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Rooted and Grounded in Love
To comprehend the love of God we must first grapple with the love that moved God to come into the world to become a sin offering.
Sermon Notes:
- The epistle to the Ephesians in the first half, chapters 1-3, is doctrinal in nature while chapters 4-6 are more practical. But within the first three chapters there are two very practical moments. In chapter 1 and end of chapter 3 you find these prayers. His prayer in this passage is about very deep Christian truth.
- Paul prays that the deep doctrinal things he expresses in chapters 1-3 would be planted practically deep in our hearts.
- We begin by bowing down before God. The Spirit enlightens your heart that the Lord Jesus may be all things to you.
- We must be alert to the danger of getting stuck in our theology and leaving our hearts outside. Both of Paul’s prayers in Ephesians are about our hearts.
- Remember that it is God's idea to have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in your heart in the first place.
- One of the main purposes for God sending the Spirit into the world is to glorify the Son and to bring Him near to us (cf. John 16:13-14).
- Paul expounds the counsels of God from before the foundation of the world.
- We’re to grasp the breadth, height, length and depth of all the counsels of God’s salvation. God’s love was set upon us from eternity.
- The grace of God is available to all peoples and nations equally.
- Jesus became man to die and in His death is located the turning point of history; by his death we now may live.
- To be grounded and rooted in love prepares us to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge.
- Lack of love leads to divisions and rivalry. The great truths of Scripture are common among faithful denominations so we need not dwell on differences.
- To comprehend the Love of God we must first grapple with the love that moved God to come into the world to become a sin offering.
- Our response to God is to worship and to serve Christ.
Application Questions:
- How does Paul translate the high theology of Ephesians 1-3 into practical application for believers?
- What are some applications of the theology of God’s greatness and love?
- How does God’s love instruct us to navigate differences among Christians?
- Are we so taken up with practical and theoretical aspects of Christianity that we miss the deep personal experience of Christ dwelling within us?
- What has God done that demonstrates the depth of His love?
- How can we demonstrate the love of God in our lives this week?