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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Ephesians 1, to continue to work our way through 
Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians 1, I'll read beginning 
in verse 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ 
by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful 
in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God our Father 
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us 
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should 
be holy and without blame before him. in love, having predestined 
us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according 
to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of 
his grace, by which he made us accepted in the beloved. In him 
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, 
according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound 
toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery 
of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed 
in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times 
He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which 
are in heaven and which are on earth in Him. In Him also we 
have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to 
the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel 
of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to 
the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after 
you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, 
in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy 
Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance 
until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of 
His glory. Therefore, I also, after I heard 
of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 
do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in 
my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father 
of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation 
in the knowledge of Him. the eyes of your understanding 
being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His 
calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance 
in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power 
toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty 
power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead 
and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above 
all principality and power and might and dominion and every 
name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that 
which is to come. And he put all things under his 
feet and gave him to be had over all things to the church, which 
is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in Heaven, we thank You again for Your Word. We thank You for 
this letter of the Apostle to the Ephesians and the great things 
that it teaches us, not only doctrinally in this first part 
of the Epistle, but the practical application later on. We ask 
that You would guide us now by the Holy Spirit, that He would 
be that Spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge 
of God, that You would just help us, Father, to see and appreciate 
truth, and help us to bring glory to You with the knowledge that 
we possess. As well, forgive us for all of our sin and our 
transgression and those things that defile us. We ask for cleansing 
in that precious blood of the Lamb, and we ask in His most 
blessed name. Amen. Well, remember chapter 
one, verses three to 14, Paul praises God for and blesses God 
for the salvation of sinners. Well, here in chapter one at 
verses 15 to 23, he lets us in as it were into his prayer closet. 
This is not his prayer proper, but rather it is a record of 
what he prays for the people of God in Ephesus. You see that 
in various places in his epistles, he tells them, what he prays 
on their behalf, not to brag or to boast or to demonstrate 
his super spirituality, but simply to encourage and edify the people 
of God. But when we get a view into how 
Paul prays, it is also very instructive and very informative, not only 
about his prayer life, but with reference to the God that we 
serve, the God that we know, the God that we love. So he prays 
that the Ephesians may receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation, 
according to verse 17, and that they may know three things concerning 
God. The hope of God's calling, in 
verse 18, the riches of the glory of his inheritance, in verse 
18, and then the exceeding greatness of God's power in verses 9 to 
23. And he demonstrates or illustrates 
or shows that power in a whole host of ways from verses 19 to 
23. We'll just take up the first 
half this evening. We'll look at verses 15 to 18. 
I want to consider two things. First, the occasion of Paul's 
prayer in verses 15 and 16, and then secondly, the content of 
Paul's prayer in verses 17. It goes to 23, but we'll stop 
at verse 18. But notice in the first place, 
with reference to the occasion of his prayer, verse 15, he says, 
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus 
and your love for all the saints, Now, some take this as an indicator 
or as a piece of evidence that Paul didn't write this epistle 
to the Ephesians. I think I mentioned that in introducing 
the book, Modern Scholarship. At least it has diminished somewhat, 
but there are many who do not think that Paul wrote Ephesians. 
And they take this as proof. He had to hear about what was 
going on in terms of the Ephesian church. This is obviously not 
one who is intimately acquainted with this local body. Well, remember, 
he founds the church in Acts chapter 19 on the third missionary 
journey. Acts ends with Paul's imprisonment, 
his first imprisonment in Rome. Well, most likely while he's 
in Rome, he's getting wind of and he's hearing about the various 
churches that he planted in his missionary journeys. So this 
hearing means he received further information. It doesn't say or 
suggest anything to the fact or to the idea that he didn't 
write Ephesians. But notice the emphasis. He speaks 
of the faith of the Ephesians and the love of the Ephesians. Notice, therefore I also, after 
I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus. Go back to verse 
13. He says, in him you also trusted, 
after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, 
in him also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy 
Spirit of promise. He knows that they are justified 
freely by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
This is an emphasis throughout Paul's writings. Paul was the 
champion of free grace. Paul never tired of preaching 
Christ and Him crucified and calling people to believe on 
Him. Paul acknowledges, especially in the book of Romans and especially 
in the book of Galatians, that we're saved not as a result of 
our works or our effort or our merit or our law-keeping, but 
we're saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. 
Faith is the instrument that receives the gift of God Most 
High. So he acknowledges their justification 
by faith. But notice that those who are 
justified by faith then engage in love for others. He says, 
therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus 
and your love for all the saints. Turn back, or you're probably 
already there, to the book of Galatians. Notice in Galatians 
chapter 5 at verse 6, he says, For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision 
nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love. This is not suggesting how faith 
is formed, but rather it suggests how faith is functioning. It would be hard-pressed or one 
would be hard-pressed to maintain that Galatians 5.16 teaches the 
Roman Catholic view that faith plus love means salvation. Go back to Galatians chapter 
2, specifically at verse 16. He says, knowing that a man is 
not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus 
Christ. Even we have believed in Christ 
Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by 
the works of the law. For by the works of the law, 
no flesh shall be justified. The man who penned that, pens 
5.16. And in 5.16, he tells us faith 
works through love. Again, not in order to achieve 
salvation, but the reflex of saving faith is to love God and 
to love brethren. J. Gressom Machen explains it 
this way. He says, love, according to the 
New Testament, is not the means of salvation, but it is the finest 
fruit of it. A man is saved by faith, not 
by love, but he is saved by faith in order that he may love. The 
apostle is emphasizing here, and he is emphasizing in chapter 
2, verses 8 to 10, what James emphasizes, that those who are 
saved by God's grace, who believe the gospel, who know justification 
by faith alone, will always bear fruit. consequent to that saving 
faith. It's not the cause, it's not 
the reason, it's not the rationale, but it's the consequence. We're 
saved by grace, and what happens? We believe the gospel of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and then we have love for God, and we have 
love for brethren. Notice in chapter 2, verses 8 
to 10, he says, For by grace you have been saved through faith, 
and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of 
works, lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship, created 
in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand 
that we should walk in them. That is essentially James's message 
in James 2, 14 to 26. He is not teaching faith plus 
works in order for salvation. He is teaching that faith, though 
it is alone in the person justified, does not remain alone. And that's 
what our confession of faith highlights. In a very accurate 
summary statement of biblical truth, chapter 11, paragraph 
2 tells us, faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His 
righteousness is the alone instrument of justification. Yet it is not 
alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with 
all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh 
by love. You see, that's exactly what 
the Apostle Paul recognizes concerning the Ephesian Christians. They 
had believed the truth as it is in Jesus. As a result or as 
a consequence of having believed the truth as it is in Jesus, 
they now have love for brethren. They now have love for God. They 
now live in a manner that is consistent with the written revelation 
of God most high. After I heard of your faith in 
the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, Notice his 
prayer for the Ephesians. This is a general statement in 
verse 16 describing his manner. In the first place, his prayer 
was constant. He says that, verse 16, I do 
not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in 
my prayers. I don't think that do not cease 
means that that's all he ever did. He didn't eat, he didn't 
drink, he didn't work, he didn't make tents. He didn't do any 
of that. He simply stayed in his closet and only incessantly 
prayed. I don't think that's the tenor 
of the passage. The idea, I think, is more akin 
to, in saying, I do not cease, the apostle means at the required 
times. Or, I do not cease because my 
attitude of thanksgiving for you is without intermission habitually 
in me. In other words, he had a thankful 
and a prayerful spirit concerning the churches of Christ. He was 
a true and faithful intercessor. In other words, he didn't simply 
pray for himself, but he prayed for the people of God. He was 
concerned for the people of God. And as a result, he went to the 
throne of grace on behalf of the people of God. Now, brethren, 
we're not apostles. That's obvious. But we ought 
to be intercessors. We ought to be prayers. We ought 
to be those concerned with the needs of our fellows and bring 
them to the throne of grace. That's why in our prayer meeting 
we mention needs with reference to our church. We look outside 
of our church to other churches. Then we look typically to the 
persecuted church and we pray, we intercede, we bring to God 
petitions on their behalf so that they may know God's grace 
and may abound and grow accordingly." So the apostle was constant at 
the throne of grace. He was constant with reference 
to the church in Rome. Romans chapter 1, 9 and 10, same 
sort of an emphasis. Colossians chapter 1, verse 9. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 
3. And then Philemon verse 4. The 
apostle was a man of prayer and he truly exhibits what we see 
in Acts chapter 6. Remember when there was that 
dispute amongst the Hellenistic widows and against the Hebrew 
widows, and then there was this sort of a difficulty in the context 
of the church. The apostles told the church 
to select seven men from among them, men with wisdom, men who 
would be able to oversee the distribution of the food. And 
the apostle said, it's not good for us to be detained by serving 
food and not studying the word of God. And then in Acts chapter 
six, it says, we will give ourselves to prayer and to the ministry 
of the word. That marked the apostle Paul. 
prayer and the ministry of the word. And you see that in his 
epistles. So he was constant. But as well, 
secondly, notice that he is thankful. Verse 16, I do not cease to give 
thanks for you. So he blesses God in verses three 
to 14. Here he expresses his thankfulness 
to God, his gratitude to God for the truth specified in verses 
three to 14. So what's the difference between 
blessing and praising and then thanking? Well, not a whole lot 
of difference. They're enjoined, they're inextricably 
connected, but they certainly have different aspects. We are 
thankful for the work of God's Spirit in the hearts of God's 
people. We're thankful for the ministry and the power of the 
gospel in order to save sinners and to bring them to that place 
where they have love for one another. So he thanks God for 
his glorious salvation of the Ephesians here in verses 15 to 
23. Again, 1 Corinthians 1.4, Philippians 
1.3, Philippians 4, 6, and 7, Colossians 1.3. He expresses 
gratitude to God for the salvation of God upon individual sinners. And then notice his intercession, 
the fact that he intercedes. He says, making mention of you 
in my prayers. making mention of you in my prayers." 
Again, Acts 6, 4, we will give ourselves continually to prayer 
and to the ministry of the word. So we can conclude or deduce 
here, Paul not only prayed, but he prayed for churches. And then 
when we survey this particular section, we see that he prayed 
with specificity. He didn't pray generic prayers 
for generic churches. He prayed for specific churches 
and he prayed with specific petitions. He brought to the throne of grace 
those needs that are typical among the people of God. And 
the accent falls on the spiritual needs of the people of God. I 
don't doubt that Paul would have prayed for you if you broke your 
arm. I don't doubt that Paul would 
have prayed for you if you got fired from your job. I don't 
doubt that Paul would have prayed for you if you stubbed your toe 
and it was bleeding. But what we see in the prayers 
of the apostle that are exhibited in the New Testament is that 
they're spiritual in nature. I want you to know the spirit 
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. And I want 
you to know specific things about God. I want you to grow in grace 
and in the knowledge of that Heavenly Father. Because ultimately, 
the knowledge of God is the means by which you navigate in this 
present evil world. If you don't know God, you're 
going to flounder. If you don't know God, you're 
going to be stagnant. If you don't know God, you're 
going to be prey to the wickedness and to the evil that is all around 
you. So the apostle prays, he prays for churches and he prays 
for specific petitions with reference to those churches. Ba says that 
his point is that he's interceding for these churches by name and 
not simply offering generic prayers for the churches at large. Now, 
we move to the content of Paul's prayer. Verses 17 to 23 is the 
content of his prayer. As I said, we'll look at verses 
17 and 18. I wanna explain, first of all, 
the structure. He prays that the Ephesians be 
given the spirit that they may know God, verse 17. And then 
he supplies three particular things that he wants them to 
know about God, the hope of his calling, the inheritance of the 
saints, and the exceeding greatness of his power. In other words, 
he wants them to understand theology proper. He wants them to understand 
the good things that God has for those who love him, those 
who are the called according to his purpose. He wants them 
to understand all of the greatness that is in our blessed God. He 
wants them to... to know God, the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. So notice in the first 
place, he prays for the gift of the Spirit. Verse 17 and 18, 
he says, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father 
of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation 
in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being 
enlightened. This one unit, I want to explain 
it. In the first place, notice the object of prayer. He speaks 
of the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, 
just like he does in verse three. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Well, how can it be 
the case that God is the God of the Lord Jesus? Well, it's 
according to the incarnation. It's according to his humanity. 
It's according to his function and role as the mediator. Christ 
the Lord does speak of his Father as his God in John's Gospel. And we see that emphasis here, 
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory. 
One commentator says, he states the God of our Lord Jesus Christ 
in relation to him as man and his Father in reference to him 
as God. So this again is parallel with 
verse three, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. And then verse 17, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
And then this emphasis on the father of glory or the glorious 
father, perhaps in the apostles heart and mind is Exodus chapter 
33, that demonstration of the glory of God. When Moses asks, 
let me see you, let me behold your glory. Now notice the petition, 
the first petition that he gives is for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The NIV gets this right. So does 
the ESV. Notice in verse 17. If you know 
me, I don't typically commend the NIV. So this is a historic 
occasion. I'm sure Steve will take note 
of this. I'd say you should commend it a lot more. Notice in verse 
17, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory 
may give. So this is a petition. I'm asking 
God to give you something. I'm asking God to provide to 
you something. To you, the Spirit. Now our new 
King James has a little S in that use of Spirit. I would suggest it's a capital 
S. Paul's a Trinitarian theologian. He speaks of the God of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, Father of glory. He speaks now of the spirit of 
wisdom and revelation, just like he does in the preceding section 
in 3 to 14. He blesses God the Father, he speaks well of God 
the Son, and then he speaks of God the Spirit. Well, he does 
the same thing here. So notice. that He may give to 
you the Spirit, capital S, Holy Spirit, of wisdom and revelation 
in the knowledge of Him. So the reference again is to 
the Holy Spirit. And turn back to 1 Corinthians 
chapter 2 to see this emphasis on the Spirit as the one who 
instructs, as the one who leads, as the one who teaches, and as 
the one who informs us concerning God. In other words, we don't 
learn of God without the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 
2 at verse 10, but God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. 
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 
For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of 
the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things 
of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the 
Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that 
we might know the things that have been freely given to us 
by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's 
wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing 
spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not 
receive the things of the Spirit of God for their foolishness 
to him, nor can he know them. excuse me, nor can he know them 
because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual 
judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 
For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct 
him? Well, we have the mind of Christ. So going back to Ephesians 
chapter one, Paul prays that the Ephesians would know the 
presence and the power of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. I think the background is Isaiah 
the prophet, Isaiah chapter 11, when it speaks concerning the 
Messiah to come. He is equipped with the Spirit. 
Remember in John's Gospel, we read that Jesus receives the 
Spirit above measure, beyond measure. Well, we need that same 
Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord, 11-2, 
shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 
the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of 
the fear of the Lord. We have been sealed by the Holy 
Spirit according to Ephesians 1.13, but that doesn't mean the 
cessation of His ministry. That doesn't mean the end of 
His ministry. He is the seal for sure. He is the guarantee 
of that final redemption, but He is also in us. He dwells among 
us and He guides us and He leads us. And notice specifically what 
the purpose is. that He may give to you the spirit 
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." Not in the 
knowledge of mechanics, not that mechanics is unimportant, not 
in the knowledge of plumbing, though plumbing is important, 
but in the knowledge of Him. The Spirit guides and leads and 
directs the people of God into a further understanding of who 
God is. See, brethren, we think it's 
the Charismatics and the Pentecostals that have this emphasis on the 
Holy Spirit. It's the Apostle Paul. It should be Reformed believers. It should be all of us emphasizing 
the person and work of the Holy Spirit. We need the spirit of 
wisdom and revelation so that we can grow in our understanding 
and knowledge of who God is. Now notice the assumption in 
Paul's prayer. Verse 18, there's several ways 
to understand the first part of verse 18. He says, the eyes 
of your understanding being enlightened. One view, just before we get 
to that, there's a textual issue. Most English versions have the 
eyes of your hearts. being enlightened. The King James 
tradition has the eyes of your understanding. It's simply a 
difference of a word in the textual transmission. So there is that. 
But notice the specific language, the eyes of your understanding 
being enlightened. One view says that verse 18a 
continues verse 17. So the reading would be, may 
give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge 
of Him in the sense of your eyes, the eyes of your understanding 
being enlightened. Another says the view is a further 
petition. So after saying what he has said, 
then he says, I pray the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. The NIV has that. I take it as 
the view that verse 18a provides the context for verse 17. Let's 
translate verse 18 a little bit differently. He says, the eyes 
of your understanding having been enlightened, having been 
enlightened at your conversion, having been enlightened at your 
salvation, having been enlightened when you first came to the Savior, 
The fact that that has transpired, the fact that you now see spiritual 
reality, He wants us to grow in our understanding of spiritual 
reality. He's not praying that this happens, 
He's praying for a furtherance of it since it has already occurred. At their salvation, the eyes 
of their understanding had been enlightened. That's what happens 
when we come to the Savior. That's why Peter uses the language. 
We're called out of darkness into marvelous light. Why? Because the eyes of our understanding 
had been enlightened. So that's the context for the 
prayer. The fact is, is that this has 
occurred in their salvation. He's not praying for them to 
be saved. He's praying for them to progress. 
He's praying for them to grow. He's praying for them to understand 
more of our blessed and holy God. So the eyes of your understanding, 
having been enlightened, that's the assumption. Because I know 
that you have faith in Jesus. I know that you have love for 
all the saints. I know that you are already justified freely 
by His grace. My prayer for you now is that 
the spirit of wisdom and revelation may give you the knowledge of 
Him. And He's able to do that because 
you're not dead sinners. He's able to do that because 
you're alive. He's able to do that because you've been converted. 
He's able to do that because you've been justified. On the 
heels of justification, sanctification necessarily follows. And the 
particular word that he uses here means to make known in reference 
to the inner life or transcendent matters and thus enlighten, give 
light to, shed light upon. He wants them to grow in their 
understanding of God Almighty. Brethren, this is a great admonition 
for the church in general today. We are simply spinning our wheels 
in a whole host of ways when we should be pursuing a further 
understanding of who God is. If you get God wrong, everything 
else collapses in our religion. That's why in the confession 
of faith there's a particular priority, or rather a particular 
order. You have first the Holy Scriptures, 
and then you have, of God, the Holy Trinity. If you mess up 
chapter 2 in our confession, guess what? You're going to mess 
up a lot as you proceed in that confession. If you get God wrong, 
you get everything wrong in religion. And so the apostle prays that 
the spirit of wisdom and revelation be given to them so that they 
may grow in their knowledge of God Most High. And incidentally, 
this underscores what was made very clear in verses 3 to 14. 
Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is given to us by God. The eyes of your understanding 
having been enlightened. By whom? By God Almighty. Not by us. Remember the reading 
this morning in Acts chapter 16. We saw not just that wasn't 
the main emphasis, but I know I read that section with reference 
to, well, I maybe had read it in preparation. When they're 
at the riverside in Philippi, and God opened Lydia's heart 
to receive the words spoken by the Apostle Paul. Turn over to 
2 Corinthians chapter 4. You see the same sort of emphasis 
in terms of God being the one who turns the light on in the 
soul. It's not the sinner. The sinner 
doesn't say, you know what? I'm tired of this darkness. You 
know what? I'm tired of this sin. I'm tired of this depravity. 
I'm tired of this evil. I'm tired of this wickedness. 
I'm going to just go ahead and flip that light switch on and 
so that all things will become new in my life. No, that's not 
it. We are dead in our trespasses 
and sins. We are absolutely beyond help 
in terms of our own ability. And if God does not intervene, 
if God does not enlighten the eyes of our understanding, then 
we will die in our sins. Notice in 2 Corinthians 4 at 
verse 3. He says, but even if our gospel 
is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds 
the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the 
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of 
God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, 
but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for 
Jesus' sake. For it is the God who commanded 
light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to 
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face 
of Jesus Christ. You see, sovereign grace is always 
emphasized by the apostle Paul. He doesn't ever leave it up to 
us to think, oh yeah, we had a hand in this. We had a part 
in this. We helped God enlighten us. We're a little bit wiser, 
a little bit smarter. We had a bit of a predilection, 
to religious things. No, that's not it at all. The 
eyes of your understanding, having been enlightened by God, when 
you by grace first came to the Lord Jesus Christ, you receive 
the Holy Spirit as the seal, you receive the Holy Spirit as 
the guarantee. And now in terms of your ongoing 
sanctification, Paul prays that God give you the spirit of wisdom 
and revelation so that you may grow in him. And the assumption 
is, is that you're able to do that because he's already opened 
your eyes to the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. Now notice 
the specific petitions that he wants us to understand. Notice 
the three what's in verses 18 and 19. Those are the petitions 
or rather those flesh out the petition that he may give to 
you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of 
him. that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what 
are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 
and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe. 
Now, it's that third one that he develops. It's the third one 
that he amplifies. It's the third one that he illustrates, 
because it does seem that he wants us to understand the power 
of God most high as revealed with reference to the life, death, 
and resurrection, and dare I say, current session, of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. But notice the first one that 
he may, or rather verse 18, that you may know what is the hope 
of his calling, that you may know what is the hope of his 
calling. If you look at chapter two and 
verse 12, there was a time when the Ephesians didn't have hope. There was a time when the Ephesians 
did not have life. There was a time when the Ephesians 
did not have Christ, and now that by God's grace they've passed 
from death to life, that then entails hope on the part of God's 
people. Look at 2.11, Therefore remember 
that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, were called on circumcision 
by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that 
at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the 
commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, 
having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in Christ 
Jesus, you who once were far off, have been brought near by 
the blood of Christ. So at one point, they had no 
hope. Now they have hope. And the hope specifically is 
in the hope of his calling. So what do you think the apostle 
means by that? That you may know what is the 
hope of his calling? Well, there is in the first place 
the general sense in terms of salvation. Calling is often referred 
to or rather consistent with God's effectual call of his people, 
again, out of darkness into marvelous light. You see that emphasis 
on calling 1 Corinthians 1.26. You can turn there to illustrate 
or elucidate rather what we see in terms of this hope of His 
calling. 1.26, for you see your calling, brethren, that not many 
wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble 
are called. But God has chosen the foolish 
things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen 
the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which 
are mighty. You see, this calling is effectual. It has to do with 
salvation. It has to do with bringing them 
to that place where they believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 2 Timothy chapter 1, we see the same sense with reference 
to calling. 2 Timothy 1.9, who has called 
us, saved us rather, and called us with a holy calling, not according 
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which 
was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. And then Hebrews 
chapter 3. Hebrews 3 verse 1, Therefore, 
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. So there's 
this general sense where it refers to salvation. You may know what 
is the hope of his calling. But as well, the calling of God 
with reference to their sanctification. Turn back to Ephesians and compare 
chapter 4. Chapter 4 at verse 1, I therefore, 
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling 
with which you were called. And then in verse 4, there is 
one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope 
of your calling. And then over in 2 Thessalonians 
1, verse 11. There the emphasis in Ephesians 4 is an emphasis 
on sanctification, unity and peace in the context of the local 
church. 2 Thessalonians 1, I'm sorry, 
verse 11. 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 11. Therefore we also pray always 
for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and 
fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work 
of faith with power. Now going back to Ephesians, 
we have this idea of salvation in general, we have this idea 
of sanctification, but I think the text conditions us to think 
in terms of glorification. I think these two petitions, 
or these two what's, are somewhat connected. Notice in verse 18 
that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are 
the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. So 
it could be the calling of God with reference to their glorification, 
to consider and ponder what it is they have in their future. 
John Eady takes it this way. He says, the prayer is that the 
Ephesians might first know the reality of the future blessing, 
and secondly, might comprehend its character. She wants them 
to know what is the hope of their calling, and then that brings 
them to this other what in verse 18. What are the riches of the 
glory of his inheritance in the saints? The hope of his calling 
ends in glorification. The hope of his glory has an 
end game, and it is life in heaven for all eternity with our blessed 
God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You see, when Paul goes to the 
throne of grace on behalf of the church in Ephesus, he wants 
them to be provided with the spirit of wisdom and revelation 
so that they may know God. And with reference to their knowledge 
of God, yeah, he wants them to generally understand what is 
the hope of his calling, but he wants them as well to understand 
they've got a great future ahead of them. They've got great things 
that are waiting for them. They've got blessedness and beauty 
and majesty and excellence, and he describes it in that language. What are the riches of the glory 
of his inheritance in the saints? Notice in 1.11, in him also we 
have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to 
the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel 
of his will. Just like old covenant Israel 
received an inheritance, there were tribal allotments in terms 
of the land. They had those boundaries set 
forth. Well, so does the believer, the 
new covenant Israel, receives an inheritance. There's a tribal 
allotment. There is part and parcel for 
us in heaven above. Jesus says in John 14, I go to 
prepare a place for you. In my father's house are many 
mansions that cannot be taken from us, that cannot be stripped 
away. And it is a place unaffected 
by moth and rust. It is a most excellent and wondrous 
thing. But in this particular passage, 
we might also understand the inheritance to be the saints 
themselves. What are the riches of the glory 
of his inheritance among the saints? In other words, the saints 
bought by the blood of Jesus Christ are going to ultimately 
end in heaven. You can see that in the book 
of Revelation. And in that or among that, we 
will see God's glory manifested and demonstrated and on display. And so the apostle wants the 
people of God to consider their future. It's very easy to get 
tied to the present. I'm very guilty of that, brethren. I spend about 10 minutes on Twitter 
and I'm an unhappy camper. I need to think in terms of Paul's 
prayer in Ephesians 1. I need to ponder the glory of 
his inheritance among the saints. I need to ponder the hope of 
his calling, the fact that it's not only for now, the fact that 
he's not only gonna keep me until that day, but he's going to bring 
us all unto his heavenly kingdom, wherein his glory and his majesty 
will shine forth among his saints. See, for Paul, yes, he'd pray 
for your broken arm, not for your broken arm. That's kind 
of odd. Sometimes we pray for broken arms. No, we pray for 
people who have broken arms. We don't pray for food either. 
We praise God for giving us. I guess we pray for food that 
there's, you know, no razor blades in it or no arsenic or things 
like that. But the idea is that the apostle 
Paul prays for these spiritual things that typically we don't 
think about. We don't ponder this. Do we go 
to the throne of grace and say, Almighty God, Most High, please 
give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may 
know you, that I may know you more so. And God, with reference 
to the knowledge of you, I want to know the hope of your calling 
on my life. I want to know something about 
the inheritance of the saints. I want to know something about 
the exceeding greatness of your power. Brethren, does this mark 
the way that you and I pray? Does it look like Paul's prayer 
closet when we go to our prayer closet? God bless the food, bless 
this arm, bless this, and you know, amen. Now, I'm not suggesting 
that you don't want to minimize anybody's prayer or ever say, 
that's not good praying. Pray, pray as God leads you. 
But brethren, let's develop our prayer life in terms of the prayers 
of the Apostle Paul. What mattered to Paul with reference 
to the Ephesians? The economy? The politics? Did 
all those things come into his prayer closet? They may have. 
Maybe he didn't write that particular section. But what we do know, 
he includes, is that these people would grow in their understanding 
of who God is. What's the idea? Because if you 
understand who God is, you'll be able to deal with the economy. 
You'll be able to deal with the politics. I mean, the politics 
will still be depressing. I doubt the political system 
was any more encouraging at the time of Nero than it is today. I mean, we forget that the apostles 
and the Christians in the first century, they had some oppression 
too. They had some persecution too. 
They had some issues and some challenges that many of us have 
no clue about whatsoever. Abortion in the early church 
was taking babies and throwing them on the trash heap. It was 
infanticide. They would throw little girl 
babies on the trash heap. Just like you put your trash 
out, they'd throw the babies out. And if the babies were destroyed 
by dogs, that's just the price of doing business in Ephesus. Not just Ephesus, but in the 
empire as a whole. But typically those babies would 
have been taken and exploited sexually, or used in prostitution, 
or slavery, or whatever. So you see, they had their challenges 
also. Not suggesting that Paul was not cognizant of the political 
situation, or the economy, or whatnot. But the idea is, is 
that when the people of God know their God, they are prepared 
to deal with whatever life throws at them. And that's the emphasis 
in the Apostle's Prayer. Notice in Colossians chapter 
1, Now, same emphasis, Colossians chapter 1, verse 12. 10. That you may walk worthy of the 
Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work, 
and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all 
might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering 
with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to 
be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He 
has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into 
the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption 
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He does a similar thing 
in Titus chapter 2. Titus chapter 2. Again, focus 
or future orientation for the people of God. Not so that you're 
not good presently, but in order to function presently in this 
evil age, there has to be a future orientation in the mindset of 
the people of God. In other words, ponder the New Jerusalem, ponder 
the inheritance of the saints, ponder the reality that we are 
heading to the New Jerusalem. Notice in 2.11, for the grace 
of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. teaching 
us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live 
soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. Notice, looking 
for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and 
Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might 
redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His 
own special people, zealous for good works. So back to Ephesians 
chapter 1. Summary statement in terms of 
the exposition. He prays that they be given the 
spirit so that they may know God. He wants them to know specifically 
what is the hope of his calling, what is the inheritance of the 
saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power. God willing, 
we'll take up that third one next week in terms of the exceeding 
greatness of his power in verses 19 to 23. But in conclusion, 
in terms of practical application, first of all, the practice of 
prayer in the ministry of the apostle. This morning I tried 
to bring out his preaching. He goes to the synagogue. He 
preaches the gospel. He tells sinners, Jewish sinners, 
Gentile sinners, he tells them that Christ Jesus is the one 
in whom there is salvation. He preached tirelessly. He preached relentlessly. He 
preached constantly. And when he wasn't preaching, 
as we see in his epistles, he was praying. He took Acts 6, 
4 seriously. He continued in prayer and in 
the ministry of the word. There was constancy, there was 
gratitude, and there was intercession. Getting the eyes off of self 
and upon others is a very helpful endeavor. We are far too introspective, 
too much narcissistic, and oftentimes getting our minds away from self, 
onto the needs of the people of God in general, specific people, 
that is a blessed help for us in our own growth and sanctification. Secondly, the content of the 
prayers in the ministry of the apostle, the emphasis is on spiritual 
stuff. Again, brethren, you can pray 
for physical stuff. You can pray for anything other 
than, you know, God help me in the commission of this crime, 
or please bless this sin. I mean, those are not prayers 
that you want to offer up. But you can pray for broken bones. You can pray for food. You can 
pray God sustained my car, so I make it to point B. There's 
nothing wrong with that. Traveling mercies is a thing 
that we see, I think, in the book of Nehemiah. They pray specifically 
for traveling mercies. That's not bad. It's not wrong. But to the neglect of spiritual 
emphases, brethren, We need to remember the end game is that 
they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom 
Thou hast sent. If we survey the modern church, 
guess what most likely will be defective in our understanding 
of the Bible? Who is God? Who is Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit? What distinguishes the persons 
one from another? How do we explain the oneness 
of God, the threeness of God? Those things are revealed for 
us in the scripture, and it is imperative that we understand 
those things because of the importance. As well, the emphasis on growth 
in the knowledge of God. You saw that in Colossians 1.10 
as well. Same sort of emphasis, same sort 
of a context. He's praying for the church there. 
And he says that you would be increasing in the knowledge of 
God. And then the emphasis on the 
ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Brethren, 
we should be praying. God, give us the spirit of wisdom 
and revelation and the knowledge of Him. We should be praying 
as we gather together that the Spirit come down, the Spirit 
bless, the Spirit encourage, the Spirit build, the Spirit 
give us and guide us and direct us into more of the knowledge 
of Him. And then a final aspect that 
I think we learn from this is the blessings of God in the lives 
of his people. See, Paul wouldn't pray this 
if it was an impossibility. Paul wouldn't pray this if there 
was no way that God would answer. Paul prays this because he knows 
the goodness of God. Paul prays this because he knows 
that God wants, and I speak in the manner of man, that the people 
of God know him better, to know the hope of his calling, to know 
the future inheritance, to know the exceeding greatness of his 
power. God wants us to stand in awe of God. And so Paul prays 
this knowing that these are potential for us, that we have this, that 
we grow in this, and that as a result, we're better able and 
better equipped to deal with whatever we face in this lower 
world. The best help to promote your 
sanctification is to know God. The best help to grow in grace 
is to know God. The best help for you to be a 
good husband, a good father, a good wife, a good mother, is 
to know God. Again, look at the placement. This comes before Ephesians chapters 
five and six. Five and six, he's gonna press 
the people of God in the church on how to be husbands, how to 
be wives. But he's already told them what 
is a priority. the knowledge of God Almighty. Brethren, never shrink back from 
that. Pursue this most blessed truth 
and find great joy for your hearts. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the clarity 
of the apostles' writings here. We thank you for what is revealed 
to us. And God, help us to emphasize 
the spiritual in terms of petition before the throne of grace. As 
well, Father, we pray that we would each grow in the knowledge 
of you, that we would know that hope of his calling, that we 
would know that inheritance, that we would know the exceeding 
greatness of your power. And may these things fill our 
hearts with joy. May they strengthen us. May they 
give us the impetus to persevere in a godless age and to be faithful 
doing so. We ask now that you would go 
with us and watch over all of the brothers and sisters in the 
life of this local church We thank you for a blessed day. 
We thank you for the fellowship of the saints. We thank you for 
the sacraments of the church. And we thank you, Lord God, that 
Christ is in the midst of the lampstands. And we pray now in 
his most blessed name, amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation.