We are Empowered
Series: Who is the Church?
Speaker: Nick Freestone
Date: 1st March 2026
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 Good morning, everyone. My name is Nick. I'm Pastor for Discipleship here at St. Paul's.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:08 ! It's my joy to open the Word with you.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:18 We've just had Chinese New Year, and many, many Chinese New Years ago in the 80s, there was a little girl
00:00:18 --> 00:00:27 and she was given some red envelopes. She laid them all out on her bed, but one of them slipped down the back of her bed,
00:00:27 --> 00:00:35 down the side of her bunk bed frame, and was lost, forgotten. Flash forward 40 years,
00:00:36 --> 00:00:44 she was a single mum, battling debts and barely making ends meet, until one day when her old bed frame
00:00:44 --> 00:00:52 finally broke under the weight of her two sons playing in their room, they pulled down the old
00:00:52 --> 00:00:58 bed to throw it away, and wedged under a wooden slat, she found the red envelope.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:07 It had been given to her by her grandfather, long passed away now. That year he'd sold his business,
00:01:08 --> 00:01:13 and he'd done something special for his favourite grandchild. In the envelope wasn't cash,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:21 but shares in a company he'd just been told about. He'd printed out all the details on this folded A4
00:01:21 --> 00:01:28 page, put it in the envelope, it was all legally in her name. And at the time, he was very generous.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:36 He put nearly three, just over $3 worth of shares in that envelope. 33 shares at 10 cents each.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:49 40 years later, those shares were $290 each. That's what they were worth. Nearly $10 million. Without knowing it,
00:01:49 --> 00:01:56 this family had been battling to stay afloat while being millionaires the whole time.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:09 This mirrors the experience of many Christians who come to faith, and yet through their life feel like
00:02:09 --> 00:02:16 the wallets of their strength to keep following Jesus are always emptier than they would like.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:23 Today, Paul is going to show us where the red envelope of God's strength for his church is.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:33 So far in Ephesians, Paul has been encouraging us to remember the riches that Christians have in Jesus,
00:02:33 --> 00:02:44 in Christ, right now. We have eternity in front of us. God the Father, certain, safe, joyful, glorious,
00:02:44 --> 00:02:53 with him forever. We have each other, the church. God's riches displayed in a family
00:02:53 --> 00:03:02 of support and love. And we have his grace to us that while we were powerless to save ourselves or do
00:03:02 --> 00:03:10 anything in our own strength, through Christ, God has saved us and empowers us to live for him
00:03:10 --> 00:03:16 by the Holy Spirit. We have great hope in Christ. And if you're joining us online or you're in the room
00:03:16 --> 00:03:25 with us and you don't yet follow Jesus, consider the blessings and love available to all people
00:03:25 --> 00:03:36 in Christ. And last week we heard how Christ has destroyed the walls of hostility that divide humanity
00:03:36 --> 00:03:48 on the cross. Jesus took the Roman punishment for an insurrectionist so that our rebellious lives
00:03:48 --> 00:03:58 could be exchanged for his life of love for his enemies. But even after this exchange, Christians are
00:03:58 --> 00:04:08 still prone to retaliation, divisions, fears of those unlike us, even racism. So where do we find the
00:04:08 --> 00:04:16 strength to be a unified church, wrestling with sin and one another in a broken world?
00:04:16 --> 00:04:29 When Christians experience the riches of Christ's love, God strengthens his people with power
00:04:29 --> 00:04:39 to be his church and achieve his mission. Who is the church? This week we're focusing on the fact
00:04:39 --> 00:04:49 that we are empowered. Heavenly Father, I pray that you will provide strength for your church through
00:04:49 --> 00:04:58 your spirit to behold the love of Christ for them in such a way that they are empowered to display your
00:04:58 --> 00:05:08 glory to our city as your church in powerful ways. Amen. Today I have three points. Why do we need to be
00:05:08 --> 00:05:17 empowered? What does it mean to be empowered? And how do we get empowered? First, why do we need to be
00:05:17 --> 00:05:22 empowered? I want to draw your attention to how Paul begins not just this passage but this chapter.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:29 We didn't read it and there's a reason for it. Have a look at chapter one there, verse one there.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:38 Paul starts, for this reason I, and then he gets completely distracted. He goes on this tangent
00:05:38 --> 00:05:45 and he gets completely distracted. His train of thought gets broken. He was far away from these
00:05:45 --> 00:05:52 people in Ephesus, writing this letter from a Roman jail cell and he knows that this church is worried
00:05:52 --> 00:06:02 about him, about what the future might hold without him. Just as Paul shared the boundless riches of
00:06:02 --> 00:06:13 Christ with them, God's plan is now to do the same thing through the church. The mission that was Paul's,
00:06:14 --> 00:06:19 the mission of God in Ephesus is now in their hands. It's in the hands of the local church.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:24 And Paul imagined them reading this letter. It's almost like he got to this point and then just
00:06:24 --> 00:06:34 cast his mind to them and thought, I wonder if they're discouraged. Wondering how they're going to do
00:06:34 --> 00:06:44 God's mission to face it without me. So how will Paul strengthen the church for their mission? Well,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:56 the prayer that Steve just read out is Paul's answer. It's a prayer. Paul could have asked God to make
00:06:56 --> 00:07:04 things easier for the Ephesians. He could have asked for more receptive hearts in their city to their
00:07:04 --> 00:07:12 message or even to Christians in their midst. Even for himself to be released to go help them
00:07:12 --> 00:07:21 in Ephesus. But instead, he prays for power from God to see immeasurably more done through them.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:29 Verse 16, I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his spirit
00:07:29 --> 00:07:41 in your inner being. Paul knows of a power that God can give Christians that will fill them to the
00:07:41 --> 00:07:51 measure of all the fullness of God. That's what Paul wants. More than his own freedom, more than changes
00:07:51 --> 00:08:04 to the circumstances of the church. Real power from God to be his church. But Christian, you might be
00:08:04 --> 00:08:17 asking a good question here. Isn't Christ dwelling in every Christian already? Yes. We are in Christ and
00:08:17 --> 00:08:26 Christ is in us. At the very moment a Christian yields their life to Christ, he lives in them. So what
00:08:26 --> 00:08:31 more do Christians have to draw on than the indwelling presence of Christ by the Holy Spirit?
00:08:31 --> 00:08:42 A kind of change that Paul imagines here isn't more of Christ in us, but a deeper knowledge, a
00:08:42 --> 00:08:55 surpassing knowledge, verse 19, of just how loved they are by Christ, that once experienced gives them power.
00:08:55 --> 00:09:06 There is more to experience of Christ and his love day by day as the Spirit provides. It's the love of
00:09:06 --> 00:09:20 Christ experienced that Paul wants to show empowers the church. Paul fears that Christians in Ephesus will live
00:09:20 --> 00:09:32 poor even amongst the riches of their salvation, like a mum with millions under the bed. Paul asks the Spirit
00:09:32 --> 00:09:40 to give us an empowering experience when we remember the love of Christ for us that will strengthen our
00:09:40 --> 00:09:53 discouraged hearts. Second, what does it mean to be empowered? We've used this illustration in a number
00:09:53 --> 00:09:59 of ways, but this week I thought of it from the perspective of a dad with a young child, that's me,
00:10:00 --> 00:10:08 and I remember one Easter weekend many years ago, we gave our middle child chocolate for the first time.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:20 We told her she'd like it, but she wasn't excited. Even today, she has the character of someone who will
00:10:20 --> 00:10:27 doubt first, especially what a parent says is true. She will doubt first, and then she will slowly lean
00:10:27 --> 00:10:35 into maybe the truth, maybe the experience, maybe how things look. And to this one-year-old, the shiny
00:10:35 --> 00:10:42 wrapper was far more exciting than what was inside. Our joy wasn't catching on. And we took a video of
00:10:42 --> 00:10:48 all of this, and I remember ending the video because it was going so badly. She was almost too terrified
00:10:48 --> 00:10:58 to eat it out of the pressure of how excited people were compared to how she was. But then she tasted it.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:06 We have this photo of this moment. She has this smile. It's almost an aggressive bite into a piece of
00:11:06 --> 00:11:13 chocolate. It's like, give me more of that. Oh, this is incredible. And also, I'm on camera. I've got a
00:11:13 --> 00:11:24 smile. It's the funniest little photo. The moment she experienced that chocolate is good, she was
00:11:24 --> 00:11:33 convinced. Experiencing the love of Christ is to take the reality of the riches, taste the reality
00:11:33 --> 00:11:40 of the riches of God. And just like chocolate puts a whirlwind of energy in a toddler, so too does the
00:11:40 --> 00:11:50 love of Christ put a power in the church. Many churches are hesitant to experience something that
00:11:50 --> 00:12:03 might stir our emotions. Most on the North Shore trust emotions less than we do evidence, data, and truth.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:12 But in Christianity, both the knowledge of God and the affections for God always go together.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:20 There was a philosopher and a mathematician, an inventor, a real head knowledge guy,
00:12:20 --> 00:12:28 his name was Blaise Pascal, many, many years ago. He was also a Christian. And when he died,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:37 his coat was found to have a page of his diary, apparently this page, sewn into the fabric so that
00:12:37 --> 00:12:42 any time he wanted, he could look back on something that happened to him, something that he had
00:12:42 --> 00:12:48 experienced. And on there is a date and a title. The title is Fire.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:57 Fire. Here's what he wrote. Fire. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers
00:12:57 --> 00:13:07 and the learned, certainty, security, feeling, joy, peace, and on and on the diary entry goes.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:16 He had experienced the love of Christ that day for him so deeply, emotionally, physically,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:25 that it changed his perspective on his entire life. And he wanted to remember how that day felt.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:35 When the truth of the truth of the love of Christ grabbed him in this experience of wonder, awe, fear, and praise.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:47 What experiences of the love of Christ have you had? What experiences of the love of Christ have we had together?
00:13:48 --> 00:13:58 Think of the moments we've shared singing where it's like all of a sudden someone's turned up the volume
00:13:58 --> 00:14:05 of our voices and our emotions are running high in the room.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:14 Think of the tears that you might have shed maybe in someone's home with your Bibles open with someone
00:14:14 --> 00:14:21 or sharing your testimony or hearing their testimony of God's love in Christ.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:27 There are experiences of God that stir deep emotions.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:32 And Paul knows we need experiences of the love of Christ to empower his church.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 So as you discover more knowledge of the love of Christ for you,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:41 you may have a Holy Spirit-empowered experience.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 Now, this is really important.
00:14:46 --> 00:15:09 Tim Keller uses a really helpful image here for us to understand this, the image of a kiss.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 Imagine someone kisses you.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:13 Woo!
00:15:16 --> 00:15:22 You hope you are the reason that they want to kiss you, right?
00:15:23 --> 00:15:29 But if you discover that they're only here for the kiss and that they can get it from another
00:15:29 --> 00:15:35 and you just happen to be there, then that kiss loses all its meaning to you.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:41 If you go after the kiss and not the person, then the kiss is nothing.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:48 But if the kiss is about the person, then the kiss means everything.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:56 So if you go after an experience of being deeply moved but do not go after God,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 then your experience is nothing.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:05 But if you experience deep affections as you go after the love of Christ for you,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 then that experience means everything.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:10 Keller says,
00:16:11 --> 00:16:17 through the power of the Holy Spirit, information becomes sensation.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:23 Through the power of the Holy Spirit, information about the love Christ has for you
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 can become sensation.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:34 We can't always hope to experience God's love in Christ with this emotional depth.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:41 But together as God's church, we can ask God to strengthen us regularly in our midst.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:48 These experiences can happen together or we can share them with one another when they happen,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 when we are together.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:59 And I pray that you being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the Lord's holy people
00:16:59 --> 00:17:06 to grasp how wide, how long and how high and how deep is the love of Christ.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:12 The church are the glorious riches of Christ.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 We've already heard that in Ephesians.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:23 And they are the location where God's glory will be displayed in power through us.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:28 There's no individualism in this passage at all.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:38 Any experience of Christ's love on our own, shared together, can empower us together.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:42 There were 35 of us gathered around Steve on Wednesday night
00:17:42 --> 00:17:48 as we explored God's vision for St. Paul's Chatswood towards 2030.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 And we shared big goals.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:55 Steve's just shared the summary of those this morning.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:59 We want to make a big impact in our city.
00:17:59 --> 00:18:03 Not to be known, but for Christ's love for our city to be known.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 We want to see him do incredible things.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 And we can't do that unless God empowers us.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:14 Just like the church in Ephesus couldn't do that unless God empowers them.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:21 So Paul's huge goal for the Ephesian church and for us is that God will,
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 and another tangent it seems,
00:18:25 --> 00:18:31 but God who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or even imagine,
00:18:33 --> 00:18:40 will empower his church to glorify God throughout all generations forever and ever.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:49 What it means to be empowered by God is for the church to regularly, purposefully pray
00:18:49 --> 00:18:55 that God might strengthen them through his spirit as they experience the love of Christ.
00:18:55 --> 00:19:02 So how do we get empowered?
00:19:05 --> 00:19:09 There are many practical ways that we can pursue the love of Christ,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:12 but let me give you four, and then we'll do one of them together.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 First, yield.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:17 Look at verse 14.
00:19:17 --> 00:19:24 Paul's posture, he tells us, and he may have been as he dictated this letter,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 is that he is on his knees.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 Or he might have been saying,
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 I am doing this regularly.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:34 I'm on my knees praying this prayer for you.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:39 But in Paul's day, people didn't pray kneeling.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:43 That might be what we see on TV or what you might have experienced
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 as a more traditional way of praying.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:49 But no, in Paul's day, they stood to pray.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:56 So it's important that we realise Paul's telling them this to show them something.
00:19:57 --> 00:20:01 It's actually an act of submission.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:08 God is our Father, and ours is a relationship of intimacy and love,
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 but also of authority.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:14 To submit to God's authority to you,
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 to change you,
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 is an act of obedience.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:23 You may not want God to change you.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:27 You might not feel like you need changing.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 Or to feel deep emotions.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:35 But trust your Father.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 Yield to Scripture,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 and find out more,
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 and more,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 and more about the love of Christ
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 for you.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 And be open to the Spirit
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 to empower you,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 and change you.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 Yield,
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 and
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 meditate.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 Look at verse 18 with me.
00:20:57 --> 00:21:01 What do you notice about the verb there?
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 It doesn't say read
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 about the
00:21:04 --> 00:21:07 depth and height and width
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 and of the love of Christ.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 It says grasp.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 Grasp.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 That word literally means
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 wrestle
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 or
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 ambush.
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 It's a very
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 intense,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 strong word.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 What Paul's saying
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 is it's a wrestling
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 with
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 the truth
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 of the love of Christ
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 into your own heart.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 An active,
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 reflective,
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 purposeful activity
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 that the Bible calls
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 meditation.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 If you want to get a picture
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 of what this looks like
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 in the Bible,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 Psalm 103
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 is really helpful.
00:21:45 --> 00:21:47 It's a talking
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 to your soul
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 prayer.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 prayer.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 It's to yourself,
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 examining your own life,
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 beliefs and understanding
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 and desires
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 and loves
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 and comparing them
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 to God's perspective
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 of the world
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 and yourself
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04 like a wrestling match
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 between your will
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 and the will of God.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 Your priorities
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 and the priorities
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 of God.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 And by the Spirit,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 it's an experience
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 that can
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 happen to you.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 You can grasp it
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 and even as you do,
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 you can be grasped
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 by it.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 The disciple,
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 Peter,
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 he was ambushed
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 by God's word
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 in Acts 10.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 Last week,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 we were talking
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 about the topic
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 of unity
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 in the church
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 and one of the,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 well,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 the leader
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 of God's church,
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 Peter,
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 failed
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 immediately
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 when it came
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 to allowing
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 Gentiles
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 to be fully
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 a part
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 of the church,
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 non-Jews
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 to be fully
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 a part
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 of what God
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 was doing.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 He knew
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 God loved them.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 He knew
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 they should be
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 a part of the church
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 but he didn't live it.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 He was ambushed
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 by a revelation
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 from God
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 and to accept
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 all people
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 in the church.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 To grasp
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 the love
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 of God,
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 we reach out
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 and grasp
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 the pages
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 of scripture,
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 not just
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 to read it
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 but to always
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 meditate on it.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 There is no,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 and let me just
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 say here,
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 this is not
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 meditation
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 where you empty
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 everything out
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 of your mind
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 and sit
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 blank.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 Christian
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 meditation
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 instead
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 is to fill
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 our minds
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 with God's
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 words
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 and reflect.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 Seek to connect
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 with God
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 daily.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 That's one
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 of our seven
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 rhythms of grace.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 What it means
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 to live
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 in Chatswood
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 as his people,
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 regularly connecting
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 with God.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 And here's a
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 starting point
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 if you've never
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 done this.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 Read,
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 meditate
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 and pray.
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 Read the word
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 of God.
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 Give yourself
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 time
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 to wrestle
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 with what
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 you have read.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 Meditate
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 on it
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07 and pray.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 Behold
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 the love
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 of Christ
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 in Scripture
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 and grasp
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 it in your
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 soul
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 as the
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 information
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 you read
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 becomes
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 sensation
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 by the
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 power
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 of the
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 Spirit.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 And yes,
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 thirdly,
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 pray.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 This passage
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 itself is a
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 prayer
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 and it's a
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 prayer for
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 experience.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 And
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 it is not
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 the only
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 thing you
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 should pray
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 for.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 but we
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 can
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36 ask the
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 Spirit
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 to empower
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 us
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 as we
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 reflect
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 on the
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 love
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 of Christ
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 for us.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 Hudson
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 Taylor,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 who was
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 the
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 founding
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 missionary
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 of the
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 gospel
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 going into
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 China,
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 he prayed
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 every day
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 starting like
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 this.
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 It's actually
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 a longer
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 poem,
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 but the
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 start of
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 the poem
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 that he
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 wrote
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 in the
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 top of
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 his diary
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 was this,
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 Lord Jesus,
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 make thyself
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 to me
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 a living
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 bright
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 reality.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 Lord Jesus,
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 make yourself
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 to me
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 a living
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 bright
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 reality.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 God
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 can make
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 us more
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 receptive
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 to the
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 bright love
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 of Jesus
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 through
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 his Spirit.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 Praying
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 in step
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 with this
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 passage
00:25:25 --> 00:25:28 is like
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 asking God
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 to change
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 us
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 as if
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 we're
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 a normal
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 boring
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 piece
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 of A4
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 paper
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 like this.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 Change
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 us into
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 a
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 photosensitive
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 chemically
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 treated
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 piece of
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 paper,
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 receptive
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 and ready
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 to receive
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 the light
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 of Christ,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 seen in
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 his word
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 and heard
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 in the
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 church,
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 experienced
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 in Christian
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 friendships,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 and then
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 have it
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 come to
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 life on
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 us,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 like a
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 photo
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 instead of
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 a blank
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 white
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 page.
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 Pray for
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 God to
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 give you
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 an
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 experience
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 of the
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 love
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 of
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 Christ.
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 And then
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 fourthly,
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 together.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 If you want
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 to know
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 the love
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 of Christ
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 deeply,
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 you need
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 to be
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 deeply
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 involved
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 in the
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 church
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 community.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 the
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 promised
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24 power
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 of this
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 passage
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 involves
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 other
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 Christians.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 God
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 pours
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 out
00:26:30 --> 00:26:32 his
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 power
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 over
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 the
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 church
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 together
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 with
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 all the
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 Lord's
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 holy
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 people.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 This
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 whole
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 letter
00:26:38 --> 00:26:40 is all
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 about
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 the
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 church
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 and
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 it's
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 evidence
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 enough
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 for any
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 Christian
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 to dig
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 roots
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 and
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 foundations
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 in a
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 church.
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 And if
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 we take
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 our lead
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 from this
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 passage,
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 together
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 as God's
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 church,
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 we can
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 grasp
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 the love
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 of Christ
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 deeper
00:26:58 --> 00:27:00 together.
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 So let's
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 do it.
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 Let's
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 explore the
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 love of
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 Christ
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 together
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 now and
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 answer
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 this
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 question.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 How
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 wide
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 and
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 long
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 and
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 high
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 and
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 deep
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 is the
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 love of
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 Christ?
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 for you.
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 How
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 wide
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 is the
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 love of
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 God
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 for you?
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 Jesus
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 said,
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 when I
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 am lifted
00:27:29 --> 00:27:31 up at
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 the cross,
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 I will
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 draw all
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 people
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 to
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 myself.
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 All
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 people
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 can come
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 to Jesus.
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 His
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 love
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 reaches to
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 all people
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 of every
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 nation.
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 His
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 love is
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 to all
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 nations.
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 And
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 Isaiah
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 1.18
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 says,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 though your
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 sins be
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 as scarlet,
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 you shall
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 be whiter
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 than snow.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 This
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 vivid image
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 of scarlet
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 to white
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 or red
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 to white
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 is actually
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 about
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 blood.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 Even
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 if you've
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 killed,
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 you can
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 be forgiven
00:28:09 --> 00:28:12 no matter
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 what you've
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 done.
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 That is
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 how wide
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 the love
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 of Christ
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 is for
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 you.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 How long
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 is the
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 love of
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 God?
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 Revelation
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 13.8
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 says that
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 Christ was
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 ready to
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 die for
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 you before
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 the universe
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 was made.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 In
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 eternity
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 past,
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 God had
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 a plan
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 for you.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 And
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 Jesus
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 said,
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 I give
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 them
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 eternal
00:28:38 --> 00:28:40 life and
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 no one
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 can pluck
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 them out
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 of my
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 hand.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 Jesus
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 will
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 never
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 let
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 go
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 of
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 the
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 ones
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 he
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 loves.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 And
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 Philippians
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 1.16
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 says,
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 the one
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 who began
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 a good
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 work in
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 you
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 will
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 bring
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 it
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 to
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 completion.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 His
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 love
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 is with
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 you
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 every
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 step
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 you
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 take.
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 God's
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 love
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 is that
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 long.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 How deep
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 is the
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 love of
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 God
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 for you?
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 How deep
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 is his
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 love?
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 The
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 depth
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 of
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 Christ's
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 love
00:29:10 --> 00:29:12 is seen
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 in how
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 far he
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 will go
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 to show
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 you.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 What did
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 it cost
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 you?
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 What does
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 it cost
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 anyone
00:29:21 --> 00:29:23 for God
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 to love
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 you?
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 Nothing.
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 What did
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 it cost
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 God to
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 show you
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 his love?
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 Everything.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 Death of
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 his son
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 on a
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 cross.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 Jesus
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 died your
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 death and
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 went to
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 hell for
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 you,
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 as Peter
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 taught.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 Christ's
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 love is
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 as deep
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 as deep
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 can go.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 God's
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 love is
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 that
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 deep.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 And
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 our
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 high
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 is the
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 love of
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 Christ
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 for you.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 John 17,
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 Jesus
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 prays,
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 Father,
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 I want
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 them to
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 have the
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 glory
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 that we
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 have.
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 Christ
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 loves us
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 up into
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 the status
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 and riches
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 and glory
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 that he
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 has with
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 God the
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 Father.
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 And
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 John,
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 in 1
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 John,
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 says,
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 we will
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 be like
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 him and
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 we will
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 see him
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 as he
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 is.
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 God
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 lifts us
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 into holiness
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 and nearness
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 with the
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 highest
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 king.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 That's
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 how high
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 the love
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 of Christ
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 is for
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 you.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 The love
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 of Christ
00:30:26 --> 00:30:28 is the
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 red
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 envelope
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 of the
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 Christian.
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 But is
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 it lost
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 under your
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 bed?
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 God
00:30:35 --> 00:30:37 or are
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 you
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 experiencing
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 the love
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 of Christ
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 each
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 day?
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 Yield
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 yourself
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 to
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 Christ
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 and
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 connect
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 with
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 him
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 daily
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 in
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 the
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 word
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 and
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 meditate
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 on
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 it.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 Seek
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 to
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 grasp
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 Christ's
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 love
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 for you
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 and pray
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 that the
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 spirit
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 would move
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 you
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 deeply,
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 even
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 knock
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 you
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 off
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 your
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 feet
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 onto
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 your
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 knees
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 like
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 Paul
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 and
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 prioritize
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 being
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 together,
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 seeking
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 the love
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 of Christ
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 with the
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 church.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 Where do
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 we find
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 strength
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 to be
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 united
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 church?
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 Wrestling
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 with sin
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 and one
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 another
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 in a
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 broken
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 world?
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 In
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 the love
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 of Christ
00:31:13 --> 00:31:15 for us.
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 God
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 empowers
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 his people
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 to be
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 his church
00:31:17 --> 00:31:19 as we
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 behold
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 the love
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 of Christ.
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 Who is
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 the church?
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 We are
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 empowered.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 And what
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 are we
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 empowered
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 to do?
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 Well,
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 you have
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 to join
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 us in
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 Ephesians
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 4 from
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 next week
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 on.
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 We need
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 the power
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 of God
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 working
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 within us
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 to experience
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 the love
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 of Christ,
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 to do
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 more in
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 God's
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 mission
00:31:42 --> 00:31:44 than we
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 can ask
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 for or
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 even
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 imagine.