The Eyes of Your Hearts Enlightened

Ephesians 1:15-23 ESV

“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Now, Paul was writing this to the saints of God, to those called to be his holy people to live lives which are separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of the character and deeds of Jesus Christ, as we cooperate with God in his work of grace in our lives in doing what he says for us to do. We are those of genuine God-given faith in Jesus Christ who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

If we are living as we ought, and if we are following our Lord in obedience to his will and purpose for our lives, then we should be those who by the Spirit are daily putting to death the deeds of the flesh and who are now walking in holiness and in righteousness, by the grace of God, according to the will of God, and who are not walking in sin. So we should also be those who are loving other humans and especially those who belong to the family of God who are also walking in obedience to our Lord and not in sin.

[Romans 12:1-2; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Ephesians 2:8-10]

So, what does this love look like? The Greek word for love is agape, and it is a love which centers in moral preference, and it means “to prefer,” specifically to prefer what God prefers for he is love. So, this is to love like Jesus, and to live holy, godly, morally pure, upright, honest and faithful lives to our Lord and to his word. So when we love like this we will not sin against others, at least not on purpose, and not habitually, but we will do for them what is for their good, as God defines good. And so we will speak the truth in love to them, too, and not the lies which so many are spreading today.

For we are instructed in the Scriptures that we are to serve one another, and that we are to encourage (exhort, urge, provoke) one another, and that we are to speak the truth in love to one another so that we are not hardened by sin’s deceitfulness, and so we don’t end up following liars and deceivers and end up going astray and following after false doctrines of men. And we are to teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and we are to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and we are to stir one another up to love and good works, which are the works of God, etc.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

So, if this (above) describes our lives, how we are living, then Paul’s prayer is for us. For his prayer is that we will continue in the will of God in doing what God requires of us. For he prayed that God would give us a Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, and that can only happen if we are continuing to walk in the ways of the Lord and no longer in the ways of our sinful flesh.

And to have the eyes of our hearts enlightened is to have the discernment and judgments of the heart enlightened, and to have spiritual insight into the truths of God’s Holy Word. And the only way that is going to happen, and the only way in which we are going to know, in truth, what is the hope to which God has called us, is if we are in daily fellowship and communion with our Lord, reading his word (in context), listening to him speak truth to our hearts, and with willing hearts and minds then obey his commands.

But we also have to be willing to hear if we have gotten some things wrong and be willing to change them, including if our theology and doctrines we have been following don’t match up with the teachings of Scripture. For not all of us were taught everything right from childhood up, and many professing Christians today are following a cheapened form of the gospel of Christ, some of whom were taught it from birth. But we can’t just ignore the bulk of the teachings in the New Testament on holy living because they don’t agree with a particular doctrine we were taught early on in our lives.

For our hope is not based just in Christ saving us from our sins and us getting to go to heaven when we die. Our hope in Christ involves us dying with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and us walking in obedience to his commands in holy living, but not in our flesh, but by faith in Jesus Christ and in the power and wisdom of God. For Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to his righteousness. And if we don’t, but we continue walking in sin, then the Scriptures teach that we do not have eternal life with God, so the “hope” that we had was a false hope of salvation.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

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