Ephesians 3:1-21

“...that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” - Ephesians 3:19

 

Have you ever stood at the base of a redwood tree and looked up...in awe of just how big a single tree can be?

 

Have you ever looked at the rock formations in Yosemite National Park and noticed that, even from a distance, just how immense they are?

 

I never tire of standing in wonder at just how massive the works of God are. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the sense of wonder I feel.

 

In Ephesians 3:14-21 Paul’s prayer is that we would not tire of hearing of the immensity of God’s love for us and, more than that, continue to grow in our knowledge of just how great this love can possibly be. Paul wants us to continue trying to wrap our brains around the “breadth and length and height and depth” of Christ’s love for us. It’s an impossible task, to be sure, but one we should never tire of.

 

The depths of Christ’s love for us can never be plumbed. The height of Christ’s love can never be fully comprehended. Nevertheless, Paul’s prayer is that the Spirit of God would continually strengthen us for the task.

 

But how does this happen? How can we continue to learn more about that which is, essentially, unknowable? Dr. Jeff Gibbs, a professor at Concordia Seminary, in a sermon on this passage of Ephesians noted that, in order for this to happen,

 

You will need to learn more about your needs, your weakness, your limitations, and your sin so God can come in and say, “See, you knew before that I loved you in my Jesus. But you didn’t know that I would love you here. You didn’t know yet that I would love you in this situation. And now you know that I love you even here.

 

You see, it’s not just in our bright and shining moments that God loves us. It’s not just in those times when we actually get it right that Christ declares his love for us. No, it’s in our sin. It’s in our weakness. It’s in our brokenness. The depth of God’s love goes even there.

 

Don’t forget to join us at 8:45am for Bible this Sunday as we continue our series KNOWN. If you didn’t get the Bible reading guide on Sunday, you can download the PDF version HERE.

 

 

1 Gibbs, Jeffrey, "132. Ephesians 3:14-21" (2012). Chapel Sermons Academic Year 2011-2012. 132.

https://scholar.csl.edu/cs1112/132