INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Since still in February, we are going to continue with our theme of love. Last week we examined the priorities of love.
• We learned that for one to be able to experience and give true love, one’s priorities needed to be in order.
• We are called to love God first and foremost, and then love others, which in turn will allow one to have a healthy love of self as well as life.
• Today I want us to consider where our loves are rooted, what ground is our life being built upon.
• There are many places one can allow their life to be rooted in.
• It is so easy to allow the world to get us to root ourselves in its type of love and in its values versus being rooted in the type of love God desires us to be rooted in.
• So this leads to a deeper question.
• The deeper question I am seeking to answer is this, “WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE ROOTED IN SOMETHING?”
• Put another way, “HOW DOES ONE BECOME ROOTED IN SOMETHING?”
• Specifically, what does it take to be rooted in the love the world has to offer, or what does it take to be rooted in the love God has to offer?
• The short answer to the question is simple; one MUST BE IMMERSED INTO WHAT THEY DESIRE TO BE ROOTED IN.
• Today I am not going to focus on how one becomes rooted in the world, instead our focus will be how one can be rooted in the love God has to share with us, along with a couple of blessing that will result from being rooted in love.
• Let’s begin by looking at Ephesians 3:14-16
• SLIDE #2
• Ephesians 3:14–16 (HCSB) — 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit,
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
In order to be firmly rooted and established in God’s love we need…
I. Inner strength from the Spirit.
• The beginning with verse 14, Paul is praying for Spiritual power for his brothers and sisters in Christ.
• He is petitioning God to do some things for his Christian brothers and sisters.
• Paul bases his petition on the riches of God’s glory!
• The first thing he asks for is that Christians be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit.
• The word STRENGTHEN is the opposite of the word DISCOURAGED in verse 13 in the previous section.
• The word represents the presence of a significant force rather than the exercise of strength.
• This strengthening is not a Samson type of clearing the room of bad guys strength, but rather it refers to having the inner strength to repel any evil influence on one’s life.
• It is the prayer of Paul that through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, one’s inner strength will be as such that nothing Satan throws at you will hook you.
• It is the power to not only resist the devil; it is the power to overcome his influence in your life!
• SLIDE #4
• James 4:7 (HCSB) Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
• It takes a great deal of strength to resist the temptations the world has to offer.
• You are not POWERLESS!
• The Holy Spirit will empower you to overcome and to be victorious!
• SLIDE #5
• Romans 8:37 (HCSB) No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.
• How does this tie in with being rooted in love?
• Simple, when we are allow the world to run all over us, when we allow ourselves to live in defeat, we cannot be rooted in love.
• When we allow the world to define what love is, we will lose out, we will cheat ourselves out of being rooted in true love.
• This is what we talked about last week, when we adopt the world’s type of love, our love will not be a true love because we will allows seek what benefits self rather than God and others.
• Also we will be suspicious of everyone who tries to offer us love.
• The Holy Spirit will assist us in our transformation process!
• SLIDE #6
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 (HCSB) We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.
• The Spirit will allow us to be empowered for transformation!
• Let’s turn to verse 17
• SLIDE #7
• Ephesians 3:17 (HCSB) and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,
• SLIDE #8
In order to be firmly rooted and established in God’s love we need…
II. Jesus to dwell in our hearts through faith.
• In this section we see God the Father, God The Son, and God the Holy Spirit mentioned in our context.
• Not only does Paul desire the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, now he requests that Jesus dwell in our hearts!
• I love this thought! Jesus dwelling in the heart!
• When something dwells in your heart, it is hard to think of anything else isn’t it?
• After my first date with Robyn, I had no desire to be with anyone else.
• She is all I could think about, my dad wanted to shoot me when he saw his phone bill from me calling her.
• She was dwelling in my heart and there was no room for any other woman in my life!
• Why would Paul want God to allow Jesus to dwell in our hearts?
• Could it be for the same reason? When Jesus is dwelling in one’s heart, there is no room for any other God!
• There is a vast amount of competition for first place in one’s heart. If Jesus truly dwells in your heart, there will be no room for any other god.
• Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and Jesus, we do not belong to God.
• SLIDE #9
• Romans 8:9–10 (HCSB) You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
• Now, we see this played out in the last part of verse 17. This explains WHY Paul wants the Spirit and Jesus within us-- I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love
• He implies that one who has allowed this to happen, and according to Acts 2:38, this event takes place when in faith, one is immersed into Christ, they ROOTED and FIRMLY ESTABLISHED in love!
• Love is the soil in which believers are “rooted” and on which the foundation is “established”.
• The twofold metaphor of a tree and a building emphasizes that love is the necessary base to support the superstructure. The firmly rooted tree bears much fruit and the solidly founded building becomes a sanctuary in which the Lord dwells.
• “In love” draws attention to what was central in the ministry of Jesus, and therefore in the lives of his followers. We saw last week what the greatest commands was!
• College Press NIV Commentary, The - The College Press NIV Commentary – Galatians & Ephesians.
• We need to understand that JESUS is the rock, our foundation; however, the soil the relationship is forged is love.
• Now let us look at two blessings Paul reveals for the one who is rooted and grounded!
• SLIDE #10
• Ephesians 3:18 (HCSB) may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,
• SLIDE #11
When we allow ourselves to be rooted and established in God’s love…
III. We will be able to comprehend God’s love.
• This is hard to fathom. Being able to comprehend God’s UNCONDITIONAL love!
• I had no concept of God’s love before I became a Christian and to be honest with you, it took me a while to accept His love.
• The problem I had for a while, and I am probably not unique in this sense, the more sense of unworthiness I felt, making it more difficult to accept His love.
• This way of thinking showed I did not truly comprehend the depth of God’s love.
• I believe this is one of the reasons people stay on the periphery of a relationship with God, as well as why some simply outright reject the idea.
• Down deep inside, they KNOW they are not worthy and being around God and His people is a painful reminder of that fact!
• Before we are rooted and established in God’s love it is hard to fathom that God could love us because we have a hard time loving people who are like us.
• When we are wronged or hurt, we tend to hold a grudge, we have a hard time processing that God does not.
• Over time, with much prayer I started to get it. God is not in and out of love with me like a piteous teenager, He has and always will love me.
• I am sure He has been broken hearted for me on many occasions; however, the love has been and will always be there!
• Our SPECIAL FROM THE BAND REFLECTS THAT THOUGHT.
• The word for “comprehend” meant to “to take hold firmly for oneself; especially, to comprehend with the mind
• Let’s turn to verse 19 for a final blessing!
• SLIDE #12
• Ephesians 3:19 (HCSB) and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
• SLIDE #13
When we allow ourselves to be rooted and established in God’s love…
IV. We can be filled with the fullness of God!
• When we allow ourselves to have the Holy Spirit strengthen the inner person, when we open our hearts up for Jesus to dwell within them, when we allow ourselves to be rooted and established in God’s love, which allows us to comprehend the depths of God’s love, then we will be able to FULLY let God fill us.
• We will not hold out for a plan “B”.
• I remember telling my wife many years ago that I knew I would never turn away from God.
• I knew when I was totally sold out to Jesus!
• SLIDE #14
• John 14:23 (HCSB) Jesus answered, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
• WHAT a blessing to experience! Anyone can experience this blessing; it will change your life.
CONCLUSION
• It is decision time! Are you ready to allow yourself to be rooted in God’s love?
• Are you ready to begin a new adventure with Jesus?
• Today is a good day to begin a new life in Christ!
