Sermon Tone Analysis

- Releasing our fears, worries, anxieties, concerns and resting in the power and love of God.

- (emphasis on God’s power)

- (emphasis on God’s love)

- Certainly the Ephesians had reason for concern and even fear, and the apostle Paul himself is in prison while writing these prayers.

There is so much in these 2 prayers that we don’t have time to cover, but may I suggest a simple focus this morning that the heart of both of these prayers is that Paul wanted them to know and to experience the depths of God’s power toward them and God’s love for them in greater measure, because he knew everything else in life would flow from the security of resting in the love of God.

- How many first and second years do I have in this room?

First year teaching like running from the Indiana Jones ball and trying to not get run over.

Over the summer I sensed the Lord saying to me that I can do life and teaching either running on adrenaline (fear) or resting in abundance (love).

- prayer talks about knowing the depths of God’s love is what fills us to all the measure of the fullness of Christ.

I don’t know about you, but I want to teach and do life from a place of overflow of God’s love, from receiving his love, resting in his love, and releasing his love to my students, and not from stressing, striving, performing and running on adrenaline only.

- Write some things that could cause you stress fear, anxiety.

– Perfect love casts out fear.

(I will write mine on the whiteboard).

Now draw a heart around all of those things to remember that all of these concerns are within the love of God.

His love is high enough and wide enough and deep enough and long enough for all of them.

On the outside of the heart is where fear, stress and anxiety live, and if we’re not careful, we can view our challenges and concerns as not resting within the love of God.

We talk about Christ living in us, which is true, but we often forget that we are in Christ, in His perfect love.

- This is I think partly why Paul prays that the eyes of their heart might be enlightened.

– surpassing greatness of his power.

– greatness of his love.

We can give into fear when we lose hope or perspective on either the greatness of God’s power toward us or the greatness of his love for us, and so we give into stress or anxiety.

- As academics and intellectuals we might be more tempted to look at life through the eyes of our minds primarily, which focuses on facts, which in and of themselves can give way to fear.

The eyes of our heart do not deny the facts but they bring them into submission of God’s truth.

Truth is always greater than facts.

- Now close your eyes and picture yourself handing those things to the Lord.

Picture him holding those things and taking them out of your hands.

And now, picture Him enfolding you in an enormous divine embrace.

Just rest and receive the Father’s love right now.

- Now turn and share one of those things with a prayer partner next to you.

Perhaps the one that concerns you the most or the one which you feel most comfortable sharing.

If they are too personal of course you can always say “unspoken.”

Now take a minute and pray these Scriptures over one another.