But where is He?. (cf Ps 42:1, Mt 5:6+, 1Pe 2:2+). Further, perfectadverbial participles are usually causal in NT Greek. I feel now that I want to serve God, if He can use me, instead of making the goal of my life the making of money. He cannot give more; He will not give less than Himself. But a day is coming -- oh! The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. They remain in bondage, depressed, and discouraged because they dont see the big picture of eternity. You might not see yourself as a spiritual leader, but you are important to those who look to you as an example of Christian character. 2 Kings -- Maclaren, Alexander Maclaren - It is 'exceeding.' (Lehman Strauss Commentary Devotional Studies on Paul's Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians- online), Kenneth Wuest says that dunamis "power in the sense of that which overcomes resistance or effects a change" (In Mark 5:30 literal Greek = Jesus, perceiving in Himself the out from Him power going out) It was some of (Jesus') supernatural power which He felt leaving Him in the accomplishing of the miraculous cure". Lastly, in the text mark the union of the new life to Jesus. The heart the seat of the mind and will, and the heart could be taught what the brain could never know (or sadly the converse to know something intellectually but not in one's heart!) If one had learnt a swifter art of appropriating the wealth that lay open to his hand, he would be actually, though perhaps not potentially, richer than his neighbour. If I were to put you in a barrel and put that barrel in the Mississippi River, where would you be? 15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that . Freedom, You have given us freedom Ep). The gospel is dynamic, Gods dynamic, and so is powerful in the transformation of human lives. But there is also the effectual call that always accomplishes Gods purpose of saving His chosen people. The Christian needs supernatural power, and God would have us see how great is His power to accomplish His purposes in us. In either case Pauls point is clear: redemption and its accompanying blessings are so profound that we must have supernatural help to understand them. The end of which is, that those predestinated, redeemed, and adopted ones, should be to the praise and glory of God, Eph 1:12, and who are described as such, who first trusted in Christ upon hearing the Gospel; and after they had believed in him, were sealed by the Holy Spirit, said to be the Spirit of promise, Eph 1:13, and who is also spoken of as the earnest and pledge of the saints' inheritance, and who will continue so until all the people of God are redeemed from the grave in the resurrection morn, which will also issue in the praise and glory of God, Eph 1:14, and now on account of all these blessings of predestination, adoption, redemption, calling, and the sealing of the Spirit; as also, because of their faith in Christ, and love to the saints, these believers were possessed of, the apostle gave thanks, and continued to give thanks to God in his prayers to him, Eph 1:15,16. It is a mystery that God should find his inheritance and portion in the love of men and women like ourselves. 28:9; 33:12; 78:62, 71; 106:5, 40; Isa. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. This he did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which he foresaw in them. Have you ever wondered why church prayer meetings tend to have low turnouts? How does the Spirit enlighten you? -- Glenn Spencer, Glenn Spencer - Old fashioned Holy Ghost power is the need of the day. 2:916). After salvation, we are further called to grow in Christian virtue and serve God by good works; in fact, it is this maturation process that confirms our calling by God (2 Peter 1:510). . They say, I dont bother with theology. The power of God is most neglected resource in the Church. But you cant understand this manual by mere human insight or wisdom. Now, I'm no longer bound by sin and darkness What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? May His Spirit enable us to worship Him Monday - Saturday (not just on Sunday) in spirit and in truth. You have given us freedom, Freedom, You have given us freedom So that (1519) (eis) conveys the primary idea of motion into any place or thing figuratively as here speaks of the purpose for the Ephesian saints having been enlightened. One day our Lord will come again, and we shall all be changed to see Him as He is and to be like Him. Because of this event, the believer can have assurance that the same powerthe immeasurable power of Godis working on his behalf today and will continue to provide what he needs until he arrives in heaven. And all the crops of golden grain, all the fruits of Christian grace, are Thine from us, because Thou hast by thy blood and tears, by the sunshine of thy love, and the rain of thy grace, enriched natures which in themselves were arid as the desert and barren as the sand. 1 Chronicles 2:11. Freedom, You have given us freedom The eyes of our hearts refers to our total inner person, which includes the intellect, the emotions, and the will. In the NT klesis is used metaphorically of an invitation to enter the kingdom of God by grace through faith. If we want to know what the Divine Power can make of us, let us turn to look with the eye of faith upon what it has made of Jesus Christ. But where are You?. 391-422) argues at length that Paul is referring here to the power of God in raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life when He saved us. Paul writes to the believers at Rome asking "Or do you not know (eido) what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?" From hagos; sacred. Comment: Here they would see and they would know beyond a shadow of a doubt about Jesus' authority. What Does Ephesians 1:18 Mean? - Verse of the day In Ephesians 1:18, Paul wrote, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling (NASB). Man can supply the energy, enterprise and enthusiasm for things human. (Eph 4:1+). The only aim of the life is that the Son of God may be manifested, and all dictation to God vanishes. Ecclesiastes The uses of eido will not be listed because of the large number (656 hits in 619 verses searching on Strong's Number in the NT - if you want to see these usesCLICK HERE and go down to the "Frequency Lists" and you can study the uses in different translations book by book). NET NOTE has an interesting comment that a paraphrase reads "Since you are enlightened by Gods Spirit, I pray that you may comprehend the hope to which he has called you, the spiritual riches that await the saints in glory, and the spiritual power that is available to the saints now. Thus, the prayer focuses on all three temporal aspects of our salvation as these are embedded in the genitivesthe past (calling), the future (inheritance), and the present (power toward us who believe). (Titus 2:11-14-See notes Titus 2:11; 2:12; 2:13; 2:14). Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (1Pe 1:18-19), the Lord's portion has been fully redeemed. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Salvation is not a joint project, where we teamed up with God to bring it about. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. In time, Fuller himself became a powerful evangelist, helping usher radio evangelism to the forefront with weekly broadcasts from Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, heard nationwide. Now the eyes of the believers heart must be continually taken up with his Lord in order that his knowledge of spiritual truth might increase. Ephesians 1 | MSG Bible | YouVersion This is why Paul prayed for the eyes of their hearts to really understand these truths. Lehman Strauss-Paul requests for the saints the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ that they might know three things:(1) The hope of His calling. God has called us, but to what purpose? POWER FOR EVERY SAINT. That is why one cannot receive the full impact of the meaning of the Word of God except as the Holy Spirit illuminates his mind to understand it. Memorize Ephesians 1:3 and 2 Peter 1:3 and recite them often as anthems of praise for the Lords abundant grace. In Ephesians 1:19 Paul focuses on one key feature of Gods power: His ability to secure the salvation of His people. Let that motivate you to praise your rich and glorious God for His rich and glorious inheritance! Jesus healed by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38); cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit (Mt 12:28); was resurrected from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ro 8:11+); and was seated at God's right hand in the heavenly places through the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:19, 20+). But they unravelled the mystery by telling me that they put in, in enriching manure, all that they took out in the days of golden harvest. 31:10; Ezek. Living on the inside (You set us free) They are actually conflicts with evil spiritual forces (6:12). He thinks of us as His inheritance. This earnest prayer reveals the infinite importance of knowledge as a foundation for walking worthy in this Christian life. 2 John Jesus was buried and remained in the tomb for three days (John 19:42). Philippians All other ground is sinking sand. The child that lies in yonder cradle, over which the coronet is emblazoned, may claim his broad ancestral estates simply by right of birth: and it is on that tenure that the saints hold heaven. Open the compasses of your faith to measure this measureless abyss; and then marvel at the power which bore your Lord across it, and know that that same power is towards you, if you believe, waiting to do as much for you in your daily experience if you will but let it have its blessed way. But those who do not make use of God's available power live miserable, defeated lives. Throughout Scripture, the word hope always refers to that which is coming, to that which is ahead. The hope of our calling is the absolute certainty of our heavenly destiny and includes all that awaits the saints at the return of the Lord Jesus and is what Paul referred to by the phrase the "Blessed hope" writing in Titus that the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking (not just any kind of looking but looking anxiously, eagerly, earnestly, expectantly) for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Ephesians 1:18. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. So here he takes view #2, but in the following note below he takes view #1! Here is how this applies: As a believer, you are always in need of the Holy Spirit to enlighten the eyes of your heart to the great truths of the Bible. Even though God has opened our eyes to see and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we still must seek Him to enlighten the eyes of our hearts so that we will come to a deeper understanding of these crucial truths. But wholly lean on Jesus name. Spurgeon compared the general call of the gospel to the sheet lightning that you see on a summer night. Now back to Paul's prayer, the point is that when the Holy Spirit opens the spiritual eyes of the heart of Paul's readers, they will be able to perceive and to know these great truths intuitively with a positive knowledge beyond a chance of a doubt. 1:1523; 3:1421; Phil. Why is there such a power shortage among professing Christians today? which is the true and proper fountain of man's salvation. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. God had placed a call on Pauls life from the moment he was converted (Acts 9:1516). We are mean enough to wish to make all we can of God, and to give Him as little as possible of ourselves. (Ephesians 1:15-23 Possessing the Possessions in Christ). The same divine power that created, sustains, and controls the universe secures your salvation. Are you confused now? Incorruptible! 6:5; 22:18; 24:2, 4; 1 Ki. . 7 Ways To Keep From Killing Your Message By Carey Nieuwhof on March 1, 2023 In other words, if we now have come to believe in Christ, we can know that it took nothing less than Gods mighty power to bring us to that point. 6:14; 16:5f, 9, 15, 17, 19, 30; Ruth 2:1; 1 Sam. Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for the security of your salvation. To each the conception of looking onward is attached; to the "calling" "hope," to the "inheritance" "glory," to the "power" the exaltation of Christ (and of us with Him; see Ephesians 2:6) to the right hand of God. I hold fast to the opinion that our God is ever trying to reveal Himself to us. So that you will know what is the hope of His calling- The purpose was that might be supernaturally enabled to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that their calling (their salvation that had occurred in the past) gave them ahope sure not a hope so. Nor do we need to pray for power to do Gods will. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. It is a free gift, and yet we have a right to it. Its certainly not because of the power of the believer, but the power of God. However, this is not a new sentence in Greek. Jude (see Ephesians MacArthur New Testament Commentary), Old fashioned Holy Ghost power is the need of the day. Oh! 1:16). Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, were a free peoplefree of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians Through Revelation). In the Mississippi River, right? On the other hand, eido/oida often refers more to an intuitive knowledge, although this distinction is not always clear cut. 1 Thessalonians Even true believers greatly want heavenly wisdom. No sin, no corruption, no devils in hell nor sinners upon earth, can stay the hand of God's grace when it intends to convert a man. Amen. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance He has given to his people. By Gods great mercy we have been begotten again (1Pet 1:3-note). (SURPASSING) Exceeding what? ", Revelation 7:12 (note) saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Ephesians 3:20+ Now to Him Who is able (dunamai) to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power (dunamis) that works (energeo- present tense - continually working) within us. For less than $5/mo. Because He wants to hang out on the Columbia River? Eph. 4:18; 2Co 2:14), and touch (Acts 17:27). When He was raised from the grave, we were raised from the grave. A certain rabbi, Bar Kappara, said, The soul and the Torah are compared to a lamp. Our Lord gave us an object lesson on this truth when He spoke about faith as a grain of mustard seed. The prayer moves from God and Christ (Eph 1:17, 20-21) to the Ephesians (Eph 1:17-19) and the church (Eph 1:22-23). (John 8:55). 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Therefore, has the meaning of strength, might, dominion, mastery.(Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary), Kratos - 12v -Lk. spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." But in Hebrew and Greek thinking, the heart was considered the seat of knowledge, thinking, and understanding. His power is to us-ward who believe (Eph. NET since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints. The wealthy devoted their treasure to the cause, and all classes sacrificed everyday amenities for troops in the field. This same power resides in believers because we are in Christ and He is in us. (Ro 11:2+), Jesus is speaking to unbelieving Jews about His Father in Jn 8:54, and declares to these Jews that) "you have not come to know (ginosko) Him (GOD THE FATHER), but I know (eido- BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT) Him; and if I say that I do not know (eido) Him, I shall be a liar like you, but I do know (eido) Him, and keep His word. You have given us freedom, my chains are gone God never has museums. As for the worldling, God gives him anything, but for the Christian, God selects the best portion, and chooses his inheritance for him. They dont know the reality of heaven. (The 365 Day Devotional Commentary). THOUGHT - MacArthur's comment makes "sense" because if you love Him, you will obey Him (Jn 14:15) and (Spirit enabled) obedience to Him opens the "windows of heaven" to have spiritual blessings poured out (in this case enlightenment) from Him. Out of nothing, nothing comes, is the usual rule. This sense comes out clearly in the New Testament in the use of the word and of its cognates. Notice in this one letter Paul prays twice for the saints to experience dunamis which He associates with the indwelling Holy Spirit. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Spiritual Life, Character of God, Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. The new has come, Now I have resurrection power living on the inside Says a good divine, "It is one of the greatest glories of the Church of Christ, that our mighty Maker, and our Friend, always chooses our inheritance for us." - Now, I want to ask you a question: Are you sitting in this auditorium, this morning, or are you sitting in heavenly places? 18:23, 24.; 32:18, 19.; Josh 17:4; cf. Know (1492) (eido, oida - eido is used only in the perfect tense = oida) means in general to know by perception. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:1820). Its broad acres have been made over to thee by deed of gift. 17:6; Ezek. (Complete Biblical Library - Incredible Resource), ESV Study Bible Power over supernatural forces through magic and the occult was a great concern in ancient Ephesus (Acts 19:19), but the power of the living God in Christ trumps all competing authorities (Acts 19:20). Eph 3:16+is another "powerful" (power full - also using dunamis) passage indicating that the Holly Spirit is the Source of this incredible supernatural power (cf Lk 4:14+ = Jesus' pattern for our lives today [1Co 11:1+]!, Acts 1:8+, Ro 15:19+, 1Co 2:4+, 1Th 1:5, Micah 3:8)! They are the real eyes for discerning the nature of issues important to God. Remember that the first three chapters are doctrine but the last three are "duty," calling for a walk "in step" with the doctrinal truths. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? But not content with this, in the following year he pushes his fences back further into the depth of prairie or forest, and again renews his efforts to compel the land to yield him her secret stores. Setup Size: 8.9 GB. We are the Lords Portion, the Lords Inheritance. Riches (4149) (ploutos) refers to the abundance of earthly goods, but here refers to spiritual abundance. --DJD. If not, why not? It is his power. The young man then begins to study that nation and enrolls in a missions-focused school. We are not in heaven yet; but we are as safe as if we were. And what is he attempting to describe? Ephesians 1:18 I. I ask - ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory - to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, 18 your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, See discussion of the value of pausing to ponder this term of purpose or result . --M R De Haan II (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Literally eido/oida refers to perception by sight (perceive, see) as in Mt 2:2+"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? As Paul puts it (2 Tim. Perhaps you can remember three words to capture this message: resurrection power now. But by Gods grace the word of God may change your mind and your heart. He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making.
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