If you'd like to follow along with me this morning, open your Bibles to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians 3, we're going to read verses 14 down through 21. As we think about Father's love, we recognize that the Bible is not silent about the love that God has for humanity, especially in the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3 verses 14 through 21.
Now for this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being. So the Christ might dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
And to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. Lord, we pause before you because we recognize that sometimes the truths that you have preserved for us, sometimes they remain somewhat difficult to grasp their full complexity and the beauty of how they all fit together.
But we know one thing, we've tasted of your love in some way. You've begun the stir of hearts you begin to give us a sense of belonging to you. You've forgiven us of our sins and we are aware of that and we thank you. We thank you Lord for your care and your many provisions in our lives.
And then Lord, we thank you for bringing us, our fathers who have provided for us. They have given us strength and hope and guidance in life. We thank you the way your love works. Now Lord, we pray that as we humbly consider your words, particularly the words about your Son Jesus we pray, that we might be refreshed and strengthened in our face even today in Jesus' name.
Amen. We pray that the Apostle Paul is in prayer for the church. In verse 14 he says, this reason I kneel before the Father. In other words, his heart, ashen, and prayer for the church, the whole family of God, those by faith who receive and believe in Jesus Christ in their hearts and have believed in his word, his burden, his depraved for their ongoing strength and their ongoing growth in their relationship with the Lord.
And the primary focus of this prayer is that the love of Christ which flows from our Father in heaven, that that love would become real, it would become in some sense an ability that the people could grasp and hold on to and cherish. Paul's prayers that we would grasp in our minds, the fullness of God's love that you can't fully explain. It's kind of a mystery. He wants us to grasp something you can't describe.
He wants us to hold on to something that you really can't put handles on it. Now to those of us who are somewhat familiar with the ongoing concern in the book of Ephesians, who are reminded in his later chapters in chapter 6 that there's someone who is concerned about this love of Christ and he wants to destroy it. Ephesians chapter 6 and verses 10 through 13 were reminded that the devil's primary target is to cause you and I to question, does God really love me? Notice in Ephesians 6 verses 10, finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. You can put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything to stand. It's important to understand that a grasp or a basic fundamental grasp of the love of God, particularly in the person of Christ, is really where your strength comes from. It's where our enduring factor continues to come as we follow Christ is an awareness of the beauty of that love and its personal application in our lives.
No wonder why the devil wants to work and chisel away at the concept that there is a love that will not quit. Now the love of Jesus Christ is a most powerful work of God and it's certainly the most influential force given into humanity. Our faith hangs upon the beauty and the power of this love, but so does all society and that love that flows even into our family dynamics is based upon a love that comes from above and begins to work down in our lives and expresses himself even in our own families, those of us that have grown up at home, that love was there. It was present, it was evident quite often it's wrapped together with a family framework that truly does have an understanding of God and his mercy and grace.
The masterpiece of this amazing love is Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished for us upon the cross. We know that God's love is extremely great and it's very effective and it's even universal as far as its aspect over all humanity and yet it's very personal. That love is that foundation that does its great work in our lives. And obviously as we think in terms of the influence of the devil, the devil wants us to question where is this love?
To what extent does this love truly work in our lives? The Apostle Paul writes this message to truth, the glorious riches of God's love. It never changes, it never diminishes, it will never lose its power even though the devil wants to prove it. He wants to cause you to question it, he wants to twist it, he wants to somehow take it away from us because it's that confidence in the love of God particularly in the person of Jesus Christ that enables us to keep on going when life says you just want to get off and quit.
God poured out through Jesus Christ is both the wisdom of God and the power of God that is expressed in the gospel. It's what enables us to overcome the evil and the forces against us particularly the issues of the heart. The background to this burden of truth concerning the Father's everlasting love is emphasized because the context in the book of Ephesians is that the love of God was beginning to lose its effectiveness in the lives. Quite often we can clearly understand and express that as trouble was coming into the lives of people they began to wonder if I'm in trouble.
Then where is this love of Christ? If I'm hurting, where is this love of Christ? If I become sick, where is this love of Christ? If persecution comes, where is this love of Christ?
The devil wants to capitalize upon the fact that when you and I go through struggles and challenges and difficulties, the devil wants you to question whether or not God's love is truly there. And as is made clear in the book of Revelation when the letter is written to the church at Ephesus, what is it? They are confronted about. They were losing their first love.
The truth and power of God's love was the most dangerous trapper scenario that the devil could throw against us. It's to bring us to a place where we are not really sure, does God still love me? Does God's love still accomplish its effective work in this world? The devil is determined to convince God's people that the love of God is really not as great as somehow we've allowed that to be expressed.
We might ask how does the devil possibly cause that question of the love of God? Some of us may have gone through seasons where our faith has taken a dip, it's taken a turn, it's lost its beauty and its freshness. We might think of examples and influence and factors that are played into the life. But one thing is clear when we search through the Scriptures that the devil is constantly at work causing to question the credibility of God's love and he wants to give a substitute of one form or another.
Let's go back to Genesis chapter 3 and we first are introduced to the character of the devil. And it's important to begin to understand how that evil and the suggestion of the devil works at causing us to get confused over the beauty and love that God has for us. In Genesis chapter 3 I'll simply read the first six verses to illustrate the point. Now the serpent, he's more crafty than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden? The woman said to the serpent, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden but God did say you must not eat fruit from the tree that's in the middle of the garden and you must not touch it or you will die. You will not surely guide the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and she ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it. We all know that love is a nice concept. We all know that love might have us feel good.
It might find satisfaction in what we might gain or receive from somebody else's generosity. God's love though has limits and boundaries because God has love, he established boundaries and he taught in the very first commandment that sometimes love says no. Sometimes love says that's enough. Sometimes love has these defining places that is more concerned about what will happen if we lose the restrictions in life.
There are some freedoms that we think might be better. I know that as a younger man at one point, particularly in my life, when you're teenagers and you meet friends who have really cool parents, no responsibilities, no accountability, no rules, you're just cool parents. They become, no, those parents, they're really cool. As a teenager, that sounds really cool, but is that love.
We look in terms of trying to understand the way that devil works. He wants us to begin the buy-in to the idea that God is restricting us. He's limiting us and the devil says, you know what? I'll offer you whatever you want.
You name it, I'll give it to you. You suggest it, I'll offer that. You just walk away from God and I'll give you twice as much as you ever had. You see how the devil works is he wants to begin to give us the impression that the love of God limits, the love of God restricts even though when we begin to mature and we realize all the freedom in the world doesn't mean God loves us more simply because we gain whatever we want.
Doesn't mean God is better at giving that love. That love is wise. It knows what's best. That love is powerful because his primary concern is to protect us from becoming a people that will lose sight of the beauty of what love truly entails.
Even this morning, Ken had read scriptures pertaining to the love that comes with the discipline of a father's hand that we say, how does that work? Possibly our dad said to us on one occasion, this belt is because I love you. The illustration we've often heard many times and some of us are well acquainted with a loving father who has established the boundaries in life and brought these kind of restrictions upon. It's important to understand his love does not always give us everything we want and the devil's wanting to say, you've got every single tree in the garden and all of its fruit.
God really loves you. You can have them all. That's crazy to think that we need one more. He offers more.
He offers something better, more pleasurable things and desirable experiences. What's interesting is we have an advantage to have the word of God because even in the New Testament, it builds upon these stories in the Old Testament. Sometimes we say, well, we can just simply speculate on what the devil was really up to. Well, in 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, it actually tells us 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, and we'll read verses 4 through 6.
2 Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 4 through 6. And this is what we attempt to understand. We enjoy the beauty of a God who truly loves and understand the beauty of the boundaries of the limitations that he has granted to us. It brings out a quality of love that we may not fully understand or grasp.
So look at 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 4 through 6. How about I read verses 2 through 6? 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 2 through 6. The Apostle Paul says, I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.
I promised you to one husband to Christ so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid the justice Eve was deceived by the serpents cunning. Your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. The devil's strategy was get to the heart to take that heart away from a God of love and to focus on what you can get out of God.
Or what may be bought as withholding. Verse 4, for if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached. Or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel, it's sliced up, it's packaged, it gives you more than you had before. A different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those super fossils. They were promising big pie, big prizes, big rewards, everything they were promising. The Apostle says in verse 6, I am not a trained speaker. He is not claiming to be gifted, but I do have knowledge.
We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. The burden of the Apostle Paul is constantly to understand that the love that Christ has is the focal point in our lives. And the love that Christ has for us, even though the people of God were going through challenging times. He is pleading with them and praying for them to not lose sight of the love of Christ.
He is not smaller because our problems seem bigger. The love of Christ is not set aside simply because we do not see the good favor of God in our hands each and every day. We may be tempted to want more. We may be tempted to maybe desire more of God's power, his presence.
We may desire some unique special thing from God or even some experience from God. What's important to understand is that the theme of God's love is that God's love is fixed, that God's love is perfect, that God's love is wise, that God's love is working in the way in our lives for our good and our ultimately gain and glory. When we think of the Apostle Peter, we find that he touches upon the same theme where the love of God is being questioned, particularly in contrast to the suggestions that the devil has. 1 Peter, chapter 4.
1 Peter, chapter 4. We look at verses 12 through 16. Constantly, we have the suggestion, the voices working in our minds and our heads. We have the voices that come from all different forms and places.
We have a constant concern of the burden where the devil wants to take away our assurance that God really loves us. We may have wondered that our parents really love us. They didn't tell us that they loved us enough. They didn't do this enough.
That does not necessarily mean they did not love us. It's just that the way they expressed it is different than your friends tell you, their parents suggested to them. 1 Peter, chapter 4. And verses 12 through 16.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange will happen to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or a thief for any other kind of criminal or even as a net alert. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God for that you bear that name.
We go on to continue to follow the same theme in chapter 5. It continues on. We'll look at verse 8 to 9. Be self-controlled and alert to your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, standing firm in your face because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. It's important to understand the love of God. We might call that equivalent to the amount of blessings we may call that equivalent to the amount of comfort we go through in life. We may compare that to the blessing of prosperity of success in life.
We need to be careful. That's the devil's cake and ice cream. We need to be careful about the things that the devil might communicate and express to us. The life entails the love of God.
It's not always that you and I have more. It's not always that you have something better. It's not always that you have something above and beyond. It's important to know that the love of God is in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he paid.
That's the beauty of this love is our love is in the person of Christ, not in the things that he has to offer to us. Oh, sometimes it's great to have a blessing. It's great to have some kind of reward. It's great to have some kind of benefit as we follow Jesus Christ.
We would love to be comforted all the time. We would love to be assured all the time. But love does not always give us what brings us to a place of comfort. Love is that God wants to transform us.
And his purpose of doing that work in us is because there is a much deeper and greater quality of love that comes to us in the moments of our brokenness and our tenderness of life. Another deceptive plan of the devil pertaining to God's love is that the devil tries to keep everyone focused upon now and what you have versus what's coming and what you're promised in the future. This is the argument of Romans 8. Let's turn back there and look at that Romans 8.
We find once again the love of God is being questioned. That's the context about that the Apostle Paul has been used by the Holy Spirit to communicate. This love of Christ is not smaller because the problem seems to increase. As a matter of fact, it just verifies the love of Christ is in spite of everything we go through.
Romans 8, verse 17 and 18. Now if we are children, then we are heirs. Ears of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Verse 18, I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us. The Satan is a master at convincing you. God loves you today. You'll get a blessing today.
He constantly is at work in our lives to attempt to take us away from one day everything will be yours. When you enter into the glory and the presence of God, then the fullness comes and the richness of that. But in chapter 8 he goes on to argue about this because there's this question that God really loved me because the things in life are not simply just falling into my lap. The good things of life, the comforts of life, the pleasures, the things the devil offers.
Verse 31. But then shall we say in response to this, if God is for us who can be against us, he did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? The question was where are these things?
Paul says hold on. The checks in the mail. He said hold on. The promises are coming.
Hold on. The glories are coming. That all the suffering of this life doesn't begin to compare with the glories. The devil says that God loves you get it today.
The truth is we haven't begun to tap into the resources of richness of God until the future. The devil wants you to say I have to have it now. I demand I get it now. I want it now.
The love of God is no. What's coming is even much better. He goes on in Romans chapter 8 in verse 34. Who is he that condemns Christ Jesus who died more than that, who is raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us, who shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or negateness or danger or sword as it's written for your sake we face death all day long.
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors to him who loved us. For I'm convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is a constant burden of the founding fathers of our faith and the message of Jesus Christ is God's love is fixed.
It is continuous. It is unconditionally pour out and demonstrated upon us regardless of your circumstance. That is not verify or validate us to question the love of God. In other words, the love of God is magnified in the midst of the challenges and the trouble of life.
Some of us we may have wondered when we grew up in our younger years about the question of the love that might even come from our parents or anyone else and we realize as we begin to mature it's because our parents loved us they created us to be responsible. It's because our parents loved us that they disciplined us because our parents loved us enough and we're genuine enough about life that they simply wouldn't just give you everything on a silver platter. We recognize as well that as we continue to live and understand the love of God particularly in Jesus Christ that it's not always that which comes in comfort and nice packages. It's that which is best for my relationship to continue to grow and is best for me to be transformed into his likeness.
Let's go back to Ephesians chapter 3 and verses 17 and 18 Ephesians chapter 3, 17 and 18 and try to draw back the beauty of what is being mentioned in these particular verses Ephesians chapter 3, 17 and 18 so that in Christ may dwell so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Here is the prayer emphasis, the love of Christ and the secret of understanding the width, the length, the height, the depth of this love. He's communicating once again to a people who are wondering where are the good old days, where are the times of God's favor and blessings simply just poured out.
He says it's not a new experience that enables us to understand the love, it's to realize that what Christ has already done is the secret to experiencing the greatest amount of love. There's a kind of love that's here, there's a kind of love that's here, there's a kind of love that's here, there's a kind of love that's here, there's a kind of love that's somehow brings about the good things of life but there's another kind of life that knows in wisdom and power what is truly best for us. You'll notice the apostle Paul distinguishes between the outside things that God gives in our life and the inside things, he calls the inside things you'll notice in verse 16. I pray out of his glorious riches that he might strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being.
The love of Christ, the powerful love of Christ is not what comes on the outside, it's what happens on the inside. The love of Christ is what changes the inside of us, the love of Christ that becomes deep is what enables us to be carriers of the same kind of love, that love of Christ is what keeps you through the thick and the thin, it's a love of Christ that continues to give endurance, it's a love of Christ that is constantly a fixed dynamic in our lives that will enable us to go through the most difficult challenges of life and we're still connected. We are confident because of that love of Christ on the inner person. We need to be careful to not weigh the love of God because the outside is feeling pretty good this week.
It is not for God to do more for us but rather that he might open their spiritual eyes as Paul's prayer to recognize all that Christ has already done what he's already accomplished and that's the measurement terms of the height, the depth, the width and the length of that love of Christ. It's interesting that Paul is writing to an educated culture and some of the concepts of trying to measure dimensions. Obviously, the people that study astrology and they study the stars and they have allowed these measurement concepts of height, the depth and length and width to measure distance between planets and also the measurement of wisdom. It comes with the usage of terms and how they are interacting, connecting together to create these great levels of insight and wisdom.
We understand that the wisdom of the world is so different. What the wisdom that comes from God is that we understand the depth of love isn't always in the measurement of what's on the outside, it's the measurement of whether or not our hearts are receptive to God and what he has already done. His point of emphasis is what Jesus Christ did on the cross out ways of all the good things that he might give you life. Unless we understand the beauty of our salvation and uphold the greatness of the love of God that literally would empty himself for your gain and your future and your eternity.
But if we want everything now, then the cross message may lose its power and impact on life. If we want the good things of life today, then the beauty of what's common in the future doesn't seem to compel us and motivate us. I think we clearly understand the richness of a God who loves us, that would put limits and boundaries in this life and then unfold all the unlimited riches of God in the future. Then we understand the richness of that love.
We know what's coming someday is what compels us. Let's look at 1 John 4 and 9 and 10. Again, it's the burden of scripture to define this love, to clearly help us to understand that the love is not in the things that God can give for us, but the love is in the person that God has given to us. 1 John 4 verses 9 and 10.
This is how God showed his love. It does not say in the things you get. It says this is how God shows his love among us. He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.
This is love. That we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for us things. It's important to recognize that what God has revealed to us is not only the definition of love, but he told us the dimensions. We might believe that God loves us more if we have more things.
We might believe that somehow God loves us more if he brings more comfort. We might somehow allow our minds to think that when I'm prosperous, successful, whatever it might be, that God loves me more because I have more. We need to be careful. That's the voice of the devil.
He wants us to think that if you walk away with more, that that's the love. Yet the Scripture clearly says that God loved the world so much he gave his one and only be gotten son. That whosoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. We certainly don't want to minimize the blessings and the benefits of experiencing that love and relating to the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the Scriptures are clear. This is love. In essence, what he's saying, when you measure the distance of the planets and the stars and you use the definitions of how you weigh wisdom and what is really wise and what is really true. In the aspects that were constantly at work within the culture of the early church, wisdom and power.
Everybody wanted wisdom and power. Jesus says the cross is the wisdom and the power of God. What Christ has done on the cross, this is the love of wisdom and power in our life. When we make measurements, you've got to start with a reference point.
You start at one place and you do your dimensions from there. Paul was talking about in Ephesians that all the measurements begin at the cross and they bring themselves back to the same place in the end. They all fit mathematically, geographically. Everything comes together and the beauty of the cross there is the love of God.
That's how we know that God loves us. It's because this is what he has done and the way that that assurance of love comes in our life is that love on the cross has touched this heart. The verifying or validating evidence of that love of God is because that love in its powerful truth has ministered to my heart. It's begun to draw me and compel me to come back.
The evidence of that love is my life has been changed. I find myself receptive not only to the truth of God's word but the person of Jesus. He has just gotten more important to me, more valuable, more precious. It's the love of Christ.
Let me touch upon in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. I want to tie this theme together of how do we roll and process some of the challenges we face that would cause us to possibly wonder is that love of God in my life. We recognize that love is first most evident in the fact that the truth of God's message, the power of the cross or the message of the cross is the power of God. What has begun to do its greatest work in my life?
What defines us as Christians is how much this love of the cross has impressed upon my mind and my heart. The real merits of our relationship with God is whether or not that love is constantly at work. It's grace has brought us to a place where we are willing to accept and embrace that. It's mercy that has allowed us to stand and hold our head high.
It's because of this unchanging, unending love that has begun to draw me. What keeps you going in the fight? The second Corinthians chapter 4 and verses 16 through 18. Therefore, we do not lose heart though outwardly, again we see the impossible distinguishes.
You got an outside and insight. Though outwardly we are wasting your way. Yet inwardly we're being renewed. Day by day.
For our light and our momentary troubles, notice the contrast again, are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. We fix our eyes again in contrast not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary. What is unseen.
That is eternal. The love of God is what brings about the clarifying work in our minds and our hearts that keeps us going. It helps us to understand that though my body may not be so bright and fresh and energetic as it once was but I trust your soul is doing quite well. Because that's what the love of God does.
The love of God is not going to tease us with delicacies of life. It's not going to promise us all the things in the world. That's not going to deepen our love for God. It'll simply distract us.
It'll draw us away. It'll take us from the very things that really matter. We want our soul to be passionate for the things of God. And that is what the things of life will simply pull it away.
But the things of God when they become deep within us, we will be renewed day by day. Not because we got something new. It's because he maintains that newness and freshness in our life. We understand the light and momentary troubles.
The devil wants to say your trouble is because of Job's friends. They come along and they try to tell you why you have trouble. They try to explain it. They try to define it.
They try to describe it. His soul was well because those troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory. We don't quite understand in our little minds how trouble can help you. But that's what God said.
And trouble brings us to a place where a desperate cry is Lord, not simply remove the trouble, but somehow change me in the midst of trouble because that's where the victory comes. That's where we find our greatest momentum in life is because we have been changed from glory to glory. We have been energized from the inside out. And then ultimately we see in verse 18, so therefore our eyes are fixed.
That's where faith is. Faith is not in what is seen. Faith is not in what is temporary. Faith is in what is unseen and faith is what is in eternal.
And that's what you and I need to recognize. Love of God is primarily not only to change us in the journey and to meet the needs we need so we are spiritually strong and passionate all the way to the finish line. But his primary and ultimate goal is that love of God is going to get you to the finish line. That's the power of God's love is he will take us and trim us and adjust us and discipline us so that you and I are still running for the Lord Jesus Christ when we're in our last and final hour of the race.
The things of this world they're going to wait to stand. They're going to cause us to begin the question of love of God because we may not have enough and we all know the human nature is give somebody five bucks and they want ten bucks. Give them ten bucks and they want twenty bucks or something about life that when God gives you the things we end up falling for the things. The love of God is so much deeper, so much greater, so much higher, so much richer.
And God because of love has committed himself in bringing about and distributing his goodness and his favor and blessings and searching proportions so that you and I don't get spoiled in the process. It's to keep us moving in the right direction so we're not caught in the momentary things but our eyes are upon the ultimate glories in which God wants to accomplish in us. Notice in 1 Peter once again we see that Peter speaks in essence the same types of messages with the Apostle Paul and even with Jesus himself. 1 Peter chapter 1 and we look at verse 6.
We notice that the situations we go through which are truly an act of God's love in the person of Jesus Christ and how they're connected with the future glories because that's ultimately our goal is that we not only live this life with a relationship with Christ today but we want that relationship to still be working 40, 50, 60 years from now. First Peter chapter 1 and verses 6 through 9 in this you greatly rejoice though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These they have a purpose they've come so that your faith of greater worst than gold which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. I trust we're here today we want to be on the right place in our hearts in the right place when Jesus Christ returns though verse 8 you have not seen him you love him and even though you do not see him now you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy for you receiving the goal of your faith that is the salvation of your souls.
It's important to recognize the love of Jesus Christ has paid on utmost sacrifice a huge price so that you and I could not only begin tasting the goodness of God and the forgiveness of God but the greatest aspect of that love is not just simply what he begins in your life it's what he promises to finish and complete the temptation we have in life is Lord since I belong to you would you simply give me everything I want love says there's boundaries there's limits there's things in life that though we might desire and there's there's things that might seem appealing to us there's things that we just simply wish we could have more of this and more of that the beauty is God wants to change us from the inside out and he not only wants to change us he wants to secure us so that whatever he does all things work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose that's his covenant commitment is he takes us through whatever avenues and paths he so chooses because he wants to complete us a love that is not tainted a love that has matured a love that is strong a love that can be transferred to others a love not in what Jesus might give us but a love that says he already did on the cross father help us as we journey on through life to realize the beauty of a father's love a love that is filled with wisdom and power a love that promises the rich blessings and yet we find satisfaction in the dry seasons of life we thank you God for the depth and quality of that love that not only allows us to move through the temporary stages of life but our eyes are fixed on eternity in which the inheritance and all of its fullness it will be ours we thank you and praise you for your customized plan you're working our lives that brings us to a place where that love could be completed and matured in us and we praise you for what you've done may we also recognize the greatest aspect of love is understanding that you have given your son Jesus to die on the cross for us and we come to you in faith believing that indeed is love in Jesus name in us God bless you