What’s the greatest thing about your life? For the Christian, the best thing is that Christ has first place in your life. Our text here in Ephesians is a celebratory prayer for the full salvation of the believer. It’s all done by Christ and for Christ. When Christ is exalted in the life of the believer, there is truly something to celebrate in prayer.
Remember at the transfiguration Peter, James, and John got to see the unveiled Christ—they saw the Lord in a way that no person living on earth had ever seen him in the history of the world—they saw his glory transfigured before them. It took their breath away. It left them in a state of awe. We come to a similar place today. We come to a place in Scripture that unveils the rightful place of Jesus Christ on the throne of Almighty God because he is Almighty God. We are about to see Jesus “highly exalted” (Phil 2:9). I ask you all to bow the knee of your life before him right now. If you are going to grow as a Christian, you must be rooted in the supremacy of Jesus Christ.
This passage of Ephesians lets us into how Paul talked to people and helped them along in Christ. Our text here is a prayer. He’s writing this probably two decades after his conversion. What a wonderful prayer of the apostle Paul for the Ephesian believers. Instead of being self-focused, prayer keeps him others focused and God-centered. Paul is writing from a rented house where he is under house arrest, chained to a member of the Emperor’s Praetorian Guard day and night: six soldiers in a twenty-four-hour period, four hours for each soldier. He is not complaining but rejoicing. He is blessing God, exulting in the supremacy, and concerned about the Ephesians. Again, this letter was likely a circular letter that was passed on throughout the churches in Asia Minor. They had been pagans, but now were brought into the family of God. Paul prays for them as such.
Ephesus was one of the idol-worshipping capitols of the world. Multitudes of people from all over the world would come to Ephesus to see this goddess in the Ephesian temple—the goddess Diana. These people were just like you and me. We think we know God and worship God, but Paul says these people had been “dead in their trespasses and sins” and that they had been “children of wrath” like the rest of mankind. What happened in their lives was nothing short of a miracle. God opened their eyes. They were awakened. They were transformed. They were brought low by the working of God’s Spirit applying the gospel to their hearts. They confessed to God that they were liars, thieves, adulterers, and blasphemers. And they rested on the mercy of Christ to forgive them.
Paul heard about this all the way in Rome, a thousand miles away from Ephesus. He had ministered among them four or five years earlier. How does Paul respond? Does he just say, “Oh, that’s great? Nice to hear that. I guess I’ll go on with my pity party in this filthy Roman prison.” No, he says, “Now more than ever, now that these people have come to faith in Christ, I need to pray for them.” And in praying for his Christian family in Ephesus, he ends up in a beautiful strain of exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Often praying for others can be what lifts our eyes to the glories and power of Jesus.
CHRIST IS EXALTED IN YOUR SALVATION (1:15-16)
Ephesians 1:15-16 ¦ For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Paul heard about God’s fingerprints on these Ephesian saints, and he began to pray for them. He heard about God’s salvation in their lives. They were saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. That’s something to celebrate. Paul felt a personal responsibility to pray constantly for them. There is power in prayer. We ought to pray for every saint in our local assembly. It was Paul’s practice to pray for these saints without stopping. Paul mentions two marks that demonstrate that we have been joined to Christ. He mentions a God-ward mark (faith in Christ) and a man-ward mark (love to the saints). In short, those who live for Jesus are always loving his people. It is these two marks: love for God and love for others – that push him toward prayer.
The Miracle of Faith
Paul begins his prayer with thanksgiving for the faith the Ephesians have in the Lord Jesus. Paul said, I heard about your faith and love in the Lord Jesus, and it caused me to pray and to rejoice. What was it that would cause Paul to rejoice? The love and faith in the Ephesian church was something that God had done. Not long before, these Ephesians were pagans. Their girls had been temple prostitutes. They had been enslaved to superstitions. They had been selfish and self-consumed. But now there was this radical faith, and Paul heard about it, and it cause him to rejoice.
John Calvin regarded the faith necessary for salvation as a miracle: “We could not have one single spark of faith, or of light unless God had worked in us already!” Paul says here in our text in Ephesians 1:15, “When I heard about your faith and love in Christ, I did not cease to give thanks to God for you.” When a gift is given, a person gives thanks. Faith and love are gifts of God. A man is totally unable to love God or cling to him in faith in his own natural power. There is need of a miracle.
Calvin went on to say that if a person could believe on their own, we should boast in man instead of God: “If every man was able to believe and have faith of his own accord or could get it by some power of his own, the praise for it ought not to be given to God. For it would be but mockery to acknowledge ourselves indebted to him for what we have obtained, not from him, but from elsewhere.” If love and faith come naturally from our own hearts, why should we thank God for that? Is faith a miracle or is it a responsibility for all people? The answer is yes and yes. There is always a tension in God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. We must begin by giving God the glory for our faith. We have nothing to boast in.
The Nature of Faith
When we speak of faith, we are not referring to mere intellectual acknowledgment. True faith has been defined as “radical dependency” that is more akin to trust and surrender than mere understanding. It is not a mere acceptance of Jesus. “The devils believe and tremble” (Jas 2:19). Faith is more than information. Faith is a radical trust. Christians through a miracle of God’s grace are given new eyes that cause them to cast themselves on God – we become radically dependent on Jesus. Saving faith means that we trust and treasure Jesus Christ. It is not when you were baptized or signed a card or responded to an invitation to accept Christ. Your conversion took place when you abandoned yourself to Christ by faith and became radically dependent on him. It’s not complicated. It’s so simple Jesus compares it to the trust of a child. When did that happen in your life? What happened to the Ephesians, has happened to us.
Now Paul had been among them for 3 years, but he had been gone for a while. Many people were coming to faith in Christ that he did not know. He heard of their radical conversion from paganism to passion for Christ. We ought to be looking for this in our children. We ought to be looking for this in each other. Not some mere mental assent, but a deep, moving, flowing, radical faith. “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead” (Jas 2:26). In Matthew 7, many come to Jesus in the Day of Judgment, who had faith without works. They had religion, but they were lawless in their heart. They were without the law and compulsion and power of Christ in their hearts. Christ tells us his verdict ahead of time: “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Mt 7:21ff).
The Expression of Faith
Faith is alive! It bears fruit. Paul rejoices that faith is expressed in a glorious love toward all the saints. Paul had spent three years with the Ephesians. He knew many of them by name. It’s one thing to observe things yourself. Paul observed their love but also heard of their love from many others. They did not merely speak of love but actually lived it out so that others could see their good works and glorify their Father in heaven (Mt 5:16). This is how saving faith always works itself out. The great commandment teaches us that we are to love God by loving our neighbor. Our Lord said this is how the world will recognize true followers of Christ: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). Indeed, John says:
1 John 4:20 ¦ If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
Paul said he was thanking God, he was rejoicing concerning their love unto all the saints. There are a lot of local churches in the body of Christ, but God looks down and he says, “I see one Church.” There is a lot of division even among those denominations and God says, “But I see one Church.” We seem to have the incredible ability to build walls in the body of Christ. When Jesus Christ and the apostles and those that have gone before us have spent countless effort and energy, not to mention blood to tear down those walls and build bridges.
Do you have a commitment to the Lord’s people? I’m not talking about one day a week for worship but every day. Are you committed to being a disciple and discipling others? You must have a deep love toward all the saints. You must care where they are spiritually.
CHRIST IS EXALTED IN YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH (1:16-19)
Paul heard about God’s fingerprints on these Ephesian saints, and he began to pray for them. Paul felt a personal responsibility to pray constantly for them. There is power in prayer. We ought to pray for every saint here. It was Paul’s practice to pray for these saints without stopping.
Ephesians 1:16-17 ¦ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.
The Practice of Maturity
Paul cannot go and visit the Ephesians. He’s under house arrest far away in Rome. But Paul has a practice that helps the Ephesian church grow in maturity: he prays. And what is his prayer? That God may give the Spirit… in the knowledge of Christ, or as one translation puts it: “That you might know him better” (1:17b). It is amazing to consider what God does for us in our immediate salvation. Yet there is more to salvation than just having your sins forgiven. God wants us to “know him better!” We are to be constantly growing. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18). God does not want you to remain immature in Christ.
A tree doesn’t produce fruit until the roots are down deep. An architect does not build until he understands architectural engineering and structures. I don’t let my twelve-year-old operate on my three-year-old. If my three-year-old needs an operation, I send them to a mature expert. Are you in a place where you are growing in Christ? Oh that “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (1:17). Do you know him better? You must look into God’s Word and not be a forgetful hearer. You desperately need the assistance of the Holy Spirit. He has to give you the wisdom and revelation to know Christ better. Flesh and blood cannot change you. The Father in heaven through the Spirit must give you eyes to see. It’s not just about knowing the Word, but the Spirit revealing God to you through the Word. Don’t be superficial about your devotional life. Seek for your roots to grow deep by the filling of the Spirit, the renewal of the Word, and the intimate knowledge of walking with Jesus. Go deep!
The Means of Maturity
Paul is talking to Christians here, so he is not speaking the initial opening of our eyes that occurs at conversion. He’s saying we need to pray for our eyes to be opened more! It is the Spirit that does this work. We need God’s Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Ezekiel 36:26-27¦ And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my judgments.
The Fear of the Lord
What Paul is getting at is the concept of “the fear of the LORD.” Worshipping God and acknowledging his awesome presence in all your thoughts, words and deeds is the essence of fearing God.
Proverbs 9:10 ¦ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
In other words, to have wisdom is to see everything from God’s perspective! People who have authentic wisdom consider everything from God’s point of view. Paul said it this way in Colossians 3.
Colossians 3:1-3 ¦ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Revelation is knowledge that only God can impart. God’s Word is the source of all wisdom and the Spirit of God inspired that Word. You can know a lot about me. You can make a lot of external observations about me, but in order to really know me, I have to reveal myself to you. In order to know a person, that person has to open up to you. That is what this word “revelation” means. God has revealed himself to us. This is not just knowing about God but knowing him intimately and knowing him better day by day. That this wisdom and revelation leads to a greater “the knowledge of him” – literally, “that you might know him better.”
When is the last time you poured your heart out to God in prayer? When is the last time your heart was filled with amazement in the Scripture? This should be a daily activity for you. Or are you just coasting along? Wake up! Open your heart. Clear out all the clutter in your heart and soak up the knowledge of Christ.
The Focus of Maturity
In order to grow and change in Christ and get to know Christ better and better, we need to have a constant focus. Just like we plan for our meals each day, we need to plan on feasting on Christ each day.
Hope – a perspective to brings us to maturity
The great focus of the Christian begins with seeing the hope of all God has called us to. Hope in the Scriptures is no wish or wishful thinking. No hope is an earnest expectation of a certain reality. Hope for the Christian is a certainty. God has opened our eyes to his plan—the hope of his calling is not in this world. It’s focused on another world! This world will lead you to destruction, but we can focus on the hope of a world with Christ as Head, and where he dominates our thoughts.
Ephesians 1:18a ¦ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you…
Our hope is not found in this life. We don’t get the promises here and now. We get some benefits, but the vast majority are in the world to come. Consider Hebrews 11. We see a paradox at the end of the chapter.
Hebrews 11:32-40 ¦ And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
No one in the Hall of Faith received what they were looking for on this earth. We long for Christ. This world stands against Christ and against us. Stop looking on earth for what can only be found in the presence of Jesus. Paul says in Romans 8:18, “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Our hope is in the world to come! Yes, there are tremendous things we can look forward to in this world, but it’s all the world to come peeking through! God’s blessings are that He “makes all things new”. He bears fruit through us! We see people transformed. We see our children walking with God! Those are the blessings of the world to come manifesting themselves here!
There is an emphasis in churches today to replace our eternal hope with a present earthly hope. Churches are replacing the hope of the gospel with a utilitarian message that allows you to have “your best life now”. And this is not only being seen in the prosperity churches. The hope becomes that we can have a better life by utilizing the things of this world. Our life is enriched brothers and sisters by the hope we have in Christ right now.
Riches – a promise to bring us to maturity
God has opened our eyes to his promise—the promises of the world leave you empty!
Ephesians 1:18b ¦ …what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
Here on earth, we must live for a realm in which Jesus Christ has no competition. There are no idols when we see Jesus Christ face to face, and we come into our inheritance. Only Christ! Live for those things that are to come. Sometimes we get a peek into the world to come. When people are enlightened by the Spirit and receive Christ by faith, you are witnessing the power of the world to come. When your prayer life is filled with the unction of the Spirit, you are touching the face of God! When you see submission in marriage from the heart, even though it is hard, you are observing Christ’s exaltation in that brother or sister. Glory! Joy! This is the power of the world to come. Focus on these things! Focus on a place where Christ is God alone.
Power –a power to bring us to maturity
God has opened our eyes to his power—the arm of the flesh will fail you!
Ephesians 1:19-20 ¦ …and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.
This is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. Focus on these things will lead you to maturity. Paul was describing how powerful we are, so he used every word for power he could think of. There are four different Greek words used for power in verse 19.
Dunamis: “The immeasurable greatness of his power [dunamis].” We derive the English word dynamite from dunamis. It refers to inherent power.
Energeia: “According to the working [energeia].” That word is the basis for the English word energy. It refers to operative power.
Kratos: “The working of his mighty power [kratos].” Sometimes kratos is translated “dominion.” It refers to ultimate power or authority.
Ischus: “His mighty [ischus] power.” It refers to endowed power. It means power that is designated to us by another.
Who is the power given to? His power is directed “toward those who believe.” There is no hope for those who lack faith. If you do not entrust yourself through a holy surrender to God, there is no power for you. You must surrender your life. You are impotent in your own power. There is absolutely no meaningful power in the flesh. Have you ever tried to plug something into a dead power outlet? Spiritually, we are plugged into the infinite outlet of endless energy in Christ.
Paul was saying that God has given believers unbelievable power. Many Christians claim they don’t have enough strength or power. That’s why Paul prayed for the believer to know the power available to him. Have you experienced the working of that mighty power? If you know Christ, then you know and have tasted of the power of God. What kind of amazing power is this? It’s the power…
Ephesians 1:20 ¦ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places…
The same power that God demonstrated when he raised his Son from the dead is the same power right now that works in you. You have no real power in yourself that is of yourself. The power that works, that matters, that transforms, and that empowers is the power that comes from Jesus Christ. Focus on that power and you will grow in maturity.
It’s not only the power of the resurrection, it’s the power of the ascension. Remember when Christ ascended to the right and of the Father and God “seated him at his right hand” in the heavenly realm? Not only do you have infinite energy to do what God wants you to do, he also gives you all authority to do what God wants you to do.
CHRIST IS EXALTED IN YOUR SERVICE (1:20-23)
We have every reason to submit to Christ because of his highly exalted position. Jesus Christ has no rivals. He has no equals. He’s exalted for a purpose: that he might fill his church. When Christ is exalted in the lives of his people, he is incarnated: seen and felt through your life. He wants to “fill all in all” (1:23).
Christ is Exalted Positionally
Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He is at the highest place of authority and honor in the presence of the Father. God’s raised his Son to the highest place of honor and glory, with all authority. And his place of honor is so far above any other name, because no one comes close or compares to Jesus. There’s no comparison.
Ephesians 1:20-21 ¦…that 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 rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Historically and theologically, this speaks of his resurrection and ascension. It’s not speaking of geography or location. It’s speaking of authority and position. This is a means of saying that Christ sits in the place of God as God. He is deity. Everything will be under his control, even His enemies. Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is kurios (LORD). This is the Greek translation in the Septuagint for Yahweh, or the God of Genesis. Jesus Christ is Yahweh. Every tongue will confess that. The God of Genesis came to earth incarnate in humanity and was crucified for your sins and for mine.
Christ is exalted above everyone in heaven and earth and under the earth in this present age. That is, Christ is exalted in history. He is exalted in the metaphysical realm. He’s exalted in the realm we see and the realm we don’t see. Christ is exalted in the present time of rebellion and spiritual warfare, and he will be exalted when sin is wiped off the face of the earth forever and ever for the ages to come.
Christ is Exalted Personally
Christ is exalted as Head of the church. The Father put him there. The Son accomplished redemption for the church through his blood, and the result is that all things are placed under his feet. This is in direct correlation with the Genesis 3:15 prophecy that though the Seed of the woman would be wounded, the Seed would also crush the serpent’s head, and put all things under his feet, illustrating the crushing judgment reserved for those who stand against Christ’s headship.
Ephesians 1:22-23 ¦ And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Christ opposes and crushes those not submitted under his feet, but he also fills those who are submitted with the fullness of him who fills all in all. If Christ is not exalted personally in your life, how will the world know him? We who are called to salvation must submit to him in all things – that’s the pathway to fullness. We are to be filled with him that he might be our collective Head. He must uncover every idol in our life. He must be our Lord and Head in all things pertaining to us, his church, and his bride.
Christ is most seen in his exalted form in this temporary time of earth that we live in through his church. He is seen in his people, in you and in me. He is seen in us. And when Christ is exalted in us, when they see us, they see him. Glory to his name! He is supreme!
Conclusion
Here are two challenges for you in this text: 1) are you saved, growing spiritually and serving? 2) Are you praying for your own spiritual growth and the growth of others?
The first challenge is about spiritual growth. Are you growing spiritually? Are you serving joyfully under the exalted Christ? Is Christ exalted in your life? What kind of fruit are you producing for the kingdom? Is your character changing to be more like Christ day after day?
The second challenge is about your prayer life. This passage is a prayer of praise. Paul says in this passage: Because of what God has done in your lives, I want to give praise to him! Do you praise God in your prayers? We are called to praise God for what he has done and what he is doing in our lives and in the lives of others. God is working in you. Lift up your eyes and see. If you see what God is doing, you will praise him.
