Title Ephesians 01:17-19 Let us know
Content Title: Let Us Know
Scripture: Ephesians 1:17-19
If you watch TV these days, there is a program called Genuine Luxury. The content of the pro is a pro that hides the authenticity of old antiques and finds out the value as a masterpiece. It's not the first time I've been surprised to see antiques, which do not seem very precious to us, to be priced at a surprisingly high price after being appraised by experts.
If you don't have enough awareness of the antiques you own, they fuck you up. There's no point in regretting knowing that it's genuine and of great value as a luxury item after a fucking shit. If you don't know how valuable it is, it's considered insignificant. Also, if you don't know how to use a computer these days, you can't use it to your advantage.
There are surprisingly many things in our lives that we cannot enjoy because we do not know this. We also see people covet the things of others, even though the things they have are better. After all, they are misfortunes that come from a lack of awareness of one's own.
The sorrow of forsaking God without having the assurance of faith through the Word is also a tragedy caused by not knowing the blessing of becoming a child of God given through Jesus Christ. If we do not know that the hope of heaven, given by grace, is the truth and an irreplaceable treasure, it is considered trivial.
Let's look at Matthew 13:44.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, and when a man found it, he hid it, and rejoiced, went back and sold all that he had and bought the field.” Let's continue with verses 45 and 46.
“And the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
What are you both talking about? Doesn't it mean that even if we all give our possessions together, it's worth getting it? The treasure found in the field and the pearls of great price were also judged to be more valuable in the eyes of the man who found them, so he sold all he had and bought them. It's not the concept of owning both. Giving away one for something better. You have to choose what you think is more valuable and valuable. The two examples above are chosen because we know which ones are more valuable and valuable. If you don't know, you can just ignore it.
Getting to heaven is just like that. Only those who consider owning heaven to be the most precious treasure in their lives can decide to sell all they have. You can't buy heaven with money, but isn't it so precious? A correct perception of heaven determines our life of faith.
If you lack the awareness that the heaven you own is so precious and valuable, you end up looking for other treasures. Owning the most precious thing, yet lacking awareness of what is precious, has no choice but to wander the world in search of something better.
How about me and you?
Even though you already have the kingdom of heaven given to those who are in Jesus Christ by God's grace, aren't you looking for something better? We must know the preciousness of heaven. I bless you in the name of the Lord that you know that the heaven we possess is the most precious treasure in this world.
The epistle of Ephesians we see today is Paul's epistle written in this context. The church in Ephesus is the church that Paul planted during the third missionary journey (Acts 19). The epistle to Ephesians to the members of this church is one of the four epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon) written by Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome (c. 63 AD).
In this epistle, Paul records the spiritual blessings our God has given us freely in Christ Jesus. In short, the grace of God given to Christians is abundant. The grace of becoming the sons of God, obtained through the blood of Christ, is not our merit, but the grace that God gave us according to His good pleasure as a providence foreordained before the ages. It is also the grace of blessing given by all spiritual blessings in heaven (Ephesians 1:3-7).
Paul, who is writing this epistle, is not speaking in favorable circumstances. I am not saying this because I am currently living in the upper class. I am not encouraging people to be a little patient when they see people struggling because they are living well. Although his body is imprisoned, he is speaking the spiritual things of heaven as a person who has eyes of faith. This is an exhortation for those who know how wide and deep God's grace is.
Paul's earnest desire has always been to know the cross of Christ Jesus. This is also very important to you. 1 Corinthians 2:2.
“I have determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
Paul is saying that knowing what grace the crucifixion of Jesus Christ has brought to us believers is more precious than anything else. In Philippians 3, he says that neither his origin nor his past career means anything to him now.
“Nevertheless, whatever was useful to me, I count not only as loss for Christ’s sake, but also as loss for the sake of all things, because of the noblest knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. to be found in” (Philippians 3:7-9a).
There is nothing more important than being found in Christ Jesus. There is nothing more valuable than the blessing given by the grace of the cross. That is why Paul can proudly exclaim, "I will never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Look at the Old Testament. Do you not know the history of the Israelites when they forgot that it was God's grace that they had to leave Egypt? How was it when you entered Canaan? The grace I enjoyed in the Promised Land could not be regarded as grace. Why are these things happening?
Not knowing how great the blessings of being with God are, they set out to find another god. It is a tragic act and idea that we did not enjoy the blessings as we did not know the abundant grace of Canaan.
The same is true today.
If the saints do not know God and do not know the abundant grace that God has given in Christ Jesus, they will not be able to enjoy what He has given them and will find other things. He eventually leaves the church. It's really sad.
So, today's text is the content of Paul's earnest prayer to the Ephesian church members so that they would know the grace of the word spoken only in verses 1:3-14. So am I.
Verse 17. “The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, has given you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that you may know God” means that knowing God is not the result of our intellectual efforts. It is not the level of knowledge that can be acquired by learning a lot like acquiring knowledge of the world. Of course, you will have to study the truth later, but Paul's intent here is different.
By “revelation” here we mean the knowledge of God Himself that He reveals to us. It refers to the eyes of faith that we have through the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. And "wisdom" means the ability to take that knowledge on our part. After all, it is only through the grace of God that we can know God. You must know God first. When we know right away that we are with God, we go crazy like children.
Therefore, no matter how full we are with the knowledge of God, it is nothing if we lack the wisdom to realize and accept that knowledge. That is why Paul is praying that God will give the Ephesians a spirit of wisdom and revelation. This prayer is our prayer, which we should ask without cessation for ourselves, for ourselves, and for the saints we love.
Verse 18. "Open the eyes of your hearts, and what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints?" It is the hope of heaven that one cannot see without having the eyes of faith, and it is the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven.
So, we want to know what the hope is for those whom God has called and called, and we want to know the inheritance given to the saints, the glory of heaven, eternal life, and the riches of salvation. If you do not have these eyes, you will fall into the temptations of the world. If you don't know how great and wonderful the blessing you deserve, you don't even dare to sell your own. It's not forced. you need to know Because we do not know, our eyes of faith are darkened, so we cannot let go of things that will disappear. Don't push yourself.
At the age of 40, Moses saw the glory of God with the eyes of faith. So he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's princess, but preferred to suffer with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the momentary pleasures of iniquity, and regarded the reproach on Christ's sake as greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt. Because they looked forward to the reward (Hebrews 11:24-26).
That's right. If you do not know the glory of that country, you cannot forsake your own and follow the Lord.
Verse 19. "I ask you to make known the exceeding greatness of the power which he bestows upon us who believe, as he works in the might of his might."
Knowing that we were able to enjoy the above glory was accomplished not by our own strength, but by God's providence and grace, and to realize that God is finally doing it is a tremendous grace. It is not our ability to work out our salvation just as we were not able to be with God in our own strength. Everything starts with God's grace and ends with God's grace. It is the blessing of being God's people. If we can know this fact through the spirit of wisdom and revelation from God, we cannot help but love God.
Ladies and gentlemen, we all want to know the exceeding greatness of God's power with those who believe. So I hope you love God more than anyone else.
The grace that God has promised to His children is by no means an ideology or philosophy. It is a reality and a reality that will be given to us in the future. I hope you have eyes of faith and see the hope of heaven. Amen