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Book: Ephesians
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Ephesians 1:18
I. That the eyes of your understanding being enlightened
A. He has just prayed that God would give to them the Spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
B. He desires that they be aware of the spiritual dimension.
1. We have the case of Elisha when the Syrian army was
sent to Dothan to take him captive.
2KI 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and
gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with
horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my
master! how shall we do?
2KI 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are]
more than they that [be] with them.
2KI 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes,
that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young
man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses
and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
C. There is a spiritual world that for the most part is unseen and
unknown to us.
1. Though we cannot touch it is there.
2. Though we cannot see it except God open our eyes, it is
none the less there.
3. I believe that we often feel it, though we may not
recognize it.
D. Angels are spirit beings and dwell in this spiritual realm.
E. Jesus said that God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must
worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
F. The Bible speaks of those whose eyes are blind.
ISA 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep,
and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the
seers hath he covered.
MAT 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are
dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any
time they should see with [their] eyes and hear with [their]
ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them.
G. The Lord is able to open our eyes.
PSA 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of
thy law.
LUK 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand
the scriptures,
ACS 16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the
city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose
heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which
were spoken of Paul.
H. The Lord called Paul to go to the Gentiles
ACS 26:18 To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to
light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which
are sanctified by faith that is in me.
II. Important spiritual truth we need to know. "What is the hope of your
calling."
A. You who have been called of God to be His people.
ROM 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:
and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified.
1PE 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light:
1. Paul speaks of the hope of the gospel. It is surely a
gospel of hope.
COL 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not
moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard,
[and] which was preached to every creature which is under
heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
2. He speaks of the hope that is laid up for us in heaven.
COL 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye
heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
B. What is the hope of your calling?
1. The hope of righteousness a right standing before God.
GAL 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness
by faith.
TIT 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;
TIT 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.
2. John speaks of the hope of being like Him.
1JO 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world
knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1JO 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we
shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1JO 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself,
even as he is pure.
C. One of the greatest needs for the believer today is to know the
hope of your calling.
1. If you only knew the things that God has in store for
those that love Him. Paul said,
1CO 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him.
1CO 2:10 But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
2. If you only knew how glorious heaven is.
a. Paul was taken by the Spirit into the third
heaven and heard things so glorious that he
could not describe them. Human language was
inadequate.
b. One of the real problems in the church today
is the loss of the honest belief in heaven.
c. John was taken into heaven in Revelation
chapter 4 and began to describe its glory and
the events that were transpiring there.
d. You have heard the proverb, "So heavenly
minded that he is no earthly good." I would
rather that that be my case than like so many,
as to be, "So earthly minded that they are no
heavenly good."
III. He also desired that the Spirit reveal to them what were the riches
of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.
A. Your knowing your inheritance was his first desire, this second
desire is that you might know the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints.
B. That you might know how much God treasures you.
1. In the parables Jesus spoke of the man going through
a field and discovering a treasure for which he sells
everything that he might buy the field so as to obtain
the treasure.
2. He speaks of the merchant looking for pearls and when
he found a pearl of great price he sold all and bought
it.
3. For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life.
4. He spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us
all.
5. These things He did for you when you were still His
enemy. How much more now that you have surrendered
your life to Him shall He not freely give to you all
things.
C. These things you can only know by spiritual revelation.
D. The natural man thinks of God if He exists, so far removed as
to be untouchable, and certainly unconcerned with mankind as a
whole and totally oblivious to man as an individual.
1. God is thinking about you.
PSA 139:17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great
is the sum of them!
PSA 139:18 [If] I should count them, they are more in number than the
sand:
JER 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an
expected end.
2. Jesus taught just how much the Father was aware of
you even small trivia about you.
a. For instance the number of hairs on your head.
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