Open the Eyes of Our Hearts
Ephesians 1:15-23
Have you ever known something to be true but struggled to live as though you actually believed it?
Perhaps you know that God is sovereign, yet you find yourself overwhelmed by circumstances you cannot control. You believe that God has promised eternal life, but the temporary concerns of this world consume most of your attention. You know that God loves His people, yet you sometimes struggle to extend that same love to the Christians around you.
It's possible to understand a great deal about God without allowing those truths to shape the way we live.
That's where Paul takes us in Ephesians 1:15–23.
Over the last several weeks, we've been studying the extraordinary spiritual blessings God has given His people through Jesus Christ. Paul has reminded us that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, adopted into God's family, redeemed through the blood of Jesus, forgiven of our sins, and sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
Then, in verse 15, something changes.
Paul moves from praising God for what He has accomplished to praying that believers would understand what they've received.
And his prayer reveals something important about the Christian life: We never outgrow our need to know God more deeply.
More Than Knowing the Right Answers
Paul begins by thanking God for the faith and love of the Ephesian believers.
He writes:
"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." — Ephesians 1:15–16
Notice what Paul celebrates. He has heard about their faith in Jesus Christ and their love for one another.
Those two things belong together.
We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Our love for others doesn't earn our salvation, but genuine saving faith produces fruit. One of the clearest evidences of that fruit is a growing love for the people of God.
Jesus said in John 13:35 that the world would recognize His disciples by their love for one another.
That's an important reminder for us at Watkins Community Church, especially as our congregation continues to grow.
It's possible for a church to have more people attending while becoming less connected as a body. We can fill pews, develop programs, and organize activities without necessarily growing in the kind of love Scripture describes.
The health of a church cannot be measured by attendance alone.
We should also be asking whether we're becoming a people who pray for one another, bear one another's burdens, rejoice together, grieve together, and serve one another.
And when we see that kind of spiritual growth, we should respond the way Paul does: by thanking God. After all, it is His grace at work in His people.
But Paul doesn't stop with thanksgiving. In verse 17, he prays that God would give these believers wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
Think about that. These were Christians who already believed the gospel, and Paul was praying that they would know God better.
There is certainly nothing wrong with praying for physical needs, financial provision, protection, or relief from suffering. Scripture encourages us to bring those concerns before our heavenly Father.
But Paul's prayer challenges us to consider whether our greatest need is always a change in our circumstances.
Sometimes what we need most is a deeper understanding of the God who rules over those circumstances.
Consider Job. After experiencing extraordinary suffering, Job desperately wanted to understand why these things had happened to him. Yet when God finally answered, He didn't provide a detailed explanation of every tragedy. Instead, He revealed more of His own wisdom, power, and authority.
By the end, Job could say, "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you" (Job 42:5).
Job's understanding of God had deepened, even before his circumstances were restored.
That should shape the way we approach Scripture.
When we open our Bibles, we shouldn't simply be asking what information we can learn. We should be seeking to know the God who has revealed Himself through His Word.
The Holy Spirit helps believers understand and embrace the truth God has already revealed. And as our knowledge of God deepens, it should increasingly change how we think, pray, worship, and live.
Seeing What God Has Already Given Us
In verse 18, Paul prays that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened.
It's a beautiful expression.
Imagine walking into a magnificent room with all the lights turned off. Everything is already there. The furniture, artwork, and beauty of the room haven't disappeared. But without light, you cannot fully appreciate what surrounds you.
Then someone turns on the lights, and suddenly you can see what was there all along.
That's something like what Paul is praying for.
He isn't asking God to give these believers a new salvation. He's asking that they would more clearly understand the salvation they already possess.
And he identifies three things he wants them to recognize.
First, the hope of God's calling.
We often use the word hope to describe something we would like to happen but aren't certain will. We hope the weather cooperates, that our plans work out, or that things turn out the way we want.
But biblical hope is different. It is a confident expectation rooted in the promises of God.
Our future isn't ultimately secured by our ability to hold everything together. It rests upon the faithfulness of the God who called us to Himself.
That matters because life is remarkably uncertain. Our health can change overnight. Financial stability can disappear. Relationships can become strained, and circumstances can take turns we never anticipated.
Yet the promises of God remain secure.
When we lose sight of eternity, it's easy to begin living as though this temporary world is all that matters. But when we remember the hope we have in Christ, it changes how we endure suffering, approach trials, and spend our lives.
Second, Paul wants believers to understand the riches of God's glorious inheritance in the saints.
Earlier in Ephesians, Paul spoke about the inheritance believers receive in Christ. Here, his language draws our attention to another wonderful reality: God's redeemed people are His treasured possession.
Deuteronomy 32:9 says, "But the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage."
Consider what that means. The God who created everything and needs nothing has graciously chosen to set His love upon a people and claim them as His own.
We belong to Him.
That truth should humble us, fill us with gratitude, and change the way we think about one another.
When we gather as the church, we're not simply looking at people who happen to share our religious convictions. We're looking at men and women whom Christ has purchased with His blood.
That ought to affect how we handle disagreements, how we speak about one another, and how seriously we take our responsibility to love the body of Christ.
If God's people are precious to Him, they ought to be precious to us.
Third, Paul prays that we would understand the immeasurable greatness of God's power toward those who believe.
He isn't describing some unlimited ability Christians can use to accomplish whatever they desire. He's speaking about the power of God that accomplishes His saving purposes.
It's the power that brings spiritually dead sinners to life, preserves God's people, and will one day raise our mortal bodies in glory.
That should be an enormous encouragement.
We know our own weaknesses. We struggle with sin, become weary, and sometimes wonder whether we have the strength to continue faithfully following Christ.
But our salvation doesn't ultimately rest upon our strength.
It rests upon the power of God.
And Paul wants us to understand just how great that power truly is.
The Savior Who Reigns
Beginning in verse 20, Paul points us toward the greatest demonstration of God's power: the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ.
The resurrection isn't simply a happy ending to the story of Jesus' suffering. It is the victorious declaration that Christ has conquered sin and death.
Jesus bore the penalty for the sins of His people upon the cross. He suffered the judgment we deserved, and on the third day He rose from the grave.
But Paul doesn't stop with the resurrection.
He tells us that Christ was seated at the right hand of God, far above every rule, authority, power, and dominion.
Jesus Christ is reigning right now.
Sometimes we think about Jesus primarily in terms of what He accomplished in the past and what He will do when He returns. Both are essential, but we must not overlook what Scripture tells us about His present reign.
Christ is already seated at the Father's right hand. His authority is established, and every earthly and spiritual power is subject to Him.
That doesn't mean suffering has ended or that every enemy has already been finally destroyed. Scripture tells us that Christ will return and bring all things to their appointed conclusion.
But it does mean that the world is not outside His authority.
When we look around and see injustice, wickedness, suffering, and uncertainty, it's easy to become discouraged. We may even begin to live as though everything is spinning out of control.
Yet Scripture reminds us that the throne of heaven is not empty.
The same Savior who died for our sins is the King who reigns over all creation.
And His purposes will not fail.
This Is Christ's Church
Paul concludes the chapter by telling us that God has given Christ as head over all things to the church, which is His body.
Think about the significance of that statement.
The One who reigns above every earthly ruler, spiritual authority, and kingdom is also the head of the church.
That should completely reshape the way we think about the local congregation.
The church is not ultimately a human organization, social club, or religious business. It belongs to Jesus Christ. He purchased it with His blood, sustains it by His power, and governs it through His Word.
As the pastor of Watkins Community Church, I have been entrusted with the responsibility of shepherding God's people alongside our elders. But none of us is the head of this church.
Jesus Christ is.
Our responsibility isn't to build a church according to our personal preferences. It's to submit ourselves to His Word, proclaim His gospel, worship Him faithfully, care for His people, and make disciples.
That is especially important to remember when we consider everything involved in the practical life of a congregation.
Buildings need maintenance. Ministries need volunteers. Bills need to be paid. Events need to be organized. Those things matter, and we should approach them responsibly.
But they must always serve the greater purpose of the church.
We exist to glorify Jesus Christ.
Our worship, teaching, fellowship, service, and outreach should all flow from that central reality.
A church can have a beautiful building, wonderful programs, talented musicians, and excellent organization. But if Christ isn't at the center, we've missed the very purpose for which the church exists.
And that should cause us to examine not only our congregation but our individual hearts.
Do we treat the church as something that belongs to Christ, or primarily as something that exists to meet our preferences?
Do we love God's people because they belong to Him, even when loving them requires patience and sacrifice?
Are we contributing to the spiritual health of the body, or merely evaluating what we receive from it?
These are important questions because Christ loves His church, and we should too.
A Different Way to Pray
As we come to the end of this passage, I want us to return to where Paul began.
He was praying.
He wanted believers to know God more deeply, understand the hope of their calling, recognize the riches of belonging to Him, and comprehend the greatness of His power.
I wonder how different our lives might look if we began praying this way more intentionally.
What if, alongside our prayers for changed circumstances, we asked God to deepen our understanding of His character?
What if we prayed that our suffering would cause us to cling more tightly to the hope we have in Christ?
What if we asked God to help us see His church as He sees it?
And what if we approached each day remembering that our Savior is not only the One who died for us, but the One who rose again and now reigns over all things?
These are the truths Paul wants the Ephesians to understand, and they're the truths we need to remember as well.
Because when the eyes of our hearts are enlightened by the truth of God's Word, we begin to see our circumstances, our future, our church, and our Savior more clearly.
And the more clearly we see Him, the more confidently we can live for His glory.
Reflection Questions
1. What is the difference between knowing facts about God and truly growing in your knowledge of Him? How have you experienced that distinction?
2. Paul celebrates both the faith and love of the Ephesian believers. How should genuine faith in Christ affect the way we treat other Christians?
3. How do you typically measure the health of a church? How might Paul's emphasis on faith and love challenge your perspective?
4. When you pray, are your requests primarily focused on changing circumstances, or do you also ask God to deepen your knowledge of Him?
5. What does Paul's prayer for enlightened hearts teach us about the Holy Spirit's role in helping us understand Scripture?
