“HOW DO I LOVE YOU? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS!”
EPHESIANS 3:14-19
David P. Nolte
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, wrote the well known words,
“How do I love you? Let me count the ways.
I love you to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love you to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love you freely, as men strive for right.
I love you purely, as they turn from praise.
I love you with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love you with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love you with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love you better after death.”
You have probably seen this picture one similar to it. Note that it says, “I asked Jesus,
‘How much do you love me?’ ‘This much.’ He answered, then He stretched out his arms and
died.”
Think of Jesus asking Browning’s question, “How do I love you? Let me count the ways.”
THERE ARE FOUR WAYS IN THE TEXT TODAY.
Let’s look at the Scripture. “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom
every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according
to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner
man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and
grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:14-19 (NASB).
Consider that: what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth of His love? How does
He love us?
I. HE LOVES US TO THE BREADTH OF HUMANITY:
A. How wide is His love? As wide as the world.
1. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NASB).
2. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And
if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for
those of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2 (NASB).
B. The hymns say,
1. “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, Like the wideness of the sea; There’s a
kindness in His justice, Which is more than liberty. There is grace enough for
thousands Of new worlds as great as this; There is room for fresh creations In that
upper home of bliss. For the love of God is broader Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind.” (F. W. Faber).
2. “I am so glad that our Father in Heav’n Tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see, This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me. I am
so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me. I am so glad that Jesus
loves me, Jesus loves even me.” (P. P. Bliss).
C. Let it be known
1. That His love is wide enough for the worst of sinners.
2. That His love is wide enough for the most stubborn of rebels
3. That His love is wide enough for the most unlovable.
4. That His love is wide enough for the most phony of hypocrites and pretenders.
5. That His love is wide enough for the red and yellow, black and white – for all are
precious in His sight.
6. That while there is a tremendous inclusiveness in His love, there is also
exclusiveness. That is, those who ignore, spurn, reject, or refuse His love have
effectively excluded themselves from the milieu or environment and benefits of that
love.
D. A man, I’ll call him Sam, told this story: “When I was in college I was part of a
fraternity initiation committee. We placed the new members in the middle of a long
stretch of a country road. I was to drive my car at as great a speed as possible straight
at them. The challenge was for them to stand firm until a signal was given to jump
out of the way. It was a dark night. I had reached one hundred miles an hour and saw
their looks of terror in the headlights. The signal was given and everyone jumped
clear—except one boy. I left college after that. I later married and have two children.
The look on that boy’s face as I passed over him at a hundred miles an hour stayed
in my mind all the time. I became hopelessly inconsistent, moody, and finally
became a problem drinker. My wife had to work to bring in the only income we had.
I was drinking at home one morning when someone rang the doorbell. I opened to
find myself facing a woman who seemed strangely familiar. She sat down in our
living room and told me she was the mother of the boy I had killed years before. She
said that she had hated me and spent agonizing nights rehearsing ways to get
revenge. I then listened as she told me of the love and forgiveness that had come
when she gave her heart to Christ. She said, ‘I have come to let you know that I
forgive you and I want you to forgive me.’ I looked into her eyes that morning and
I saw deep in her eyes the permission to be the kind of man I might have been had
I never killed that boy. That forgiveness changed my whole life.” Her love was wide
enough to include her son’s killer.
How do I love you? To the breadth of humanity. And further:
II. HE LOVES US TO THE LENGTH OF ETERNITY:
A. So, how long will He love us? Eternally! Forever! From here to infinity and
beyond!
1. “The lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who
fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children.” Psalm 103:17 (NASB).
2. “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Psalm 118:1 (NASB).
B. The song by Dany Gokey says
Let every heartbreak And every scar
Be a picture that reminds you
Who has carried you this far
‘Cause love sees farther than you ever could
In this moment heaven’s working
Everything for your good.
Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away.
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday’s a closing door
You don’t live there anymore.
Say goodbye to where you’ve been
And tell your heart to beat again.
C. We see the now – loves sees farther – it looks clear to the farthest reach of eternity.
And that’s a lot longer than the 12th of Never!
1. Paul says that, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and
endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages
and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 1
Corinthians 13:7-8 (NLT)
2. When all the foundational and edifying gifts and ministries are outmoded, obsolete
and useless love remains!
D. This world and its pains and pleasures; its wrongs and rights; its sorrows and joys
will pass into oblivion – and love will remain. As an aged Christian lay dying, a
friend called to say farewell. “I have just had three other visitors,” said the dying
man, “and with two of them I parted; but the third I shall keep with me forever.”
“Who are they?” “The first was Faith, and I said, ‘Goodbye, Faith! I thank God for your
company ever since I first trusted Christ; but now I am going where faith is lost in sight.’
Then came Hope. ‘Farewell, Hope!’ I cried. ‘You have helped me in many an hour of battle
and distress, but now I shall not need you, for I am going where hope passes into fruition.’
Last of all came Love. ‘Love’, said I, ‘you have indeed been my friend; you have linked me
with God and with my fellow men; you have comforted and gladdened all my pilgrimage.
But I cannot leave you behind; you must come with me through the gates, into the city of
God, for love is perfected in heaven.’” - Sunday School Chronicle.
III. HE LOVES US TO THE HEIGHT OF HEAVEN:
A. We cannot fathom that altitude. It is beyond our measures.
1. The Psalm says, “Your lovingkindness, 0 LORD, extends to the heavens, Your
faithfulness reaches to the skies.” Psalm 36:5 (NASB).
2. The Message says, “God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic.” Psalm 36:5
(MSG).
3. God said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways
higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
(NASB).
B. If we could ascend to the farthest and highest star we would still be under the
umbrella of God’s love.
1. Paul wrote, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (NASB).
2. Solomon wrote, “His banner over me is love.” And that banner of love is as high
as heaven! It is insurmountable! No height can separate us from His love.
C. My grandson Travis and I used to have a routine. He’d say “I love you up to the
roof!” I would retort, “Well, I love you clear to the top of the trees.” “I love you up
to the clouds.” “Well, I love you up to the stars.” After a few rounds he’d win every
time by saying, “I love you clear up to Jesus!” You just can’t go higher than that.
D. How high is God’s love? As high as the heavens - clear up to Jesus!
HOW DOES HE LOVE US? TO THE HEIGHT OF HEAVEN! AND:
IV. HE LOVES US TO THE DEPTH OF OUR DESPAIR:
A. Sometimes life gems like a downer - we are sunk in the morass of misery - we are
depressed, discouraged, disillusioned and down in the dumps.
B. The song says,
You’re shattered Like you’ve never been before
The life you knew In a thousand pieces on the floor
And words fall short in times like these
When this world drives you to your knees
You think you’re never gonna get back
To the you that used to be
Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday’s a closing door
You don’t live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you’ve been
And tell your heart to beat again.
C. No matter how deep the hole you dig, His love is still deeper. Corrie Ten Boom said,
1. “With Jesus, even in our darkest moments the best remains and the very best is yet
to be “
2. “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be
depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.”
3. “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”
D. With His love underneath us we can say with the- psalmist, “He brought me up out
of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock
making my footsteps firm.” Psalm 40:2 (NASB). His love reaches us at our lowest. Let me
illustrate love reaching through despair. A middle-aged woman took a seat on a bus.. She
was crying. She came to the city to visit her daughter and was going back home. On her
way to the bus terminal, one of her bags were snatched and stolen from her. The bag had
half of the money she brought with her. The other half was rolled in a hankie and hidden
under her blouse so she still had some money left.
Then a man in shabby clothes get on the bus and took the seat directly in front of the crying
woman. A few more minutes the bus conductor took out tickets and began asking each
passenger where they would be getting off.
When he got to the old man, be asked if the he had any money with him. The old man said
no, but he knew where he was getting off. He said he spent all his money that morning when
he accidentally got off the wrong bus.
The bus conductor told the old man that he must get off. The old man wouldn’t budge. He
was near to crying and he begged the bus conductor to let him take that ride so he could go
home. The driver heard what was happening and approached the old man and he, too, told
the old man to get off.
The woman was listening and observing what was transpiring. When the bus driver and
conductor started to raise their voices at the old man, she interfered. She said, “Stop
shouting at him. Can’t you see he’s just trying to go home?”
“He doesn’t have money!” the driver told her in a loud voice. “Well, that’s not reason
enough!” she insisted. “Where will he get off and how much is his fare?”
The bus conductor mumbled the fare. “Fine,” said the woman and she reached into her
blouse and took out her only remaining money. She gave it to the bus conductor. “Here’s
his fare and mine. It’s only money. Just stop giving him a hard time. Can’t you see he’s old
and weak?”
That made all heads turn to the woman. Minutes before, they were watching her cry over the
money she lost and now she was paying for the old man’s fare with what’s left of her
money. Everyone felt humbled hy the woman’s kindness and unselfishness. Her love
reached the depth of the old man’s despair. So does Christ’s love reach to us!
The song says, “Wide, wide as the ocean, high as the heaven above; Deep, deep as the
deepest sea is my Savior’s love. I, though so unworthy, still am a child of His care; For His
Word teaches me that His love reaches me everywhere.”
Jesus loves you – He has always loved you – He will love you always – and today, softly
and tenderly He invites you to receive His love – as we stand to sing, will you tell Him
“Yes?”
