May 29, 2023
Ephesians 3:14-21
OVERFLOWING LIFE
Power and love and two ‘biggies’ for human beings. We crave both. This week, I read that power or love (or both) is the main subject in two-thirds of all songs and movies. Jesus has a few things to say about power and love, and you may be surprised that he wants more of both for us, much more. Except he doesn’t want the false versions that the world is selling; not all that calls itself ‘power’ is true power, and not all that calls itself ‘love’ is the genuine article. Give us the good stuff, LORD!
Listen to an audio version of the message
Songs for this week: Spotify
Ephesians 3:14-21
- How have you seen power and or love used well? Have you seen them used pooly? Share your observations.
- Paul prays for three specific things for the believers in Ephesus; see if you can get each down to a single phrase.
- The first request seems to be about ‘power in your inner being.’ How would you assess your ‘inner being’ these days? Powerful? Uncertain? Angry? Sleepy?
- Have you experienced God’s ‘love that surpasses knowledge’? Tell that story.
- What does it mean for God to get the glory “in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations”? How do you understand us to be part of that?
Share with a friend
Recent Sermons
James 5:13-20 - A life of faith is a life of prayer. It’s also a life lived with others. When we follow Jesus, we belong to Him and to one another as brothers and sisters. As a family, we care for one another in weakness, confess our sins to each other, and gently confront one another.
James 4:6-10 -James knows that the heart of the Christian message is grace. God gives us good that we couldn’t ever deserve. The truth is that we earn and deserve justice and punishment. Thankfully, Jesus took both of those for us and gave us the good he deserved. As powerful as grace is, there is one thing that can re
James 3:1-18 -James is at it again! He has a real concern for the words that Christians use on themselves, with each other and with the world. Our tongues (James' favourite image for our words) can cause such destruction, and they are nearly impossible to control.
James 2:14-26 -James continues to press deep into the muscles and tissues of our faith. Is your faith doing what it was designed to do? Just like you might go to the doctor for a physical check-up, James offers a self-administered faith check-up in this passage. Where do you see signs of life in your faith?
James 1:19-27 - James is direct: angry words, thoughtless words, and religious words don’t have a place in a life of faith. Our words don’t work … but God’s word does! Our job is simply to cooperate with his word.
James 1:1-8 - James gets right down to business! For everyone not currently soaking in a hot tub, suffering is a first order of business. In just a few verses, James explains how trials can grow maturity, how wisdom helps the journey, and how to avoid wasting a suffering experience.
