Open the Eyes of My Heart

INTRODUCTION Good morning. My name is David Sorn, and I’m the Lead Pastor here. Let’s start with a quick straw poll. How many people here wear glasses or contacts? Now, I don’t know what how strong your prescription is, but for some people, what they see with their glasses on, and glasses off, are two different worlds. It makes me think of those videos on YouTube of little kids without glasses seeing clearly for the first time. For example, take a look at this one: (Play ToddlerGlasses Video) Having your eyes truly opened to see reality is a powerful experience. And we’re going to talk about that in the Bible today, so everybody grab a Bible. Ephesians 1:15 23 Page 799 We’ve covered the first 14 verses of this letter over the last 2 Sundays. And Paul has been telling the Christians about the amazing treasure chest they receive when they become a follower of Jesus. And that it’s secure, and full of Gospel Gems. And today, Paul is going to pray that we can truly understand, in our core, just how remarkable this treasure chest is. Let’s take a look: (Ephesians 1:15 23) – NIV 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 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 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 his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ 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 name that is invoked, 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. (Title Slide) Sometimes Ephesians can be a tough letter to understand because Paul writes in pretty long sentences. So let’s break this down. Paul starts in verses 15 & 16 by saying he’s so thankful for their faith in Jesus and love of others And then look at 17. He asks God that these Christian may KNOW God better. And then in 18, he’s going to explain HOW He wants them to know God better. So put your eyes on that small 18. He says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…in order that you may…” And he’s then going to give us 3 things that we can see better once the eyes of our heart are enlightened. But before we get to those 3 things, we’ve got to make sure that we understand that interesting phrase first. “That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” First of all, we must understand that “the heart” in the Bible is different than how we talk about the heart today. When we talk about the heart today, we mostly mean our feelings. When your favorite animated movie tells you to “follow your heart,” what do they mean? They mean your feelings…in that…moment. But in the Bible, your heart is the center, the core of who you are. It’s what moves us. If you’re interested in this topic, Dallas Willard’s “Renovation of the Heart” (Renovation of the Heart Cover) (which was in part responsible for the name of this church!) is a good, deep dive into this topic But the heart in the Bible represents the CENTER of a person’s emotional, spiritual, and mental life. But what then are the eyes of your heart? The eyes of your core? The eyes represent what you see and know. So Paul is saying that we need to know things not just in our brains, but deep down in our core. But here’s the challenge: In our Christian faith, especially here in the “Educated West,” there is so much that we know with our minds, that we don’t really know in our hearts. (Title Slide) We know about God, we read about Him, we took a class about Him, we heard a lot of messages about Him… But in reality, deep down in our hearts, most of us only DIMLY see His true beauty and His true glory. The eyes of our heart…are mostly closed. We’re like the toddler in the video before the glasses were put on But what happens when the toddler sees clearly? They’re moved. And Paul is saying that it is imperative that you see who God truly is in the CORE of who you are, otherwise, you’ll never be moved by Him. James says even the demons have the knowledge that God is real… But in order for your faith to really take off, the eyes of your HEART have to be opened and filled the light of his knowledge. And this truth ought to change how you approach coming to church, or even how you approach reading the Bible every day. When many people come to church or open the Bible, they subconsciously think, “If I could just learn the perfect nugget today. A great devotional quote. If Pastor David could give us a fresh thought, a new idea…Then, I’d grow spiritually.” Maybe. Especially if you’re just starting out. But for most of you, you know the truths of the faith, but you’re not growing because the eyes on your heart are still closed. THE HOPE TO WHICH HE HAS CALLED YOU And so what are the 3 things that we can see better when we start asking God to enlighten the eyes of our heart? To bring His truth deep into our soul? Let’s take a look. Look at verse 18 again (Ephesians 1:18a) – NIV 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, I’m going to give you 3 prayers I want you to pray this week. Here’s the first one? OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART TO SEE: #1: The hope to which You have called me Paul is saying that he wants these Christian believers to let their hearts think deeply about the hope we have in Christ. And this both our future hope, in heaven and eternity….and also the good things we have in walking with Christ in the here and now. Do you ever let your heart think about what a joy it is to walk with God instead of walking without Him? I spent 18 years walking without Him, and I am so grateful for walking with Him. And he blesses us with His presence here, and even more is coming for us. But do we really understand that deep down inside of us? The late great Timothy Keller once said that most of us, get pretty stunted in our faith development because we never engage our hearts with how remarkable God’s redemption is. He says, “We’re like a little child playing with a toy truck, and when it breaks, the child becomes inconsolable” And just as the child wailing about their toy truck, their mother rushes in and says to her child, “Good news! A distant relative has just died and left you a hundred million dollars!” And yet, the child says, “I don’t care!!! My truck is broken!!!” That is the state that so many Christians are in. What we have in Christ…is greater than a hundred million dollars. And I’m not exaggerating. It is. But we can’t get our eyes off the broken trucks in our lives. Sure, yes, on paper, we know what’s coming for us in Christ is great. But do you see how that knowledge is not moving us? It’s not really changing anything in our lives. And that’s because the eyes guarding our hearts aren’t truly open to let that truth of hope actually come in and impact our lives. Letting that hope into your heart matters. Viktor Frankl who survived years in Nazi concentration camps once made the astute observation that prisoners seem to always die in very large numbers just after Christmas. And Frankl said that for months that had pinned their hopes on the fact that they’d be “Free by Christmas” But when they weren't, they gave up. They had nothing left to hope for. And this is where many secular Americans are right now. They’re lost without a purpose…because they have nothing to hope for. And we must not imitate this. We should stand out as different. And Paul PRAYS that the eyes of your heart would open to see the HOPE to which He has called you. Do you see it? Do you feel it? Do you let your heart go there? Do you ever spend time just dreaming about heaven? Thanking God for it. We should! Because you want, not just the eyes of your brain to be open to it, but the eyes of your heart to be open to that hope! Otherwise, the truth won’t move you. RICHES OF HIS GLORIOUS INHERITANCE What does Paul say next? Look at verse 18 again (Ephesians 1:18) – NIV 18 I pray 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 his holy people, Now, we need to look very closely at the grammar here, otherwise we will read this incorrectly. Because typically when we see that word inheritance, we think about our inheritance as adopted children of God… Paul even wrote about that earlier in this letter, which we talked about last week. We’re going to inherit heaven someday. But look closely here. Paul says, “The riches of (what’s the next word???) HIS (HIS!!!) glorious inheritance in HIS holy people. Do you know what he’s saying? He’s saying, that YOU, are also God’s inheritance. This needs to be our second prayer. OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART TO SEE: #1: The hope to which You have called me #2: That You treasure me as an inheritance This…this is a powerful verse! I mean, think about it. The whole world is God’s. Every tree, every mountain, every ocean, every animal…down to the duck billed platypus. It’s all His! But you, it says, are viewed as His inheritance. His particular treasure. So precious to Him. Do you know what this means? It means that God is looking forward to spending time with YOU face to face. What an amazing thought. I bet God smiles just thinking about that day…when He will be with His inheritance, you, fully. See, you have so much worth to Him. He spent everything to get you. Spilled His own blood for you. This verse helps us understand Hebrews 12 when it says, “For the JOY set before him, Jesus endured the cross” What was the JOY in going to the cross? The joy…was that Jesus knew, if He endured the cross, He would get you! There’s a richness here that the eyes of our heart are closed to. Think of it this way: When you think of something for a long time, it grows in value to you. Like a child in the womb…for a mother. At first, you can’t even notice him or her. But over time, through the kicks and punches… …Your heart grows for them. So much so by the time you see them face to face, your heart is exploding for them. And on an even grander scale, God chose you before time began, and his heart for is ready to burst for you when you both get to see each other face to face. HE can’t wait to be with His inheritance. And I don’t know if all that many of us have really let that Biblical truth move us HERE And this is where we must call out to God this week and say, “God enlighten and open these dark eyes” Show it to me HERE! Move me from my core to understand how remarkable your love is for me. INCOMPARABLY GREAT POWER And then Paul says there is another truth we will see better if we start asking God to open the eyes of our heart, and not just fill our minds with knowledge. And listen, knowledge is important… I’m a big believer in knowledge. But it’s got to move somewhere. Here is the 3rd thing. Paul prays that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened to see: Verse 19: (Ephesians 1:19a) – NIV 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe And this is the 3rd prayer I want you to pray this week: OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART TO SEE: #1: The hope to which You have called me #2: That You treasure me as an inheritance #3: Your incomparably great power That your power is so great, it cannot be compared with any other. Paul wants to make sure that you understand that. Let’s keep reading in 19 (Ephesians 1:19b 20) – NIV. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,  And then in the rest of this passage, Paul talks about the mighty rule and authority of Jesus. So think about this… Paul is saying, “The very same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of the Father…” That power… is available to those of you who believe. Do you know that? Do you believe that? Because I think that this is a PERFECT example of something that we say we believe, but don’t really believe I’m just being honest. But think about this: If God could created the universe with a word… If God walked on water If God took someone who was brutally crucified and raised them from the dead… God can do anything. Anything. And Paul is praying Christians would open up the eyes of our heart to this truth again! For too long, the church in America, particularly the evangelical church has been apt to talk about God’s power, but scared to believe in God’s power. But God can do anything! ANYTHING! The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to free you from alcoholism. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to miraculously bring your marriage back together. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is ready to break the bonds of depression, or anxiety, or anger in your life! And we’re so quick in America (half of you already went here mentally) to say, “Well, I mean, sure, but, yes, I’ve always kind of struggled……..and my situation is unique….and…. If God could create Jupiter with the snap of His fingers, He’s not looking at your situation and going, “That bitterness issue they’ve had since childhood…that’s a tough nut for me to crack” NO! The SAME POWER is available to you. And it’s an incomparable power, Paul says. And this is Incredible News. Because, honestly, a lot of us live messy lives…whether we want to admit it to our suburban friends or not. And another tip here, or another quote there, isn’t going to fix it. But God can! But in order for Him to do that…to change your life…. …you’ve got to open the eyes of your heart. And that’s different from saying, “Yes, I believe God is all powerful” It’s opening your heart to truly believing it and wanting it! And so I yearn for you to take these 3 prayers this week and pray them. If you didn’t write this down, take a picture of it even. So you have something to pray this week…to practice the disciple of praying for your HEART…your core. Get down on your knees if you have to this week…and pray: GOD, I need you to open the eyes of my heart. Let your light of truth in…all the way in. And show me the hope I have you…and that it’s worth more than 100 million dollars! Say, “God I’m not getting up until I start getting how much you actually delight in me as your inheritance” Say, “God help me understand, in my core, how powerful you are to change what I’m going through. Help me pray with a faith I haven’t had before!” In fact, I want us to do this now…even as we sing. I’m going to invite our worship band back on stage. And we’re going to sing and ask God to open the eyes of our heart. And as we do that…I encourage you to concentrate on one of these 3 things. Or anything similar He’s really putting on your heart. And don’t just sing. Plead with God. You came here to meet with Him. Ask Him to open up the eyes of your heart. Let me pray and then we’ll talk to God. Copyright: David Sorn Renovation Church in Blaine, MN You may use this material all you like! We only ask that you do not charge a fee and that you quote the source and not say it is your own.