Jerry’s Class – 08/29/10

Ephesians 3:17-19

¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
¹⁹and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.

In this passage, Paul wants to avoid having us think of the love of God in abstract terms. In Paul’s (and Jerry’s) view, God reaches us through our minds and moves from there to our hearts. Trying to build a foundation on our emotions first does not make for a strong foundation, but a faith that is built upon sound doctrine can withstand the ups and downs of emotions.

Eph. 1:13 – “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believe, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

As we saw last week, the width (breadth) of God’s love encompasses all:

• Col 3:11 – “A renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”
• Gal. 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
• Rev. 7:9 – “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands.”

The Jews did not realize that God was calling all to Himself:

• Col 3:12 – “And so, as those who have been choses of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
• Acts 10:34-35 – “And opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him.'”

The length describes the endless and eternal character of God’s love–from times past to times future. God exercises His sovereignty in love

• I John 4:8,16 – “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
• Ps. 90:2 – “Before the mountains were born, or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.”
• II Tim. 1:9 – “[God] has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”
• Eph. 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Hiim before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.”
• Is. 46:10 – “‘Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, “My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.”‘”
• Rom. 8:38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death, nor live, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Although the Jews did not grasp the breadth of God’s love, they did understand the length of it.

• Deut. 4:37 – “‘Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power.'”
• Deut. 7:7-9 – “‘The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God, His is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.'”
• Ps. 118:1-4 – “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Oh let Israel say, ‘His lovingkindness is everlasting.’ Oh let the house of Aaron say, ‘His lovingkindness is everlasting.’ Oh let those who fear the LORD say, ‘His lovingkindness is everlasting.'”

God’s love and knowledge are eternal. Despite what those who would believe in “open theism” would argue, He knows our future, just as he has known our past.

• Gal. 1:15-16 – “But when He who had set me apart, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood.”
• Ps. 68:19-20 – “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. God is to us a God of deliverances; and to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.”

We cannot understand all of this aspect of God because we are mortal. Too often, we try to make God in our image and attribute to Him our own attitudes and emotions. The devil will often try to hide the length of God’s love from us, but when we sin, God doesn’t speak to us in condemnation, but in discipline.

• Heb. 12:5-11 – “[Y]ou have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reporved by Him; for those whom the LORD loves, He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
• Jer. 31:3 – “The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.'”

The story of W.P. Mackay

Rom. 8:31 – “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

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