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Sermon preached on Ephesians 1:15-19 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/09/2025 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Today, we transition from praise to thanksgiving and prayer. Paul had praised God in verses 3-14 for all the saving blessings that he and the Ephesians had come to enjoy together. These are blessings they had received from God in Christ by the Holy Spirit. Now, in verse 15, he turns to briefly thank God for the Ephesians, and then to describe how he is praying for them. He mentions two things he is thankful for them: their faith in Jesus and for their love for the saints. Such faith and love summarize the Christian’s life. Paul then prays for the Ephesian’s to be growing, especially in their knowledge of God, in Christ, and by the Holy Spirit.
So then, we’ll study Paul’s prayer in three points. First, we’ll see it is a prayer for knowledge. Second, we’ll consider how we come to such knowledge. Third, we’ll consider what knowledge Paul specifically prays for in this prayer.
Let’s begin in our first point then by observing how this is a prayer for knowledge. When we define prayer, it is most specifically about bringing requests to God. Yes, our prayers will include other things like praise and thanksgiving, but the most literal definition of the word prayer is about asking God for something. This is what we see in verse 17, that’s the beginning of the prayer request. Paul is asking for God to give something. Ultimately he is asking for the knowledge of God. That’s how verse 17 ends, praying for “the knowledge of him.” The “him” there refers to God who is the subject of this sentence. Verse 17 also mentions other things like praying for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. I’ll deal with that in my second point, but basically we’ll see that Paul is praying for the Holy Spirit to bring such knowledge of God. Paul’s prayer for knowledge is also seen in verse 18, with the words “that you may know”.
Now, as I said, Paul’s prayer here is specifically for these Ephesians, that God would give them this gift of knowledge. We see that in verse 16, where Paul says he doesn’t cease to give thanks for them, remembering them in his prayers. That language of remembering is the idea that you don’t forget the person. You could say that the Ephesians are in Paul’s thoughts and he is thus remembering to pray for them. It’s common for people today to tell someone that you are in their “thoughts and prayers.” Some have started to drop the “prayers”, and just say that you are in their “thoughts”. But for the Christian, let us keep people indeed in both our thoughts and our prayers. You can’t pray for someone you aren’t thinking about. Paul remembered the Ephesians and is praying for their growth in the knowledge of God.
Now I want us to appreciate the context. Notice how verse 15 starts off with saying, “for this reason.” Paul is referencing that doxology of verses 3-14 and how the Ephesians have come to faith and salvation in Jesus. Paul just praised God for how these Ephesians have already received all these spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. Now Paul says that’s why he is not only thankful for them but also why he is praying for them like this. Now if you look carefully, what Paul prays for in this prayer is very similar to what he just got done saying in verses 3-14 that they’ve already begun to receive. In verses 3-14, we already saw that the Ephesians had received things such as the wisdom, insight, the Holy Spirit, adoption to an inheritance, the riches of God’s grace, are united together under Christ, and so much more. Yet, these are the sorts of things we then see Paul praying for the Ephesians to know.
This teaches us that we can begin to know God’s grace and salvation while still being able to further grow in knowing God’s grace and salvation. That also means that we should be praying for continued growth, not content with just being a spiritual babe or infant. The Great Commission is not just about making converts and then moving on to make more new converts. The Great Commission is especially about making disciples who then are discipled. In other words, in evangelism, we help people come into a saving knowledge of Jesus. But in discipleship, we are helping people grow and deepen in that knowledge of Jesus. This tells us that the knowledge we are talking about here is not about mere facts we store in our brain. This is not just knowledge of the mind, but also of heart and soul. This is that experiential knowledge where we are helping people to spiritually grow in their relationship with the Lord. This is what Paul prays for here for the Ephesians.
Let’s now turn in our second point to consider how we come to such knowledge. I already mentioned that verse 11 saw Paul praying for them to have this Spirit of wisdom and revelation so they could grow in knowledge. The point here is to understand this connection, that we grow in this knowledge by the Holy Spirit. We need God’s work in our hearts if we are to grow in our spiritual knowledge. Paul’s prayer recognizes that God grows our hearts like this by the Holy Spirit. So, Paul wants the Ephesians to grow in knowledge, and so he prays for the Spirit’s work in their hearts.
Let us appreciate the Trinitarian reference that is here in verse 17. There, we see the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all referenced. The ESV capitalizes the word for Spirit to interpret this as a reference to the Holy Spirit and not our own spirit, which I believe is correct. God the Father sent his Son into the world, and Son taught us to ask the Father for the Spirit. In Luke 11:13, Jesus taught about prayer that the Heavenly Father is pleased to give the Spirit to whomever asks. So, I love how Paul’s prayer here brings the Trinity into view. Paul asks God the Father of Jesus to send the Spirit. The later part of his prayer emphasizes the knowledge of God that we have through the work of the Son in the church. But here in verse 17 we see the need for the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us into that knowledge of God in Christ.
This further reinforces that the knowledge is not about mere information, but about the Spirit training our hearts. In verse 18 it describes this as enlightening the eyes of our heart. That is figurative language, speaking of the spiritual eyes of our heart. Remember, how many times the Bible talks about having ears to hear and eyes to see? It is the Spirit who gives such. As our physical eyes need light to see, so Paul prays that the Spirit would give light for our spiritual eyes to see. Paul came to “know” this lesson firsthand at his conversion when God temporarily blinded his physical eyes on the road to Damascus while at the same time enlightening the eyes of his heart. Without an enlivening of the heart, we will not understand or truly know the Lord.
So then, going back to how verse 17, this helps us understand why Paul describes the Spirit as the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. This is the Spirit who will bring wisdom and revelation to your heart so you can personally know God and his salvation. Think about those two things, wisdom and revelation. Start with “revelation”. The Spirit brings divine revelation to our hearts. Now, in context, this isn’t talking about the Spirit giving us some new personal word of revelation in the charismatic or Pentecostal sense. Rather, Paul is praying about the very revelation of their salvation that he’s talking about right here in Ephesians, not some new, different revelation. Paul knows they already have come to know this, but he wants to them to grow deeper in knowing this revelation. Again, this proves Paul has in mind something more than simply information transfer, because Paul is the one outwardly doing the teaching. But Paul knows that he can teach and preach till he is blue in the face and it will fall on deaf ears if the Spirit doesn’t personally reveal himself to the person. Paul’s teaching is the outward aspect of the revelation, but it will rely on the inward revelation of the Spirit to work through that preaching so that the person truly knows what has been revealed. If you listen to a sermon but the Spirit has not personally revealed it to you, then you may be able to tell me what you heard, but you won’t believe it. But if Spirit has revealed the preached Word, you will know it to be true and recognize it for what it truly is, the Word of God. Do you have such revelation that from your heart you personally know these things? If not, pray for the Spirit of revelation to give it to you.
So then think about the “wisdom”. The Spirit of wisdom will bring you into this knowledge. To appreciate this, I want you to remember how the book of Proverbs repeatedly uses the word for wisdom. Normally, one might define wisdom as the right use of knowledge. But Proverbs shows a far more exalted view of wisdom, one that speaks of a holistically well lived life for the Lord that includes even moral categories. This fits with our point today that we are talking about an exalted view of knowledge, so it makes sense that a right use of such an exalted knowledge will involve an exalted view of wisdom. That means that this wisdom from the Spirit will promote how we live out our relationship with God. This wisdom will guide us in knowing God, fearing God, living for God, and understanding the purposes of God. It will appropriate our salvation in Christ into how we live. It will cause our eternal hope to affect our life choices. It will make use of God’s saving power to bear fruit in our lives. The Spirit of wisdom is what takes this exalted sense of knowledge we are talking about and embraces it in how we live, speak, and think. Do you have such wisdom? If not, pray for the Spirit of wisdom to give it to you.
Let us now turn in our third point what knowledge that Paul specifically prays for her for the Ephesians. In other words, so far, I’ve been talking in general terms about the knowledge he’s praying for, that Paul’s praying for the knowledge of God and knowledge of their salvation in Christ. But Paul does get more specific and in our third point I want us to recognize the three specific things that Paul prays for here in terms of knowledge. They come staring in verse 18. You see there that’s where Paul begins by saying “that you may know”. He then lists three specific things he wants them to know about in verses 18 and 19. In the pew Bibles each of the three things is introduced by the word “what”. First, “What is the hope to which he has called you.” Second, “What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” Third, “What is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” So again, the “hope of his calling”, the “riches of his glorious inheritance”, and the “immeasurable greatness of his power.” These are the three things Paul is pray for the Ephesians: to know hope, riches, and greatness. I pray these things for you all here at Trinity. Let’s briefly consider each.
First, Paul prays you would know the hope of his calling. The “his” here is God. This is God’s calling to you that gives us a wonderful hope. The calling is described back in verse 13. That verse describes that the gospel of our salvation calls us to believe in Jesus. We are called to believe in Jesus and receive him as your Lord and Savior. When we are called unto Jesus and united to him in faith and love, we have a glorious hope. You might remember that in 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul speaks about these three abiding Christian virtues, of faith, hope, and love. Earlier in verse 15, Paul said they already had faith and love. Now, he prays for them to also have hope. Indeed, verses 12-13 describe how they had already begun to hope in Christ when the believed in Jesus. But again, we see Paul praying for them to grow in that which they’ve already begun to enjoy.
This hope is so important for the Christian as we live in this world. We need this hope because there are so many miseries in this life. But the hope of his calling says that one day we’ll be delivered from this sin-cursed world and brought into a new creation where there is no more pain and sorrow. We need this hope because we know that one day we will die. But the Christian hope says that when we die, we will immediately go to be with the Lord in paradise, and one day will even rise again in a resurrection body and live forever. The atheist had no real hope. The agnostic wonders if they can find any hope. The false religions have a false hope. But the Christian has found the “biblical hope”, which is a sure hope. We pray for the Spirit to give us the wisdom and revelation to truly know this hope and live by it. If so, that will make us more future-minded amidst present troubles.
Second, Paul prays that you would know the riches of his glorious inheritance. Again, the “his” here is God. God has an inheritance that he bequeathed to us as his adopted sons. This inheritance is described as glorious, which uses the same word back in verse 17 to describe the Father of glory. The Father of glory has an inheritance of glory for his children. Paul prays you would truly know how glorious this inheritance is, especially that you would recognize it as the riches that it is. There is that saying that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” That saying reflects how one person can treasure something that another man might not. Paul wants you to treasure the inheritance God gives us. He wants you to see it as the greatest of riches. Remember the parables of the pearl of great price and of the treasure hidden in the field. Remember how Jesus taught us to set our heart not on earthly treasures but on heavenly treasures.
It is so important for the Christian to know these riches as we live in this world. We can’t serve two masters. If we treasure the things of this world, we will find that we have served something other than God. Don’t set getting rich in this life as your chief end. Instead, let us recognize that we are already far richer if we are in Christ Jesus, heirs of such a coming glory. Set your heart on eternal life and the age to come at Christ’s return. It will be a paradise of paradises, full of peace and blessing beyond measure. We pray for the Spirit to give us the wisdom and revelation to truly know these riches and live by this. If so, that will cause us to be eternally-minded in the midst of the practical concerns of this world.
Third, Paul prays that you would know the immeasurable greatness of his power. Again, the “his” here is God. God has a power at work in the Christian’s life. Amazingly, it is the same power which rose Jesus from the dead! It is the same power that ascended Jesus up into heaven. It is the same power Christ wields as he sits in authority at God’s right hand. This is no small power. It is immeasurable greatness. If that language sounds emphatic, it’s because it is! The noun here for “greatness” is already about exceeding the size or magnitude of something. But then the adjective of “immeasurable” is added to further enlarge the greatness into a size or magnitude that is beyond measurement or even comprehension. The omnipotent God wields a power to save us from our sins and deliver us from the domain of darkness into his glorious light and truth in his Son. God’s power has already worked in the believer when God regenerated us. We don’t make ourselves born again, God makes us born again by his immeasurable greatness. Likewise, after we become a Christian it is his greatness that continues to work powerfully in our lives to sanctify us. Every victory over sin we have in this life reflects this greatness at work. Indeed, at the end, in that glorious moment when we are changed in a twinkling of an eye, that too will be the immeasurable greatness of his power at work in us when our perishable and mortal bodies are made imperishable and immortal, raised in power and glory.
It is so important for the Christian to know this greatness as we live in this world. To know this power is to recognize that we do not and cannot save ourselves. Our Christian life must start with that recognition, for his power is perfected in our weakness. Then, as we live in this world, we are faced with many powers that are far greater than we can handle on our own strength. If we try to overcome the enemy in our own power, we will fail. Instead, if we know the greatness of God’s power, we will live strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. The weapons of our warfare will not be of our own flesh and strength, but clothed in the full armor of God, we will exercise divine power which is able to destroy strongholds and every argument and lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of Christ. We pray for the Spirit to give us the wisdom and revelation to truly know this greatness of God’s power and rely on it. If so, we will enjoy a confidence and assurance knowing God will cause us to withstand evil and stand firm until Christ’s return.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, today we have seen Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians to grow in their spiritual knowledge. He prays that they would know the hope of God’s calling, the riches of God’s inheritance, and the greatness of God’s power. Paul prays that they would know all this through the Holy Spirit bringing wisdom and revelation of this to their hearts. All this reminds us that it is God who saves us through and through. It is why we need to be praying for such. Indeed, Paul speaks in verse 16 that this is an unceasing prayer of his, meaning he is regularly and continually bringing this to God in prayer.
Let me ask you four brief application questions. First, are you praying for such things? If not, may you be encouraged to start. It’s easy for our prayer to focus on earthly needs, but we should especially be praying for our spiritual growth. Second, if you do pray for such things, can you say that you have been doing so unceasingly? If not, may you be encouraged to pray more regularly for such. Third, are you praying for these things for others? Paul’s prayer here is for others. This is part of how we can love the saints. Fourth, if you are praying for these things for others, can you say that you have been doing so unceasingly? May we remember to continue to pray for others.
In conclusion, my prayer is that God’s powerful working by the Spirit would renew us all in our prayer life today. That we would grow to know God better and the hope, glory, and power he has for us in Christ.
Amen.
Copyright © 2025 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
All Rights Reserved.
