Title: Autocorrect
Text: Ephesians 1:15-23
Thesis: The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to see things through eyes of faith.
Introduction
In July of 2014 Wired printed an article about what we call autocorrection. Dean Hachamovitch, former vice president of Microsoft, is essentially the father of Autocorrect.
When Hachamovitch first came to work for Microsoft in the early 1990s, he was given a job on the team for WORD, the company's word-processing program. In Hachamovitch's view, the main thing people do on a word processor is type, and he considered typing as a matter of "a little bit of creativity and a whole lot of scutwork."
And so he set out to reduce the amount of scutwork, aiming to make typing a smoother experience.
Hachamovitch and his team developed a master list of common mistakes and set autocorrections for them all. The list continues to be expanded and refined yet today, with updates released periodically. And when cell phones became text-messaging instruments, autocorrect was introduced on those devices as well. Hilarious and even egregious "corrections" still happen, but most of the time, autocorrect fixes our blunders and boosts the accuracy of our communications. (Gordon Lewis-Kraus, "The fasinatng ... frustrating ... fascinating history of autocorrect," Wired, July 22, 2014, wired.com)
A very common autocorrect is in the spelling of the word “the.” If I spell it “teh” autocorrect makes the correction and spells “the” correctly. However sometimes autocorrect gets ahead of us and we may be typing the word “list” but it will appear as “lust.” So if I have a list for you arrives stating I have a lust for you… that isn’t a good thing.
Buzzfeed.com has come up with a list of "35 of the most concerning autocorrect fails of all time." This is one that is actually usable.
It is a conversation between Mike’s brother and his girlfriend, Emily.
"I'm fighting with Mike."
"Again??? I'm so sorry."
"Yeah. It's bad and I think it's it this time. He just drove off with his mom's corpse."
"WITH HER CORPSE?"
"No! Her Camaro! HA!
"You scare me."
"Love you babe! Goodnight!"
"My love for you is strong, I would buy you a casket if I could."
"Castle. I promise I meant castle…
"Emily? Emily? Emily? Hello?" (buzzfeed.com. Retrieved December 2, 2014)
I don’t know any more about his conversation than you do, other than it seems to be a conversation between Mike’s brother and Emily. But this text message conversation is an example of autocorrect gone badly. There is quite a difference between corpse and Camaro and between casket and castle… but we can see how autocorrect is supposed to work.
I am suggesting that for the Christian the Holy Spirit may work as something of an autocorrect in our lives. The Holy Spirit sometimes autocorrects our interpretation of what the events in our lives mean.
If we look at life through the lens of insight we may see things as they really are rather than as humanly perceived.
I. The Lens of Insight, Ephesians 1:17
I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. Ephesians 1:17
His prayer is for two things:
A. Spiritual wisdom and insight
The prayer is that we be given spiritual wisdom and insight or a spirit of wisdom and insight. The word “spiritual” of “a spirit of” means invisibility and power suggesting the origin of this wisdom and insight is God.
In addition to this being an act of God’s spirit speaking wisdom and insight into our minds and hearts it means that wisdom be insightful in our understanding of God and God’s ways.
B. Growth in the knowledge of God
The word “grow” has a number of meanings. It can mean to ascend as in spurting up or it can mean descending as in growing worse. It can mean to extend as in the elapsing of time. It can mean to produce fruit. It can mean to abound as in abounding in love or generosity or whatever. In our text it simply means to increase or become greater.
The idea is that our knowledge of God increases more and more.
The word “knowledge” means that our knowledge of God is exact and complete… not a misguided and partial knowledge of God.
This thinking is more than just knowing more and more about God… it is thinking based on knowing God. And what we know of God then influences us and conditions us in our approach to life.
So when we think, we give ourselves time to allow for God to autocorrect our attitudes and outlooks and expressions and actions by asking, “What does God think? What is God doing? How does God want me to be in this circumstance?
One of the best ways to get to know God is to spend time in God’s Word. Another way to get to know God and how God is and thinks and acts is to study the attributes of God. A.W. Tozer’s Knowledge of the Holy is a good resource.
For example, key to understanding the concept of God being all-knowing is to spend some time reflecting on what it means when we say, “God is omniscient or all-knowing.”
Syndicated New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, a keen observer of world trends, devoted a column to the idea that technology has made everyone a potential paparazzo.
Friedman explains that anyone we encounter could have a cell phone with a camera that could record our actions. If we're rude or misbehave, we could end up on the offended party's blog or MySpace website for the whole world to see. "We're all public figures now," concludes Friedman. (To which we say, “Well Duh!”)
For support, Friedman cites the new book How by Dov Seidman. Its thesis: in this world of new and potentially revealing technology, how we live our lives and conduct our businesses has become far more significant than what we do. "We do not live in glass houses; we live on glass microscope slides…visible and exposed to all," writes Seidman.
What a concept—take great care about how you live your life, because someone is watching. This is news to columnists and authors, but it's hardly a revelation to those who believe in a sovereign, all-seeing God. (Lee Dean, Plainwell, Michigan; source: Thomas L. Friedman, "The Whole World Is Watching," New York Times, 6-27-07)
The Psalmist nailed it, “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I set down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I am far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me…” The Psalmist goes on and on in Psalm 139 about the omniscience of God.
If we truly believed God is all-knowing and aware of everything then that should impact how we see and relate to our world.
As Madeleine L’Engle said in A wrinkle of Time, “I have a point of view. You have a point of view. God has the view.”
When I think God must be on vacations…
When I think God is unaware…
When I think God is unfair…
This is when the Spirit of God does an autocorrect and whispers in my ear… “My thoughts are not your thoughts. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than you ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
If that does not give you a little insight and wisdom into the ways of God, you might want to check out God’s conversation with Job in Job 38-42 where God asks, “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?” Job 38:2
When we get to know God we might just be a little less inclined to be running around waving our arms in the air in panic over the latest conspiracy theory. At some point we either decide God has lost his grip so if we don’t step in all will be lost… or we decide to believe God is a puzzlement but we are willing to believe it is all ultimately in his hands.
The lens of insight and wisdom lets us see God for who God is and reminds us that we are not God.
We might benefit as well from knowing that God is not only God of the present, God is God of the future. God wants us to see life in the present through the lens of hope… not despair.
II. The Lens of Hope, Ephesians 1:18
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called – his holy people who ae his right and glorious inheritance. Ephesians 1:18
Why does hope matter? The integrity of our faith rests on the truth of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. His resurrection gives us hope for our own. In I Corinthians 15:19 we see that if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. We are to be pitied more than the victims of Ebola, the people martyred by ISIL, the Syrians living in tent cities in the Middle East, and the victims who died in the earthquakes in Nepal. Anyone who has hope dies with eternity in mind. But to live and die without hope is to be in despair.
That is why God wants our hearts to be flooded with light.
Once again his prayer is for two things:
A. God wants our hearts to be flooded with light
In verse 18 we see that God’s will is that our hearts be flooded with light… what does the word “heart” mean in this context?
The word for heart is kardia which refers to the chief organ of life… the heart is our blood pump. When the hearts stops pumping oxygenated blood through our bodies, we die. But in this context the heart is not meant to be solely thought of as a blood pump.
The hearts is universally understood to speak to the entirety of our intellectual or rational, ethical or moral, and emotional being. When your heart aches or is elated or explodes with pride we are speaking figuratively. When our heart desires or yearns for something it just means in our inner being we want or desire something.
When we think of something being flooded we may think of it as a deluge as in the Great Flood of Noah’s day. We may think of a flood as a torrent of water rushing a stream or a river… think September of 2013 when here along the Front Range a massive cold front stalled over us and clashed with warm monsoonal air from the south. The result was torrential flood waters sweeping down from mountain streams to inundate communities in Boulder County. However, we may think of a flood as filling.
When we flood a reservoir we fill the reservoir with water as in filling the Dillon Reservoir. Here in Colorado the 38 largest reservoirs all contain more than 40,000 acre feet of water. The larges reservoir is Blue Mesa which holds 829,458 acre feet of water. Those 38 reservoirs will hold 3, 763,458 acre feet of water. There are many smaller reservoirs but even so, more reservoirs are planned for Colorado. Our reservoirs are currently in really good shape.
However Lake Powell, which supplies water to 40 million people in seven states is currently at about 40% capacity… that is grim.
With the understanding of flood as filling a space we see that God does not want our hearts to be filled to 40% capacity… God wants our hearts and minds to be filled to 100% capacity. But the thing God wants to fill our hearts and minds with is not water… but light or truth. God wants us to be fully enlightened so we have hope.
B. God wants us to understand what is our confident hope
We live in a world that knows no time but the present but we also live with knowledge of a future.
Hope does not erase the reality of death… it erases the finality of death and give us reason to live in the meantime.
Hope means we have a favorable or confident expectation. Hope in this context speaks of a yet unseen future.
The way we understand God and our present existence is to have our inners lives flooded with our yet unseen hope. This speaks to the second coming of Christ and our hope of eternal life. This speaks to our hope of a new heaven and a new earth. This speaks to the fact that we live in the now and not yet.
So we stop listening to all the conspiracy theories and start leaning on God… Hope in God!
Here’s why. The Old Testament prophet Daniel wrote, way back then, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings…” Daniel 2:20-21
As Daniel’s vision continued he wrote, “I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal – it will never end. His kingdom will never destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14
The five most powerful empires in history are said to be the Persian, Roman, Caliphate/Arab, Mongolian and British empires. Lesser empires include the Chinese Dynasties, Portuguese and Spanish Empires and the Russian Empire. Numbered among the cruelest civilizations in history are the Spartans, Vikings and Aztecs… all gone! Any would be power must remember that military power, technology, commerce, industry, wealth, the arts, brutality or sheer numbers do not make for forever. Every would-be world power needs to know that the day will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Therein is our hope!
The Titanic was a ship not even God could sink… but that’s history. There is something of a controversy over what the orchestra on the Titanic was playing as the ship sunk. Some say they heard the old hymn, “Nearer, My God to Thee.” Others say they heard the old Episcopalian hymn, “Autumn.” But interestingly, Titanic Bandmaster Hartley was once asked what he would do if he found himself on the deck of a sinking ship. He replied, “I would gather the ships orchestra and play “Our God Our Help In Ages Past, Our Hope for Years to Come” or “Nearer, My God to Thee.”
When the ship is sinking, so to speak, this is when the Spirit of God does an autocorrect and whispers in your ear… “This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.” I Timothy 4:10
In addition to the lenses of insight and hope we are encouraged to view life through the lens of power.
III. The Lens of Power, Ephesians 1:19
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him… Ephesians 1:19
Again, his prayer is for two things:
A. Understand the incredible greatness
Incredible greatness is to be understood to mean exceeding or going beyond or surpassing what may be called for. It is excessive. The literary device used here is hyperbole or an exaggeration…
God wants us to understand that this is not just power… it is incredible, excessive, massive, all-surpassing power. It is the power of the virgin birth, the power that raised Jesus from the dead; the power whereby Jesus ascended into heaven; it is the power of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came with the sound of a rushing mighty wind and tongues of fire rested upon the believers, the power by which Jesus will come again; the power that will cause a bodily resurrection of the dead at Christ’s coming; the power that will conquer Satan and all the forces of evil forever; it the power that will create a new heaven and a new earth.
I sometimes get irritated when I hear about or read about people who believe the power of God exists to do stuff for them or give them stuff or prove stuff through them.
One of the more egregious examples are those who have gotten caught on a single reference in Mark 16 that says of Jesus’ followers who go into the world to preach the Good News… , “They will be able to handle snakes with safety and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them.” Mark 16:15-18
It is a sad thing when sincere people miss the point of a passage and like the pastor of a snake handling congregation, who in religious zeal and a demonstration of God’s power, was bitten and died… because he refused treatment. God’s power is not for us to test as in, “I am not going to work, so God can provide all my needs. God’s power exists to protect me so I can run red lights or sky-dive without a parachute.”
Isaiah 40:21-26 gives us a little insight into the nature of God’s power. “Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you ignorant? God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes a tent of them.” God asks, “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal? Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, call each by its name. Because of his great and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.” Isaiah 40:21-26
B. God’s power for us who believe
It is important that we understand this power is not intrinsic. This power does not originate in us… it originates in God.
What does it mean when our text refers to God’s power?
When we think of God’s power we like to especially think of the scriptural word “dunamis” or dynamite. It is an explosive, signs and wonders power. It divided the Red Sea. It healed the sick. It exorcised demons. It fed 5,000 people. It transported Elijah into heaven on a chariot drawn by fiery horse.
One question might be, “If this power is not a power that performs miracles, what good is it?” What kind of power is it if it is not a mountain moving, earth shattering, awe-inspiring, draw-dropping power?
The power spoken of in our text is more than just mighty works. It speaks of a power that is at one’s disposal. It is delegated or shared with us.
This power is not about controlling the Legislative Branch or the Executive Branch or the Judicial Branch of our government. This power does not mean the power to interpret and enforce our understanding of the Constitution. This power does not mean I can impose my beliefs on anyone. This power does not mean I can walk into a hospital and heal everyone in the place. This power does not mean I can make it rain. This power does not mean I can control anything and everything to my liking.
This power is not a power to work magic and or remove hardships in our lives… it is the power to live in this world as people of God. Ultimately, the power of God us ward is intended for godly living in this age. It is power that understands the power of God to act in our behalf making all things work out for the good of those who love God in Romans 8:28; there is no power that can ever separate us from God’s love in Romans 8:35-39; and the sufficiency of God’s grace in II Corinthians 12:8-10; and more…
When we see through the lens of God’s enabling power we can turn the other cheek, go the second mile, love unconditionally, pray for our enemies, bear the fruit of the spirit, exercise our spiritual gift in the church and the world and be ready at all times to bear witness as to why and what we believe..
When you think you can’t go on, this is when the Spirit of God does an autocorrect and whispers in your ear… “You can do all things through Christ, who give you strength… with God all things are possible…” Philippians 4:13
Conclusion
The game was over. The Sea Hawks were on the Patriot 1 yard goal line… it was second and goal with 26 seconds remaining in the game. The Sea Hawks had three shots at getting the ball into the end zone. Marshawn Lynch, AKA “The Beast,” was ready to punch the ball into the end zone.
You hear Sandra Bullock screaming from the bleachers, “Run the dang ball!”
The play came in from the sideline. Russell Wilson passed the ball. It was intercepted and the Patriots won the game.
It is not likely that Sea Hawks coach Pete Carroll will ever live that call down. Perhaps he reasoned, “They are expecting “The Beast” to run the ball so I’ll surprise them with a pass and if the pass fails I still have two chances remaining for “The Beast” to power his way in.” However conventional wisdom would insist run the ball and run the ball and then decide of it was necessary to throw the ball up for grabs.
It was a bad call!
As masterfully minded, highly intelligent, all-wise humans we are prone to be convinced we know best… but we don’t. God does. God always makes the right call. So when we are inclined to shake our heads in bewilderment and when our hearts are pitter-patting with anxiety and fear is a lump in our throats… this is when the Holy Spirit does an autocorrect and speaks into our ears.
• Remember, I am God and I know what is going on!
• Have hope, I am God of time and eternity!
• Rely on me, I am God and I will strengthen you!
“May the Lord give you insight into the knowledge of God, flood your hearts with hope and assure you of God’s power for you.”
