By Evangelist Sophia Jeffrie
Ephesians 1:15-23 NKJV
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your [a]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality[b] and [c]power and [d]might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
PRAYER: If I had to give a title to this I would say: Spiritual Wisdom: Connecting with the Divine!
This month’s lessons and the theme is on Wisdom and we know that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom” as stated in Proverbs. So, tonight I would like to expound on the topic of Wisdom but from a greater dimension. Here in the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul is writing to the church of Ephesus and the church today which is the body of Christ. Not a building that we would enter to assemble but rather as a “Living Organisms”. He is speaking to us about some of the heavenly treasures that God has laid up for us. One of these blessings that Paul was speaking of is Spiritual Wisdom and it is an important asset to a believers’ spiritual success! These verses are not just instructions, but they are God’s words sent by the Holy Spirit through Paul. This is a divine prayer that he prayed for all believers so that God could start the process of spiritual enlightenment with His wisdom. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is at work in believers today by the power of the Holy Spirit to give every believer that seeks Him, Spiritual Wisdom through a divine connection. Prayer is a vital weapon that we must have to change our situations by inviting God in. Nothing will move God’s hand until a prayer has been spoken. So, I would like for us to examine this prayer and allow God to move us into a greater dimension of the Divine as we Connect with Him!
1. Spiritual Wisdom offers testimony from the believer of our faith and love in Christ. Our testimony says a lot about us in what we believe and how we treat other people is the fruit of it. Verse 15 & 16 verifies this. It says, “15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: Our faith in God’s love through Jesus and our love for other believers should be a testimony of our salvation. There should be evidence that you had a salvation experience. Does your love for others and how you treat them to prove that you had a salvation experience at some point in your Christian life?? This should cause you to love all Christians and other people. We don’t have to condone or love their sin, but we should love them. Paul said, “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in while we were Yet sinners, Christ died for us”!!Paul is showing us the importance of prayer for the church. He says do not cease. Romans 1:9 also conveyed this, 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve [a]with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, So, Spiritual Wisdom should cause us to love one another as you are connecting to the Divine, so my question to you, are you connected yet?
2. Spiritual wisdom reveals the need for us to have a growing knowledge of God. This verse shows me that God requires more from us as believers than to just get saved. Don’t just get your ticket to heaven and sit down to remain a babe in Christ. He wants us to make our salvation count, just like Jesus Christ did! He wants us to grow up in Him. Verse 17 says, “17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, See many times as Christians may have the wrong view of God and Who He really is in our lives. Yes, He is in heaven, but He is not far off. He is living right on the inside of you and me. He is our heavenly Father just as He is to Jesus. John 20:17 says, “17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” Jesus is establishing a new relationship with God as Father, with His disciples and us as well. He is our Heavenly Father and is the sovereign Lord over the universe. With this relationship, it gives us access to a divine connection to our Heavenly Father and for the Holy Spirit to work in us. God is the creator of Glory and we have Christ the hope of Glory residing on the inside of us. Paul wanted each of us to receive the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation so that we can grow into a deeper knowledge and greater dimension of God. We should always remember that there is a natural side of things and a spiritual side as well. Don’t be distracted by focusing on the wrong things. We are to set our minds on things above and not on earthly things! And Spiritual Wisdom will help us to discern the difference between the two. Revelation is having the knowledge of God, but Wisdom gives us insight on how to use it in our lives. However, in order to be able to do that you must first know what Spiritual Wisdom is about. I Corinthians 2:6-10 AMPC, 6 Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a [higher] wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away.7 But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God—[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. 8 None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [[a]who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed].
10 Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the [b]divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny].
Spiritual Wisdom does not come from man and human reasoning. You have philosophers, educators, judges, executives, and other leaders who think they know but without God, they know nothing. Spiritual Wisdom comes from God through the Holy Spirit. So, in Jesus, we have everything we need to put us over in life! Glory to God. His Spirit will also give us revelation in which the Amplified Version calls this Wisdom and Revelation in which it is “Of insight into mysteries and secrets” in the “deep and intimate” knowledge of Him. It’s time for Christians to stop with the superficial relationship with God the Father. Intimacy through prayer brings about a knowledge of God on a deeper level. Paul illustrated this in this prayer in Colossian 1:9-10 when he said, 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; God is calling for His Church to grow up in Him to receive Spiritual Wisdom as we are connecting with the Divine, are you connected yet?
3. Spiritual wisdom brings about illumination and 2020 vision! This Spiritual wisdom can open blinded eyes so that they can see. Verse 18 says, 18 the eyes of your [a]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, The amplified version says “18 By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light,” Sight is a function of the eyes and vision is a function of the heart. Helen Keller said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” The inner man can see things your physical eyes can’t. Proverbs 29:18 says, 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish… Sadly, we have a lot of Christians that are blind because they have sight but no vision! If you don’t tap into God’s Spiritual Wisdom to get God’s vision you will perish. Wisdom brings about revelations, so open your spiritual eyes by faith so you can see. 2 Corinthians 4:6 speaks about the light shing in our hearts, it says “ 6 For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah). First God spoke light into darkness in Genesis and now He is shining His light in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit so that our light can shine on others. God’s love has been shed aboard in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. God wants us to know the hope of His calling is our future in Him. That we know the riches of His glory of the inheritance in the saints. We have a glorious inheritance as the children of God because we belong to God and we have a rich inheritance in Christ whether past, present, and future as we receive His Spiritual wisdom by connecting to the Divine. Are you connected yet?
4. Spiritual Wisdom reveals the demonstrated power of God from death to life! It is our faith in Him that we can receive His power through baptism into Him so that we may live. Verse 19 says, “19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. Having a relationship with God causes us to know Him through experiences and gives us access to His mighty power that is available to us. Paul urges us to seek Him so that our knowing Him through the power of His resurrection will bring about transformation. Philippians 3:10 (AMPC) 10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]. So, as we learn and grow in the power of His resurrection, we can live through His baptism. Colossians 2:12 (NIVR) speaks about His power in our baptism. It says, “12 When you were baptized, you were buried together with Christ. And you were raised to life together with him when you were baptized. You were raised to life by believing in God’s work. God himself raised Jesus from the dead.” When we receive Him and are baptized, we receive His life as He lives in us. Romans 6:4 also says, 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Spiritual wisdom allows us to live a new life when we are connected to the Divine. Are you connected?
5. Spiritual Wisdom reveals our positional authority. Now we know that we receive life through His Spirit, then we should also know we are put into Spiritual position through the same Spirit. Verses 20 & 21 says, 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality[b] and [c]power and [d]might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Christ's resurrection puts us in a position right where Christ is. Because as He is, so are we in this world. This positional authority extends over all the power of the enemy. We also have positional authority using His Name. Philippians 2:9-10 which says, 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, So, no matter what the name is or the situation it has to bow down to the name of Jesus.
6. Spiritual Wisdom reveals our Dominion in Him! Now that we know who we are in Christ, it should allow us to use the dominion He has given us. Verse 22 says, 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, Since all things are under His feet, then we already have the Victory because we are in Him and it’s under our feet as well. Psalms 8: 6 confirms this as well. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, God has given us supremacy over the works our hands and He expects us to use it! Hebrews 2:7-8 bring more clarification of this and it says, 7 You have made him [a]a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, [b]And set him over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.
7. Spiritual Wisdom reveals our completeness in Him. Verse 23 says 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. This is where we need to have a kingdom mindset and vision. In our natural human bodies, we will never be complete without Him. But in the spiritual realm, Spiritual Wisdom says it is already done. Colossians 2:9-10 AMPC solidifies this for us which says, “9 For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. 10 And you [a]are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power].
So, It is important that every believer know their identity is in Christ Jesus and that we should continue to desire to grow up in Him to receive all that He has for us. So, when I look through the Word of God, I see how Connecting to the Divine brought about Spiritual Wisdom for that seek Him. First, I saw how in 2 Kings 6 how the Prophet Elisha and his servant were being surrounded by the enemy and the servant was afraid. “And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Spiritual Wisdom makes the difference, that’s why we need to Connconnectect with the Divine.
Jesus is Spiritual Wisdom and I Corinthian 1:30 tells us that Jesus gave us wisdom as well. It says 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— This is why you need to connect with the Divine!
See on one Friday the Pharisees, those religious folks took the Spiritual Wisdom - Jesus Christ to an old rugged cross to a hill called Calvary. But they didn’t realize that Calvary was a Divine Connection. So, then they put Wisdom on the cross. They put nails in His hands and spikes in His feet. They stretched Him wide and the hung Him high, but they made that fatal mistake! They lifted Him up. Spiritual Wisdom said, “that if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me!” He was laid in a borrowed tomb for 3 days but early one Sunday morning, God sent the His Holy Spirit to raise up Spiritual Wisdom from the dead! With all power in His hands, and all power in His Name. See Wisdom has the power to heal, power to deliver, and power to set free, and power to give you the VICTORY!!
Spiritual Wisdom has changed me, and He can do the same thing for you. So, my question to you is, Are you Connected to the Divine? I challenge you today to Connect with Jesus and He will give you all the Spiritual Wisdom you will need!
About the Author
Evangelist Sophia Jeffrie is an ordained Reverend and called Evangelist into the Gospel Ministry where she serves the Lord with her whole heart! Evangelist Jeffrie is a retired Chief Petty Officer from the United States Navy, where she led, guided, trained, and ministered to thousands of Sailors throughout her career. God placed in her an assignment where He has positioned and trusted her with guiding His most troubled and vulnerable youth. It was there the Lord revealed His true purpose for her life and birthed in her the vision and purpose for what is now “Wisdom Truths”, a life changing personal growth and development workshop designed to enhance the overall social and spiritual growth of At-Risk Youth. Evangelist Jeffrie has allowed God to use her as He heals and transform lives by ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a larger scale! Her message of love and purpose is relatable to those from all walks of life and will certainly serve as a blessing to you as well. Evangelist Jeffrie received a Master of Art Degree in Ministry from Luther Rice College & Seminary in 2018.She has two sons, a stepson and two stepdaughters, and has nine grandchildren.
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