Rooted & Established in Love
Ephesians, A love That surpasses Knowledge • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 27:55
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Good evening River Church!!!
We are looking at teachings from Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus or the book of Ephesians. Tonight, we will look at Paul’s teachings from Ephesians 3 where he talks about being Rooted and Grounded in Love.
This is important because God’s nature is self-sacrificing love.
8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
John says that God is love.
Potato Chip Illustration
This is a bag of Potato Chips… I know… you can’t eat just one. What do you see when you look at this bag?
It’s a bag of chips alright, but it’s also a bag of air. If you said either of those you would be right. It looks full but is it? No. It’s mostly filled with air so that it looks full. It’s actually on partially filled with what it advertises… chips… and the rest of the way filled with air.
This bag is puffed up. It wasn’t full of what was advertised. The Bible says,
… We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
It’s entirely possible for us to be like this bag of chips, puffed up with lots of knowledge about God and the Bible, or puffed up with a lot of personal success and pride. It’s easy to be puffed up but God wants us to be built up with His self-giving love.
Let’s look at our passage for tonight.
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
This is a great piece of scripture. It says that God’s love is so high and wide and deep and long that we can’t fully understand it nor can we explain it with human words.
Instead, God wants to to experience it personally and as a church. Remember, God’s love is not a doctrine to know, it’s something we must experience, and when we do, it will set us free.
So here we go…
1. God’s love is too great to understand.
1. God’s love is too great to understand.
Let’s look at this. While we can’t fully understand it, let’s try to grasp some of it.
How high is God’s love?
How high is God’s love?
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
Just how high are the heavens above the earth? Scientist have said that the height of the universe … that is the height of the known universe from earth… is 46.5 billion light years away. We can’t even wrap our minds around that kind of distance. But that’s how great God’s love is for us.
How wide is God’s love?
How wide is God’s love?
1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
How wide are God’s arms that bring salvation? wider than mine… No one is outside the reach of God’s arms. No one, anywhere or any time has been beyond the reach of the nail pierced arms of Jesus on the cross who saves and heals us.
How deep is God’s love?
How deep is God’s love?
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.
God’s love reaches down into the abyss… or hell. No matter how low we go, God’s love will reach us. At our lowest points, we are not beneath God’s love.
How long is God’s love?
How long is God’s love?
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
In this Psalm the phrase endures forever is used 26 times.
God’s love endures forever. It never stops. It’s not temporary and it’s not limited. It does not end when you die. Death does not cancel His love. His love endures forever. That’s how long God’s love is.
It sounds to good to be true doesn’t it?
AW Tozer once said,
We cannot imagine him more wonderful than he actually is.
Anytime we tink something is to good to be true about God, It’s actually better than that.
Brennan Manning said,
If you took the love of all the best mothers and fathers who ever lived — all the goodness, kindness, patience, fidelity, wisdom, tenderness, strength, and love — and united all those virtues into one person, that person would only be a faint shadow of the love and mercy God has for you and me.
God’s love is high and wide and deep and long and we cannot understand it in our finite minds and thinking. But we are still to be rooted and established in it as a church, as a family, and in our friendships.
2. We are to be rooted in God’s Self-Giving Love
2. We are to be rooted in God’s Self-Giving Love
Now, it’s is possible for us to be rooted in something other than God’s love. If we are not rooted in God’s love, we will be rooted in something else… most likely things that distract us from our true mission and purpose. We will be puffed up, but not built up.
Here are some pitfalls many churches and Christians fall into.
We can be rooted in tradition and ritual.
We can be rooted in doctrine and theology.
We can be rooted in programs and activities.
We could be rooted in leadership and authority.
We could be rooted in moralism and legalism.
We could be rooted in political activism.
We could be rooted in fear and control.
The Bible teaches that we can be rooted in good things, but if we lack the love of God, ultimately we gain nothing.
Paul wrote, 1 CO 13:1-3
1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
IOW,
If we uphold all the traditions and rituals but miss the love of God, we are just following empty routines.
If we have perfect doctrine and theology, and understand all mysteries of the faith, but are not rooted in love, we become arrogant and divisive.
If we have wonderful programs and activities, but not love, we are merely busy without true connection.
If we are influential in politics, but not rooted in love, we alienate and exclude those who are different.
If we operate out of fear and control, but not the love of God, we create anxiety and mistrust.
Without love, all these efforts amount to nothing. If we are rooted in anything other than love we will be puffed up rather than built up.
On the other hand…
If we are rooted and established in love, our traditions and rituals becoming meaningful expressions of our faith.
If we are rooted in the love of God, our doctrine and theology bring us together in understanding and compassion.
If we are rooted in love, our programs and activities build deep, lasting relationships.
If we are rooted in love, our involvement in politics and society fosters unity and justice without lobbing false accusations at the other side.
There is no fear in love! If we are rooted in love, our entire church will thrive in an atmosphere of freedom and peace.
When we are rooted and established in love, we reap a harvest of true and life-giving connections with one another and with God himself. This is what a church looks like when it’s built up in the love of God.
3. If I’m rooted in love, then love is what I draw upon.
3. If I’m rooted in love, then love is what I draw upon.
A tree has roots that go deep into the ground to find the nourishment it needs to grow strong and healthy. Just like that tree, we need something to sustain us and help us grow. Our nourishment comes from the love of God. When we are deeply rooted in God’s love, we draw upon his love for strength and guidance.
When we are rooted in love our first response is to act with love.
When we are rooted in love our first response is to act with love.
Does that sound impossible or unrealistic? It’s easier said than done.
Whenever you face a challenging situation in your life, things like conflict at work, a fight with a spouse, financial strain, betrayal by a friend, etc., your first response can always be an act of love.
Notice I said our first response, not our first feeling! You are NOT RESPONSIBLE for your first feeling or your first thought in any given situation. We often respond involuntarily with anger, insecurity, fear, etc. You are not responsible for your first feeling or your first thought about difficult situations and difficult people.
You are responsible for your second thought and your first action. You’re responsible for your response to any given situation because your response is what you control. You can control your second thought and your first action, which when rooted in God’s love can always be a loving response.
Maybe you have an argument with your spouse.
Your first thought and feeling are… you feel hurt, and act defensive and think that you are misunderstood.
Second thought - Instead of lashing out, you decide to to speak kindly and listen actively… working together towards a resolution.
Having a loving response is not unrealistic. It’s actually part of the way God’s love changes us. We root ourselves deeply in God and in his love, then when when life happens we have all of God and his resources to draw upon in our responses.
God does immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
God does immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
This means that god can do things in us and for us that blow our minds.
If you can ask for it or imagine it, God can exceed it. God doesn’t answer our prayers reluctantly, he answers our prayers generously… wanting to give you as much of himself that you are willing to receive by faith.
He wants to give you more than you can imagine. Ephesians 3:21 “Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
God likes to over deliver for His people.
God likes to over deliver for His people.
How does God like to give? Jesus taught in Luke Luke 6:38
38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
The imagery here os from an ancient farming practice and refers to the way grain was measured. When grain was measured out, a generous portion would be given by ensuring that the container was filled to capacity. It was filled-up and not puffed-up like our present-day bags of chips!
A good measure - More than the bare minimum, showing abundance and generosity.
Pressed down - This means the grain is not just loosely poured into the container, but is pressed down to make room for more. This guarantees that the measure is full, without gaps, symbolizing fullness and completeness.
Shaken together - Shaking the container allowed the grain to settle, making room for more grain. This emphasizes that the measure is not only full but compacted to hold even more.
Running over - This means an overflowing abundance, more than what the container can hold, indicating generosity and blessing.
This is how god loves to give. He loves to give us immeasurably more than we would even think to ask for. When we are rooted in love, we receive abundance from Him.
Conclusion -
Just like this bag of chips appeared full but was mostly air, we can appear full but be empty if we’re not rooted in God's love.
Being puffed up with knowledge, traditions, or activities means nothing without the substance of love. God’s love is high, wide, long, and deep—it surpasses knowledge and fills us completely.
When we root ourselves deeply in this love, our second thought and first action can always be loving, even in challenging situations.
Together, let’s build our church, our families, and our businesses and our lives on this enduring, immeasurable love, allowing God to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
Prayer time…
Next week Speaking Truth Bombs. June 4
Main idea: If we want to become mature in the faith individually and also as a community of believers, we must practice speaking the truth in love to one another. Speaking honestly with gentleness and kindness is one of the best ways we can encounter the love of God through one another. This is the way to live a life worthy of the calling we have received
