Knowing How Much you are Loved by God

—Ephesians 3:14–21

  • Andrew Fountain – June 9, 2024

 
 
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Goal

  • That each of us would feel and know
    the intensity of the love of Jesus,
    that surpasses knowledge.

Knowing How Much you are Loved by God

  1. Jesus’ Love for his Friends and Followers
  2. Paul’s Experience of Being Loved
  3. John’s Joy in Receiving Love

Luke 22

  1. Then he said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer”

Jesus and Peter

  • Wanting to call fire down from heaven on the Samaritans
  • Asking for a promise that he could have the best seat in the kingdom
  • Ordering Jesus not to go to Jerusalem
    • “Get behind me Satan”
  • Cutting off the hight priest’s servant’s ear
  • Incident at Jesus’ transfiguration
  • Boasting that he would be more loyal than all the other disciples
  • Did Jesus love him?

Jesus loved Peter

  • He didn’t ignore his failures
  • But his love was 1000 times greater
  • says “Satan wants to sift you Peter, but I have prayed for you”
  • He was committed to restoring Peter (and did!)

Luke 7

  1. Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
  2. You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet.
  3. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil.
  4. I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven…

Am I a disciple, loved by Jesus?

  • Being a follower of Jesus is about receiving his teachings and acknowledging he is your Lord
  • It is not about how perfectly you do them

Knowing How Much you are Loved by God

  1. Jesus’ Love for his Friends and Followers
  2. Paul’s Experience of Being Loved
  3. John’s Joy in Receiving Love

2 Corinthians 5:
His love for us is our driving force

  1. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
  2. For the love of Christ compels us…

Ephesians 3

  1. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
  2. from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
  3. that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Ephesians 3 cont’d

  1. so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
  2. may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
  3. and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Knowing How Much you are Loved by God

  1. Jesus’ Love for his Friends and Followers
  2. Paul’s Experience of Being Loved
  3. John’s Joy in Receiving Love

1 John 4

  1. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
  2. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment…
  3. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
  4. We love because he first loved us.

Isaiah 62

  1. …As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,
    so your God will rejoice over you.

Revelation 19

  1. Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory,
    because the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.

Hebrews 12:
We are his joy!

  1. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
    who for the joy set before him
    endured the cross, scorning its shame,
    and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

God really does love me!

  • God can see right into you, sees the core “you” and loves you.
  • He sees your failures, but they are nothing compared with how much he loves you.
  • He does care about the mess but loves you far more
  • He sometimes does not like what you do, but his love is 1000 times greater

Ephesians 3

  1. that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
  2. so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
  3. may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
  4. and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.