1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,640 Good morning everyone. How are we doing this morning? 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,560 I'm kind of like, how tall am I? We haven't met. 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:09,760 My name is Mandy. I'm on staff here at the Garden 4 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:13,160 Church and I have the honor of sharing God's word this morning. 5 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:17,560 So I'm like kind of stoked. I feel like I don't know if 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:19,600 y'all ever do like public speaking or teaching. 7 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:21,360 I was like, sometimes I feel nervous, sometimes I feel 8 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,840 differently. I really love this passage and 9 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:25,760 I'm really excited to share it with all of you. 10 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:29,800 As Cal mentioned, we're currently in a sermon series on 11 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,200 Ephesians, which is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to 12 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,880 the church in the ancient city of Ephesus. 13 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:39,160 Does it ever, I don't know how familiar you are with the New 14 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:42,680 Testament, but does it ever strike you as interesting that 15 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,200 so much of the New Testament is letters? 16 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,280 Like, I mean, when was the last time that you wrote a letter, 17 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,160 like, sat down with pen and paper and like, painstakingly 18 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:55,160 spelled out your thoughts or like, bought a stamp? 19 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,240 Maybe a teacher made you do it at some point. 20 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,160 But these days, most of us don't write letters, especially not 21 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,879 letters that are long enough to divide into 6 chapters. 22 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,400 But I really love that the New Testament is filled with letters 23 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,880 as opposed to like, you know, you know, practical manuals or 24 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,960 maybe like philosophical treatises because letters are 25 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:18,560 personal. They imply a relationship 26 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,880 between people and kind of an intention to impact or connect 27 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:24,040 with the reader. And I love that this is part of 28 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:28,240 how God teaches us about himself and what it means to live a life 29 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,040 of faith. Like, he speaks through the 30 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,360 problems and the struggles and the challenges of real people, 31 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,920 the early church, like real people who are also trying to 32 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,640 follow Jesus. So today as we dive into the 33 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,520 letter to the Ephesians, I really want us to receive this 34 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:47,320 word, not as like Paul's doctoral dissertation about like 35 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:51,240 Christian spirituality, but as a conversation and, you know, 36 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,640 conversation with a seasoned Christian leader who fervently 37 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,160 wants us to know the love of God for us and to be completely 38 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,840 changed by it. So that's the invitation before 39 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:03,000 us today. So before we kind of get into 40 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,440 the nitty gritty, let me just take a moment to pray for us and 41 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,400 to ask God to meet us through his word. 42 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,520 Lord God, I thank you so much for again, just the way that you 43 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,640 reveal yourself to us. Lord, the way that you just 44 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:21,360 generously give us insight into who you are, insight into like 45 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,600 what it looks like to walk in faith inside into the challenges 46 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,360 that others have faced inside to questions that maybe are similar 47 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,240 to questions that we have. God, we just thank you for this 48 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:32,080 gift. And I want to pray this morning 49 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,600 especially that our hearts would be open to receive what you want 50 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:38,960 to say this morning, especially that our hearts would be open to 51 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,720 receive just the message of the depth of your love for us guide. 52 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:47,240 I pray that today that that word, that word that you love us 53 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:52,680 would not feel shallow or insufficient or too familiar or 54 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,880 small in some way. We pray that you would expand 55 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,920 our view of what it means to have a God who loves us. 56 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,360 We pray that we would discover through your word that that your 57 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,960 love speaks into the specific place that we find ourselves in 58 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:11,000 this morning, the challenges we face, the reason maybe we felt 59 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:15,000 stuck or empty or frustrated or overwhelmed or exhausted or 60 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:16,840 wherever we're coming in this morning. 61 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:20,680 We pray that your love would meet us there and that just as 62 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:24,240 as Paul prays so enthusiastically here, that that 63 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:25,640 we would be changed by your love. 64 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,000 Holy Spirit, speak to us, be present with us this morning. 65 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,600 We pray all those things in Jesus name, Amen. 66 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:34,720 Amen. So if you haven't been around 67 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,640 the last couple of weeks, we've been in Ephesians one and two, 68 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,160 and just kind of a quick overview of what we've learned 69 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:42,680 so far. In chapter 1, Paul kind of just 70 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,400 like talks at length about the amazing gifts that God has given 71 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,000 to his people. So he talks about how God has 72 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,880 blessed us with every spiritual blessing and because of his 73 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,000 love, he has adopted us into his family. 74 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:58,200 And through Jesus he has given us redemption, forgiveness, and 75 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,160 a beautiful inheritance, all of which we receive as a free gift 76 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,360 or as the Bible likes to call it, grace. 77 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:07,880 And then chapter 2, we learn that the Ephesians are Gentiles, 78 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,800 which means they're non Jews. And it appears that the Gentile 79 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,240 Christians are experiencing kind of some insecurity about whether 80 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,079 they were fully received by God if they had done enough to be 81 00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:22,040 accepted into God's family. And Paul just unequivocally 82 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:24,160 reassures them that their faith is enough. 83 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,320 Even though they were once separated from God, walking and 84 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,400 sin and rebellion, they had now received God's mercy and 85 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:32,440 forgiveness. They've been brought near to 86 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,160 God, and not because of their own merit, but because of God's 87 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,000 extravagant kindness. So at the center of the letter, 88 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,320 there's kind of this sense of assurance, like Paul's 89 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:42,520 reassuring the Ephesian Christians that because of their 90 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,960 faith they've become God's people and received God's 91 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:46,400 promise. And that this is not a 92 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,640 hypothetical or like a conditional agreement. 93 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:51,680 This is an unshakable reality that is meant to shape how the 94 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,880 Ephesians see themselves. So this is kind of what all this 95 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:59,160 seemingly like dense theology in Ephesians is actually about. 96 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,600 It's an encouragement to these new Christians that they are a 97 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:05,000 part of God's family, and it's an invitation to let that truth 98 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,440 form the core of their identity. So now we read chapter 3, which 99 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:12,120 is kind of where Paul puts a cap on all of these sentiments by 100 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,280 just lifting up this beautiful prayer for the church. 101 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,000 And did you pick up on that, that these verses, that this 102 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,160 passage today is really just a prayer? 103 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,160 And it's an impassioned prayer like Bible commentators note 104 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:28,400 that Paul's even his opening is significant when he says, for 105 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,000 this reason, I bow my knees before the Father. 106 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,680 Because for Jews and for early Christians, the more common 107 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:36,280 practice was to pray standing up. 108 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,480 So kneeling was kind of a posture you would take before a 109 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,520 Lord or a king, or if you were kind of pleading for a request 110 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:44,800 to be granted. It implies kind of this depth of 111 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:46,920 feeling and urgent sense of need. 112 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:51,800 So what is this like emphatic, urgent prayer that Paul has? 113 00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:55,960 He prays for three things on behalf of the church, power, 114 00:05:56,840 --> 00:06:00,800 knowledge, and fullness. And these are like these kind of 115 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,400 three spokes. And at the center, the hub of 116 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:08,360 it, is God's love. So power, knowledge, and 117 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:10,760 fullness. And these are our kind of three 118 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,280 focal points today. And basically we're just asking 119 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:15,760 like, how do they relate to God's love? 120 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,320 And why is Paul insistent that the church desperately needs 121 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,400 them? So first, Paul prays for the 122 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:26,240 church to receive power. He asked that according to the 123 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:28,960 riches of God's glory, he may grant the church to be 124 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:32,640 strengthened with power through God's Holy Spirit and our inner 125 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,840 beings. I'm curious, how often have you 126 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:40,120 asked for power, prayed for power, like for yourself or for 127 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:42,400 your community? And power's kind of a tricky 128 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,760 word, isn't it? Like for some of us, it might 129 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:47,360 feel like a positive word. Maybe we felt kind of weak or 130 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,400 unsure of ourselves, and we would love to feel empowered by 131 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:53,320 God's Spirit. But power might also feel like a 132 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:57,480 dangerous word because of the many, many examples of abuse of 133 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:00,960 power that we see in our world. And history makes it clear that 134 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,360 humans struggle to hold power well. 135 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,640 Like those that seek power often seem like they like the feeling 136 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,920 of being big or even invincible, but to feel big, they need 137 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,440 someone else to feel small. But could that be the type of 138 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:15,040 power that Paul is talking about? 139 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:17,360 Or does he have something else in mind? 140 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:21,000 Well, when it comes to power, I think like an important question 141 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,520 is power for what? Like power used towards what 142 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:26,640 end? Because I, I think of power like 143 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,040 I think of fire. It's a fire could be used for 144 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,080 good. Like it could be used for warmth 145 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:33,400 and nourishment and creativity. There's some things that you 146 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:35,440 make where you need fire to create that. 147 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,440 Or it could be used for evil, for harm and destruction. 148 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:44,120 Like if I owned a flamethrower, I don't and I probably would 149 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:45,800 never buy one. But let's like say I was 150 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,160 bequeathed A flamethrower. Like I was given this greatly 151 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:51,040 prized ancestral flamethrower that I couldn't say no thank you 152 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,200 to. Like, I wouldn't just let any 153 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:55,520 random person off the street borrow it. 154 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,200 And if someone did want to borrow it, I would ask, well, 155 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,360 what do you want to use it for? Like, what's the vibe here? 156 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,800 And so we asked similarly, like, what to what end is Paul praying 157 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:07,840 for power like within the church? 158 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:12,120 Well, this is the purpose that he names, so that Christ may 159 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,800 dwell in your hearts through faith. 160 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:17,640 That's kind of like a surprise ending, right? 161 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,760 So Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. 162 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:27,760 We apparently need supernatural empowerment from God so that our 163 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,680 faith would become stronger. And as our faith becomes 164 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,640 stronger, we'll experience more and more of the evidence of the 165 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,200 life of Christ within us. So what does real power, what 166 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,880 does godly power do in US? It enables Jesus to increasingly 167 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,200 become the foundation and the guiding force in our lives. 168 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:46,640 Because when the Bible refers to our hearts, that's not just 169 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,160 talking about emotions like I like, I feel the peace of Jesus, 170 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:50,560 where I feel loved towards Jesus. 171 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,600 It absolutely includes that. But it is also more than that. 172 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:56,840 The heart represents like the Control Center at the core of 173 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,560 our being, the seat of our thinking and our feeling and our 174 00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:02,040 willing. And Paul is earnestly praying 175 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:06,240 that our faith in Jesus would basically reprogram, like our 176 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,800 internal GPS, that our desire to follow God and to know God would 177 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,920 determine the direction we're going in and even how we go 178 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,480 about getting there, like how fast we're going and whether we 179 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:16,920 take any pit stops along the way. 180 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,120 And then that GPS metaphor will break down. 181 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:23,600 But you get the picture. So do we understand why we might 182 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,600 need empowerment to live like this? 183 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:30,160 So that the presence of Christ in our hearts would shape what 184 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,880 we think and how we feel and what we pursue in life. 185 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:38,000 Like there's so many competing voices in the world that kind of 186 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,080 push back against this and try to persuade us to find our 187 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:43,440 identity in, in our accomplishments or how much 188 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:46,800 money we make or how we look or how popular we are in social 189 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,720 media or our ability to like influence the world around us. 190 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,200 But when these things take up residence in our hearts, meaning 191 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,720 they when they guide our actions and and how we view the world, 192 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:02,200 we become selfish like we have, you know, an image or a 193 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,880 reputation to maintain or a people to impress or accolades 194 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:09,160 to add to our resume. Our hearts and our worlds become 195 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:13,280 smaller and self focused. And there's no room for the kind 196 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:17,200 of expansive compassion and self sacrifice and goodness that 197 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:18,920 Christ wants to develop within us. 198 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:21,440 And throughout his letters, Paul describes kind of this like 199 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,240 spiritual tug of war that is taking place between our selfish 200 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:27,840 motives and what Christ wants to do in our hearts, their opposing 201 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:29,600 ends. And so I just want to say, if 202 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:34,200 you've ever found yourself exhausted just trying to follow 203 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,800 God and maybe do some good in this world, I just want to 204 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:40,720 affirm that from a spiritual perspective that makes complete 205 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,640 logical sense. Like there is a battle happening 206 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:46,800 and it takes strength to resist kind of the siren call of these 207 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:50,120 other sources of identity, like these false gods. 208 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:52,920 Really. So Paul prays that the church 209 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:56,040 would receive strength, that they would be empowered to 210 00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:01,000 confidently and steadfastly rely on Jesus and to build our lives 211 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:03,560 on him. So that's the type of power that 212 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:06,880 Paul is praying for. And secondly, he prays for the 213 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:11,360 church to receive knowledge. Paul prays that you, being 214 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:14,680 rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with 215 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:18,080 all the Saints what is the breadth and length and height 216 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:21,480 and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses 217 00:11:21,560 --> 00:11:24,800 knowledge, which is a beautiful passage. 218 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:27,440 But again, there's kind of like this element of surprise here, 219 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:29,280 right? Paul prays for knowledge. 220 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:32,200 Or, you know, we might say, like understanding comprehension, but 221 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,360 of a different kind than we might expect. 222 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:36,880 Now, if there's any place that knows about the desire for 223 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:40,480 knowledge, it's Boston. The city runs on the pursuit of 224 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:42,920 knowledge. But the end goal here is not to, 225 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:45,640 you know, earn another PhD or come up with the next 226 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:48,320 technological breakthrough or even win trivia night at your 227 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,560 local brewery. Like what Paul is yearning for 228 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:55,760 is that the church would have a greater knowledge of God's love. 229 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,720 Now, if we thought that power was a tricky word, love might 230 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:02,560 just outdo it. Like in modern America, we throw 231 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:06,040 the word love around like really freely, really frequently. 232 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:09,760 And I'm totally guilty of that. Like I've definitely on multiple 233 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:13,600 occasions said, I love Trader Joe's chili and lime flavored 234 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:16,760 rolled corn tortilla chips. They are my favorite snack. 235 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:20,440 So if I was to say to someone that I care about, you know, you 236 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:24,760 are so important in my life, you are like the human version of 237 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:27,360 Trader Joe's chili and lime flavored rolled corn tortilla 238 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,360 chips to me. I mean, if the person knows me, 239 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:31,840 they might take that as a compliment. 240 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:34,720 But this kind of reveals how unhelpful it is that we just 241 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,320 have one word for both of those things, right? 242 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,320 Because as much as I enjoy snacks, all I was really saying 243 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:43,040 is, you know, the snack is so delicious that the joy it gives 244 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,160 me surpasses all other snacks, which is high praise. 245 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:50,680 But that's not the same as telling a person like your 246 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:54,760 existence is meaningful to me. I'm invested in your happiness. 247 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:59,800 Your pain causes me pain, and your joy makes me rejoice too. 248 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:03,200 Like that's a very different definition of love. 249 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:08,080 And in Ephesians, Paul talks effusively about the love of 250 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:11,520 God, which is like our human love, and yet it's completely 251 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:14,640 unlike our love. And Paul uses the Greek word 252 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:16,800 agape when he talks about God's love here. 253 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,280 And an interesting thing that I learned about the word agape is 254 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:22,880 that it wasn't as commonly used before the New Testament was 255 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:24,400 written. Like it was a round, but it 256 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,880 wasn't like as distinctive a term as like Eros romantic love 257 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,240 or Ophelia brotherly love. So when Paul talks about agape, 258 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:35,880 he's actually not primarily relying on a definition of love 259 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,400 that like already existed in the Greco Roman world. 260 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:41,720 He is intentionally choosing a somewhat more neutral word and 261 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:45,840 he's defining it as the love of God as displayed throughout 262 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:48,920 Scripture and in the life and the sacrifice of Jesus. 263 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:53,320 So agape love is actually defined by God's very being in 264 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,960 his relationship with humanity. It's a outward focused love. 265 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:01,280 It encompasses selfless care and and steadfast investment and 266 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:05,080 willing generosity and a deep desire for others good. 267 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:08,760 It's a protective love and a self sacrificial love. 268 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:13,080 It's love is compelled to meet the true needs of the beloved. 269 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:16,200 So as you listen to this, you know, you might start thinking 270 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,280 about like the best examples of love you've seen in your own 271 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,400 life or maybe in stories like in books and movies or throughout 272 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:26,080 history. But even if we were to take like 273 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:30,720 the best possible example of human love, it would pale in 274 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:34,600 comparison. It would be minuscule and 275 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,720 colorless against the the vibrant, dazzling, deathless 276 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,160 love of God. Like it would be like trying to 277 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:46,400 compare like the size of the human heart to the size of the 278 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,120 human heart to like the size of the universe. 279 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:50,720 So let's just try to sketch this picture like really quickly. 280 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:56,440 So the human heart is about 4.7 inches long and 3.5 inches wide. 281 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,000 I looked it up. By comparison, the Earth is 282 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:05,920 around 197,000,000 square miles. And that's just the Earth. 283 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,240 So now we measure that against like say the Milky Way Galaxy, 284 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:12,520 which is about 100,000 light years in diameter, where each 285 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:15,640 light year is equal to 6 trillion miles. 286 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,800 So already we have so many zeros that I can't even keep track 287 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:20,960 anymore. And finally we have the 288 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,800 observable universe, the part we can measure, which according to 289 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,320 NASA is about 93 billion light years long. 290 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:34,800 So consider this framework and then remember, God created the 291 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:40,600 universe and everything in it. He sees and intimately knows 292 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:44,760 every inch, every minute aspect of what's going on in all of 293 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:47,800 creation. So if we take humanity's ability 294 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,320 to love and we try to expand it more and more in an effort to 295 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:56,080 compare it to God's love, we will run out of zeros like it's 296 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,640 not measurable. It it's beyond the observable 297 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:00,720 universe. It stretches past the farthest 298 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:05,320 extent of our imagination. So when we hear this truth that 299 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:11,200 God loves us, don't let that word love like ricochet off of 300 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:14,040 your heart without impact. This is not a small word. 301 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:19,440 This love is so high and deep and long and wide that we can 302 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,240 fully immerse ourselves in it and it will drown out everything 303 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:24,680 else like a protective force field around us. 304 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:27,400 This is a love that is big enough and powerful enough to 305 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,760 reshape the course of history. And if we find ourselves 306 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:33,400 struggling to kind of wrap our heads around the reality of 307 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:37,920 God's love, God did us an immense favor by giving us an 308 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:42,560 image of what His love looks like that is human sized so we 309 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:46,240 could kind of begin to take it in and conceptualize what His 310 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:49,760 love really means. And that image is found in 311 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,800 Jesus. So if we ever begin to doubt 312 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:56,960 God's love and make impact on your heart that it once did, 313 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:00,560 look to Jesus like do what the New Testament writers did. 314 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:03,200 Don't look to the world to define what agape love is. 315 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,920 Look to God himself. Let him show you what is the 316 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:10,000 breadth and length and height and depth of the love of God. 317 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:13,880 So I'm going to ask a question several times. 318 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:17,520 I'm going to invite you to just ponder this question as we 319 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:21,160 consider like what God's love has looked like for real people 320 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:25,200 in real life. The question is, how great is 321 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:29,720 God's love? How great is God's love? 322 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:34,560 God's love? It's so wide that encompasses 323 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:36,760 all of humanity. No matter our race or our 324 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:38,760 culture, no matter our flaws or our failures. 325 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,880 His love stretches outward to envelope us all. 326 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,080 I think of Jesus like healing lepers who were outcasts. 327 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,600 They were diseased and separated from the community. 328 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:51,160 But when they came to Jesus, he was moved with compassion. 329 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:52,840 That's what it says in Mark chapter 1. 330 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,680 When they came to Jesus, he was moved with love to heal them. 331 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:00,040 Or I think of Jesus encounter with a Samaritan woman at the 332 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:03,200 well, another outcast because of her many failed marriages or 333 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:06,600 illicit relationships. How in the face of her emptiness 334 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:10,560 and her spiritual dryness, Jesus meets her and offers her the 335 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:15,000 water of eternal life. So if our understanding of the 336 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:19,000 love of God is not broad enough to meet us in our shame, in our 337 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,840 rejection, in our loneliness, and to offer us healing and hope 338 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:28,680 that our understanding of God's love is still too small, how 339 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:33,480 great is God's love? God's love is so long that no 340 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:36,040 matter how much we've strayed from him, chasing after false 341 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,160 gods, he pursues us. He offers us forgiveness and 342 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,680 restoration. And Jesus compares God's love to 343 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,920 the father of the prodigal son, the son who rejected his family 344 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,120 and and indulged in every sin and basically wrecked his life. 345 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:51,680 But when he sees the foolishness of his ways and he decides to go 346 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:56,640 home, what does his father do? Jesus says that the Father I saw 347 00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:01,000 his Son in the distance and is moved with compassion. 348 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:05,000 He runs to his Son and he embraces him and kisses him and 349 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,960 he rejoices. And that is God's heart, God. 350 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:12,560 It's a God who rejoices the moment we turn back towards him. 351 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:17,240 So if our understanding of the love of God is not long enough 352 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:19,720 that it goes running to meet the Sinner who realizes that he just 353 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,840 wants to come home, if we don't see that the heart of the Father 354 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,960 longs to be reunited with us, that our understanding of God's 355 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:32,800 love is still too small, how great is God's love? 356 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:38,280 God's love is so high that he is incapable of compromising or 357 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:40,800 diminishing his love for us. And this is where we discover 358 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,200 that God is fully loving and also fully holy at the same 359 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:45,800 time. And these are characteristics 360 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:47,480 that do not contradict one another. 361 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:49,320 They they complement one another. 362 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:54,120 Because he is holy, God's love is marked by integrity, purity, 363 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:57,280 righteousness. And because he is loving, God 364 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,040 does not lower his standard of holiness, but he lifts us up to 365 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:04,680 become like Him. He fiercely combats the sin in 366 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,920 our hearts and in our world. And I think of that scene where 367 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:11,480 Jesus goes to the temple and he sees that these greedy money 368 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:14,160 changers are extorting the worshippers who have journeyed 369 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:16,280 there and he chases them out of the temple. 370 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,400 When we read this I think we often are kind of struck by 371 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:22,320 Jesus anger. But do we also notice His love, 372 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,840 like His passion that is so protective of those who had 373 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,960 travelled from afar just to worship God, of those who come 374 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,360 to Him in need and in prayer? Just like the temple, our hearts 375 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:36,200 are meant to be holy spaces for God to inhabit, and He is 376 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:41,240 relentless in cleansing us and renewing us so we can experience 377 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:45,160 His nearness. So if our understanding of the 378 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,480 love of God is not high enough that it makes space for His 379 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:52,960 purifying holiness, then our understanding of God's love is 380 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:58,800 still too small. How great is God's love? 381 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:03,480 God's love is so deep that he knows every part of us. 382 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,880 It's like some he says in Psalm 139. 383 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:11,160 God discerns our thoughts from afar, and even before a word is 384 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:13,560 on our tongues, he knows it all together. 385 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,280 And this could be intimidating because if we're realistic, our 386 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:21,360 thoughts and our and our actions can be selfish, vengeful, 387 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:27,200 lustful, prejudice, unrighteous. But Jesus sees all of this and 388 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:30,440 he still moves towards us. And right before the Last 389 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:34,320 Supper, Jesus knew that one of his disciples would betray him 390 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:36,680 and that the others would scatter out of fear. 391 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,000 And what did he do with that information? 392 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,880 The text says he loved them to the end. 393 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:47,600 He tied a towel around his waist and he knelt down to wash his 394 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:51,400 disciples feet, and they still didn't understand the extent of 395 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,160 his love. And yet Jesus went to the cross 396 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:58,400 for them, for us. And even as people mocked him as 397 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,240 he was dying, Jesus prayed for them. 398 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:05,080 Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 399 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:11,160 So if our understanding of the love of God is not deep enough 400 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,920 that he can see the darkest parts of us and respond with 401 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:19,320 extravagant mercy that our understanding of God's love is 402 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:23,320 still too small. Like are you starting to grasp 403 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:26,880 it? How immeasurably vast God's love 404 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:31,360 is? Can you comprehend the immensity 405 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:35,520 of God's love for you? Now there is a correct answer to 406 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,600 that question. I mean, the answer is no, we 407 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:42,200 can't, because of the love of Christ surpasses knowledge. 408 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:46,400 And that should be profoundly comforting to us, that the love 409 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:49,680 of God is so immense that we can keep searching and searching and 410 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,240 learning and learning and growing in our understanding and 411 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:54,520 and expanding our experiences of God's love. 412 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:56,800 And yet we will never reach the end of it. 413 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:59,840 No matter how many years we live and walk in faith, the love of 414 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:04,200 God will keep surpassing our expectations and surprising us 415 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:07,600 and overwhelming us and shifting our paradigms and taking us 416 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:10,640 deeper and farther and farther into God's goodness and His 417 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:14,080 passion for His people. His love is beautifully 418 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:17,040 unfathomable and beyond human limitations. 419 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:21,760 And that is a glorious thing. Now, the third thing that Paul 420 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:25,040 prays for is that the church would be filled with all the 421 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,920 fullness of God, filled with all the fullness of God. 422 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:33,480 So Paul is, is asking that more and more of this multifaceted 423 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:36,320 love of God would flow into us until our hearts are just like 424 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,160 bursting at the seams. And this is another aspect of 425 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:42,000 faith that I, I always wonder if we like fail to grasp it or or 426 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:47,000 maybe we forget sometimes that we need to continually be filled 427 00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:49,120 by God. Like in Scripture, God often 428 00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:52,440 compares himself to things that nourish us or or fuel us like 429 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,960 he's the bread of life. He's a fount of living water. 430 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,360 He's the vine that feeds into the branches. 431 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,480 How often do we act like the ideal version of ourselves or 432 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,440 like, you know, who we're supposed to try to become is 433 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,120 someone who's totally self-sufficient? 434 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,440 Like that's a value that we hold in high esteem in like modern 435 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:13,600 Western culture. But do we realize that it's 436 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,880 based on a lie? Like we were not designed to be 437 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,240 self-sufficient. We were designed to be God 438 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:22,560 reliant, like if you are a human that is built into your 439 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,080 operational system. Like you need the life of God to 440 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,600 flow into you continually and powerfully for the rest of your 441 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:32,560 existence. God is like a deep well that we 442 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:35,440 can draw from anytime. We're even a little thirsty 443 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:37,880 because his living water will never run dry. 444 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:41,520 He's like the manna from heaven that we can feast on freely 445 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:43,440 without worrying that he won't show up again tomorrow. 446 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:47,360 We are meant to be filled by Him again and again and again. 447 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:50,960 God's fullness is meant to fill us, But I also think that it's 448 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:55,160 meant to stretch us so that we kind of develop the capacity for 449 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,760 even more of God. I remember this conversation I 450 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:00,120 had with a really dear friend, like years ago. 451 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:03,400 We were both just kind of trying to make sense of these really 452 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:05,480 challenging seasons that we were going through. 453 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,960 And I remember my friend said that in her season, she felt 454 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,800 like she was just being stretched, like all the time, 455 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,920 and it was uncomfortable and sometimes painful, and she 456 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:17,120 didn't know how much more of it she could take. 457 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:20,320 And so, you know, I'm like listening to her as I did, 458 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:24,400 suddenly it struck me that what she was describing also actually 459 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:28,520 sounded like growth. Growth, especially significant 460 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:32,320 growth, often feels painful at first because it's stretching us 461 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:35,400 beyond our current capacity. But once we adjust to our new 462 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:38,200 capacity, we discover that through the stretching, we've 463 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,640 come to know God in new ways than we did before. 464 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:43,320 And if I look back at the times when I felt like I was being, 465 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,040 you know, stretched beyond my limits, now I can see that I was 466 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:51,000 actually growing like, you know, God was stretching me by 467 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:56,000 deepening my ability to love, by taking my kind of confronting me 468 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,400 with somebody that I found it difficult to love. 469 00:25:59,120 --> 00:26:02,560 Or he was challenging my trust in Him by taking something away 470 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:04,920 from me and revealing kind of the insufficient things that 471 00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:07,280 I've been relying on and turning to for security. 472 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:10,040 He was expanding my understanding of the ways that 473 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,640 He can meet with people when I experienced boredom or staleness 474 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:16,280 in my devotional life, and it forced me to go searching for 475 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:17,840 different ways to connect with God. 476 00:26:18,360 --> 00:26:20,480 Or he was confronting my defense mechanisms that I used to 477 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:23,560 protect myself when I would see sin and injustice in the world 478 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:25,400 and would be overwhelmed by grief and anger. 479 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:28,920 But He stirred me up by making me uncomfortable in the comfort 480 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,000 zone that I created. So in all of these seasons 481 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,840 where, you know, I felt stretched, God was actually 482 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:38,320 expanding my heart to make room for more of him. 483 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:40,960 And I think that's part of what it means to be filled with the 484 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:45,480 fullness of God. So I just want to encourage you. 485 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:53,080 If you were feeling dry or empty or stirred up or uncomfortable 486 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,520 or like challenged and stretched to the point where it maybe you 487 00:26:56,520 --> 00:27:00,480 feel like you might break, maybe there's something arise that 488 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:02,240 needs fixing, I wouldn't be the one to tell you that. 489 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:08,160 But maybe God is also using this moment to grow your capacity to 490 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:12,480 know him, to know his grace and his goodness and his fierce, 491 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:16,680 relentless, expansive love that is beyond comprehension. 492 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:22,440 So these three things that Paul prays for, power, knowledge, and 493 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:25,480 fullness, are all rooted in the love of God. 494 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:30,040 And Bible commentators point out that in these verses, Paul is 495 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:34,040 speaking in the passive voice, which means that these are not 496 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,160 primarily things that we do or we accomplish. 497 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,120 Like we are recipients and this is God's work. 498 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:43,640 And this is like a such a mysterious part of our faith, 499 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,040 like we're called to be active in many ways, to to work and to 500 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:49,960 labor and prayer and to love others through our words and our 501 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:53,040 actions. And yet the miracle of salvation 502 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:56,280 and transformation that happens within us is the work of the God 503 00:27:56,280 --> 00:28:00,400 who loves us. So finally, Paul ends this 504 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,920 prayer with a doxology. It's a short hymn that lifts up 505 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:08,320 praises to God. And he says now to him who is 506 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:11,920 able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, 507 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,440 according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory 508 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:18,120 and the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all 509 00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:21,000 generations, forever and ever. Amen. 510 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:26,520 I'm so thankful for this truth that God is able to do far more 511 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:29,000 abundantly than all that we ask or think. 512 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:32,360 And this points us back to the immensity of God's love and 513 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:35,040 power working on our behalf. I mean, there's so many times in 514 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:38,480 my life where God has answered a prayer in a way that is so like 515 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:42,280 wise and specific and surprising that it would have never 516 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:45,080 occurred to me that this was exactly what I needed. 517 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:47,360 And like, all glory be to God for that. 518 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:53,160 But to close this today, what I want to do is just rely on the 519 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:58,200 truth of these verses by praying Paul's words over us, over his 520 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,280 church. So I actually listened to a 521 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:02,080 sermon about this passage. I don't always do that, but this 522 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:04,240 one, like, just popped up and I wanted to listen to it. 523 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:07,800 That was by Francis Chan. And he said that if all we do 524 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:11,520 when we read Ephesians 3 is like analyze the theology behind it 525 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:14,800 or like dissect the nuances of the Greek, then we've missed the 526 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,080 point. Because a prayer is meant to be 527 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,880 prayed over the lives and for the good and the growth of God's 528 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,720 church. So this kind of prayer that Paul 529 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:27,600 has, I've kind of rewritten it in my own words as a prayer 530 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:30,440 meant for our church. And I made it longer. 531 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:33,800 Just a warning. But I'd like to pray this over 532 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:37,240 all of us now and just invite you as we transition into a time 533 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:40,400 of worship through song and through reflection, to make this 534 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:44,240 prayer your own and to lift your voices up to the God who hears 535 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:48,600 us. So let me pray for us, Father 536 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:55,560 God, you are the King of all creation, infinite in your power 537 00:29:55,560 --> 00:30:00,480 and mercy, and I come to you. We come to you today, asking and 538 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,880 believing that you can work mightily on behalf of your 539 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:08,240 church and that you want to do miraculous things in the lives 540 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,280 of your people and God. I asked first for the greatest 541 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:14,800 miracle, that we would be made new by your love. 542 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:19,400 I pray that your Holy Spirit would empower each person in 543 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:23,720 this room to receive you. I pray that any identities we're 544 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:26,440 clinging to, anything we've built on the shifting sands of 545 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:30,200 this world would be swept away. And I ask that Christ our rock 546 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:33,040 would become the foundation of all that we are and all that we 547 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:35,480 do. I ask that you alone would take 548 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:40,720 up full residence in our hearts, strengthen our faith, Lord, root 549 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,800 us, and ground us in your love. And God, would you please open 550 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:49,160 our eyes to see more of You. Bring to our minds the moments 551 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:51,520 in our lives when you have revealed Your love to us. 552 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:53,680 Deepen our understanding of Your love. 553 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:57,480 Help us to stand in awe of it the way we stand in awe of a 554 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:01,920 vibrant sunset or a vast Canyon or a night sky blazing with 555 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:04,960 stars. Would we feel the smallness of 556 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:09,240 our love so that we can begin to grasp how wide and long and high 557 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:11,720 and deep Your love for us really is? 558 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:16,240 Where to fill us to the brim with Your love in the places we 559 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:20,280 feel empty, in the places we feel insufficient, and all of 560 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:24,600 our longings and fear and frustration and overwhelm help 561 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,640 us reject the lie of self-sufficiency and instead 562 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:32,360 learn to abide in You. We ask all of this trusting and 563 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:35,560 believing that you hear this prayer and that you were able to 564 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:39,040 do far more than we could possibly ask or imagine. 565 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:42,960 By your power and for your glory, we ask all of this in the 566 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,520 name of Jesus, Amen. Amen.