Enlighten Our Eyes to Know Our Treasures
Enlighten Our Eyes to Know Our Spiritual Treasures
Ephesians 1:15-23
Six years ago, a man from Ontario, Canada paid $200 for a painting at a rural yard sale. The painting hung in his spare bedroom for six years. Out of curiosity he began to do some research on the painter’s name from the corner of the canvas. He discovered that it was painted by E.J. Hughes, whose paintings were quite valuable. The painting he gave $200 for was valued at $100,000.
Stories like this always make me feel sorry for the person who sold their valuable treasures for pennies on the dollar. On the other hand, I always enjoy watching Antiques Road Show and seeing discover the real value of things which have been in their possession for a long time. Someone will bring in an old clock, a baseball card, a piece of furniture and have the expert appraisers look at it. They often discover that something which sat in the attic for a long time is really valuable.
In all these examples, the key factor is knowledge. A person has something valuable in their possession, they just don’t possess the knowledge to properly appraise and appreciate their asset. This is true from a spiritual standpoint as well.
In the first 14 verses of Ephesians, Paul has been giving us an inventory of the priceless treasures which are ours in Christ. Now, in verses 15-23, Paul offers a prayer that we will be have our eyes enlightened to know and appreciate the blessings we possess. This is crucial. We need the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our hearts so we will know what God has done for us in Christ.
The structure of this paragraph presents us with three key movements. First, we have a prayer of thanks for the faith and love of the church. Second, we have a prayer of petition for God to enlighten their hearts to know what God has given them. Third, there is a prayer of praise for the power of God displayed in the resurrection, ascension, and authority of Christ.
As we look at this text, let’s consider not only the substance of Paul’s prayer, but the model that it gives to us for our own praying.
I. Thank God for the evidence of grace in the lives of other believers
(vv. 15-16).
A. Two evidences of grace are seen in this prayer.
1. Faith in the Lord Jesus among them.
a. This refers to their trust in Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior. They have exercised faith,
confident trust in Jesus Christ as the one who
died on the cross for their sins and rose again.
b. This faith is not mere mental assent to a set of
facts. In addition to intellectual belief in the
gospel they have also cast the weight of their
souls upon Christ to save them from wrath.
2. Love for all the saints.
a. This refers to the affection, care, and concern
these believers showed for all other believers.
It is agape love, other-oriented love that seeks
to demonstrate kindness and compassion.
b. Note it is for all the saints. Not just the ones
in their local assembly. Not just the ones in
their group. Their love for all those who love
the Lord Jesus was evidence of Jesus love in
them.
APPLICATION: I feel compelled to offer an exhortation at this point. I feel that sometimes we have a tendency to create an isolationist mentality in our Baptist churches. I know I have this tendency myself. We tend to express love only to those who wear our denominational label. But our love should embrace all those who truly know the Lord Jesus. We don’t have to agree with them on every fine point of doctrine. Neither do we have to ignore our doctrinal differences. But we must love all the saints. When we meet another true believer, we ought to love them and show kindness to them regardless of their brand name. After all, we will spend eternity with them.
B. God is to be thanked for evidence of grace in others.
1. Ceaseless gratitude to God was the response to the
reports of the faith and love of these believers.
2. Certainly it was an encouragement to them to know
that someone had noticed their faith and love.
3. Yet, the ultimate glory for their faith and love does
not belong to them. It belongs to God who enabled
their faith and love to flourish.
APPLICATION: This tells us that we must be careful to keep the proper balance in our recognition of the good things we see in other believers and churches. We tend to be very man-centered in our handling of these things. We give out awards. We write glowing recommendations. These things may not be wrong. But when we give all the glory to man for divine graces, are we not dishonoring God? I think it is possible for us to encourage others with recognition in ways that point to Christ for the ultimate honor of which He alone is worthy.
TS – Now, after giving thanks for the evidence of grace, we move to the next segment of this great prayer.
II. Ask God to enlighten our hearts so we may know our spiritual
treasures (vv. 17-19).
A. We must ask God to enlighten us through the Spirit.
1. The word spirit in v. 17 could refer to our human
spirit or to the Holy Spirit. Either way, it is the Holy
Spirit who enables our human spirit to properly
appraise our spiritual blessings (see 1 Cor. 2:9-14).
2. We need wisdom and revelation from the Spirit.
a. Wisdom is the gospel according to 1 Cor.
b. Revelation is the illumination of this gospel
truth in our hearts.
c. We have the outward witness of the inspired
Word but we also need the inward light of the
Holy Spirit.
3. The wisdom and revelation is for the purpose of
knowing God. The idea of knowing God here is
both intellectual and experiential. It is knowing
God in close personal relationship. It is built on
Truth which works its way into our experience.
4. This whole process is captured in the idea of having
the eyes of our heart enlightened.
a. This refers to the ability to grasp truth in our
inward self.
ILLUSTRATION: The illumination or enlightenment of the Spirit is essential, not optional if we are going to fully appreciate all that God has done for us in Christ. It is as though we are inside a vast treasure room surrounded by untold riches. Yet, it is dark. We cannot see. We need some light to see and appreciate our riches. This prayer is a request that God, through the Holy Spirit, will “turn on the lights” in our hearts so we can grasp and appreciate all God has done for us in Christ.
B. With the enlightenment of the Spirit we see our treasures.
1. The hope of His calling.
a. His calling refers to God’s calling of us to
salvation in Christ. It is not the outward call
of the gospel. It is the inward and effective
call of the Spirit which brings us to faith in
Christ.
b. This calling to salvation is full of hope. It is
the hope of heaven, the hope of a new body,
the hope of a perfected existence in the holy
presence of Christ. It is the hope of sharing in
the glory of Christ. It is the hope of eternal
life with Christ. We look forward to all this
with confident expectation because God has
called us to salvation.
2. The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
Saints.
a. Note this is His inheritance in the saints. We
saw in v. 14 a reference to our inheritance.
This refers to the church or saints as God’s
inheritance, His possession.
b. We need enlightenment to understand the
riches of God’s inheritance in us. This means
that the saints are God’s treasure, His riches.
Peter O’Brien comments, “God’s people, comprising both Jews and Gentiles, are his inheritance, his own possession, in whom he will display to the universe the untold riches of his glory.” (Pillar NT Commentary, Ephesians, p. 136).
3. The surpassing greatness of His power toward us.
a. We need to grasp the power of God which
is being exercised toward us as believers. It
is the power of God that saves us, keeps us
saved, and will one day bring our salvation
to its ultimate fulfillment.
b. The power of God is described by a pile of
synonyms in v. 19. Power, working, strength,
and might are all used. It has the effect of
reminding us that God’s power is unequalled
and absolutely effective in accomplishing His
purposes.
APPLICATION: We need God’s Spirit to turn on the lights in our hearts so we can see and appreciate the hope we have from His calling in our lives. We need it to see and appreciate the fact that the church is God’s inheritance, His treasure, His riches. We need it to see and appreciate that God’s power is ever working in us to see through to the end His saving purpose in our lives.
TS – Lest we wonder exactly what God’s power is capable of, the passage ends with a prayer of praise for what the power of God has done in Christ.
III. Praise God for the display of His power in Christ (vv. 20-23).
A. God’s power is displayed in the person of Christ.
1. God raised Christ from the dead by His power.
2. God enthroned Christ in glory by His power.
a. Enthroned over all other powers.
b. Enthroned for all ages.
3. God made Christ head over all things including the
Church.
a. All things are subjected to Christ.
b. God gave Christ the position of head over the
church.
1) The church is Christ’s body. Though
Under Him as Head, it has a special
Relationship to Him as His body.
2) The church is the fullness of Christ. In
a very unique way, Christ fills her
with Himself through grace and gift.
The church is the expression of the
Mission and purpose of Christ on the
Earth.
ILLUSTRATION: This is absolute, unrivaled, sovereign power. Let me ask you some questions.
- Is there a greater power than the power that can raise the dead?
- Is there a greater power than the power which can subject all things in the universe and put them under Christ’s feet?
- Is there a greater power than the power that installs Christ as head over the church?
We value power. Power sports. Power naps. Power lunches. Political power. Purchasing power. We marvel at the astonishing power of natural forces when we look at Mt. St Helens or Hurricane Katrina or tsuanmis or when we look at the before and after satellite photos of Greensburg, Kansas and view the devastation of an EF5 tornado.
Friends, these examples of power are truly awe-inspiring. But they fizzle in comparison to the mighty power of God.
Now, the truly astonishing thing is that when the Spirit opens our heart’s eyes, we see that the infinite power of God is at work in us who believe in Jesus Christ! Paul’s point is not that we just grasp the power of God. Rather it is that we grasp the fact that the power of God is “toward us who believe.” That power is working in us right now.
A. W. Tozer said, "Anything God has ever done, he can do now. Anything God has ever done anywhere, he can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone, he can do for you."
Is there power to overcome sinful habits that plague us? Yes. Is there power to break up the rock-hard bitterness that sets into our hearts? Yes. Is there power to put my failing marriage together again? Yes. Is there power to face another day when debilitating circumstances have sapped the energy out of me? Yes. It is the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead, enthroned Jesus over all rival powers, and gave Him to be the Head over the church fall ages.
CONCLUSION:
Are your eyes open to see your treasures? Beloved, let us pray for ourselves and for one another that the Spirit will give us clear vision to see all that God is for us in Christ. Such clarity of spiritual vision will be truly life-changing.