THE LOVE OF CHRIST

Ephesians 3:14-21

Key Verse: 3:17,18

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

Apostle Paul was a man of prayer. Though he was in prison, he knelt down in the cold prison cell and prayed for his flocks with many tears. His prayer was sincere and urgent before God the Father. As we know, prayer is our spiritual conversation with God. His first prayer in chapter 1 was for them to grasp spiritual blessings. His second prayer in chapter 3 is for them to understand the mystery of Christ and to grasp the love of Christ. Christians need power in order to deliver the message of God’s love and grace to the lost sheep. What is the way to have such power? It is the love of Christ. I pray that we may practice the love of Christ in our church and experience the power of God in our life. May God bless us to grow in our inner being with power in his Spirit and faith in Jesus.

First, I kneel before the Father (14-15)

Look at verses 14-15. “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” This part shows Paul’s attitude of prayer. Most Jews prayed while standing. (Lk. 18:11) Kneeling down prayer was a special form of prayer expressing urgency and eagerness. Deeply moved by the compelling love of God, Paul knelt down before the Father and began to pray for his flocks in Ephesus one by one. Paul’s attitude of prayer shows his humble submission before God the Father. Of course, we can pray sitting, standing, kneeling, or lying on bed. But our position of prayer reflects our hearts before God. If we keep on picking our noses or shaking our legs constantly or opening our eyes while praying, it will not reflect our sincere attitude before God. We must pour out our hearts before God when we pray. Someone said that prayer is a labor. Ezra knelt down to pray before God when he repented the sins of Israel people. (Ezra 6:5) Daniel knelt down three times to pray for God’s chosen people. (Dan. 6:10) Stephen knelt down to pray for the Jews who stoned him to death. (Acts 7:60). Jesus knelt down to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane to obey the will of God. (Lk. 22:41) In the same way Paul came to God and prayed for his sheep kneeling down humbly. Though his body was confined to the prison, his prayer was not confined. He served his flocks in the prison with his unceasing prayers. His cold and damp prison cell turned into a house of prayer. One minister wrote a book called “Camel’s Knee” which explained how his knees became like a camel’s knee through daily 5-6 hours of kneeling down prayer. If you see the camel, they often kneel down. So they have very calloused knees. I was ashamed of my poor prayer attitude when I read this book. Have you knelt down for your wandering sheep? Are you ready to train your knees to become like the camel’s knee? May God bless your heart! We should pour out our hearts with kneeling down prayer until our knees become calloused to fill our center with 120 flocks and to feed 5 sheep in the fall semester.

Who is God the Father Paul knelt down to pray? Paul declared that God is the Father of the whole family in heaven and on earth. Our names derived from God the Father. God created all things and gave us our name as our Father. As you know, name represents our unique identity. God created us in his own image and gave us each name fitting to our character. Adam and Eve were our first parents. We all originated from God as descendants of Adam. We all are children of one Father God. We are brothers and sisters before our Heavenly Father. Our Father God unified the Jews and the Gentiles into one family in Jesus Christ. Though we have different family names, we are one big family in God. We have no barrier, no division, no wall, and no hostility among us as long as we have one Father in heaven.

Second, he may strengthen you in your inner being (16). What is his first prayer topic for the Ephesians? (16) Look at verse 16. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” Paul’s number one prayer topic for his flocks was for them to grow in their inner being. The term “inner being” was used to contrast with the term “outer being.” Paul said in Romans 7:22, “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.” He recognized his inner being corresponding to his spiritual being. 2 Cor. 4:16 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day and day.” Outer being is visible and temporary but inner being is invisible and eternal. Our outer man will have wrinkles and gray hairs and die no matter how hard we exercise when we grow old. But our inner man will be renewed day by day until the image of Jesus is being built in our character. Our inner man loves the word of God and prayer while our outer man loves easy-going life and loves to hit the coach and watch T.V. Our inner man seeks spiritual power while our outer man seeks worldly and flesh power. Strengthening our inner man is our number one priority in our spiritual life. M. Elijah Park said, “Real life begins when we become fifty years old.” It is true because our inner man is mature and strong enough to feed sheep and to give guidance to young sheep in spite of our old age. Senior missionaries are respected not because of their age but because of their inner character like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, wisdom, and patience. Fifties are the golden age to engage in 1:1 Bible and discipleship. That’s the reason why Paul prayed for his flocks to grow in their inner being. The growth of our inner being is the symbol of our real spiritual power. We need to focus on our inner spiritual growth rather than outward appearance with plastic surgery or with expensive outfits. One CEO spent $5000 to buy a shower curtain in his bathroom while neglecting his company’s internal operation. Will you be happy when your inner being is dry and starving without God’s word while spending time to build muscles and to dye hairs? S. Bob Woods presented his book report on Proverbs. He said, “Our outer beauty is fleeting but inner beauty lasts forever.” Then he praised his wife for her inner beauty.

How can our inner being be strengthened? It is with power through his Spirit. Paul was confident that God had glorious riches and would strengthen his children to grow in their inner being. The Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts when we are born again into the kingdom of God by the Spirit. I Cor. 6:19 says, “Do you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” Wow! Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We cannot treat our heart lightly. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in us temporarily but permanently once we are saved by God’s grace. The indwelling of the Spirit is the power source for all Christians to have a victorious life of faith. Why do we have a defeated Christian life? We try to lead our life with our own human strength. No matter how strong we are, we reach our human limit very quickly. We will be weak and feel defeated everyday when the Holy Spirit does not dwell in our heart. Christians count the Spirit as everything but the flesh counts nothing. Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we become powerless and weak. Our spiritual life will be like pulling a car without gas to the hill without the power of the Spirit. Jesus’ disciples were very weak when they followed Jesus with their human strength. Peter trusted in his human loyalty but he denied Jesus before a little girl to save his own life. He cried bitterly when he failed to follow Jesus with his own human strength. But he became a powerful witness of Jesus’ death and resurrection when he received the promised Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8). He delivered the powerful resurrection message in Acts 2 and converted three thousand people with one message. He conquered the world with the gospel of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. How’s your spiritual life? Is it like pulling a car without gas or is it like riding a roller coast- by taking a seat, relaxing, laughing a lot, enjoying the ride? If we feel powerless and defeated in our spiritual struggle, this means that we try to lead our life with our own will power instead of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Then how can we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts? That’s a good question. We have to study the word of God through daily bread. We must be willing to listen to the word of God. We must obey the word of God. We must seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness as our first priority. We should long for God’s word like a deer pants for water. We must fill our hearts with things above. Then we pray constantly before God. Jesus said in Mark 9:29, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” When the disciples were united in prayer and made a vessel of God, the Holy Spirit came upon them at the Pentecost. In the same way the Holy Spirit dwells us because our heart is ready for the Spirit. The Holy Spirit stays with us and empowers and enriches our spiritual life when we make spiritual environment for him to come to us. However, when our heart is filled with human ambitions, worldly worries, sinful thoughts, constant argument, anger, filthy language, and rage, the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in us because we grieve the Spirit. Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we will have splitting headaches and be involved in many human conflicts. A man of prayer relies on the Holy Spirit in his spiritual battle and grows constantly in his inner being and experiences the power of God daily. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to lead our life so that he can empower us to grow in our inner being in our spiritual life. Romans 8:14 says, “Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” The Holy Spirit gives us power to overcome our sinful desires and to live for the glory of God as sons of God.

Third, Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (17) How can Christ dwell in our hearts? (17a; Col 2:6,7) Look at verse 17a. “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Christ can dwell in our hearts through faith. When we have faith in Jesus, we allow him come into hearts and dwell in us. This is not a temporary stay. Jesus does not want to become our guest. He wants to become our master. Once we accept Jesus as our master, he never leaves us alone. He promised to his disciples in Matthew 28:20b, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus was with his disciples and enabled them to perform many miracles and heal the sick. Many couples divorce because they are tired of dwelling together. But Jesus will never make us tired of his presence. He will be our source of joy and happiness. Jesus is our master to follow. That’s reason why we must deny our human desire and take up our cross and follow Jesus because he is our mater dwelling in our heart. As long as we have faith in Jesus, Jesus will dwell in us and lead us to green pastures and still waters. Col. 2:6,7 says, “ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Here the key words are “continue”, “rooted”, and “built up.” We need to follow Jesus continuously. Some Christians think that they follow Jesus when they feel good and they do not follow him when they are busy or they don’t feel good. That’s not the way we follow Jesus. Our inner being will grow through the indwelling of Christ in our life continuously. Our inner being will not grow when Christ does not live in our daily life. We need to remain in Christ and follow his example and imitate his life and then we can grow in our inner being.

Fourth, to know the love of Christ. (17b-19) What does it mean to be rooted and established in love? (17b) Look at verse 17b. “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.” Whenever we hear the word “love”, our energy level rises up and our heart stops as if we are frozen for eternity. Love makes our life exciting and dynamic. If we love someone, we are so happy and want to give everything to the person we love. Elvis Pressley is alive though he died 25 years ago. Why? He sang so many love songs. Unfortunately, most human love ends in intense hatred. So most idealistic love story is confined to the movies and novels. How about the love of Christ? It is different than erotic human love. Human love is mostly physical and sensual and makes us become thirsty more and more. It is like drinking a coca-cola. So Paul prayed for his flocks to be rooted and established in love. If a tree has a deep root, it cannot be pulled. Through the root supplies nutrition for the tree, the tree grows tall and becomes fruitful. Though love is invisible like root of the tree and foundation of the building, it sustains our spiritual life. Love is root of our spiritual life. It provides us spiritual nutrition and makes our life fruitful and abundant. The foundation of our faith is God’s love. Apostle Paul said in I Cor. 13:1 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” If there is no love, we will be like only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If there is no love, we will be like a desert without oasis. Human beings grow by eating love. Paul continues in 13:13, “And now these three remains: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Love is the greatest of all spiritual elements. Here Paul believed that when his flocks rooted in God’s love, they would endure the storms of life and stand firm in any temptations. When a tornado hit College Park last year, all trees with shallow roots were uprooted and fell down. But the trees with deep roots stood in spite of the tornado. Are you rooted in love of Christ or not? I pray that God may help you to have deep root in his love. Then how can we be rooted and established in God’s love? Paul explains how. We have to know the love of Christ.

Look at verses 18 and 19. “May have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Here Paul equates love with power. Love has power to change people’s lives. Most people relate mother’s love to a highest form of love. They say, “Mother’s love is higher than the mountain and deeper than the ocean.” So they celebrate Mother Day remembering their mother’s love. Then how about their fathers? Fathers love their children too. How much? So they created Father’s day reluctantly. But the love of our parents cannot be compared to the love of Christ because their love has many ups and downs. Now Paul talks about the love of Christ. He believes that love belongs to all the saints. All Christians can practice the love of Christ. So he prayed that all the saints together might grasp the love of Christ. Here the word “grasp” or “know” does not mean to know in head knowledge but to know in experience. Paul prayed that his flocks would grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. He wanted them to comprehend the four dimensions of the love of Christ-width, length, height, and depth. He used the four measurements to metaphor the immeasurable nature of the love of Christ. We have to know the love of Christ because we do not have love by nature. We cannot love others by our own human strength. We are selfish and narrow-minded. We are discouraged when we discover that our love is narrow, short, low and shallow. Our love is very superficial and conditional and self-centered. But God’s love is sacrificial, unconditional, and selfless. How wide is the love of Christ? His love is wider than all corners of the world. Here the width illustrates the scope of Christ’s love. The scope of his love is so wide that includes all people of the world like whites, blacks, Asians and Spanish. Jesus’ love covered all kinds of people like the Gentiles and the Jews alike. He loved the tax collectors and lepers and sinners. What is your range? How far can your love go? We love only a certain type of people. We are very picky in our love. Jesus loved us all equally. I pray that God may help us to increase our cope of love through Jesus’ love. How long is the love of Christ? It is longer than the Amazon River. The length refers to the duration of his love. He never gives up on his sheep. Jesus demonstrated his love in John chapter 13 by washing his disciples’ feet one by one including Judas Iscariot. Jesus gave Judas a piece of bread which was the symbol of his love. Jesus’ love endures forever because he is the same, yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. Human love endures for only short time. That’s reason why no one can separate us from the love of Christ. How long can you love your sheep or your parents or children? How deep is the love of Christ? It is deeper than the Atlantic Ocean. Jesus gave up his glory of heaven and came down all the way to earth to show his love. He gave up his life on the cross to save us from the power of sin and death. The depth refers to the worst condition of fallen men. Even a robber on the cross was saved by Jesus’ love. While nails pierced his body and blood flowed like an ocean, Jesus did not remember their wrongdoing but said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34) How can we find such deep love such Jesus? Jesus loved unlovable sinners like the Samaritan woman. Jesus loved the prodigal son-like sinners. I was unlovable ugly sheep but Jesus loved me to the end. We were moved by the love of God through our summer Bible conference. As long as we have the love of God, we have no problem. Tinuke Jagon was changed by the love of Christ. Kristi was moved by Jesus’ love for the Samaritan and she made a decision to go campus fishing to practice the love of Jesus. John Newton was a cruel slave trader. But he was changed by the love of Christ and wrote a hymn “Amazing Grace.” How high is the love of Christ? It is higher than the heavens. He lifted us up from the pit of sin and seated us to the heavenly realms. He made us princes and princesses of his kingdom. It is truly an amazing grace given to us. We need to practice the love of Christ in our daily life. Through common life together S. David Brogi and S. Bruce Hollinger learned how to love one another. They became good friends in Christ and supported each other in prayer. One American missionary in Northern China spent his entire life preaching the word of God. But he could not win one convert. He was disappointed when he was leaving his mission place. But one young man came to him and confessed his faith in Jesus. He realized that his love for Chinese people was not in vain. Love is the best medicine that cures all kinds of sickness. Jesus showed his love for all sinners and gave us his example how to love. Love is the essence of our faith. Every decision must be based on love because God is love. Look at verse 19b. “that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Our ultimate prayer goal is to filled with God’s fullness. We are not yet near the fullness of God. We have to grow spiritually until we reach God’s fullness.

In conclusion, let’s read the benediction, verses 20-21. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” God is powerful. Prayer is important. His power is at work within us. God can do more than we ask or imagine. We can practice God’s love when we grow in our inner being. We can give glory to God throughout all generations. Let’s read the key verse 17-18.