Prayerful For Saints

Why, as Christians, do we spend so much time looking for things to make us complete?

We stay confused on the fact of whether Jesus Christ is sufficient.

Paul has expressed his thankfulness for their salvation, their belief in Jesus Christ is the son of God and died for our sins and was buried in our death, but was resurrected unto life eternal.

They received the Gospel by Faith and they had been created as new creations which was proven by their demonstration of faith in love for their neighbors proving the Holy Spirit had sealed them bringing glory to God by exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit.

You will never find satisfaction in Human philosophy, legalism, extreme denial of the flesh, or mystical experiences like the church at Colossi were attempting.

LISTEN - If you are truly in Jesus Christ, then you are complete, but not only complete but perfectly complete forever.

Unfortunately, we are always wanting more. Whether it is more grace, more mercy, more love, more strength, more light, or more peace etc.

All of this has already been given to you in Christ.

What we really need is to know how to appropriate this abundance of possessions into our lives.

This is what Paul is praying for.

Paul wants the believer to understand what we have in Christ and how to grasp and apply this understanding into our lives.

So, let’s take some time to dissect the prayer Paul prayed for the saints.

This is a prayer that we might want to pray for ourselves.

This is a prayer we might want to pray for others.

It is a prayer that I pray for you.

Notice the requests Paul makes in these verses.

Ephesians 1:15–23 (KJV 1900)

15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Understanding the Mystery of God

Ephesians 1:17–18 (KJV 1900)

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Begins with

The Request:

Ephesians 1:17 (KJV 1900)

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Notice, we are talking about a knowledge that can only be given by God.

It is referring to one particular God.

He is not the god of our own minds and thoughts

the god we conceive when we picture what God is like

the god made by men’s minds and hands

the god of religion.

This is the God that Jesus Christ worshipped.

This is the God, the Father of glory, the only true and living God, the Supreme Majesty, Creator and Master of the Universe.

The One who is

omniscient (all knowing),

omnipotent (all powerful),

omnipresent (present everywhere), and so expansive that His very being and presence reaches out beyond the stars and embraces all that is or ever will be

The One who declares that He has “set His glory above the heavens” (Ps. 8:1).

Psalm 8:1 KJV 1900

1 O Lord our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

As believers, we must continue to grow more and more in knowledge of Him, and we must continue to gain more and more increasing knowledge of Him.

Paul in his unceasing prayer, begins with a request from God’s to give unto every believer 2 things. the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

The Spirit of Wisdom:

Ephesians 1:17 (KJV 1900)

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

The word “spirit” has the idea of an “attitude or a humble, teachable spirit.”

When Paul speaks of the spirit, he is referring to a spirit:

that reaches out and grasps

that hunger and thirsts

that seeks and seeks

In other words, Paul is praying that they will be open to hearing the things God is trying to teach them. He prays that they will have a teachable spirit and be willing to learn.

What are we reaching out and grasping for, What are we hungering and thirsting for, What are we seeking?

The answer is wisdom.

“wisdom” is talking about using that revealed knowledge to live for the Lord.

Knowledge is the grasping of facts, but grasping facts is not enough. Much more is needed: a person must know how to use the facts. That is where wisdom comes in.

Wisdom knows how to use the facts.

Proverbs 9:10 KJV 1900

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

The point is this: it is not enough to know the facts about God; a person must know God personally. He must know how to experience the facts about God. He must use the facts to develop a personal relationship with God—a growing relationship—a relationship that is intimate, that grows deeper and deeper.

This is the meaning of the word knowledge (epignosei): a personal and intimate relationship with God; a personal experience with God.

It is not an intellectual knowledge of God, but an experiential knowledge of God.

Remember,

Matthew 5:6 (KJV 1900)

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

The Spirit of Revelation:

Ephesians 1:17 (KJV 1900)

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

The word revelation (apokalupseos) means to manifest; to reveal; to unveil; to uncover; to open.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal the knowledge of God to Christians. In fact it is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning of all truth to the Christian (Jn. 14:26; 16:12–15).

John 14:26 (KJV 1900)

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:12–15 (KJV 1900)

12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This is clearly seen in 1 Co. 1:9–16 where the wisdom of the world is contrasted with the wisdom of God.

A spiritual Christian sees (through the Spirit revealing to him) the meaning behind world events as well as day to day experiences. He understands who and what is behind the events of history and human experience. Therefore, he gains a growing knowledge of God day by day.

Thought 1. If the believer is to grow in his knowledge of God, the richness and deep things of God must be opened up to the believer. But the things of God are like everything else that is worthwhile: they are not handed over to men on a silver platter. A man must seek to learn more and more about God. He must seek to have the truth of God revealed to him.

The spirit reveals God to us.

1 Corinthians 2:9–12 (KJV 1900)

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Remember, you are sealed with the Spirit of promise.

Ephesians 1:13 (KJV 1900)

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

You have been indwelt with the Holy Spirit. He is there to teach you the deep things of God.

However, understand as Paul understands. Knowledge of Him is not the conclusion, but rather the beginning. There also has to be...

The Reception:

Ephesians 1:18 (KJV 1900)

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Paul prays that “the eyes of” their “understanding” might be “enlightened”.

The word “understanding” refers to “the mind as the place where we think, understand and feel”.

It is the same idea we have when we refer to “the heart”. We talk about something being on “our heart”. Or we talk about “getting our hearts right with God.” When we use this language, we are talking about how we feel and what we think.

Paul wants us to move beyond just feeling and thinking; he wants us to come to a place of understanding. So, he prays that God will turn the light on in our minds so that we will comprehend the deep truths of God. That is why Paul prays that they might be “enlightened”.

Paul does not want the people of God to operate solely on feelings and emotions. He wants us to live our lives based on the truth of God’s Word. That is why Col. 3:16 says,

Colossians 3:16 (KJV 1900)

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

When our hearts and minds are controlled by the Word of God under the direction of the Spirit of God, He enables us to understand the deep things of God and how they relate to everyday life. When that happens, the Bible and the truths it contains become intensely practical in our daily lives.

As Paul prays for these believers, he prays first that they might comprehend the deep mysteries of God that are revealed in His eternal plans. He wants them to be able to comprehend the mysteries of election, predestination, adoption, redemption, forgiveness, wisdom, our inheritance in Jesus, and the sealing work of the Holy Spirit. The very things we have been preaching about in verses 3–14. These great truths summarize God’s mysterious plan for the ages, and they cannot be understood apart from the aid of the Spirit of God. If you ever grasp these deep truths, it will be because the Spirit of God enlightens you and enables you to understand them. If He doesn’t, they will remain a mystery to your mind.

That’s why Paul will tells us in

Ephesians 5:18 (KJV 1900)

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Paul wants them to understand the spiritual mysteries of God’s plan. He mentions two parts of result of that plan in verse 18.

The Results:

Ephesians 1:18 (KJV 1900)

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

What is the hope?

It is what has already been covered in the great spiritual blessings of God (Ep. 1:13–14):

⇒ that we should be holy and without blame, living before Him forever and ever in love (v. 4).

⇒ that we should experience what it means to be adopted as children of God—forever and ever (vv. 5–6).

⇒ that we should experience eternal redemption and forgiveness of sin (v. 7).

⇒ that we should possess the wisdom and understanding of God (v. 8).

⇒ that we should live in the perfect heaven and earth where there will be no more division but only peace and unity in Christ Jesus (vv. 9–10).

This hope begins in:

Your Invitation:

“the hope of your calling”

God’s plan for us is that we are to “conformed to the image of His Son”,

Romans 8:29 (KJV 1900)

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God’s plan for us is that we will come to

Ephesians 4:13 KJV 1900

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

When you grasp this truth it will change your life. You will see every blessing and every disruption in the light of God working in your life to make you more like Jesus. That is what He is up to and He will do what it takes to make it happen!

Very simply stated, God has called us to stand before Him in the name and righteousness of Jesus Christ—to stand before Him just as Jesus Christ stands before Him: perfect. It is evident that we are not perfect—not now, not yet. But the day is coming when we shall be.

Right now we experience the blessings of God only in part, only imperfectly. But when the glorious Day of Redemption comes, we shall be made just like our Lord Jesus Christ, righteous and perfect, enabled to live in God’s presence, worshipping and serving Him forever and ever. This is the believer’s hope; this is the believer’s calling.

But not only in the invitation of your calling, but also in your:

Your Inheritance:

“the riches of the glory of his inheritance”

Paul wants believers to know that there are even better things waiting on us down the road. We are the heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus,

Romans 8:17 KJV 1900

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

As a result, we are the beneficiaries of God’s best blessings in this life. We are also the heirs of a heavenly home someday, where we will spend eternity with the God Who loved us, and saved us for His Own glory.

It takes the Spirit of God revealing eternal truth to us for us to understand all that we have in Jesus. I can only comprehend a small portion at this point in my Christian walk. As I pray and study the Word of God, the Spirit of God will reveal even more of God’s truth to me.

So, Paul prays that we will understand the mysteries of God. That should be our prayer as well.

See, you cannot understand the mysteries of God without knowing God, understanding God from the beginning of your answer to the call from God to your obtaining of the Inheritance of God.

The first question is

Have you answered the Call?

Are you hungering for God?