“Above All Rule”
[Ephesians 1:15-23]
June 5, 2011 Second Reformed Church
Today is Ascension Sunday. It is the day that we remember that forty days after the Resurrection, in the presence of His disciples, Jesus physically rose up through the clouds, out of sight, and, (as we are told in various places), returned to His Throne at the Right Hand of the Father. In our text from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we see something of why this is important for us today.
Paul beings this section by telling the Ephesian Christians that he had heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints – for all Christians. Ephesus was in what we now call Turkey – on the central western coast of the peninsula. It was a church that Paul had founded, but hadn’t been back to in many years.
Paul tells them that he prays for them, giving thanks for them as he remembers them in his prayers. Please pray for me. I pray for you, and I hope you pray for me. I hope you pray that I will be faithful, that God will give me wisdom to be your pastor, that God will sustain my health according to His Will. We ought to be praying for each other, and I hope you are thankful for each other – for every Christian that God has brought to faith.
Paul prayed for the Ephesians, and he told them that he prayed that “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give [them] a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of [their] hearts enlightened.” What does that mean?
Paul prayed that God would give them “a spirit of wisdom.” He wanted them to have a knowledge and understanding of Who God is and what He has done. He wanted them to be able to practically apply all that they knew about God the Father from the Scripture. That’s something we ought to pray about for each other – that each of us would better understand the Scripture and what we are told about God and why it matters – why God made sure it was recorded in His Word for us.
He also prayed that they would have “a spirit of revelation.” Paul was not asking that God would speak to them with new information that is not in the Bible. What he was praying was that God would make His Word fresh to them every time they read it – that they would be excited and energized as they read God’s Word. Again, that’s something we ought to pray for each other: First, that we would be reading our Bibles every day. Second, that God would help us to understand what is written in His Word. And third, that God would make His Word alive to us – fresh – exciting – something we long to go to again and again for refreshment from God.
And, he prayed that as they receive “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [it would be] in the knowledge of [the Father].” That’s not merely a book knowledge or an intellectual knowledge, but a personal knowledge – an intimate knowledge – that two people would have. If you are a Christian this morning, we’re told that God “knows” us – and that is a knowledge that is passionate and loving.
And, in receiving this wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of the Father, he prayed that they would have “the eyes of [their] heart[s] enlightened.” In other words, he prayed that those whose eyes have been enlightened – those who have received Jesus Alone as their Savior – would progress in their salvation – that they would progress towards holiness and faithfulness.
So, Paul says that since he knows that they are Christians who love each other, he gives thanks for them and prays that they will understand God’s Word, that it would be fresh and exciting to them – in that intimate relationship that Christians have with God – and that they would progress in becoming holy. Does that make sense?
Would you please pray that for me? I pray it for you. I pray that you would understand God’s Word and be excited about it and experience intimacy with God and progress towards holiness. Would you please pray that for me? Would you pray that I would understand God’s Word and be excited about it and experience intimacy with God and progress towards holiness?
Now that we understand that – and we will be praying for each other after this example of Paul to the Ephesians – we might ask the question, “Why?” Why does Paul want them to understand God’s Word and be excited about it and experience intimacy with God and progress towards holiness?
Paul gives three reasons in our text:
First, Paul prays these things “that [they] may know what is the hope to which he has called [them].” “He” who? Here, “he” is God the Father. So – that they may know what is the hope to which God the Father has called them. So, what is the hope that God the Father called the Ephesians believers to? What is the hope to that God the Father calls all Christians to?
Paul wrote, “To [the saints] God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27, ESV).
The hope that God calls all Christians to is the hope that we have been redeemed. Jesus has taken our place under the Wrath of God, having been punished for our sake, and having credited us with His Righteousness, so that we can stand before God now and in the Kingdom. This is the Work that Jesus accomplished for us and the fact of what Jesus accomplished – and the surety of the hope we have of being received into Glory is not changed by our emotions – by the way we feel, because “Christ is in you.” Jesus lives in every person who believes in Him, and the Holy Spirit witnesses to our Salvation, so we can be assured by the Witness and the Promise and the Word of God, that we – and all those who believe in Jesus Alone for Salvation – will be received into Glory.
Paul explains that the whole Creation is waiting for that hope to come – because when it does, the whole Creation will be freed from its slavery to corruption and it will be received into the Glory that we will be received into. Just as our physical bodies will rise again, made like unto Jesus’ Physical Body, so will the Creation be perfect once again (cf. Romans 8:19-25).
So, the first reason that Paul wants them to understand God’s Word and be excited about it and experience intimacy with God and progress towards holiness is so they would have assurance of their salvation and the hope of resurrection and of a life to come in the Kingdom with Jesus.
Do you have assurance of your salvation and the hope of resurrection and of a life to come in the Kingdom with Jesus? I pray you do. It comes through reading God’s Word and from the testimony of the Holy Spirit – Who lives in you – to the truthfulness of God’s Word.
Second, Paul prays these things that they would know “what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” Paul wants them to understand what they will inherit as sons and daughters of God – brothers and sisters of Jesus – when they are received into the kingdom
Paul writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18, ESV).
What do you consider your greatest suffering right now? Is the climate control in your car not working properly? Are you not your perfect weight? Have you not been to a movie theater in over a year? Is your suffering greater than that? Do you have physical ailments? Arthritis, problems with sight, hearing, digestion, etc.? Mental disabilities? Addictions? Paul was writing to a people who were being tortured, crucified, burned alive, thrown to the lions – and he tells them that all of that is “nothing” compared with the inheritance of glory that they will receive in the Kingdom.
Now, Paul was not making light of their suffering – Paul suffered with something and he tells us that he prayed to have it removed from him, but God said, “no.” Paul was not denying the reality of suffering – and of terrible, painful suffering. What Paul was saying is that as horrible as the worst suffering that they would ever experience in this lifetime would be, inheriting glory is so much greater that Job, himself, would say that his suffering – comparatively – was nothing.
We can only begin to approach what that means – perfection to the utmost degree of perfection, holiness upon holiness, glory upon glory. All those who believe in Jesus Alone for Salvation will be received into that glory, and it will be theirs. Do you believe that, brothers and sisters? I do. I have not suffered much in my life, but I know that if I was not going to inherit glory with the saints, I could not bear the suffering I suffer; I would give up.
Much of the suffering that we have suffered has been physical suffering. The good news is this: “we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:20b-21, ESV). We will be transformed in the Kingdom – and our failed bodies will be transformed into glorious bodies like Jesus had after the Resurrection. Everything that we who believe suffer with in our bodies now will be transformed, and we will inherit glorious bodies, like Jesus’.
And that is only the beginning, “as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’” (I Corinthians 2:9, ESV). The best understand we can get from the Word of God about what our inheritance will be in the Kingdom is only a tiny percentage of what the reality will be.
So, the second reason that Paul wants them to understand God’s Word and be excited about it and experience intimacy with God and progress towards holiness is so they would have assurance of their inheritance of the riches of Christ’s Glory – which is life with Jesus, a perfect body, no pain or suffering, and far more than we can possibly imagine.
Do you have assurance of your inheritance of the riches of Christ’s Glory? I pray you do. It comes through reading God’s Word and from the testimony of the Holy Spirit – Who lives in you – to the truthfulness of God’s Word.
Third, Paul prays these things that they would know “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe.” Paul is not saying that they will receive more power, but that God’s Power is already working in them and through them.
In the next chapter of Ephesians, Paul explains, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV). Paul says that those who believing savingly in Jesus are His Creation, and Jesus created us as His to do good works which God predestined that we would do. Jesus has raised us from the dead, recreated us, and now works through us to do good works to His Glory.
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6, ESV). Paul assures the Philippians that one of the good works that God is working through each one who believes savingly in Him is restoring the Image of God in us, making us into the Image of His Son, sanctifying us – making us holy. This work God is completing by His Power in and through us until Jesus returns – at which point we will be completed and made holy, never to sin again.
We are already what we will become, and God is continuing to make us new. As Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (II Corinthians 5:17, ESV).
If you have believed in Jesus Alone for salvation, God the Holy Spirit lives in you and by His Power, He is doing good works through you. God is changing you by His Power, making you the into the man or woman you will before forever in the Kingdom with Jesus.
So, the third reason that Paul wants them to understand God’s Word and be excited about it and experience intimacy with God and progress towards holiness is so they would have an understanding and assurance of the Power of God that is working in and through them – first to raise them from spiritual death, then to sanctify them – make them holy, and finally, to make them like Jesus as they are received into His Kingdom when Jesus returns.
Do you have assurance of God working by His Power in and through you – changing you and doing good works through you? I pray you do. It comes through reading God’s Word and from the testimony of the Holy Spirit – Who lives in you – to the truthfulness of God’s Word.
Now we know why Paul was praying for them and what he was praying for, yet we still may wonder how these things will come to pass in the Providence of God.
Paul says that these things will come to pass according to – or, by virtue of – “the working of [God’s] 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 fulness of him who fills all in all.”
The “how” of all these things – for the Ephesians – and for you and me – and for all those who believe in Jesus Alone for Salvation is the fact of the Ascension of Jesus: God raised Jesus from the dead: “God raise him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24, ESV). And He spent forty days eating, drinking, touching, and interacting with the disciples – more than five hundred people.
“And when [Jesus] had said these things, as [the disciples] were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of sight” (Acts 1:9, ESV). As Peter says, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, ...” (Acts 2:32-33a, ESV). “[Jesus] who has gone into heaven [] is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (I Peter 3:22, ESV).
How is it possible that we who believe savingly in Jesus will receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of the Father, having the eyes of our hearts opened that we would know the hope we are called to, the riches of His glorious inheritance for us, and the immeasurable greatness of His Power in us and through us?
It is possible – it is sure – because Jesus was received into Heaven and is seated on the Throne of God, being the Sovereign of God – having all power over all people and all creatures and all authorities, so that His Will will be done – whatsoever He has willed to come to pass will happen. Everything is under His Feet – that means He is Sovereign over everything – even you and me. And He is the Head of the Church and we are His Body.
The fact of the Ascension assures us that Jesus is God, Sovereign, willing and able to accomplish all that He intends and has promised. So we have hope and assurance – we can turn to Him in prayer – we can meet with Him in the reading and preaching of His Word – we can meet with Him in the receiving of the Sacraments – as we propose to do this morning. And we will begin to understand Who God is and what He has done – and we will become excited to read His Word – and we will long to be with Him now in the Word and Sacraments and prayer – and ultimately in the Kingdom when we will be with Him face to face.
As we rest in the assurance of Jesus’ Ascension – and His Authority over all of Creation – we will find the assurance of salvation, the assurance that God is working in us and through us to make us holy, revealing Himself through the means of grace that He has set before us in the Word and Sacraments and prayer.
We can go forth from this place unafraid, because Jesus has ascended to His Throne – He is Sovereign, and He loves us and died for us, and not only that, He rose and ascended and reigns – He meets with us now and ministers to us, and He is coming back.
With our eyes on our Ascended Savior and God, let us be in prayer for each other, thanking God that He saw fit to save us and all those who will believe. Let us pray that we will all receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God, that each of us would have our eyes opened, and we would be assured, and strengthened, and hope-filled in the knowledge that Jesus reigns above all rule.
Let us pray:
Almighty God and Father, we have seen the example of prayer that we have from Paul in Your Word. We thank You for the history of the Ascension, and we ask that You would cast all doubt from our minds, and we ask that by Your Power, You will witness to us with our spirit of the Truth of Jesus’ Sovereign Rule. Help us to know You and to rejoice in You and what You are doing in all who believe in You. And now we ask that You would meet with us in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper – that we would receive Your Grace, assuredly knowing the Power that is at work in us, until the day of Christ Jesus. Amen.
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