KNOWING THE POWER OF OUR KING
Ephesians 1:15-23
The
word, “Power” is relative. Someone whom we think is powerful today may not be
powerful tomorrow. It is interesting to see how power changes from person to
person, country to country. According to the Forbes list of 2018, the most
powerful people on earth: 1 Xi Jinping General
Secretary, Communist Party of China 2 Vladimir Putin President, of Russia. 3 Donald
Trump President, of United States 4 Angela Merkel Chancellor, of Germany. In
2017, Vladmir Putin was number one in that list. This tells us that, a person
may remain as the most powerful person for one year. Did you know the one who
ranks as the most powerful person on earth, consistently year after year for
the past 2000 years? Can anyone beat that record?
For
the past two Sundays we have been pondering on some powerful truths from the
letter of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians. Last Sunday we looked at three crucial
theological doctrines and their implications on our lives today. They are: Our
redemption, our inheritance and having been sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is
one thing to know that we are redeemed but it is another thing to live like we
are the redeemed. Given the fact that we are still living in a fallen and
unredeemed world, is it possible to live out our new-found identity in
practical and God honoring ways?
I
believe, it is very much possible when we come to know the power of our King
who has set us free from the bondage of sin and given us His Holy Spirit as a
guarantee for our future inheritance. Today we will learn from a powerful
prayer of the Apostle Paul for the believers in Ephesus where he prayed that
their hearts might be enlightened so that they might know the power of the King
and operate in the same power. Ephesians 1:15-23
A
bit of background about the City of Ephesus would be helpful. Ephesus was the
capital of pro-consular Asia. It was about one mile inland from the eastern
portion of the Aegean Sea. A great theater, seating about 50,000 people was
located there (Acts 19:31). Also, one of the seven wonders of the world, the
temple (Artemis) was located in Ephesus.
Artemis of Ephesus was a tremendously popular deity. It was said that
six magical words were inscribed upon the image of the Ephesian Artemis.
Chanting in the name of Artemis said to have had powerful force. Thousands of personnel served within the
immense confines of the sanctuary, and huge sums of money were entrusted to the
keeping of Artemis. As a result, the temple complex became the major banking
center of Asia. Not only was Artemis the guardian deity of Ephesus, but she
also figured as savior goddess in inscription.[1] With this information,
let’s now unpack the powerful prayer of the Apostle Paul for the Ephesian
believers.
1. A
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
As
we know the apostle Paul was in the city of Ephesus for three years preaching
and encouraging the believers. His
preaching in the Synagogues drew many Jews and Gentiles to faith in
Christ. Now at the time of writing this
letter Paul was under house arrest in Rome (AD 60-62). While in prison he had
heard about the faith of the Ephesians who had experienced miracles of healing;
many had abandoned their magical arts, and attendance at the Temple of Artemis
was in noticeable decline. (Acts 19,20) He also heard about their love for all
the saints. He was filled with
thanksgiving to the Lord and offers up this prayer, saying, Paul offered up a
Vs 15-16, “Because of all this, and because I’d heard that you are loyal and
faithful to Jesus the master, and that you show love to all God’s holy people,
I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.”
This
shows Paul’s ongoing commitment to the church he planted and also how the
believers remained faithful in excelling in their love for all the believers.
What we see here is that their faith in Christ was translated into their love
for all the saints in the world. Faith in Christ without love for all the
saints is not even a thing that Paul recognizes.
I
wish I could say like Paul that I never stop praying for the members of Hope
Church, but so often Wilma and I offered up prayers for each of you mentioning
by name for your faithfulness, loyalty and love for: God, the word, for one
another in our church family and for other believers in the Lord. Our continual
prayer is that we will excel in these excellent qualities.
II. A
PRAYER OF INSIGHT:
Paul began his prayer with
thanksgiving and then went on to pray a prayer of insight, for the Ephesian believers
so that they remain steadfast in their faith and know Jesus their King. The
word “insight” means, “the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive
understanding of a person or a thing.” Paul’s prayer of insight is not only
meant for the believers in Ephesus but for all Christians everywhere at all
times. He Prayed for:
The Spirit of Wisdom &
Revelation:
Vs, 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.” We need to remember that the God we pray to is the God of our lord
and king Jesus, and the glorious Father. Paul prays that God would give us in
our spirit, the gift of being wise, of seeing things we can’t normally see,
because we are coming to know Jesus.
This
knowledge of Jesus is through both wisdom (result of studying God’s word) but
also through the revelation (a special understanding coming from the Holy
Spirit). There are two kinds of wisdom, there is worldly wisdom and godly
wisdom. You can acquire all the worldly knowledge and become wise by going to Yale
or Harvard university.
But
the godly wisdom that Paul is talking about is only available in the school of
the Holy Spirit. As we open up the scriptures asking the Holy Spirit to
enlighten it, as it is in the first place inspired by him, he will open up our
minds to get to know Jesus better.
The enlightenment of the eyes of our heart:
Vs 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 his holy people.” Recently, Wilma and I were at House
neck Beach. I was on the beach reading a book and enjoying the beautiful ocean
scenes, Wilma enjoyed swimming. After a while she coerced me to get into the
water. Reluctantly I went inside, with my glasses on, without realizing the
power of the ocean. A huge wave knocked me down with my glasses. When I came up
I couldn’t see much of anything.
I
panickily searched, prayed, hoped that glasses would show up on the shore, but
they were gone. For the next two hours life was miserable. I was partially
blind, the joy was sucked out of me, I was lost, not in control of myself and
my surroundings, felt hopeless and helpless. In a fresh away I realized how
important it is to have a clear eyesight for my survival and over all
wellbeing. In the same way clear spiritual insight is important for our spiritual
well-being.
The
biblical writers often used vision figuratively for insight. Psalm 19:8, “The
precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the
Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes that I
may see wonderful things in your law.” Keeping this OT precedence, the Jewish
people sometimes prayed for God to enlighten their eyes to help them understand
God’s word. The apostle Paul uses the same figurative language in his prayer.
We too can pray that the eyes of our inmost self may be opened to God’s light.
For what purpose? So that we will know exactly what the hope is that goes with
God’s call; that we will know the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in his
holy people.
From
this point on Paul gradually transitions from praying for personal insight into
proclaiming a corporate understanding of the outstanding greatness of God’s
power toward all the believers who are loyal to him in faith, according to the
working of his strength and power.
III.
KNOWING THE POWER OF OUR KING
Vs
20-23, “Which he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at
his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power
and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but
also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed
him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness
of him who fills everything in every way.”
The
apostle Paul here is introducing to the Ephesian believers a super power that
is much more powerful than the great Artmeis, the goddess who is worshipped
throughout the province of Asia and the world. In Acts 19, we read about Paul’s
ministry in the city of Ephesus for three months, where God confirmed His
message through signs and wonders as a result many turned to Christ. Paul
caused such a stir as a result there were riots in Ephesus. In one such riots,
the crowd shouted in unison for about two hours; “Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians.”
In
that given context, Paul is laying out an introduction to the most powerful
King and his ever-enduring powerful kingdom. Paul says, God set this power in
motion when He raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at His right hand in
the heavenly places. By stating this, Paul was reminding the Jewish believers
a partial fulfilment of a prophecy spoken by king David, Psalm 110:1, “The Lord
says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool
for your feet.” Our king Jesus with his great power right now is seated at the
right hand of God the father. He was placed above all rule and authority and
power and lordship, and above every name that is invoked, both in the present
age and also in the age to come.
One
day he will come back to the earth to rule and reign forever, at that time
truly as David said, God would make all his enemies as his footstool. Let’s ponder on these power packed verses, as
they not only changed the perspective of the Ephesian believers but can also
change our perception of who our God is, who are we as individuals, and together
as a church. Knowing who our King is, and his matchless power perhaps is the
most important and liberating thing in our Christian walk in a power crazed
world we live in.
Another
good news is that, God’s great power, that very power which raised Jesus from
the dead, is also given to every believer at the time of salvation and is
always available. Writing to the Colossian believers Paul asserts this power
saying, “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy which so
powerfully works in me.” Paul recognized that he got the power.
Paul’s
prayer for us today as it was for the Ephesian believers is, not that we will
be given God’s power but that we might be aware of the power that we have
already possess in Christ. When you struggle with a particular sin, recognize
that you have the power within you, because the Holy Spirit lives in you.
Therefore you can overcome that sin.
I
want to close with a prayer for all those who have accepted the gift of
salvation which is made available to all in the name of the king. If you know
in your heart that you did not have this assurance of salvation, you can repent
of your sins and ask Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your heart, then
this prayer will apply to you as well. May the God of King Jesus our Lord would
give you insight that you might know Him better. That you would know the hope
of your calling, and the wealth of your glorious inheritance. That you might
live humbly and honorably under the watchful and the most powerful eye of our
Lord and King Jesus, who is the head of the church and whose fullness fills the
church in the whole earth. Amen!
