True Revelation: Enlightened Eyes

Ephesians 1:18 — The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Introduction

• Eys of Understanding, Eyes of your Heart --- Eyes: SIGHT, seeing, unerstanding, receiving
• Personally, Generally, : Unknown, Understood, Apreciated
• what does it mean to be and who are "The Enlightened Ones"? (BELIEVE ALL REVELATION?)

enlightened: from 5457; to shed rays, i.e. to shine or to brighten up; illuminate, bring to light; give light; make to see.

• When we speak of revelation, we are speaking of the experience of hidden knowledge being made unhidden or secret knowledge beging made open knowledge and of shedding light on knowledge previously shrouded in darkness.

John 1:11 — He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Matthew 21:42 — Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

In the comic strip "For better or for worse" by Lynn Johnston. A mother and daughter are out Christmas shopping and the daughter says to the mother “If Christmas is more about God than Santa. How come people talk more about Santa than God? The mother responds: "God does less advertising"

• God does more ADVERTISTING through the story of the Birth of Christ than the malls may ADVERTISE Santa. It is just that we may spend more attention on the message of the malls than God.

• God is speaking! He is REVEALING Himself even though many try to shroud this knowledge in darkness. "No one really knows."

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

2 Timothy 3:16 — All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Psalm 119:105 — Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

The Goal, Intent, Motive: You May know what You Can Hope for or Expect to Experience and Hold

He Prays for an "Enlightening of their Understanding".

THAT (The result of this, or purpose of this being..)

They would know the Hope of the HIs Calling

And the Riches of the Glory of His Inheritance in the Saints

Being Born Again, Fiiled with the Faith and Spirit of God, What can we expect to HAVE and to EXPERIENCE. What are our PRIVILEGES and RESPONSIBILITIES?

• Their eyes have just begun to adjust to the LIGHT OF CHRIST and Paul is praying for MORE LIGHT.

• What more light could they possiblly need?

  • Did they know Christ died and resurrected?
  • Did they know if they confessed with their mouth and believed in their heart that God had raised him from the dead they would be saved?
  • Did they know the Spirit was given to the church on the day of Pentecost in a new and powerful way?
  • Did they know God was preparing a people to live eternally with Him?
  • All These are LIFE and ETERNITY CHANGING revelations/light.

Every Biblical truth a child can receive as truth, but it takes SPIRITUAL MATURITY to UNDERSTANDING: growth, development, walking in it, experience.

We can say "Faith is", but to KNOW what faith is there must be a trial of my OWN FAITH>

• Seeing Men as Trees

• The 70 were sent out by Jesus, two by two

• This is some of what He told them before sending them (light):

Luke 10:2,3 — The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves...

Then they returned.

Lu 10:17 ¶ And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

Darkened Eyes: A Little History

• Just because I can't see it, does not mean it isn't there. But if I don't see it, they I also cannot properly engage it. MANY LIVE THEIR LIVES IN DARKNESS.

• Many Religious people, have live their lives in darkness.

• "Age of Enlightenment" 1600s to 1800s in Europe's Age of Reason

• Centuries of custom and tradition were brushed aside in favour of exploration, individualism, tolerance and scientific endeavour, which, in tandem with developments in industry and politics, witnessed the emergence of the 'modern world'. This did not mean the death of faith, but BLIND FAITH, it intended the end of any thought that could not be anchored in REASON.

• The Age even being largely 'anti-God' and 'anti'-Bible in many places, still did do a great service to humanity.

• The central doctrines of the Enlightenment were individual liberty and religious tolerance, in opposition to an absolute monarchy and the fixed dogmas of the church.

• It exposed (by granting 'permission' for people to ask questions and to question ...) in part at least, many terrible 'doctrines' or 'dogmas' and terrible not because if they were popular but terrible in the sense that they were not consistent with the Bible and still widely held by organized churches.

• Biblical Christianity does not require ignorance of its Believers in order to work.

• Again:

• What does it mean to be and who are "The Enlightened Ones"? Let us consider the NATURE of true Christian Revelation.

True Revelation is Enlightening (illuminating, Opening, Uncovering, Discovering)

Ephesians 1:18

The effects of True Revelation is LIGHT as opposed to darkness.

Joh 8:12 ¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

• The Serpents, "Hath God Said", didn't bring light, it brought confusion:

Genesis 3:1 — Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

• It may bring with it a CONDEMNATION, but that is peripheral. At its heart, God's revelation of his mind is going to be ENLIGHTENING. aka, "You can live in the presence of God eternally."

• If the Unveiling, highlights and only shows DARKNESS, you can be sure it is not God who is doing the unveiling. Even Evil will highlight even parts of the TRUTHs of God, but it won't tell you the whole story.

True Revelation is Empowering/Freeing

John 8:32 — Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

• The Full and True Answers to:
• "Divorce and Remarriage"
• Practical Holiness
• "HOw now shall we live?"
• are EMPOWERING and FREEING.

Matthew 11:20 — Mt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

• If TRUTH becomes purely a burden, I missed something.

True Revelation is a Gift/Blessing

Being Born Again, Fiiled with the Faith and Spirit of God, What can we expect to HAVE and to EXPERIENCE. What are our PRIVILEGES and RESPONSIBILITIES?

1 Jo 1:7 — But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Conclusion: Personal Revelation

Personal revelation is the way we know for ourselves the most important truths of our existence: the living reality of God, our Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ; the truthfulness of the gospel; and God's purpose and direction for us.

• IT is in God's Nature to REVEAL SECRETS,

He reveals both FACTS and PRINCIPLES.

Daniel 2:47 — Da 2:47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

2 Timothy 2:8 — 2Ti 2:8 ¶ Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

Amos 3:7 &mdahs; Am 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

• Thus saith the LOrd, every wrodl written down in a message given ...

• What is the Source of the REVELATION? (What has been influencing my thinking?)

• What is the Expected Effect of the REVELATION?

• What were the Results of the REVELATION?

Are the answers to these Questions consistent with the Biblical testimony as a whole?

Yes, I must reconcile all these 'truth statements'. They must balance and harmonize.

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