I would like to speak to you for a few minutes from Ephesians chapter 1 and from verse 15 to 23. Ephesians 1, 15 to 23. Yesterday I spoke to you from verse 3 to verse 14. I spoke on that passage. I want to continue today in verse 15. In the earlier section, Paul was taking us, as he says in verse 3, into the heavenly realms. He was taking us into eternity past, and beginning with God the Father, through God the Son, by God the Holy Spirit, working out for us, showing us the great salvation that the triune God has planned, purposed, accomplished, unapplied Father, Son and Holy Spirit you remember at the end he reached a place where the Ephesians by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ had come into all the good of this and so he takes up the theme again in verse 15 there is a break in a sense he moves into a new place where he says, because of this, for this very reason, for this fact that I know that you have come to faith in Christ ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints I have been grateful to God and thankful to God I have not stopped giving thanks for you remembering you in my prayers of course he's grateful, of course he's thankful to God here are yet more elect brought in brought out from the world, brought out from the kingdom of darkness, brought out of Adam into Christ, and brought into the good of all that everlasting salvation that God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit planned, accomplished, and applies. But he's not only thankful. His man, Paul, he says in verse 17, having said in verse 16, remembering you in my prayers, I keep asking, what are you praying for? Paul, what are you praying for? I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation. The spirit there could be small s or large s. I take it in the first instance as large s, the Holy Spirit, and I speak therefore of the Trinitarian experience. What do you mean? It is the Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be, he says in verse 3, to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And of course it's the Lord Jesus Christ. And then not only the glorious Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Holy Spirit. But Paul is praying that this triune God will give to these Ephesian believers, and all believers of course, he's praying that God will give these believers the Spirit, small s. The Holy Spirit, yes, but the Holy Spirit to work a spirit, attitude, mind, heart, mindset, feeling. Of what? Wisdom and revelation. He's not praying that they become graduates in astrophysics or rocket science or whatever it might be. He's praying for spiritual wisdom. And he's not praying for revelation that they'll all be writers of scripture, writers of new truth, but they will have the experience of. They will come to realize. They will come to know. as it says indeed verse 17 that you may know him better not know doctrine better although that will be true not know the Bible better that will certainly be true but to have experience of God Father Son and Spirit he's praying for these Ephesians that they will have it of course he's teaching them by this instruction here he's showing them what all their treasure and inheritance is indeed he goes on to speak of that verse 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart now what a foolish illustration eyes heart the heart does not have eyes but the meaning is quite clear he wants the very center and the core of the heart of their feeling their ambition their will their desires the very center of their being their soul to see to understand to experience eyes opened the eyes of their heart open may be enlightened they may see and feel and know and enjoy enjoy so that you may enjoy all the hope that you may know mind they may understand yes but know in the Bible means far more than know with the mind it means an intimate relationship with an experience of that you may experience the hope and that's not cross your fingers and hope so it is confident expectation Paul is praying and thereby teaching in his writing now these Ephesian believers that they have a hope, a glorious expectation and he wants them to understand and feel and know and experience all the treasures that are laid out for them in the gospel in the Lord Jesus Christ to know him, God, through the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit and to know him better, he says And then he speaks of, verse 19, the power that saints have, the great power that saints have, the incomparably great power. Notice the hyperbole, but it's not hyperbole in the sense of excessive or over the top, as we say. This is the truth of it. It's beyond words. The power that God has deposited in the gospel, in Christ, by the Spirit, for his people is what? the power is likened unto the mighty strength in the resurrection of Christ from the dead and when he raised him from the dead and seated him in the realms above back to the realms again of heaven you understand back to eternity back to glory where Christ even now sits reigning at the right hand of God far above all rule authority power and dominion every name every title that can be given in this life and in that which is to come. Christ is supreme. I want you to know this power, says Paul. I want you to experience this Christ. I want you to know He is your King. I want you to know He is your Saviour, your Lord and to enjoy Him and know Him better and thereby know God the Father through the Spirit better and better. God has placed all things under the feet of Christ. He triumphs over all. he's appointed him to be head over all things everything for the church for the believers there at Ephesus for the believer Christ reigns and rules which is his body the church is his body the fullness of him who fills everything in every way now I'm only giving a brief talk you can understand that each little section here is worthy of a developed sermon and much much thought, but I want to give this brief overall picture so that it might be a help to us all. I'm speaking first of all to believers. You are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul could say to you, I've heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. You came to trust Christ and as a consequence you loved all others who had trusted Christ and are trusting Christ. Is that true of you my friend? I can't see you Perhaps we shall never meet, but can I know that you trust Christ? By then I want you to know from this passage, I'm speaking on it for this purpose, I want you to know all that there is in Christ for you by the decree of God, by the accomplishment of Christ, and by the effectual working of God's Spirit. Power, wisdom, knowledge, experience, love, forgiveness of sins, everlasting it's reigning and ruling now. Why do I want you to know this? Why did Paul want the Ephesians to know it? Well, he knew that they were in a pagan world and the devil would attack them. The world would attack them. He knew that they were weak in themselves. He knew that they had a tremendous task on their hands. They had to take the gospel in all the world. They had to begin in Ephesus and take the gospel into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He knew they had to stand firm against opposition, like Judas, contend earnestly for the faith. He knew that they were in a battle. And he knew that they would have an onslaught from Satan to take them into doubt and fear. He knew that false teachers were about who would take away their joy and take away their peace and bring them under some captivity or bondage of some kind. And he knew they needed to be strengthened. He knew they needed to be assured. They needed to be sanctified. Oh, I know there are people who say you can be a carnal Christian. You cannot. Oh, you've got 1 Corinthians 3. That's not commending the carnal Christian, that passage. Paul is saying to them, you are carnal there. And if you go on being carnal, I'll tell you what you are. Pagans, you're not Christian at all. Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. You have to be holy. You have to be earnest in your contention for the faith. You have to take the gospel into all the world. There are many Judaism works to be done. You'll find that from chapter four onwards. What Paul is doing here is preparing the ground. He wants them to be assured. He wants them to be sanctified. He wants them to be strong. He wants them to be spiritually minded. He wants them to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. So what will he do? Will he give them law? that's the common way today, give people rules. You do this, you do that. He gives them tests, you see? Martin Lloyd-Jones said on this passage, he opened it by saying, here are some tests for believers. Now I admire Martin Lloyd-Jones more than I can say, but he's completely off the mark here, he's completely wrong here. These are not tests at all. Paul is not giving tests to these believers here, he's assuring them, he's praying for them that they may come into the good in the experience of all that they have. You see how people distort and warp the gospel at this point, they turn it into law. it stems from Calvin, it stems from the Westminster Confession and down the years it's still with us. Many people who don't know about the Westminster Confession and Calvin and on the Puritans and that but they're still in that vein and it's been now brought out as recipes for this and you must do that and you mustn't do the other and you must all these tests and and rules and laws there's not an atom of it in this passage Ah, you say law comes in chapter 2, so it does, and if I continue with this series we'll come to it. You say it's in chapter 6, so it is, I agree, it is there. But where is it here? O believer, I speak to you. Are you a doubting believer? You want assurance? Then what do I say to you in this passage? Look to Christ. He's in this passage, right through this passage, and right at the end of this passage, and where is He? In glory, reigning. he came into the world in the first section i did yesterday now he's gone back into glory christ came and accomplished your salvation he's reigning to administer his salvation Don't look to your works. Works will come, chapter 4, 5 and 6. But at the moment, I'm telling you, if you want assurance, it's on the basis of this passage, look to Christ. Look to the Spirit. We saw that yesterday, having believed you were marked in Him with a seal of promised Holy Spirit, chapter 13. You have the witness of the Spirit. And here the power and the attitude and the mind that the Spirit gives of hope and holiness. So you want to bear short, look to Christ. You want a growing grace. You want to be a more spiritual Christian? You want to be a godly man or a godly woman? You want to be more like Christ? Then look to Christ. Look to what God the Father has decreed for you. Look to what God the Son has accomplished for you. Look to what God the Spirit is doing in you. Look at the hope you have, and you will grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. If you look to the law, you will come to doubt and fear and sorrow, and it will not produce godliness. But if you look to Christ by the Spirit, in the power of the Spirit. Oh, because God has decreed this salvation, I assure you on the basis of this passage, this is how you will get wisdom, power, and life to live for God. Are you fearful, believer? It's the same again. It's all of Christ, doubting, afraid, confused, sad, frustrated, lonely, bewildered, Many believers are. Then come to this passage, above all come to Christ. Look to God through Christ by the Spirit. Let your minds run on this, your hearts run on this, and all these other things will fall into place. But maybe I'm speaking to an unbeliever. What can I say to you from this passage? This passage is directly and primarily for believers, of course, but what can I say to you as an unbeliever? Well, let me imagine foolishly, I suppose, that it could be that President Obama has happened to click onto this small address and he's actually listening to it now. You're listening to me, Mr. Obama. Good. Maybe I'm an Englishman, maybe in my own country, maybe Her Majesty the Queen has happened. Just click it on and you're listening to me, Your Majesty. Well, I speak to you both. You might be the King of Siam or the President of this or the Chairman or the Executive, Chief Executive of some great global conglomeration. Whoever you are, great as you are, I've got news for you. There is one far greater than you. His name is Jesus. Christ Jesus Christ the Lord Jesus Christ and he is now at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms and he's far above all rule and authority power and dominion and every title that can be given even yours your majesty even yours President Obama I know you have wealth and power and influence you might think and all the rest you might have it I fully grant it but you are under Christ he is King and he's king over you and one day you will have to meet him and I tell you on the authority of Philippians 2 if you have not done it now you in that day will bow your knee yes President Obama yes your majesty you will bow your knee to King Jesus and acknowledge that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father but it might be here at the other end of the scale. You don't have two dimes to rub together, two pennies to rub together. Maybe you're homeless even. It just so happens that in some strange way you've managed to hear this small address. What can I say to you? There are riches untold in Jesus. There is wealth unlimited. There is power beyond description. It's not material benefit and wealth. but there are spiritual treasures and everlasting hope all laid up in Christ. So in the name of Jesus, I invite you, I encourage you, I plead with you, I urge you, I command you, receive this Christ and all the treasures of the Godhead which are in him bodily and all his works and all his merits will be yours and yours forever. But if you refuse him, you will perish. And you will be crushed like a potter's vessel. Trinitarian experience. Have you had the experience of salvation? That was yesterday. If you've experienced salvation by the triune God, today I'm speaking on this. Trinitarian experience. walking with God, proving God, enjoying God in Christ above all, all the treasures that God has for you in Him. Just as yesterday, I could do no better than conclude by reading the passage. I'll do that today. As I read these words, let them come over into your soul. Receive them, my friend. If you're a believer, they're yours now. If you are an unbeliever, they can be yours, if you too will bow the knee to Jesus and receive Him, trust Him as your Savior and your Lord. 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 hearts 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 and every title that can be given not only in the present age but also in that which is 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.