Dear
Friend, grace and peace be unto you from God our Father, and our Lord
and Savior, Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
Paul began his letter by
declaring the eternal plan of God for the world. Now Paul shares
about the God of this plan. He emphasizes that it is absolutely
necessary that believers grow more and more in the knowledge of God and
develop a trusting relationship with Him.
Paul shares three points
about having knowledge of God
First,
the basis: faith and love (1:15-16) “For
this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and
your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers.”
The Ephesian Church had such
a strong witness that it was the buzz all over the Roman world.
Their testimony had reached Paul even in prison. And what had he
heard? That the believers had a strong faith in Jesus and had a
strong love for all the saints of God.
It was this fact of their
faith and love that caused Paul to write these believers to encourage
them to continue in them. He knew that the Christian life never
sits still. A believer has to grow or they can slip back – even
to unbelief. Paul wanted these believers to remain a vital and
alive church, witnessing to their knowledge of God and the power of God.
Paul wanted these believers
to grow in their blessings, therefore, he told them that he was praying
for them. He never ceased to ask God that they might grow in their
relationship with God. As we must pray for one another.
Second,
the need: a growing knowledge of God – the God of Jesus and the Father
of glory (1:17-18) “I keep
asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may
give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him
better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the
riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.”
Paul clearly identified the
God we are to know. He is not a god of our own minds or thoughts.
The God Paul tells us about
is…
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the
God of Jesus, the Christ. It was to God the Father that
Jesus submitted Himself while on earth.
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the
Father of glory. The only true and living God of the
universe. The One who is omnipotent (all powerful) and
omnipresent (present everywhere).
This is the God we are to
know. He is the only ever living and true God.
Three things are essential
if believers are to grow in the knowledge of God.
These are so important that
Paul says he prayed unceasingly for God to give them to the believers.
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To
grow in the knowledge of God a believer must have the Spirit of
wisdom (sophia).
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What
the believer needs from God is…
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Wisdom
is knowing how to use the facts that knowledge gives.
If a
person is to truly grow in the knowledge of God, and develop a strong
relationship with Him, he must seek the wisdom of God in every way
possible. We must have a strong desire to know God better.
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To
grow in the knowledge of God a believer must have the Spirit of
revelation. We note two things here.
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“The
Spirit of revelation” means that it is the Holy Spirit
who reveals who God is to a person. We call this “grace.”
Scripture makes it very clear that it is God’s work in us that
creates a knowledge of Him and a faith in Him.
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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. A
Christian enlightened by the Holy Spirit will see the world
through the eyes of God. He will understand in a way
others cannot why history is being played out as it is.
Human
philosophers say, “know thyself.”
Jesus says in His prayer recorded in John 17:3, “Now
this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
To
know oneself is very important. But the greatest thing in all of
life is to know your God through Jesus. That knowledge and
relationship gives eternal life.
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To
grow in the knowledge of God a believer must have the eyes of his
heart enlightened. Interesting terminology – “eyes
of the heart.” The work “heart”
means that part of us that is really us - the heart of our being.
Whatever we want to call it, mind, soul or personality, it must be
opened so that the light of God can shine in.
God
through His means of grace – the Word and the Sacraments – opens our
hearts to His Spirit. We are led to them focus on God and are
enlightened by his presence.
Third,
the results: enlightened with hope (1:18) “I
pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that
you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his
glorious inheritance in the saints.”
The results of knowing God
are threefold.
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A believer comes to know the hope of God’s calling, that we…
