Grow With Pastor Joe

Paul’s prayer shifts from rejoicing to making request to God for a very specific need. He prays, as we should as well, that there would be a fuller knowledge of the wisdom and revelation of God. It should be our deepest desire to grow in knowing Christ. The believer wants to know the depth of His riches. We want to know what He has revealed in Christ and how to walk wisely before Him. All of us need revelation and wisdom. Eph. 1:17-18a says, “¹⁷ That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: ¹⁸ The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;” First, Paul is making this request to the “Father of glory.” God alone reveals His glory through the grace in Christ by the power of His Holy Spirit. It is God alone to whom all glory is due (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). Psalm 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” God’s grace reveals His glory (who He is and what He is like). Secondly, He requests that God for the sake of His glory would by grace give them a fuller perspective of the wisdom and revelation in Christ so that they may know Him more. Eph. 1:17 shows us that we need an experiential knowledge of God. While our Christian walk is not based on emotions or our experience, the enlightening work of the Holy Spirit in us through God’s Word leads us to more than an educational knowledge of God. Faith doesn’t just know God in the head, but deeper in the heart. Our wealth and walk in Christ are not only to be rationalized logically in our heads but realized in love in our hearts and through our hands.

God has already given them the Holy Spirit, if not, then they would not be living in faith and love as Eph. 1:15 expresses. It is the revelation of the Holy Spirit that leads to our response of faith in Christ. What Paul is requesting is that they would come into a fuller perspective of the wisdom and revelation given to them by the Holy Spirit. He indwells and abides within each believer to reveal the wealth in Christ that we have been given so that we can respond in our walk with Him. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation of God. He now works in our inner man (spirit/soul) so that we would live wisely outwardly (body). What’s the difference between wisdom and revelation? Revelation gives illumination to truth, or enlightenment to our soul. The idea is that revelation and enlightenment from God is Him graciously pouring light onto the riches of His grace so that we can see the brightness and beauty of His glory in Christ. “Enlightened (photizo from phos = light) means to cause light to shine upon some object, in the sense of illuminating it. To give light to, to illuminate. It means to make known in reference to the inner life or transcendent matters and thus shed light upon. The idea is to cause something to be fully known by revealing clearly and in some detail. Figuratively, as used in this verse, photizo means to make clear, to cause to fully know or to cause to understand and is used of God’s enlightenment through revelation. This effect in context undoubtedly refers to the ministry of the Holy Spirit Who illuminates spiritual truth to the hearts of believers.” (https://www.preceptaustin.org/ephesians_118-19) Simply, revelation imparts knowledge of truth and perspective. Wisdom is the insight to apply the knowledge and perspective the revelation of God has enlightened within our hearts. Wisdom is available in Christ and applied by grace through faith. God’s will for our life is that we would grow in our experiential knowledge of Him so that we would walk wisely based upon His revelation by His Spirit through His Word. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Living with the right perspective begins and ends with living in the fear of the Lord. We only have the right perspective through wisdom and instruction. As we receive it by faith we then can live with a proper spiritual perspective. Notice as well that we are not only living in an experiential knowledge of Him, but we have been given and are growing in our enlightened knowledge of Him. The Lord gave you the light to see Him in faith so you may live in love. It is His enlightenment that was embraced by faith for our salvation, and it is the same that grows us in our sanctification. We have been given enlightenment (V. 3-14) and we are being enlightened (V. 15-23). He has enlightened us and is enlightening us so that wisdom would fill our perspective and practice in our daily life. Isn’t incredible that the Father of glory has enlightened our hearts to the wisdom and revelation of our wealth and walk in Christ? The wonderful truth is that the more we know of Him, the more we grow in Him. If we are to grow in our walk in Christ we must know our wealth in Christ. As we develop by grace through faith a proper perspective of both, we can then more fully live to the praise of His glory.

As we press on, we have seen Paul’s rejoicing and request for the proper perspective. Now, we are going to see the reason for having a proper perspective. Having the proper spiritual perspective gives power to practically walk in Christ. It is clear in Ephesians 1 that God wants us to know our wealth in Christ and grow in our walk in Christ. By faith we receive the revelation of God and respond wisely in our walk with Him. The more aware of our wealth we become, then we become more apt to apply it in our walk by faith. God’s grace enlightens the believer so that the believer in faith may embrace, experience, and express the knowledge of Him with a proper perspective and understanding. The overwhelming enabling power of God in the life of the believer is the reason for having a proper perspective. He gives us the power to have the proper perspective and as we do we see His power for, in, and through us in our daily walk. If we view our wealth wrong, then we will view our walk wrong. What Eph. 1:18b-23 does is show that our present power to live in the wisdom and revelation of God is based on His power seen in the past, future, and present in our life.

First, we need the proper perspective about our past. Eph. 1:18b-19 tells us that we “may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.” Our perspective is rooted in the call to salvation in our past. The call of God to salvation enlightens our eyes to the truth of the gospel. It is effectual in the sense that it’s purposeful in its call to the soul to respond in faith to God’s gracious revealing in Christ. This past call to be saved is empowering. Without the empower grace of God, none would believe. We have been sought in the past to be saved in the present and sealed for the future in Christ. God’s grace called so that by faith we would come to Him.

Secondly, we need the right perspective about our future. Eph. 1:18 deals with our inheritance. We are God’s inheritance who have obtained an inheritance in Christ. It is an already and not yet reality. Eph. 1:9-11 declares that we have obtained an inheritance in Christ that He has revealed to us. By grace He reveals it more each day until one day it will be fully realized in glory. Having a proper perspective of what has been promised to us in our future will lead to a more faithful walk in our daily life. The reason we need to adjust our perspective about our future is so that we would see the greatness of the wealth in Christ and that it is far above any earthly treasure we possess. As we grow to have a proper perspective of the future we have in Christ it allows us to be so heavenly minded that we can be earthly good for His glory.

Third, we need to have a proper perspective about our present. The power of God is our wealth and walk. It is not only revealed in the past, rewarded in the future, but is to be realized in the present. The way that we should respond to the wisdom and revelation of God is to have a present perspective that looks at His manifest power in the past, future, and present in Christ. A proper present perspective is dependent upon viewing our past, present, and future together based on the truth revealed by God.

Eph. 1:20 says, “²⁰ Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,” The same power that resurrected Christ and lifted Him up to the right hand of the Father is now at work for, in, and through us. There is no power in the Christian life that is not dependent upon the resurrection of Christ. If Jesus died but did not resurrect then we have no reason to believe, we have no hope of salvation, forgiveness or any other riches that have been promised in Ephesians 1 (See 1 Cor. 15). Also, without the resurrection of Christ we would have no hope of a future resurrection to a glorified state. Simply, it is the resurrection power of Christ that brought us from spiritual death to spiritual life as will be further developed in Ephesians 2. Not only was this power manifested in the past in Jesus’ resurrection but it will be manifested in the future for all to see. Eph. 1:21-22 says, “²¹ Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: ²² And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,” The same power that was manifested in His resurrection will be fully realized as all things will be put under His feet. There is coming a future literal day that Christ will exercise His right and might to rule over all things. His rule extends throughout the universe. Not one molecule or square inch lives outside of His jurisdiction. By faith, we grow in the perspective that Christ is to rule over us today, but He is bringing all things under subjection. There is a coming consummation of all things in Christ and under Christ. The wisdom and revelation of God give us the proper perspective of Christ’s manifest power in the past, future, and now in the present. Eph. 1:23 says, “²³ Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” The past power of His resurrection, the future manifestation of His power in His rule, is now seen in His present relationship with His Church. The Church of Christ is viewed as His body, and He is the head. Daily, hourly, and moment-by-moment Christ is building His church. He does this by giving us by the power of His grace a fuller perspective of His work, word, and will for us, in us, and through us. His present purpose of His power in us is that we’d grow in a proper perspective of faith so that we would enjoy our wealth and walk in Him. The wealth and walk of the believer are a past, present, and future reality in Christ. It is only as we develop a proper perspective through the wisdom and reveling work of God that we can truly enjoy our wealth and walk in Christ. Paul prays for them to see this more clearly and fully. It is the wisdom and revelation of God in Christ that gives us a proper perspective of our wealth and walk. God would have us to grow more fully into who He has made us to be.

What’s your perspective like? Are you living as a spiritual pessimist? Don’t dismiss the wealth you have in Christ and continue walking discouraged. Your spiritual glass is not half-empty. Perhaps you are living as a spiritual optimist. Maybe you are living with the knowledge of how great grace is that you forget your responsibility to walk by faith, love, and holiness before God. Your spiritual glass is not half-full as you may think. After studying Eph. 1:15-23 we should come to have a realistic perspective through the wisdom and revelation of God in Christ. This means that we see that our glass is not half-empty or half-full. No, it is better than both of those. Looking at the wealth of wisdom and revelation that we have been graciously given, how could we not see that our spiritual cup is in reality overflowing with the riches of His grace. Psalm 23:5-6 says, “⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” Paul prayed for the Ephesians to have fuller and more faithful perspective of their wealth and walk. We often settle to have our spiritual cup either half-empty or half-full; but God would have us to see that it is eternally overflowing in Christ. My prayer is that we too would come to a proper perspective of the riches of Christ. The wisdom and revelation of God has been made available by His grace but now must be applied by faith. It is this wisdom and revelation of God that enables our perspective and empowers our practical living. Will you believe what God says? Will you believe what God has promised? Will you trust in His present power in your life? May we by grace develop the right perspective of our wealth in Christ so that we may respond by faith in our walk with Christ.

Grow with me as we study the believer’s wealth and walk in Christ.

Grow deeper.

Grow higher.

Grow wider.