Traits of the Truly Rich
Ephesians 1:15-23
Lady Diana. Married into the Royal Family of England, wife of Prince Charles, the very beautiful Diana had all that anybody could ever dream of. She had two most beautiful children in the world. One would wonder, what more did she want in life? But, no, she was not happy. She did have bouts of depression.
Tiger Woods. A famous professional golf player, who has over one billion dollars. He is linked to many sex scandals, dragging his marriage into a tough divorce. His sex addiction is causing him to spend thousands of dollars on women to have group sex. He has been getting treatment for his sex addiction. Tiger has a list of 20 ladies in his scandalous life.
Richard Lang. A Lottery winner who won nearly $ 2 million five years ago hanged himself at his luxury four-bedroom home. After winning the lottery in 2005, Richard Lang, 31, went on expensive holidays and bought expensive cars. But friends and family were left shocked when he was found dead at his $ 800,000 house.
What is true wealth? Is it having more money? Is it having multiple residences? Is it being able to take a 2 month vacation whenever you want to, and wherever you want to go? Is it having the most expensive car?
Title: Traits of the Truly Rich (Ephesians 1:15-23)
This morning we will try to understand what it means to be truly wealthy. We will try to look at what makes a person wealthy… True richness is not really all about what you have… but it is really all about who you are. It is not so much about what life brings to you… but it is really all about what you bring into life.
Big Idea: Knowing Your Wealth in Christ Enables You to Walk for Christ.
Suggested Outline of Ephesians
I. Doctrine: The Believer's Blessings in Christ (1-3)
II. Duty: The Believer's Behavior in Christ (4-6)
Ephesians balances doctrine and duty. First Paul reminds us of what God has done for us; then he tells us what we must do for Him in response to His mercies. Christian living is based on Christian learning. The believer who does not know his wealth in Christ will never be able to walk for Christ. Our conduct depends on our calling. Too many Christians live in chapters 1-3 and study the doctrines but fail to move into chapters 4-6 and practice the duties.
Ephesus was one of the great cities of Asia Minor: a Roman capital, a center for the worship of Diana, and a wealthy commercial center, located on an ample harbor that invited world trade. The temple of Diana was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the worship of this goddess was jealously guarded (see Acts 19:23ff).
There are two prayers in Ephesians:
(1) "that you might know," 1:15-23; and
(2) "that you might be," 3:13-21.
The first is for enlightenment, the second for enablement. Paul prays first that we might know what Christ has done for us; then he prays that we might live up to these wonderful blessings and put them to work in our daily lives. (Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament)
Eph 1:3 TLB
How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every blessing in heaven because we belong to Christ.
Eph 1:6-8 TLB
6 Now all praise to God for his wonderful kindness to us and his favor that he has poured out upon us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. 7 So overflowing is his kindness toward us that he took away all our sins through the blood of his Son, by whom we are saved; 8 and he has showered down upon us the richness of his grace-for how well he understands us and knows what is best for us at all times.
Eph 1:15-23 NIV
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking 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. 18 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, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Traits of the Truly Rich (Ephesians 1:15-23)
A believer is truly rich when he…
Knows God Personally (v.17)
“I keep asking that… the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” (v.17)
KNOW (epignosis) denotes "exact or full knowledge, discernment, recognition," expressing a fuller or a full "knowledge," a greater participation by the "knower" in the object "known," thus more powerfully influencing him. Paul uses it 15 times in all his letters… it is not just head knowledge, it involves the entire person’s being in knowing.
The same word was used in… Col 1:10-11 NIV
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…”
The believer must grow in his knowledge of God,.
To know God personally is salvation
To know Him increasingly is sanctification
To know Him perfectly is glorification
Since we are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28), the better we know God, the better we know ourselves and each other.
It is not enough to know God only as Saviour. We must get to know Him as Father, Friend, Guide, and the better we know Him, the more satisfying our spiritual lives will be.
George Eastman was an American inventor and philanthropist. He founded the Eastman Kodak Company and invented roll film, helping to bring photography to the mainstream. He is a multimillionaire who owns a thriving business and a 5-bedroom mansion. He ended his life by shooting himself at the head and committed suicide.
Sam Walton --- the founder of Wal-Mart. Growing up during the Great Depression, Walton had numerous chores to help make financial ends meet for his family as was common at the time. He milked the family cow, bottled the surplus, and drove it to customers. Afterwards, he would deliver newspapers on a paper route. In addition, he also sold magazine subscriptions. He worked various odd jobs, including waiting tables in exchange for meals.
In 1998, Walton was included in Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people of the 20th Century. Sam Walton was the richest man in the United States from 1982 to 1988… What many people do not know is that Sam Walton is a strong follower of Jesus Christ. He gave much of his wealth in helping build churches. His real wealth is not based in what he has… but in who he is.
You aren't wealthy until you have something money can't buy. -Garth Brooks
Big Idea: Knowing Your Wealth in Christ Enables You to Walk for Christ.
A believer is truly rich when he…
Knows God’s Calling (v.18a)
“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…” (v.18)
The word called is an important word in the Christian's vocabulary. The word church is a combination of two Greek words that mean "called out."
We have been "Called out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9), and have even been "called to glory' (1 Peter 5:10). God calls us by His grace and not because of any merit that we may possess.
high calling (Phil 3:14),
holy calling (2 Tim 1:9),
heavenly calling (Heb 3:1)
Paul wants us to understand the hope that is ours because of this calling (Eph 4:4). Some callings offer no hope, but the calling we have in Christ assures us of a delightful future. The word carries with it "assurance for the future." The believer's hope is, of course, the return of Jesus Christ for His church.
When we were lost, we were "without hope"; but in Jesus Christ, we have a "living hope" that encourages us day by day.
The hope that belongs to our calling should be a dynamic force in our lives, encouraging us to be pure, obedient, and faithful . The fact that we shall one day see Christ and be Like Him should motivate us to Live Like Christ today.
Christians without a sense of calling or purpose in life are a little like Alice in the fairy tale Alice in Wonderland. In a conversation between her and the Cheshire Cat, Alice asked, "Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the cat. "I don't much care where," said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the cat.
Ralph Barton left this note pinned to his pillow before taking his own life: "I have had few difficulties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, from house to house, visited great countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up twenty-four hours of the day."
Big Idea: Knowing Your Wealth in Christ Enables You to Walk for Christ.
A believer is truly rich when he…
Knows God’s Riches (v.18b)
“I pray also… that you may know… the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…” (v.18b)
This phrase does not refer to our inheritance in Christ (Eph 1:11), but His inheritance in us. This is an amazing truth - that God should look on us as a part of His great wealth!
Just as a man's wealth brings glory to his name, so God will get glory from the church because of what He has invested in us.
NLT version… Ephesians 1:18 (NLT)
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
God deals with us on the basis of our future, not our past.
God never panics when you fail or when you make a mistake… He does not focus on where you have been or what you have done… he is much more concerned on what you can become… You are God’s treasure… you are God’s riches… you matter to Him you are precious to Him…
A man found an eagle's egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet into the
air.
Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among the powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.
The old eagle looked up in awe. "Who's that?" he asked.
"That's the eagle, the king of the birds," said his neighbor. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth--we're chickens." So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that's what he thought he was.
It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has. -Henry Ward Beecher
Big Idea: Knowing Your Wealth in Christ Enables You to Walk for Christ.
A believer is truly rich when he…
Knows God’s Power (v.19-21)
“I pray also… that you may know… his incomparably great power for us who believe…” (v.19)
By making us His inheritance, God has shown His love.
By promising us a wonderful future, He has encouraged our hope.
What is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength…. He is talking about divine dynamic, eternal energy, available to us!
The power of the Holy Spirit, through the resurrected, ascended Christ, is available to all Christians - by faith. His power is to "us who believe" (Eph 1:19).
Big Idea: Knowing Your Wealth in Christ Enables You to Walk for Christ.
A believer is truly rich when he…
Knows God Personally
Knows God’s Calling
Knows God’s Riches
Knows God’s Power
