Ironside<\/a>, 86-87).<\/p>\nThis man had the spirit of wisdom and revelation that comes from spending time with God and His Word. There is no spiritual short cut here. It comes only with discipline and time.<\/p>\n
I can attest to this as well. While I have been to Bible college and Seminary, I would say that the vast majority of what I have learned about God and Scripture did not come from what they taught me in seminary. Instead, I learned it through the careful and prayerful study of Scripture as I seek God\u2019s face and listen to His whispering through the words of God on the written page and the Word of God in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
So both of these words found in Ephesians 1:17, wisdom and revelation, imply that Paul wants his readers to gain spiritual knowledge. How do we know this? Well, look at the text. The end of Ephesians 1:17 says so that.<\/b>\u00a0Why does Paul want us to gain wisdom and knowledge?\u00a0So that you may know Him better.\u00a0<\/b>The spiritual possessions we have in Christ have been given to us so that we will first, give glory to God and second, gain knowledge of God.<\/p>\n
How much do you know about this God you claim to love?<\/p>\n
Could you name even five of his attributes or characteristics?<\/p>\n
Do you know His ways and His works?<\/p>\n
Now where are you going to learn about God?<\/p>\n
Some people turn to their own feelings, while others turn to reason and logic. There is nothing wrong with feelings and emotions or reason and logic. Both are gifts from God. But both can also lead us astray.<\/p>\n
Of course, creation and our conscience can also tell us something about God, but both have been twisted by sin and so can also lead us astray. We need something clearer.<\/p>\n
The only way to know anything for sure about God is to have Him tell us about Himself. And that is exactly what He has done in Scripture, and especially in Jesus Christ. The blessings we have in Jesus Christ guide us into knowledge of God and the wisdom for how to live life.<\/p>\n
That is why I place so much effort and emphasis on teaching Scripture, and as I do, always pointing you to Jesus Christ. Biblical teaching which focuses on Christ and Him crucified is one of the best ways to learn about God and what God wants for our lives.<\/p>\n
So our spiritual possessions are for us to give glory to God and to gain knowledge of God. Paul, in Ephesians 1:18-19, lists three things specifically that he desires\u2014that he prays\u2014for his readers to gain knowledge of.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Three Specific Items Paul Wants the Ephesians to Know (Ephesians 1:18-19)<\/h2>\n Ephesians 1:18-19. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know <\/b>(he prays for us to know three things\u2014first)\u00a0the hope to which he has called you,\u00a0<\/b>(second)\u00a0the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and\u00a0<\/b>(third)\u00a0his incomparably great power for us who believe.<\/b><\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s prayer is that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened. The\u00a0eyes of your heart<\/b>\u00a0is a figure of speech for spiritual knowledge and understanding. And Paul prays that his readers would gain spiritual knowledge and understanding in three ways. First, that they would know hope, second, that they would know their riches, and third, that they would know God\u2019s power. Let\u2019s take these one at a time.<\/p>\n1. The Hope To Which You Were Called<\/h3>\n
Paul\u2019s first item that he prays for is that his readers would know hope.<\/p>\n
A lot of people hear the word \u201chope\u201d and think it implies kind of a \u201cwishful thinking.\u201d For example, many people hope for riches\u2014but most will not ever become rich.<\/p>\n
But that is not the kind of hope Paul is talking about.<\/p>\n
Our hope is a certain hope. Hope in Scripture is the absolute certainty of our victory in God (cf. Rom 8:23-24; Eph 4:4; Col 1:5; 1 Thess 1:3; 1 Pet 3:15).<\/p>\n
We do not place faith in our own good works, we hope in Christ, we place faith in His works, and we know that since God does not lie, our hope has a good foundation, and our hope will come true.<\/p>\n
When God makes a promise, faith believes it, hope anticipates it, and patience quietly awaits it.<\/p>\n
2. The Riches of Our Inheritance<\/h3>\n Secondly, though, Paul wants us to gain knowledge of God by learning about our riches. He says in Ephesians 1:18, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.<\/b> I hope you understand that the riches that belong to us in Christ\u2014the inheritance that is ours in Jesus Christ\u2014is partly for our use right now. In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul has shared numerous things that we have in Christ, but these are not the only riches that we have. Other places in Scripture tell us what these other things are.<\/p>\n
And Paul says here that for many of them, we can know them now! I should point out here that the word \u201cknow\u201d often means more than just a simple knowledge of something. Being to the ocean \u2026 swimming in the ocean \u2026 smelling the salt in the air and tasting the salt on your tongue, hearing the cry of the seagulls \u2026 is much different than reading about the ocean in a book. One is simply mental knowledge; the other is experiential knowledge.<\/p>\n
The knowledge of that Paul wants us to have here of our hope and riches in Jesus Christ is an intimate, experiential kind of knowledge. Here, he wants us to know the riches that we have in Christ by using them.<\/p>\n
3. The Great Power for Us Who Believe<\/h3>\n Finally, in the first part of verse 19, Paul prays for his readers to know\u00a0his incomparably great power for us who believe.<\/b><\/p>\n
The world wants power today, doesn\u2019t it? Those who are of the world believe that money and prestige and position, will get them power. Well, let me tell you, the power that is ours in Christ is beyond comprehension. Paul says it is\u00a0incomparably great<\/b>! That means there is no comparison between this power and any other power in the world! In fact, the Greek word for power is\u00a0dunamis,<\/i>\u00a0from which we get our word dynamite. It is power like dynamite that we have in Christ.<\/p>\n
And Paul thinks this power is so great, that he goes on in the rest of Ephesians 1:19 an on through Ephesians 1:23 to talk about this power. We don\u2019t have time to look at these verses today, but we will do so in future studies.<\/p>\n
My prayer for you, as you listen to these studies, as you read my books, and as you join my online discipleship group, is that you will come to a better understanding of everything that you have in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
I want you to be hopeful and your future. We live in bleak times, and there is so much going on in the world, that it sometimes causes us to lose hope. But there is hope in Jesus, and we can know with certainty that no matter how bad things get in the world or in your life, this world is not all there is. You have great and hopeful things awaiting you in eternity.<\/p>\n
Second, I pray that you would know how rich you are in Jesus Christ. Spiritually rich. There are many great blessings we have been given in Jesus Christ, and these rich blessings can help us in life, in our jobs, in our relationships, and in all we think, say, and do.<\/p>\n
Third, I want you to know and experience the power of God. The power to break down barriers, defeat sin and temptation, and overcome doubt and fear. I want you to live a victorious and fulfilling Christian life.<\/p>\n
I hope and pray that all of these things become true of you as you continue to join me on the path of following Jesus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ephesians 1:15-19 contains a list of things that Paul prays for. Seeing this helps us know what we can pray for as well. In fact, I do pray for these exact things, not only for myself, but also for everyone who reads my writings or listens to my teachings. So join me in this study of Ephesians 1:15-19 to discover what I pray for you! Before we get to that, however, we answer a question from a reader about what is going on in life and whether or not he will ever bear fruit again for the kingdom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2297,2230,2296],"tags":[3280,3134,1476,2219,1475,3281],"class_list":{"0":"post-53621","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-redeeming-god","8":"category-redeeming-scripture","9":"category-z","10":"tag-ephesians-115-19","11":"tag-fruit-of-the-spirit","12":"tag-how-to-pray","13":"tag-podcast","14":"tag-prayer","15":"tag-what-to-pray-for","16":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
What Paul prayed for ... and what I pray for you (Ephesians 1:15-19)<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n