SPEAKER_05: Get started.
SPEAKER_05: Let's do it.
SPEAKER_08: Mr.
SPEAKER_08: Wonder, would you mind opening us up in prayer?
SPEAKER_08: I would mind.
SPEAKER_06: Pray for us.
SPEAKER_06: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_06: Almighty God, thank you for the Sabbath day to come to fellowship, to worship you.
SPEAKER_06: Held accountable in the faith, and it's by your grace you've given us to us far more than what we deserve.
SPEAKER_06: Thank you for your word.
SPEAKER_06: May your Holy Spirit work through what's said here right now to impart your word, Ephesians, to our hearts.
SPEAKER_06: That it would go into our hearts and minds and not come back void.
SPEAKER_06: And God, we know that your word will not come back and void in our hearts and minds.
SPEAKER_06: Just bless this whole morning, this whole worship service for your glory.
SPEAKER_06: Because we are saved by your glory.
SPEAKER_06: We make everything for your glory.
SPEAKER_06: Amen.
SPEAKER_06: Thank you, Christ.
SPEAKER_08: Well, good deal.
SPEAKER_08: Ephesians 3 this morning.
SPEAKER_08: I was tempted yesterday to get a bunch of stuff.
SPEAKER_08: If you haven't, Mr.
SPEAKER_08: Allen let me know that he works at the Logos bookstore over there in Green Hills.
SPEAKER_08: Who works there?
SPEAKER_08: Alan works there.
SPEAKER_08: And I had never been.
SPEAKER_08: I didn't know there was a bookstore over there.
SPEAKER_08: I could have been broke by the time I walked out of there.
SPEAKER_06: That's the only only bookstore I've ever been to that has some collections of Jonathan Edwards.
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, they're just like Jonathan Edwards.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, there's some.
SPEAKER_08: I first walked in and asked him if he had any Mr.
SPEAKER_08: Smiley Boy down in Texas, but he he said that wasn't the right bookstore.
SPEAKER_00: So this week I'm cleaning out my mom's house, and this week I came across a bag from that store, like from the 80s.
SPEAKER_00: Oh wow.
SPEAKER_00: This is probably a treasure book.
SPEAKER_05: It's been in that bookstore's been in Green Hill since 1972.
SPEAKER_05: Wow.
SPEAKER_05: Different locations, but it's a great bookstore.
SPEAKER_08: So if you're ever if you ever need a good Christian read, yes, hit up Mr.
SPEAKER_08: Allen.
SPEAKER_08: But yeah, they uh been going through Ephesians and we're wrapping it up this morning.
SPEAKER_08: And um as we go through this, I think I think it'd be a good way for us to encourage all of us.
SPEAKER_08: Um there are this this this and this end of the port, this end uh this prayer basically is not basically this this this prayer that Paul gives us.
SPEAKER_08: Um I I'm thinking just about people who I could be praying this for.
SPEAKER_08: Um and so as we go through this this morning, I would I would encourage y'all, if there's anyone in particular that that comes to mind while you're while you're reading this, uh I would encourage you to pray this prayer for them.
SPEAKER_08: Um and it's in great encouragement to the soul.
SPEAKER_08: But um start at 14?
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, we'll start at 14 um to the end of the chapter.
SPEAKER_08: I'll I'll go ahead and read it for us.
SPEAKER_08: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to 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 of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the full with all the fullness of God.
SPEAKER_08: Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we can ask or think, according to the power at work within us.
SPEAKER_08: To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all the generations, forever and ever.
SPEAKER_08: Amen.
SPEAKER_08: Um Thank you, sir.
SPEAKER_08: Um so yeah, it's a great prayer, it's a great section for us to sit and meditate on.
SPEAKER_08: Um and uh he starts out for this reason.
SPEAKER_08: Now, obviously, going back to last week, that reason, of course, is Paul's uh suffering uh on behalf of the Gentiles.
SPEAKER_08: Um and you know, as he says, so I ask it before that in verse 13, so I ask you not to lose heart for over what I'm suffering for you, which is your glory.
SPEAKER_08: So um, and because of that, then now he comes before the Lord in prayer.
SPEAKER_05: Um any any initial things?
SPEAKER_05: He he he started, he was trying to do that in verse one.
SPEAKER_05: For this reason, I Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and then he felt led to to rehearse what he had already been talking about and go into a little bit more detail about his call to be um the apostle to the Gentiles.
SPEAKER_05: So we see that, and going back there, this is all pointing to his desire for us to see that we have access in one spirit to the Father.
SPEAKER_05: So he's drawing that together there, and that's what he rehearsed in chapter 3, 2 through 14, and now he's getting down to his prayer and uh pointing out the things that we need from God to be able to uh live this life according to his power, not our power.
SPEAKER_08: When we get to verse 15, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
SPEAKER_08: You had a good question about that yesterday.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah.
SPEAKER_08: About whether or not that includes angels, I think.
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, well, I think maybe look at it.
SPEAKER_05: Um the word father and the word family are closely related in the Greek patria.
SPEAKER_05: Um, and some I've I've seen where it would be better translated, the father from whom the whole family, the whole family, and having one family, the household of God.
SPEAKER_05: He he uh Paul refers, Peter, Paul refers to, excuse me, Paul refers to us as the household of God at the end of uh chapter two when he talks about the Jew and Gentile brought together.
SPEAKER_05: So, but the question is to um he says the whole family in heaven and on earth.
SPEAKER_05: And this whole time Paul is is trying to redirect our thoughts to the heavenly realms, and he's talking about the heavenly, you know, heaven and earth, and then in in chapter one, and uh, you know, he says that Christ is uniting all things in heaven and all things on earth.
SPEAKER_05: So the question is, just thinking through it, is this whole family of God include all the heavenly beings that are that that are not fallen?
SPEAKER_05: Or is it just the all believers through throughout history, those who are in heaven with the Lord and um those who are here on earth?
SPEAKER_07: Well, sounds like he could make that case.
SPEAKER_06: It says on heaven and on earth.
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
SPEAKER_06: So I think it's God's covenant people throughout history.
unknown: Yeah.
SPEAKER_06: Which be the Old Testament Hebrews and Jews, and then when Christ came, that covenant opened up to the Gentiles, and we're part of that family too.
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05: And there are some places in scripture, bro.
SPEAKER_05: The reason that the question comes up is that he refers to some of the elect angels as sons of God.
SPEAKER_05: And just thinking through that, is that all I I agree with what you said, Don.
SPEAKER_05: It's it's all all believers, including angels.
SPEAKER_06: I I don't know if that would include angels or not.
SPEAKER_09: Uh I guess so, I don't know.
SPEAKER_09: The the Passion translation says the the perfect father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth.
SPEAKER_09: So it doesn't I say that because it said father and child.
SPEAKER_09: Right, right.
SPEAKER_07: I think you could argue against it that angels are individuals, they're not, they don't have families.
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
SPEAKER_07: So you could argue against that.
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, then being a family.
SPEAKER_07: But I don't know.
SPEAKER_05: But when you look at that though, is it looking at each individual family or is it looking at the whole family of God?
SPEAKER_05: Is what is what is he referring to there.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, when you become a Christian, you become a member of the family.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, a household of several families, but of a family.
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
SPEAKER_08: Um but I think that's a good question.
SPEAKER_08: I I I think I I think I agree with the consensus that it's probably just just the covenant family.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah.
SPEAKER_02: Old New Testament.
SPEAKER_02: But yeah.
SPEAKER_02: Um unfortunately we're the ones that divided it up.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
SPEAKER_02: We are.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
SPEAKER_02: That's why I'm an ecumenical.
SPEAKER_02: I'm not a I don't claim any church.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
SPEAKER_08: So this prayer is is really, I think, focused on verses 16, 17, and 18.
SPEAKER_08: 19, 18.
SPEAKER_08: And 19, yeah.
SPEAKER_08: The need of it.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah.
SPEAKER_08: The as we've seen 16, again, this theme, he just keeps hammering it, that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being.
SPEAKER_08: Oh, Caesar.
SPEAKER_08: The joys of youth group.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah.
SPEAKER_08: Um, I'd rather have loud, you know, I agree with Kenny that I'd rather have loud kids than no kids at all.
SPEAKER_08: Sure.
SPEAKER_08: And that's how sometimes in youth group you go, I have to go guys.
SPEAKER_08: It's usually all boys.
SPEAKER_08: What's that?
SPEAKER_09: Maybe we need to get loud.
SPEAKER_08: Well, loud is a little competition.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, usually uh with it all with usually being all boys, uh youth group, it gets a little gets a little rowdy.
SPEAKER_08: Um, but yeah, I think with verse 16, being that you would be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being.
SPEAKER_08: Um what what kind of power here is is he?
SPEAKER_08: Obviously, we know inner being, he's probably he's not talking about necessarily a physical strength per se.
SPEAKER_08: Um or physical power, but is there anything what type of power, how would you describe that power?
SPEAKER_08: What is that what does that look like for the for the for the person on the inner being to be strengthened?
SPEAKER_06: We're strengthened by God through the Holy Spirit in us for the glory of God, yeah, could keep us moving along as Christians.
SPEAKER_06: Right.
SPEAKER_00: I think the power to evangelize and spread the gospel.
SPEAKER_08: Sure.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, the po the power, the ability, the courage, the the to be a defender of defender of the gospel.
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
SPEAKER_05: And that that comes from the benefits too.
SPEAKER_05: I think he's pointing back to um that mystical union uh with us, the believer, and with Christ.
SPEAKER_05: We are in Christ.
SPEAKER_05: And it's the Holy Spirit that that that makes the mystical union with Christ, where we receive the benefits of Christ is through the Spirit joining us, uniting us with Christ.
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and that is part of this inner strengthening of the inner being.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, and that's and verse 17 gives us some light on that, right?
SPEAKER_08: So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that Christ being in us through the Holy Spirit, we now have um the power to um one have faith in him, the power to um share his gospel.
SPEAKER_08: I also think of 12, the power to approach with boldness and confidence um in him.
SPEAKER_08: The um and then and then as we and then 17 continues, that we dwell in your hearts through faith that being rooted and grounded in love, um, love continues to be a a centering point throughout throughout the gospel, as we know.
SPEAKER_08: Um when when I thought of rooted and grounded, is there any other places in scripture that you can think of of that that talk about staying grounded, staying rooted, staying attached to the root or or or anything like that?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus being the vine.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, that's what I was that's what I thought of of of 15, of John 15, right?
SPEAKER_08: When he says, you know, I am the vine, my father is the vine dresser, you are the branches, uh abide in me, and I in you, for apart from me, you can do a little bit.
SPEAKER_08: Oh, sorry, nothing, nothing.
SPEAKER_08: Diddly squat.
SPEAKER_08: Um the and so I think that being rooted in and it then made me think of first John 4.
SPEAKER_08: Being rooted when it talks about being rooted and grounded in love, so that you know that Christ may dwell in us.
SPEAKER_08: Well, John 1 John 4, it says that God is love.
SPEAKER_08: Um and uh there is no evil, there is no malice within him at all.
SPEAKER_05: So um he mixes his metaphors there.
SPEAKER_05: One, rooted is agricultural, and grounded is a building term, yeah, like foundation.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's a foundation.
SPEAKER_05: And then we we can go back to chapter two where we the the house of God is being built on the foundation of the apostles and and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.
SPEAKER_05: So it takes all those thoughts and ideas into and brings them together to help us understand what this this uh where this love is coming from.
SPEAKER_08: And a side note, I just think as I was thinking as I was filing up some just final thoughts and touches last night, you know, I was like, well, this this verse makes me think of here, which also that makes me think of here, that makes me think of here, and it just speaks to I think the beauty of the word of God and how it's like a diamond with different facets you can turn in different colors in the light.
SPEAKER_05: Exactly right.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, draw one in together.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, there's if you I'll uh I'll try and find that once we're done, but there's a really cool picture of like it shows like an arch basically of like um references from other scriptures all throughout the Bible, and it quite literally just looks like a rainbow because it's uh it it's there's just so many references and cross seferences and places you can go.
SPEAKER_08: But they all follow the same message, right?
SPEAKER_08: Well, I I I was told that there are contradictions in the Bible.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but that's you're told that by non-believers.
SPEAKER_08: That's exactly right.
SPEAKER_02: That's exactly right.
SPEAKER_02: Anyone that wants if you're not a Christian and you start reading a Bible, it probably does seem like there's a lot of consequences.
SPEAKER_08: Sure, yeah, if you don't if you don't you know understand the context, right?
SPEAKER_02: Because you're you're not aware of of the things that occurred all the way through history.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, spiritually things are spiritually discerned.
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, but if we're trying to understand God's word properly, if we need the Holy Spirit, yeah.
SPEAKER_06: That brings me to a question.
SPEAKER_06: You folks are familiar with Carl Barth.
SPEAKER_06: Did I heard he believed that the Bible is only the Word of God for those who have the Holy Spirit, but for those who don't, it's not the word of God.
SPEAKER_06: I don't think I'd agree with that.
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
SPEAKER_06: Did did did he believe that?
SPEAKER_08: I from what I know about him, yes.
SPEAKER_08: What I do know the the main thing that I know about him is when I said that I was a Presbyterian at a reform at a Nazarene campus, they said, Oh, so you like Carl Barth?
SPEAKER_08: And they thought they thought the epitome of Presbyterianism was Karl Barth, which I thought was really funny.
SPEAKER_08: Even though he was Swiss.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, he was he was Swiss and uh not in some ways not so orthodox.
SPEAKER_08: Um yeah, I I would disagree with that.
SPEAKER_08: I would too.
SPEAKER_08: And you know, that basically saying that the word of God is only the word of God for those that believe it.
SPEAKER_08: I mean uh sproll sproll has that saying, he mentions a bumper sticker that says, you know, God says it, I believe it, that settles it.
SPEAKER_08: He's like, well, me believing it doesn't matter whether that whether it's true or not, it just should be God says it, that settles it.
SPEAKER_08: You know, yeah, uh, and so it whether believer and whether you believe it or not, it is the truth.
SPEAKER_06: Um we do need the Holy Spirit to help us understand the scripture properly.
SPEAKER_07: Certainly.
SPEAKER_07: And you know, it even says the meaning was hidden from them.
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, yeah, you know, so whatever that's worth.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, what it'd be uh appropriate to say that uh whether I believe it or not does determine whether the word is effectual.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, the word is the word, but whether it's effectual in my life is dependent upon whether I believe it or not.
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
SPEAKER_01: It's still the word.
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, and we know uh uh uh there's an application.
SPEAKER_08: Certainly, yeah.
SPEAKER_08: I think there's some there's a sense in which uh someone who's starch, you know, who's who's staunchly against the Christian faith who reads scripture, it's not really gonna matter to them.
SPEAKER_08: Um but does that change its validity or it no, of course not.
SPEAKER_07: That's where I disagree with Carl Barth's wife.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_08: And uh, but yeah, there's there all throughout scripture, it scripture points to scripture, and um in this text points to so many other texts, but um but ultimately being strengthened by the love of Christ is really Paul's prayer here that we would be strengthened by God's love dwelling in us through his spirit.
SPEAKER_05: Um that strengthened to comprehend stands out because it's not just that we know this, have this knowledge, but this knowledge is to move us, to to change us, to lead to our obedience, to love for God and love for one another.
SPEAKER_05: And that's why it's it's shared.
SPEAKER_05: You know, it says comprehend.
SPEAKER_05: He gives us that we need the strength to be able to comprehend, to grasp, to uh apprehend um all these things, but it's not just for us individually, it's for us as a as a community, all the saints, the whole community.
SPEAKER_02: But it is also for us because it gives us the ability to handle those various ups and downs in your life.
SPEAKER_02: And the thing is is our faith, as we grow, our faith grows.
SPEAKER_02: And that's what this is getting at.
SPEAKER_03: Right.
SPEAKER_02: Really, when when your faith is there, God's gonna, you're running each one of those steps, your faith is gonna get stronger.
SPEAKER_03: Right.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, and it's sometimes it's two steps up, a step back, one step up, three steps back, take a little bit of a tumble.
SPEAKER_02: But in all of the way it'll add up, it's just if you've got the faith, it's gonna go up.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah.
SPEAKER_08: The you brought up, you know, we as you brought up when it says to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, length, height, and depth.
SPEAKER_08: But then we also see verse 19, and to know the love of God or love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.
SPEAKER_08: So there's a I mean, this I guess it's kind of elementary, but how would how would you explain the difference then between comprehension and knowledge in this sense?
SPEAKER_05: it sounds like we he wants us to comprehend it but also he wants us to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge but it also says it's immeasurable sure we will never be able to measure until we get to heaven right this it makes me this when we get to this part it uh the knowledge that surpasses knowledge I think of Romans chapter 12 yeah should we turn there let's look at it what what was that Romans chapter 12 you know it starts off with I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect so he's going on down here and um we see verse 9 let love be genuine abhor what is evil and hold fast to what is good love one another with brotherly affection outdo one another in showing honor do not be slothful in zeal be fervent in spirit serve the Lord rejoice in hope be patient in tribulation be constant in prayer contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality so we can have knowledge but unless that knowledge goes beyond knowledge and moves into the heart the seat of our will our thoughts and our emotions and we're transformed by it and it compels us to move out that knowledge is not it's not helping us be obedient fully to to God moves us into action.
SPEAKER_05: Moves us into action is how how he wants us to to serve one another to love him be compelled we're compelled by the love of Christ and that's beyond the just mere knowledge.
SPEAKER_07: Yeah one thing I'd say about this verse um understanding the love of Christ surpassing knowledge is we use our brains for knowledge and we use our hearts for love.
SPEAKER_08: So our brains are only going to give us the knowledge it's our heart that gives us the true understanding I think when I first became reformed the I had all this head knowledge of like this is the right theology this is the right doctrine this is the right the most accurate way to know God and the things of God and because of that knowledge uh or not because of it um it took a it took a long time for that knowledge to get from here to here.
SPEAKER_08: And I was certainly in that cage stage where I should just just put him in the cage let them let him rage on and and and outdo his thing.
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure my age there was one time in school when the the Bible was taught as liturgy yeah and I took it yeah right but at that time I I I was leaning towards the Lord but I it didn't mean anything to me it was good stories.
SPEAKER_08: Sure yeah you knew you knew some stories in the Bible you knew some of the things that it said but okay so what?
SPEAKER_09: Yeah following the knowledge then you gain understanding which leads to wisdom.
SPEAKER_04: Yeah and kind you know yeah yeah comprehension really a full understanding or a true understanding of um of what God's saying here I mean the end of 19 I think maybe this is jump I mean no please strike that I mean it's it's all this but it's also like kind of a why you know it's you know know the love of Christ and it's like and then it's something that goes beyond.
SPEAKER_04: And then you know he has to be be filled with the fullness I mean I mean you know I mean which of course itself is is paradoxical because you re you know we couldn't contain the fullness of God except to the extent you know that we have the Holy Spirit in us.
SPEAKER_04: Yeah you know you know he's the God in heaven who who names everything you know and you know why why know all these he said he says when you when you understand how much christ loves he says that's when you'll really fill up with God he he's he's like if you can even begin to understand that he says it's that moment when you're filled up with God not not it's not the the theology as much that though this is his though this is theology it's it's not positions it's it's not status it's just when you understand how much Christ love and when you're rooted and grounded in it that's when you're the most like God.
SPEAKER_04: And he doesn't just say the fullness of God but all the fullness of God yeah but what is that fullness do to our thoughts emotions and our will well it's going to be the more I'm filled with Christ the less you get of Jason's sinful nature.
SPEAKER_04: And you know I you know I say amen come Jesus come you know I think uh you know we just read Romans Paul writes you know extensively of you know that nature of the Christian we wrestle I want the things I do not want you know I I um that's that's transformative in my own life the more less less Jason more God's will and I think that would be a big effect on the people around me and the people I come in as Paul's saying you know I mean we just you have that part of Romans he says you know pay nobody back evil for evil you know pay everybody back with good yeah he's like that's that's what it is to be filled with the full the fullness of God the fullness of God is loving people from God's nature you know and that that's a countercultural interpretation of God.
SPEAKER_05: And I think if we look on I mean not to jump head too far but if we think of verse one in chapter four it helps to ground what he's getting at there.
SPEAKER_05: I therefore a prisoner of the Lord urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness with patience bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace so he's moving toward how we how are we to be obedient and in what we are to be obedient from the heart we're to love God we are to love others with humility and gentleness with patience bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace so it's not just about obedience but it's about how how are we obedient well and that comes from the fullness of God dwelling dwelling within us it's us giving us giving up control we let God control.
SPEAKER_08: It's like just as theme less of me and more of him now that's saying though that you may be filled with all the fullness of God which it's kind of funny because how can you be filled with a part of the fullness of God you may be filled with all the fullness of God is that something that can be or that is ex should that we should expect to be accomplished in this life in terms of being filled with all the fullness of God and what is what does that mean is that because I because when I heard that growing up I meant that meant like oh everything's good now.
SPEAKER_08: I don't have to you know I'm I'm just riding the coattails now I'm I'm good to go I can I can do what Paul says not to do in Romans 6.
SPEAKER_08: So go on sinning that grace may abound.
SPEAKER_08: Is that what that's you know we know that's not what that means but um this is this do we have are we waiting until heaven until this fullness of God is is with us or or is it something that we have a taste of it now.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah we certainly have a taste of it now it's part of our sanctification this as we grow in Christ there's less of us and more of them yeah yeah yeah it's it's a growth type situation yeah you start out here but you're gonna grow this this is this goes back to the really I think the key fact about your faith how much faith do we have do we truthfully believe everything that we've read there and and if we reprove ourselves so your faith is going to be stronger and stronger as you as you learn more about the Lord yeah and and he just many times I've said Lord what'd you get me into you know because I'm trying to serve you and then you put me in this position we got through right yeah it's through him exactly what in a place where I wanted to be yeah right well yeah and that's and that's where we we understand that you know our our uh our faith in in the Lord can take us to places that we would ideally not want to go to but or be in but yet um well you know Paul's method of writing except for Galatians he starts out with theological things and then the and the last half of the book of his writings is how you're gonna apply it to your life yeah yeah and if you read we're in the theological area here about to we're about to enter that yeah we're about to run into into this what we what we're called to do.
SPEAKER_02: But yeah other than Galatians you've got to you need to read the Bible I mean Paul's writings with that concept that he's giving you a theory now I'm telling you how to do it.
SPEAKER_08: Exactly yeah and that's yeah exactly Ephesians is exactly that remember for you know the the you know we what did you say imperative and the indicative yes the first the first three chapters of the imperative is about this remember remember this is who you are in Christ yeah this is who you once were but now in Christ um so and and then we we'll get into verses four through six of like okay now what and uh that's uh we'll we'll be able to spend a lot of time there too but um but yeah the this I think if if if I were to sum up this portion you know this as as I said I think it's just that Paul's prayer for us is that we would be strengthened by the love of Christ um and I think um I think that is that is Paul's prayer and um and then verse erosis 20 and 21 we probably hear this every once in a while at the end of service it's a great little benediction now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we can ask all that we ask or think um let's let's meditate on that first to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think excessive language it is excessive far more abundantly but not excessive according to the power of his work within us yeah there have been many times in my life that I um admit a bad situation and praying about and thinking of all the ways that God could maybe help me and and then he does something that's way bigger than anything I could have thought of yeah yeah think of we just come off of him praying that we would have be filled with all the fullness of God and he at that particular moment in time is grasping the fact that he is filled with all the fullness of God and he goes into a doxological state saying now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.
SPEAKER_05: How do you explain the incomprehensible God immeasurable and he is using that excessive language or excessive language but it's not excessive I mean he's trying to explain it in a way that we can understand or grasp some of that that immeasurableness and uh he gets carried he gets you know well experiencing the fullness of God at that point.
SPEAKER_08: And he says it again in other in other Paul says it again in other places I think of first Timothy um 1 Timothy 1 in I think it's verse 18 to the king of ages yeah immortal invisible invisible the only God in those types of places it's uh these these things are indeed I think beyond our our comprehension in that what do you immeasurable incomprehen incomprehensible almighty can you really comprehend what God is no it's impossible no he he is he is he is beyond our grasp far more abundantly than all that we can ask or think um and again according what did what did you say Travis according to what according to the power at work within us within us that being the spirit and if you don't have that spirit within you you're not it's gonna be meaningless yeah and I mean after like he's he's doing this from prison.
SPEAKER_04: Yeah you know he he's he writes himself yeah remember the context yeah this is just how much God loves you and he says according to the power he says he can do more than we abundantly ask or think and it's this power that's at work in us and he writes this from prison it's like and he's about to be martyred he's about to be martyred as a guy who was a murderer killing people who were Christians and and was exalted and given authority for it throwing people in jail killing them you know for religion and is now in the position of you know worshiping God for the same beliefs through which he killed people in there and he's about to be martyred for it.
SPEAKER_04: And he and he's sitting here saying like God can't really do more abundantly than all we ask or think.
SPEAKER_04: And he does this all through it.
SPEAKER_04: You could tell like like he you know he would not throw those chains you know he's he's where he's supposed to be when I when he's happy about it.
SPEAKER_08: Yeah yeah when I understand the context I I just I I can picture Paul and he's just got this big old grin as he's writing this just joy just complete joy as he is in this particular passage just writing these eight verses of just pure joy and thankfulness for for what uh what the Lord has done um in his life and again it's as he and he and then he ends and it's like to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever amen.
SPEAKER_05: So um well it's a great I think it's a great way for us to end the the indicatives or uh just go ahead you know we're about to find out to him be glory in the church we're about to find out what what uh how the glory of God is to lead the church and how we are to follow Christ in the church and that's for all generations for all generations forever and ever yeah amen notice that the the the broadness the longness the height and the depth is um the broadness of it covers everyone yeah you can't go beyond what God is and how long is enough to go beyond any barrier that you could put up there's no way that you're gonna stop God doing what God wants to be done.
SPEAKER_02: And how high takes all the hell and it's all the glory and you can't be betrayed.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah and indeed it's enough to touch every need every sin and every hurt in our body I love that we can experience yeah and that is the the key portion of this particular passage is it's just unreal when you realize there is not a thing we can do that God can't be there.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah and it's all putting our faith in him if you've got your faith in Jesus Christ regardless of what's going to happen to you you're gonna get through it.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah and like I said there's times because that seemed to be my all the time when I wasn't doing ministry that was my prayer what Lord you get me into yeah that that that that was sort of my common prayer here we go again Lord you know okay whatever you want me to do yeah it's it's it's that kind of faith it's you realize that God is there and he's direct and if you listen to him and and follow him you're gonna be successful.
SPEAKER_08: And the thing is he's never returned void.
SPEAKER_08: No there's not one time I think when you know no matter how you know how long we've been Christians when we can look back and say I disagree with what God did there.
SPEAKER_08: Or maybe we still maybe we still do disagree maybe we still do disagree but ultimately that's on us.
SPEAKER_08: But there's not a time when we can look back and see what God has done and go and not go just into complete gratitude and thankfulness for what he has done.
SPEAKER_08: And you know it's just it should just leave us being thankful I think and just praising him well I I encouraged us before we started um if there's anyone that you can think of who you know maybe particularly could could use this prayer right now I would encourage us praying that for them.
SPEAKER_08: Well um I think we're a little early but uh probably what 10 till quarter till yeah well 13 specifically well um well if I don't I don't have anything else I think we've I think we've we've walked through this pretty well but um well I'm I'm gonna I'll pray this out and I'm actually just gonna pray this prayer um and as as we're praying together um whether maybe it's yourself maybe um it's someone that you know someone that you're you know your family member or a friend or you know a co-worker or something um if there's anyone that you can think of um as we pray through this um uh be praying for for those people and uh even if it's yourself but um yeah I'll I'll close this uh I'll close our time together let's pray Lord we bow our knees before you um for whom every family in heaven and on earth is named that according to the riches of your glory that you may grant us to be strengthened with your power through the Spirit in our inner being so that Christ Jesus may dwell in our hearts through faith that us being rooted and grounded in Love, may have strength to comprehend with all the other saints what is the breadth and the height and and length and depth, and to know the love of your Son Jesus Christ that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of you.
SPEAKER_08: Now, Lord, to you who is able to do far more abundantly than all we can ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to you be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, forever and ever.
SPEAKER_08: Amen.