The Love of God

Intro:

Ephesians 3:14–17 NKJV

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Tonight, we will continue our study of [Praying with Paul]. The title of my message is, [The Love of God].

I enjoy reading the Bible. Since 2016, we have made Bible reading important as a congregation. We’ve read through the One Year Bible for six years and this year we are reading through the New Testament.

I am going along with our reading plan, focusing on each chapter and reading the corresponding commentary.

Reading the entire Bible is important.

As it reading each book.

Focusing on each chapter is necessary.

But in this series, we are taking a verse at a time.

Sometimes I think we rush through to get our reading done, and we might miss out on each passage. In addition to reading a chapter or two a day, I am forcing myself to SLOW down and read a few passages and reflect on what God is saying.

That is what we are doing as we Pray with Paul. We’ve studied the entire book of Ephesians in the past. Now, we’re taking every recorded prayer and looking it over in depth.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, as we read this particular passage, Ephesians 3:14-21, we should envision a staircase.

At the top of the staircase is a door. Behind that door is a new level in God, a part of our spiritual maturing process.

We start up the staircase through prayer.

Then we get in God’s presence and He lets us grasp His glory and generously pours out His Spirit.

We take another step and experience the reality that Christ dwells in our hearts— all day every day.

Tonight, we will look at the Love of God.

The world emphasizes love. There are romance novels. Movies of people falling in love. Facebook posts about who people love.

Surprisingly, people seem to fall in and out of love really quick. I remember being a teenager and not understanding how my friend could love this girl for a few weeks or months and then love another girl for a while.

Beyond a romantic love, we use the word love a lot, but it seems that for many love is fickle.

Bekah and I went to a new restaurant in December. We have gone on and on about how much we loved our meal. We couldn’t wait to go back, we just loved it so much.

On Monday we went back and guess what, we’re not as in love with the place as we thought. We throw around the word LOVE.

God is love. Everything He does is based on His love.

We would do well to really pay attention to this part of Paul’s prayer. He began talking about the Love of God.

Let’s look at it in three sections, [Fixed in God’s Love], [Finding God’s Love], and [Full of God’s Love].

1. Fixed in God’s Love

Ephesians 3:17 NKJV

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Notice two words, rooted and grounded. Something happens when someone hears about the love of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross, and accepts Him as their Savior.

Jesus described it this way Matthew 13:23

Matthew 13:23 NKJV

23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Paul sowed seeds of God’s love when he ministered in Ephesus. Now, he prays that the Ephesians will be rooted and grounded in God’s love.

Think of it this way, God wants us to grow in Him. His love is the fertile soil that will enable our Spiritual growth.

It is God’s will that we grow in our relationship with Him. A Christian that is not growing is dying.

Spiritual growth does not mean that life is great and we will never suffer or face difficulties. On the contrary, the enemy attacks followers of Christ.

However, when our lives our fixed in God’s love, and we are rooted and grounded in Him, we realize that ANYTHING we face is fertile soil for God to help us mature in Him.

Some of the hardest seasons in my life have been the times where I experienced God’s love. God used those times to help me grow in Him.

When we are fixed in His love, we are unmoved by the circumstances that surround us.

2. Finding God’s Love

Ephesians 3:18 NKJV

18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—

Though we are fixed in God’s love, it is nearly impossible to fully find the totality of God’s love. Paul shows us that God’s love is boundless.

God’s love is complete, all encompassing, and eternal.

Why?

1 John 4:8 NKJV

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Trying to find out everything we can about God’s love is impossible. God is love. Finding everything out about God’s love is like trying to find out everything we can about God.

Think of the width of God’s love.

His love covers the entire world.

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The length of God’s love.

His love reaches into every area of our lives. And His love will never go away.

Psalm 136:1 NKJV

1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

The depth of God’s love

Romans 5:8 NKJV

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Imagine how deep the Father’s love. While we were sinners, long before we even had a thought about God, He loved us so deeply that He sent His Son.

The height of God’s love

Psalm 103:11 NIV

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

God’s love is boundless, we will never find the end of His love. We are fixed, firmly rooted in God’s love, constantly finding MORE of God’s love.

3. Full of God’s Love

Ephesians 3:19 NKJV

19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

God’s love passes all knowledge, yet He continues to fill us full of His love.

The word fullness means there is nothing lacking between God and us.

God has an unending amount of love. Everything He does flows from His love for us, His:

goodness

mercy

compassion

grace

power

faithfulness

holiness

justice

EVERYTHING is a result of God’s love. And Paul prays that we might have knowledge of HIs life, but also to be filled with the fullness of God.

He explains it this way in Romans 5:5

Romans 5:5 NKJV

5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

And Pentecostals, we speak of being filled with the Holy Spirit. When we say this, we have thoughts of speaking in tongues and walking in God’s power.

I thoroughly believe this, I pray all the time that God will give everyone in our church a desire to pray in tongues and to walk in God’s power.

Being full of the Spirit, also means having an experience with God’s love.

I can say from personal experience, there have been times in God’s presence, as I pray in the Spirit, that I feel an overwhelming sense of His love towards me.

The Spirit makes me full of God’s love. But His love is not JUST for us. If we are full of God’s love, we will be LOVING PEOPLE to others.

God’s love will exude from us.

Pentecostals should be the most loving people around.

1 Corinthians 13:1 NKJV

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

The church in Ephesus began when Paul found twelve men. He taught them, laid his hands on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

Now, Paul prays, God let them be full of you, and let your love be the evidence of the Spirit’s work in their lives!

Close:

Paul prayed that we might be fixed in God’s love, find more of God’s love, and be full of God’s love.

Why is the love of God so important?

What happens if a church decides to operate outside of the love of God?

Revelation 2:2–4 NKJV

2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Jesus spoke directly to the Church at Ephesus:

He complimented them for rejecting evil, persevering and having patience.

They even tested false apostles and exposed them. They worked hard and did not grow weary in their relationship with the Lord.

What was their problem?

They left their first love.

A church can seem to do everything right, but if they lack love, God takes notice.

A Christian can seem to do everything right, but if they lack love, God takes notice.

Why do we need God’s love?

1 John 4:8 NKJV

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

If we do not love, we do not know God. If we know God, we will not love and will love others.

If we do not have God’s love, we are outside of God’s will.

So we must ask ourselves, am I as in love with God as I used to be?

Do I show the love of God to others?

Does God’s love flow from me?