When we begin to consider our salvation from a heavenly perspective it is an awe-inspiring proposition. We're taken from the darkness of sin and it's penalty of death and we're given a new nature in Christ; we're now in Him and He in us; we're sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption; we're given an inheritance in Him; and we are actually used by our Creator for the praise of His glory.

And it's because of all this that Paul approaches these Ephesian Christians and enters into their joy which is found in Christ.

EPH 1:15 "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."

It's been about four years since Paul was in Ephesus as he is now in a Roman prison writing to these people. Instead of whining and crying about his situation he is rejoicing in the life they have in Christ. He's giving thanks to God and continually keeping them in prayer before the Lord.

Here is a man who was a gifted teacher and preacher; one who had so much to offer to the Church and where do we find him? In a place where he apparently isn't able to use these gifts, or so it would seem. And yet, being a willing servant, God was able to use him even in a prison cell, not just reaching the inmates, but people on the outside as well.

Even in jail he's still teaching and preaching, he's praying and encouraging and pointing people to Christ. We might say, well he's Paul the apostle, he can do that sort of thing. No, he's Paul the apostle doing just what God called him to do even when it wasn't convenient. He wasn't a super-saint. In fact, he was no different than you or me.

He has the same Savior, the same Holy Spirit who sealed him for the day of redemption, the same Spirit who indwelt and empowered him as we have. But he had learned something over the years. He learned that it didn't make any difference what his circumstances were. He learned that contrary to the way the world works, often times some of the greatest accomplishments which God will do in our lives, and in the lives of people around us, come in our weakest moments, not our strongest.

This is why Paul told the Corinthians of Christ's statement to him in 2CO 12:9 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

And in all of this he learned to be content and willing to be used of God in any and all situations. But we see here in our text that Paul had heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ among these Christians.

Evidently word had gotten back to Paul as different Christians, who served the Lord in their travels, would come to minister to Paul and fill him in on what the Lord was doing. And what the Lord was doing was touching the lives of people in Ephesus.

These Christians had faith in Christ and what it was producing was a love for each other, and the word for love here is agape. This is a love from God that is the kind of love which considers one another more important than yourself. It's a love which strives with people and seeks their best as it relates to their relationship with God. And it's a love which loves when others may not love you back.

The greatest demonstration of this kind of love is what we read in 1JO 4:9 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

What John is saying is that the touchstone for our love for one another is the way Christ loved us. And Paul commends these Christians in Ephesus for this kind of love among the brethren.

This is the reason Paul is giving thanks to God. He is seeing the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives which is a demonstration of their salvation in practical ways, which is not only seen in the Church but in the world as well, as unbelievers are able to see this love of God shed abroad in their hearts. And Paul is excited to see the manifestation of God's work in their lives which proves their faith is real.

There were a lot of imposters in those days, even as there are a lot of imposters today. But true agape love is not something you can fake, at least for very long. Agape love will endure, fleshly love will ultimately seek only to please self.

But faith and love must go hand in hand. To say we have faith in Christ and not love the brethren is a contradiction. Our faith in Christ is the result of Him first loving us. And if we love Him then we will also love those who have embraced Him and have found forgiveness in Him.

But notice that Paul's response is to pray for these people continually, which means he prays for them on a regular basis. And look at what he prays.

EPH 1:17 "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.
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,
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. "

Now this is interesting. In verses 15 and 16 Paul commends them for their faith and love and yet here he is saying, in essence, that he prays their eyes will be opened to see what God has done for them in Christ.

Is this a discrepancy? No! He is simply stating the truth that though they are walking in Christ and in his love by faith, there is always room for growth. There is always room to learn more of our Savior. Can you imagine anyone saying, 'I've learned all there is to know about my infinite, Almighty God?' 'I couldn't love Him any more than I already do.'

No one has arrived when it comes to growing in Christ, not even Paul. He didn't stand still in his faith, he was always seeking the Lord and desiring to know Him better and love Him more.

This is why Paul addresses the Father of Christ as the Father of glory, in some translations, and in the NIV the glorious Father. In a sense Paul is in awe of this God who is glorious beyond comprehension in one sense, and yet who has revealed Himself that we might know Him.

It is this glorious Father who has given us His Spirit. And as Paul prays for these Christians he reminds them that this is his prayer for them, that God blesses them in a variety of ways.

Notice what he doesn't pray for. He doesn't pray for their finances, he doesn't pray for their physical needs, he doesn't pray for their businesses to prosper, he doesn't pray for their physical health. Does this mean Paul wasn't concerned with these areas of life, or that he never prayed for these things for these people? Of course not. I'm sure he came to the Lord with these real needs.

But what Paul is doing here is trying to remind these people of their higher calling and what it will take to pursue that call, and life they have in Christ, so that they might honor their glorious heavenly Father.

He prays that the Father would give them the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Now, some translations would suggest that they receive "a" spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

I believe the NIV is correct here in saying "the" Spirit who is the Holy Spirit. This entire letter is filled with references to the third person in the Godhead. When the Father enlightens our eyes it is through the Holy Spirit. When He gives revelation it is through the Holy Spirit.

When He imparts wisdom it is through the Holy Spirit. When referring to the Messiah in Isaiah we read, "The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" - (ISA 11:2)

It is the Spirit of God who is able to open the eyes of the blind and enable them to see their need for the Savior. But it is the Father who gives us the Spirit of God and the One who also recognizes our need to grow in wisdom and revelation and knowledge of Him.

Wisdom is something all men in this world, regardless of their relationship with God, can experience. There are some very wise people when it comes to this world. And wisdom is basically taking knowledge and using it in a way that produces good results.

But simply being wise in a worldly way will never give us the kind of wisdom which will lead us to God or be deemed really wise in the eyes of God. In fact, the wisdom of this world will keep us from God if it's used as an end in itself.

This is verified by God in 1CO 1:20 "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

The wisdom we want as believers in Christ is a godly wisdom. 1CO 1:30 "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

This is the kind of wisdom we want to build on; a wisdom which sees the life we have in Christ by faith and continues to grow in this relationship. But this kind of wisdom found in the Holy Spirit will come through the means the Holy Spirit has ordained, which is the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

COL 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom..."

James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (JAM 1:5)

But we don't ask for wisdom in a vacuum. We don't ask for wisdom and then neglect the means for God's wisdom. To ask for wisdom and yet not spend time hearing from God and His wisdom, found in His word, is like asking to use the car without any intention of taking the keys with you. You can have a great time behind the wheel, but you're not going anywhere.

And so Paul prays that wisdom, which comes from the Holy Spirit, according to His word, will be made manifest in their lives to where it's continually growing. Why? Because wisdom will cause us to live in reverence and humbleness before our God.

This too James speaks of in JAM 3:13 "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom."

You see wisdom is not something we show off simply by saying wise things, or simply by giving wise counsel and having people ooh and aah over how wise we are. "Boy, they say such wise things, they must be close to God.'

Certainly wise counsel is what God wants us giving to people, but are we living lives that follow that Biblical counsel and follow what we say to be true of our God and the salvation He gives us in Christ?

True wisdom from the Holy Spirit prompts our hearts to walk humbly before our God and allow the world to see what God is doing in our lives as we rely on His power and strength. But wisdom will also tell the world where this life comes from. They may not see it as wisdom, but that should never keep us from sharing it.

Sometimes we become intimidated by the "apparent" wisdom of this world and we shrink back. Don't ever forget what God says about this worldly wisdom. "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1CO 1:20)

Pray for wisdom, but find that wisdom as you seek the knowledge of Him. By the way, this knowledge, which we've discussed as found in His word, is not just facts and figures we store in our heads. This is why Paul prays that the Holy Spirit would give revelation in the knowledge of Him.

The word revelation in the Greek is apokalupsis and it means "laying bear, making naked." In other words, revealing so as to make one see the truth. The world can read the Bible and can gain all sorts of information, but it is the Holy Spirit who reveals spiritual truths of God's word. Without His illumination we simply have gained knowledge without gaining the wisdom to understand what that word says and instructs as it relates first and foremost to salvation in Christ alone.

For the Christian we have the Holy Spirit who desires to reveal truth. But to honor Him and humble ourselves before Him it would behoove us to come to Him and ask that He reveal all truth to us. And if we're seeking to be wise in Him, He will reveal these things to us so that we may grow in our faith.

That's the ministry of the Holy Spirit; to conform us to the image of Christ. And it is through the word of God, as the Holy Spirit teaches and comforts us, that we are being sanctified. This is what Jesus meant when He prayed to the Father; "Father sanctify them by the truth, Your word is truth." (Joh.17:17)

But notice what Paul continues to pray in our text in verse 18. EPH 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,..."

Notice the phrase, "the eyes of your heart". This is what Paul wants touched in the lives of these Christians and all Christians. We talk about seeing with spiritual eyes and hearing with spiritual ears. This is what Paul is talking about here. The prophet Isaiah prophesied of this opening of the spiritual eyes as it spoke of the Messiah who would come to accomplish this.

ISA 29:17 "In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest?
18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."

When we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people we aren't just inviting them to consider the cold hard facts of what this message is all about. We must also pray that the Holy Spirit will open their spiritual eyes to see this truth for themselves as something they must have.

But when we talk about spiritual eyes what we're really dealing with is the heart of a person, the spirit of a person which needs to be awakened. We get a glimpse of this when Paul shared the gospel with some people down near a river. "One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message." (ACT 16:14)

In fact, this is what Jesus Christ clearly told Paul that the Lord would do in his ministry. Paul may have been giving the message but it was God who was opening the eyes. He told Paul, "I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." (ACT 26:17)

None of us can boast that we had eyes to see or ears to hear. It is God who opens these for us so that we may reach out to Him for the life He offers in Christ. He reminded the Hebrew Christians to "Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering." (HEB 10:32)

Many of you may remember the time and place when the light went on and you saw yourself a sinner in need of a Savior and you saw the truth that only Jesus Christ is that Savior whom you needed to embrace by faith.

But why does Paul pray that the eyes of these Christians be opened when in fact they had already been opened to the truth of the Gospel? Because we never stop appreciating the beauty of our salvation. We never stop learning what it is that God has done for us in Christ. This is why the first part of this letter goes over the gospel and what it entails.

EPH 1:5 "He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will -
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
8 that he lavished on us..."

I've heard people say, 'why do we need to study the gospel when we're already saved?' Because it's the gospel, the good news of your salvation which should the be the primary focus of your life in Christ. It is an appreciation of the gospel which will urge you to live to God's glory out of thankfulness for so great a gift.

Paul is saying, 'I pray the Holy Spirit fills you with such an understanding of this new life in Christ that you just can't contain it and you go out and live it for His glory.

That's what he says in verse 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,..."

Why does he pray that our eyes be enlightened by the Holy Spirit? "In order that you may know the hope to which he has called you..." Does he mean to know it for the first time? No, he means to see it for what it really is. The word here for "know" in the Greek is not gnosko, which is the word we usually associate with knowing as far as gaining knowledge.

This word is eido and it means to perceive with the eyes. It suggests that you've already got the knowledge, now understand it's deeper implications. Paul wants us to know what is the hope of His calling; to perceive with our spiritual eyes the deeper truths of this great salvation which he describes as the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints...'

Sometimes we look at salvation as just a guarantee of a future life with Christ. Paul says, no, this salvation speaks of riches beyond our comprehension, unless we're willing to seek the Spirit who gives wisdom and revelation and knowledge into what we possess, and then we can truly begin to comprehend and then act accordingly.

It's not as though it's hidden and we need secret knowledge to find this out. It's just that there's so much to our life in Christ that it takes some effort to discover it's riches and in turn begin to appreciate the hope of God's calling and respond in faith which involves trust and obedience.

And then when we see with eyes of faith and appreciate this life more and more our lives will follow suit as we seek the Lord and desire to please Him in all things. We'll begin to step out and serve Him and love Him.

This is a growing process, but it's a process we all need to be engaged in as we come humbly before our God and ask for enlightenment of our spiritual eyes so that we might walk in the Spirit as we submit to Him all of our days.

Remember, there is no "arriving" when it comes to knowing our God. This is a life long process which will continue into eternity. In praying for the Christians in Philippi Paul said, "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

It is the Holy Spirit who desires our growth and He will certainly accomplish our salvation to the end so that we will come home and see our God face to face.

But it was in that same letter to the Philippian church that Paul went on to say, PHI 1:8 "God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God."

May we love our God more and more and more as we seek Him and begin to discover the depth and height and breadth and width of His love for us, and in turn find that that love will prompt our hearts to desire to reach out and love people in this world who don't Him, as well as our love for one another.

1TH 3:12 "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

You want to love God more? You want to appreciate your salvation more and more? Seek the Spirit of God and the word He inspired and come to Him with an attitude of wanting to learn more about the salvation we have in Christ, and then take that knowledge and convert it to wisdom as you apply those truths and desire to honor God with your life. It must be done in faith, but it must first start with a desire that He's worth knowing better and loving more.

2TH 1:11 "With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.
12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

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