Ephesians 3 14-21
The letter is written to encourage them. A number of early manuscripts didn’t have verse one so there is a theory that this letter went to more than 1 church. Paul prays with total confidence and faith in his father. Paul kneeling here is showing humility. Like Paul we know our mistakes and the people we’ve hurt. Yet God still loves us.
Solomon David Ezra Daniel Peter and even Jesus prayed on their knees. The posture of our bodies matters less than the posture of our hearts. After all, some of us if we get down on our knees, we’re not getting back up without help. Paul’s shows us what humility means.
Pauls prayer should be our prayer as well. Praying for strength as we cannot do life without the power and strength that the Holy Spirit gives us.
Paul uses the word dwell deliberately. God should not be a short term visitor to our life and hearts.
No room in our heart is off limits. We need to surrender our entire inner being to him.
Why would Jesus want to love us? Why would he want to live in us? He created us we are not a mistake.
A rooted and established plant will grow. So will we, rooted in God’s love part of His family.
Whilst we still sinners God died for us. God wants us to know how much he loves us. His love covers our live and into eternity. It encompasses everything.
His love is deep enough to forgive us, to support us in our darkest moments.
Yvette shared her anger about when her mum died. She needed her yet God took her. Amanda Judith and Yvette had to immerse in prayer.
Jesus death on the cross was not a plan B. It was the sacrifice that was needed.
Jesus went to the cross knowing a lot of people would not believe. Yet he took on our sins, became human and died in pain for us. Why? To heal the separation between us and God.
We should be able to say to others I know that God loves me. We need to be able to share this with others. People need to experience it for themselves. V19 talks about full measures. No short measures from Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Amazing things happen if we experience the fullness of God, if we invite him in, if we put him first.
We need to be the people he moulded us into. God wants everyone to be saved, not separated for eternity.
It’s life changing and infectious. We want to share with others.
You are worth dying for, you are special, you are loved.
The lectionary today 1 Peter 2 2-10 tells us to crave pure spiritual milk. Being with God, like a baby, helps us to grow and mature in faith.
Peter the Rock is using stones for a different illustration here. We no longer need a mediator to talk to God. We learn how much we are loved, and we need to share this.
Jesus wants to live in us.
Yvette closed by using the words of Ephesians 3: 14-21 as a prayer for us all.