Ephesians Study 3: The Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation

Ephesians 1:15-23

As Children of God...

I Am... Blessed, Chosen, Adopted and Accepted.

I Am… Redeemed, Forgiven, and Sealed.

In Christ… this is who and what we are. And all of this leads us to praise and glorify God more.

Read the text:

Paul has heard of their faith. Paul is interested in hearing about the faith of others. When Paul would ask about the people… He wanted to know how their faith was holding up...

This is what Christians do. This is what preachers and teachers of the Bible, of the Gospel, this is what we love… We want to hear about how you are growing in the faith.

We want to hear that you have a faith that is real and vibrant. We want to hear that you are making progress in the Christian life...

*What do we need to do and practice?

Talk to one another about these things, and ask these spiritual questions. Talk to your children and grandchildren about these things.

Ask about their hearts. Ask them what God is showing them or is teaching them. Talk to them about their spiritual challenges and trials and help them to experience God throughout their life...

Listen: Ball playing, cheer leading, school activities, and all other topics are well and good for discussion… But lets be honest… We need to be having more spiritual conversations with our families.

Paul cared about their spiritual well-being and he has heard about their love for one another. There was love in their lives for Jesus and other Christians... and it showed.

Faith and Love stands out. It can be seen. It can be heard.This stands out to be seen in a world of selfish ambition and pride. Love stands out… and people take notice. And it should be celebrated...

Paul is thankful to God for what God was doing in their lives.

If someone has faith and is growing and showing love… Give thanks and praise to God… God is causing this. God is working in their lives.

Yes, God is using sermons, teaching, testimonies, reading the Bible… But God gives the increase.

Don’t be envious. Be grateful to God. Don’t be proud. Give thanks to God in what He is doing in their lives.

Paul was thankful to God and he continued to pray for these believers… without ceasing, always praying...

What was he praying for? What was the prayer focus?

This will be our emphasis for today:

Verse 17 - That God would give them (the Christians/the family of God), the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. That they would be enlightened… That they might know the hope of His calling, and the riches they have received… That they may know His power and the Supremacy of Christ over all things...

What a prayer focus for the people of God. It’s not about health, bones, and hearts, and all other medical needs and or praying for worldly wealth and materials...

We see a very spiritual prayer for God’s people.

Now I need to ask the question to challenge all of us:

Do we pray like this? Have we ever prayed in this way? Do we ever pray for ourselves in this way, or do we ever pray for others in this way? Should we pray like this?

This is a very biblical and spiritual prayer that will change your life and the lives of others.

If you find a prayer in the Bible… It may be a prayer you need to be praying… for yourself and for others.

We need these prayers. Our family… Our Church Family… Needs these prayers.

Listen: We need a God to produce faith, to grow up faith, and sustain faith. We need a God to intervene and do this thing that is impossible for us… Will we pray this?

Will we pray: “God, Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord!”

(Slide 4) And leave it there

Let’s get this right:

Verses 17-18 - It is God alone who will give you spiritual understanding and wisdom. You are born again by God. He is the Author and Finisher of your faith, salvation, and life. He begins and completes the good work inside of you.

What does God do? He gives you His Spirit.

Is that a big deal? Yes!

1 Cor. 2:9-16- The Spirit of God knows the depths of God, the thoughts of God… and now that we have received the Spirit of God… we may now freely receive understanding and wisdom from God.

The natural man does not desire or accept the things of the Spirit… for they are foolishness to the natural man who is void of the Spirit...

The natural man does not want God. He does not want to live for God, to worship God, and he does not want to give his life for Christ. The natural man wants to do what he wants to do...

But the spiritual man desires the will of God, the knowledge and the wisdom of God. They have access to the depths of God. And James 1:5 - Tells us that if we are lacking wisdom… that we should ask God (pray) and that God will generously give to him.

God knows how to give good gifts to those who ask Him.

God’s children want God. God’s children want to know God more. God’s children want to grow in God and experience God’s best for them. That is what we desire.

Now: If you were to ask me today, “Hey, are you a Georgia Bulldog fan...” And if I was to say “yes, I love the Bulldogs… I am their biggest fan...” You would expect me to have some knowledge and understanding about the team… right?

But when you press me about the game… the players… the schedule… the coaches…

And I have no knowledge… no understanding or wisdom about the game or the team. I begin to name hockey players and basketball players… Describing the game like it is golf, and I can’t name a coach or give a schedule...

What will your conclusion be? “He is a liar or a lunatic. He doesn’t know anything about football or the Georgia Bulldogs. He has no understanding, no knowledge of it and no wisdom about it… He doesn’t care about the team or the sport… He doesn’t read about it or ask about it… He is obviously lost...”

Now some hardcore Georgia fans may reach that conclusion!

But that may be the spiritual reality for some people: They do not have a desire for God and His ways, because, the Spirit of God is not inside of them to create the desires…

And it could be that they are so immature and they don’t know what to do… That they need someone to tell them, show them, and pray for them...

Do you want to grow in the knowledge of God? Do you want your friends and family to grow in the things of God?

We must pray for it. We must ask for it.

We have not because we ask not. And only The Spirit can spiritually teach us.

Put yourself under the Word of God, read the Word of God and Pray the Word of God… Ask God to teach you and to fill you up with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding...

What are we praying for again?

Verse 18 - Dear Christian, I pray that the eyes of your heart, the eyes of your understanding, be enlightened… so that you will know this hope and these riches… and the Supremacy of Christ...

God, open eyes.

Oh, that God would give us the eyes to see and to see better and clearer… to see that which is right and true… To be filled with all of God’s light… That I may see life and living as I should...

To see… all... through the eyes of God.

Eternal life is knowing God. And there is so much more to be found. There is so much more life to experience.

Someone may be asking the question: “Pastor, can you tell me more about the eye, or the eyes...”

Matthew 6:22-23 - Jesus teaches us that the eye (or the heart according to Jewish thought) is a lamp that reveals the quality of a person’s inner life… inner life.

A healthy eye (heart) suggests loyalty to God, and that life will be filled with light and not darkness...

The eye, or the heart, that is not open… is living in darkness, void of the things of God… And that life is filled with that darkness...

That is where many are today. This is their spiritual reality.

Satan has blinded them. The evil one fills their minds and hearts with the wrong things… And they need the Holy Spirit to come and to open their eyes/hearts.

And here we are working with God… Working for God.

We hit our needs on our behalf and theirs:

“God open their eyes that they may see. Open their hearts to you and to your Word. Holy Spirit… save them and fill them with you.”

The Blessings of God are there and waiting for His people.

Verse 18 - Believers will inherit all of these blessings. We want them to be believers, and to inherit all of these blessings.

But listen... it is not all about them or all about you and your inheritance...

Dear Christian, you are not only receiving all of these inheritances for only your sake… You are receiving them for Christ’s sake...

You are Christ’s inheritance, you are Christ’s Bride.

We are praying and laboring to this end: That Christ would receive the full reward for His suffering.

Pray this prayer and labor to this end: That people be saved and sanctified. That people be saved and be made holy/godly, for God and His name’s sake...

God is wanting His people… and He wants them to be holy, godly and pure...

This is why we pray this prayer… ultimately...

When Christians know who they are in Christ… whose they are in Christ… When the Word of God dwells richly within...there is great joy and peace. When Christians grow in this truth… there is a greater love for Christ, a greater humility lived out, greater service… There can be maturity...

When Christians know and grow up in these spiritual truths/realities. When they know how much they mean to Christ… They start living for Him, living to bring joy to His heart...

They no longer live for self, for the flesh… They grow out of carnality/baby living… and they put childish ways behind them as Perfect Love drives them and matures them.

Verses 19-23 - This is the power of God on display in the believer. This is the great evidence of the Holy Spirit working within a person...

After all the same Spirit within us is the same Spirit that hovered over the waters in Genesis. He is the same Spirit working throughout the Old Testament… He is the same Spirit that raises Jesus from the dead...

But he can’t raise you up and change your life???

The Spirit comes in power, and with power and grace. The Spirit is going to work in your life… that is what He does...

But what do we see in our modern times?

We see 2 Timothy 3:5 on full display. There will be those who have an appearance of godliness, but deny it’s power. The speak well… but live unchanged lives. They do not have the Spirit. There is no growth of purity, holiness or godliness. there is no reverence or devotion for God, and no love for the Church...

They are lovers of themselves, of money, they are proud, arrogant, abusive… not loving good, slanderous and so on...

Pray for them… That their eyes may be truly opened and that the Holy Spirit would transform their lives and that their lives would produce fruits of repentance, or evidence of repentance.

Oh, that God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. That they would be enlightened… That they might know the hope of His calling, and the riches they have received… That they may know His power and the Supremacy of Christ over all things...

Christ’s power alone can do this.

The Spirit will be given to do this.

It is impossible for us… But nothing is impossible for God.

Christ is above all powers, all authorities. Christ has prevailed and Christ will prevail. You need His power… and He will give His power to His people...

We are totally and completely dependent on Christ, and all of these blessings, all of this grace, all of this power… this knowledge, wisdom and understanding is waiting on His people...

Jesus is over all demonic forces… He is superior over all. The gates of Hell will never prevail over the church… But Satan may hinder you from praying this prayer...

He may deceive us into thinking we should always be praying about other things and not this...

Listen:

God has given you divine power… God has told you to ask, seek and knock… to pray for these things and He will give them...

Are you praying? Will you pray? For yourself? For family? For others?

Lets Pray This Together:

That God would give them (the Christians/the family of God), the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. That they would be enlightened… That they might know the hope of His calling, and the riches they have received… That they may know His power and the Supremacy of Christ over all things...

“God, Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord… I want to see you.”

Pray. Close.