I chose that psalm because it goes quite well with the theme of this morning's sermon on knowing God. This psalm arises out of the heart of one who not only knows God, but is knowing God. Not mere knowledge, but a knowing of great truths that give forth things like Thy name with gladness they confess, exalted in Thy righteousness. Their fame and might to Thee belong, for in Thy favor they are strong. A knowledge of God that leads to a knowing of God and a participation in the great things of God is what we'll be talking about this morning from Ephesians chapter 1. And I chose this text because in the sweet providence of the Lord when the invitation came, I was working on the new adult Sunday school class that we're starting this morning and thought that I might do a little plug for its theme of knowing God. Ephesians chapter 1. Our focus for the sermon will be verses 15 and following, but we'll begin with the whole chapter. And before we do so, let's ask the Lord to bless His Word. Our Father in Heaven, we do thank You for Your Word, for the truths in it, for both Your law and the Gospel, and for how through it You grant to us life and strength. for the calling that You've brought us into with Christ. We pray that as we read Your Word now, that we might know and grow more in the knowledge of You. Grant us these things by Your Spirit, we pray. In Jesus' name, Amen. Ephesians chapter 1 begins with Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will to the praise of His glorious grace which He has freely given us in the one He loves. In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment to bring all things in heaven and on earth to gather under one head, even Christ. In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will in order that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, having believed you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who was a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of His glory. And now verse 15, the focus of this morning. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 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. 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 for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms. Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion in every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but in the age 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. So is the reading of God's Word. Until recently, I thought that we were in what the experts call the information age. And this week I did a little reading about that and realized that we were through the information age about ten years ago and now are in what they call the knowledge economy. Maybe you've heard of that. The knowledge economy, beyond information to knowledge, more particularly the production and management of knowledge. And of course, through the radio and television, the internet and movies and the proliferation of books, each one of us are a part of that movement of information and knowledge. And while it's often quite interesting and sometimes very helpful, we should at least wonder where all of that knowledge is leading us, where all of that information and knowledge is leading. In our text this morning, we have in the first part of chapter 1 a whole lot of wonderful information. What some might call doctrines or knowledge of the gospel. And as we continue to read, what we find is Paul's desire, his earnest hope that the church would know, he says, know God better. A knowing, see we know where this knowledge is leading, a knowing that leads to growing in the benefits of God. A knowing that leads to growing in the benefits of God. And so what's in sight here is not mere knowledge or cold intellect or something to know just for the sake of knowing, but rather the truths of God, of Jesus Christ and His Gospel. A knowing of these things that lead to growing in the benefits of God. And there are three things, wonderfully just detailed for us in our text, three things that Paul lays out as benefits. Of all that could be said about the benefits of knowing and growing in the knowledge of God, there are three things that Paul underlines. The first is the hope of God. The second is the riches of God. And the third, the greatness of God. These three things found primarily in verse 16, 17, and 18. First of all, the hope of God. Notice how Paul introduces us to this first benefit or blessing, the hope of God. He begins his letter by describing how God has blessed the church, How God has blessed you and me with, according to verse 3, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus. And then he proceeds to explain in verses 4 and following this amazing work of God's grace. How in the world is it possible that sinners like you and me can be blessed with, along with Jesus Christ, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places? Well, that's what he describes in verse 4. We talk about how he chose us before the foundation of the world. How he predestined us to be redeemed in Christ Jesus. And how He brought us along with Christ Jesus, not only in His death, but also in the glory of His resurrection and seated us with Him in that eternal state of the age to come. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been granted with Him every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. And then in our text, in verse 15 and following, Paul transitions. He moves, we might say, from the presentation and declaration of knowledge. He moves from sharing such glorious information to calling us to participation. From information to participation. Or we might say, from knowledge to knowing. From the knowledge of God to the knowing of God. That's what he prays for. You notice in verse 17, he says, I keep on asking. What might he ask for a church who already has every spiritual blessing? He says, I keep on asking that God would give you, that He would give you the Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom, of revelation, so that through the Spirit we would know God better, he says in verse 17. What can a church who already has the knowledge of God, what might they need? They need to know God better. That the knowledge that we've been given, that the blessings we have in Christ would become more and more a part of our personal lives. That's what he means when he says in verse 18 that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. The eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you and I will come to see and know more and more of how God has and is blessing us in Christ Jesus our Lord. And so in bringing us to our first point, Paul is describing this earnest prayer that he has for the church that we would have an increasing participation in these truths of the Gospel. Our heart and mind and experience that all that we are would be taken up into the realities of these truths. this way he leads us into the first point and he says in verse 18 that earnest prayer, he says, I pray that you may know first the hope to which He has called you. The first benefit of knowing and growing in the knowledge of God is to know the hope to which He has called you. the first idea there that I'd like you to think about is calling. God has called us. And what has He called us to? We can say that He's called us out of sin, out of the darkness of sin and misery and into His glorious light. It's a calling to glory. He chose us in verse 4. He predestined us in verse 5. He redeemed us in verse 7. And He's called us in verse 18 from sin in order that we would share in the glory that Christ now has in heaven. A truth that is almost beyond our understanding. A love that surpasses all limits. A calling to glory. Later, in Ephesians 5, verse 27, he further explains this calling to glory when he talks about Jesus Christ who has redeemed His bride will one day return to take her, to take her with Him, radiant, pure, and holy, without spot or wrinkle, Glorious. That is the calling that we have from God. To be that glorious bride of Christ. And Paul says that we would know, he doesn't say that we know the calling, he says that we would know the hope of that calling. That we would have hope and anticipation as we look forward to that calling. My wife and I have a little weekend planned next week and we're waiting for it and we're hoping for it and I must tell you, it's rather inspiring to think about it. How much more inspiring is it for us to have our minds and lives taken over with the anticipation and the hope of what is to come for us in that glorious return of Jesus Christ? And we hope for it, you see, because we still wait for it. Like the bride who hopes for her groom because she's still waiting. In Romans 5, verse 2, Paul brings us beyond hoping to rejoicing. He says that we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And that is the character of Christian hope, isn't it? It's not something we merely wish for or dream for, but it's something we can hope in with rejoicing because it's so certain to come. Because of Jesus Christ. Would His life and death and resurrection be for nothing? Certainly not. For the One who has given up all things for us, will certainly come to claim us for that future hope of glory. And so we can rejoice in our waiting. The bride, even while waiting, can rejoice in the hope of her groom because his love has been sealed with a ring. There's a certainty to her hope and her waiting and a certainty that we too share as Christians. we can look forward with rejoicing in that hope because we too have received a seal that Paul describes earlier in the chapter as the Holy Spirit. The love of God Almighty for us has been sealed within our lives through the Holy Spirit. A sealing that we can see in baptism. A sealing we can see and take part in in the Lord's Supper. we can be assured that this hope of glory, this hope of God's calling us into this glorious participation with Christ will indeed be enjoyed one day when Christ comes to take us with Him. And that is why Paul prays that we would grow in knowing God. So that the Spirit would work more within our lives, that these truths would not be mere knowledge for us, but they would be something that we can go on knowing and growing in. Beyond the hope of God, 2nd Paul prays that we would know the riches of God. He says that, I pray so that you would know the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints. Now, maybe you, like me, in first hearing about the inheritance, might think about the inheritance that we ourselves will receive. It would flow quite nicely with point one, that the inheritance of glory is what we look forward to. And yet, the text says that we would know the riches of His glorious inheritance. It's God's inheritance. God's inheritance in the saints, the text says. We are His glorious inheritance. We are the ones that God has set His affection upon as we hope for the glory to come that we share with Him when Christ returns, might we say that God looks forward and hopes for the day when He will share in that rich and glorious inheritance that He calls His, the church, on that great day of glory. This might be alluded to in verse 11 where we read that in Christ we have been chosen. Likely referring to that we have been chosen to be His people. And in verse 14, where God on the coming day of glory will redeem His possession. You and I. And so we start to see that the church is the one that God has claimed to be His people. His own possession. And like Israel of old, then we can be described in the words of Deuteronomy 32, verse 9, as the Lord's portion, His inheritance. Just as you and I might look forward to the reception of a great inheritance, Doesn't the Lord in His own Word lead our thoughts to the very same conclusion for Him that He too looks forward to the day when the glorious Bride of Christ is consummated and revealed for all to see to be the glorious One redeemed from all impurities, from all hypocrisy, from all sin. The day when He can claim His rich and glorious inheritance. Of all that God has created, of all the beautiful things that God still upholds, only the church will be preserved through judgment. His inheritance. And Paul prays that we would know more of this richness of God. That we would know more what special place we have as His people. And finally, Paul prays that we would know the surpassing greatness of God's power. He could have said that you would know of God's power. He could have said that you would know of God's great power. But he says that you would know of His surpassing greatness of power. He's building up the words, trying to describe the indescribable, the almighty power of God. He wants us to know the surpassing greatness of His power for us who believe. he wants us to know that this great and powerful God is for us. The One who created the heavens and the earth. The God who sustains all things by the sheer power of His Word. The One who raised Jesus Christ from the dead and established Him in the throne room of heaven. This God of surpassing greatness and power is for us who believe. And knowing that such power is committed to us, we can have such certainty. We can have greater confidence. We can have greater hope that all that He's promised for us as His people will indeed be fulfilled. He is committed to us. He is caring for us and will one day come to establish us with Christ and glory. Knowing this will give us certainty and strength like Job in the time of difficulty and suffering. When the time of trials come within our lives and doubts start to fester within our thoughts. To know and grow more and more in the knowledge of God will help us stand in the face of that temptation. It will help us say, along with countless saints of old, get away from me, Satan. and affirm that we are children of God. We can do that if we know and if we grow in the knowledge of God. And we can sing Psalm 46 with all the more confidence that God is our refuge and our strength. Therefore, we need not fear when the earth gives way, Though nations may rage around us or in the Middle East and kingdoms totter, the Lord says, be still and know that I am God. And how many men and women have trembled before such a declaration. And yet for us, the psalm ends with assurance that this Lord and God is with us. The Lord of hosts is with us because we believe in Jesus Christ. Paul prays that he wants us to know the surpassing greatness of His power for those who believe. And friends, this is both an inclusive and exclusive statement. It includes all who believe. He's not more for you than He is for me. He's not more for our church than another church. God is absolutely committed to bring to fulfillment all His promises for all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The whole body of Christ receives the best of His loving care. His statement is inclusive and it's also exclusive, isn't it? He's for all who believe. He does not exercise His saving power for everyone. That's not what the text says. His loving care is poured out into the lives of those who know Him and believe in Him. That's what Jesus says. This is eternal life. That they may know you, Father, and the one whom you have sent. Friend, you need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to have these benefits of knowing God. Look to Him and be saved. The information age and knowledge economy of our culture may be interesting and often helpful, but it can never. Whatever man may produce, however astounding it may be, it can never provide us the hope we need in the face of death. It can never make us rich in the eyes of God. And it can never endow us with the very power of heaven to uphold and preserve us. But knowing and growing in Jesus Christ most certainly does. In Him there's hope. In Him there's glory. And in Him there is power beyond our most wildest imagine for all who are in Christ Jesus. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the clear testimony of your word about how before even the foundations of the world, you were at work to work and fulfill the redemption of sinners, the redemption of the body of Christ. Oh, how we thank You for that amazing grace. And we give You all the praise and glory for it. Strengthen us, dear Father, that we might know You more and that we would grow more and more in the knowledge of You, that we might enjoy more and more all the benefits that You have for us in Christ Jesus. Until He comes again, we pray, In His name, Amen.