Ephesians 3:17-19 (NKJV) That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Being rooted and grounded in love conveys a message of being stable and firm in conviction, having an immovable faith with regards to the love that God has towards us. This person should be so convinced without a shadow of doubt that God loves him, cares for him, has no evil plan or intention against him, accepts and loves him unconditionally. He does not fear nor feel rejected because he knows God and His love for him.
Paul says it is to know the love of Christ and he shared with us this truth in Ephesians Chapter 1! When we understand these wonderful truths, it will cause us to be strengthened each day, especially when we remind it to ourselves each morning as we approach Him at the throne of grace. We are strengthened because we understand the extent God has gone on His expense to make us acceptable in His sight. It is a position that none of us is able to attain and achieve.
What we are about to learn or review about the truth helps us to comprehend the length, breadth, and depth of God’s love. It is an unthinkable truth or blessings that we have received but not many people are able to understand or grasp it fully because many of us are still thinking about the conditional love of God rather than the unconditional love of God. We might think that we know and understand but we truly don’t because we are still struggling to please God on our own strength.
It passes knowledge because we are talking about revelational truth that Paul actually prayed for the believers in the earlier chapter that their spiritual eyes will be opened and that they will have the spirit of wisdom and of revelation. As a wretched sinner before acceptance of Christ, it is unthinkable and unbelievable that God would actually love us unconditionally and some of us are still struggling with these truths.
We will not enter into the rest of God nor experience being his sons or daughters until we humbly accept and pull down the stronghold of our mind by accepting that our ability to stand before God has absolutely nothing to do with us. We will be filled with fullness of God when we understand and know how God looks at us in Christ! These truths will bring rest, peace, and faith into our hearts.
Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
This scripture gives all the glory to God, God is to be blessed! It reveals the love of God towards us. He planned it before the creation of the world. It is God who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm in Christ! It has nothing to do with us but it has everything to do with God when it comes to approaching God. It sets the tone for us to approach God based on the finished work of Christ rather than our own strength in doing or performing to please God!
God has chosen to bless us, therefore we worship Him for all the work that He has done for us. Blessed be God! He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Our confidence and identity need to be in Christ. We will struggle to understand how God can ever accept us if our identity is in our achievements or works! We, the Christians are no longer in Adam or the Kingdom of darkness but in the Kingdom of light. We have been transferred into the new Kingdom of His dear Son! We are the ones who are so richly blessed spiritually that we should be shouting at the top of our voice for all that He has done for us!
Sermon series: Inner man
享有各样属灵的福气
以弗所书 3:17-19 使基督因你们的信,住在你们心里,叫你们的爱心有根有基,能以和众圣徒一同明白基督的爱是何等长阔高深,并知道这爱是过于人所能测度的,便叫神一切所充满的,充满了你们。
爱心有根有基,传达了一个信息,就是对于神给我们的爱有坚定的确信,和不动摇的信心。这人毫无疑问地坚信神爱他、关心他、没有任何对他不利的邪恶计划或意图,并且无条件地接纳和爱他。他没恐惧或被拒绝感,因他知道神和神对他的爱。
保罗要我们明白基督的爱,并且在以弗所书第1章分享这真理。当我们明白这奇妙的真理,真理会每天刚强我们,特别是每早当我们来到祂施恩宝座时都会被提醒这点。我们得刚强,因明白神为使我们被接纳所付出的代价,这是我们无法能自己实现和完成的位份。
学习或回顾真理,有助我们明白神的爱是何等长阔高深。我们已领受这超乎想象的真理或祝福,但没多少人能完全明白或理解,因许多人仍在思考神有条件的爱,而不是祂无条件的爱。我们可能自认为已知道并明白,但其实没有,因我们仍努力靠自己的力量来取悦神。
这爱是过于人所能测度,因我们谈论的是启示性真理,保罗实际上在前章为信徒祷告,求他们属灵的眼睛被照明,并得到智慧和启示的灵。在接受基督之前,我们作为可怜的罪人,很难想象并相信神真的会无条件地爱自己,而且我们当中有人仍在这真理中纠结。
除非我们谦恭地接受,并倾覆自己心思的障碍,承认根本无法靠自己的能力来到神面前,不然将无法进入神的安息,也无法体会成为祂的儿女。当我们明白并知道神看自己如在基督里,神的丰盛将充满我们!我们内心将因这真理有安息、和平和信心。
以弗所书 1:3 愿颂赞归与我们主耶稣基督的父神!他在基督里曾赐给我们天上各样属灵的福气。
这经文将所有荣耀归给神,神配得我们颂赞!这启示神对我们的爱,祂在创造世界前就计划好,在基督里赐给我们天上各样属灵的福气。我们之所以能靠近神,全是祂的恩典,与我们完全无关。神为我们建立了以基督所成就的为基础,而不是靠我们自己的力量来取悦神。
神已选择赐福给我们,所以我们敬拜祂为我们所做的一切。愿颂赞归与神!祂已在基督里赐给我们天上各样属灵的福气。
我们的信心和身份需奠基于基督里,若奠基于自己的成就或工作中,将很难理解神怎么会接受自己。作为基督徒,我们不再在亚当或黑暗里,而是在光明中。我们已被迁到祂爱子的新国度中!我们属灵上是非常蒙福,因祂为自己所做的一切,高声欢呼吧!
讲章系列:内在的人
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