Open Our Eyes - Part 2

Ephesians 1:17-23

Part I of this devotional gave us insight into what Paul prayed for all believers – spiritual maturity and an opening of our hearts to see beyond this world and to the riches of the next. Paul prays that we would catch a glimpse of the following: first, hope; second, a glorious inheritance; third, the immeasurable greatness of power. Paul doesn’t elaborate too much on these first two things, but spends four verses fleshing out what he means by the third. Let me point out just a few things from these closing words of Ephesians 1.

First, this power is spiritual. It is not just ‘natural’ or ‘physical’- though it is certainly that, as the bodily resurrection demonstrates. It is in this sense that we must have our ‘heart eyes’ opened up. We do not see this power at work in a natural, or normative, sense. God isn’t levitating chairs or blinking light bulbs in the parlor like some sort of poltergeist. As if this were any real display of power anyhow. Paul prays that we might see with the eyes of faith what is ‘beyond the veil,’ so to speak. Paul is assuring us that the same power that breathed life into the dead body of the crucified Lord, the same power that rolled back the stone, the same power that lifted Christ bodily into the heavens, the same power that established Christ as Lord of the Universe at God’s right hand, this power is at work in us, through us, and for us.

Second, I’d like to focus in on verses 22-23, “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” When Paul speaks of God’s power at work in ‘us,’ it is important to understand who this us is. Paul says that God’s power is “toward us who believe” and that those who believe are united to the church, which is the very body of Christ. There is a treasure of truth in Ephesians related to this wonderful new creation that God made in Christ, the church. I believe the central truth and theme verses of this letter are found in 3:10-11, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.” There is a lot more to be said about this, but here in chapter one, we see that the power of God is not received, felt, and displayed in our lives individually. We are brought into a corporate relationship to God and the saints, and we are to corporately reveal and unfold the mystery and wisdom of God as the church.

This is a very important point, and is a driving principle in my life and ministry as a pastor, so we’ll linger here a bit. You will often hear me say, “I don’t believe in the priority and importance of the local church because I’m a pastor; I’m a pastor because of the biblical priority and importance of the local church.” What I mean to say here is that I don’t push membership and involvement in the local church because it’s crucial to my vocational success, or because it is in my job description. I push membership and involvement in the local church because I believe it is crucial to the growth and sanctification of the believer and the spread of the gospel to the world. Because of this conviction I gave my life to leadership and service in the local church. The church is not a social club; it is not a therapeutic program; it is not a non-profit community center. The church is the body of Christ, the instrument of God’s sovereign and saving power, the inheritor of all the spiritual blessings of God in Christ, the display of God’s wisdom to rulers and authorities (seen and unseen). The believer who embraces the fullness of this Ephesian ecclesiology, who commits fully to this glorious design of God will see hope to which he has called us, the riches of God’s glorious inheritance, and the immeasurable greatness of his power.

Open Our Eyes - Part 1

Ephesians 1:17-23

It is good for us to pay attention to verses like Ephesians 1:17. Here is an answer to the question, “How did great men of God like the Apostle Paul pray? And what did they pray for?” We have a partial answer to the first question in 1:16, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Paul prayed with constancy and fervency. When should we pray? The answer here is ‘whenever!’ or ‘as much as possible!’ We find from verse 16 as well that Paul allowed thanksgiving (over need, anxiety, fear, desire) to rule his heart as he lifted it to God. All the glorious truths of our salvation spelled out in 1:3-14 cause the Apostle’s heart to overflow in thankful prayer for God’s people. In the next wonderful paragraph we discover what Paul prayed for the Ephesians and for us, and what we should be praying for each other.

Paul asks that God might give us “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.” Paul desires that God’s people might be full of a heavenly wisdom which equips them to see through the deception of the world, the flesh and the devil. Consider Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13). In a real sense, Paul is asking for spiritual maturity. This maturity comes from the Spirit of God, who dwells within us.

What an interesting phrase in verse 17, “a spirit …of revelation.” This is, of course, a reference to the revelatory work of God in the Scriptures. God has unveiled his purpose and design for the universe in the Scriptures. But there is a sense in which we are to have a spirit of revelation. Theologians have called this the doctrine of illumination, the work of the Spirit of God enlightening the truths of God to his people through his word. Paul further defines this spirit of revelation in verse 18, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…” What a wonderful phrase! First of all, Paul is asking for an enlightenment that reaches deeper and further than that which is seen or known in the natural realm. He is asking for that wisdom and knowledge that allows us to grasp that “eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Paul’s great concern for the Ephesians is that they might be given a heavenly perspective and spiritual maturity that allows them to see beyond the struggles and temptations, even the mundane satisfaction of their daily lives. He asks God to open the eyes of our hearts to “the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” We must be given spiritual eyes to look beyond the vain and empty hopes of this world. If we are only able to see the material, earthly world around us, then we would be hopeless, despairing people. Imagine having all that this world offers: money, beauty, fame and reputation. Would you be happy? Consider those who have such things. Are they happy? Are they satisfied? The reality is, they are some of the most desperate, unsatisfied people we can imagine. Why? Because they have experienced all the joys that the world offers and have discovered it tragically lacking.

So, what is it that Paul wants us to catch a glimpse of? What is it that our ‘heart eyes’ must see? Hope, a wonderful inheritance and power beyond our imagination…if we follow God’s design for his people.