Eph 1:15-23
SS Lesson for 11/13/2022
Devotional Scriptures: James 3:13-17
Ephesus was a leading city of the Roman Empire. It was a large administrative center, perhaps 200,000 in population. Its Jewish population was substantial (some estimate more than 10,000), with many synagogues. Ephesus was a bustling seaport at the time, the point of contact for trade from the eastern and the western parts of the empire. Its harbor eventually filled with silt and became unusable, however, so the site was abandoned within a few hundred years. Ephesus was home to the Temple of Artemis (the goddess’s Greek name; Diana in Latin), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Acts 19:35). Paul’s first contact with the Ephesians was on his second missionary journey (AD 52–54). After his lengthy ministry in Corinth (Acts 18:11), Paul, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila, set sail for Ephesus. He remained there only a short time and then departed for Jerusalem, leaving Priscilla and Aquila behind (18:18-21). Paul’s second visit to Ephesus was on his third missionary journey, the account of which is recorded in Acts 18:23–21:6 (about AD 54-58). He spent about two and a half years in that city (compare the chronological references in 19:8, 10 and 20:31). Those converted under Paul’s ministry gave up their magic practices and burned their magic books, worth 50,000 drachmas, which is estimated to be equal to the yearly income of more than 130 men (19:18-19). The impact of his ministry had such an effect in the city that Demetrius, a leader of the local silversmiths, incited a mob at the theater against Christian teaching (19:23-41). Demetrius’s motive was less religious than economic. The problem was that, due to Paul’s ministry, widespread conversion to Christianity occurred. This meant that people were not purchasing the cultic paraphernalia of Artemis, and this created a significant income loss for the silversmiths. So Demetrius persuaded the crowds that Christianity was not only detrimental to their business but also brought disrepute to the goddess Artemis, who was worshipped throughout “Asia and the world” (Acts 19:27). The message of Christianity was making inroads in a great trade city of the Roman Empire, upsetting the status quo in the process. Paul’s message reached both Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:10, 17; 20:21). After leaving Ephesus, he ministered in Macedonia and Achaia. And on his return Paul visited the Ephesian elders at Miletus, where he reminded them of his ministry, warned them about false teachers, and prayed with them before his departure (20:15–38). The letter we call Ephesians came about some five years later, while Paul was imprisoned (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1; 6:20). Our text picks up exactly where Ephesians 1:1-14 left off. Most letters in Paul’s time offered a brief word of thanks to whatever god the writer worshipped. Paul followed this practice in most of his letters in the New Testament, praising only the true God. And he used the thanksgiving not just as a formality, part of good letter writing, but as a way to introduce ideas that he would develop later in the letter.
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
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
21 When the Lord heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, 22 for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins."
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world.
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.
3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
17 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,
18 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,
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true — even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
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. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
23 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.'
1 Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 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.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.
9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
Paul describes his prayer in general terms, so that while we do not have the exact words of his prayers, we are able to discern the essence of them. Consider these characteristics of Paul’s prayers, as described in our text:
(1) Paul’s prayer was addressed to God the Father. His prayer is to “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory” (verse 17).
(2) Paul’s prayer was continual. Paul says here and elsewhere that his prayers were made “without ceasing” (verse 16, see also Romans 1:8-10; Colossians 1:9-12).
(3) Paul was not alone in praying for the church at Ephesus. Note the little word “too” in verse 15:
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints.
We learn from Paul’s epistle to the Colossians that there were others who, like Paul, prayed for the saints in certain cities:
Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:12-13).
(4) Paul’s prayer included thanksgiving for the saints at Ephesus. This may not sound like a very significant statement, but it is. Paul was a Jew, and the Jews as a nation were not eager to see the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles, even though it was a part of the eternal plan and purpose of God.
The people of Jesus’ home town were transformed from enthusiastic approval to an angry murderous mob when Jesus made it clear to the people of Nazareth that His coming as Messiah included the blessing of the Gentiles (see Luke 4:16-30). The Jews of Jerusalem listened quietly to Paul’s personal testimony of his conversion to faith in Jesus as the Messiah, until he added that God had called him to preach to the Gentiles (Acts 22:1-23). The Jewish saints at Jerusalem only reluctantly granted that God had purposed to save Gentiles as well as Jews, but after having done so, kept on preaching the gospel to Jews alone (Acts 11:1-19).
Paul was called as an apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 1:5). He, like his co-worker of previous days (Acts 11:22-24), rejoiced when Gentiles came to faith. Like John the Baptist, he rejoiced in seeing the fulfillment of his calling (compare John 3:22-33).
(5) Paul’s prayer was a petition that the Ephesian saints would come to a deeper and fuller grasp of the truth of God as revealed in Scripture. He prays,
… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so 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 surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe (Ephesians 1:17-19).
Paul’s prayer of petition moves from the general to the specific:
· Prayer for a “spirit of wisdom and of revelation” (verse 17)
· Prayer that the “eyes of their heart may be enlightened” (verse 18).
· Prayer that the Ephesian saints may come to grasp …
… the hope of His
calling
… the glory of His inheritance in the saints
… the surpassing greatness of His power
Paul generally prays that the Ephesian saints may be given a “spirit of wisdom and of revelation” (verse 17). The first question we must answer is whether or not to capitalize the word “spirit.” I believe that we must. Repeatedly, wisdom and revelation are described as the result of the ministry of the Holy Spirit:
“But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task” (Acts 6:3).
And yet they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking (Acts 6:10).
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Luke 2:26).39
For to us God revealed {them} through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:10).
Which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit (Ephesians 3:5).
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look (1 Peter 1:12).
It is my understanding, then, that Paul is praying for a particular ministry of the Holy Spirit. What, then, is this ministry? Several lines of evidence tend to make this clear.
Some might think that Paul is praying for the Holy Spirit to give the church wisdom and revelation which is beyond that found in Scripture. I think this is both unnecessary. The Word of God is sufficient for all of our spiritual needs:
14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:14-17).
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world (Hebrews 1:1-2).
3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will (Hebrews 2:3-4).
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust (2 Peter 1:2-4).
It is true that the Scriptures produce wisdom:
O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, For Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Thy precepts (Psalm 119:97-100).
And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).
Nevertheless, I do not think that this is what Paul prayed for. There are several reasons for this. First, there is the order of the terms “wisdom” and “revelation.” Paul prayed for a “Spirit of wisdom and of revelation,” not for a “Spirit of revelation and of wisdom.” It would seem as though “wisdom” was meant to be understood as preceding “revelation.”
Second, I understand the first words of verse 18—“that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”—are an amplification, an explanation of the words of verse 17—“a Spirit of wisdom and of revelation.” Other texts of Scripture reveal a strong emphasis on the fact that divine “wisdom” is necessary to understand God’s inspired “revelation” in Scripture. In the Old Testament, the psalmist prayed for the wisdom required to understand the Law of God:
Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Thy law (Psalm 119:18).
Make me understand the way of Thy precepts, So I will meditate on Thy wonders (Psalm 119:27).
Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes, And I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Thy law, And keep it with all my heart (Psalm 119:33-34).
Thy hands made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments (Psalm 119:73).
Solomon indicated at the beginning of the Book of Proverbs that wisdom was necessary to understand difficult truth:
To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles (Proverbs 1:1-6).
When Jesus came to the earth as the promised Messiah, He came as God’s full and final revelation, God’s “last word” (see Hebrews 1:1-3). And yet He was not understood by men. He was not even understood by His disciples. Repeatedly in the gospels, the disciples and others failed to grasp the meaning of what Jesus was saying at that time (see John 2:17; 6:22-71; 7:37-40; 13:18-38; 14:1-5). Jesus understood this completely. They could not understand. Just before His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus spoke of His departure. He instructed them to abide in Him by abiding in His Word and keeping His commandments. And yet they did not understand His words. He assured them by promising the coming of the Holy Spirit, who would not only bring His words to their remembrance, but who would make their meaning clear to them as well (see John 14:25-26; 16:1-15). It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in communicating and clarifying the Word of God of which Jesus is speaking.
In the New Testament epistles, the Apostle Paul takes up this same theme. Paul contrasted the wisdom of God with the wisdom of men, showing that only by means of the illumination of the Holy Spirit could Christians grasp the meaning and application of God’s Word:
1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. 6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:1-15).
In the light of this, I understand Paul’s general prayer of petition in Ephesians 1:17 and 18 to be his request for God to illuminate the minds of the saints in Ephesus, so that they could grasp the depth of the riches of God’s Word. This epistle to the Ephesians was, in part, an answer to Paul’s prayer. Paul prayed for a deeper insight into God’s plan and purpose for the saints, and the Epistle to the Ephesians takes us further into the “mysteries” of God’s working than any previous book of the Bible has done.
Specifically, Paul prays for a greater grasp of three avenues of biblical revelation. Paul has spoken of the first two already in verses 3-14, and he will expound upon the power of God in the final verses of chapter 1. These three truths are found only in the Scriptures. You may read the daily newspaper from the front page to the last, and you will never find these truths. You may read the secular writings of great minds, and you won’t hear a word about these foundational facts either. You will read of them often in the Bible. Let us pause to consider the truths which Paul believes to be so essential to the spiritual lives of these saints, and then to consider their importance to us as well.
(Adapted from URL:https://bible.org/seriespage/6-paul%E2%80%99s-prayer-ephesians-ephesians-115-19a)
Even the best of times can be very challenging. Paul’s thanksgiving prayer in today’s lesson is a reminder that in Christ we have an eternal reality, already begun, that transforms our lives. We can experience the fullness of living because Jesus gives that fullness to his body, the church. The call to action for this lesson is quite simple—but quite difficult: rest in the truth of what Paul has taught. We do nothing to create the reality: that the Father has chosen to reveal himself in the Son and bring us to greater knowledge of him through the Spirit. All we can do is give thanks for this reality and constantly strive to live worthy of the calling. Our Lord is the Lord of the universe, and he gives us life to the fullest.