https://youtu.be/K3TYG7Q_fj4
Whoever has ears,
let them hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who is victorious,
I will give the right to
eat from the tree of life,
which is in the
paradise of God.
At the heart of the story of God
and his
love for the world,
we
find the cross.
We see Jesus willingly going to his death for the sake of the world.
We see an innocent person die the death of a criminal.
The question we come back to when looking at the horror of the cross is,
“Why did Jesus have to die?”
Why was Jesus crucified?
Why
did Jesus suffer like he did?
As you read through the story of the
crucifixion of Jesus, you may ask yourself,
“Why
did Jesus
do this for me?”
Spiritual Wisdom
…I have not stopped giving
thanks for you,
remembering you
in my
prayers,
17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may giveyou a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.
I ask that the eyes of your
heart may be
enlightened,
so that you may know the hope of
His calling,
the riches of His glorious
inheritance in the saints,…
Paul, in his prayers
"for saints who are in Ephesus, and are
faithful
in Christ Jesus”
(Ephesians 1:1, ESV), asks that God “may give you the
Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
so that you may know him better”
Prior to his prayer for the spirit of wisdom and revelation,
Paul reminds the Ephesian believers of the
blessings God has
bestowed upon them
(Ephesians 1:3),
Their adoption as
children
in Christ
(verse 4), the wisdom and insight
they have been given (verse 8), and “the
mystery of his will
according to his good pleasure, which he
purposed in Christ”
(verse 9). He also reminds them that they have been “marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (verses 13–14). Now he desires for them to be given the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Since Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (John 14:17), the spirit of wisdom and revelation that Paul prays for
cannot refer to the initial gift of the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s reference could easily be to an attitude or frame of mind (although the NIV and ESV capitalize Spirit, other translations such as the NASB and BSB translate it as “a spirit,” and the NLT simply has “spiritual wisdom and insight”). If not the Holy Spirit, then what does Paul ask for in his request for “the spirit of wisdom and revelation”?
The key is in the phrase that follows, “in the knowledge of him” or “so
that you may know him better”
Paul had commended
the Ephesians
for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their
love toward all the saints
(Ephesians 1:15),
but now he is asking God to give them a
deeper and greater understanding
of the mysteries of
His character and will,
to know Him more thoroughly and intimately.
Now that they have the Holy Spirit
in their
hearts,
Paul desires Him to grant them more understanding and greater insight.
The “wisdom” is a better understanding of the doctrines of God, and the “revelation” is a clearer picture of the
divine character and will.
In the NLT, the prayer is that believers would have “spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.” The AMP translation has Paul asking that God “
may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation
[that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight]
into the
true knowledge of Him.”
God is infinite, and He can never be fully known by finite creatures. We all need wisdom from
above.
No matter how far we may
advance in our understanding of God,
there is an unfathomed depth of knowledge that remains to be explored. Scripture is full of admonitions to grow in our knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:2; Ephesians 4:15).
Paul outlines some of the
mysteries
he wants the Ephesians to
understand
through this spirit of
wisdom and revelation.
And
SEE
CLEARLY
what God is
Calling
YOU to DO
He desires them to grasp “the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his
glorious inheritance” (Ephesians 1:18).
This is the hope of eternal life, which Paul refers to as the
"upward call
of God in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 3:14, ESV). We inherit the riches of eternal life through Him who saved us and called us to holiness in Christ before time began (2 Timothy 1:9). Paul also prays the Spirit will reveal God’s “incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19)—power so great it raised Jesus from the dead. It’s a power that we can only comprehend as we possess the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
The spirit of wisdom and revelation is not some mysterious blessing given to a special few, and it is not the ability to speak as a prophet.
Rather, it is the
work of the Holy Spirit
to help the people of God
understand the
things of God
more
fully and completely.
Jesus said,
“Do not think
that I have come to abolish
the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest letter,
not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law
until
everything is accomplished”
(Matthew 5:17–18).
This important statement of our Lord
gives us insight
into
His mission
and the
character of God’s Word.
For we are SAVED by
GRACE
through
FAITH
Thus says the LORD, the
King and Redeemer
of
Israel,
the LORD of Hosts:
"I am the first and I am the last,
and there is no God
but Me.
https://youtu.be/N25nfE6ovvw
Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Whoever has ears,
let them hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who is victorious,
I will give the right to
eat from the tree of life,
which is in the
paradise of God.
At the heart of the story of God
and his
love for the world,
we
find the cross.
We see Jesus willingly going to his death for the sake of the world.
We see an innocent person die the death of a criminal.
The question we come back to when looking at the horror of the cross is,
“Why did Jesus have to die?”
Why was Jesus crucified?
Why
did Jesus suffer like he did?
As you read through the story of the
crucifixion of Jesus, you may ask yourself,
“Why
did Jesus
do this for me?”
Spiritual Wisdom
…I have not stopped giving
thanks for you,
remembering you
in my
prayers,
17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may giveyou a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.
I ask that the eyes of your
heart may be
enlightened,
so that you may know the hope of
His calling,
the riches of His glorious
inheritance in the saints,…
Paul, in his prayers
"for saints who are in Ephesus, and are
faithful
in Christ Jesus”
(Ephesians 1:1, ESV), asks that God “may give you the
Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
so that you may know him better”
Prior to his prayer for the spirit of wisdom and revelation,
Paul reminds the Ephesian believers of the
blessings God has
bestowed upon them
(Ephesians 1:3),
Their adoption as
children
in Christ
(verse 4), the wisdom and insight
they have been given (verse 8), and “the
mystery of his will
according to his good pleasure, which he
purposed in Christ”
(verse 9). He also reminds them that they have been “marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (verses 13–14). Now he desires for them to be given the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Since Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (John 14:17), the spirit of wisdom and revelation that Paul prays for
cannot refer to the initial gift of the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s reference could easily be to an attitude or frame of mind (although the NIV and ESV capitalize Spirit, other translations such as the NASB and BSB translate it as “a spirit,” and the NLT simply has “spiritual wisdom and insight”). If not the Holy Spirit, then what does Paul ask for in his request for “the spirit of wisdom and revelation”?
The key is in the phrase that follows, “in the knowledge of him” or “so
that you may know him better”
Paul had commended
the Ephesians
for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their
love toward all the saints
(Ephesians 1:15),
but now he is asking God to give them a
deeper and greater understanding
of the mysteries of
His character and will,
to know Him more thoroughly and intimately.
Now that they have the Holy Spirit
in their
hearts,
Paul desires Him to grant them more understanding and greater insight.
The “wisdom” is a better understanding of the doctrines of God, and the “revelation” is a clearer picture of the
divine character and will.
In the NLT, the prayer is that believers would have “spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.” The AMP translation has Paul asking that God “
may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation
[that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight]
into the
true knowledge of Him.”
God is infinite, and He can never be fully known by finite creatures. We all need wisdom from
above.
No matter how far we may
advance in our understanding of God,
there is an unfathomed depth of knowledge that remains to be explored. Scripture is full of admonitions to grow in our knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:2; Ephesians 4:15).
Paul outlines some of the
mysteries
he wants the Ephesians to
understand
through this spirit of
wisdom and revelation.
And
SEE
CLEARLY
what God is
Calling
YOU to DO
He desires them to grasp “the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his
glorious inheritance” (Ephesians 1:18).
This is the hope of eternal life, which Paul refers to as the
"upward call
of God in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 3:14, ESV). We inherit the riches of eternal life through Him who saved us and called us to holiness in Christ before time began (2 Timothy 1:9). Paul also prays the Spirit will reveal God’s “incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19)—power so great it raised Jesus from the dead. It’s a power that we can only comprehend as we possess the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
The spirit of wisdom and revelation is not some mysterious blessing given to a special few, and it is not the ability to speak as a prophet.
Rather, it is the
work of the Holy Spirit
to help the people of God
understand the
things of God
more
fully and completely.
Jesus said,
“Do not think
that I have come to abolish
the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest letter,
not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law
until
everything is accomplished”
(Matthew 5:17–18).
This important statement of our Lord
gives us insight
into
His mission
and the
character of God’s Word.
For we are SAVED by
GRACE
through
FAITH
Thus says the LORD, the
King and Redeemer
of
Israel,
the LORD of Hosts:
"I am the first and I am the last,
and there is no God
but Me.
https://youtu.be/N25nfE6ovvw
Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
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