William Randolph Hearst was an American newspaper publisher. It was well-known that he invested a fortune collecting art treasures from around the world. One day Mr. Hearst found a description of some valuable items that he felt he must own, so he sent his agent abroad to find them. After months of searching, the agent reported that he had finally found the treasures. They were in Mr. Hearst’s warehouse.[1]
In today’s scripture we can hear Paul cry out, “Christians, you do not have to look elsewhere to find what you need for life. What you need is in Christ.” Then he prays, “O Lord, open the eyes of their heart, so that they may know hope, your inheritance, and power in Christ Jesus.” Paul’s request is not a prayer for something special for a few Christians. Rather, he wants all his readers to know God and experience his benefits. Ephesians 1 is divided into two sections. First, Paul blesses God for having blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing (vv. 1-14); then he prays that God will open our eyes to grasp the fullness of this blessing (vv. 15-23). He also wants us to know that God makes his blessings (hope, inheritance, power) available through the ministry of the church. In Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul says,
“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.”
Today’s passage tells us about who we are as a church, and it also implies the kind of community the church should be.
Hope
First, the church is a community of hope. Paul prays, “Open the eyes of their heart, that they may know the hope to which you have called them” (v. 18a). The word hope in the Bible is much more than “I hope so,” like we hoping for better weather tomorrow. For Christians, the word hope carries with it “assurance for the future,” firmly built on God’s character and his promise.
When we were lost, we were without hope, but in Jesus Christ, now we have a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3) that encourages us day by day. One of my favorite parts in Pilgrim’s Progress is how Christian could get out of Doubting Castle. One day Christian and his companion Hopeful are captured by Giant Despair. The giant drives them into his Doubting Castle. And he locks them into a dungeon for days. There Christian and Hopeful are beaten unmercifully. They even see the skulls in their dungeon. They almost lose their hope. Then all of sudden, Christian exclaims, “I just remembered that I have a key called Promise! I believe it will open any lock in Doubting Castle.” So when he uses his key, the door flies open with ease. The giant cannot pursue, and the pilgrims escape.
2020 was a record breaking year, in terms of hurricane, wildfire, heat and flooding. The elderly read the obituaries first. The young have lost their jobs, and on a deeper level, they have lost a sense of hope of making a difference. Middle-aged people are busy but bored. Every day we must all deal with meaninglessness, evil, suffering, sickness, and death. Where do we find hope? God wants us to taste and see the hope from above through His Church. The other day I met a Christian couple at the post office parking lot. The husband was mad at this country. He was mad at himself. He was mad at everything. I could tell he was frustrated and discouraged. After our brief conversation, I offered a prayer. As we prayed in Jesus’ name, we felt new hope flooded into our hearts. He made my day. And I believe I made his day. This is the church. The church is meant to be a community of hope. We are called to be a hope-giving community to the world around us.
Inheritance
Secondly, inheritance. The church is community rich in inheritance. Paul prays for Christians in Ephesus, “Lord, open the eyes of their heart, that they may know… the riches of your glorious inheritance in your holy people” (v. 18b). To many, year 2020 will be remembered as a year of isolation and loneliness. When challenges arise, for such a time as this, we are easily tempted to just isolate ourselves and become “lone rangers.” But in today’s text Paul says by the Holy Spirit to the church loud and clear, “You are not alone. When challenges arise, you can rise above because you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, who have gone before you and now are cheering for you” (cf. Heb 12:1a). When Elisha was surrounded by a great army of Aram, his servant was terrified and said, “Oh, master! What shall we do?” Elisha replied, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then he prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kg 6:17). May the Lord open our eyes that we may see the riches of his glorious inheritance in his church.
As the Covid-19 pandemic lasts much longer than we expected, many people begin to feel fatigued, overwhelmed, powerless. Many churches, many Christians fight hard against loneliness, a sense of being too small for the task. But we are not alone. Even Jesus’ disciples felt the same way. When they saw a great crowd, they felt overwhelmed and said, “Master, this is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus replied, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.” The disciples found five loaves of bread and two fish and brought them to Jesus. Then, we see four very important verbs: take, bless, break and give (Matt 14:19). Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it back to them. And all ate and were satisfied. What’s the lesson for us today in our context? Whether we belong to a small church or mega church, whatever we are, whatever we have, as long as we belong to Christ, united to Christ and his body – the Church, we are rich and satisfied. And as a church, we are able to feed those who are hungry and searching for true community, true meaning of life.
Power
Hope. Inheritance. And the third is this: power. The church is a community of power. Paul prays for the church, “O Lord, open the eyes of their heart that they may know your great power for those who believe” (v. 19a). The power Christians have is not intrinsic power. It’s not something we have in ourselves, but a power that comes from God. It’s resurrection power. In verse 20 Paul says, “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.” It is the same resurrection power to enable Abraham to have a child (new life), though Sarah was barren and he was too old as good as dead (Heb 11:11). It is the same resurrection power to breathe upon dry bones and make them alive and stand on their feet” (Ezk 37:10). It is the same resurrection power to open Paul’s eyes that he could turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (cf. Acts 26:18). The Bible says we were dead. But by the same resurrection power God saved us and took us out of the graveyard of sin. He gave us new heart, new nature, new power. Today God still gives us the strength, the resurrection power to live for Christ.
Max Lucado expounds today’s text this way.[2] Suppose you have had a heart condition. Your frail pumper restricts your activities. Each morning at work when the healthy employees take the stairs, you wait for the elevator. But then comes the transplant. A healthy heart is now placed within you. After recovery, you return to work and encounter the flight of stairs—the same flight of stairs you earlier avoided. By habit, you start for the elevator. But then you remember. You aren’t the same person. You have a new heart. Within you dwells a new power. Now you have a choice to make whether you live like the old person or the new. The resurrection power is given from above, but still, we need to try those stairs. We need to practice. And it takes time. God’s power does not remove us from life’s challenges, difficulty, sickness and death, but makes us more than conquerors in all these things. This is not a power to escape difficulty, but a power to live in a difficult world. What the world needs today is new life, resurrection. When we belong to the church, the body of Christ, we experience Christ’s life and power. And now we are called to be a community of power that brings life to graveyards in this world.
Lord, Open the Eyes of Our Heart!
Ephesus was spiritually dead soil. At first, when Paul came to Ephesus, there were only a handful of believers (twelve of them). When he preached the good news, many stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way. He encountered with the seven sons of Sceva, Jewish exorcists. Then he encountered with the mob scene incited by Demetrius. Ephesus was a hopeless, spiritually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked, and powerless place. But by God’s grace, Paul faithfully planted the church and watered the church by prayers and teaching the sound doctrine for three years. Then, Ephesus was transformed. And the Ephesian church became one of the most complete, healthy, and holy churches in our church history.
The God who saved and transformed Ephesus is with us today. God wants us to know him and his benefits through the church. The church is God’s hope, God’s inheritance, God’s power. May the eyes of our heart be opened to what God is doing among us so that we always speak of the hope, the riches, and the power to the world that he so loves. Amen.
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[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Ephesians: Gaining the Things That Money Can't Buy (pp. 27-28). David C Cook. Kindle Edition.
[2] Max Lucado, Life Lessons from Ephesians (p. 16). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
First, the church is a community of hope. Paul prays, “Open the eyes of their heart, that they may know the hope to which you have called them” (v. 18a). The word hope in the Bible is much more than “I hope so,” like we hoping for better weather tomorrow. For Christians, the word hope carries with it “assurance for the future,” firmly built on God’s character and his promise.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name
2020 was a record breaking year, in terms of hurricane, wildfire, heat and flooding. The elderly read the obituaries first. The young have lost their jobs, and on a deeper level, they have lost a sense of hope of making a difference. Middle-aged people are busy but bored. Every day we must all deal with meaninglessness, evil, suffering, sickness, and death. Where do we find hope? God wants us to taste and see the hope from above through His Church. The other day I met a Christian couple at the post office parking lot. The husband was mad at this country. He was mad at himself. He was mad at everything. I could tell he was frustrated and discouraged. After our brief conversation, I offered a prayer. As we prayed in Jesus’ name, we felt new hope flooded into our hearts. He made my day. And I believe I made his day. This is the church. The church is meant to be a community of hope. We are called to be a hope-giving community to the world around us.
Inheritance
Secondly, inheritance. The church is community rich in inheritance. Paul prays for Christians in Ephesus, “Lord, open the eyes of their heart, that they may know… the riches of your glorious inheritance in your holy people” (v. 18b). To many, year 2020 will be remembered as a year of isolation and loneliness. When challenges arise, for such a time as this, we are easily tempted to just isolate ourselves and become “lone rangers.” But in today’s text Paul says by the Holy Spirit to the church loud and clear, “You are not alone. When challenges arise, you can rise above because you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, who have gone before you and now are cheering for you” (cf. Heb 12:1a). When Elisha was surrounded by a great army of Aram, his servant was terrified and said, “Oh, master! What shall we do?” Elisha replied, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then he prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kg 6:17). May the Lord open our eyes that we may see the riches of his glorious inheritance in his church.
As the Covid-19 pandemic lasts much longer than we expected, many people begin to feel fatigued, overwhelmed, powerless. Many churches, many Christians fight hard against loneliness, a sense of being too small for the task. But we are not alone. Even Jesus’ disciples felt the same way. When they saw a great crowd, they felt overwhelmed and said, “Master, this is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus replied, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.” The disciples found five loaves of bread and two fish and brought them to Jesus. Then, we see four very important verbs: take, bless, break and give (Matt 14:19). Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it back to them. And all ate and were satisfied. What’s the lesson for us today in our context? Whether we belong to a small church or mega church, whatever we are, whatever we have, as long as we belong to Christ, united to Christ and his body – the Church, we are rich and satisfied. And as a church, we are able to feed those who are hungry and searching for true community, true meaning of life.
Power
Hope. Inheritance. And the third is this: power. The church is a community of power. Paul prays for the church, “O Lord, open the eyes of their heart that they may know your great power for those who believe” (v. 19a). The power Christians have is not intrinsic power. It’s not something we have in ourselves, but a power that comes from God. It’s resurrection power. In verse 20 Paul says, “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.” It is the same resurrection power to enable Abraham to have a child (new life), though Sarah was barren and he was too old as good as dead (Heb 11:11). It is the same resurrection power to breathe upon dry bones and make them alive and stand on their feet” (Ezk 37:10). It is the same resurrection power to open Paul’s eyes that he could turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (cf. Acts 26:18). The Bible says we were dead. But by the same resurrection power God saved us and took us out of the graveyard of sin. He gave us new heart, new nature, new power. Today God still gives us the strength, the resurrection power to live for Christ.
Max Lucado expounds today’s text this way.[2] Suppose you have had a heart condition. Your frail pumper restricts your activities. Each morning at work when the healthy employees take the stairs, you wait for the elevator. But then comes the transplant. A healthy heart is now placed within you. After recovery, you return to work and encounter the flight of stairs—the same flight of stairs you earlier avoided. By habit, you start for the elevator. But then you remember. You aren’t the same person. You have a new heart. Within you dwells a new power. Now you have a choice to make whether you live like the old person or the new. The resurrection power is given from above, but still, we need to try those stairs. We need to practice. And it takes time. God’s power does not remove us from life’s challenges, difficulty, sickness and death, but makes us more than conquerors in all these things. This is not a power to escape difficulty, but a power to live in a difficult world. What the world needs today is new life, resurrection. When we belong to the church, the body of Christ, we experience Christ’s life and power. And now we are called to be a community of power that brings life to graveyards in this world.
Lord, Open the Eyes of Our Heart!
Ephesus was spiritually dead soil. At first, when Paul came to Ephesus, there were only a handful of believers (twelve of them). When he preached the good news, many stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way. He encountered with the seven sons of Sceva, Jewish exorcists. Then he encountered with the mob scene incited by Demetrius. Ephesus was a hopeless, spiritually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked, and powerless place. But by God’s grace, Paul faithfully planted the church and watered the church by prayers and teaching the sound doctrine for three years. Then, Ephesus was transformed. And the Ephesian church became one of the most complete, healthy, and holy churches in our church history.
The God who saved and transformed Ephesus is with us today. God wants us to know him and his benefits through the church. The church is God’s hope, God’s inheritance, God’s power. May the eyes of our heart be opened to what God is doing among us so that we always speak of the hope, the riches, and the power to the world that he so loves. Amen.
--------
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Ephesians: Gaining the Things That Money Can't Buy (pp. 27-28). David C Cook. Kindle Edition.
[2] Max Lucado, Life Lessons from Ephesians (p. 16). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
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