The Messenger 21
Introduction
Let me remind you of that phrase that Paul uses in his intercession for the saints. It is one we need to take special note of. He writes “I keep asking the Father to give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.”
Why does Paul keep asking the Father to give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation? For one simple reason – we cannot fully grasp spiritual realities without the aid of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). As Jesus taught His disciples:
“He (the Holy Spirit) will bring glory to me by taking what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you” (Jn 16:14-15).
Our knowledge of Jesus and the blessings He imparts in salvation will always remain superficial at best without our conscious dependence on the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Take a few moments now to meditate on the words of a hymn by Charles Wesley.
Come, Holy Spirit, my heart inspire,
attest that I am born again;
come, and baptise me now with fire,
nor let Thy former gifts be vain.
I cannot rest in sins forgiven;
where is the earnest of my heaven?
Where this indubitable seal
that ascertains the kingdom mine?
The powerful stamp I long to feel,
the signature of love divine:
O shed it in my heart abroad,
Fullness of love, of heaven, of God.
Knowing the hope
As we continue thinking about Paul prayer in Ephesians 1, we will focus in this and the following reflection on three phrases in that prayer – the hope to which we have been called, the riches of His glorious inheritance in us, and His incomparably great power to us who believe. Three vital things – hope, riches, power – on which we need the Spirit to enlighten us if we are truly to know what it is that we possess in Christ.
“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, and his incomparably great power to us who believe” (1:18-19).
“Hope, it would seem, is a psychological necessity if man is to envisage a future at all” (JD Douglas). Because the alternative to hope is despair, in the secular world man clings to hope even when there is little or no rational basis for it. Such hope, sadly, often proves to be transient and illusory.
Biblical hope, however, couldn’t be more different. It is a strong, positive word. It involves “a looking to God as the Fulfiller and Fulfilment of life. It is a confident desire for the completion of salvation in the age to come. It is rooted in Christ’s resurrection and God’s faithfulness, and it is possible only through the work of the Spirit in the heart” (Rom 5:1-5; Rom 8:20-24; 1 Pet 1:3). The Concise Dictionary of the Christian Tradition
Whatever disappointments we may have to face in this life; whatever obstacles stand before us; however limited our own resources may appear; no matter how often we may feel let down by others, in Christ we have been given a divine destiny. And because of what God has done and is now doing through Christ, we can dare to hope that God will enable us finally to arrive at that place that He has appointed for those who are in Christ.
It is hope that keeps us pushing on to the goal God has set for us despite the obstacles and disappointments on the journey. And even when our earthly journey takes us through the best of times, hope keeps us pushing on to the goal that lies ahead. Hope encourages us to believe that however wonderful good times might be in this life, nothing can compare to the glory that awaits us. As Dr Tasker has so rightly said – “The best is still to be.”
We may not have all we long for today, tomorrow, next month or even next year. But in God’s time we will. That is the hope God wants us to have.
Could you use some hope? I am sure you could! Who of us does not need hope to fortify us in the midst of life’s struggles? Use those words in Ephesians as your own prayer to God that you may gain the hope He so longs for you to possess.
“I pray, Father, that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that I may know the hope to which You have called me.”
Knowing the riches
In his letter to the Corinthians Paul writes:
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich”(2 Cor 8:9).
In my Bible the heading that appears above chapter 8 is entitled ‘Generosity encouraged.’ In this chapter Paul is encouraging the Corinthian church to excel ‘in the grace of giving.’ To illustrate the point that we have never truly given until it costs us, Paul points the church to Jesus “who though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor so that we through his poverty might become rich.”
The sacrificial giving of Jesus drives home the point that true giving “finds its meaning only when others are made rich by it. Giving is never directed inward, it is always outward. It is never for our benefit, even indirectly or remotely. Its intention is the enrichment of others” (Ray Stedman).
The illustration that Paul uses to encourage giving among the Corinthian Christians reminds us of what we have inherited through the sacrificial giving of Jesus. The clear, unambiguous intention of His sacrificial giving is to enrich us with a spiritual inheritance that cannot be measured nor will ever ‘perish, spoil or fade’ (1 Peter 1:4).
To live today as those who have been blessed beyond measure, all we need is a spiritual revelation of the riches of his glorious inheritance in us.
If you have a question or a comment about this series please feel free to write to me, Brian, at
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