Rooted in God's Love

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 1:00

Today we're going to be talking about being rooted in God's love. Let's look at a section of Paul's prayer for the church in Ephesus recorded for us in Ephesians chapter 3, and we're going to be looking at verses 17 to 19. It says, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. We need to be convinced of and secure in God's love for us. We need to know beyond all shadow of doubt that God is love and that he loves us. Have you ever played the game He loves me, He Loves Me Not? He loves me, He loves me not, or She loves me, She Loves Me Not is a French origin game which one person seeks to determine whether the object of their affection returns that affection. A person playing the game alternately speaks the phrases he loves me and he loves me not while picking one petal off a flower for each phrase. The flower of choice is usually an ox-eye daisy. The phrase that they speak on picking off the last petal supposedly represents the truth about their object of affection's feelings of love towards them or not. It's a sad reality that many Christians see their relationship with God in a similar way, depending upon their emotions or circumstances. And this is not the way that God wants us to live. We should be convinced of the fact that God loves us. Every time we pick off that petal, we should say He loves me. If we're not secure in God's love for us, we will foolishly take offense at God when things go wrong or don't work out quite as we expected. Now we may not always know or understand why things happen in life, but we should always know that God is good and God loves us. I personally have found Deuteronomy 29.29 very helpful, which tells us the secret things belong to the Lord our God. But the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever. What a great verse. There are some things we don't understand, and those fall into the secret things categories. But the things that are revealed to us in Scripture belong to us. Let's never let things that we do not understand about life, the secret things, prevent us from holding fast to the things that we do know revealed to us through Scripture about our God. Today I would like to share three thoughts about God's love with you. We see three things revealed in the Bible about God's love that should become bedrock in our lives. So thought number one. Listen to First Corinthians chapter 16, verse 23 in the message Bible. It says, Our Master Jesus has his arms open wide for you. How about saying I love you back to Jesus today? Would you like to respond to his love? You can find out more about having a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ by reading a booklet that I've written entitled What is Salvation? I invite you to download a free copy. God demonstrated his amazing love for us by sending Jesus. Thought number two God's love for us is steadfast. Listen to Lamentations chapter 3, verse 21 to 23. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Now the word steadfast means constant, true, faithful, immovable, and reliable. And it's used in reference to God's love over 250 times in the Bible. In fact, in the English Standard Version, it's used 127 times in the Psalms alone. Let's listen to examples of God's steadfast love described for us in the Psalms. Psalm 13, verse 5 and 6. But I have trusted in your steadfast love. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 63, verse 3 and 4. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live. In your name I will lift up my hands. And Psalm 100 verse 5. His steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. We read in Psalm 136, in every single one of the 26 verses, for his steadfast love endures forever. The first worship chorus I ever heard was the steadfast love of the Lord, and it was over 40 years ago, and I can testify that his love is steadfast, his mercy is unending, and his faithfulness is great. The words for the song go like this The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, O Lord. Thought number three. Nothing can separate us from God's love. Listen to selected verses from Romans chapter eight, which describe God's love for us. Romans chapter eight verse thirty five. Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? In Romans eight verse thirty-eight and thirty-nine, for I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Let's now look at these verses from Romans 8 in the Passion Translation. Romans 8, verse 35. Who could ever separate us from the endless love of God's anointed one? Absolutely no one. For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish his love toward us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven's love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love. In Romans 8, verse 38 and 39 in the Passion Translation. So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God's love. I am convinced that his love will triumph over death, life's troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us, no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God's passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. What amazing verses! How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure that He should give His only Son to make a wretch his treasure. There is nothing that you can do to make God love you more, and there's nothing you could do to make him love you less. Nothing can separate you from God's love. Let's summarize, and then we're going to pray together. First of all, God demonstrated his love for us by sending Jesus. God's love for us is steadfast. And finally, nothing can separate us from God's love. As my prayer for us today, I'm going to read the whole prayer that Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus, recorded in Ephesians 3, verse 14 to 21. For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.