Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians - 3

Good evening to you, once again, I hope you have a good day we've had another full day. Good especially to get together with our fellow pastors this afternoon. That was a real real treat and invite her back for another dose of the book of Ephesians my we come a long way.

We hear in chapter 3 now our pastor read our text to us. Just a few moments ago and will be dealing with this. What is actually the second prayer of Paul for the Ephesians that we have encountered in our study thus far. I wanted to do just a little bit of review as we think back over where we come in. I think maybe that will help us grasp what's going on in this prayer and what it is. Paul specifically is asking for. And if you think back to our first session where we were looking in that first chapter. This huge panoramic view of what God has done for us in salvation.

You've told you you've heard the story of the blind man in India that all got a hold of the elephant attempt to describe you, no one got a hold of the leg and he said will and elephants like a tree.

The other one got a hold of the trunk. He said will they elephants or like a snake. Another got a hold of the pay only seven elephants like a rope one got hold of an earring seven elephants like Aleve and they were all right. There were all correct as far as their experience when the problem is when you try to extrapolate their experience to the whole thing.

I that's when you get in trouble that they just got one. Please of a much much larger puzzle. Thinking that most of us at the time of our conversion we have peace of the puzzle. And it's true I think back to my days. I was converted when I was nine years old and you say what did you understand back then all that you have been preaching to us this week. Absolutely not.

I had a hold of the little tiny piece of the puzzle, but in what we have been studying were seeing God give you his testimony you wanted is to give a testimony to share your testimony work for me with that language were seeing God share his testimony of salvation.

You mean God's good side note he's testifying, how you got say and he is explaining something that most of us at the beginning of our Christian walk simply do not understand and hopefully as we go we grow in our knowledge of Christ and of the race of God that is come our way. It was some 15 years later before the Lord opened my eyes to what we call the doctrines of grace to his sovereignty in salvation and all my I was talking to his brother, Ken, wasn't it just yesterday. He was telling me that when the Lord opened his eyes to the doctrines of grace is like you got saved all over again. I wished I had a nickel for every person down through my life and told me that same thing is why I got saved all over again.

What are you getting saved all over again. I don't think so. I believe I was truly converted. I knew the Lord, I trusted the Lord all my had no clue to the extent of this vast this ambush of my soul by the Trinitarian God father son and Holy Spirit ganging up on me targeting me stalking me drawing me to the side of the Savior in saving a and receiving him into my soul all and then to go on using this is the mystery. Remember, a mystery is something you cannot figure out on your own. You gotta be told in my sense is that most of us when we are first converted have no clue about election and predestination that we work chosen and targeted for son ship in this inheritance and Lori and we will ride as far as our experience with yes we did choose cries.

I did, didn't you. I'm not met a Christian, yet didn't make a free choice to receive Christ if you did it under compulsions about holding a gun to your head.

I don't really think accounts you freely came to Christ, you freely wanted Christ.

Every Christian has, but that's like getting a hold of the title of the elephant. Although there's so much more to the picture and we have with them last evening sort put how exactly all of this happened under the microscope there in chapter 2. Back in chapter 1 it was just well the gospel to preach to you and you believe, okay, in Christ now but there in chapter 2 is like Paul suddenly expands and enlarges, puts this under the microscope. Let's take a long good look at this thing how exactly did this happen we saw the amazing saga of God's amazing grace by grace are you saved through faith and this whole process is not of yourselves is the gift of God. It we are his workmanship or his project is like a sculptor working on a statue where his partisanship and so what has happened in our lives is not of it is of God and we need to remember I was an Arminian for 15 years before the Lord opened my eyes to see a much bigger picture and I think we sometimes have the idea of the Arminians are folder are enemies you know we need to go out like David and Goliath slave. They Arminian the lies with the five stones in our case, the five points that that's what really becomes our project is arguing and defeating Arminians and theological conflict in what we ought to be doing is what were going to see Paul doing here in this section of the faith, praying for the saints to have their eyes open to be able to copper here once happened. I said Latin. The first prayer is like that frog and the hailstorm he knows up guarding the didn't know what it was where it came from but now as we go on to into the second prayer I hope you will see this theme of what is really happening to us when our eyes are being open to a fuller depiction of God's grace is this expansion in the soul to be able to grasp more and more of our Savior, so I hope you'll see that as we go tonight. Let let's look at our text and I want to look at the first four words of verse 14 for this cause I want to look back in the chapter 3 verse one we had exactly the same bulwark for this cause I just like Paul began to start a prayer back in verse one and then he started interrupting any gets interrupted by this other ministry you think the doctrines of grace and God's sovereignty in your salvation that you wouldn't have known the thing that you would've known about your election.

Had it not been revealed that the mystery is being unfolded to you here but there's another ministry and it's the fact of your union with Christ. What that is produced. No, we haven't dealt a lot with this, but if you look back into chapter 2 and MS 120 back there because obviously in chapter 3, verse one Paul starts this prairies thanking God for some things and if are going to have what things we really need to look back one just prior to chapter 3, verse one. And it's this ministry that both Jew and Gentile have been brought together in one new man, one body in both united to Christ we been reckoned all Paul says to each other and we think of the racial divisions in our nation today, but that's nothing like the division between Jew and Gentile, and yet that riff that divide has been healed in Jesus Christ is brought us together saved Jews same Gentiles in one body, and is reconcile both of us to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

We share a common redemption. A common salvation. The same thing that happened to a Jew is the same thing that happened to me and then he goes on to describe benefits or in the effectiveness in verse 17, 819, pages 219. He says you're no more strangers and sojourners, aliens, but your fellow citizens with the saints notice citizenship speaks of your national identity.

You have been brought into a new kingdom.

A new nation, you are now citizens of this new round and secondly notice he says you are now of the household of faith. Not only have you received a new nationality and citizenship you've been adopted into a new family. And so we are now brothers and sisters through this union and then thirdly you're also all brought together in a building. Notice he says you're being built upon the foundation of the process apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together grow into. This is not just any old building. It's a holy temple to the Lord of what's a temple what's different between the temple and ordinary building a temple is where divinity resides where God resides and notice that's precisely the point.

In verse 22.

You're all built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit so notice the multiple ways that Paul is describing the effect. Once again, this is clearly speaking of what we call universal church.

I want to emphasize that again. If you talk about the church that is Christ's body that fill up all in all, the description we had right at the end of chapter 1. What other church can that be. It's not the Ephesian church is not the church at colossal. This is what we would call the universal church. We were familiar with organizations that have a Nash is Asian and then local chapters in the same way we have a local church that we are familiar with reassemble an art, respected geographical locations, but that is part of a much larger picture the universal. This church is being described within the book of Hebrews up there in heaven. Christ is pretty big assembly up there a host of angels that are enumerable in the saints who have gone on before us and will see a little that not now again does it feel like when you were converted when you put your faith in Christ did it feel like you were being drawn to him. I think most of us would say II well maybe but I really did. I'm unconscious of that was. I felt like that.

I've been lassoed and being drawn into the corral of Jesus know I did I would that I feel like I was being compelled know I felt like I was doing this to begin. In other words, had it not been for what I'm told. In other words, this ministry being unfolded to me that would've been my perception and it's right as far as it goes is like the guy, the blind guy that got over the elephant college true. That's a piece of it is just not the whole story in the same way as you sit here tonight you may be well aware of your membership in your fellowship here in this church. Are you conscious of a union with believers. On the other side of this planet does it feel like you are joined to them in one body, and I was say for most of us know.

That's why we call it a mystical body is not perceptible. We don't see with our eyes, and the only reason we know that it's true because we've had the mystery unveiled to pencil as we go alone into chapter 3. That's what he's concerned with is that God's purpose is basically how I say this to put the whole kit and caboodle in Jesus Christ that everything is about him. It's about what he did and it's about his body and that is the thing that we are being reviewed shown in this ministry, as the gospel is being unfolded. So now we come to this prayer and hope that sets the background for you. Let's read verse 14 he says, for this cause I bow my knees unto the father of our Lord Jesus Christ lets us first of all recognized whom he is praying.

I have met a number of folks down through my past, especially in my early days in a little closer with the Jesus people movement sort of hippies back in the early days of a lot of when I first went to Grace Bible Church in Memphis that was the church were all the Jesus people wound up selling a lot of these hippie times. I never really was part of the hippie movement is a lot of things I didn't understand but I started listening to help people prayed a lot about praying to Jesus and I remember asking a fella. One time I said what you pray to celebrate Jesus massive ovaries exchange and he's only send me to let me get this straight. You're praying to Jesus in you, your prayers are being directed in word is that's how I was taught to pray for my friend Paul has a different formula here.

There is a certain economy as to how an order an arrangement as to how we are to pray. Our prayers are being to be directed first and foremost, primarily to God the father malaise not to deny that the son is God of the spirit isn't God. But notice the prayers of Paul is to God and as we are parked in the Gospels were to pray to the father in the name of the son, and what we mean by that. I harken back to the days when you could loan your credit card somebody they could take it by gas go buy groceries wanted to bring the credit card back to when you loaned that credit card to your learning them your name, your learning, loaning them your credit put this on my account is what you're saying in a similar way, when we pray to the father we come to him. Jesus told his disciples then asked anything in my name. I've been praying for you but now you can pray to the father and use my name you use my credit card put it on my account and that is how we are to pray and lead by the power of the Spirit so notice again. All three persons of the Trinity are involved in prayer, but there is an order. There is an arrangement and secondly notice here, the stamps of Paul as he pray we've got a lot of different varieties of how people, for instance, some of them stand in prayer. We have cases of men raising lifting up their eyes to heaven and bring we have cases of people falling flat on my face and noticed almost every time you see something like that.

The posture of the one who is praying gives you some indication of their perception of their need another position before God. For instance, if I lift my eyes up to heaven and pray I'm acknowledging that God is where our father who art in heaven. He's above me on the other hand, if I bow my head. It is acknowledgment of his sovereignty. If I'm flat on my face is acknowledgment of my helplessness or God and notice here. What is Paul doing he is legally when you kneel within their culture.

You kneel before your King you kneel before your sovereign and so we here see in the very posture of the stance of Paul in his praying is acknowledgment that he is coming before the sovereign God of the universe and he's bringing these petitions so we see who is praying to we see his posture. Notice the father.

Here is also identified in verse 15 as the one, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, is a lot of controversy about what exactly this whole family business of some say if it's talking about both heaven and earth finish talking about both angels and men. I have a problem with that on two levels. Number one, it doesn't make much sense to me to speak of families of Angel. I mean we have families in human generation notice were not all born. It wants. We have kids we have generations and so were familiar with the concept of a family of human family, but angels don't have terrible weather will create same time. Apparently they're not having to run a number to the family that we have already had introduced to us here back at the end of chapter 2 is there in verse 19 the household. The family of God. So for that reason, it seems to me that what Paul is addressing here is God as the father of all the saved all the redeemed.

Whether they are in heaven, whether they gone before us and with Christ, or whether they are on earth. The old theologians put it whether the church triumphant in glory.

The church militant left here on earth. That's the whole family. At least that's my best understand.

Okay, so we sort of set the stage. We know how Paul is praying without whom these praying let's get around to his petition. What does Paul ask in prayer hero just wanted to stop what you think for a moment when you pray, what do you ask for. What is the nature of your petition when you come before God and I want you to realize how different this prayer is than the typical prayer we hear in our prayer meetings in our prayer meetings typically were praying for aunt Sally's her tall were praying for this one recovering or this person having financial difficulties. This person need new job and don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with praying for those thing when I have her toe. I want you praying for me. Okay, so I'm not critiquing or criticizing that I just want you to notice how different Paul's prayer is he's not praying for aunt Sally's her toe. He has something bigger on his mind and I'm afraid that we let the hurt toes of the world. Sometimes crowd out this bigger agenda. This greater need, so I'm not saying you need to quit praying for that. Her toe, but perhaps we need to focus a little more on what it is exactly Paul is praying for right here in this prayer. Let's look at what does he ask for verse 16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with my by his. Minute sounds good. I made this a Sampson stop in the spirit came upon a mini rip that line read.

I mean this is how I want that I want to be strengthened with my by his spirit. I want that sixpack would be both.

I think I got the K anyone but notice he goes on to have these little words that sort of pops our bubble here strengthened by my by his spirit in the inner man. There is an outward man member he says is written for the outward man perishes day by day that's this one and every time you look in the mirror conveyance.

Yes, it's about a little wasted away. But the inward man renewed day by day. We have an outward man and we have an inward we call that an inward man our soul and notice that Paul is praying that his objects of his prayers might be strengthened with power of God. Your member in the Old Testament, and spirit of God fellow somebody big things that mention Sampson that he just one of many that usually meant and empowerment of God or something.

And notice that what Paul is praying for is not that your body be strengthened by Thatcher inner man your soul be strengthened, or we might put it this way enlarged. Most of us are trying to keep our outer man from being in law right the Battle of the Bulge but in this case were talking about being in here inside enlarged soul and enlarged mind and enlarged heart. The enablement by the power of God to grasp something in here and what is that he says that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that we use that language don't way that Christ dwells within us, its biblical but notice it's not like my friend says when he talks about praying to a Jesus in him and some little Jesus. Inside there were not talking about bodily Christ somehow lives in here were talking about the spirit of Christ indwelling us. Hold your finger here will be right back. I promise you, but Romans eight Romans eight. Remember last night I told you there. Some cannot speak of our inability will.

Here's one Romans eight verse eight Paul says so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God is speaking of two rams here, the flesh and the spirit lost manners over here in the flesh, she cannot please God impossible.

The saved man is over here in this other round and notice how he describes it in verse nine but ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is not of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit of life is like, because right yes three descriptions here because the Holy Spirit the spirit of God.

He calls it the spirit of Christ and then he just use shorthand notation. If Christ be in you talking about three different things is talking about exactly the same thing using three different expression so when we say that Christ indwells us were not meaning somehow bodily Christ is rolling around inside your were saying that this narrative Christ has invaded our souls and this is the Holy Spirit of God who is coming to our life is want to make that clear before we go on let's go back to when he says that Christ may dwell in your hearts be talking about the spirit of Christ invading our soul. Now again I said if my dog starts going and you asked me what's going on here. I could say well you know the spirit of the dog. His invaded my car Has invaded my dog and get it backwards to Genoa and sent you that what is happens when a spirit takes over invaded your life you start manifesting the behavior connected with the spirit is what we mean when the spirit of Christ indwells us we start acting like Christ. We start manifesting Christlike character and conduct, we collect the fruit of the spirit, but is really just the characteristics of Jesus is what it is because it is here spirit that is indwelling us and how does that happen what happens as we saw last evening by faith is through faith that this union with Christ occurs and so notice. Not only is it by faith that Christ indwells us, but it's in proportion to our faith that Christ indwells as our faith grows as are comparable mention of Christ grows more of the spirit of Christ invades our soul to the extent that we might say be filled with the spirit that's a plug for tomorrow night.

That's our text okay but you see what I'm saying not everybody is filled with the spirit, but notice that we are to be invaded by Christ and that invasion is going to happen in proportion to our faith, our ability to know truth and grasp truth and to believe in truth, as had happened in Berkeley and now as that apprehension grows so will the reality of Christ indwelling escrow and he says that not only that Christ would dwell in your hearts by faith in that you, being rooted and grounded in love, that you may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breath the link.

The depth and height and to know the love of Christ, known notice what's going on here. He's describing what we might call a big cube. The dimensions of this cubelike structure he uses for expressions. That's what cues us to this the breath the link that they helped and I left for things out of depth and height are just the same dimension vertical dimension right just spot on the vertical dimension so he's describing a three dimensional Q three-dimensional structure and notice he doesn't give you a substitute.

He doesn't tell you the breath of what the link, the plot, the hypo plot but I want you to see that bracketing verse 18 is the idea of love that you would be in verse 17, rooted and grounded in love, and obviously the context here is not your love for Christ. But his love for you and immediately following in verse 19, that you might know the love of Christ to see how the word love brackets this for dimensions for description okay so another words, though he does not tell you the breath link the lot. We are to put on her thinking And figure it out were talking about this huge queue that represents the love of Christ for our soul and he's asking that you and I be strengthened in the inner man, that we might be able to calm here get our minds wrapped around this day think about those for description for things number one when we talk about the breath of something let's talk about the breath of Christ's love the why you member that was a Charles Wesley the wonderful him there's a wideness in God's mercy as the wideness of the Seattle piercing that are not but wonderful thought when we think of who it is that Christ offers himself to how is your notice that that is his love the fact that an offer is being made you well you take it up or not what you may hate Christ, but the very fact that there is an offer is a demonstration of Christ love. If you're if you'd like to do more study on the subject.

Get a hold of the a Carson's little book on the difficult doctrine of the love of God the best things I've ever found on the subject and Carson shows in that little book that God's love. It is a complicated thing.

It's a multiple multilevel things.

Just like our love. I mean, I love strawberries but I don't love strawberries like a love you I love women that I don't love women like a love that woman. I better not kids that are like every kid like love mine. You understand our love works on different levels.

We may love our fellow American. We may love our fellow citizen. The bird bird.

This is Burlington right yeah okay where we are. But there's another sense in which I love my own. I love my own family and I love my church family.

We don't love it exactly the same way and Carson shows in that little booklet that God's love works like that. There's different levels of love. There's a sense in which there is a general love of God for all men in all his creatures, we collect common grace remembering the sermon on the Mount, Jesus is just told us that your love your enemies, you say what love my enemy. Why should I let my enemy because he says God sends rain on the above just present the sunshine old men loving men in Haiti. There is a universal love of God, to every man that walked on this planet.

Now is not eternal.

It's temporary, but is a true love and he didn't deserve it be roasting in hell. And yet God is giving him manifestations of his love.

When Paul dealt with those pagans that wanted to worship them over there in Asia minor. What is he tallow you don't think of God like this.

But remember God is the one who's given you seasons and then he's giving you things that God I'm telling you about. Even Jesus when he Stephen with the rich young ruler who goes away very sorrowfully marks account. Is this Jesus beholding him loved him there's a man who's going to rejecting who's going to turn his back on the gospel, but there is nevertheless a love of Christ for so why is the offer out why the doors of mercy thrown open when big enough let me in his big enough let Paul Lynn who said he was chief of sinners and notice that as we go deeper into the love of God, we begin to learn that election is nothing more than a demonstration of God's particular love for us. It was God's choice to love in a special Q your particular way and so how wide what Paul is saying I want to stand back and get a glimpse of how wide is it just for white folks, ever race is just for Americans ever knife just for men and women slaves free man. Is there any group that is excluded from the all of mercy.

You realize just the offer of mercy is God's love. You didn't deserve it. It would never ever come to accepting Christ out on the cross that would've ever been offered.

Christ had and I don't recall whether or not you take the elect be something underlying that offer to make it genuine and real and valid. So I took the Savior to go to the cross.

If you do nothing more than to give you her salvation are less conscious being fake and bony but yet is Carson goes on to show there is that an error look at the love of God that love of God will my song says love that will not let the cool so first of all, pulses breath, the links on your goal lend of my first wife. She was rolling so I had always caved, always had my back pocket about her family own story was okay to forward to lumberyard and he said I needed to before his brother. His brother submitted to before you go down and get to for so we went down yesterday for two important guys about how long is our life blessed my brothers really comes back a little while later and he says about 30 years. Notice long can indicate a spatial dimension or it can indicate a dimension of time and as I think of this. I'm not sure what was running through Paul's mind, but I'm sort of thinking that this might well be it that when Paul wants you to be able to grasp the leaks of the love of Christ that he's telling you.

Do you realize that this love is not a temporary like the Daisy he loves me he loves me not that this is not like love Hollywood love, you know, Mary today divorced tomorrow. This is an un-ending everlasting love. What is it John tells us in John 13. Those that he loved you love them to the end. This is a love that's never going to run out and all we keep thinking about all.

How could Christ love me.

I failed him today I fell flat on my face. But remember he knew all about that when he said his level you in the first place.

There is nothing and that's what Paul is saying at the end of Romans eight. I don't care what it is life or death Angel for spelling.

Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ, the love of God in Christ our Lord. It's a long one, did an idea of how wide it is good idea how long it is and then notice these other two questions. They speak of a vertical dimension notice he speaks first of the And then he speaks of the high and and bad again in and I maybe I'm reading way too much into this, but in my mind what that's telling you is the position of the observer of the speaker to give an idea what talking about if I'm standing at the base of the Empire State building and I'm looking I don't say man that's deep I say man. That's how right if I'm standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon. I don't say man that's high I say man that's deep right quickly used describe the vertical dimension by high organ that depends on where you are and notice that using both those words indicate something to me that whoever is saying that sees themselves as somewhere along that vertical dimension, they are no longer down there but they are not yet up there, you see the difference. They do look down and they see the dance to which God's love in Christ Jesus has read to say are worthless, rotten, sinful soul. How far down did he reach election work like this that God just source came in the cream off the top. The best of the best star students know salvation work like God reaching down to bottom of barrel and lifting us up with the drags that he has exalted in Jesus Christ. That's the 10th of this love, and how high will this love go all the way to glory. I still marvel about that statement in Hebrews that he's the captain of our salvation, bringing many sons to glory and he's not ashamed to call us breath for Savior is a Savior who just doesn't take as part of the way he takes us all the way to glory. And so, as you stand back now. Do you get a sense of what Paul is describing here and perhaps now you get a sense of why you need this in my this power in the inner man you need help to be able to comprehend this to grasp it. Let's see how Paul describes here you a lot you like oxymoron.

I do jumbo shrimp, mathematicians are like random order to know that this like contradictions, impossibilities you like a mule like verse 19 is as I'm praying that you might know the love of Christ which passes knowledge using the oxymoron. I want you to know what you can't possibly know I will you to grasp what you can possibly grasp wrap your mind around something that is so last several years. UK possibly to Bethlehem brain for an all you leave on a little help. I don't believe I have the capacity to wrap my mind about the around the enrollment to the immensity of the love of Christ.

My so I get part of it, unable to comprehend some new no sooner get through that oxymoron that you get another one here.

Notice the second half of this verse that you might be filled with all the fullness of God, take this little teapot that you your capacity. I'm going to try to pour the Pacific Ocean into that teacup coming here, you are little infinite you and I want you filled with the infinite God is far you see why we need help. Do you see why we need an expansion of our mind. This ought to be our quest in the Christian life. This is what it's all about. I love the model of the navigator to know Christ and to make him known. That's really our project here on planet Earth to know Christ. I love how Paul puts it in the Philippian letter after he talks about how once he was the proud fellow is proud of his circumcision proud of his walk.

Even now, all that was gained to him, he throw it away counted as handful of manure. His words what he want do now.

Paul and I may know, and at this point he has been a Christian product for 20 years and it sounds like he doesn't even know them at all, but he says I have this question. I want to know, and I want to know the power of his resurrection. I want to know the fellowship of his suffering. I want to know all about, here's the apostle giving you his heart's desire. I want to know more of my Savior.

My friend that ought to be our project in line and to do that you please impale you need some help. By the spirit of God enlarging your capacity to wrap your mind around what God has done for you in Christ Jesus mentioned coming to know the doctrines of grace and what I truly believe happened to many others. It's like all of a sudden what Paul is describing here at least another stage along the way, is happening.

Yes, Christ I did. I knew the Lord, I knew of his love for me. All my friends when my eyes were opened to sovereign grace. I saw love rise in a way never seen before. I was blown away, and there are certain things in life that you see him. You can't ever see. And for me that was something that I have never been able to get over. I've never been able to get me on. I just say Lord give me more. I won't bore. I won't bore the knowledge of the love of Christ, my Lord, now let's think about the things you are supposed to know the love of Christ which can't be known. To be filled with the infinite God chances of that happening slam have somebody explain to me the difference when a fat chance in a slim chance.

I'm not sure but we have the expression slim to none. Now come on, brother Paul revealed that you can't be serious.

That puny fine. I people like you and me can be filled grasping the love of Christ filled with the fullness of God Almighty. But listen to how we use this wonderful doxology now under him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. This competence is not in your and my ability to grasp these things, but in God's ability to enlarge his analyst to do it anything. All I haven't even asked. I haven't exhausted the possibilities here. Anything I can possibly grass and notices is not talk about every area of life. But in this arena to know Christ. Whatever you desire. Whatever you would ask for God can do that and more, and noticed there is no mention of aunt Sally's workload here. This is the primary thing that you and I as believers to be over wound Austro by the amazing love of Christ for so because as you go into chapter 4 there's a pretty noticeable division here that all of a sudden we shift from this doctrine that we've had all this wonderful teaching the unveiling of this ministry from chapter 4 to the end. It's all about our conduct, our Christian walk, and our Christian walk rolls out of our comprehension of the love of Christ for our soul. We live as Christians, not trying to earn Christ love but because we have been love with an everlasting.

That's why this is so important you say walk, preacher, teacher preached something practical.

There's nothing more practical than what were talking about tonight because your life as a believer walking and holiness walking in truth walking thankfulness to God.

Everything your sanctification flows out of your comprehension of this and and then if reminds not blown away.

So far, notice that he's able to do this. He says according to the power that worketh in us, and he goes on to say unto him be glory in the church is describing is that this process of bringing the saints into this bowler knowledge of Christ is something that happens through the saints.

He's going to go on and talk about the gifts in chapter 4 that Christ is given to his church.

Apostles and prophets, pastors and teachers. It is through the ministry of the church that the answer to Paul prayer Israel see what's going on. Yes, he's able to do this in a whole lot more and is able to do it through us not mean Cingular's plural through this church in heaven and earth. When we have the benefit of these gifted men down through history and in the church to enable us to be able to grasp the state we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. They're the ones that God often uses to open our eyes to these true, perhaps a book would pick up and read. I will have many people I've talked to over the years that the Lord open their eyes. The reason they WP sovereignty of God and not be through the preaching from this pulpit but God is answering the prayer room. Ministry of the Spirit in his church, enabling us to grasp more and more of the person of Christ. Well I leave you there is reminds spinning. I hope so I hope you're blown away. I hope that you are overwhelmed by what we've talked about again. I got a hold part of the elephant. I want to know the whole thing.

You see, God has given you his testimony of salvation is explained to you from his oversexed perspective how this thing works.

It didn't start that one day somebody came along told your story and you believed that your experience brief limited.

That's all you know that's the tale. What he has done is open our eyes to the big picture I said last night, the one up on the high ground. He sees the whole tamale he's able to explain the whole thing. Now let me ask you, you would you rather hear my testimony of how I got saved. But would you rather hear God's testimony of how I got which one you prefer.

You will I think I'd I'd like to hear from you when you you you know maybe I got this little narrow window into what I experienced in what I knew and here is God who sees the whole picture which testimony would you rather trust my or he's I believe I'll put my faith in his God's this expansion soul be able to grasp enormity of what is done for us in Jesus Christ (father, thank you for these words and for this wonderful prayer how that also be our hearts cry to know Christ into making no major use us father to answer this prayer of your apostle that we might be assistance and helpers to the faith of our fellow brothers and sisters, may we support each other.

May we please faithful in spreading the good news from pole to pole across this plan blows away with what you've done for us in Christ Jesus's name I pray