THE VOICE — “Live Semis” Episode 917A — Pictured: (l-r) Adam Levine, Jordan Smith — (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)
How do you follow an amazing mic drop? Like, what do you do when someone drops a truth bomb in a clear and compelling way that both challenges and encourages you? Or what do you do when someone tells you the greatest news you’ve ever heard?
Like… when you hear that the cancer went away… or the job you’ve always wanted just became yours… or the woman or the man of your dreams just noticed you… or the financial pressure finally lifted… or you made it a day or you made it three weeks without giving into the temptation to sin in “that” way again… or an old friend who became your enemy finally came and reconciled with you after years of painful distance. What do you do in these moments? How do you follow that mic drop?
For some people, these moments are life changing. For other people, there’s a momentary recognition of the miraculous and then life goes back to normal again. Some people simply move forward unchanged as though they are sleep walking through life, lost to the reality of the miraculous and stuck in an endless cycle of hopelessness and despair.
For other people, it’s as though they come alive for the first time in their lives. It’s like their eyes are wide open to the possibility of something better than what’s right in front of them and they begin to live differently from that point forward.
Here’s what I want to say today. When you hear and believe the gospel you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open. And when you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open you are set free to trust and to love and to know and to hope and to believe and to live in the power of Christ.
Look at Ephesians 1:15 – 20 with me…
Paul says… 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…
Are your eyes wide open to the truths of this passage today? Has God opened the eyes of your heart to the gloriousness and the grandness of the good news of the gospel?
Commentators note that these six verses (15-20), are made up of no less than 138 words and they’re actually part of a long run on sentence that makes up Paul’s prayer of Thanksgiving to the Lord for his work in opening wide the eyes of the Ephesian believers.
And don’t miss this either… these 6 verses (15-20), these 138 words that make up this long run on sentence of prayer, they come right on the heels of Paul’s song of celebration in verses 3-14. And those previous verses (3-14) are also a long run on sentence made up of 255 words.
Our English translations with all of their punctuation don’t do the original Greek text justice because in the Greek language, Paul’s song of celebration is a run on sentence of 255 words and Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving is a run on sentence of more than 138 words.
What’s my point here? Why am I leading into this message with such an emphasis on Paul’s uncanny ability to write really great run on sentences that would drive school-teachers crazy? Is it because I’m long winded too? Well maybe. But really, no. Like think about this for a minute. What does Paul’s use of 255 words in a song and his use of 138 plus words in a prayer have to do with us learning to live with our eyes wide open?
Let me propose it this way. And let me say… I’m pressing this button hard for a minute because I believe that if we can wrap our minds around this for a minute then the rest of what Paul says here in these verses might actually get a grip on our hearts and our souls today. In other words, if we can get a grip on this, then this just might get a grip on more than just our minds. It might actually move twelve inches from getting a grip on our minds to getting a grip on our hearts.
So what does Paul’s use of 255 words in a song of celebration and then his follow up use of 138 plus words in a prayer of thanksgiving have to do with us learning to live our lives with our eyes wide open?
Let me propose an answer with a question. Ready for it? Have you ever met a person who just simply won’t shut up about something? Ever met someone who is so excited about something that that’s all they can do is rattle your ear off about it all day long? Wouldn’t you say that this person’s heart is captured by something? Wouldn’t we say that this person’s heart is gripped by what excites them?
That’s Paul in this passage. That’s Paul in his song of celebration. That’s Paul in his prayer of thanksgiving. Paul is absolutely riveted with what excites him the most and what excites him the most is captured in the fact that he won’t shut up about it. He can’t shut up about it. His heart is captured by the glorious and grand truths of the gospel.
It’s not just a bunch of head knowledge where Paul is rattling off useless factoids. The eyes of Paul’s heart are wide open and captured by the presence of someone named Jesus and he simply will not shut up or put up or run off or go back to walking blindly through life. Paul’s eyes are wide open to the truths of the gospel because his heart is gripped by the good news of the gospel.
But what is it specifically that causes Paul to become this dude whose eyes are wide open and whose heart is completely captured by Jesus? What causes Paul to run off at the mouth for 138 plus words in prayer and thanksgiving after running off at the mouth for 255 plus words in celebration song?
The answer to that question can only be found by looking closely at every one of these 393 words we’ve been talking about. Thankfully for you guys, we’ve already spent 3 weeks previously examining 255 words so this morning we are only going to examine 138 words. Aren’t you relieved? Do you feel lost yet? Is the point becoming clear? Are you tracking with me? Here’s the big idea once again just to bring us back to center…
When you hear and believe the gospel you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open. And when you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open you are set free to trust and to love and to know and to hope and to believe and to live in the power of Christ.
This big idea is what I believe causes the apostle Paul to run off at the mouth for the last 393 words in a song of celebration and now in a prayer of thanksgiving. In short… the apostle Paul has become a man who has heard and believed the gospel and is now living his life with his eyes wide open and the effect of that upon his life is that his heart is totally gripped by his new found freedom to trust and to love and to know and to hope and to believe and to live in the power of Christ.
And not only that but this apostle/pastor of the church at Ephesus is also gripped by the excitement that he’s not alone in this journey. The heart of his church family is gripped by the same eyes wide-open reality of the gospel. Is this you today? This could be you today. How can you know if this is you today?
1 :: Your Eyes Are Wide Open If You Trust God And Love People… (15)
Now at first glance you may be thinking… “Yeah, I believe there is a God or I believe in God and I try to love people the best I can.” But let me clarify what Paul is not saying. Paul is not saying… “I am launching into a lengthy diatribe of prayer because you have some foggy notion that there is a God in heaven and due to that you try to treat people nicely.” That’s not what he is saying.
Paul is actually saying, “I am launching into this lengthy diatribe of prayer because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love towards all the saints.” In other words, Paul is saying, “I can’t stop myself from hitting my knees in a lengthy run on prayer for you because I’ve heard that you’ve trusted in Jesus as your Messiah/Savior and the proof that he is in fact the Lord or King of your life is evidenced by your love not just for ‘some’ other brothers and sisters in Christ but for ‘all’ your brothers and sisters in Christ.”
In other words, Paul’s heart is absolutely gripped by the evidence of faith and love in the church at Ephesus. They aren’t simply believing in some cultural construct of who God is, they’ve trusted everything to Jesus. Jesus is their Savior. Jesus is their King.
And the proof of their faith in Jesus as their Lord and King is that they are mastered, controlled, compelled, by their newfound ability to actually love all of their brothers and sisters in Christ. They aren’t just playing nice with the brothers and sisters they get along with. They aren’t just enjoying the company of people who make them feel good about themselves. They’re loving the unlovable because Jesus loves the unlovable.
When you hear and believe the gospel you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open. And when you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open you are set free to trust and to love and to know and to hope and to believe and to live in the power of Christ. Your eyes are wide open if you trust God and love people.
The question for you today is: Are your eyes wide open today? Do you trust God as your Savior and King? Is there evidence of your faith? Do you love the unlovable because Jesus loves you despite the unlovable things you do? Do you only play nice with people because they have something to give you? Your eyes are wide open if you trust God and love people.
2 :: Your Eyes Are Wide Open If You Rest In The Hope Of Your Calling… (16-18)
What causes you to pray the most? Do you pray the most when you face hardship? Do you pray the most when you feel lonely? Frustrated? Angry? Sad? Helpless? Lost? Disappointed? Discouraged?
And what do you pray for when you do pray? Do you pray for a quick release from the pain and agony? Or do you pray for wisdom and discernment and understanding and knowledge and insight and strength to obey and trust in the assurance of the riches of God’s grace?
Paul says that he prays the most when he remembers the Ephesian believers. He literally says, “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.” In other words, Paul says, “I can’t stop praying for you and I’m not praying for some momentary relief of your Earthly afflictions I am praying that your eyes would be wide open to the hope of your calling.”
Listen, what causes you to pray reveals your pain. And what you pray for reveals what you hope for. Think about it this way. Paul is in a prison cell. That’s his momentary affliction. The Ephesian believers are living in an environment that is hostile to the gospel. That’s their momentary affliction. Both of these momentary afflictions are the pain that causes Paul to pray.
But what Paul prays for reveals what he hopes for. He doesn’t pray “Lord Jesus get us out of this place.” He instead prays for wisdom and discernment and understanding and knowledge and insight and strength and assurance in the riches of God’s grace. He simply prays that the Spirit of God would open the eyes of the hearts of the Ephesian believers to the hope of their calling.
Paul’s great pain is that these baby believers wouldn’t go backwards. His pain is that these new believers wouldn’t shipwreck their calling. His pain is that these saints wouldn’t back-peddle in their newfound understanding of who and whose they are. So he prays a prayer of thanksgiving to God for his faith preserving work and he asks the Father to pour out his Spirit in full measure upon his friends so that they would live their lives with their eyes wide open to the hope of their calling in Christ Jesus.
When you hear and believe the gospel you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open. And when you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open you are set free to trust and to love and to know and to hope and to believe and to live in the power of Christ. Your eyes are wide open if you rest in the hope of your calling.
The question for you today is: Are your eyes wide open today? Are your eyes wide open to the pain that causes you to pray? Are your eyes wide open to the truth that what you pray for reveals what you hope for? Are you praying for momentary relief of your Earthly afflictions? Or are you praying for wisdom and discernment and understanding and knowledge and insight and strength to live in obedience to the hope of your calling in Christ Jesus? Are you praying for the strength to live in the assurance of the riches of God’s grace? Your eyes are wide open if you rest in the hope of your calling.
3 :: Your Eyes Are Wide Open If You Believe And Live In The Power Of Christ… (19-20)
Where do you get the strength to continue moving forward? What do you rely on? Now I know the simple Sunday school answer is “Jesus.” But let me challenge you for a minute to be honest with this question. Where do you turn in your weakest moments? Where do you turn to when you’re lonely or afraid or tired or angry or sad or discouraged? Who do you text or call? What sinful pattern do you turn to?
Can I just make a bold proclamation here? Here it is… are you ready for it? Whatever fills your mind in these moments of pain and suffering is what you look to as a source of power and strength. For instance, when you’re feeling lonely and all you can think of is texting or calling or visiting that friend or significant other then that’s where you are looking for your source of power and strength to pull you through the loneliness.
When you’re feeling angry or frustrated because someone isn’t doing what you want them to do and you jump into a fight with them and attempt to one up them or win the fight or prove that you are right then you are looking to your own ability to reason well as your source of power and strength. You think that if you win the fight you’ll be powerful. But let me just remind us that winning isn’t everything and it takes a bigger man to walk away. We know these principles are true. What would it look like for you and I to get away from the quick fix of the cell phone text and get our hearts into the slow burn fix of the biblical text?
Thankfully, Paul doesn’t pray that God would help us to find our soul mates so we could be strengthened in our loneliness. And he doesn’t pray that God would give us the ability to reason well and win fights. Instead, the apostle Paul says “I am praying without ceasing that you would know what is the immeasurable greatness of God’s 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.” In other words… Paul is praying that our eyes would be wide open to believing and living in the power of Christ.
But what does that mean? Here’s what I think that means according to the text. When we actively believe that Christ’s powerful presence is immeasurably sufficient to calm the waves of our loneliness then we won’t rush to the cell phone text we’ll run to the biblical text. And here’s the deal… if Jesus is sufficient in these moments for you then you won’t use other people to suffice your loneliness but instead you’ll bring the satisfying presence of Christ into their lonely world.
When you’re in an argument with someone that just simply doesn’t get it, you won’t attach your well being to his or her ability to get it or to your ability to convince them. In short, instead of trying to be their Holy Spirit you’ll let the Holy Spirit be the Holy Spirit and you’ll bring a presence of quiet trust in the power of Christ into that relational space.
These are just two examples of what it looks like to be a person whose eyes are wide open to believing and trusting in the power of Christ. But the question is how? Right? How do you become this person? Can I just draw our attention for a final moment to the truth of the cross and the resurrection on this?
Like seriously… if you’ve been believing that that relationship with your soul mate or winning that argument holds more power than the work of Christ at the cross for salvation or the power of God in the empty tomb over your loneliness then this truth should be deeply comforting not shaming.
Why do I say that? I say that because if you’ve traded the power of the cross and the empty tomb of Christ for the fleeting and momentary weak power of the things of this earth like relationships and winning arguments then the good news is that the power of the cross and the power of the empty tomb is more powerful than your sin in these moments. The power of the cross and the power of the empty tomb is more powerful than your sin in these moments.
When you hear and believe the gospel you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open. And when you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open you are set free to trust and to love and to know and to hope and to believe and to live in the power of Christ. Your eyes are wide open if you believe and live in the power of Christ.
Conclusion…
When you hear and believe the gospel you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open. And when you begin to live your life with your eyes wide open you are set free to trust and to love and to know and to hope and to believe and to live in the power of Christ. Are your eyes are wide open? Do you trust God and love people? Do you rest in the hope of your calling? Do you believe and live in the power of Christ? Are your eyes wide open today?