Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation
Ephesians Series
CCCAG January 9th, 2022
Scripture- Ephesians 1:15-23
I've mentioned several times before that I came to faith in Jesus Christ in 1993 in Kenosha WI. Kenosha he has a lot of ties with Zion IL in that it's just right over the border.
I'm not sure how many of you would be familiar with the history of Zion IL but it was formed by a man named John Alexander Dowie who was a faith healer, and many believe a charlatan. However, he initially set up Zion as a Christian city in the late 1800’s. That heritage is seen even today in that the center of town is in the shape of a cross, and you still cannot buy alcohol in any form within the city limits.
In many ways he was one of the predecessors to the modern-day movement that we call the Assemblies of God. He preached about the restoration of the spiritual gifts, and the role of the Holy Spirit in the church today.
He was huge in the idea of revival, and praying for the move of the Holy Spirit to sweep through entire areas and bring sinners to the cross. His heritage is one of exuberant worship with the spiritual gifts on full display in his church.
The church I got saved in was heavily influenced by Dowie’s theology, and most of our pastors had been Assembly of God. However, when the Holy Spirit was talked about, he was relegated to a feeling or force that would cause us to behave in certain ways.
Some people would dance, other would run, some rolled on the floor, some fell over after being prayed for. Speaking in tongues was very common place and in fact you couldn’t be a member of the church if you didn’t have that initial physical evidence of the Holy Spirit baptism.
Then 1995 hit, and the Brownsville Revival swept through the Pentecostal church and the Assemblies of God like a whirlwind. A lot of people got radically saved and came to faith in Jesus, and many people who had been pew warmers for years got called into active service, missions, and pastoral ministry. A lot of good came out of that revival. However, for many- the Holy Spirit again got relegated to a force that made people do weird things, instead of the life changing 3rd person of our triune God that at Salvation is meant to come and live within us, and continually mold us and shape us into the image of Jesus.
That’s going to be what we look at today as we continue our Ephesian’s series- The purpose of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s read this morning’s scripture and then break it down a bit
Eph 1:15-23
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 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. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
NIV
Prayer
A few weeks ago, we spoke about the Holy Spirit being a deposit with us- assuring us of the Father’s love and forgiveness, and HIS ongoing presence within us as we walk through life.
Today we are going to focus a bit more of why God gave us the Spirit, and nail down a bit more specifically what His primary focus and job is.
Because it’s not about rolling on the floor.
It’s not about falling down when prayed for.
It’s not about the Spiritual gifts
It’s not about running, jumping, signing, prophesying, or any outward sign.
For the first 7 years of my walk with God, I was taught and believed that’s what the Holy Spirit’s job was- to give us a huge rush during church services.
But that isn’t scriptural. God is HIS Word- He can’t be different in person then He is in print.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
The scripture is going to show us that the Spirit’s primary mission is to reveal Jesus Christ within us.
I. Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 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.
Paul is joining two thoughts together- The first few words say “the reason” and this reason he is referring to is what we covered the last time we spoke of this- our election to salvation based on what we decide to do with Jesus- Is He LORD of all or not LORD at all in your life?
If you confess Jesus is LORD of all, you get a deposit made into your Spirit- the manifest presence of God living inside you guaranteeing your inheritance in HIS Kingdom.
The Holy Spirit is both within us and upon us. The Holy Spirit is both the internal proof of our salvation and He is the robe of righteousness we are clothed in, and the wedding garment pointing us out to everyone in spirit realm as the Bride of Christ.
Paul joins that spiritual idea with the practical reason that God gave this part of HIMself- to reveal Jesus to us and develop HIM within us.
God our Father gives us the Spirit of Wisdom and of Revelation. That word Revelation just isn’t the name of the last book of the bible- it’s the entire mission of the HOLY Spirit- to reveal Jesus Christ.
Even within that book of the bible, the first few words say-
Rev 1:1
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.
The book of Revelation doesn’t say about itself that it is a book of prophesy about the end times. It doesn’t state it’s mission as to inform us of future events- the book of Revelation is about revealing Jesus to this world.
This is given to us by the Holy Spirit, which Paul defines in Ephesians as the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Let’s define terms-
Wisdom is knowledge applied correctly while recognizing God’s sovereignty.
In other words- God said it, we believe and follow it, amen.
Applied to our scriptures this morning, we should look to the book of proverbs whose who mission is to give us wisdom
In Proverbs 1, it says in verse 7 says that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of Wisdom.
That’s the first step toward salvation, isn’t it?
We see that God decreed what is good and what is evil.
We did the evil and feared judgement, and then knelt at the cross of Jesus Christ to confess our sins and ask forgiveness. The fear of the LORD- that Holy respect we have toward our creator that HE is right.
The second part of what Paul was saying is that spirit of revelation-
The revealing of Jesus Christ to us and within us. After salvation- this is the most important reason that the HOLY Spirit exists inside you.
If you claim to be spirit filled and no one can see Jesus being shown through your or growing inside of you, then that’s not the Spirit of God influencing you.
Growing up and going through confirmation class I remember reading through the beatitudes in Matthew 5 through 7. I remember Jesus saying that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the religious class Which was the Pharisees and the Sadducees that were their pastors their priests that you had no chance of reaching heaven. Maybe I was absent the day they discussed the gospel and why Jesus went to the cross or I just never really paid attention because I found it boring and would rather skip confirmation and go to the arcade. Probably more of the latter than the former.
In spite of all of this- I went through both years of confirmation classes, and I got to know some of the pastors there. I learned to admire them h because I knew they had the instant ticket in the heaven that I would never get anywhere close to earning.
Then I got saved and discipled in the things of God and what the Bible had to say about Jesus, sin, the cross, and the way of salvation. I came to understand that Jesus came to die for me and if I confessed my sins, turned from my sins, and trusted in him I could also see heaven someday.
However, some of that pastor admiration carried over from my early years. As is appropriate, in the early days of my Christian life I have great respect and admiration for anyone in any spiritual position of authority. But, I kind of thought of them as people who got the golden ticket like in the Willy Wonka movie and they were set for eternity.
Then I got called in the ministry. As I grew in what God was doing in me, I got access to meeting some of my spiritual heroes. John Kilpatrick- the pastor who led the Brownsville Revival. Steve Hill- the evangelist who did most of the speaking at Brownsville. I helped organize and run a 1000 person men’s conference at my church with very famous celebrity pastors and speakers. I got to meet and hangout with many of them.
Do you know what I found out being around all these great men and women of God?
There were people. Human beings with the same flaws and issues I had.
Unfortunately, I have also met a few celebrity pastors who were prima-donna’s who showed nothing of the character of Jesus until the spotlight was on them and they did their performance before flying away to the next one. Many of the got caught up in scandals and had to leave the ministry.
But that is our litmus test isn’t it?
It’s not about how well they preach, how well they can play and sing or perform in the name of Jesus.
It’s all about if we can see Jesus in them when the spotlight is not on.
Bringing it back to today’s subject-
The Holy Spirit function is To reveal Jesus within you so that when other people look at you they don't see you but see Him.
Just to clarify- I love a revival atmosphere when the Holy Spirit is moving among the people.
I love the expressive worship and watching people be filled with the Holy Spirit and healed of lifelong issues.
But if you're jumping up and down in church but not walking straight with him when the service is over, that's not the Holy Spirit
If you're speaking in other tongues during the worship service and then leaving and cursing and gossiping about others that wasn't the Holy Spirit.
If you're falling on the floor when people pray with you and you're not walking different when you stand back up then that wasn't the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit purpose is to reveal Jesus within you. Repeat
All of those other things are window dressing to that one central purpose.
Now that we have discussed the purpose, let’s look at the benefits and consequences of having the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation
II. Consequences-
A. Your eyes will be enlightened (vs 18)
Meaning you will see as Jesus sees. You will be filled with an overwhelming sense of what HE has done for you, and that sense will fill your hearts and minds with so much joy and gratitude that the things of this world will lose their appeal to you.
Not only that- we will see as he sees.
How many people have someone in their life that really really bothers you?
They are just annoying. You can’t even stand to hear their voice much less spend time in their presence. You even look for reasons to avoid them at all costs.
But- what if you could see that really annoying person through Jesus’ eyes?
What if we allowed the Spirit of God to speak to us about that person- about how much the FATHER loves that person, and desperately wants you to show them Jesus not only through your words and your witness, but through your love for them?
Really- that is the great power for those who believe- the source of their joy and outlook.
The reason the early martyrs could walk boldly into arenas to face gladiators or wild beasts who would slaughter them- they understood and believed the awesome, priceless, and incomparably great inheritance that awaited them.
That is the power of the Christian- the deposited Holy Spirit who give us HIS power to not only survive in this crazy world, but to thrive in the Power of God.
The second benefit is
B. Resurrection power
19b 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.
At my last fire department we had a huge guy- big weight lifting monster that we fondly called “The Hulk”. When we were at a fire or car accident, and we need something moved or broken, we point at him and say “Hulk, smash” and that door get ripped off his hinges and tosses aside.
When ever we got back to the station and did the after action review on how the call went and we brought up how Hulk smashed something, he’d always roll up a sleeve and reveal his massive bicep and flex it for us.
I just imagine when it came time for Christ to be called from the grave,
An angel called out “God, smash” and God the father rolled up his sleeve, flexed a bit, and then crushed the sting of death and the fear of the grave forever.
That same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives in you.
Maybe there are some things or circumstances in your life you need to say- “Father, smash that”.
Take a moment- let God reveal something that he wants gone from your life, and say even right out loud- God, smash!
Let His resurrection power lift you up out of that mess, and place you back on the road to walk with HIM today.
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.
That’s a promise!
This power that he offers us isn’t just for today. It’s not to get a quick rush of emotion, and then fall back under the weight that we asked God to smash.
It’s meant to forever free you from it. Will it pop up occasionally? Sure it will. Satan knows it’s a weakness and will dangle it out in front of you sometimes to see if you’ll bite. But you have the power now to say no to unGodliness and yes to the freedom that Jesus won for you on the cross.
Finally, the Spirit not only reveals Christ to us, but places HIM in the proper place in our lives, hearts, and spirits-
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
III. Freedom
Too many of us today live like we are on a work release from jail. We have to go back every night and do our time.
But that isn’t what Jesus did for us- Hulk ripped the doors off the jail.
Consider the example I used last time- Paul and Silas being imprisoned after preaching Jesus to the Ephesians. God didn’t just open the doors, HE destroyed the prison.
It seems, and I include myself in this at times, like we spend our lives trying to rebuild the prison and make it nicer rather then just walk out into the freedom HE offers us.
Let’s all rise this morning. I want to spend a few moments in prayer about some of these things, and Pray for our fellowship meal.
Altar Call
