Enlightened Hearts – Ephesians 1:15-23

At one time in my life Jesus was no more than a curiosity and most of the time someone I only thought about in church on Sundays, and that not very deeply. I was sixteen years old when I realized the error of my ways. I discovered that Jesus was the most important person in the universe and radically important to my life. He wanted to have relationship with me and I desperately needed to have relationship with him. He became my everything.

Paul is praying that this would be the reality for all those in Ephesus and the surrounding cities which have been reached by the gospel.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 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, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 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. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:15-23, ESV)

In Paul’s letters his report of how he prays for those he is writing to always depicts the themes he is going to address in the rest of the letter (he is a genius at communicating and, of course, God’s Spirit is at work in his writing). This prayer report is no different. Paul’s themes in writing are:

1) God has revealed to us and wants us to grasp the hope of our calling. He will expand on that as he explains the amazing salvation God engineered through the sacrifice of Jesus, rescuing us through His grace as we responded in faith, not works, to become those who do good works.

2) God has revealed to us and wants us to grasp the riches of our inheritance together with all the saints. This inheritance was mostly only embraced by Israel initially but has now been lavishly bestowed on Gentiles as well and the two people groups have become one people in Christ.

3) God has revealed to us and wants us to grasp the power He has wrought in us to rescue us, the same power He used to raise Jesus from the dead and to exalt His name above all names, making Jesus the head of all things, especially the church. We have become his body and the fullness or completion of him who is already the one who fills all in all.

There is no one more exalted than Jesus, no one more worthy of our worship, no one more committed to our rescue and development as saints. He is exalted in this age, this current non-kingdom age awaiting the age to come, the kingdom, and he will be exalted to the highest in that coming age as well. And, wonder of wonders, he considers us his body, the extension of his life in this world. What a privilege and what a responsibility!

Discussion Questions

1. Whose faith and love in Christ has come to your attention and evokes prayers of thanksgiving because of it?
2. Do you feel you have experienced the Holy Spirit giving you wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, enlightening your heart?
3. How would you describe the hope to which God has called you?
4. How would you describe the riches of the inheritance you have received with all the other saints/believers?
5. What experience of God’s power toward believers have you had?
6. How does Paul’s description of Jesus as head of the church make you feel or what does it make you want to do?