Jesus Inhabiting Our Hearts (Ephesians 3:14-21)

Excellent. Excellent was good to see everybody. It's good to be with you, this Sunday afternoon and where in the book of Ephesians chapter 3, we're continuing on, and this is one of the favorite passages in Ephesians that I have. I want to read it before I begin and then we will Dive Right In Ephesians chapter 3. Beginning in verse 14 for this reason, I bow my knees before, the father from whom every family in heaven on Earth is named that according to the riches of his glory, he may Grant you two be strengthened with power through his spirit, in your inner being. So that Christ May dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love. Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God not to him, who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work within us to him, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. What an incredible Passage And in the first question that comes to my mind is, how should we measure God's love? Paul here says God's love for his people is so long. It's as long as he ternatea past it's so wide as to include all nations, as it were so high to ring, Praises from angels in heaven. And so deep as to cancel the claims of Hell on our soul, How do we measure the love of God for us? We heard it in Psalm 136, I didn't even know Jason was going to do that and what an incredible thought is we repeated over and over the steadfast love of the Lord indoors forever and in the Hebrew actually this isn't even in my notes, this is just free today. The Hebrew has said steadfast love is Covenant keeping enduring, indestructible love. That's not rooted in us but in God's character and that we see this in the Old Testament, as some of the story of Israel was rehearsed in that song and how the steadfast love of the Lord indoors forever. Because, you know, what's underlining that whole song is that Israel. Didn't deserve it. They kept blowing it. They kept saying, I'd rather go back to Egypt. They kept saying, God, we don't really want you to be in charge of us. We want to be in charge of ourselves. We want our own kingdom. And yet God steadfast Covenant keeping love that wouldn't give up that wouldn't quit continue to save and deliver Israel and it's the same steadfast love that saves and delivers us. It's incredible. so, if The steadfast love of the Lord. The immeasurable love of God is a comfort. And it is if it's an assurance of our salvation and it should be as we're going to see that. But even the reason you and I are Christians today is not because of how great we are. The reason you're still a Christian today is because of God's love for you in Christ. In the ministry of the Holy Spirit to keep you in Jesus, the spirits love for you. Now, if it is a comfort and insurance and a joy and it is Then this means that this kind of knowledge is something we need to remind ourselves about everyday but in this passage Paul goes beyond simply comfort and Assurance. Enjoy he wants you and I to know that it is a means of power in our lives. He uses the word power a couple times in this passage. You see if why I serve God. Is also how I serve God. Then the motive of greater love always precedes, the action of greater power. In fact, since we only and always do what we love the most, then the only way we're going to experience the power of God in our lives. Just to have a greater love for him.

Obedience to Jesus. Turning away from sin killing sin. We have to get to the level of motives without the love of God in Christ. Is our motive? There's no power. But on the other hand, if we have an overwhelming affection for Jesus, then it's going to produce in our hearts and overwhelming power to defeat sin. Why? Because we loved him more than we love the sin. We want to please him more than we want to. Please ourselves. We find fullness of joy and endless satisfaction at his right hand rather than in the things of this world that always disappoint. They always let us down. They always fade away, they always wear out the reason the top 10 hits or never the same. Although I think somewhere in 1985, that was about the Golden Age top 10, anybody? Amen, that I don't know. But it is we could quibble, we could quibble. But why? Because things in this Earth, where out the things that were great become not-so-great, the things that we find joy and we don't find joy in

Only God is endless and infinite and everlasting and you will never exhaust the fullness of joy and satisfaction that you can find in him. In this passage, the first thing I want you to see his, remember your position in Christ, verses 14 and 15. For this reason, I bow my knees before. The father from whom every family in heaven and on Earth is named. Paul is humbled here by the father's purposes. In, in verse 14, he says for this reason and he's going back to what he had already been arguing in the previous two chapters. And because of everything that's true in the previous two, chapters, especially the words at the end of chapter 2, he says I fall on my knees before the father. I bow my knees before the father and when he says I bow my knees this is the idea of if you were to go into royalty and a king say you were a subject of a king. And you go in and you buy when you say, you're the king and I'm the subject. I'm yours do with me whatever you want. You're the boss. I'm not. That's the picture of bowing. The nice and hear pulse is for this reason. I bow my knees before the Father Paul has a reason. He's not doing it under compulsion. He's not doing it because he has to do. God has every right. In fact, we know from scripture Philippians chapter 2 that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord at the end of the age. But Paul here says I bow my knees for this reason, we're in chapter 1 blessed with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ. Jesus verse 3 of chapter one later he says in chapter one that we are to the praise of his glory that we are. We are to be holy and blameless before him because in love, he predestined us an adopted us We all give thanks at the end of chapter one and then he reminded us that not only Jewish people but Gentiles also are one in the family of God. Did now, the dividing wall of partition is torn down and in 2:18 through Jesus, everyone has access in the spirit to the father. Now, there's no distance between us and God. Now we have access in Jesus, impulses, this is the reason I bow my knee. I was far away and God brought me near you. And I were without hope and without God and at the high point of the ages, the father gave his son to bring us near to God, so that we could actually come into His presence and not be wiped out. We can call him father. We're part of this family. We've been adopted. It's incredible in. All of this pollen said in Chapter 2, is not by our works. But a result of Grace he says, 2:8 by Grace, you have been saved through faith. Does not your own doing. It's the gift of God, not a result of work so that no one may boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. For good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Paul says, this is God who's rich and mercy, and, because of his great love with, which he loved us, even when we were dead in Chapter 2, he made us alive together with Christ by Grace. You been saved. What an incredible gospel message apart from Jesus were called spiritually. Dead. Paul says in chapter 2, Dead in our trespasses and sins were under the prince of the power of the air. That's it. Work in the sons of Disobedience. He says in Chapter 2 but God who is rich in Mercy and great in love, even while we were dead, made us alive and how did he do it? He gave us his son to die in our place for our sins. And we could receive that gift not by earning it or working for it, but simply by grace, through faith believing it. I think I use the illustration once before. If I gave you my new Bible, my, my, my new Bible for the church plant. It's, I don't know. You got a nice leather cover and I said, this is a gift for you. This is for you. All you have to do is receive it. If you never receive it and take it, you never have the gift. And this is the gift of Salvation, that Paul is talking about, his here is Jesus for you. In your place for you. And all you have to do is receive it. And how do I receive it by faith? Believing that Jesus died for your sins and was buried and rose again? What a simple message, simple dunhurst. And of course.

But it's hard to receive it, isn't it? Because we want to be king in our life. We want to be the boss. We want to look in the mirror and say, yes, your majesty. But the gospel calls us to Bow, the knee to Jesus and say yes your majesty and Paul and 3:14 says, for this reason, I bow my knees before, the father from whom every family in heaven and on Earth is named. So Paul is battling his knees because he's confident of the father's care. The father from whom every family in heaven and on Earth arrives, its name verse 15 of chapter 3. The one who has made a temple as it were of human hearts. The, the Apostle Paul simply calls. Father, the one whose infinitely great, who is the creator of Heaven and Earth that we sang about, in the first song, all praise to him. He made the stars in the galaxies Paul says, he's to be called father. Our Father in heaven. The boy who said in chapter 3 verse 8. We looked at it. Last week to me, though, I'm the very least of all the saints. He can now call god father? Why Because of what Jesus did, because we have Jesus, because Jesus died in our place for our sins, so that we could be forgiven and clean and have his righteousness. So that, when the father looks at us, he no longer sees our sin. He sees the righteousness of his son It's not an incredible thought. You know, your life. You wouldn't want it to be on the big screen. You want to keep those Secrets secret as we all do. And in Jesus, the blood of Christ completely cleanses us from all of that. And we're clean, and we're a new creation and the oldest passed away in the newest come. That is really good news.

Paul here says that that this is the father from whom every family in heaven and on Earth, is named Paula saying I'm unworthy to appear before the father because of who I am. I'm the least of all the saints, but I'm confident that I have access because my worth is not simply in who I am, my worth is in who Jesus is and what he did for me. So we have, we have an advocate, we have someone who ushered us into the father's presence. Again, King George. The new King in England, you and I can't just go in. I've been to Buckingham Palace right there in the square. In fact, I was there with my mother. She even fell down and she in here know, she's helping the kids. I can't even I won't even tell the story we were there. Nobody let us in. I knocked on the gate rattle, the gate a little bit, nobody let us in, I had no access to to then the queen You and I don't have access to King, George as much as you think, we need someone, who's got connections, who has access, you know, someone like his family. Someone who has the ability to get us an audience with the King. Here is what Paul is saying, is that Jesus has given us and eternal audience, with the king of Heaven, the father we have access into his presence at any time. Anywhere, this is really good news, why? Because the one who created all things, who made you, and I is the one who says you are welcome into my presence through my son. Paul is going to argue that this love is what empowers us to overcome sin to kill sin in our lives. In fact, Holiness and sin are expressions of Holiness are expressions of our true love as is sin. Really? Because when we sin, we're just loving that rather than God.

And isn't it? Sometimes the weight of that is crushing. If you live life, any length of time, sometimes you're forced to cry out. God. I don't love you enough. Because such and such as saying is present in my life and it's been present and I haven't gotten rid of it. I feel like I just don't love you enough. And if I'd loved you enough, this sin wouldn't be in my life ever felt that way. Where your love seems so weak. The gospel says you're right. You don't love God enough, but he loves you more, you and a world of others like you, he loves you as a member of his own family. He loves you. And he gave his son for you and he poured out his Spirit to change your heart, so that you would love him more. Greater love. Paul says, is the means to greater power in our life to put sin, to death, to become, holy to be like Jesus, in Sao, Paulo and verses 16 and 17 says, pray, pray for God to demonstrate his power. Look what he says verse 16, that according to the riches of his glory, he may Grant you two be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being, the father gives of his riches. Notice, it's not the riches of your glory. it's the riches of his glory, his glorious riches that are infinite and immeasurable Politoed the Philippians in chapter for my God. Will supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ. Jesus. What an incredible thought, my God will supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

I do. I hope we all do. God can supply those needs according to his glorious riches. It's incredible thought isn't it that we are helpless. We're desperate we have needs that we can't deal with. We can't fix. And God says, I'm able to supply all your needs. All the blessings that God has for us, he are tied up in the work of Jesus. Volume praise that you would be strengthened with power through his spirit, in your inner being, so that Christ, Jesus May dwell in your hearts through faith. So, the father gives of his riches, the spirit gives of his power verse 16 that you would be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being, and we're going to see the sun giving his life, but the spirit giving his power that you would be strengthened. Now, when Paul here says that, you would be strengthened with the spirits power, we sang about it, we read about it in the song. What kind of power does God have? He made the heavens and the Earth? He spoke it into existence. I didn't wear them out. It wasn't a lot of work. We just bought a home in Benicia this week. It's crazy. I'm still reeling from it because it happened in about 5-6 days so I started packing up. Yeah, I got Marcus over here giving me crazy looks. Yes, I bought a house. Yeah, so I started packing up, right? I mean, I got books everywhere. That's what happens when you're a nerd and I have books everywhere. And I'm trying to pack these things up and I got about 6 boxes in and I ran out of power. I'm sweaty. I'm tired. My back hurts. And I was just packing books and I said, I got to take a break Jenn. I'm done for Saturday like that did me in. I'm done. I don't know if we're going to make it stop laughing. It's not that funny.

The father gives of the spirits power that you would be strengthened with the power of the Holy Spirit. Inner being and noticed, he says, it's in your inner being it's not an external power source, according to the New Covenant, When You Believe In Jesus, the spirit dwells in you. So this is in your inner being in your soul is like a, a well springing up within our soul. This is not like external spiritual injections of power. This is not nitrous oxide on a on a little tiny car engine. This is the internal combustion of a of a V8 muscle car that are inherently, has more power that's for you, jack. Yeah, you got to go to thumbs up on that.

Back Paul tells the Corinthians 2nd Corinthians 4 verse 16 though. Outwardly we are wasting away yet inwardly and our inner being we're being renewed day by day. This is the reality that the spirit, the ministry of the holy spirit is to minister the father's power in our lives. Paul and prayed this in chapter one, that you would. The eyes of your heart would be enlightened that you would know. That you are the father's inheritance. That he loves you and it. Resurrection power is at work on your behalf, the power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in your life. This is what Paul's praying again and 417. He's praying. That Christ, Jesus May dwell in your hearts through faith. In this word, dwell, in verse 17 is a very strong term in the Greek. It's the idea of Jesus taking up residence in your heart. So as to settle down and be at home,

Again, I Xpression my mind cuz I bought a house this week. We're already making plans to remodel the house to renovate it. It won't feel like a home at 1st, and we're already said that the rental home. We've lived in 4 years, that we've made memories in that we've settled down in that we're leaving.

How much more is this idea that the Lord, Jesus, who is building? He's the head of the church in the father, through the spirit is building the church. To be the house of God, the temple of God, that Jesus would settle down and feel at home in our hearts by faith. That's what Paul saying. But he is in the process of we are his workmanship 2:10 created in Christ Jesus. And Jesus is in the process of turning us into the house of God where he settles down and feels at home. For all eternity, it's going to be true. The people of God in the presence of God forever Christ. Jesus is not only with us, he's in us and he'll never leave us as orphans and the purpose of the father, and giving the sun is to unite us to him. So that were his forever. And we become more and more like Jesus, and the father's image is renewed in us. So, Paul is imagining that this prayer is going to have God's power at work in us so that we would be suitable residence for the Risen Jesus. Incredible. That is an incredible prayer for us.

That would transform Our lives, our church, our community. We need to be praying that God would do this. That he would send Revival in. The people would be delivered from their bondage to sin and slavery in the mess of their lives. And they would become a part of God's kingdom forever. Now, the reason we have riches and power is that Christ, Jesus gives us his identity. Chapter 1 verses 20 to 22 Christ. Has been seated at the right hand of the father and we've been seated in the heavenlies with Christ now, you and I are not currently sitting in heaven, but in identity, we are Meaning we've already been considered raised. We already are considered inheritors of the kingdom of God. We've already been placed at the right hand of God. The Father, the place of ownership in authority over the new Earth. We're seated beside him. 2:6, we rest upon Him. 2:20. He indwells us here in this verse, he's going to fill us in verse 19 and we're going to grow up in him as our head 4:15 now, one of the Church fathers, Saint Patrick of Ireland, you might only know him because of Saint Patrick's day. You should read his confessions. It's one of the two documents we have of Patrick of Ireland will, there was such a movement that came out of Ireland. So when Patrick started sharing, the Gospel of Jesus on the island of Ireland, there were not very many Christians and by the end of his life, the whole island was christianized. And then they began sending missionaries out to Europe, main land, Europe number of years later as a honor of Patrick. There was this prayer that was written. Not by Patrick but in honor of him and it's called The Prayer of Saint Patrick. And here's what it says, Christ. Be with me and within me Christ behind me. And before me beneath me and above me, may your salvation Lord be always ours this day. And forever more. I think about this without the father's riches. His glorious riches on our behalf were poor spiritually, infinitely, poor without the spirits power were helpless and without Christ life were dead. So Paul hear Praise that we would know the father's riches. His glorious riches would strengthen us with the spirits power and Christ would dwell in our hearts by faith, giving us life And then Paul goes on in the prayer. To pray for our reception of that power. So that Christ and so that you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth? And the length, and the height? And the depth to know the love of Christ, that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. The second part of Paul's prayer, is that the church? Is there an emphasis being rooted and established in love? May have power. Now, noticed he's not saying that you don't have this and you need to get this. He said you're already rooted and established in this love. You need to comprehend it. You need to be aware of it. It's not that, we don't have Jesus. If you're a Christian, do you have Jesus and you have the spirit. So it's not like you need to get more. The idea is you have it and you're not aware of it and you need your eyes to be open to see what you already have.

We were going again, I got to use the illustration, I'm starting to pack up things and what do I find things? I weren't wasn't aware. I already had a wow! Look at that book, I have that book. Wow I have two copies of that book. I have three copies that book cuz I bought it three times cuz I didn't think I had it.

That's what Paul's getting at here. Is you have Jesus, you have the spirit, if you're a Christian, if you put Faith, you have it. You need to be aware of this. You've been rooted and grounded in love. Now, May you have strength to comprehend. You see the difference? It's not that you would get more. It's not spiritual push-ups. Right? You just need to build up those spiritual muscles. It's no, you need to comprehend what's already? True. And it's not just you, it's all the saints. What is the breadth and length and height and depth to know the love of Christ. It's for a specific purpose to comprehend to grasp to understand it. Instinctually not merely intellectually. And I know it is I'm like a broken record with this but it's so important the way, you know, you comprehend. This Instinct really is when you're pressed by the cares of life and you're tempted by sin, you run to the father rather than running from him, you run to the people of God to help you rather than running away and thinking, you can handle it on your own or you got to clean yourself up before you come back to Jesus and all of those things. That's how, you know, you comprehend it.

So what is he say? You need to understand. First house secure God's love is. You are rooted and grounded, in love rooted. What a easy picture to understand a tree that has Deep Roots. And therefore, grows, strong grounded. A building that has a strong foundation and therefore cannot be shaken. I can't imagine Paul in prison, looking out the prison cell window seeing a tree and seeing a building and saying that's a good illustration. Of what we're talking about love is both the soil in which were to be rooted in grow as well as the foundation that were to stand on. You see what he's saying here that don't lose the illustration. That the main point is that you need to be rooted and grounded in love in love, love for God. And love for others. If you're rooted and grounded in in something else, then you're not going to be able to endure. You might be blown over by the cares of Life. The Winds of life you might fall down in the earthquakes of life as it were, Rooted and grounded. We were just up at Yosemite this summer, and we went over to the Sequoia Grove just for a little bit to see him. And I, I love those big trees their enormous. They're just, and these aren't even the biggest ones I've seen. There's some other Groves that are bigger, but you smell the, the loneliness of the soil. You just smell it and I, you love that. I love. That smell out of California. Smell. I'm a California. Boy. That smell is to me the mountains in California. The smell that we should. That should provide us if we're rooted and grounded is love. We should be known and characterized by love. That that it should be so obvious that the that as we are with each other and as were ministering to this community that that what people see and smell as it were, is the the love that we have for one another? And for God,

And then, of course, grounded, you know, our civil code in California seems way over-the-top until an earthquake hit, and then you go yet. There's a reason, the rebar has to be 6 in thick. I know that's excessive 6in is not. I was exaggerating its effect.

It's the same way in our relationship with Jesus were rooted and grounded in. Love, you remember, when you came to Jesus, what was it? They captured you. It was his love for you. It was the thought that wow, the God of this Earth. The one who made the heavens and the Earth loves me. He knows everything about me, he knows what I've done. He knows my past, he knows my sin and he loves me and he forgives me. He wants me to be a part of his family.

This is what I was praying. We would remember that would love by God. That you would know how high and wide and deep and long, it is. No, he says understand strength to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length than height and depth to know the love of Christ? But then he says it surpasses knowledge. Like she thinks Paul, I'm supposed to know this but actually it surpasses knowledge is infinite. Why does he say this? Well the phrase is a poetic way for him to express the the comprehensive comprehensive Eternal infinite nature of God's love in Christ. In other words it can't be measured but you can desire to know it more and more. In fact all of eternity we're going to grow in our knowledge of God's love for us.

God's love is infinite and a measurable. I heard a story about a a prison that was found by Napoleon Bonaparte in his Conquest suit and it would been used by the Spanish Inquisition to imprison Protestant Christians for their faith in Spain. And in one of the cells they found a present her that we had long, been dead but he had left behind a testimony on the wall. He had scratched a rough cross with the four words written Spanish above height below depth with on the left and length on the right testifying of the surpassing love of Christ. Even in his sufferings, in a Spanish prison being persecuted for his face. Now, this is just a poetic way of saying, the immeasurable Love Of Christ, but I want to take a moment and think on these descriptions. Think about the width of God's love. How wide is God's love? Well, I love it that Our God Saves men and women from every nation and tribe and people and tongue. It's as wide as every nation in tribe on the planet. Black white rich, poor slave Friedman. There's no difference. Scripture says Revelation 5. Says that the End of the Age, there will be people from every nation and try them people in tongue worshiping around the throne and all of us are one under the blood of Jesus and other words. It's as wide as the world Ephesians two verse 19, you're no longer strangers, and Aliens. Your fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the household of God, I love it. That is that why? You know why? Two thousand years after Jesus came? We're on the other side of the planet. We, if, if Jesus had only come to save the Jewish people, we on the other side of the planet here in California, would have no hope. And we'd be without God. But it's so wide is to save us.

Think about the length of God's love it, stretches from eternity, past into eternity future and Eternity. Future is hard enough to comprehend. Eternity past will make your brain break. No beginning. My oldest friends, I've known since elementary school and some of them even before since I was 4 years old and my love, for my oldest friends is naturally stronger than my love for my newest friends. I think about your oldest friends. It's nothing compared to the eternal love of God. Paul had said in 1:4 that he the father chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him. And in love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as Sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will He set his affection Upon Us in eternity past. Incredible thought about the height of God's love. It reaches to the heavens. There is a thrill in height, isn't there? I can't even watch the Youtube videos of those crazy people to stand on the top of skyscrapers without any tie offs. Now, when I worked at the oil refinery, there was a thrill in climbing the highest Towers. I even got to go here in Benicia to the top of the South flare. When we put a new Flair head-on, I had to go up in the crane. Whoa. One-time. Never again. Even more thrilling, I would argue is climbing, Half Dome, in Yosemite. I've done it twice and you get to those cables at the top and you go out one, mistake and downward, we fall. But even if you could outdo everyone and say, I walked on the moon, God's love, is higher. Still than that. In fact, he says in 2:6, he's going to raise us up and see us in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That's how hot God's love is, and the depth of God's love. Think about how far he descended to save us. Ephesians 38, it's as deep as hell. Paul to meet, on the very least of all the saints. This Grace was given to preach to the Gentiles, The unsearchable Riches of Christ. Didn't know. This is just a metaphor, it's not meant to be taken. So, wouldn't lie literal that there's measurements to God's love nopales. Just simply saying, meditate on how great an infinite's God's love for you is in Jesus and when you do, you'll be filled with power power to get up in the morning and praise His name, power to get up in the morning and say notice in power to get up in the morning and to suffer patiently, waiting for His mercy and kindness to be poured out on you. That his piece would guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. And that's what we need, isn't it? I think of April Thompson that we've been praying for, she had gotten out of the hospital and was put into a care clinic in Napa this week, but had to be rushed back yesterday to the hospital. Really, really, actually work, we need to pray for. I'm going to pray for her after the sermon, but she didn't give her medication for 24 hours or hurt. Her heart rate went up in her asthma kicked in again and and she's now in the ER at Kaiser again. And so we need to be continuing to pray for April.

What will give you an endurance to trust the father to, to pray to him to to to, to believe that he is good and does good. To know, and meditate and grasp and comprehend his love for you. That's it. To grow in your understanding of the knowledge of God's love for you and Jesus will give you the strength in your life to stand up under any pressure under any trials to say no to any sin to love people who are unlovable your enemies. at work at your, you know, to to to trust the father when you can't pay the bills when when you don't know where the next paycheck is, going to come from to trust that he loves you and he's going to provide And when he does that, you would praise him and you would love him. Well then he says here at the end so you would know the love of Christ that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. What is the result of all of this knowing and verse 19? that you're filled with all the fullness of God, which is an incredibly

hard things to think about and understand. We are finite creatures human beings. Yes. Were made in the image of God, but how could we be filled with all the fullness of God? On this is where our American individualism leads us astray. He's not talking about you and I individually being filled with all the fullness of God. Remember the illustration he's been talking about since 2:30, the place, where God's glory dwells and the holy spirit's going to be made if he's going to make it in 2:22 in him. You also are being built together into a dwelling place for God, by the spirit. We just heard in 3:17, that Christ is going to dwell in your hearts through faith. And now he says that when you understand the love of God in Christ, you all is the temple. Is the church are filled with all the fullness of God. That doesn't mean that you and I become God. That means that if people want to meet God on this Earth, they no longer go to Jerusalem and the old Temple, they now come to us and they see God in us. And what of God they see in us. That's on display the most according to this passage is the love of God. The love of God. I love that defies comprehension. How is it that you could love that person? How is it that you could forgive? How is it that you could reconcile and restore relationships that seem completely broken? How is it that marriages that are falling apart could be restored. How is it that enemies could be made. Friends. Only the love of God can do it only. Until he says grow in This Love Of Christ, which sir passes knowledge, the love of God is greater than the dimensions of our knowing my kids growing up. We used to have this little back and forth when they were in bed at night and I would say I love you and they would say I love you more than I would say. I love you the mostest and then they would say I love you to the moon and then I would say, I love you to the moon and back and then we would do. They would just go on and on and keep adding sentences. Does the creativity of a child's mind grows and grows. This is the ideas that we tend to measure the love of God based on our experience. And we add love when we're blast and we subtract love in our difficulties. But Paul here says the love of God surpasses knowledge. So we shouldn't measure it based on our circumstances, but rather on the character, Of God in the character of God. This is why Paul then goes in verses, 20 and 21 and says a final word of Praise. Now to him, who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. According to the power at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations. You know what this means, if he's able to do far more abundantly above all, we ask or think you can't ask her think too much of God. Cuz he's able to do about abundantly beyond all that we ask or think it's not are asking that he's answering. Not even are thinking he's able to do exceedingly. Abundantly above all of that. By the way, Paul invented a word in the Greek, ask Jason after church. He's in he's he's the Greek expert. Now he's two years of Greek. You ask Jason.

It doesn't have anything to do with us, of course, right? Because back in verse 16, he says it's the riches of his grace. Now, this should give you purpose in prayer. This should change how you pray for your loved ones. It should change how you pray for yourself. It will affect how you tell others about Jesus, because the one who hears your prayers is the one who's able to do, far more abundantly above, all you can ask or think,

If Paul had said God is able to do all you ask or think you would say amen. That's a comfort. If Paul's best know what he says, right? If Paul said God is able to do more than you can ask or think you'd say, Amen. Paul decides to make up a word by adding a bunch of prepositions to the front of this word and saying, God is able to do exceedingly. Abundantly above all you can ask or think. and it's According to the power at work within us, which is the holy spirit. Not us. The things you want to accomplish for the glory of Christ in your wildest imaginations. He's able to do those things. He's able to do far more abundantly above and beyond those things. He's generous, he's a generous, father, he's a good father. He's The Giver of every good and perfect gift.

so Paul says, because this is who he is, Because this is what he does. He loves us and he brings us into his family. What he deserves verse 21 is Glory. Glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. You see, we naturally want to glorify our own selves, don't we? We want to put our name in lights. We want to talk about what we've done our accomplishments. Were even taught to do it. We get jobs that way. We fill out resumes or if you're really fancy CVS. Curriculum vitae in Latin. And you talk about all the letters behind your name and what you're qualified to do.

Man is like a flickering little candle next to God, who is the blazing sun of his own Sovereign Glory? But the father, he wants to glorify his son and the son wants to glorify the father in the spirit wants to glorify the father and son in the father. Wants to glorify the Sun and Spirits in this Mutual glorification of our Triune. God demonstrates to us. The, what is? Are due to the father and to the son and to the spirit is to give him glory. with our lips, with our lives, with everything that we are in everything that we do,

God is going to glorify himself in the church. She's going to glorify himself here at Trinity Church in Benicia and he's going to do it forever and ever. And there's never a moment that the glory is not do him. There's, there's never a moment that when he does far more abundantly above all, we can ask or think in our lives that we should say, I deserve the glory know, God deserves the glory. In our moments of success, he's able and our failures. He's Able in our greatest fears, He's Able in the challenge ahead is too great. He's able. And what's amazing is the father says, oh, I know that I deserve the glory, but you know what? I'm going to let you share in the glory. I'm going to raise you up into the heavenlies and seat you with Christ. And Christ is going to be settled down and feel at home in your hearts, dwell in your hearts. By faith in the spirit, is taking up residence in your heart so that you're the temple of God. And so you're going to participate in the glory as well and I'm going to participate in the glory as well. This is the power of God at work in us. It's our mission to go out and make disciples of the Nations to tell people of this good news. And we should just say, Lord, don't pass Us by

but when we think about this love of God for us, As we meditate on it. I would use the word Revel in it, joy in it. Marinating it, I don't know. That's, I must be hungry for lunch.

As you Revel in the love of God in Christ this afternoon. As you ponder it as you let it Captivate and capture your mind. Isn't this why we sing could, we would think the ocean, fill in where the Skies of parchment made where every man on earth a quill, and I mean every stock on Earth and quill, and every man described by trade to write the love of God, above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain, the whole those stretch from Sky to Sky. I love of God. How rich and pure? How measureless and strong. It shall forever more endure, the Saints and Angels song. Will you, you've been loved? You've Been Loved with an infinite eternal, love by the father in Christ. And it's been made real to your hearts through the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. May you, and I have the eyes of our hearts, enlightened to comprehend and grasp. This love today, don't you need it? I need it today. You need it today. This is the most important message you could hear today, is that the father loves you? And that his son is for you. His life is in you, he's settled down and made himself at home in your hearts by faith. And that the spirit isn't dwelling you, and giving you the father's power out of the riches of his glory. So that you would be strengthened that you would be able to say notice in, and you wouldn't be able to glorify God and you would be able to endure Temptation, and you would be able to stand up on their suffering, knew you would be patient in prayer. That you would rest enjoying peace in the father is Sovereign Loving Care. Father, thank you for this time. Would you do a work in us? Would you open our eyes to see this reality in a greater way? Use your passage before us today in Ephesians 3 to encourage our hearts and even as we respond now in communion and singing May It Be The Glory that do your name, maybe a Heart of Worship to ascribe to you, the glory that do you? I pray this in Jesus name, amen.