Spiritual Insight
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Call to worship
Welcome everyone!
LET US STAND AND WORSHIP!
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
PRAYER OF PRAISE FOR WHO GOD IS
Lord,
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION TO OPEN OUR HEARTS
Lord,
SERMON
Introduction
This morning we are going to talk about Spiritual Insight.
Insight is the capacity to gain a deep and accurate understanding of the things of God
It includes godly wisdom, spiritual revelation, and spiritual enlightenment.
It is the ability to see for what they really are spiritually speaking
The difference in people with and without insight is surface level knowledge, and the ability to grasp the deep theological truths of God that radically change the way we live.
Spiritual Insight is not just for advanced Christian’s, or Christian teachers, or pastors, or people who really want to be used by God. Gaining insight must be a priority in every believer’s life whether they are brand new to the faith or have been walking with Jesus for 30 years.
God does not want us to be content with a surface level knowledge of Him.
To have a basic understanding of who God is and what He wants for us.
God wants us to know things that are deeper than human understanding, that go beyond human reasoning, that modify our behavior, and will ultimately bring us closer to Him
CONTEXT:
The letter of Ephesians began with Paul explaining our spiritual blessing in Christ (last week). He moves from that into a prayer in verses 15-23. And the central focus of the prayer is that these believers will gain insight into the things of God.
Turn with me to Ephesians 1:15–19 “For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 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, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
I find it very interesting that the great apostle Paul understands the most pressing need in the lives of these new Christians is spiritual insight
He doesn’t pray for their troubles to go away
He does pray that they will find wives and husbands and have good children
He doesn’t pray that they will find a good church
He doesn’t pray that they will find work and be able to meet their needs
He prays that they will have a deep, theological understanding of who God is and what their salvation means
This does not mean that God does not care about these things, nor does it mean that we should not pray for these things
But what it does imply is that all these worldly needs ARE SECONDARY to their need for spiritual insight
There is no greater need for the believer (who has been indwelled by the Holy Spirit) than to walk through this world with the ability to understand the deep spiritual things of God
I want to show you four things from these verses that I pray will help us be people of insight:
1) Coming to Christ does not supply us with all spiritual insight
1) Coming to Christ does not supply us with all spiritual insight
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Explanation
This verse tells us that Paul is writing to people who are believers. They heard the gospel, responded to the gospel, and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit!
These spiritual blessings Paul lists in verses 3-14 belong to them!
They are God’s redeemed people
They have the Spirit of God
But they did not understand what Paul wanted them to understand about God
Lets look again at Paul’s prayer for them in verses 15-23:
(v 16-17) “while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
(v 18) “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
Paul is praying that their eyes may be opened so that they would have insight into the deep things of God
Bridge
This point is short, but it is important.
Coming to faith in Jesus, giving our lives to Him is only the beginning of our journey to gain insight
We must not think that when we place our faith in Christ, we are immediately filled with all wisdom and understanding
Our eyes are wide open, and we understand everything we need to know about God
It does not happen that way
It is a quest, a lifetime of seeking and obtaining
And surely we can see from these verses, it is God’s will for us
This is one of the great need among the people of God today
We believe, have faith, yet do not really comprehend the depths of God. Why do I say that?
Most of us do not know God’s specific will for our lives. We really don’t understand what God wants us to do
Most of us do not know our spiritual gift(s).
Most of us do not have much more than a surface level understanding of God’s Word.
I’m not trying to make us feel bad, just making a case for the need of the church to gain insight!
Insight takes time
There is no formula to gain spiritual understanding, it is about consistency
It is about making this our lifelong pursuit!
It is about praying and seeking God each and every day through every avenue He has made available to us
The Spirit of God
The Word of God
The Church of God
And it is knowing that we church need it!
If you have come to Christ, your lifelong pursuit should be insight!
2) The source of all spiritual insight is God
2) The source of all spiritual insight is God
Ephesians 1:17 (NASB95)
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
Explanation
What is a “spirit of wisdom and Spirit of revelation”?
Now scholars are divided on whether the spirit here refers to the human spirit or the Holy Spirit. As you can see in my translation, spirit has a (s) Indicating these translators think it refers to the human spirit. And there is much discussion on this, but to my point it really makes little difference.
Whether it is Spirit (as in the Spirit of God) or spirit (as in a disposition) the outcome is same because the source of this wisdom and revelation is still God.
Paul prays and asks that “The Father of glory” may give them wisdom and revelation
All spiritual wisdom and revelation can only be given by God to us, it cannot be obtained any other way
We cannot merely read reading books and know the deep things of God
We cannot merely go to seminary and get a Master’s of Divinity and come out with great insight
We cannot even gain insight by reading and studying the Word of God
The essential ingredient to gaining Insight is God. And if we attempt to do these other things without the Lord giving us insight, we will never have it.
Plain and simple: WITHOUT GOD INSIGHT IS IMPOSSIBLE
Let’s gets more specific: What exactly is “insight”?
According to verse 17, it is wisdom and revelation
The NLT translates this phrase “spiritual wisdom and insight”
Some commentators translate this phrase, “insight and revelation”
Whatever the terms we decide to use, INSIGHT has both aspects of wisdom and revelation
Wisdom
Wisdom in its simplest form is knowledge applied
It is not simply knowing things, but knowing what to do with what you know
It has to do with the way that we live our lives
Spiritual wisdom refers to the capacity to receive and understand divine truths that are normally beyond the bounds of human reasoning
That is, the one who possesses spiritual wisdom can receive, comprehend, and apply divine truths regardless of human reasoning
HUMAN REASONING EXAMPLE
Just about every person who comes to faith in Christ has relied upon human reasoning to make decisions and direct their actions
This is how the world lives their lives and this is how everyone of us has lived until we came to Christ
When a problem arises humanity reasons within itself to determine what is the proper thing to do
This is the natural way of life
There is no dependance on spiritual insight, only a dependance upon human reasoning
BUT when one begins to gain spiritual wisdom, divine truths and principles begin to override all human reasoning
Revelation
Revelation means to make something fully known or to unveil something
This is not the giving of knowledge, but the uncovering of hidden facts
The Pulpit
During our service a few weeks ago, this pulpit was in this building and I had no idea it was here or even existed
I preached my sermon, we worshiped, and we had a business meeting, and we were preparing to leave
I look up and Austin and someone else got it out and put it out here as a gift
That is an example of revelation. Something is there, we do not know it, and God unveils it so that we can see it
This is a work exclusively that only God can do
The Spirit of God illuminates truth to us
Not new truth, not new doctrines, but He reveals things to us that we did not know nor that we could not see
Paul uses this metaphor in verse 18 to elaborate on this, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”
This is just another way of asking God to shed light on things that are hidden
Application
We will never understand God by reading books, by listening to sermons, even by reading the Bible (ALONE)
There are many people who do not have any spiritual understanding who write good commentaries
And there are many people who read the Bible who have no understanding of God
Accumulating knowledge is not the same as gaining spiritual understanding
There is nothing wrong with these things, and we should do them, but they’re will only get us a surface knowledge of God
What we need is to seek the source
What we need is God to enlighten our hearts
We need to Spirit to grant us insight
We need spiritual wisdom and understanding
And God will do that through different avenues like His Word, and through mature people, and by reading books, but never these things by themselves!
These things must be coupled with the Spirit of God!
How do we go about that?
Ask
That is exactly what Paul is doing here. He is praying constantly that God will give them spiritual insight
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
What a promise that if we will ask, God will give it liberally
Be humble enough to know you need it!
Pride is one sure way to never be a person of insight
If we act as though we know it all, or if we seek wisdom from other sources, we will never have the insight that God desires for us
Humility is the only thing you need to gain insight!
Maybe start by listening
Maybe start by receiving
Maybe start by seeking
All of those take humility
We must be sure we go the right source
There is the wisdom of this world. And many pulpits preach worldly wisdom out of pride and arrogance.
But we’ll never receive real insight from this world. We must go to God. Don’t ask your neighbor, ask God. Don’t ask the philosopher, ask God. don’t ask the scientist, ask God! God is the source!
3) The Primary Purpose of Insight is to grow in our relationship with God
3) The Primary Purpose of Insight is to grow in our relationship with God
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.
Explanation
I used the NIV translation for this verse because in brings out this point much clearer than the NASB
Paul prays that insight will happen, so that they will know God better
Gaining insight is not primarily about living a better life, or making better decisions.
Gaining insight is about growing our personal intimate relationship with God.
That is the ultimate and ends result.
Bridge
Let’s think about this in a practical sense
How does one get to know someone and develop a relationship?
We spend time with them
And we talk to them
And we get to know them!
And they get to know us.
Application
Here are three essential Insights that will bring us closer to God
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, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
The first deals with our security, the second with God’s great love towards us, and the third with His power available to us
The hope of His calling (v 18)
Calling: Refers to God’s calling us into salvation. We talked about this last week, His election is us, choosing us before the foundation of the world
Hope: is always based on the promises of God. What is the promise of God about this calling from chapter 1?
That when God called us, He sealed us by His Holy Spirit, and we will be fully redeemed when our lives end.
This is a call to rest assured that God’s calling is permanent. AND WE ARE TO REST IN THAT!
It is this hope that rises above every that we experience in this life.
But this is not just an acknowledgement of facts, but must reach the very depths of our hearts!
It should affect the way that we respond to things in this life!
If God has called us, everything else changes!
WE HAVE GREAT HOPE, HOPE THAT NOTHING ELSE COULD EVER GIVE TO US. HOPE THAT NEVER CHANGES. HOPE THAT SECURES US
The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints
I want you to notice, this is God’s Inheritance in the saints
So not only do we receive an inheritance when we die, but God receives His inheritance when we die, which is us!
That may sound a little conceded, but the point Paul is making is that we are God’s special, chosen, people. We are valuable to God! He chose us before he ever created the earth, He purchased us with His Son’s precious blood, He sealed us with His Holy Spirit, and He will receive us when we leave this earth!
You will never be loved more by anyone than you will be loved by God.
You will never have a better relationship with anyone than you can have with God
You will never be able to trust anyone in this life like you can trust God
He waits for our redemption, that He may receive us to Himself.
AND PAUL SAYS KNOW THIS! Do not just acknowledge this! This is an insight that must reach the depths of our hearts!
The greatness of His power available to us
“and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe”
The Greek construction of this phrase means “for our advantage”
Meaning God’s great power is not only available to us, but is to be experienced in this life
God’s power is attractive to both believers and to unbelievers.
I think most people do not doubt that God has the power to do anything
But I do think many misunderstand the availability of God’s power, believing that it can be under our authority or control
Examples:
If we speak certain things, they will come to pass
If we believe something it will happen because we have exercised faith that it will somehow force God’s hand so it has to happen
God’s power is in alignment with His promises
Meaning What God says He will do, it will happen no matter how impossible it may seem
And what God promises will happen, will happen
Examples of God’s power:
He has power over unbelief
He has power over sickness
He has power over kings and the rulers of the earth
He has power over Satan and his demons
He has the power over nature
He has power over time
He has power to speak things into existence
He has power to sustain and maintain this world
He has power over the church
He has power over everything in heaven and on the earth!
NOTHING, NOTHING is impossible for God!
And that great power is to be internalized, realized, and known by those who believe!
It makes all the difference in our Christian walk when we walk with that conviction seated deeply in our hearts that God can do anything!
No matter how gloom things may look today, tomorrow God could change everything!
And that power is not a cliche, but something that is for our advantage!!
Conclusion
God will for this church is to be people of Insight. People who have a solid understanding of the things of God. He does not want us to be shaken by every wind and wave that comes into our lives, but see below the surface level of things, to understand the deep spiritual truths that transform us
But we will never have insight apart from the Holy Spirit of God. For God is the source of all insight, and all revelation, and all spiritual wisdom.
It is God who opens the eyes of our hearts, so that we can truly see.
If your your heart has never been enlightened, start there. Cry out to Him. Lord open my heart so that I may know You. Open my eyes so that I may see you!
~PRAYER~
RESPONSE
PUBLIC INVITATION
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
OFFERING
We will now worship the Lord through our tithes and offering.
BENEDICTION
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord cause His face to shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His face to you, And give you peace.’”
COMMUNION
Moment of Silence to confess sin
Father, we ask at this time that you would reveal any sin in our hearts that we may not be aware of. We confess that we are all sinners and are in desperate need of your grace. We ask for your forgiveness at this time and claim the promise of John 1:9, “that we if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
We take Communion to remember and to proclaim the second coming of Jesus.
The bread represents His body
Pray a blessing over the bread
Jesus said: “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Eat the bread
The juice represents His blood
Pray and bless the cup
“do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
And as they went out they sang a hymn
~AMAZING GRACE~
Business Meeting
Business Meeting
Opening Prayer
Reading of last months minutes
Any Questions?
Vote to approve last months minutes
Treasurers Report
Any Questions?
Vote to approve the treasurers report
Unfinished Business
New Business
Any other new business?
Meeting adjourned