If you turn in your Bibles this morning to the letter of Paul to the Ephesians. That's about page 1133 in the Pew Bible, where we will continue our study of this book. Our scripture for today comes on the heels of Paul's doxology of praise to God's glory, through which he also instructed the Ephesians and the saints of all ages of the glories of the salvation worked in them by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And as he closed his doxology, his attention was turned to the Ephesians, the Gentiles there who had been converted, who had heard the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation, and had believed it, showing themselves to be marked in Christ with the seal of the Holy Spirit. And beginning in verse 15, Paul proceeds to tell the saints of the motives and the purpose of his prayers for them. Paul's prayers expressed not only his gratitude to God for his election of his people, but also his concern for the saints. They were no longer of the world, but yet they were still in the world. They remained in a culture that was saturated with sensuality and lust and teeming with deceit and coarse speech, characterized by aggression and callousness, drunkenness and pleasure-seeking, the Ephesian culture centered on self at the expense of others. And it challenged the saints as they tried to walk in a way that was in keeping with the calling they had received. But Paul was also concerned about the heresies that were sweeping Asia at that time. Heresies that were coming in and through the church that threatened to confuse the Ephesians about the nature of their salvation. The place for the church in God's plan and the comprehensive plan of God for all of creation. And Paul was wise to know that these outward circumstances of a pagan culture and heretical cults within the church were more dangerous to believers who were limited in their knowledge of God and who were satisfied with this limited knowledge and had grown complacent in their Christian walk. Out of concern for the Ephesian saints, Paul was regularly asking God the Father for their growth in the knowledge of the truth and maturity in living it wisely. And in the church today, even here today, we face these same challenges. We are no longer of the world, we are still in the world, and the culture in which we live is looking more and more like Ephesus. The selfishness and sensuality of our popular culture pounds on our ears and flashes before our eyes with myriad messages every day. Ancient heresies are beautifully packaged as Christian and they're marketed in the church. But even more than these two outside circumstances, we are tempted as the Ephesian saints to neglect the pursuit of growth in our faith and maturity in our living. We are tempted to complacency, to be satisfied with uncertainty when assurance is to be ours. And to be satisfied with discontent when the bounty of God is to be ours. To be satisfied with inactivity in our Christian walk when the infinite power of God is ours. As we consider Paul's continual prayer for the Ephesians, we must see also that it is Paul's prayer for our continued need as the adopted children of God to more fully know God, our Father, and to be encouraged by His grace. Read with me from Ephesians chapter 1, beginning in verse 15. Hear God's Word. 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 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. Here ends the reading of God's holy word. And our text today is limited to the verses 15 through the first half of 19. Not because there's any break in Paul's thought, but because we just don't have the time. We must begin today by affirming for whom Paul was praying. He offered prayers for others as the adopted children of God. Now there can be no doubt that the status of Paul's reader was that of believers, based on what's been said before. This letter begins as, To the saints in Ephesus, to the faithful in Christ Jesus. And through them it's addressed to all the saints. And it's God's word for believers whom he has blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ, chosen in him from before the creation of the world and predestined to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. Now Paul might have known about their adoption by special revelation of God, but he certainly knew of their adoption by what others had witnessed about them. You see, Paul was well informed about the churches where he administered, even Ephesus, where it had been more than four years since he'd seen them. He didn't have e-mail or the United States Postal Service to keep him informed, but in the providence of God, he did have the Holy Roman Empire, their roads and the sea lanes to make communication and travel very easy. So he was well informed. And while in house arrest in Rome, for the sake of the gospel, he received many visitors who came to bring greetings, to bring messages, to receive his counsel, and just to find out how Paul was their friend. Tychicus, who Paul mentions in chapter 6, verse 21, was sent from Ephesus for this reason. He came with news, and he came for counsel. You see, the news he brought from Ephesus, some of it was about problems that Paul needed to address. But much was good news as well, and we see in verse 15 that Paul says, 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. He had heard of their faith. He had heard of their love. And people of God then as now, genuine faith and true love go together. They're a package deal. And these grow together in greater measure as we grow in grace and our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father gathers to himself the elect, much like a magnet draws things to itself. And in the process, he brings the saints closer to one another in love. And much like the spokes of a wheel get closer as they approach the hub, so our faith and our love grow closer together as we approach Christ. It is as the Apostle Paul says in 1 John 4, verse 19, we love because he loved us first. If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he's a liar. You see, when it comes to salvation, as Paul said in Galatians 5, verse 6, the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love. I want to make this point this morning about this being for the adopted children of God because of the language in verse 18, where we read that Paul prayed also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. And on the surface of things, this may sound like Paul is praying for the conversion of someone. That he's praying for the conversion of the saints. When scripture speaks of the heart, it refers to that invisible part of us in which dwells our emotions, our thoughts, our mind, our will to act. And the King James translates this, the eyes of your heart with the eyes of your understanding, to make that more clear for us. But we know that that's where things happen. And we know that apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, the eyes of the heart of every man, woman, boy, and girl is blinded by sin. We're all born in need of two things. First, the gospel. But secondly, new hearts, spiritual hearts. Hearts with eyes open. The gospel without spiritual insight in this way is considered foolishness by the wise and a stumbling stone to the proud. But the gospel heard can only be believed if the second thing is granted and that's renewal of the heart. The eyes of the heart being opened. But it is clear from the language here, the language that Paul uses in the Greek, that when he speaks of the eyes of the heart being opened, He is not speaking about something he is praying for to happen anew. It clearly speaks of the eyes of the heart being opened in the past with an ongoing effect in the present. Paul's prayers are for those who have heard the gospel and have had the eyes of their heart opened and who will continue to experience that enlightenment into eternity. In writing to the Philippian saints, Paul in chapter 1, verse 6 says, I'm confident of this, that he who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it unto the day of Christ Jesus. And that stands behind this prayer as well this morning. Now, the substance of Paul's prayers begins in verse 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. See, the purpose of Paul's request is clearly for the saints to more fully know God the Father. Now you will see in a footnote to the NIV that instead of the Spirit, capital S, this may be translated with a spirit, small s, as you will find in all the other modern English translations. But I agree with the Reformed theologian Hendrickson and with the NIV and their choice here that Paul is praying for them to receive the Holy Spirit. And this raises a question. How is it possible that Paul prayed that the Holy Spirit be given to those who, according to verse 18, already possess the Spirit and who, according to verse 13, are already sealed in the Spirit? The tension in this language is present in much of Paul's writings, and we must not be thrown for a loop here. In Ephesians, as well as in other places, Paul was praying for the work of the Holy Spirit, which was already present within and among the saints, that it would be more and more be strengthened, that God would give fuller measure of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, he prays later in Ephesians chapter 3, verse 16, that out of his glorious riches, He, that is the Father, may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being. So Paul, yes, was asking for the saints to be given more of the Spirit. And Paul's prayers revealed in our text today is that the Father would more and more give to the saints the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in particular in the knowledge of Him. You see, the Holy Spirit alone can make one wise. Therefore, Paul prays that the saints would receive the spirit of wisdom. In the Old Testament, we read of how the Holy Spirit gave wisdom to men. When it was time for the people of God to cross into the promised land, God spoke to Moses and he says, Go, take Joshua, son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. And we read in Deuteronomy 34 that Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom. Not only did he understand everything that was revealed through Moses, but he knew how to wisely apply it in leading God's people. And we read in 1 Kings 4 that God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight. Now Solomon understood many details of God's creation. And he was gifted in verse and in song and in wisdom and memory. But more important than all of those, he knew how to use wisely. God's word and revelation in the service of ruling his people. But both Joshua and Solomon fell short of perfect wisdom. For in their sinfulness they denied the truth and they foolishly applied it. Israel never fully conquered the promised land and Israel fell from the heights of Solomon's glory. But thanks be to God that now the true Joshua has come, the one greater than Solomon has come, the Lord Jesus Christ has come and He has fully conquered the enemies of God's people through His life, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. He has entered into the true promised land and in Him we stand there as well. And it was prophesied of Him in Isaiah verse 2 of chapter 11 that the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. And it is this same Holy Spirit that he poured out on the church at Pentecost. So that when Stephen spoke in Acts 6, the Jews could not stand up against his wisdom, nor the spirit by which he spoke. And we must not take this to mean that every saint is bestowed with a full measure of God's wisdom in their regeneration. For Paul has not only prayed for it here, but we see also in James 1 verse 5 that if any of you lacks wisdom, If any of you lacks wisdom, which of course we all do, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. And this is exactly what Paul is doing here, but on behalf of the saints, his desires for the saints to be wise in the things of God. And he ever prayed on their behalf that the Father would grant them greater wisdom by his Spirit. And it's interesting. What's recorded in our Bibles here is not Paul's prayer per se. He's telling the Ephesians about his prayers in the closet. So not only is he raising his petition to God the Father, but he's also exhorting the Ephesians and us through them that this ought to be our desire as well, to seek the Spirit of wisdom for ourselves and for all the saints. But not only does the Holy Spirit alone give wisdom, The Holy Spirit alone gives truth. Therefore, Paul prays for the saints to receive the spirit of revelation. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God in the flesh, declared to an unbelieving world that He is the truth. And on the eve of His crucifixion, He had taught His disciples all that they could hold. He said to them with the promise, I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will lead you into all truth. Paul ever prayed out of concern for the Ephesians and for the saints of the church that the Father would grant them greater revelation in His truth. And by telling again of his petitions here, he calls us to petition God for the revelation of His truth to ourselves and to all the saints. Now we must know that the spirit of wisdom and revelation did not come to the Ephesians, it does not come to any of the saints, and it did not come to the Apostle Paul apart from the Word of God. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle was enabled to declare the truth of God and the wisdom of God as revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures and in the living Word, Jesus Christ, in His words and His deeds on earth. In praying for the Ephesians and for all the saints to be given the spirit of wisdom and revelation, Paul made this prayer, he wrote this letter, in the full knowledge that he was one whom God had appointed to do this very thing, to declare the wisdom and the revelation of God, so that the Holy Spirit could apply it to the hearts of the saints. Paul could say with the Apostle John in 1 John 4, verse 6, We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us. But whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood. Paul's letter to the Ephesians is, in fact, a revelation of truth and wisdom that all the saints need in order to know God the Father better. From the middle of verse 19 through chapter 3, Paul continues to expound the wonderful truth of the gospel revealed in Christ. He unfolds the grace of the Father's effectual call to the elect, the glorious inheritance he has in store for his people, and the infinite power of God for those who believe. As an instrument in the hand of Almighty God, he unfolds that exact thing for which he prayed in verses 18 and 19. 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. In chapters 4 through 6 he exhorts the Ephesians and all the saints with the wisdom of God for how they're to live in this world in the face of a pagan culture and the temptation to be seduced by heresy. This revealed wisdom and truth is not to puff us up in the knowledge of God. It is to draw us closer to God. As we comprehend His love for us in Christ. And as we practice love for Him and for another by His Spirit. It's not enough that we know about God. We spend a lot of time learning about God and what He's done. We need to know Him. And we need to know His love for us. Boys and girls, it's not enough that you know about moms and dads out there somewhere, some place that love children. You need to know that your mom and your dad love you. And as the adopted children of God the Father, we need to know that He loves us. And we know that by knowing Jesus Christ whom He sent, His love in the flesh to die for us. It's in Him that the Father is revealed. and it's of him that the scriptures speak. Paul's prayer that we would grow to more fully know God our Father was his prayer seeking God's answer to our need to be continually fortified in the face of our culture that assails us and the heresies that seek to undermine the church. But he further prayed that we would also be affected in our being by this knowledge. He desired that the giving of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation would cause us to be encouraged by His grace. Read again verses 18 and 19. He says, I pray in order that you may know the hope which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. The word translated know here is different than the word in verse 17 where Paul wants us to know the Father better. This know has a different emphasis and it emphasizes our experience of knowledge in our being. And it reveals that Paul was praying for our continued need and that was the cure for complacency. Unless we who believe rightly know the hope of His calling, the wealth of His inheritance for us, and the greatness of His power, we will continue to limp along as uncertain, discontent, and inactive Christians. And as we come to know these things for which Paul prayed, our experience in the Christian life will be transformed. Our resistance to the duties that God has placed upon us will gradually be replaced by an inner encouragement and desire to obey. As we come to know the hope to which He's called us, rather than being rendered uncertain by the inconsistencies in our Christian walk, we will know steadfast assurance as we come to know His faithfulness. As we experience the hope that is grounded in Christ by whose flesh we've entered into the very throne room of God and by whose spirit inside of us we possess the hope of glory. We will be freed to pursue the holy life that He's called us to pursue. No longer will we avoid holiness because we're paralyzed by the fear that we're really not saved. And no longer will we hesitate to obey the clear demands of God's Word out of concern we're doing it for the wrong reasons. Why? Because the Apostle John says in 1 John 3, 2, everyone who has this hope in himself purifies himself even as he is pure, that is Christ. And as we come to know the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, Rather than having insecurity drive us in an ever and never-ending pursuit of riches in this life, self-security, we will know contentment in the bounties of God's inheritance. In the ancient world, kings often gave conquered territories to their children or to their faithful servants. And this reality is pictured in the parable of the Ten Minas in Luke chapter 19. And there we read of a nobleman traveling to a distant country in order to be declared king. That's a nice way of saying he's going off to war to conquer the land. And before leaving, he gave to each of ten servants ten minas to do business with until he returned. And upon his return, he rewarded one conquered city for each mina that was gained by the servant. One servant gained ten, was given ten cities. One servant made five, was given five cities. And those cities were his inheritance granted to him by the Lord's grace, by the King's grace, to be enjoyed for his lifetime and passed on to his children. And in like manner, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has conquered, he's gone off, he's conquered the promised land. We're told in Ephesians 1.22 that he has in fact been declared the head over everything for the church. And in his absence he has bestowed upon the saints his Holy Spirit with which to do business until he returns. As we come to know the riches of the glories of his inheritance like the faithful servants in the parable, we will be content with our wages today and will be motivated to faithfulness in the absence of our Lord. What a great inheritance will be showered upon us by His grace for the sake of Christ's merits, not ours, but in obedience. We will grow in obedience to the command of Christ in Matthew 6, that we will less and less store up for ourselves treasures on earth, and more and more store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, as we come to know that which awaits us. And as we come to know his incomparably great power, for us who believe, rather than being inactive against the world, against our flesh, and against the devil, we will come to know strength to resist temptation and to practice grateful obedience. The magnitude of God's power in and for the saints is indescribable, and Paul used up every word he could think of in the Greek language to describe it, and he ran out. But a picture paints a thousand words and he pictures for us the resurrection power that was accomplished in Christ. That power is the power at work in you and in me as the saints of God to will and to act in a way that's according to his good purpose. That's the power that he's given us as his children. I have a quote by Elizabeth Elliot on my office wall that reads, sometimes people talk about how they're struggling with certain things or working through them, when what they really mean is that they are denying and delaying obedience. If we know the hope of His calling, and if we know the riches of the inheritance which awaits us, and if we know the incomparably great power He has toward us who believe. How can we put it off? As we come to know this more fully, we will find ourselves able to take on these things that we keep putting off. And we will more and more obey the command given through Paul in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10 to put on the full armor of God so we can take our stand against the devil's schemes. People of God, today we've considered Paul's prayer for the Ephesians but also for us as the adopted children of God that we would in fact grow in our knowledge of God our Father pursuing His wisdom pursuing His truth pursuing knowledge of Christ so that we may know Father better and also that we would be encouraged by this knowledge in our walk that we would be assured that we would be content and that we would be enabled to do that which he calls upon us to do. And this is a preparatory Sunday. And Lord willing, next Sunday we'll gather together for the Lord's Supper. And we've been charged to examine ourselves earlier in the service. Not only are we to consider our sin and misery, we are also to consider whether we truly believe that Jesus is the only Savior and whether we resolve in sincerity and gratitude to serve Jesus Christ as Lord. Faith and love. In this regard, we ought to consider our faith. Does our faith rest on our family pedigree, on our religious observances, on a complacent claim to be once saved, always saved? Or does our faith rest only on the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf? And does it manifest itself in love to all the saints? We ought to consider whether we are growing in the knowledge of God. Do we hunger for the Word? Are we pursuing the revelation of His wisdom and truth? Are we asking God for wisdom and then seeking it out in His Word? Do we find ourselves more and more fortified against the onslaught of our culture and the seduction of heresy? We ought to consider the work of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification. Do we recognize ways in which the Spirit has moved us from uncertainty because of our unfaithfulness to a greater assurance based on the promises of His faithfulness? And as we wait upon Christ's return, do we recognize a growing contentment in this world with what God has given us and an eagerness to obey His Word? Do we recognize victories granted by the Spirit's power when we have escaped temptation or overcome sin through obedience to the Word? We have much to consider this week. But as we do, let us do so as the adopted children of God. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we again stand humbled by your word, but also encourage that in your great wisdom you sent Paul to the Gentiles. You sent him as a means to intercede for them. and to intercede for us in your word. We thank you, Father, that we can call upon you as your children, as those who you have adopted through no merit of our own. Lord, we thank you that you have promised to give us more and more, your Holy Spirit in measure. And we thank you, Lord, that you have revealed the truth and wisdom for us in this world in your word. And we pray that today we would be encouraged if we have been complacent to seek your truth and to seek your wisdom and to reside in the power of the Holy Spirit to put it to work in our lives, knowing the hope to which we've been called, knowing the greatness of the inheritance you have for us. Heavenly Father, We're humbled. Help us this week to examine ourselves rightly by the power of your Spirit, to measure ourselves only against your Word, and to trust in your grace to us in those places where we fall short. Help us to come next week with full confidence of faith and assuredness of heart to receive the Lord Jesus in the Supper. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you.