Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon on Ephesians 1:15-17

What is the main prayer request that Paul makes for the Ephesian believers in Ephesians 1:17?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul's main prayer request for the Ephesians is "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him." This is not a prayer about sanctification or happiness, but specifically that they would come to know God in a deeper way. As Lloyd-Jones emphasizes, "he doesn't pray for their sanctification, nor for their happiness, nor for their joy, nor for their liberation, but for this, that they may have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him."

Why does Paul continue to pray for the Ephesians even though they already have faith and are sealed with the Holy Spirit?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul continues to pray for them because conversion is just the beginning of the Christian life, not the end. He states: "Conversion is not the end, it's merely the beginning. It's the mere first step. It's like birth. When a child is born, that's not the end, that's the beginning." The apostle recognizes "the tremendous possibilities that lie ahead of these people," and as someone who had "grown so much in grace" and "scaled the heights of the spiritual life," Paul wants them to experience the same spiritual growth.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is wrong with how many Christians view the Christian life?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that many Christians wrongly divide the Christian life into just two sections: first, salvation (being delivered from guilt and punishment), and second, sanctification (being delivered from the power of sin). He argues this approach is too man-centered: "Surely nearly all our troubles in connection with the christian life arise from the fact that our ideas are so man centered. We always start with men. These days, instead of starting with God, we start with men." He emphasizes that our view of salvation must be God-centered, not man-centered.

What kind of knowledge of God is Paul praying for in Ephesians 1:17?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul is not praying for mere theoretical or intellectual knowledge about God. He states: "When he talks here about our coming to a knowledge of God, he doesn't just mean that we should know a number of things about God." Rather, he's praying for "an immediate knowledge of God," "a real acquaintance with God," "an encounter with God," knowledge that is "personal and intimate." Lloyd-Jones describes it as knowing "that God is there and I'm here," where "God should be real to us and that we should be conscious of him and conscious of his presence."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones differentiate between being sealed with the Spirit and having knowledge of God?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains: "In the sealing with the spirit, we are given to know that we are his. It is the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. It is God saying to us, thou art my son, my child... To know that I am a child of God." However, knowing God Himself goes beyond this: "It's a wonderful thing to know that I belong to God. It's an infinitely greater thing to know God himself." The sealing confirms our status as God's children, while the knowledge Paul prays for is intimate fellowship with God Himself.

Is this deeper knowledge of God only available to certain special Christians?

No. Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly rejects the idea that this knowledge is only for special Christians or spiritual elites. He calls such teaching "terrible heresy" and points out that Paul "is offering this prayer for all the members of the church at Ephesus. He's not praying for apostles. He's not praying for elders only. He's praying for them all." Lloyd-Jones also quotes Jeremiah 31 about the new covenant: "They shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord, for all shall know me, from the loose to the greatest." This knowledge is available to all believers regardless of their circumstances or intellectual capacity.

What biblical examples does Dr. Lloyd-Jones provide of this personal knowledge of God?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers several biblical examples including: Job who said "Oh that I knew where I might find him" and later declared "I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye hath seen thee"; Moses who said "Show me thy glory"; the Psalmist who wrote "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so penteth my heart after thee, O God"; Isaiah who "saw the Lord sitting upon the throne, high and lifted up"; and Jesus' teaching that "neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him."

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, what is the one thing that determines whether Christians experience this deeper knowledge of God?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that this knowledge doesn't depend on intellectual ability or circumstances. Rather: "There is only one thing that controls this, and that is the realization that it's possible and then the desire for it. Blessed are they that who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." He emphasizes that what he looks for in people is: "Have they got a soul? Thirst for God? Are they longing for this? Is there something about them that always tells you that they're always waiting for his next appearance, for the further manifestation?"