Open Up Our Eyes, Part 2

Today on life with JD Greer for many of you. Your problem is that you destroyed your life terrible choices addictions in a broken relationship in all manner of things Paul says God knows not only can God speak new things into existence. They can bring light and healing back into the mess that you've made out of your heart your life you can repair and restore what you have destroyed your sin down and drive spiritually or just plain bored in your faith. You don't need to learn some new fact that Jesus eyes of your heart enlightened to the truth. You arty know Pastor JD Greer shows us how God opened their eyes for Jesus is in the four things we understand when we pray for spiritual site nations chapter 1 the dilemma of having to buy and not know what would you give a really rich person that I don't already have what they wanted. We don't have it that we just want to buy it. So how much was to give them something that they need or want what you get for a God who can literally speak anything into existence.

The answer Paul says one thing that God doesn't have that he really wants is you. The one thing that God didn't have but he was willing to be tortured for on the bloodied cross of Calvary to obtain was you and that is a thought that is almost too glorious to comprehend the God who literally had everything. Who could have just wiped the creation board clean and started over, set his love on you and was willing to submit to the pain and humiliation of the cross. Just so you could be with him eternally for God to create everything in their various cost him nothing.

He could've done it again with no cost to himself.

But in order to redeem you to save you a cost to his very life and Hebrews 12 to tells us that he went to that cross with joy for joy. He endured the cross, and despise the shame Isaiah 53 says that when he hung on the cross. Isaiah 53 says that that Jesus from the cross look into the future and he saw the offspring that his sacrifice was to produce he saw you and me and that made him satisfied in that moment and willing to undergo the bait in the hour of greatest trial. You were the son of God's living hope you were the inheritance that he labored for, and you get to share in that hope and enjoy the intensity of that love forever, Paul says when you see how precious you are to God that will totally transform your life. Later in Ephesians 3 Paul does it again. He stopped again at the end of chapter 3 I pray that you may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath on the link of the height of the doubt, than the know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God will do something here that I think is a little touching because it's so rare for him.

The actual loses his words you read that the right way to eat Paul's normal way of speaking is on apostle's records God you shut up that's gonna Paul's boy. He talks Paul here so to start stumbling and we have the ability to express this. I gotta tell you about a knowledge that that really surpasses knowledge. See the contradiction.

By the way I want you to know the love of Christ that surpasses how do you know something that surpasses knowledge. I'm pretty you would know what surpasses how you do that because you not talking about a love that can be explained to your mind he's talking about a love that can only be experienced and felt in your heart, so he said I want you to know I want you to know what we want you to know that that that that belief of God's love. How long is God's love. Paul's already explained that it's from all eternity. And for all eternity member God chose us in him before the foundation of the world, which means that there's never been a time when God did not know about you and love you and there will never be a time and eternity future where he will stop loving you.

That's how long is love is how high is God's love what you know the height of God's up someone at three tells us of the ties, the heavens are above the earth. That's the measure of the intensity of God's love for you. If you want to understand the intensity of God's love for you get out a telescope and look that's what gives you the picture of it near the Hubble telescope is now sending back infrared images to us of faint galaxies.

12 billion ly away in a light years, about 6 trillion miles to 12 billion�6 trillion. That is the measure of the intensity of God's love for you that feeling that you get when you look out under the stars and suddenly you just imagine how small you are in the gigantic universe. It's not just to make you feel small bits to make you feel overwhelmed with the intensity of the love I got a set on you. How wide is God's love.

How wide is God's love.

It literally extends that control every molecule. The universe marshaling everything in pursuit of his good purpose in our lives. According to Paul there literally is not one stray Adam not one stray electron. Not one stray corker subatomic particle and all the galaxies the control of his love is that wide and broad.

How deep is God's love how the I want you to know the depth of how deep is God's love so deep that he would reach all the way down into the filth of sand on the grave of death to make a wretched treasure literally becoming sin and death for us will see that in chapter 2, dying in our place or that we didn't have to. That's how deep his love is for us all of the old hymn that we sing the church I grew up in. Could we with ink the oceans fill and were the skies of parchment made where every stock on earth. The quail and every man a tribe. I sprayed to write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry. Nor could the scroll containing the holder stretched from sky to sky. Paul says that love surpasses my ability even as an inspired apostle surpasses my ability to describe this is a love that you have to feel and when you experience that love and only when you experience it is God can become real to you is only way to God to become real to you. You see, right there. Look at the end of verse. When this happens, then you'll be filled with all the fullness of God. Literally the presence of God. How does God become real to you feeling this love is literally the experience of the presence of God. My favorite illustration of this identity before his eyes. Let me walk along with my seven-year-old son and you know walking along and hold his hand and also look down at Eminem just to fill this kind of fatherly pride in not pick him out. He's a lot heavier now to do as much and I cannot pick him up and I throw in the air because you can have it's about 2 inches now the not to catch him and I spent around say as I lose my boys. I blow raspberry in his neck, and I just cannot moment with it right in that moment in that mojito mass in that moment has he become has he become anymore.

My son and he was the moment before. Is he anymore my son in that moment than when I'm away on a business trip know what happened in that moment is his sense of his son ship became a lot more real to you the feet that it's not legally he didn't change positions but the sense of that presence became real. What Paul is talking about is the sense were suddenly God and your son ship through the presence of the Holy Spirit become so real to you that you no longer just understand it with your mind. You feel it in the depths of your soul.

God is not really you. This is what you gotta pray for some of you want God to be real in your life right right can happen. It seems that Christians have all different ways of trying to figure how God becomes real to for some Christians attend this weird, random confluence of circumstances. That's when God becomes written and I was unsure about asking her out. But then, on our first day we found out that she was born on May 3 and I was born on May 11 and a waiter told us he was born on May 7 and if you had to get a 311 70 comes up with 21 which is the perfect number seven lots on the number, the Trinity in May was a month I was baptizing Jehovah char.

I just knew there was a God and that she was the one for me and you like your weird man don't talk like that is we're Christians are weird.

He didn't become real through a dream or a vision or voice in your heart. That's not the primary way becomes real. Some people in seminary will talk about how God became real to them when they first sensed God using them in somebody else's life. That's great, but that's not the Primary Way, God becomes real to you, he becomes real to you. According to Paul when he enlightens your eyes to see, feel, how wide and how long and how deep the love of God is for you. I love one of our church planter says he says understanding and feeling what God has done for you in Jesus is infinitely more important than recognizing what he is done in you or through you because the way the God becomes real to you is to open your eyes to what is done for you. Number three third thing Paul prays that we see as want to see God's power at work in you should be able see God's power working out pray that you may know what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead. God wants us to know the power with which he is working in and around us and through us in the world, the nature and magnitude of that power is measured.

Paul says this is awesome by the resurrection. Honestly, if if I were trying to tell somebody about God's power and I want to pick one thing that most demonstrated his power.

I probably would've picked creation.

Think about creating everything out of nothing that sings like you could get more powerful than that in one word just one word. God spun 3000 billion trillion stars into existence. Each one. On average, putting out the same amount of energy is a trillion megaton atom bombs every single second. And some of these stars now were learning are so big they defy description right here in our own Milky Way.

There are stars like made out to carinae, which is 5 million times brighter than our son. One*5 million times brighter than ours and God just blew that into existence as an afterthought.

That's power. But Paul says there's an even greater power than that at work in us the power of resurrection creation, may bring life out of nothing. The resurrection brings back life from the dead.

You see, by invoking the power of resurrection. Paul is saying that God not only has the ability to make us into something out of nothing to take nobody to make them into somebody's. He also has the power to redeem bad lives and transform them into good lives and that's really good news for some of you because for many of you.

Your problem is not that you just need a little extra boost of talent. You'll just need a little more energy are a few more good ideas.

Your problem is that you destroyed your life terrible choices, addictions, broken relationships, and all manner of things and Paul says good notes. Not only can God speak new things into existence if he brought life out of death, through Jesus, and he can bring life and healing back into the mess that you've made out to your heart and your life. He can repair and restore what you have destroyed their sin.

And Paul says these embattled Ephesians believers. This is in the midst of all is you're going through.

Need to see the power at work in you and through you working in every situation for you to protect you and to accomplish God's purposes in you and through you. There is no power on earth that can resist it.

It is overcome the power of death.

No wonder. Isaiah said on no weapon formed against you will prosper all those who rise against you shall fall even of their ultimate power is death. You got the power of resurrection one my favorite Old Testament stories, I think, is Both praying for your on that story and second Kings six were Elisha, the prophet is there in Israel and is uncertain with them in this gigantic Army I think is Midianite. Some some enemy is coming to destroy Israel. And so the servant sees this huge army in this valley start freaking out his arms in the Commons, right over us until Elsa all Israel take us captive. My sisters did. I just, nonchalant him I can. Those are whatever you know in and I am and in the reason why you not worried. You just got a read between the lines capitalizing on stops and he sorta size uses God open his eyes open his eyes also got opens servant size and surrounding this gigantic Midianite Army is an even larger earned that much larger angelic army that is all in the hills around them. That is, you 10�100 times bigger than this Midianite Army so that those who are fighting for Elisha and the servant are greater than the ones who are arrayed against them. Now here's the thing to notice about the story. Listen when Elisha prayed when Elisha prayed, God didn't send the power he didn't send the Angels and armies. When Elisha prayed, God, simply open their eyes to the fact that they were already there used in the distinction some of you don't need to pray for God's power, usually to pray that God would open your eyes. The fact that it's already there. What you need is not fresh influx of power. What you need is fresh vision to see the power that God is already provided that support frightful. I pray that you would see the resurrection power that God has at work and pray that would change you because you would realize that the one that is at work in you and for you is greater than those who are arrayed against you will more thing with the stork wonder why I want less chemistry questions. What is why God what white were the Angels in the mountains around and not in the Valley in between them and Army that would make me feel better if like your come after me with time in Angels right there, but they're out there in the hills.

You know, I think that is I think that's because a lot of times we go through life. It's not that we don't end up doing battle with the Army. If that were supposed to be assured that the Army that is watching over and making sure that all goes according to plan, is greater than the Army that to get sometimes will battle with cancer sometimes got insane between us and cancer. Sometimes you got lettuce in between. And this in joblessness or a tough marriage. What we can be assured of is that the resurrecting power of God's armies that are surrounding us are even greater than cancer core joblessness or anything and there's not one thing that happens outside of his plan. According to his power, and he's able to even take the bad things and turning the good pulses which he does not more power. What you need is fresh vision and that vision to come to seeing things to the resurrection was the resurrection show you about your life will think about the cross and resurrection. Was there ever a time in history where it look like God was more out-of-control than the cross was there ever a time where look like evil was when even good was dying.

No that was it. But now in this side of it, we see that even what looked like it was out-of-control in that moment God was actually very much in control and he was using what seemed like evil he was using for God right now you look at your situation to the resurrection and say, even when it looks like God out-of-control in my life. And even when it looks like evil is winning.

I can be assured that the same God that brought Jesus out of a grave, and brought resurrection power to what was intended for evil is going to do that in my life because the resurrection changes how I see everything in pulses.

What you need is a lens to see the power at work in you and that lens is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Number four number four is as I want you to be able to see. I want you to be able to see the finality of Jesus's role. Verse 22 verse 22 Paul says I pray that you would see that he has put all things under Jesus's feet is given. He was head over all things to the church.

I pray that you see that the battle is already one of rivets will see the Jesus is already securely on the throne.

You know there's some watching one of these TV series shows and I are been told not to say which one it is, block some of you but am my wife and I watch them together and the main character in the show someone you know the season dies and is not 24 may have told you about before, but I think this is a new trend in TV drama click and select the ultimate like like drama twist. The main character dies and I will deny that Mike did Jesus die and counsel that she died so I went.

What's next episodes of all surely not really dead with a barrier and accepts it. My let's dead but nothing she can't because she was in the opening montage of this episode and if they were any keep talking about the whole episode like if she was really dead like the broker contract and made when we were contractors and killer off because it wouldn't be talking about and they would put on the opening montage what the next episode.

She's in the opening montage again. They keep referring to how my something right here is lucky while watching the first five minutes of the next five episode and she's in the opening montage every single dime and so I conclude she's not really dead. She's coming back. Something's not right here because she's in the opening montage. Sure enough you get in the season three and there she is. There's been a mistake. She's actually alive now reason that is this right your reading here in the midst of the Ephesians and it feels like they're being overrun but want you to jump in the next episode called the book of Philippians and Jesus is in the opening montage that I went to, and then you get the grade and you get to the next, and after that Colossians and then go into the first thing about. He's a nobody montage for all of in Hebrews and James and Jude hit a friend of Revelation. It needs a nobody montage that I want and they're still talking about going fast forward to episode Revelation 22 and you can find out that he's coming back and that he is still on the throne and he's never been dead. I and Paul says I want you to see that I want you to see that because when you understand that it'll change how you see, opposition against you and will change what you give your life to furthermore notice in this verse, the Paul wants them to see that the main thing that Jesus is doing in the world is building the church. You see, this is what all things, and gave him as head over all things to the church even picture Jesus standing on top of Rome or Washington DC if he's not on top of those things it's at the focal point of what God is doing in this world. Listen to this. The focal point of what God is doing in this world is in the church is not billed in Washington DC not billed in the Democrats and the Republicans he building in the church and what I've often told to listen. Paul says if that's the prominence that Jesus gives the church then it's also ought to be the centerpiece of your life. Paul didn't understand the idea church to be an event you attended on the weekend the church for him was a family that you belong to.

That would have the deepest and most binding relationship, you would experience anywhere on earth.

The church was the place that Jesus purchased with his blood and is the place from which God's power flows if Jesus died for the church.

You are to be deeply devoted to it is that we have a people to church a lot of problems in hell, nobody knows that more than Jesus. Those problems caused Jesus his blood but he's building gladly matches for the people sensitive for yours and here's what I can send you Jesus invested his blood into the church. You ought to invest the best of your time, your energy and your resources. It also tells us that Jesus is ready to move heaven and earth, literally, to pour out the power of resurrection in order to complete the mission of the church in the world. There are 6400 unreached people groups still in the world, which means people without a gospel witness and according to Paul, here is Jesus and the head of the church say how give you the ability to reach all this going to ask the promise now that he's short on power short on compassion. The problem is that were waiting on somebody or some church or some people within that church to say I believe Jesus would do a sales executive and I'm asking Jesus to do in these people according to the measure. I see him standing at the end of history and I believe you got all the authority that he says that he has some a church I return to this statement. We began with all our spiritual problems or cured the vision and vision is only given by the spirit and it's only given the prayer. That's what Paul prays for us is what we should be praying for others it is the model prayer.

He gave God if what you should be praying for your family and it's what you want to be praying for that one or two that God is putting your life to reach for Christ. Prayer is what releases the power that opens the eyes, which is why views let me know real quick and tell you why prayer such a foundational part of what we do. She prefers the only thing that opens people's eyes like this. It's not worship experiences that open people's eyes like this might be Ephesians with instructions on how to create a good worship experience on the weekend but we love worship experiences I we we try to do them well with excellence but we understand that the only way that you're good to be transformed is have the eyes of your heart open and I can do that to do add music to it. I can't do it to alliterative my pointer down emotional stories or get you riled up and and and that's an emotional high for a moment.

Paul talking about enlightenment that last for a lifetime and I don't happen to emotional thrills and happens through prayer to you want to focus on what we do on the weekends and working to try to do it as best we can, but understand that at the end of the day you strip everything else away. It's gotta be prayer. It's got to be prayer that opens our eyes. I prayer is that the jury are studying Ephesians, you would see the hope that God is giving you and the gospel that you would see that he is in control and working in all things that you would understand your great worth in God, you would recognize the power that God is put inside you that you would ask God to extend that power through you. The people all over the world yet to hear about him. A man what you want a man or missed any part of this message, or if you like to catch up on the rest of our series that we began this week. Ephesians you can listen online@jdgreer.com Jeannie over the past six months we been blown away by the generosity of our gospel partners. I don't talk about them a lot in the program. But what exactly is a gospel partner yet gospel partners really are a part of our team. Some align their listeners who are integral pieces of boldly proclaiming the gospel through this radio broadcast ministry if you give a gift of $25 or more each month. What happens you get a new hand selected resource from me every month. In addition to exclusive updates that could go on the impact of your giving is my voice this one coming through in the radio that the reason that it's able to come through is because of the support of people who make the production possible are able to get us airtime in different places even bless through this.

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