An Eternally Minded Prayer

For this reason- because all of the spiritual blessings that we have received from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ lead to our INHERITANCE, lead to the coming Kingdom…

I do not cease to give thanks to you- remembering you in my prayers…

Paul’s prayers for the Ephesian church were eternally minded. They were kingdom focused. They were inheritance motivated.

Our prayers for one another should be the same.

What does a kingdom focused / eternally minded / inheritance motivated prayer sound like? Do we pray this way for each other?

As we examine Paul’s eternally minded prayers four prayer requests teach us what this kind of prayer sounds like.

Prayer request #1: Spiritual Illumination (17-18a)

Ephesians 1:18 (ESV)

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know…

Enlightened- to function as a light source, to illuminate. In a figurative sense- to make know in reference to the inner life or transcendent matters and thus enlighten.

Hebrews 6:4 ESV

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,

Hebrews 10:32 ESV

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,

What does Paul mean by enlightened in these two texts?

2 Corinthians 4:3 ESV

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The moment God shone in your heart and removed the veil that was over your hearts you became enlightened, that is the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ shone in your hearts. You actually understood and had insight and revelation in the core of your inner being in regards to your sin, its consequences, God’s justice, His wrath, and also God’s love and his grace and mercy. And you understood the glorious truths of the gospel- that Jesus died for your sins and was buried and rose again. Do you remember the moment the eyes of your heart became enlightened?

This is what Paul is praying for, but in a different context. He is praying for believers.

Ephesians 1:15 ESV

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,

Ephesians 1:16 ESV

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,

Ephesians 1:17 ESV

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

In this context he is praying for further spiritual enlightenment in regards to what? IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM. So Paul’s great desire is that the Ephesian believers might know God more intimately.

Illustration: counseling less mature believers, our children. We speak to them the truth in love, and the vital all important knowledge about God that they need to know so that can get through the trial or test goes right over their heads. It’s like their eyes go blank. Like when kids are playing with their hands and fingers instead of listening to the truth you are trying to teach them. What do they need? Spiritual understanding, spiritual knowledge, spiritual enlightenment.

“The Holy Spirit does not perform a miracle of interpretation for believers. What He does is to so change their hearts that they welcome what they once rejected. As they submit themselves to the authority of God’s Word, it transform their perspective.”

“They begin to see all things—God, sin, the world, themselves, and other people—as they never have before. As they come back to Scripture again and again, they find in it a wealth of help for confronting reality as they now perceive it—reality as it really exists.”

“When they were unbelievers, they might have understood what the text was saying, but as believers they begin to understand what difference it makes. They grasp not only meaning but also significance. They are capable not only interpretation but also of application.”

This is what we call the illumination of the Holy Spirit. And I think this is what Paul is praying for. God illuminate the hearts of the Ephesians so that they might know you more and more intimately! Do we pray this way for each other?

Prayer Request #2: The Hope of His Calling (18b)

Ephesians 1:18 (ESV)

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you …

So Paul prayed for the Ephesians to have Spiritual illumination in order to know God more and more intimately.

For what purpose did Paul want the Ephesians to know God with such intimate knowledge?

So that this knowledge of God would make them aware of the 1). the hope of His calling.

Paul wanted the Ephesians to have an intimate knowledge, he wanted the veil to be removed from their hearts so that the light of the knowledge of the hope of God’s calling would shine unto them. He wanted them to truly comprehend the significance of their calling. He wanted them to ascertain a new perspective. He want them to see what difference their calling made and how it applied to their week.

Firstly, to know the HOPE or the confident expectation of God’s calling. And since he wanted the believers to know this hope, he is not referring directly to our objective hope, but the subjective experience of hope for every believer. I pray that you personally might be overwhelmed by the certain expectation of the calling of God. Secondly, He wanted them to know the hope produce by their CALLING.

Romans 8:29 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:30 (ESV)

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Our hope is rooted in the absolute certainty that we will be perfectly conformed into the image of Jesus Christ, we will be glorified. Oh, Christian, might we the eyes of our hearts be enlightened so that we would know that!

1 Corinthians 1:2 (ESV)

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV)

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Galatians 1:6 (ESV)

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—

Galatians 5:13 (ESV)

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

1 Thessalonians 2:12 (ESV)

we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

1 Timothy 6:12 (ESV)

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

How would a spiritually illuminated understanding of the hope produced by our calling effect our lives? Our kids lives? Our church family?

Do we pray this way?

Prayer Request #3: The Wealth of His Glorious Inheritance (18c)

Ephesians 1:18 ESV

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

This is the second concept that Paul wanted the Ephesians to understand with Holy Spirit enlightened eyes. He wanted the Ephesians to know God more and more intimately so that they would fully comprehend the significance of the wealth of God’s glorious inheritance.

What are the riches of God’s glorious inheritance?

Hebrews 9:15 (ESV)

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

1 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

Remember the inheritance and son language from the previous context?

Ephesians 1:5 ESV

he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Ephesians 1:11 ESV

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Ephesians 1:14 ESV

who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

What are the riches of the glorious inheritance of God that await the saints one day?

Revelation 21:1–7 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

This is Paul’s prayer- I want you to comprehend that! I want you to know it! I want the eyes of your heart to be enlightened so that you see God’s glorious inheritance for what it really is.

Do we pray that way?

Prayer Request #4: The Immeasurable Greatness of His Power (19-23)

Ephesians 1:19 ESV

and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might

Why do Paul end his prayer with this request? This is what makes all the other things possible!

Everything that Paul is praying about as he casts his mind’s eye into eternity future depends upon God. And God is all powerful. He has immeasurably great power that works by means of his great might.

What kind of power is it?

Ephesians 1:20 ESV

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

Paul prayed that we might know God more and more intimately so that we could comprehend with Spiritual wisdom and discernment the mighty power of God.

The kind of power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Jesus at his right hand in the heavenly places.

The kind of power that is far superior to any other power in existence.

Ephesians 1:21 ESV

far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

This is what Paul wanted the Ephesians to comprehend. This is what an eternally minded prayer sounds like. Do we pray this way? Let’s pray this way for one another tonight!