Hope, Riches, and Power

When a baby is born, his eyes are opened to a whole new world, a different dimension than anything he/she has ever known. He is very limited as to what he can see at birth. As the baby develops his eyes start to focus in on more things and he also starts to see not just what is close up, but things that are farther away. Still there is a growing process in terms of how much he can really understand and how well he can relate to what he sees -- this growing process can be described as enlightenment.

Last week, we studied this grand blessing that we have in a life transformed by God. Each person of the Trinity has a role:

That God Ordained the blessing of our salvation

That Christ executed the process of redemption- making Him the center of it all.

That the Spirit prompts our faith, is the seal and deposit of God’s ownership and inheritance in our life.

This forms the framework for us to live a “God-ordained”, “Christ-centered”, and “Spirit-led” life both as individuals and as a corporate body— the church.

Now what? That sounds pretty catchy, and is going to look really sharp on a wall someday— but what does it really mean?

This next section of the letter, Paul praises God for the Ephesians, and then he lays out this magnificent prayer for them— for us— that we might be enlightened to what we really have in being transformed in Christ! We need to fully understand more the HOPE, RICHES, and THE POWER we have IN CHRIST.

Because that’s what we need— just like this new born baby who has just started to see and understand the world--

Big Idea:

We need the enlightening work of the Holy Spirit to fully understand who we are and how to relate to God.

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,

Ephesians 1:16 NIV

16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Paul thanks God for the believers in Ephesus, and two key factors they possess: (v.15)

-Faith in Christ Jesus

-Love for all people

Then we will read what Paul prays for them! (It’s a doozie! Hold onto your seats) It seems that Paul uses one continuous “run-on” sentence here— you can barely take a breath to read it out loud— so we’ll break this down carefully.

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.

Here we see the Trinity mentioned again— the capitalization is the key— Father, Son, and Spirit.

I love the NIV version here— “that we may know Him better”

There’s a balance here that we need to strike:

Paul prays that we would have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. (v.17)

Wisdom is that understanding to know what is the right thing to do— at the right time. It’s an insight that is different from just head knowledge—

Revelation is also just simply the “unveiling” of something previously hidden. Paul wants us to have the SPIRIT— who will give us both wisdom (knowing the way things really are) and revelation (knowing how things are going to be)

There is a tendency to get complacent and not want any more of God. God is infinite, and we should always desire to know Him more.

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. That power is the same as the mighty strength

Paul prays that we would be enlightened to know:

And it’s the “eyes of our hearts” to be opened… It’s not just collecting the dots— it’s “connecting” the dots:

The hope to which we are called. (v. 18)

Sometimes we don’t quite understand the word “hope” here. We may often think that “hope” is a long shot. “Boy I hope it doesn’t rain today”— or gosh, I sure hope I can make my boarding gate in time for that flight”

Ephesians 1:18 (NLT)

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.

That’s not quite what the translation is here— It’s a Greek word “elpis” — I want us to think of it as a “confident expectation”. That we would “know with confidence” what the end of our lives, the end of the world as we know it will look like. It is a Blessed Assurance.

How do you and I reflect that we know that kind of hope?

The hope we profess exists in the past, the present, and the future.

I tend to think about it with regard to “time”— this confident hope has a “past” focus. God chose you— you chose Him, that is a past fact that we have hope in.

This hope has a “present” nature to it also. Christ is alive and active right now. God is working all things (especially now) for our good.

This hope has a “future” nature also— God is restoring all things back to Himself. The Spirit is active and our hope is secure.

Blessed Assurance— The great hymn by

Fanny Crosby

Blessed Assurance Lyrics

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood

Chorus:

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels, descending, bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

That’s a hope and a peace— a quiet, confident assurance, that surpasses all understanding here on earth- because it’s a hope that doesn’t have it’s origin or foundation here in the creation— it’s in the Heavenly realms (remember verse

The riches to which we are entitled. (v. 18)

The verse here has a double meaning. We are indeed the “inheritance” ourselves. But we also will “inherit” the new earth and see God’s plan come to completion.

The inheritance is something we will receive, but it is also something that we are!

Can you imagine what it will be like to see God’s creation in all it’s original glory? To see God’s purpose reflected in all that He created with His words! That will be rich indeed. We will both experience it— but we will BECOME the inheritance ourselves, as we will be restored fully. Once again, a past, a present, and a future inheritance can be understood.

The power to which we have access. (v. 19)

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. That power is the same as the mighty strength

There are three separate words Paul is using here to demonstrate what he is describing: (I can’t resist teaching this:)

verse 19:

“…and his incomparably great power (dynamis, infers “ability” or “potential” i.e. dynamite) for us who believe.”

“That power (energeia, infers power “in action”)is the same

as the mighty strength (ischus, “force”)

The same power that raised Christ from the dead is what will raise us from the dead also!

Ephesians 1:20–21 NIV

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.

The Epistle to the Ephesians: A Verse-by-Verse Exposition 3a. God’s Power in the Raising of Christ from the Dead (1:19–23)

But if the death of Christ is the chief demonstration of the love of God, the chief demonstration of his power is the resurrection of Christ

He doesn’t just raise Jesus from the grave alone:

Ephesians 1:22–23 NIV

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.

God’s mighty power has four primary actions:

-raised Christ from the dead.

The resurrection was but the first action of the power of God.

-seated Christ at the right hand of God.

Christ is promoted to the place of highest authority and honor.

-placed all things under Christ’s feet.

Psalm 110:1 NIV

1 The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

Christ was made Lord of all— in this age, and in the one to come.

This will play out later in the letter, when Paul will mention powers that exert some influence in our present age— evil powers that will be destroyed in the age to come.

-made Christ the head of the church.

Paul uses the same term Jesus did in Matthew 16:18 when he says “church”— it’s ekklesia— there is no boundary, meaning that it refers to ALL Gathered believers. All of us, world-wide, throughout all time.

And remember— Paul is praying that we would understand that the same power— with the same effects, is extended and available to we who have believed and placed our faith in Jesus.

-We will be resurrected (through that power)

-We will be seated at the great banquet table of God the Father. (through that power)

-We will be given dominion over all things with Christ in Heaven (through that power)

-We will be the true body of Christ, connected and worshiping, loving and dwelling with our Head and Lord Jesus. (through that power)

Who do you know that needs to be enlightened to the hope, the riches, and the power of Christ? Pray like Paul and ask God to give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.

Just as the great love of God is displayed through the cross of Christ, the great power of God is displayed through the resurrection of Christ.