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5 min readHope, Riches and Power (Part 1)
Toward the end of Ephesians 1, Paul stops explaining doctrine and starts praying. He has just told the Ephesian Christians that in Christ they have been adopted into God's family, given citizenship in a kingdom, and promised an imperishable inheritance of glory. But then he does something unexpected: instead of asking God to give them more of these things, he asks God to give them knowledge of what they already have. "I keep asking," Paul writes, "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 heart 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."
Tim Keller, preaching on this passage, argues that Paul's prayer reveals a profound truth about the Christian life: the believer's deepest problem is not that God has failed to give them enough, but that they do not truly know what they have been given. Christians are like children paddling in the shallowest edge of a vast ocean, unaware of the depths beneath them.
Knowledge That Is More Than Information
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:03) **Introduction & The Core Problem** - Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 reveals that Christians already possess every spiritual blessing, but they lack the spiritual knowledge to access them.
- 2 (06:36) **The Meaning of "Knowledge" (Yada)** - The Greek/Hebrew concept of knowledge is not intellectual assent but a deep, personal, experiential encounter that transforms the heart.
- 3 (09:55) **The Abraham Model: From Information to Heart-Fire** - Abraham demonstrates the active process of Christian meditation, where one fights to fill the mind with truth until the heart catches fire.
- 4 (15:03) **The Prerequisite: The Two Tests of a Christian** - Before anyone can claim the promises of power and knowledge, Paul establishes two non-negotiable tests: doctrinal belief and practical love.
- 5 (16:36) **Test One: Faith in the Lord Jesus (The Doctrinal Test)** - A Christian is defined by a faith that rests solely on Jesus as God and Savior, rejecting any addition to His finished work.
- 6 (24:37) **Test Two: Love for All the Saints (The Practical Test)** - Genuine faith inevitably produces a growing, visible love for other Christians, even those who are different from you.
- 7 (33:37) **Conclusion & Application** - The sermon closes with a call to either pray for the Spirit of wisdom to know what you have, or to pray for Jesus if you realize you are not yet a Christian.
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Show Notes
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 27, 1992. Series: Salvation From the Outside In. Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23.
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