July 11, 2024 • 21 mins
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How can understanding Paul's prayer for the Ephesians transform your spiritual journey? In this enlightening episode of the Takeaway, Pastor Harry Behrens unpacks Ephesians 3:14-21, revealing the profound importance of receiving God's promises and being fully equipped for our spiritual path. We explore how Paul's prayer for spiritual strength, Christ dwelling in our hearts, and comprehending the vast dimensions of Christ's love can serve as a cornerstone in your faith journey. By drawing parallels with Jesus' teachings in John 15:7-8, we emphasize the necessity of recognizing God's will and how pastors can prayerfully support their congregations in this endeavor.
We also dive into the interconnectedness of abiding in Christ and bearing spiritual fruit, highlighted in passages from John 15 and Ephesians 3. Through Pastor Harry's insights, you'll learn how faith and abiding in God's word are essential to experiencing the fullness of God's love. We address common barriers to engaging with the Bible and underscore the Holy Spirit's role in aiding our understanding. As we reflect on Paul's prayer for believers to be filled with the fullness of God, we encourage you to support and pray for your pastors, who face ongoing spiritual battles. Join us for an inspiring conversation designed to deepen your faith and spiritual walk.
Please visit www.chosenbydesign.net for more information on Pastor Harry’s new book, "Chosen By Design - God’s Purpose for Your Life."
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome again to the Takeaway.
I'm your host, pastor HarryBehrens, and in today's episode
we're going to be coveringEphesians 3, verses 14-21,
paul's prayer over the church sothat we would receive
everything God promised and thatwe could be fully equipped for
the life God has for us.
We see this pattern of prayerlaid out for us by Jesus when he
(00:41):
tells us how to pray in John 15, 7-8.
If you abide in me and my wordsabide in you.
(01:07):
In our last episode, wediscussed the difference between
living in the world and in theLord.
Paul had given us an example ofthat while he was in prison and
said that it was the Lord'swill and that it had turned out
to be for the furtherance of thegospel.
We too are to recognize that inwhatever position we are
currently in, whether it be intrials and tribulations or our
(01:28):
freedoms, we have been placedprecisely where God wants us.
For the same reason, we shouldnot seek to be loosed from our
chains unless they cause us tolive in sin, as that is the
Lord's will.
We are to be fruitful, rightwhere we are and share the
gospel with every opportunity.
That is what Paul is prayingfor in these verses today that
(01:48):
we would be effective Christiansas we set our eyes on Jesus and
his word.
The question that needs to beasked is how much do you want
change?
Do you want to experience thefullness of God in you and in
your life?
If you do, it requires humblingyourself and imitating Christ,
just as Paul did 1 Corinthians11.1.
(02:09):
Be imitators of me, as I am ofChrist.
Starting in verse 14 ofEphesians, chapter 3.
For this reason, I bow my kneesbefore the Father.
In verse 1 of this chapter,paul starts with for this reason
, what reason?
Well, chapters 1 and 2 showthat the church is God's
(02:30):
workmanship and dwelling place.
Second, for that reason, he wasmade a minister to the church,
to present them holy andblameless.
And now, third, for that reason, he bows a knee in prayer to
lift up the church to God.
Paul cared deeply for theEphesians, just as your pastor
(02:52):
should care for you, and just ashe wanted them to understand
this new way in which we liveand to experience all the riches
of his grace in Christ Jesus,so do I for you.
Pastors are to be men of prayerwho drop down to their knees
before the Father, asking themfor everything they need to care
for his flock.
It is humbling to be in chargeof the king's flock and we need
(03:17):
his power, grace, wisdom andknowledge to care for you how he
desires.
Paul understood that and seeingthe flock running around as if
they belonged to the worldpained him.
He knew that his words had nopower unless God gave the sheep
ears to hear and eyes to see.
That is my prayer every Sundaymorning before fellowship that
(03:39):
the people whom God draws willbe open to the word he prepared
for me to give.
I realize nothing of me is ofany value I can give people when
they show up.
All I can do or should I say,all that there is to do is teach
his word as accurately aspossible, in hopes that God will
answer my prayer, that theywill hear him and see him and
(04:02):
that their lies will beradically changed.
Romans 10, 14-15.
Without someone preaching.
And how are they to preachunless they are sent as it is
written?
How beautiful are the feet ofthose who preach the good news?
(04:29):
Ephesians 3.15,.
From whom every family inheaven and on earth is named?
Paul is referring to the factthat God's family is vast, from
Old Testament saints to angelsin heaven, in verses 16 and 19,.
We see four petitions that Paulmakes for the believers.
If we obtain these, we willexperience the fullness of God's
(04:51):
love for us.
One is strength in the spirit.
Two, that Christ may dwell inour hearts by faith.
Three, that we may know thedimensions of the surpassing
love of Christ.
And four, that we would befilled with the fullness of God.
Think about that for a minute.
Do you know if your pastor ispraying for you like that?
(05:11):
Have you ever asked him?
You should, and you shouldencourage him by telling him
that you pray for him the sameway every day, because God knows
he needs you to.
If the enemy is ever attackinganyone in your church, it's your
pastor and he needs you to holdhim up in prayer.
I can assure you we areattacked daily and often by
(05:32):
people within the flock who havelet their guard down, and the
enemy gets to them and whispersa lie or a distaste in their ear
that they eat right up.
That then turns intocomplaining, gossiping and
griping about the leader youshould be praying for and caring
for.
Have you ever heard the sayingdon't bite the hand that feeds
you?
That's precisely what you dowhen you look to take down your
(05:54):
leadership instead of buildingthem up.
All they want to do is feed youthe truth.
That's a hand I don't want tobite because of the one who
upholds them and has called theminto that position.
Could you imagine your pastorgoing to the Lord, handing you
back to him and saying to JesusLord, watch out for that one he
bites.
How will the Lord treat you onthat day?
(06:16):
That should give you somethingto think about.
Let's look at Ephesians 3.16.
That, according to the richesof his glory, he may grant you
to be strengthened with powerthrough his spirit in your inner
being.
Notice Paul said according toGod's riches, not out of them.
He isn't just offering ussomething out of his riches.
(06:36):
That would be like a personhaving a hundred dollars and out
of that hundred dollars theygive you $10.
That would be out of, but hegives us according to his riches
.
That's like saying you can havethe whole $100.
And not only that, but I willallow you to invest it however
you desire.
The only thing is that somedayhe will ask how we invested it.
(06:58):
He gives us full access to hisriches, but he will take into
account how it was used.
Will you be a good steward or abad one?
In Matthew 25, we have theparable of the talents given to
three different servants.
The first two took what themaster gave them and they
invested it well that when hereturned, they gave it back to
the master more than he hadreceived.
(07:20):
But in verses 24 to 30, we seethe results of the one who
received and did nothing withthe talent he was given Matthew
25, 24 to 30.
He also, who had received theone talent, came forward saying
Master, I knew you to be a hardman, reaping where you did not
sow and gathering where youscattered no seed.
(07:41):
So I was afraid and I went andhid your talent in the ground
where you scattered no seed.
So I was afraid and I went andhid your talent in the ground.
Here you have what is yours.
But his master answered him you, wicked and slothful servant,
you knew that I reap where Ihave not sown and gather where I
scattered no seed.
Then you ought to have investedmy money with the bankers and
(08:02):
at my coming I should havereceived what was my own with
interest.
So take the talent from him andgive it to him who has the 10
talents, for everyone who haswill be, will more be given and
he will receive and he will havean abundance, but from the one
who has not, even what he haswill be taken away and cast the
worthless servant into outerdarkness.
In that place there will beweeping and gnashing of teeth.
(08:26):
The question is what have youdone with the gifts God has
given you?
How are you investing them sothat you will be able to return
to God with interest?
What he has given to you?
Please make no mistake about it.
There is coming a day when wewill all have to give an account
for what we did or didn't dowith the gift of the Holy Spirit
(08:46):
.
How do you want to respond tohim on that day?
Notice again in verse 16 thatPaul prays for the spirit to be
strengthened, not the flesh.
There is nothing we can offerGod in the flesh, and whatever
we do offer him needs to be fromthe spirit.
John 15, 4-7.
Abide in me and I in you, as thebranch cannot bear fruit by
(09:10):
itself unless it abides in thevine.
Neither can you unless youabide in me.
I am the vine, you are the vine.
Neither can you unless youabide in me.
I am the vine, you are thebranches.
Whoever abides in me and I inhim, he it is that bears much
fruit, for apart from me, youcan do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in me,he is thrown away like a branch
and withers, and the branchesare gathered, thrown into the
(09:32):
fire and burned.
If you abide in me and my wordsabide in you, ask whatever you
wish and it will be done for you.
Jesus gives us the gift toinvest and allows us to ask
anything in his name so thatwhatever we invested in will be
fruitful.
In no way does he want you tofail and in turn, he has given
(09:54):
you everything you need tosucceed in this world so that
you don't enter the nextempty-handed.
Ephesians 3.17,.
So that Christ may dwell inyour hearts through faith that
you being rooted and grounded inlove.
Christ dwells in us and wantsto be at home in us.
That can only be accomplishedthrough faith.
(10:15):
John 14, 22.
Lord, how is it that you willmanifest yourself to us and not
to the world?
Jesus answered if anyone lovesme, he will keep my word and my
father will love him and we willcome to him and make our home
with him.
Whoever does not love me doesnot keep my words, and and the
(10:36):
word that you hear is not mine,but the father who sent me.
Do we love the words of God?
How much do you read your Bible?
That's an excellent way tomeasure your love for his word.
This is where the excuses start,like I'm not good at reading,
or I can't remember what I read,so I don't bother.
So on and on the excuses go,and I've heard them all.
(10:59):
Nowadays, there are no goodexcuses for not being in the
Word every single day.
Just about everyone can read,and if you can't for some reason
, there are audio Bibles.
If you can't remember what youread, that doesn't matter.
We are never told to remember,but to abide in the word.
The remembering part is the workof the Holy Spirit Matthew 10,
(11:20):
19 to 20.
When they deliver you over, donot be anxious how you are to
speak or what you are to say,for what you are to say will be
given to you in that hour, forit is not you who speaks, but
the spirit of your fatherspeaking through you.
So again, I ask what's stoppingyou?
And don't tell me you don'thave enough time.
(11:42):
That is the biggest cop out ofall.
I've never met someone whohasn't made time for what they
wanted.
The problem is that you don'twant the word.
So what does that say about you?
Ephesians 3.18.
May have strength to comprehendwith all the saints what is the
breadth and length and heightand depth.
The dimensions of Christsurpassing love are for all the
(12:06):
saints, not just a select few,as we will see in verse 19,.
The love of Christ surpassesunderstanding.
That means understanding.
The love of Christ requireswalking in faith, not just head
knowledge.
It is the means through whichwe apply faith.
The dimensions of his love arevast and Paul asks that we have
the strength to understand thisattribute of God that points to
(12:29):
the vastness of his love for usand that it can be searched in
every direction and dimension.
Searched in every direction anddimension.
There is no place, no distancethat is out of his reach.
The breath or width points tohis arms around us.
John 10, 9.
(12:49):
I am the door.
If anyone enters by me, he willbe saved and will go in and out
and find pasture.
The length beginning to end, orfrom eternity past to eternity
future.
Ecclesiastes 3.11,.
He has made everythingbeautiful in its time.
Also, he has put eternity intoman's heart.
Yet so that he cannot find outwhat God has done from the
(13:09):
beginning to the end, the heightit reaches to the throne of God
Philippians 2.6.
Who, though he was in the formof God, did not count equality
with God a thing to be grasped?
Colossians 3.1.
If, then, you have been raisedwith Christ, seek the things
(13:29):
that are above, where Christ isseated at the right hand of God.
The depth points to Christ'sdeath on the cross Philippians
2.8.
And being found in human form,he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death,even death on a cross.
Ephesians 4.8.
Therefore, it says, when heascended on high, he led a host
(13:50):
of captives and he gave gifts tomen.
In saying he ascended, whatdoes it mean, but that he had
also descended into the lowerregions, the earth?
He who descended is the one whohe ascended.
What does it mean, but that hehad also descended into the
lower regions, the earth?
He who descended is the one whoalso ascended far above the
heavens that he might fill allthings In?
Colossians 2.13,.
And you, who were dead in yourtrespasses and in your
uncircumcision of your flesh,god made alive together with him
(14:13):
, having forgiven us all ourtrespasses by canceling the
record of debt that stoodagainst us with its legal
demands.
This he set aside, nailing itto the cross.
He disarmed the rulers andauthorities and put them to open
.
Shame by triumphing over themin him.
Paul's prayer is that theoutcome or answer to it would be
(14:37):
this in verse 19.
And to know the love of Christthat surpasses knowledge, that
you may be filled with all thefullness of God.
The first three petitions leadus to the fullness of Christ's
love.
Paul is saying that we mustlive in the Spirit, by faith in
all areas of life, to experiencethe fullness of God's love for
(14:58):
us.
Paul is praying here for us tobecome as God-like as possible.
Matthew 5.43 says you have heardthat it was said, you shall
love your neighbor and hate yourenemy.
But I say to you love yourenemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you maybe sons of your Father, who is
in heaven, for he makes his sunrise on the evil and on the good
(15:19):
and sends rain on the just andon the unjust.
For if you love those who loveyou, what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectorsdo the same?
And if you greet only yourbrothers, what more are you
doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do thesame.
Your brothers, what more areyou doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do thesame.
You therefore must be perfect,as your heavenly father is
(15:40):
perfect.
1 Peter 1.13.
Therefore, preparing your mindsfor action and being
sober-minded, set your hopefully on the grace that will be
brought to you at the revelationof Jesus Christ.
As obedient children, do not beconformed to the passions of
your former ignorance, but as hewho called you is holy, you
(16:02):
also be holy in all your conduct.
Since it is written, you shouldbe holy, for I am holy.
Question is are you holy?
Are we holy?
Where do we fall short?
How do we talk to each other?
Do we have sarcasm when wespeak?
What about our words ofencouragement?
Are we tender, kind,affectionate, or do we complain
(16:23):
or have expectations for eachother?
Most of us would admit we fallshort in one or more of these
areas.
But here's what's awesomeEphesians 3.20.
Now to him who is able to do farmore abundantly than all that
we ask or think.
According to the power at workwithin us, jesus can assist you
(16:44):
in overcoming your shortcomings.
He requires you to approachlife with genuine faith and do
your best and he will take careof the rest.
Faith is simply believing inwhat God has said.
All you need to do is believethat his word is true.
Take a step forward and he willhandle the rest.
Instead of constantly seekingmore knowledge and waiting until
(17:05):
you feel fully prepared, moveforward based on your current
knowledge and have faith that hewill compensate for your
shortcomings.
That's why Paul can say what hedoes in verse 21.
To him be glory in the churchand in Christ Jesus throughout
all generations, forever andever.
Amen.
(17:25):
The glory goes to God, becausehe has will and will always make
up for man's shortcomings tofulfill his word.
His promises are true and canbe fully trusted.
The only problem is that youwill never know that until you
step out in faith.
So I ask you today what are youwaiting for?
What excuse do you have thatJesus will accept?
(17:48):
On that day you meet him faceto face?
What excuse do you have thatJesus will accept?
On that day you meet him faceto face?
When the conditions of verses16 to 19 are met, god's power
working in and through us willbe unlimited and far beyond our
comprehension.
And only when we meet theseconditions will Jesus be fully
honored, the way he deserves.
Let's pray, father.
(18:09):
God, thank you so much for yourword, thank you for your
inspiration, thank you for therevelation that you showed Paul
for his prayers for the church,that we would be fully equipped.
Oh God, father, my prayer todayis that our listeners would
have a heart to hear these wordsthat I have spoken, to hear the
words that come from your holyscriptures that would penetrate
(18:31):
their heart and change theirlives.
That they would submit to you,god, regardless of their
shortcomings, regardless oftheir abilities, regardless of
what they think they need toknow God, and that they would
trust you and your spirit livingin them.
That they are fully equipped,with all your power within them,
(18:53):
right here, right now, to goand share the gospel, to share
their faith with others.
I pray that you would let themknow that, god, that you would
share with them your love, yourkindness, your mercy, your grace
.
That they would know that theyhave their shortcomings made up
by you, god, that it's yourstrength working in them and
(19:16):
through them to reach this lostworld.
Thank you, god, so much foryour love for us.
We love you and we thank you inJesus' name, amen.
Now I want to thank you forjoining us today, and I hope
this message helped you take astep closer in your relationship
with Jesus and that you have abetter understanding of just how
much God loves you and wantsyou to know Him.
(19:36):
In our upcoming episode, we willtransition into chapter 4, as
we will discuss the practicalaspects of this life God has
planned for us.
He has given us everything weneed for life and godliness, but
it is our responsibility tosubmit to his will by living a
spirit-filled life that ispleasing to him.
We must enact the faith that hehas given us and no longer live
(19:57):
as we once did, as Pauldescribed in chapter 2.
The rest of this letter willshow us how to take the
necessary steps to become fullyequipped to live the life he has
prepared for us and overcomethe evil in this world.
So be ready to take action aswe begin this new section of
Practical Christian Living, asthis is now your calling as a
believer in Christ to no longerlive for yourself but for him
(20:20):
who redeemed you and set youfree in Christ, that you may be
the light into this world toreveal the glory of the Father
through the power of Christ thatlives in you.
Now, before we go, I want toencourage you to visit us at
thetakeawayfaith.
On our website, you can sign upto receive email notifications
or send us a text message fromthe link provided in the
description of this episode.
(20:42):
We hope that you would use thispodcast as a resource to help
others and that you would sendus a message, a word of
encouragement or any questionsor comments, as we would love to
hear from you.
God bless, and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
Hello and welcome again to the Takeaway.
I'm your host, pastor HarryBehrens, and in today's episode
we're going to be coveringEphesians 3, verses 14-21,
paul's prayer over the church sothat we would receive
everything God promised and thatwe could be fully equipped for
the life God has for us.
We see this pattern of prayerlaid out for us by Jesus when he
(00:41):
tells us how to pray in John 15, 7-8.
If you abide in me and my wordsabide in you.
(01:07):
In our last episode, wediscussed the difference between
living in the world and in theLord.
Paul had given us an example ofthat while he was in prison and
said that it was the Lord'swill and that it had turned out
to be for the furtherance of thegospel.
We too are to recognize that inwhatever position we are
currently in, whether it be intrials and tribulations or our
(01:28):
freedoms, we have been placedprecisely where God wants us.
For the same reason, we shouldnot seek to be loosed from our
chains unless they cause us tolive in sin, as that is the
Lord's will.
We are to be fruitful, rightwhere we are and share the
gospel with every opportunity.
That is what Paul is prayingfor in these verses today that
(01:48):
we would be effective Christiansas we set our eyes on Jesus and
his word.
The question that needs to beasked is how much do you want
change?
Do you want to experience thefullness of God in you and in
your life?
If you do, it requires humblingyourself and imitating Christ,
just as Paul did 1 Corinthians11.1.
(02:09):
Be imitators of me, as I am ofChrist.
Starting in verse 14 ofEphesians, chapter 3.
For this reason, I bow my kneesbefore the Father.
In verse 1 of this chapter,paul starts with for this reason
, what reason?
Well, chapters 1 and 2 showthat the church is God's
(02:30):
workmanship and dwelling place.
Second, for that reason, he wasmade a minister to the church,
to present them holy andblameless.
And now, third, for that reason, he bows a knee in prayer to
lift up the church to God.
Paul cared deeply for theEphesians, just as your pastor
(02:52):
should care for you, and just ashe wanted them to understand
this new way in which we liveand to experience all the riches
of his grace in Christ Jesus,so do I for you.
Pastors are to be men of prayerwho drop down to their knees
before the Father, asking themfor everything they need to care
for his flock.
It is humbling to be in chargeof the king's flock and we need
(03:17):
his power, grace, wisdom andknowledge to care for you how he
desires.
Paul understood that and seeingthe flock running around as if
they belonged to the worldpained him.
He knew that his words had nopower unless God gave the sheep
ears to hear and eyes to see.
That is my prayer every Sundaymorning before fellowship that
(03:39):
the people whom God draws willbe open to the word he prepared
for me to give.
I realize nothing of me is ofany value I can give people when
they show up.
All I can do or should I say,all that there is to do is teach
his word as accurately aspossible, in hopes that God will
answer my prayer, that theywill hear him and see him and
(04:02):
that their lies will beradically changed.
Romans 10, 14-15.
Without someone preaching.
And how are they to preachunless they are sent as it is
written?
How beautiful are the feet ofthose who preach the good news?
(04:29):
Ephesians 3.15,.
From whom every family inheaven and on earth is named?
Paul is referring to the factthat God's family is vast, from
Old Testament saints to angelsin heaven, in verses 16 and 19,.
We see four petitions that Paulmakes for the believers.
If we obtain these, we willexperience the fullness of God's
(04:51):
love for us.
One is strength in the spirit.
Two, that Christ may dwell inour hearts by faith.
Three, that we may know thedimensions of the surpassing
love of Christ.
And four, that we would befilled with the fullness of God.
Think about that for a minute.
Do you know if your pastor ispraying for you like that?
(05:11):
Have you ever asked him?
You should, and you shouldencourage him by telling him
that you pray for him the sameway every day, because God knows
he needs you to.
If the enemy is ever attackinganyone in your church, it's your
pastor and he needs you to holdhim up in prayer.
I can assure you we areattacked daily and often by
(05:32):
people within the flock who havelet their guard down, and the
enemy gets to them and whispersa lie or a distaste in their ear
that they eat right up.
That then turns intocomplaining, gossiping and
griping about the leader youshould be praying for and caring
for.
Have you ever heard the sayingdon't bite the hand that feeds
you?
That's precisely what you dowhen you look to take down your
(05:54):
leadership instead of buildingthem up.
All they want to do is feed youthe truth.
That's a hand I don't want tobite because of the one who
upholds them and has called theminto that position.
Could you imagine your pastorgoing to the Lord, handing you
back to him and saying to JesusLord, watch out for that one he
bites.
How will the Lord treat you onthat day?
(06:16):
That should give you somethingto think about.
Let's look at Ephesians 3.16.
That, according to the richesof his glory, he may grant you
to be strengthened with powerthrough his spirit in your inner
being.
Notice Paul said according toGod's riches, not out of them.
He isn't just offering ussomething out of his riches.
(06:36):
That would be like a personhaving a hundred dollars and out
of that hundred dollars theygive you $10.
That would be out of, but hegives us according to his riches
.
That's like saying you can havethe whole $100.
And not only that, but I willallow you to invest it however
you desire.
The only thing is that somedayhe will ask how we invested it.
(06:58):
He gives us full access to hisriches, but he will take into
account how it was used.
Will you be a good steward or abad one?
In Matthew 25, we have theparable of the talents given to
three different servants.
The first two took what themaster gave them and they
invested it well that when hereturned, they gave it back to
the master more than he hadreceived.
(07:20):
But in verses 24 to 30, we seethe results of the one who
received and did nothing withthe talent he was given Matthew
25, 24 to 30.
He also, who had received theone talent, came forward saying
Master, I knew you to be a hardman, reaping where you did not
sow and gathering where youscattered no seed.
(07:41):
So I was afraid and I went andhid your talent in the ground
where you scattered no seed.
So I was afraid and I went andhid your talent in the ground.
Here you have what is yours.
But his master answered him you, wicked and slothful servant,
you knew that I reap where Ihave not sown and gather where I
scattered no seed.
Then you ought to have investedmy money with the bankers and
(08:02):
at my coming I should havereceived what was my own with
interest.
So take the talent from him andgive it to him who has the 10
talents, for everyone who haswill be, will more be given and
he will receive and he will havean abundance, but from the one
who has not, even what he haswill be taken away and cast the
worthless servant into outerdarkness.
In that place there will beweeping and gnashing of teeth.
(08:26):
The question is what have youdone with the gifts God has
given you?
How are you investing them sothat you will be able to return
to God with interest?
What he has given to you?
Please make no mistake about it.
There is coming a day when wewill all have to give an account
for what we did or didn't dowith the gift of the Holy Spirit
(08:46):
.
How do you want to respond tohim on that day?
Notice again in verse 16 thatPaul prays for the spirit to be
strengthened, not the flesh.
There is nothing we can offerGod in the flesh, and whatever
we do offer him needs to be fromthe spirit.
John 15, 4-7.
Abide in me and I in you, as thebranch cannot bear fruit by
(09:10):
itself unless it abides in thevine.
Neither can you unless youabide in me.
I am the vine, you are the vine.
Neither can you unless youabide in me.
I am the vine, you are thebranches.
Whoever abides in me and I inhim, he it is that bears much
fruit, for apart from me, youcan do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in me,he is thrown away like a branch
and withers, and the branchesare gathered, thrown into the
(09:32):
fire and burned.
If you abide in me and my wordsabide in you, ask whatever you
wish and it will be done for you.
Jesus gives us the gift toinvest and allows us to ask
anything in his name so thatwhatever we invested in will be
fruitful.
In no way does he want you tofail and in turn, he has given
(09:54):
you everything you need tosucceed in this world so that
you don't enter the nextempty-handed.
Ephesians 3.17,.
So that Christ may dwell inyour hearts through faith that
you being rooted and grounded inlove.
Christ dwells in us and wantsto be at home in us.
That can only be accomplishedthrough faith.
(10:15):
John 14, 22.
Lord, how is it that you willmanifest yourself to us and not
to the world?
Jesus answered if anyone lovesme, he will keep my word and my
father will love him and we willcome to him and make our home
with him.
Whoever does not love me doesnot keep my words, and and the
(10:36):
word that you hear is not mine,but the father who sent me.
Do we love the words of God?
How much do you read your Bible?
That's an excellent way tomeasure your love for his word.
This is where the excuses start,like I'm not good at reading,
or I can't remember what I read,so I don't bother.
So on and on the excuses go,and I've heard them all.
(10:59):
Nowadays, there are no goodexcuses for not being in the
Word every single day.
Just about everyone can read,and if you can't for some reason
, there are audio Bibles.
If you can't remember what youread, that doesn't matter.
We are never told to remember,but to abide in the word.
The remembering part is the workof the Holy Spirit Matthew 10,
(11:20):
19 to 20.
When they deliver you over, donot be anxious how you are to
speak or what you are to say,for what you are to say will be
given to you in that hour, forit is not you who speaks, but
the spirit of your fatherspeaking through you.
So again, I ask what's stoppingyou?
And don't tell me you don'thave enough time.
(11:42):
That is the biggest cop out ofall.
I've never met someone whohasn't made time for what they
wanted.
The problem is that you don'twant the word.
So what does that say about you?
Ephesians 3.18.
May have strength to comprehendwith all the saints what is the
breadth and length and heightand depth.
The dimensions of Christsurpassing love are for all the
(12:06):
saints, not just a select few,as we will see in verse 19,.
The love of Christ surpassesunderstanding.
That means understanding.
The love of Christ requireswalking in faith, not just head
knowledge.
It is the means through whichwe apply faith.
The dimensions of his love arevast and Paul asks that we have
the strength to understand thisattribute of God that points to
(12:29):
the vastness of his love for usand that it can be searched in
every direction and dimension.
Searched in every direction anddimension.
There is no place, no distancethat is out of his reach.
The breath or width points tohis arms around us.
John 10, 9.
(12:49):
I am the door.
If anyone enters by me, he willbe saved and will go in and out
and find pasture.
The length beginning to end, orfrom eternity past to eternity
future.
Ecclesiastes 3.11,.
He has made everythingbeautiful in its time.
Also, he has put eternity intoman's heart.
Yet so that he cannot find outwhat God has done from the
(13:09):
beginning to the end, the heightit reaches to the throne of God
Philippians 2.6.
Who, though he was in the formof God, did not count equality
with God a thing to be grasped?
Colossians 3.1.
If, then, you have been raisedwith Christ, seek the things
(13:29):
that are above, where Christ isseated at the right hand of God.
The depth points to Christ'sdeath on the cross Philippians
2.8.
And being found in human form,he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death,even death on a cross.
Ephesians 4.8.
Therefore, it says, when heascended on high, he led a host
(13:50):
of captives and he gave gifts tomen.
In saying he ascended, whatdoes it mean, but that he had
also descended into the lowerregions, the earth?
He who descended is the one whohe ascended.
What does it mean, but that hehad also descended into the
lower regions, the earth?
He who descended is the one whoalso ascended far above the
heavens that he might fill allthings In?
Colossians 2.13,.
And you, who were dead in yourtrespasses and in your
uncircumcision of your flesh,god made alive together with him
(14:13):
, having forgiven us all ourtrespasses by canceling the
record of debt that stoodagainst us with its legal
demands.
This he set aside, nailing itto the cross.
He disarmed the rulers andauthorities and put them to open
.
Shame by triumphing over themin him.
Paul's prayer is that theoutcome or answer to it would be
(14:37):
this in verse 19.
And to know the love of Christthat surpasses knowledge, that
you may be filled with all thefullness of God.
The first three petitions leadus to the fullness of Christ's
love.
Paul is saying that we mustlive in the Spirit, by faith in
all areas of life, to experiencethe fullness of God's love for
(14:58):
us.
Paul is praying here for us tobecome as God-like as possible.
Matthew 5.43 says you have heardthat it was said, you shall
love your neighbor and hate yourenemy.
But I say to you love yourenemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you maybe sons of your Father, who is
in heaven, for he makes his sunrise on the evil and on the good
(15:19):
and sends rain on the just andon the unjust.
For if you love those who loveyou, what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectorsdo the same?
And if you greet only yourbrothers, what more are you
doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do thesame.
Your brothers, what more areyou doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do thesame.
You therefore must be perfect,as your heavenly father is
(15:40):
perfect.
1 Peter 1.13.
Therefore, preparing your mindsfor action and being
sober-minded, set your hopefully on the grace that will be
brought to you at the revelationof Jesus Christ.
As obedient children, do not beconformed to the passions of
your former ignorance, but as hewho called you is holy, you
(16:02):
also be holy in all your conduct.
Since it is written, you shouldbe holy, for I am holy.
Question is are you holy?
Are we holy?
Where do we fall short?
How do we talk to each other?
Do we have sarcasm when wespeak?
What about our words ofencouragement?
Are we tender, kind,affectionate, or do we complain
(16:23):
or have expectations for eachother?
Most of us would admit we fallshort in one or more of these
areas.
But here's what's awesomeEphesians 3.20.
Now to him who is able to do farmore abundantly than all that
we ask or think.
According to the power at workwithin us, jesus can assist you
(16:44):
in overcoming your shortcomings.
He requires you to approachlife with genuine faith and do
your best and he will take careof the rest.
Faith is simply believing inwhat God has said.
All you need to do is believethat his word is true.
Take a step forward and he willhandle the rest.
Instead of constantly seekingmore knowledge and waiting until
(17:05):
you feel fully prepared, moveforward based on your current
knowledge and have faith that hewill compensate for your
shortcomings.
That's why Paul can say what hedoes in verse 21.
To him be glory in the churchand in Christ Jesus throughout
all generations, forever andever.
Amen.
(17:25):
The glory goes to God, becausehe has will and will always make
up for man's shortcomings tofulfill his word.
His promises are true and canbe fully trusted.
The only problem is that youwill never know that until you
step out in faith.
So I ask you today what are youwaiting for?
What excuse do you have thatJesus will accept?
(17:48):
On that day you meet him faceto face?
What excuse do you have thatJesus will accept?
On that day you meet him faceto face?
When the conditions of verses16 to 19 are met, god's power
working in and through us willbe unlimited and far beyond our
comprehension.
And only when we meet theseconditions will Jesus be fully
honored, the way he deserves.
Let's pray, father.
(18:09):
God, thank you so much for yourword, thank you for your
inspiration, thank you for therevelation that you showed Paul
for his prayers for the church,that we would be fully equipped.
Oh God, father, my prayer todayis that our listeners would
have a heart to hear these wordsthat I have spoken, to hear the
words that come from your holyscriptures that would penetrate
(18:31):
their heart and change theirlives.
That they would submit to you,god, regardless of their
shortcomings, regardless oftheir abilities, regardless of
what they think they need toknow God, and that they would
trust you and your spirit livingin them.
That they are fully equipped,with all your power within them,
(18:53):
right here, right now, to goand share the gospel, to share
their faith with others.
I pray that you would let themknow that, god, that you would
share with them your love, yourkindness, your mercy, your grace
.
That they would know that theyhave their shortcomings made up
by you, god, that it's yourstrength working in them and
(19:16):
through them to reach this lostworld.
Thank you, god, so much foryour love for us.
We love you and we thank you inJesus' name, amen.
Now I want to thank you forjoining us today, and I hope
this message helped you take astep closer in your relationship
with Jesus and that you have abetter understanding of just how
much God loves you and wantsyou to know Him.
(19:36):
In our upcoming episode, we willtransition into chapter 4, as
we will discuss the practicalaspects of this life God has
planned for us.
He has given us everything weneed for life and godliness, but
it is our responsibility tosubmit to his will by living a
spirit-filled life that ispleasing to him.
We must enact the faith that hehas given us and no longer live
(19:57):
as we once did, as Pauldescribed in chapter 2.
The rest of this letter willshow us how to take the
necessary steps to become fullyequipped to live the life he has
prepared for us and overcomethe evil in this world.
So be ready to take action aswe begin this new section of
Practical Christian Living, asthis is now your calling as a
believer in Christ to no longerlive for yourself but for him
(20:20):
who redeemed you and set youfree in Christ, that you may be
the light into this world toreveal the glory of the Father
through the power of Christ thatlives in you.
Now, before we go, I want toencourage you to visit us at
thetakeawayfaith.
On our website, you can sign upto receive email notifications
or send us a text message fromthe link provided in the
description of this episode.
(20:42):
We hope that you would use thispodcast as a resource to help
others and that you would sendus a message, a word of
encouragement or any questionsor comments, as we would love to
hear from you.
God bless, and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
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