The Epistle to the Ephesians

1. Eph 1:18 – “The eyes of your understanding (hearts) being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” The previous verse is a necessary precursor here: Eph 1:17 - that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, What do you make of the complicated anatomy here, eyes and hearts? Calvin – ‘This is a rendering of the Vulgate, which is supported by some Greek manuscripts. The difference is immaterial, for the Hebrews frequently employed it to denote the rational powers of the soul, though more strictly, being the seat of the affections, it means the will or desire.’ In summary, this is simply a metaphor for inner awareness - total indebtedness to God. The Epistle to the Ephesians Ephesians 1:18-20a Paul’s Prayer for the Saints, Part 2 1 March 4, 2018 Bob Eckel

2. John 1:4 - In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. That you may know what is the hope of His calling? Interesting is the Greek verb for know here, eido? Let’s contrast the Biblical meaning of hope from the earthly view. 1 John 3:1,2 - Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Notice both now and whenever here! And our hope here is a certainty - being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (Phil 1:6). what are (present indicative) the riches of the glory (glorious wealth) of His inheritance in the saints Let’s describe the riches of His glory. What are they to you? When used elsewhere in the NT, the emphasis is on the unworthy - Rom 9:23, Eph 3:16, Col 1:27? The Epistle to the Ephesians Ephesians 1:18-20a Paul’s Prayer for the Saints, Part 2 2 March 4, 2018 Bob Eckel

3. What inheritance? Property received, possession, eternal blessedness Acts 20:32 - So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 1 Peter 1:4 - to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Eph 1:19 – “and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” As we continue, remember this is Paul’s prayer for us! what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe? Power(dynamis) - Thayer states that ‘power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature.’ - here, those of us who believe (present active participle)! And this power is in exceeding greatness. Exceeding – to outdo oneself (only used by Paul and x5). The Epistle to the Ephesians Ephesians 1:18-20a Paul’s Prayer for the Saints, Part 2 3 March 4, 2018 Bob Eckel

4. Eph 3:19 - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. according to the working of His mighty power” Whose power? Working – used only of superhuman power, God’s or Satan’s Col 2:12 - buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Eph 3:20 - Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Phil 3:21 - who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. 2 Thess 2:9 - The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, How do we experience this working power in our lives? Eph 1:20a – “which He worked (wrought) in Christ when He raised Him from the dead…” The Epistle to the Ephesians Ephesians 1:18-20a Paul’s Prayer for the Saints, Part 2 4 March 4, 2018 Bob Eckel

5. Notice that this power is wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead ….. Wrought (perfect active indicative) – God’s supernatural power made operative and continuing. JFB – ‘The raising of Christ is not only an earnest of our bodies being hereafter raised, but has a spiritual power in it involving (by virtue of our living union with Him, as members with the Head) the resurrection, spiritually of the believer’s soul now, and, consequently,of his body hereafter.’ Rom 6:8-11 - Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he lives, he lives unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. We need to never forget that this act of Christ was not only for our sins The Epistle to the Ephesians Ephesians 1:18-20a Paul’s Prayer for the Saints, Part 2 5 March 4, 2018 Bob Eckel

6. but for sin itself that is in all of us. Eph 2:4,5 - But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), This is sound theological doctrine and so very important! Rom 6:3,4 - Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Phil 3:20 - For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Sorry Roger - Keep looking down! The Epistle to the Ephesians Ephesians 1:18-20a Paul’s Prayer for the Saints, Part 2 6 March 4, 2018 Bob Eckel