Alright, Ephesians 1. Our text
is just going to be verse 17. Let's read the first two verses
leading up to that. So let's begin in verse 15. Wherefore,
I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and
love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayers. Now here's our text. 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. Now the first thing that struck
me when I looked at this were these titles that Paul gives
to God. He says there in verse 17, the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory. God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory. Usually, however Scripture
addresses God, it means it has something to do with what's being
said in the text, and it does right here. Whenever Paul addresses
the Father as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, It's because
one of the things he's about to ask for has to do with the
fact that Christ is the covenant head of His people. He's the
covenant head of the church. Look down there at verse 22.
He says, He's put all things under His feet and gave Him to
be the head over all things to the church, which is His body. The church is His body, the fullness
of Him that filleth all in all. He fills all in all. And this church is the fullness
of Him. It's His body. And He's the head
of the church. So, there Christ stands, the
head of the church. And if you could picture it like
this, there's Christ standing before the Father, and you can't
see any of us because we're right in line behind Him. So it was
just Him. He's the head. He's in the front.
And we're all members of His body. We're behind Him. So whatever
blessings God gives to Him that He asks for, God gives to Him. They're ours as well because
He represents us. We're there in Him and we're
complete in Him. All of those that the Father
gave to the Son, all those the Son redeemed, all those that
have been called by His Spirit to believe on Him, we're complete
in Him. And so whatever Christ, our covenant
Head, receives, we receive. And so when Christ rose from
the dead, you remember that He said, Go to My brethren and say
unto them, I have sinned unto My Father and your Father. and to my God and your God."
Remember that? He said that because since Christ
is our covenant head, since He's our head and we're the body,
God is His God and our God. And God is His Father and our
Father. As the Mediator, as the God-Man
Mediator, as our Covenant Head, God is His God and our God. God
is His Father and our Father. It sometimes gets confusing when
we're talking about these things because He is God. He's God the
Son. He's the Son of God. But standing
there representing us before the Father, God the Father is
His God as the Mediator. And so Paul prays the God of
our Lord Jesus Christ because the blessings given from God
the Father to Christ are also ours because of our union with
Christ. So this is why he's praying in
this manner. Now I want us to get that. I
want you to get what that means for the believer. Because of
our union in Christ, we can come near to God our Father and draw
near in assurance that He'll receive us in Christ Jesus just
like a child would just walk right in and ask their father
for something. The Scripture, you know, says
in Hebrews 10, we have boldness to enter. We have boldness to
enter. And you you know when you go
to an office and you walk up to the office door And you don't
know whose office it is and you stand there at the door And you
kind of look in and you you don't know whether to go in or not
go in Because you don't have boldness to enter, but then when
you're you go home and say you go home to your father your Wife's
office or she comes into your office. She just walks right
in because it's yours and she has boldness. A child has boldness
to enter. You have freedom to enter. We
have that freedom. We have that freedom to come
to God in Christ because He's reconciled His elect to Himself.
Everything Christ did, God our Father did for us. He gave His
Son and He was in Christ reconciling the world of His elect unto Himself. He's made us righteous in Christ. God has purged away our sins
by His own blood. That's what Paul said to the
Ephesians. He said, the church of God which
He's purchased with His own blood. He did that in His Son. And God
says, I'll remember their sins no more because of what He's
done. So we have boldness, liberty, confidence, assurance. We can
enter into His presence and He'll receive us. That's a marvelous
thing. It's more marvelous than we get,
I think, but it's marvelous. And then Paul, look here at the
next way Paul addresses God as the Father of Glory, the Father
of Glory. Now he's about to ask for revelation,
revelation in the knowledge of Him for their eyes to be enlightened. And remember what we said the
first three letters of glory is, is G-L-O, glow. And that's
something to do with what glory is. It's the glow of God. And
He's asking Him for this glow. He's asking Him for this light
to lighten our eyes. Look over at 2 Corinthians 4.
Whenever we begin in this life to get a glimpse of God's glory, It's because the Father of glory
enlightened us in regeneration. Look at 2 Corinthians 4 and verse
6. We were all darkness. Every one
of His children were all darkness. We were without form and void,
just like the world was in the beginning. But verse 6 says,
For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath
shined in our hearts to give the light, watch this, the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Look there at chapter 3. We were
created after His image when the veil was taken off our heart
by the Spirit of the Lord entering into us, and we saw Him. When
we saw Him in His glory, look at verse 18. We, with open face,
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into
the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit
of the Lord. Look back at 1 Corinthians. 1
Corinthians 13, 12. The glory of heaven, the very
glory heaven will be, will be to see the glory of God face
to face and to know Him fully. Look at 1 Corinthians 13, 12. For now we see through a glass
darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then
shall I know even as also I am known. So do you see, you get
the picture here, He prays the Father of glory because He's
about to ask for this revelation, this enlightening of the eyes
to see more of Him. And that's what Christ prayed
for, you remember? In John 17, Christ said, Father
I will that they also whom Thou has given me be with me where
I am that they might behold My glory which I had with thee before
the foundation of the world." So this is what Christ is desiring
for His people as well. All right, look at the second
thing back there in our text now, Ephesians 1. Here's the
second thing. He asked for a gift. He asked
for a gift, verse 17, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you. They give unto you. This is one of those offenses
that the dead sinner despises. This is one of those things that
the proud sinner hates. He detests this because everything
the child of God has Everything we have is a gift of God. From beginning to end, everything
is a gift. 1 Corinthians 4, 7 says, Who
maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now, if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory as if thou hast not received it? Until a
sinner is graciously given light, until we're given light by the
Lord, we glory in our ignorance. Because we're saying, we don't
need to be tall. That's what we thought in our
darkness. We thought, I don't need God to teach me. You mean
to tell me I can't look into this book and discover who God
is for myself? And all that is, is glorying
in darkness. It's glorying in our ignorance.
Being proud of our ignorance. But when God reveals in our hearts
that we can't do anything, we are nothing, we can add nothing,
we can produce nothing, That's when we're glad to fall on our
face and ask God to give us grace. And everything's by grace. Everything
is free, unmerited, to sinner, ruin, ungodly sinners that He
didn't owe anything to us. Everything is a gift from Him.
I think it's such a delight. More and more as I go along,
it becomes more and more a delight to me to be able to come to the
end of the day and get in a quiet place and ask God for grace. I just delight in it. I delight
to be able to ask grace for you. It's just, it's a delight to
me. I really, really, really enjoy
it. And I was afraid once to pray
to God. I was afraid even by myself alone
with nobody around, I was afraid to pray to God. But now it's
a joy. It's a joy, something I look
forward to. Not that I pray all day. I mean,
I pray all the time, you know, during the day, but I look forward
to just being able to just pour out my heart to Him. Because
now I'm not ashamed to ask Him. I'm not ashamed that I need grace. I'm not ashamed that I need Him
to lift up my head and to give me strength and to uphold me
with the right hand of His righteousness. These are things I'm not ashamed
of asking now, to ask for spiritual gifts. And I think, quite honestly,
I think that God's more delighted to give us grace than we are
to ask Him. I really do. Look here at this
next thing. He says, this is what we're asking
for, verse 17. He says, "...that the Spirit
of wisdom..." Let me read the whole thing. Hold on. "...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." By the Spirit here, he means the Holy Spirit. The
Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is Himself
the Spirit of wisdom. He's the Spirit of wisdom and
revelation. And we can't know anything, a
sinner can't know anything about God except by the Holy Spirit. Not to the exclusion of God the
Father and God the Son, but what I mean is, is anything that is
divinely, spiritually discerned has to be made known to us by
divine revelation. The Spirit of God's got to give
us an understanding of these things or we can't know them.
We just can't. It's not wisdom and revelation
that Paul's asking for, though. Do you see that? It's not just
wisdom and revelation in itself that Paul's asking for. He's
asking for the spirit of wisdom and revelation. That's the difference
between having a head knowledge and having a heart knowledge.
A man can get some understanding of the Scriptures and true doctrine,
but until he's got the Spirit of God dwelling in him and giving
him the unction and giving him a heart of love and a delight
and a joy for Christ, then it's just all in the letter, just
all knowledge in the letter. But you and I were born the first
time of corrupsy that was passed on to us from Adam. And so we
came forth into this world blind, in darkness, but when we're born
again by the Spirit of God, that's when we're given this light and
this wisdom and this revelation in the knowledge of Him. He creates
us in true righteousness and true holiness. The Spirit of
Revelation opens the heart and opens the Scriptures and we see
now. This book was, it was like trying
to read this book in the dark. It's what it was like when we
were spiritually dead. You try to read it and it's just
like being without any light in the room. But then when the
Lord gives us this light, now we can read it. He takes the
veil off our heart. He takes the veil off the Scriptures.
He gives us eyes and ears and an understanding. And we can
read this book now because we've got the key of knowledge. And
the key of knowledge is the Lord Jesus Christ. Until you start
reading this book looking for Christ, you won't find Christ
in it. Until you start reading this
book looking for Christ Jesus, the Son of God, to get all the
glory, you won't get this book. It won't make sense to you. You
know, whatever people's doctrine is, they read the book looking
for that. And that's all they talk about.
Folks who speak about prophecy and end times, that's all they
talk about. That's all they're looking for
in the book. And that's all they talk about. Folks who are like
preterists and things like that, that's all they talk about, because
that's all they look for in this book. But when you're looking
for the, you got the key, and you know this book's about his
son, and he's giving you, he's taking you down from having that
spirit of pride to where you go to it saying, well no, I'm
going to look for something else in him. When He takes that, knocks
that out from under you and brings you down to where you submit
to God and say, no, I believe this book's about His Son and
I'm going to go look for His Son in this book. That's when
you'll start seeing His Son. That's when He'll start revealing
His Word to us. The wisdom and revelation we're
given is the knowledge of God in Christ. That's the wisdom
and the revelation we're given. God gives His newborn child wisdom
and knowledge of God the Father by giving us wisdom and knowledge
of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to see God by seeing
Christ. He said all the fullness of God
dwells in Him. And that's where we're going
to see God is in Christ. We're given the knowledge of
the wisdom and power of God when the Holy Spirit reveals Christ,
the wisdom and power of God. He's the wisdom and the power
of God. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter
2. Look at verse 9. As it is written,
I hath not seen, verse Corinthians 2.9, I hath not seen nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which
God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed
them unto us by His Spirit. It's revelation. For the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. You remember
Christ said when the Spirit has come, when the Comforter has
come, He will guide you into all truth, because He will take
of mine and show it unto you. And these are the things He's
searching, the deep things of God, the things of redemption,
things that Christ accomplished for His people. And He's bringing
them and showing these things to us. Look at verse 11. For
what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man
which is in him? Yeah, it's so simple. I don't
know what Debbie's thinking. Debbie does, but if she reveals
to me what she's thinking, I'll know. Well, we don't know what
God has thought or what He's revealing to His people until
He sends His Spirit and reveals it in us. Even so, the things
of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Now we have received
not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God,
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of
God. Grace is freely given. Grace. Life is freely given. We didn't even have life. We
didn't even have a spark in us. We had nothing in us. He gave
us life freely. Free justification. free sanctification,
free redemption, faith and repentance, gifts, free gifts. We're given
an understanding of the sinfulness of our sin. We're given an understanding
of how sinful our righteousnesses are and how unfit they are to
bring us to God. All those things we thought was
in the plus column. And then he makes us see how
how satisfied He is with His Son, and He makes us satisfied
with His Son. Jeremiah 9.24 says, Let him that
glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth
Me, that I am the Lord which exercised lovingkindness, judgment
and righteousness in the earth. For in these things, he said,
I delight, saith the Lord." I delight in these things. In loving kindness,
that's what he's exercised. In loving kindness, he chose
whom he would before the foundation of the world and gave us to his
Son. He said, I loved you with an everlasting love. In loving
kindness, he sent forth his Son and his Son came forth into this
world. Herein is the love of God manifest. It's not that we
love God, it's that He loved us and sent His Son to be the
propitiation, to purge our sins and to redeem us and be the place
of mercy where He would meet with us. In loving kindness,
He affectionately called us. He said, I've loved you with
an everlasting love, therefore, in loving kindness, I've drawn
you. In loving kindness, He preserves us. In loving kindness, he's
made us his children. He's adopted us into his family.
In loving kindness, he grows us. In loving kindness, he'll
glorify us one day and bring us into his presence. These are
things, he said, I delight in. He said, I delight in judgment,
in judgment. He laid on Christ the iniquity
of all his elect people. And then he charged him guilty. And then he poured out our punishment
upon him. And with his stripes, his people
are healed. It's been done justly. It's been
done justly. And judgment demands now that
each one be called. Judgment demands each one be
given life. Judgment demands each one be
resurrected in newness of life. Judgment. Judgment. He said,
I delight in judgment. Not iniquity. Not calling things
opposite to the way they are, but in truth, in judgment. And he said, and in righteousness. That's why he sent Christ. He
sent Christ to declare his righteousness. He sent him forth because there
was no other way for a sinner to declare his righteousness.
We couldn't do it. He needed somebody to come forth
for Him to magnify and honor His holy law. And Christ did
it. And Christ fulfilled it. And
Christ went to the cross. And He justified His people from
our sins. Justly, in righteousness. So
that now, when He calls His child to Himself, and He creates us
anew in righteousness and holiness, and Christ is formed in us, So
that this is the only way we call out to Him in faith. This
is the only way we cry out and say, I believe, help thou my
unbelief. It's the only way we do it is
when He's done this work within us. And so by that, He's drawn
us to Him to see Christ. So that by the time we see Christ
is our righteousness and believe Christ is all our righteousness,
brethren, inside and out, we've been made righteous. So when
He says, charge that man with righteousness, it's so. We've
been made righteous by what He's done. Oh, and this is life eternal,
that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom Thou hast sent. He said, now in these things
I delight, said the Lord. I delight. And look over at,
well, you don't have to turn there. If you want, 2 Peter 3.
2 Peter 3.18. Our inward man grows, continues
to grow in knowledge of Him the same way. The same way as what
we're looking at here. Look at 2 Peter 3.18. Remember
Peter said, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. Doesn't that seem kind of like
an odd statement? Grow in grace. When's the last time you told
one of your children, now grow? Now you grow. It's an art to me. Grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. From
the beginning, I've had to have Him to teach me and enlighten
me and grow me. And we're going to keep having
to do that. So how are we going to do that? When Peter says,
so you grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, Paul's showing us how. We're going to have to
be continually asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, to enlighten us, give us an understanding
of Him, to grow us. And we're going to have to depend
upon the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to come and give us
that what we asked for, what the Father sent for Him to do.
And we're going to actually grow according to the measure of the
gift which the Spirit of wisdom and revelation gives us in the
knowledge of Him. Look over to Ephesians 4, 7.
Ephesians 4, 7. Until every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. So, we
may have seasons like, you know, when you get to be a teenager,
you grow real fast. But then you slow down, and you
don't grow as fast. But with the believer, we may
have some growth spurts, and then slow down, and then grow
a little more steady. But he's always growing us, because
he's always teaching us more and more of him, more and more
of him. That's why we're coming here. We're here, then we go
home, we search the Scriptures, we ask him to give us an understanding,
and we apply ourselves. You got to eat, don't you, to
grow? If we can't just, you don't tell your children, now grow
and then watch them sit there and not eat. We gotta eat. We
gotta take this food in and then God blesses it through the Spirit
and we grow. And so that's what we're talking
about here. This is how we grow in grace and the knowledge of
Him. Let's end with Ephesians 4.21. Ephesians 4.21. If so be that you have heard
Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus,
that you put off concerning the former conversation, the old
man, the conduct, everything the old man is, which is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit
of your mind. We got a little better understanding
of how we're going to do that, don't we? Now, we see how it's
going to be done? And that you put on the new man,
that inward man, which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness. Wherefore, putting away lying,
speak every man's truth with his neighbor, for we are members
one of another. Look at verse 30. And grieve
not the Holy Spirit of God. This is the one who is teaching
us. So we grieve Him not, whereby you are sealed until the day
of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you
with all malice." These are things that grieve the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is irresistible.
He is going to teach us, but these are things that greatly
hinder our growth. We can do things physically to hinder our
growth, can't we? Well, this He said, don't do
things to hinder your inward growth. And be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of
God as dear children. And walk in love as Christ also
hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and
a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. Amen.