Introduction
Many of us here in Manila are very familiar with the experience of a brownout. You can be in a room you know well, filled with valuable and useful things, but when the power goes out and the room is plunged into darkness, everything changes. You can't see the path forward, so you stumble. You can't see the treasures around you, so you can't appreciate or use them. But then comes that wonderful moment when the power is restored. The lights flicker on, and instantly, everything is clear. You can see where you're going, and you can see the value of everything the room contains.
In a spiritual sense, this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is praying for. Last week, we saw him ask God to give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Today, he explains the result of that gift. He prays that the light would come on in our souls, so that we stop stumbling through our Christian lives and begin to truly see and understand the incredible spiritual treasures that are already ours in Christ.
I. The Miracle of Sight: Enlightening the Heart
Paul begins with the divine miracle required for us to see spiritual truth: "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;"
A. The Organ of Spiritual Sight
Paul uses a beautiful metaphor: "the eyes of your understanding," which many translations render as "the eyes of your heart." He's not talking about our physical eyes, but about the very core of our being—our mind, our will, our emotions. This is the inner faculty that perceives spiritual reality. Just as our physical eyes perceive light, the eyes of our heart are designed to perceive God's glory and truth. But for every person born into this world, these eyes are born blind.
B. The Act of Divine Illumination
The phrase "being enlightened" describes a divine act. It's in the passive voice, meaning it is something done to us, not by us. We cannot enlighten ourselves any more than a blind man can give himself sight. This is a miracle. It is God the Holy Spirit, in a moment of grace, flipping the switch and flooding our hearts with divine light, allowing us to see and grasp the truths of the gospel in a personal, life-changing way. This is Paul's prayer: "Lord, perform the miracle of sight in them!"
2. What We See First: The Hope of Our Calling
Once the lights are on, what are the first things Paul wants us to see? The first is our glorious future: "...that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,"
A. The Nature of Christian Hope
In our culture, "hope" often means little more than wishful thinking. We "hope" it doesn't rain, or we "hope" we get a promotion. But biblical hope is the complete opposite. It is a rock-solid, certain expectation of a future good that is guaranteed. Christian hope is not a "maybe," but a "surely." It's an anchor for the soul because it isn't based on our fluctuating circumstances, but on the unchanging character of God.
B. The Source of Christian Hope
Paul specifies that it is the hope of His calling. Our confidence for the future rests entirely on the fact that God Himself initiated our salvation. He is the one who "called" us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Because He began the work, His own honor and faithfulness are on the line to complete it. This hope looks forward to our final destination: resurrection, glorification, and an eternity spent in the presence of the God who called us to Himself.
3. What We See Next: The Riches of God's Inheritance
After seeing our future, Paul wants us to see our present value to God: "...and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,"
A. The Identity of the Inheritance: It's Us!
We often think about the inheritance we will get from God, but Paul here flips the perspective. He is praying that we would understand the inheritance that God gets in us. The "saints"—the believers, the church, you and I—are God's inheritance. We are His treasured possession, the prize that Jesus Christ purchased with His own blood. Out of all creation, God has chosen us to be His special portion, the people He claims as His own.
B. The Value of the Inheritance: Rich in Glory
Paul piles up the most extravagant words he can find—"the riches of the glory of his inheritance"—to try and describe how infinitely valuable we are to God. He wants the light to come on so that we are left breathless by the realization of our worth in God's eyes. This isn't about our own merit; it's about the value He has placed upon us. Understanding this truth is the key to overcoming insecurity, fear, and the temptation to find our worth in the things of this world.
Conclusion
Paul's prayer is that God would cure our spiritual blindness. He prays that the lights would come on in our hearts so we can finally and clearly see two life-altering realities. First, the certainty of the glorious future that is guaranteed for us—our hope. Second, the staggering, immeasurable value that God places on us right now as His own treasured possession—His inheritance.
The spiritual brownout is over for those in Christ. We don't have to stumble through life, uncertain of our future or unaware of our worth. Let's ask ourselves, how would my life change if I truly saw these things? How would it affect my anxieties about tomorrow? How would it change my view of myself when I fail? Let us join Paul in this prayer for ourselves and for each other: "Lord, open the eyes of our hearts. Let us see."
