“For this Reason”
Ephesians 3:14-21
Paul begins this passage with the phrase “for this reason.” He used that phrase in chapter one to tell the people ---for this reason---because of your love for all of God’s people and because of your faith---I haven’t stopped praying for you. He uses to again in chapter 3 and verse 1 as he begins with the phrase “for this reason.” He has just finished telling us that Jews and Gentiles are no longer strangers to one another----we are all citizens of the same family---built on the cornerstone---Jesus Christ for the purpose of becoming holy like the Jews.
He uses it today to start this passage of scripture and will use it again in chapter 5. “For this reason.” Now I believe there is a reason Paul keeps using the phrase “for this reason.” In fact I found 20 different times Paul uses this word reason in his writings.
Paul wants us to know and understand that these are not idol words that carry no meaning; they are not words that are spoken carelessly without thought---when Paul speaks he has a reason. When he acts on his convictions, he has reason. Reason is defined as a statement that justifies why you are saying something.
Reason is tied to purpose---what drives us?
Reason is tied to conviction---why we believe?
Reason is tied to passion---why we feel something so powerfully.
We search for reason in life---we search for meaning in life because without it life is useless; life is meaningless. Paul writes to tell us the reason he has sacrificed his life, the reason he continues to preach the gospel in the face of persecution, the reason he travels constantly and the reason is simple---it’s Jesus. Paul has been changed.
You see formerly his name was Saul of Tarsus. He was one of the most feared men alive. He persecuted believers, saw to it that many were killed; stoned to death. But a day came when he was on the road to Damascus. He had just witnessed the stoning of Stephen---in fact Paul was responsible for it. The Bible tells us that all of the witnesses laid down their coats at the feet of this man named Saul. Now these were not just witnesses; these were the very men who stoned the first martyr of the church Stephen. And they laid their coats at the feet of Saul to show his authority. Saul was the leader of this movement. The scripture tells us he would enter the houses of believers, take them into custody and commit them to prison.
But with Stephen it was different. Stephen was bold. He spoke up for his faith so Saul made an example of him and Stephen was stoned to death. When Saul left, he was traveling on the road to Damascus and God stopped him dead in his tracks. And he asked him a simple question, “Saul why are you persecuting me?” It’s a great question and it reminds us that when we persecute another believer, we are actually persecuting Jesus Himself. Likewise the opposite is true also---Jesus said if everyone gives you even a cup of cold water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will be rewarded. Here’s a truth you may want to write down.
It really matters to God how we treat other believers.
How we treat His children.
It was on the road to Damascus that Saul’s life was forever changed----He met God in a face to face encounter and he surrendered the rest of His life to Jesus for this reason: to turn unbelievers into believers and help them become like Jesus. So He lived the remainder of his life for this reason. Now back to Ephesians chapter 3. He says for this reason I kneel before the Father…..Paul is praying for at least two reasons.
1. I kneel before the Father and pray that He may strengthen your faith with power in your inner being. From time to time we may choose to keep it to ourselves that we feel:
• Physically or emotionally weak
• Empty
• Lonely
• Disconnected to others
Perhaps we don’t really know how to express it but there is something inside that just isn’t right. I think Paul hits it on the head right here. Paul is praying for strength in your inner being so that Jesus will dwell in your heart. Now what is Paul asking for in this prayer. I believe first of all he is praying that everyone will come into a relationship with Jesus Christ. We use the phrase that we have invited Jesus to come into our hearts and dwell/take up residence inside of us. We can put the past behind us and start fresh. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus. You wanna be saved? Here it is. You must be born again. A whole new life is available to us. You see …
Many of us have invited Jesus to live our hearts but we have failed to recognize the power and gain daily strength from that power.
2. Paul is praying that they will, have the power to grasp; to understand wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. He prays we can know this love for a specific reason and this is it. So that they can be filled with the measure of all of the fullness of God.
Here is the way to measure---see if you can grasp just how WIDE and how LONG and how HIGH and how DEEP is the love of Christ. Well first of all we will never fully grasp the amazing love of Jesus. Because we are imperfect people we cannot really comprehend something that is perfect. And His love is perfect.
Now how WIDE is the love of God? John tells us. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting God. So how wide is it? Wide enough to encompass the nearly 8 billion people on this planet and the billions who have lived before us and will follow us. It has no limits.
How LONG is the love of God? To what lengths will God go to show us His love? The obvious answer is all the way to the cross. A perfect God stepped out of a perfect heaven into a broken world, to die for you and for me. No one else was capable or willing or adequate to save a sinner it takes a sinless person. Jesus is the only one to meet the qualifications.
How HIGH is His love for us? Can He love us when we fail Him? When we walk away from Him? Absolutely and He does. Paul says it was while we were sinners that Christ died for you. While we were broken; missing the mark completely, totally out of His will---that’s when God loved us the most. Matthew said, God’s love is limitless and does not give up.
Finally how DEEP is His love for us? Now depth refers to intensity. His love is so intense that even in the times when we wanted nothing to do with Him, He accepted us. You see it’s easy to love the people that already love us. It’s easy to be kind to the people who are already kind to us. But what about those who don’t like you, want nothing to do with you---what about them? Because those are the very ones Jesus died for.
He saw through ness, every imperfection, every sin in our lives and in His final moments if you were to ask Him “how much do you love me?” that’s when He stretched out His hands on the cross and said “I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH!” Enough to give my life for you.
I came to the conclusion while writing this message this week that it is impossible to describe the love of God. eThere really are no words.
• It’s like a drop of water trying to describe the oceans
• Like one grain of sand trying to describe all the beaches in the world
• Like one small star trying to describe all of the galaxies in the universe
I feel and am completely inadequate to explain the love of Almighty God but then I realize I CAN understand this…. I feel at times like the apostle Paul---the chief of sinners; the least of the least, the worst of the worst, not good enough, not smart enough, not worthy and here’s the truth…we’re not. That descriptions fits all of us.
Romans 3:23. All have sinned and fallen short.
Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death but the gift
of God is eternal life.
Verse 20. We need it. We want it. And here’s the kicker. God wants it for you more than you want it for yourself. You say, how is that even possible? Pastor, you just don’t understand how badly I want it. Well you don’t understand how much He loves you.
