.
Have you ever told someone that you are praying for them? I do it all the time. But I usually tell people that in the context of some kind of trouble. When people are grieved, or going through a difficult relational thing, or when they are facing sickness or surgery – I will tell them that I am praying for them – and I do. I am asking God to heal the hurts. I am asking God to work things out.
But Paul’s prayers for the churches goes deeper than that. If I asked you to pray for Asbury – what would you pray for? I know I often pray for God’s blessings and for God to help us do what we are called to do. Those are good prayers. But Paul’s prayer for the churches goes deeper than that.
***
Part of our vision for Asbury is that we would be a church of exceptionally well discipled people. Another part of our vision is that we would be a place where everyone is cared for and shown the love of Jesus. These are things that would be good to pray about. But what would that look like?
Paul has already established that the people whom he is praying for already have a deep faith in Jesus.
Ephesians 1:15 (NIV)
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,
– He has heard about their faith. They have a deep love for one another. He has heard about their love for all God’s people. So, what do you pray for people who have been established in faith and are demonstrating love.
****
I see a lot of people around here who are established in their faith. I see a lot of people around here who are demonstrating God’s love. So, how do we pray for each other? How do we pray for Asbury?
Paul tells us how he is praying.
Ephesians 1:17 (NIV)
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.
Paul is asking our amazing God to give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that they may know him better.
They already have come to know God through his son Jesus. But Paul is praying for a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that they may know him better.
That, my friends, is an appropriate prayer whether you are praying for someone who came to know Jesus a year ago or 50 years ago. I pray that you will know him better.
That is the kind of prayer that will move you forward, your friends forward, our church forward in our spiritual lives.
Ephesians 1:17 (NIV)
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.
The word he uses for knowledge is a word used for personal knowledge. It is not second-hand knowledge – like knowledge you might get from a documentary. This is knowledge that you have personal experience with. It is knowledge that you get because you have personally interacted with the subject.
The way you get that kind of personal knowledge is when God gives you a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
God is other than what he has created. You usually can’t sense him through your physical senses. So, the only way that you will get to know God is if he reveals himself to you. Even though the bible is the word of God, the only way you will get to know the God of the Bible is if he reveals himself to you.
But here is the thing about God. He wants you to know him even more than you want to know him. It is his desire to reveal himself to you. Wisdom is the ability to take what he shows you and to live it out in your life. But Paul’s big prayer is that you would know God better.
****
I have noticed this trend in people’s faith journey. Often, when they come to know Christ, they are excited about who he is and what he can do. They just can’t seem to get enough of him. They go to all the bible studies they can. They attend all the church programs they can. They listen to all the podcasts they can. They are excited about their faith.
This often lasts for a year or two. But then they start to realize that they are not learning as much as they used to. They are starting to hear the same truths over again. Whereas before, everything was new. Now, they have a pretty good handle on their faith.
They are a little more mature, a little less excitable. That is something we all go through on our spiritual journey. Some people, to try to regain the excitement, will get into either apologetics – proofs for the faith or prophecy. There is nothing wrong with that. That may be a necessary part of the spiritual journey for some.
But there is a deeper kind of knowledge of God that comes on the other side of these things. May people’s walk stall out before they move into this part of the journey. They do the Christian things, but there isn’t as much of a hunger to get to know God.
1 John talks about these different levels of faith. I want you to especially notice what it says about the fathers of the faith.
1 John 2:12–14 (NIV)
12 I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
14 I write to you, dear children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
John describes the different stages of faith – but for the Fathers and Mothers of the faith – all he says is they know him who is from the beginning. Children know the Father, but the fathers and mothers of the faith know the eternal one.
The only way to know God better, to know him like John is talking about the mothers and fathers of the faith, is to have God’s Spirit give you wisdom and revelation. He has to show himself to you.
Remember how we talked about this being firsthand knowledge. It is not second-hand knowledge like you might get from a documentary. In our faith journey, the bible is the documentary. You get second-hand knowledge from the bible. The Bible is true. It is authoritative in faith and practice. You can rely on it when it comes to your faith. The Bible is about God. But I know a lot of people who know the bible. They know about God – but they don’t know God.
It is important that you read your bible. You will notice that when I speak, I usually make constant reference to the bible.
But here is the thing about the bible. It is just words on a page until it is illuminated by the Spirit of wisdom and Revelation.
*****
For the first number of years in my Christian walk, I knew that God loved me. But there was a place in Bruce Mines. I could take you to the room – where God opened my eyes by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation – that God’s love became more than words on a page, more than a beautiful thought or nice sounding words – where God’s love became real to me. When I was a kid, I knew that God loved me. But after that, I knew that God loved me.
I grew up having heard about grace. I had memorized the verse that we are saved by grace through faith. It is a gift of God. I thought I knew grace. I could give you definitions of grace- God’s unmerited favour.
But there was a time when my eyes were opened by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, and I knew grace. Up until that time, I had been a closet legalist – I just didn’t know it. But God showed me his grace – and that changed everything. You may notice that grace permeates many of my messages even when I am not speaking about grace.
The Bible is just words on a page until God shows up. So, when you read your bible in your quiet time – don’t read it to get through the passage. Read it as a prayer. God, what do you want to show me today. What do you want to reveal of yourself? What wisdom do you want to impart to me today? Read it with your heart as well as with your mind.
I know that many of you have put your faith in Jesus. I see how so many of you demonstrate love to God’s people. What is my vision for Asbury? What do I want to see God do at Asbury.
Ephesians 1:17 (NIV)
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.
I pray that you would know him better. I pray that you wouldn’t stall on your walk. I pray that you would know him – like a father or mother in the faith knows him.
Paul’s prayer goes on.
Ephesians 1:18–20 (NIV)
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,
Paul essentially prays that they would know the riches of their salvation. Or to put it another way, he prays that they would know what is wrapped up in their salvation.
If you were here last week, then you heard what Paul said about our salvation in the first part of this chapter. Let me give you the highlights.
You are holy.
You are a saint.
You have been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing.
You are chosen even before you were born.
You have been adopted into the family of God with all its rights and benefits.
You have God’s favour because of what Jesus did on the cross.
You have been lavished with grace.
You have been redeemed, bought back from the darkness, from slavery.
You have been forgiven for all that you have ever done wrong.
You are part of God’s plan.
You, just by being you, chosen and forgiven, you are bringing praise to God.
You have been given the Holy Spirit.
You have been guaranteed your inheritance in Christ.
That is just some of what you have been given in Christ.
William Randolph Hearst, who for a time was one of the richest men in America, loved art. He invested a fortune collecting art treasures from around the world.
One day, Mr. Hearst found a description of art that he just had to own. So, he sent his agent abroad to find this art and then acquire it.
This agent searched for months and months – looking for this treasure of art that Mr. Hearst just had to have. After months of searching, the agent reported that he had finally found the treasures. They were in Mr. Hearst’s own warehouse. Hearst had been searching frantically for treasures he already owned! Had he read the catalogue of his treasures, he would have saved himself a great deal of money and trouble.[1]
The apostle Paul knew that this was our tendency as well. We are clueless as to what we have in Christ. So, his prayer for the church in Ephesus and beyond.
Ephesians 1:18–19 (NIV)
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….
Where can you view the catalogue of treasures? He prays that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened. It is only then that you will know what you have. The word in Greek is a different word for “know” than the previous verse. It carries with it the idea of something you didn’t know before.
There are three big categories of things that Paul wants us to become aware of. The first is the “hope to which he has called you.”
When Paul writes about hope, he is writing about what will happen in the future. But he doesn’t use the word “hope” in the way we would when we say, I hope it will be a beautiful day for the picnic. When he uses the word “hope,” he is using it to describe the fact that the God who is always faithful will do what he said he would. Our hope is in the character of God and the promise of God – and that makes our hope sure.
The next big category is “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” We usually think of an “inheritance” as something we will get in the future – and it is that. But he tacks on this phrase, “in God’s holy people.” It is like when Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God. It is already, but not yet.
In God’s kingdom, the place where God rules, there is every good thing. There is love and, joy and peace. There is a sense of meaning and purpose. There is a sense of wonder and adventure. When we get to heaven, we will have all those things and more.
But even now, that kingdom is available to God’s people. It is kind of like growing up with a wealthy dad. You have the run of the mansion and use of the pool, and you can drive Bently. Someday, you will inherit it all, but for now – you just have use of it.
Paul prays that they would know the riches of their glorious inheritance. Many Christians live inside the walk-in closet when they could be out exploring the mansion. They have very little idea what they have in Christ both now and for eternity. Paul is praying that this will change.
I am praying that this will change. I am praying that you will walk into the joy of your salvation in spite of the trouble around you. I am praying that you will walk into the strength of your faith even when you feel your body failing. I am praying that you will live out the peace that passes understanding because of your connection with Jesus. I am praying that you will experience the adventure, the wonder, the sense of meaning and purpose that comes with your salvation. Can you imagine our church being filled with those kinds of people? That would be pretty incredible. That is what an exceptionally well discipled person looks like.
Paul prays for one more big category. He prays that we would know that we would know “his incomparably great power for us who believe. He goes on to say that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to you. That is a lot of power.
But he says, you are not going to see this power that is available to you unless the eyes of your heart are enlightened. But when they are, you have a hope that does not fade. You will see your inheritance that starts now but goes on into eternity. And you will know the power that raised Christ from the dead is at work on your behalf.
****
It is a new Church year. It is a good thing to pray for the new year. It is a good thing to pray for Asbury. I am thankful for your faith in the Lord Jesus, and I am thankful for your love for all God’s people.
So here is my prayer.
I am continually asking that God will give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you will know him better. You know him, but we can all know him better by this time next year.
I am praying the eyes of your heart will see what you have. I am praying that you would know the hope to which we are called to. I am praying that we will live in and look forward to our inheritance. I am praying that we will know and experience the power of God that is at work on our behalf. When God answers this prayer – your spiritual life and our church will be absolutely amazing.
I want to give you the opportunity to pray this scripture. The way you pray scripture is you take the passage one idea at a time and pray for yourself and the people you know.
I am going to put the prayer up on the screen, and then in these next minutes of silence, I am going to ask that you pray this scripture.
Ephesians 1:17–19a (NIV)
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. 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.
Silence. – Prayer.
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 14.