Surpassing Love
Ephesians 3:14-21
Focus: Paul prays for the church that we would know the surpassing Love of God which
empowers His people to live holy lives and to be the church!
Function: To illustrate the love of God from Scripture and challenge with the question: Do you
know the love of God?
Friday was Valentines Day! What did you do to celebrate? Of course, I’m convinced that Valentine’s day is one of those holidays secretly created by Hallmark and the
chocolate industry . . . but nonetheless- it is a day NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN- especially if you have a
sweetheart as wonderful as mine! What did you get your sweetheart this year? It’s wonderful this time of
year . . . you walk into a card store on Valentines’ day and all you see is row upon row of anxious men
trying to pick out just the right card. Where are the women? They were here two weeks ago! The shelves
are almost empty, all of the best cards have already been nabbed . . . I’ve left frustrated at not having found
the right card MORE THAN ONCE! Serves me right for waiting till Feb. 14th to think about it, I suppose.
The dilemma for me: How do you communicate the love you have for your sweetheart through a card or a
box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers? What card . . . what chocolate . . . what flower could
adequately express my love? Here’s where my wife would chime in, “I don’t know, but at least you could
give it a shot!”
That’s the dilemma that Paul faces in the text that _____ just read to us! How do you express the love of
God in mere ‘words’ . . . human words? In my opinion, Paul does a pretty good job. Remember, to this
point, Paul has been building for us a theology of the church (so to speak.) He has revealed the mystery to
us . . . of what God has done for us in Christ by tearing down that Dividing Wall that has separated us
from Him and us from one another! We are now ONE in Christ! He has elaborated on the fact that God
has given us “every spiritual blessing in Christ!” He has emphasized how God has empowered us from
above to change our hearts and lives as he would have them changed. God has made us new creations-
having died to sin and born again to righteousness! All God did all of this for a purpose . . . “that through
the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.”
If we think of the first part of Ephesians as Paul constructing his church, we might pause here to think of
this text as his “Dedication Ceremony.” When a new building is built, or a new ship is constructed there
is usually a ‘dedication ceremony’, right? It’s a time to stop, reflect on the purpose for that building, our
hopes for it and perhaps ask a blessing on it. The Building Committee is working and praying that we’ll be
doing this by this time next year over our new building addition. This text is Paul’s prayer for the church-
his ‘dedication’ prayer over it. You remember that he started it out last week, but interrupted himself to
talk a little bit about the ‘mystery’ that had been revealed. He’s back to it today . . . let’s read again.
Eph 3:14-21
14 For this reason . . . WHAT REASON? Paul is pointing back to the salvation and the privileges
he described way back in Chpt. 2
I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
Again, we are FAMILY . . . “fellow citizens with God’s people and members of His household.” 2:19
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner
being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Our strength comes not from
ourselves, but from God! Again, Paul makes reference to receiving POWER from his Spirit- a recurrent
theme throughout Ephesians. This Spirit indwells the believer through faith!
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the
saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, He’s saying, “I pray that you can
understand the incredible . . . HUGE love of Christ!”
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-- that you may be filled to the measure of all the
fullness of God. What an amazing and incredible thought . . . “I pray that you may know the love that is
beyond knowing . . . to be filled with the fullness of God.”
20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
for ever and ever! Amen. (NIV)
What an amazing text! This is another one of those passages that’s almost TOO BIG to preach on! I can’t
do it justice by trying to make it conform to my three points and a poem!
But, what I do want to pose to us this morning, is the question . . . “Do You Know the Love of God?”
Perhaps you know the love of your spouse because you got a box of chocolates for V- day . . . Perhaps
you know the love of your children because they were especially nice to you for a day . . . Maybe you
know the love of your dog because he brought you the paper this morning. But, do you know the love of
God?
As Paul has gotten to this point in his letter, he knows that THIS is the fundamental question! If you
don’t know the love of God, then the rest of his letter won’t make sense to you! That will be about how to
live holy lives . . . lives that bring honor & glory to God. But if you don’t know His love, you don’t have
the power within you to live holy, and changed lives. THIS question means EVERYTHING!!!
I. Do You Know the Love of God?
If you don’t know it from Paul’s words here, what more can I say? Let’s look at some other texts. (Lk 15)
God’s love . . . goes out of its way!
One time Jesus was teaching and had attracted a large number of folks that most of us would consider
‘undesirables’- the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ as the Pharisees referred to them. In fact, it was a cause for
the Pharisees to grumble about this man eating and welcoming ‘these kind of folks.’ So, Jesus takes the
opportunity to tell them a parable- aimed squarely at the high brow teachers of the law.
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open
country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his
shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ’Rejoice with me; I
have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over
one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:4-7 NIV)
God’s love goes out of its way to find you! Even when there are 99 others back in the flock, God isn’t
satisfied with 99 . . . because he has 100! And even the loss of that one is too great a loss to bear! Are
YOU that one, this morning? Have you left the 99? Have you been afraid to come back? Good news: You
don’t have to go searching to find the way home, because God has come looking for you! All you have to
do is turn around and ask his forgiveness! He’ll bring you home. That’s the love of God! (But
let’s read on!)
God’s love . . . absolutely rejoices over you!
"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search
carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says,
’Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the
presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (LK 15:8-10, NIV)
God goes out of his way to find you, he leaves the 99, he turns on all the lights, he sweeps the house and he
searches CAREFULLY & thoroughly until he finds YOU! And when he does, he throws a party! He
rejoices! And he invites all of heaven to rejoice with him! Have you ever considered that picture? Think
about that- when you first came to Christ, God was throwing a big celebration in Heaven over YOU!
That’s the picture, too, in the next story of the Prodigal Son. When the son returns home, the father kills
the fattened calf and throws a party! He says, “This son of mine who was once lost is now found!” Have
you heard the applause in heaven over you? Have you come home to him, or are you still in the far country
searching? What are you looking for? Pleasure? Wealth? Contentment? Happiness? Love? “There is
rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” That’s the love of God!
God’s love. . . always takes action!
It’s awful easy nowadays to say the words, “I love you” but what do those words really mean if you don’t
put them into action? I might say, “I love chocolate”, but I’m not going to shell out $12 bucks for a tiny
little box of Godiva! I don’t love it that much! I might say, “I love my neighbor”, but I’m not going to go
out of my way to share the good news with him . . . I’d hate for him to think I’m some religious nut. I
might say, “I love my brother”, but I’m not going to admit that I was wrong or to work out my differences
with him. I might say, “I love you” to my wife or husband . . . and then think nothing of a little flirtation
with that fellow or girl at the office. Words are easy to say-but action takes COMMITMENT! God’s love
ALWAYS takes ACTION and ALWAYS shows COMMITMENT! In the Old Testament, the Jewish
people knew that they were God’s chosen people NOT just because He had told them, but because He had
showed them!
(Deut 4:33-38, NIV) Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?
34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous
signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all
the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? 35 You were shown these
things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he
made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from
out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought
you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger
than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.
God had set aside his people, chosen them- and then consistently showed them his love. . . by bringing them
up out of Egypt, by providing for them in the desert, by guiding them by his Presence, by defeating their
enemies in the Promised land, & on & on & on. He continued by sending them prophets to call them back
to Himself whenever they stumbled right up until the time of the Messiah when he finally sent them Jesus!
And he continues to show His love for us today . . . we have his Word, we have ‘every spiritual blessing in
Christ’, we have salvation, etc. And he continues to work out all things together for good for those who
love Him. That’s the love of God!
God’s love. . . demonstrates the ultimate sacrifice!
John records Jesus’ own words for us in his gospel (JN 15:13) “Love each other as I have loved you. Greater
love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (NIV) You’ve heard me say this before,
“God would rather die than spend eternity without YOU.” I read that somewhere, but its true! And he
did! His love demonstrated the ultimate sacrifice . . . the laying down of his life for us. There’s a lot
confusion in the world today about Jesus of Nazareth. The Jews admit he was a good teacher, but not the
Son of God. The Moslems believe he was a great prophet, but second to Mohammed. The fact is, he did
leave the world some profound teaching. He did live an exemplary life and set a tremendous standard by
anyone’s standards! But what did he ultimately come here to do? Was that all? Ultimately his life was
lived for the purpose of going to the Cross! He lived to die! You know, on the beaches of Normandy (and
countless others places around the world) there are massive cemeteries littered with the graves of men who
died in battle fighting for this country. It is said that they ‘paid the ultimate sacrifice’ in giving their lives
to the cause of freedom. Jesus paid the ultimate of ultimate sacrifices! We’ll never know what it was like
for him to take OUR SIN to the cross with him to face God and to lay down his life. That’s the love of
God!
Finally, nothing can separate us from God’s love.
Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship
or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face
death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” (Rom 8:35-39, NIV)
His point: Nothing in the world is going to come between you and God’s love! Family troubles won’t.
Tragedy & heartache won’t. Unjust suffering won’t. Poverty won’t. Terrorist alerts won’t. War won’t.
Nothing will! The government won’t. Even demons or angels won’t. The Devil, himself won’t. Not even
death can separate you! There’s nothing you can do to make him love you any less than he does! That’s
Gods’ love!
II. Again, Do you know God’s love?
Knowing God’s love empowers us to be the church!
All of these things that we’ve talked about over the last few weeks about the church is all wrapped up in
our knowing God’s love! If the church is the physical manifestation of God on the planet today (as I
believe it is) then how can we be the church without knowing God’s love? How can we feed the hungry
without knowing God’s love for them? How can we clothe the poor without knowing God’s love for them?
How can we worship God without knowing His love? How can we truly share in fellowship with one
another without knowing God’s love for each of us. How can we share with a lost & dying world the good
news of Jesus without knowing that love for ourselves?
Knowing God’s love empowers us for Holy Living.
Paul ends here the first section of his letter. Next he’ll turn to what I’ll call the ‘ethical’ section . . . where
he’ll discuss what difference all of this makes in our real lives. In light of what God has done for us in
Christ, how do we then live? But, as I said before, it is impossible to live holy & transformed lives without
knowing this ‘unknowable’ love of God.
Have you been struggling with living a holy & transformed life? Do you know the love of God? I hope
this morning, you have heard the Scripture speak to you God’s ultimate Valentine . . . “You are Loved!”,
“You are Special to me!”, “I would die for you!”, “Will you be mine?” Paul concludes this dedication section with a prayer . . . pray his words with me “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, 21
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!
Amen.”
What can we do to encourage you this morning, if you don’t know the love of God, respond to him in
trusting faith and obedience acknowledging your sin and confessing that you want to be a child of God!
This morning, as we sing the invitation song, if you are not a Christian– let me plead with you to make that
commitment right here and now! You know God loves you. You know what you need to do to respond to
that love. You know you need to turn away from the sins of your past and commit your life to him in
baptism. We’re going to sing to encourage you . . . but not just you.
We’re also going to sing to encourage those of you who have left the ‘99’ to wander off on your own. You
know God is out there looking for you, waiting for you to come back to him. What is holding you back?
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor 13:13 NIV)
