God's Grace

Introduction

As we have already seen, Paul begins his letter to the Ephesian Church by reminding them that they have been predestined for adoption as heirs with Christ. Since they have been predestined, chosen, and adopted by God, they are redeemed, forgiven, lavished on with His grace, and have obtained an inheritance. This inheritance is guaranteed to the believer, because the Holy Spirit has sealed us to Himself until the day that the inheritance, eternal life, and beholding the light of the Son, comes into our possession.

We have seen that Christ has given every spiritual blessing to those who are called by His name. It is a good thing to be chosen by God. And because we have been chosen by God and sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, we receive knowledge and understanding of things that would otherwise be hidden from us.

Verse 8 tells us that God has made “known to us the mystery of his will.” We are able to see that His will is that His Son be glorified through the salvation of many people. That at the fullness of time, all things will be united in him.

Paul then continues in verses 15-23 Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 1:15–23 ESV

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 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, 18 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, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 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. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Paul writes that since he has heard of their faith in Jesus he prays that God will give them wisdom and knowledge.

Before I continue I want to address a few issues that I have come across in past experiences. The first is this: the revelation of the knowledge of God, and/or His divine will is not a secret to Christians. What I mean by this is if someone comes and says “I have a word from God that only I know” or says that God has given them some “new knowledge” they are snakes and liars. Everyone who has been sealed by the promised Holy Spirit knows the will of God. The revelation of this knowledge is found in the Bible and no where else.

Second: Anyone can know what the Bible says, only those who have the Spirit of Christ living in them can know what it means. There are plenty of atheists who know what the Bible says better than many Christians. But only Christians can know what it means and can see the truth through the Holy Spirit.

Finally: It is a good thing to use logic and reason when looking at the things of God and what the Bible says. We aren’t called to blind faith. In fact, God says in Isaiah, “Come, let us reason together.” He tells us to taste and see that the Lord is good. Paul reasons with the crowd in Athens explaining that there is one true God. We are to to test the spirits and the words spoken. We hear the Gospel and we respond with reason. God uses both natural means, like reason, and supernatural means to draw us to himself and we should continue to be using logic and reason as we mature in our walk with Christ.

How do I know that the Bible is true? The Holy Spirit enlightens my heart and through careful study I find all else to be faulty and false.

The Bible is just a book unless God opens our eyes to the truth and causes us to respond in faith. But just because I have faith does not mean I shut off my mind.

Instead, just as Paul prays in verses Ephesians 1:17–18 “17 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, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know.” The Holy Spirit enlightens the Christian so that we can rightly reason and come to know the truth.

In our text this morning, Paul specifically gives three specific areas in which the Spirit of God gives us knowledge.

The Hope That We Have Been Called To

The Riches of the Inheritance

The Immeasurable Greatness of God’s Power

The Hope We’ve Been Called To

Through the enlightening from the Spirit, we can know hope. There is no other hope found anywhere else outside of God and we don’t only come to know that that is true, but we can know what that hope is. So what is the hope that we have been called to?

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

3 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

This living hope, as Peter calls it, is both a future hope, and a present hope. A future hope that one day, we will receive our eternal inheritance. This is not a false hope, or a whimsical hope that is more of a wish than anything. No, this future hope is certain and is guaranteed. It is certain that one day there will be a new heaven and new earth. It is certain that the crown of life awaits us. It is certain that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under our feet.”

The Holy Spirit enlightens our hearts and minds to be able to grasp these truths and say that if God has fulfilled his promises this far, all of these future promises are sure to be fulfilled as well.

But we do not only have a hope for a future, but we have a present hope. We are kept by the power of God and sustained by Him. We can be sure that since we are being guarded by God’s power, we can go through this life and its trials and suffering and we will remain in Him. This is the hope of the Christian. This is what we stake our lives on. The reasonable and logical hope found only in Christ, revealed only through the Holy Spirit. Our faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Our faith is logical and is founded on the evidence of Scripture and the marvellous work of Christ in our lives.

The Riches of the Inheritance

Paul also writes that through the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment we will know the riches of God’s glorious inheritance in the Church. Just as we have a future and present hope, we have a future and present inheritance. Both the future and present inheritance of the Christian, is the glory of the Father. The redemption of the children of God causes the cosmos to erupt in glorious praise to the Father. We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, showing that we are God’s Holy Possession to proclaim the goodness of the Father and to cause the praise of Him to go forth from all creation.

This is our inheritance. Paul writes in Romans 8:19 “19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” Our inheritance as Christians is that we get to display God’s glorious riches to all of creation. We are God’s ambassadors on Earth.

Our life has meaning and a purpose. We have an inheritance and a reason to strive for righteousness. There is not true purpose in life outside of Christ, and by Holy Spirit’s enlightenment we are able to see that this is true. We can see that there is nothing else better in this life than to seek the glory of the Father and we get to partake in it.

When we realize this, we will love our families better. We will be better friends, sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, employers and employees. We will do everything for the glory of God because that is our inheritance.

The Immeasurable Greatness of God’s Power

Paul continues with the third area of knowledge that we receive from the Holy Spirit. The greatness of God’s power. Paul could have pointed to creation. Look at how the tides are effected by the moon and how everything points to God as creator. Day by day science is getting closer and closer to the truth that there is a God! Paul has said in Romans 1 that what could be known about God has been revealed to us by creation. That should show us how powerful God is.

But that’s not where Paul goes. Paul reminds us that there is a greater display of God’s power than that of creation. He writes in verses Ephesians 1:19-23

Ephesians 1:19–23 ESV

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 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. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

He tells us that God shows his inconceivably great power in four ways.

Raising Jesus From the Dead

Seating Jesus at the Right Hand of God

Putting All Things Under Him and Making Him the Head of All Things

Making Him the Source of Life for All of Creation

The resurrection of Christ is the pinnacle display of God’s great power. And as Christians, as the Church, Christ’s body, we not only bear witness to this power, but God’s power is working on our behalf. We have no need to fear because we have a God that loves us and has the power over life and death. All we need to do is look at the Resurrection of Christ and we can know that our hope is sound and certain. Our faith is solidified because there is true evidence that Christ rose from the dead and not only that, but the Holy Spirit testifies that what the Bible says is true, Jesus has all authority and all things are under his feet, which in turn, means that all things will be under our feet.

We look forward to our future victory in Christ and we can be certain that it will take place.

Closing

It is clear that when God saves us, He seals us with His Holy Spirit to enlighten us to know Him and his power that ensures us of our hope and inheritance found in Him. This enlightenment is not some mystical, third eye being opened, but a transformation of the mind to be able to logically and reasonably put our faith in Him.

So I urge you, brothers and sisters to reason. I urge you to ask questions and search for the answer. Do not base your beliefs around what any of us say, but search the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will reveal to you the truth.

If you are not a Christian, or you have doubts, or are unsure of what you believe, I challenge you to use logic and reason. Remove any bias or presuppositions you may have and look at the truth claims of the Bible. Look at the extrabiblical sources surrounding the the truth claims. Even look at other religions.

God, the God of the Bible, is the author of truth and the creator of logic and reason. The truth is found in the Bible for it is the word of God. Psalm 121:1–2 “1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

2 Peter 1:2 “2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”