Second Sunday After Christmas

Today’s text from Ephesians chapter one is typical Paul. Paul liked to use run-on sentences. Actually they are only run-on in English but Paul’s style was to cram as much as he could into one sentence, especially if he really wanted to drive home a point. Our text for today has two “run-on” sentences that help us break down what Paul is saying.

The first sentence begins with verse 3 and continues until verse 14, about two paragraphs worth of content in our English bibles. Since it wouldn’t be good English we have broken it up into several sentences. But Paul conveys to us in one sentence or “one breath” in Greek the power of Jesus as our Savior. Theologians use the term Justification that simply means Jesus Christ fulfilling God’s Law or justifying us before God. This sentence puts all attention on God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ. Words like, “blessed us in Christ”, “chose us”, “in love”, “holy and blameless”, “according to the purpose of His will”, and “to the praise of His glorious grace”, convey the power of love of God in Christ Jesus.

The second sentence which is verses 15-23 continue to convey the Gospel but also shows to us the response to the Gospel on account of the people of Ephesus, Paul and ultimately to us as well. Paul says, “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 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,” (Ephesians 1:15-18, ESV) [1] In this run-on sentence Paul states that the faith of the church in Ephesus was known to him by what he heard – a response to the Gospel. Paul also prays for the Christians that they may increase in their knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Increase in the knowledge and revelation of the hope we have in Jesus – that is a daily, life long task. It is a process that takes a lifetime. Many of you remember confirmation class, or some of you are in it now. We often have a feeling that confirmation prepares us to be knowledgeable about Jesus and that we will know most of what we need to know – but really it is only a start. In confirmation we receive the tools for life-long learning of Jesus. We get the basics that will take us a lifetime to continue growing in the knowledge of the Lord.

This has proven true many times in my life. When I come to a passage of scripture that I have not looked at in a while I always find something new the Lord is telling me. Maybe this has happened to you – You now the 23rd Psalm from childhood hearing it often in church. Then as an adult you face a difficult situation and the Psalm takes on new meaning as you see that the Lord is your Shepherd, guiding you and protecting you. As we encounter life on this planet with all its joys and sorrows God’s Word is there to help give us perspective and guidance. In the Word God reminds us of His love for us and the grace and mercy He has shown us through Jesus Christ. But it takes a lifetime for it to truly become wisdom for us.

Paul prays that the eyes of our hearts would be opened. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that God’s Word takes root in us and produces knowledge and wisdom. You see the Bible is not like any other book on this planet. It is not a dictionary, encyclopedia, or history text. Though it contains all this stuff it is much more. God’s Word is living and active, it produces results through the Holy Spirit. God’s Word is what works in us true knowledge. But we often approach Scripture as a code or “problem” we need to figure out. We approach scripture as we would any other book and treat it like just mere history. Something is truly amazing about the Bible – it doesn’t matter how smart you are, how good you are at history or theology, God’s Word will work wisdom and knowledge in you. There is enough in God’s Word to keep the best theologians busy for a lifetime and yet the simplest of minds can understand the message of God’s love and mercy. It is the Word that works in us, the Spirit that enlightens our hearts and minds. We need to simple sit at Jesus feet and allow the Word, the Holy Spirit.

But it goes even farther than just being a special Word. The Gospel lesson for today is the famous passage out of John chapter 1 where Jesus is called the Word made flesh. This is a divine mystery but it speaks to us of the uniqueness of God’s Word. When we approach the Bible it is not just powerful words on a page that we read – it is Jesus Christ. We encounter the Living Word – Jesus Christ – as we read, hear and meditate on God’s Word. We see Christ on every page of Scripture. Christ comes to us in His Word and works in us a faith that trusts in Him as our Lord and Savior. What an awesome privilege to know that when we are in God’s Word, Jesus is there with us, speaking to our hearts and minds and giving us the knowledge of salvation.

That was Paul’s prayer, not that we study harder to “pass the exam,” but that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit would use His Word to work in us knowledge, revelation and wisdom of the hope we have in the glorious riches of Jesus. The Word made Flesh – a divine mystery but a living hope.

Many people and churches have taken on this statement as their mission statement, “To Know Him and To Make Him Know.” What a great summary of this passage from Ephesians and a good statement of purpose for our lives. To know Jesus, to sit at His feet in His Word and allow him to make Himself know to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. And to make Him known, that is what Paul was commenting on when he says that he has heard of their faith and love they were making Jesus known. As the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and minds He makes himself know to us He also calls us to make Him, Jesus, known to the world. And the same promise is there for us as we make Him know to the world, as when we come to His Word – it is God who is doing the acting. It is His Word made flesh in us that speaks to the world. It is not our influence, but the working of the Word that we proclaim that makes Jesus known to the world.

“To Know Him and to Make Him Known” – may God work in us through His Word to increase our knowledge of Him and to allow us to proclaim Jesus to the world.

Amen.

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[1] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.