The Power Of God's Love

The Power of Love

Ephesians 3:14-21

October 29, 2019

I think most people like super-heroes. Partly because they defeat the forces of evil, but I think there’s a deeper reason why we like super-heroes. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had one particular super-hero who I really like or if I could, I would want to have their super powers. What about you? If you could be a super-hero, which one would you choose? And - there are so many out there, and some of it depends if you’re into the DC or Marvel movies.

As I was reading through the scripture for today’s message, there was a particular theme that kept coming back to me, which led me to think about super-heros.

As I thought about super-heros, I wondered why? Why would we want to be like them . . . and the theme that kept coming back to me was a desire for power! Not to use power in a bad way or in a way which makes me superior and worshiped, but every super-hero has some type of super natural power which helps them defeat their enemies. And if we could make ourselves into a super-hero, we might want a few of those powers. They would come in handy as we defeat the forces of evil.

As we’ve been moving through Ephesians, today we’re looking at Ephesians 3:14-21. In this section Paul’s talking about power, but it’s not the kind of power we think about. It’s a different power, one that has the ability to shock us and the world around us.

If we look back to Ephesians 1, Paul prayed that we would know who Christ is [1:17], that we would know who we are in Christ [1:18], and that we would experience His power [1:19]. In verse 19, Paul wrote that we would know - -

19 ... what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might - Ephesians 1:19

In this single verse, Paul uses 3 different words for power. That’s how important this is to Paul and how much it means for us. Paul wants us to understand, and more than that, to believe without a doubt in God’s absolute power. The power He used to raise Jesus from the dead and the power to bring Him to heaven. And - - - what’s almost even better . . . is the fact that this power is available to you and me.

Some might say, "I've heard that all my life, so where is it? I've never experienced it. My life is one flop after another, one collapse after another, one failure after another. If God's power is out there, available for the benefit of His people, where is it? How do I get it?"

Let me just read these verses to you, then I want to tell you about something I discovered which is changing the way I pray, and might just do the same for you. Paul wrote these words --

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Paul starts out this section stating, For this reason I bow my knees before the Father. So, what is Paul’s reason for bowing his knees?

The "reason" for Paul's prayer - - for Paul humbling himself by bowing down before God - - is about what we were talking about last week. It was the fact that roadblocks and hatred were being torn down. The Gentiles and Jews were coming together as one NEW body because of their faith in Jesus Christ. In essence, the church was becoming a new creation because of these 2 people coming together in the name of Jesus Christ.

And we live in an antagonistic world. Our world is often defined according to divisions. We had the the Montagues and the Capulets, the Hatfields and McCoys, and in politics (Republicans and Democrats; liberals and conservatives), societally there’s the rich and poor, black and white, and so on. Divisions exist, and it’s usually disastrous. I spoke about the gangs I worked with years ago, who because they lived across the street from one another became grounds to kill.