October 16, 2022
Ephesians 1:15-23
“Paul’s Passion”
Service Overview: In light of God’s eternal plan and provision, Paul’s passion was that those who would turn to Jesus would grow to know Jesus more and grow in the knowledge of all that God’s eternal plan entailed.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV)
Background Information:
- Most people in Paul’s day believed that the world was run by Fate, which was usually expressed by the stars (which were viewed as heavenly beings), and most of these people did not believe one had any hope of escape from Fate. Some of the mystery cults, however, like the cult of Isis, gained popularity by claiming power to free initiates from Fate. (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 277)
- These churches were under constant bombardment from nonbelieving sects and pagan religions and Paul knew they needed to be lifted to the throne of God regularly that their faith not fail under the pressures and temptations. He wanted to see growth in their spiritual lives but he also desired that they be a united people. (Willard H. Taylor, Beacon Bible Expositions, Volume 8, 133)
- The right hand (Eph. 1:20) has always been known as the hand of honor in the Middle East. The left hand was used for certain acts of personal hygiene and, as a result, was considered to be unclean. (Mark A. Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 1128)
- The “right hand” is a metaphor for the position of highest honor and bliss and glory and authority and power. The writer of Hebrews alludes to Psalm 110:1, which is also in view here, as he sings in wonder, “And to which of the angels has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’?” (Heb. 1:13). (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Ephesians, 68)
- For the Jew, the heart was the core of personality, the total inner person, the center of thought and moral judgment. The imagery of the eyes of your heart pictures an ability to see the reality of our hope. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Ephesians, 30)
- The ‘heart’ in Scripture is the seat of thought and moral judgment as well as of feeling. This deep, interior enlightenment provided by the Holy Spirit leads the believer to realize all that God has made available to him. (A. Skevington Wood, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 11, 30)
- 1:17-18. Jewish people commonly prayed for enlightened eyes to understand God’s Word; the Old Testament also spoke of opening one’s eyes to God’s Word (Ps 119:18) or to other spiritual realities (2 Kings 6:17). Some Jewish sources characterized the Spirit of God as the “Spirit of wisdom” (the Old Testament especially emphasizes this: e.g., Ex 28:3; 31:3; 35:31; Is 11:2; cf. Deut 34:9). (Keener, 276)
The question to answer…
What is Paul’s passion and hope in this prayer?
Answer…
That the Ephesians’ eyes would be opened to the fullness of the new reality they now enjoy by being in Christ.
If Paul’s prayers were answered, what could he have expected to see in the church at Ephesus?
- A head-knowledge that resulted in heart-knowledge.
(vv. 17-18 | Prov. 2:10; 18:15; John 15:15; 17:3; Col. 2:2-3; Ja. 4:8; 2 Pet. 3:18; Rev. 3:20)
Knowledge is not the same as knowing. What we often seek is breadth rather than depth. We errantly assume that the more facts we know, the closer we grow. But Paul’s prayer is for depth, not breadth. His concern is not that the people know of God, but to actually know God. (Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 1010)
- Eyes opened to see their high hope and calling.
(v. 18 | Ps. 19:8; Mat. 6:22-23; 13:16; John 15:16; Acts 26:15-18; Rom. 5:5; 1 Pet. 1:3)
To the Christian, hope is not an intense desire, but an intense certainty. It is not the result of fate, but the product of faith. Hope is the fulfillment of God’s promises and claims. (Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 1041)
God’s mind is revealed in Scripture, but we need “Holy Spirit glasses” to understand it accurately and deeply. Spurgeon said that apart from the Spirit it is easier to teach a tiger vegetarianism than an unregenerate person the gospel (An All-Around Ministry, 322). (Tony, Merida, Exalting Jesus in Ephesians, 35)
- Appreciation for, and pursuit of, the power now available to them.
(v. 19 | Luke 10:19; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 2:5; 4:20; 6:14; 2 Cor. 12:9; Eph. 3:20; 2 Pet. 1:3)
To be at the “right hand” was a position of privilege, honor, favor, victory, and power. This position belongs to Jesus Christ alone. What does that mean for us? It means everything. Everything is under the reign of the seated King! The author of Hebrews says He is upholding the universe by the word of His power, and He upholds it all sitting down (Heb 1:3). If He is doing this, then we can trust Him with our problems—both great and small. Our hope is not in a political election but in the seated King. (Tony, Merida, Exalting Jesus in Ephesians, 40)
- Submission to Christ, in all things, as his body.
(vv. 21-23 | Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; 13:2; Col. 1:18; 3:15; Heb. 1:3; Ja. 4:7)
Christ is God’s Gift to the Church. All the power vested in Christ flows into the life of the believing community. (Taylor, 138)
That Christ is the leader, or head, implies unity with the church, Christ’s body. Paul used the analogy elsewhere when he wrote about the interrelationships of believers in the church (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:22-27; Colossians 1:18-19). This passage focuses on Christ as the head of that body, the church (see also 4:4, 12, 16; 5:30). The church is not a building (or all the church buildings on earth)—it includes all believers in a living, growing, moving, working organism deriving existence and power from Christ. (Barton, 34)
Conclusion… What could we see happen at HFM if we embraced these concepts ourselves?
A. Greater sight and concern for the deeper realities that exist.
(v. 21 | Matthew 6:22; Acts 26:15-18; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:16)
We don’t need more truth or better truth (impossible!). We simply need our spiritual eyes opened to the truths that surround us. (Hughes, Ephesians, 62)
The inability to see and understand spiritual things is not the fault of the intelligence but of the heart. The eyes of the heart must be opened by the Spirit of God. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Rich: Ephesians, 34)
B. Strongholds broken as Christ’s power is invoked.
(Isaiah 54:17; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; James 4:6-10; 5:16; Revelation 1:5)
The greatest evidence of power is change. (Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights: Galatians & Ephesians, 220)
Prayer is the means by which we aggressively claim our strength in the Lord, appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit and putting on the whole armor of God. There is no substitute for a prayer life that brings the truth of God’s Word into aggressive application. (Mark I. Bubeck, Overcoming the Adversary, 16)
C. Greater depth in our relationship to both God and others.
(John 17:20-23; Romans 7:4; 1 Corinthians 12:18; Ephesians 3:6; 4:32; Colossians 3:12-15)
A church that has truth but lacks love is not a church; it’s a giant Bible class cultivating cliques, leading to a clannish mentality, and producing cult-like attitudes of pride, superiority, and exclusivity. (Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights: Galatians & Ephesians, 214)
Gospel Application…
Jesus didn’t die just to save from sin, but to dwell in and empower anyone who will turn to him.
(Isaiah 40:29-31; John 15:4; Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:5; 4:20; 2 Cor. 12:9; 2 Peter 1:3)
Nothing can match the power of God in its soul-regenerating and soul-sanctifying effects. The true greatness of God’s power is seen most dramatically when His Spirit is released in the heart of a sinner and the wicked man becomes a good man, a holy man. (Taylor, 136)
Knowing Christ is one of the New Testament’s ways of describing saving faith. Jesus himself said in his High Priestly prayer, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Those who know Christ have eternal life; those who do not know him are without it. (Hughes, Ephesians, 60)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- Paul prayed for his readers to know God better. What does knowing God involve? How well do you know Him?
- How is knowing about someone different from knowing them? What implications might there be in knowing about knowing Jesus?
- What does it look like for you to live as a person with hope rather than hopelessness?
- Which is a greater temptation for you: to live as if you are powerless and no power is available, or to live as if you have plenty of power without relying on God? Explain.
- What practical difference would it make if we understood our hope, inheritance, and power better?
- How might Paul’s view of the church differ from the view most Christians have today? What would happen if we took a higher view of the church?
Quotes to note…
The phrases in the Lord, in Christ, or their equivalent appear over forty times in the book of Ephesians alone. Such repetition lets us know that it is not just a convenient cliché. Every Christian is inseparably united with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are placed by God into oneness with His Person and work. Christ’s work belongs to every believer by right of intimate union. (Mark I. Bubeck, Overcoming the Adversary, 38)
The integrity of the faith of any one person or church is evident in the living out of their beliefs. (Mark A. Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 950)
Believers’ hope is not a vague feeling that the future will be positive, but it is complete assurance that God will do all that he has promised. (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Ephesians, 30)
All the divine graces and virtues which the Church needs to be Christ in the world are available to her through her Lord who dwells in fullness in the midst of her (Willard H. Taylor, Beacon Bible Expositions, Volume 8, 138)
God has laid up spiritual blessings for us in his Son the Lord Jesus; but requires us to draw them out and fetch them in by prayer. (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1253)
[God] owns all the heavens and numberless worlds, but we are his treasures. The redeemed are worth more than the universe. We ought to be delirious with this truth! (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Ephesians, 63)
How can we tell when we’re connected to God’s power? Even in the physical realm, power produces results. We know something has energy, vitality, and life when we see movement, growth, and development. The same is true in the spiritual realm. When we see the fruit of the Spirit manifested in our lives, we know God is working. God’s power works inside our hearts to change us. (Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights: Galatians & Ephesians, 220)
The Christian life has two dimensions: faith toward God and love toward men, and you cannot separate the two. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Rich: Ephesians, 33)
The reason we often fail to seek the Spirit’s illumination is that we have an inflated view of ourselves. We are tempted to feel self-sufficient, as if we do not need God’s help. The first step to becoming a student of the Bible is having a heart of humility—a heart that says, “Please, give me understanding.” (Tony, Merida, Exalting Jesus in Ephesians, 35)
Thankfulness can become an endangered experience in our lives unless we are careful to guard it. When we fail to tell God we are thankful, our prayers and worship become little more than a list of wants and needs. (Mark A. Holmes, Ephesians, Kindle Location 981)
If the death of Christ is the chief demonstration of the love of God, the chief demonstration of his power is the resurrection of Christ. (F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Ephesians, 41)