Ephesians 3, now go to Ephesians
3 with me. This is Paul praying for the
church at Ephesus and he prays for us, the church everywhere,
and I entitled it Paul's Prayer and Mine. This is my prayer for
you and for me, for all of us. And I don't think Well, I know
that none of us fully understand the benefit of prayer. And I hesitate to use the word
power, because religion loves that. There's power in prayer,
they say. Hold on there. There's no power
in prayer itself, but power is the one we pray to. He has all
power. This prayer is just us calling
on Him, okay? So in that sense, prayer is the
means that God has told us to use, to call on Him, to exert
His power. Prayer is the life breath of
believers. If you're married, you talk to
your spouse, don't you? If you don't, you're not married. You commune with one another.
You talk to your children. Prayer is communion with our
Father and with Christ. It's the breath of a believer.
It comes by this new birth and you begin to pray. You never
did it before. Prayer is communion with our
Lord. Prayer is calling on our Lord. Whosoever calleth, on the
name of the Lord shall be saved. And no one is saved if they don't
call on the Lord. Or keep calling. You keep calling.
It's not a one-time thing. You keep calling. You keep crying
like a baby. A baby keeps crying, don't they? And I'm a grown man. Well, I
didn't grow too much. But I still cry, don't you? I cry at my father. So it comes supernaturally to
God's people. Our Lord said men ought always
to pray, didn't He? Not faint. Don't ever stop. Well,
He didn't hear me. God didn't answer me. If you
need something bad enough, what are you going to do? Keep calling. Keep calling. You know, always
to pray and not faint, not quit. Always, all the time. You say, that's not possible. Well, yes it is. I know we've
got things we do and, you know, we've got to have our mind focused
on it. But even at that, Lord, help me. Lord, help me. We need to. Why? Because without
Him, we can do nothing, He said. We shouldn't want to take a step
without Him directing us. We shouldn't because we're going
to stumble. We're going to fall. We're going to fall into temptation.
The Lord said we ought always to pray and pray about everything. I used to think there were things
too small that we shouldn't bother our Lord with, you know, things
too minor. Well, that's not so. He said
everything by prayer and supplication. You remember what Brother Bruce
said about that couple wanting to get a dog? Somebody called
him and said they were praying about getting a dog and he hung
up a little while later and he said, He said, no, it might be
a biting dog. You don't want a biting dog in his life. Prayer about everything,
always, for everyone. And if we want, 1 Timothy 2 says
we ought to pray for rulers and presidents and rulers and on
down to the mayor and the town and everyone. Even our enemies. Isn't that what it said? Our enemies. Now, praying for
our enemies might not change them. The Lord might not break
down the enmity in them. But you know what? If you pray
for your enemies, you know what He'll do? You know what He'll
do to you? Break down that enmity in you for them. It'll soften
your heart. I'm telling you. I know this
from God's Word and from experience. You can't stay mad, too mad.
You can't stay too mad at people you're praying for. And it's
hard, isn't it? People that have abused you and
misused you. It's really hard. Our Lord said, do it. Pray for
them that despitefully you It's a hard matter to think that
the church prayed for solitarsity. Do you reckon anybody was praying
for solitarsity? He was breathing out threatenings
and slaughter. He wanted everybody dead. Somebody
was praying for him. And the Lord changed that philosopher. And he became their bosom buddy. And they were all so glad. They
loved Paul so much. And now here he is in prison. I know I was the enemy. Somebody pray for me. That's
good counseling. What do we pray for? Well, Romans
8 says we often don't know what we should pray for. We don't
know. So what we do pray is that I
will be done. No, I just don't really know.
But I want your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
So we know that His will will be done. Well, right here is
His will. Right here in these verses, He
tells us what God will grant. God's going to do this. You pray
for these things. And God will do this. And again,
it's like Ephesians 1. These blessings, there's nothing
material. Nothing material. Right? It's all spiritual. Spiritual
blessings. These are what we need. Give
us this day our daily bread, but forgive us. Here's our great
need. Forgive us our trespasses. So here's his will, verse 14,
all right? For this cause, he says, I bow
my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I don't
think I would ever bow my knee to a human being. Years ago,
there used to be powerful kings, and men would literally bow their
knee to men. And I don't find that in the
scriptures where you should do that. I don't find that. Sadly,
tragically, millions bow down before a man in Rome and kiss
his ring in his hand. That's sad. That's bondage. It's idolatry. But we should
bow down before the Lord our God. We should bend the knee. Now,
prayer is both public and private. But it's never, turn to Matthew
6 with me, Matthew 6. You hear all the time about going
to have a citywide prayer meeting and they're all going to meet
on the courthouse steps and pray and all that. You know what that's
about. It's to be seen of men. And I've
seen kids on the front of the, at the front of the high school
gathering around before before school, praying, and then athletes
before the game, right down in front where everybody can see
them. They'd been down there. What are they doing that for?
For everybody to see them. And our Lord said, don't do that. Didn't He? Look at Matthew 6.
Matthew chapter 6. He said this very plainly, verse
5. When thou prayest, thou shalt
not be as a hypocrite. That is, they're acting, they're
putting on a show. They love to pray standing in
the synagogues in the corner of the street that they may be
seen of men. That's their reward. That's why they're praying, for
people to see how religious they are. When you pray, did he mean
this? Does he mean it literally? Our
Lord meant everything he said. Verse 6, when you pray, get in
your closet and you shut the door. Why do we pray? Who do
we want to see us pray? Who do we want to hear us pray?
Who are we praying to? God. That's the only one we want
to see us pray and hear us pray, isn't it? You men pray. And God has chosen the church.
That's his family. You pray with your family, don't
you? You may lead in prayer with your family, don't you? You still
feel inadequate, don't you, Wesley? You feel inadequate to do it,
but the Lord tells us to pray. And that's a family affair. And
so is the church. We pray in the context of the
church, family. The church and the scriptures,
they all met together in the grave, but not out in public.
You hear me? Not in restaurants. That's their
reward. Look at me. Don't do that. And we pray to our Father in
secret, and you reward the open. And don't use vain repetitions.
Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for us poor sinners. There's
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. That's
who we pray to. Don't pray to Saint anyone. We pray to Christ alone. He's
the one, the Father. One mediator between God and
men, the man. Not Mary, the man, Christ Jesus. God hears no prayers that go
through Mary or Saint Christopher or Paul or any of them, nobody. God hears all prayers that go
through Jesus Christ. And prayer, Paul said in verse
14, I bow my knee, verse 14. I bend my knee. And brothers
and sisters, we don't do this publicly. We don't do it. I was in a meeting one time preaching
with several of these reformed people. And the man got up before one
of them got up and got down behind the pulpit on his knees. It sickened me. And everybody
was so impressed with how sincere he was. Not me. But I would tell you in private,
get on your knees. You hear me? Paul said this.
He's in prison right now. He's by himself. And he said,
I bow my knee. You know what? Every knee will. Every knee should. Every knee
will. If you're in private, get on
your knees. Why? And not always. And we're not hurt because we're
on our knees. But James said, humble yourself in the sight
of God. Humble yourself. What did our Lord do when he
went into the garden? What'd you do? Fell on his face. I tell you, if you need something
bad enough, have you ever been in such a bad state that you
fall on your face on the floor? You can't get low enough. You
bury your face and your head into that carpet or that floor,
begging God to do something. You ever been there? That's what our Lord did. Now
to me. Should we at least bow our heads?
The Pharisee went into the temple and lifted up his eyes to heaven.
And everybody was so impressed. His hand, look at him. He's praying
to God. God's not hearing a word he's
saying. The publican, chief of sinners, standing back in the
back, he didn't feel worthy to come up front. And all he could
do was pound on his chest. And he had his head hanging down.
Like that woman who washed our Lord's feet with her tears, the
chief of sinners. She's crying because her head
is bowed, and those tears are flowing over his feet. She has
her head down, and finally she falls at his feet, and wipes
his feet with her hair. Her glory takes that glory down. Her plaited hair and white, she'd
say, I'm a no good sinner. Please, Lord, help. Have mercy
on me, the sinner. Humble herself. Defeat of the
Lord Jesus Christ. For this cause, Paul said, I
bow my knee. I bow my knee. And he did. to the Father, verse 14, to the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Christ. In the
garden our Lord fell on His face, and what did He cry? Father,
Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cut from me. Father, He prayed. We pray to
our Father. We pray to our Father. How did
He tell us to pray? The disciples saw Him pray. The
disciples saw him pray. The disciples heard him pray.
And they heard him pray with such zeal, with such sincerity,
with such earnestness. They saw him following his faith.
And they all said, teach us to pray like that. We want to pray
like that. We want to pray with such sincerity.
We want to be heard. Teach us to pray. What did he
say? After this manner of praying, our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name. Pharisee again, Pharisee stood
in the temple. God, here I am. I feared my father, but I wasn't
afraid of him. Does that make sense? That's
the only way you can describe the fear of God. In other words,
I had such a respect for him. that I just didn't approach him
flippantly or carelessly. I knew he loved me, I loved him,
and I respected him, and I honored him, and I never called him by
his first name. Dad, Father, I asked him for
things, humbly, until I became a rebel, you know. He still had mercy on me. Heavenly Father, hallowed be
thy name. Our Father, where is our Father?
Recharged in heaven. You need something done, there's
no higher place to appeal. No higher place to go, no higher
person to go to. You don't need to pray to the
Pope. Pray to your Papa. That's what
that word means. Papa, he's not my father. He's
not my holy father. Call no man that. but your Father
in heaven, none higher. I'm whom, verse 15, the whole
family in heaven and earth is named. You remember that message?
I hope you do. Sons of God, behold what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God. So you know what? If we're the
sons of God by faith in Christ, that's how we're the sons of
God. As many as received Him. as many as believe on Him, as
many as love Him, as many as hope in Christ, as many as Christ
died for, as many that the Holy Spirit takes the things of Christ
and shows you He's your only hope, those that hope in Christ.
He said, He's our hope. That's who the Father is. So
He's our Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. And He said here,
He's the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we're named after
him. Sons of God, we're named after
Christ. Christians. How many times, John? Three times
in scripture? Just three times. It's a precious
name. I hate that men use it so flippantly
and abuse it, and everybody, everywhere, no matter who they
are, they call themselves Christians. I hate that. But still, we ought to be grateful.
And if we bear that name, we ought to be very thankful. Son of the Most High God, a Christian,
a Christ-lover, a Christ-follower, one for whom Christ died, a Christian.
Christian. I like to call it Christian.
Are you a Christian? By His grace. So he says in verse
16, He says, I pray, here's his prayer. I pray that God would
grant you according to the riches of his glory, several things.
I pray that God would grant you. This is a Bible term. You don't
find it anywhere. Men don't use it. The only time
you'll hear it is if you apply for a grant. Right? In school. What's that mean? It means a gift. that a rich
benefactor has set aside to bestow on someone who needs it. That's
the gospel. That's grace. By grace you say
salvation is by grace. It's all a gift that God must
grant us. So he prays that God would grant
this gift. Every good and perfect gift comes
from above. From who? The Father of lights
with whom there's no variableness or shadow of turning. No matter
who goes to Him in the name of Christ, no matter how bad a sinner
they are, He'll grant it. He'll grant these things. He'll
give you these things. Now tell me if you need these
things, okay? Here it is. that God would grant
you according to the riches of His glory. What is His glory? To the praise of the glory of
His grace. Salvation. All these gifts He's
going to ask for. It's His glory. He's full of
them. He's rich. Alright, verse 16. That God would strengthen you
with might by His Holy Spirit in the inner man. that you would
be strengthened in might by the inner man. This is what we need
to be strong in faith, the new man. Strong to believe. And I cannot make this interesting
to you. I'm sorry if I've lost you. I
can't do it. I'm praying right now. As I'm
speaking, I'm praying right now. God, please open their eyes and
their heart and all this. This is what we need more than
anything. This inner man, we need to be strong in the faith.
We need to believe God. We need to believe Christ. We
need to hope and rest and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. If
we don't, we're going to hope and rest and trust in somebody
else. If we're not strong in the faith, we're going to be
torn all to pieces. We're not going to have any peace, not
going to have any joy, not going to have any wisdom, not going to
have any strength. We're not going to be... Lord
God, please. Grant us that we be strong in
the inner man by the Holy Spirit that this new man within us will
be strong and overcome this old man. All through this epistle
and the next epistle and the next epistle he talks about an
old man. He's been around a while and
he's strong, the flesh lusts against the spirit. You can't
do the things that you would. You're trying right now to listen
to me and you're having a hard time of it. Why? That's that
old man. And there's a new man that needs
to be strong to listen, strong to hear, strong into faith. Where
does it come from? Faith cometh how? Hearing. Lord God, please. This old man. In chapter 4, look at verse 22.
Put off this old man. Put him off. This old man. Be
renewed. Put on the new man. Over and
over again. We need this inner man, this new man to grow strong. We need this new man to grow
strong. We need this old man to grow
weak. You're weak right now. You're having a hard time. Where does it come from? Why
did Paul have this faith? He's in prison. He's beaten with
stripes. How'd he get through that? How
are you going to get through your trials and not be overcome by faith? Where's it come from? God. How do you get it? You ask. Well, how does he send it? Through
the word. It's the power of God and faith.
Your faith grows strong. We need it. All of God's people
are going to go through tough trials. And without Him, you
can't merit. Please, Lord, make me strong
in the faith. I'm so weak. Am I weak? Who's
weak and I'm not weak? He doesn't tell us to ask for
anything physical. Most of us have more than we
need materially, don't we? Nearly everybody in here is rich
and increased with goods. If you have a refrigerator full
of food, you're a rich person. If you have more than one suit
of clothes, you're a rich person. Right? If you have a shelter
over your head, you're a rich person. And most of us have more
than we need materially, but much less than we need spiritually. How much faith do you have? God
sent a plague, a germ. He tore people all to pieces. How much faith do we have? How much love do we have? You
need some more love? Do you need your love for this world
to wane and your love for God to increase? Where does that
come from? It's a gift. Paul loved God more than life
itself. Where did he get that? He didn't
drum it up. He didn't conjure it up. He didn't
strive to love. He kept calling, Lord, please. Love, joy. You know, the joy
of the Lord is your strength. Where does that come from? Not
by might. Not by power, but how? By my
Spirit, said the Lord. Our Lord said this, if you, being
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
shall the Father give, what? The Holy Spirit to them that
ask Him. Come, Holy Spirit. Heavenly dove,
in these poor hearts of ours, kindle a flame of sacred love,
and that will kindle ours. Look how we grovel here below,
fond of these earthly toys. And our souls, how heavily they
go to reach eternal joys. In vain we strive to bring our
songs up. Where is it going to come from? For this cause, Paul said, I
bow my knees that God would grant you. He's got it, he's rich in
it, and he loves to give it. Ask. Don't quit asking. Keep asking. Right now, ask. Ask. Look at this in our text. He said that God would grant
you that verse 17, Christ will dwell in your hearts by faith. You know Christ in you is a hope
of glory. Know ye not your own selves how
Christ is in you except you be reprobate? Do you love the Lord
Jesus Christ? Do you really need Jesus Christ?
Huh? Do you really? Our Lord asked
Peter one thing after all that Peter had done. After he denied
the Lord, after he reverted right back to being an old cussing
fisherman and fell so terribly. I tell you this Peter, When he heard somebody say, tell
my disciples, and Peter, oh, but he couldn't get to Christ
fast enough. He couldn't get to the worship service fast enough.
He heard the disciples were back worshiping again, and he couldn't
get there fast enough. That's how you know. And our
Lord asked him one question three times. One question. Peter, do
you believe in sovereign election? No, he didn't ask him that. Simon, Peter, do you believe
in the depravity of the... No, he didn't ask him that. Simon, son of Jonah, son of Adam,
sinner that you are, lovest thou me more than me. Do you really? Who do you need more, Simon Peter?
Who do you need more than your family and everything and everyone? Who, Simon Peter, who do you
really love? He said, you know I do. That's love that Christ may dwell
in your heart. If you love somebody, they're
in your heart. They're on your mind. Aren't they? If you don't,
they won't be. Oh, if you don't have this, I'm
asking the Lord right now for you. Lord, grant this. Grant
this. See, I want to know. That's what
Paul said. I want to know it. You know what it means to know?
As Adam knew his wife Eve, they became one. He entered into her. He planted His seed in her. And
life came. And these two were one flesh. Bone of my bone and flesh of
my flesh, He called her. And she Him. I want to know Christ. I want to be so vitally joined
with the Lord Jesus Christ that I can't go a day without thinking
about Him. Don't you? Ask. Ask. Faith, hope, and love for Christ. My mind, my affections set on
things above. I tell you, I've become a man.
I was a child. I'm now a man. I want to be done
with these childish things. Don't you? I want to be done with a childish
attitude. I want to be a man in attitude, a child in spirit,
that is, in malice and so forth. Don't you? Christ may dwell in your hearts
by faith. That you, verse 17, look at this. That you be rooted
and grounded in love. Rooted and grounded, settled,
fixed, established, unmoved. Rooted and grounded and settled.
So that the greatest stormy wind may blow and you won't be moved. I'm not going anywhere. Come
hell or high water, I'm not going anywhere. Like Martin Luther,
one man. Brothers, I can't preach without
you. I want the zeal of God's house
to eat me up every time I come in here. I want it for you as
well as me, preaching. I want you, I want me, I want
us to be I want you and me in the midst
of this perverted generation to stand for the truth like Martin
Luther and say, here I stand, I can do no other. I think about William Tyndale
and others, there's so many. I'd love to die like that, wouldn't
you? I've been such a coward, I've been such a So we are going to have to go
through a fiery trial. How are we going to bear up under
it? Every one of God's people, all through the fire, all by
the blood. How are we going to bear up under
it? Faith. And it's not of yourselves. It's
a gift of God. Rooted. I'm not going anywhere. Well, she offended me. She's
a sinner. She's human. I'm human. I'm not going anywhere. rooted,
grounded, settled, fixed. Did you hear what happened over
here? No, I didn't. Well, let me tell you about it.
Well, I don't care. I'm grounded. Every winded doctrine that comes
along. Here's something new. Look, they've discovered that
there's life in another galaxy somewhere. Well, I'm not going
anywhere. I'm not going there. There's life in Christ. That's
what I need, where I need to be. I need to be where He is
with His people all the time and my one desire is that I might
dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold
the beauty of the Lord and inquire into His temple. That's where
I want to be. Grounded. Look at this with me. I love
this. I sent it to you one time as a scripture verse. 2 Peter. Look at this. 2 Peter. The last
part of this. 1 Peter. I'm sorry. 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5, look at
this, every eye, if you want this, if you want this, if you
want to be strengthened, if you want faith, look at this, rooted
and grounded, look at this. 1 Peter 5, verse 10, now the
God of all grace, you need everything and it's
all by grace. He has it all. Comfort, He has
it all. Peace, He has it all. Who have
called us, how's that? What has he called us to? Eternal
glory. We were talking last night about
dying. We do it quite often. I'm nearly 70 years old. It'd
be wise, wouldn't it, to consider our latter end? Some of you are
way past that, living on borrowed time. Wouldn't it be wise to
constantly be thinking about that? Wouldn't it? We're going
to our long home from whence there's no return. Don't polish brass on a sinking
ship. We were talking about it last
night and where are we going? Glory. Glory. Why should we dread the
best thing that could possibly happen to us? So glorious our
Lord told us and promised that the former things won't be remembered
or come to mind. How are we going to get there?
By Jesus Christ. Keep reading. Verse 10. Eternal glory by Christ Jesus
with Him in glory after you've suffered a while. See that? This is what it's going
to take. After you've suffered a while,
He'll make you perfect. That is, mature. Put away childish
things, toys. Establish you. in the faith. Strengthen. Settle you. Are you
settled on the truth? Are you settled? Is this thing settled? Is your
heart fixed? David one time said, my heart's
fixed. He one time was broken. My mind was broken. Corrupt. It's fixed now. I got a fixation
on Him. How is God going to cause us
to grow in grace and knowledge of Him? How is He going to do it? 295, you have it? Yes sir, bless you. John Newton. You know what that
man went through? I asked the Lord that I might
grow in faith and love and every grace, might more of His salvation
know and seek more earnestly His face. It was He who taught
me thus to pray, and He I trust has answered my prayer. But it's
been in such a way it almost drove me to despair. I hoped that in some favored
hour at once He'd answer my request and by His love and constraining
power subdue my sins and give me rest. Instead of this, He made me feel. the hidden evils of my heart,
and let the angry powers of hell assault me on every part. Yea,
more, with his own hand he seemed intent to aggravate my woe. He crossed or messed up my fair
designs, I scheme, and blasted my cords and laid me low. Are you reading this? Lord, I
said, why is this? I trembled, cried. Will you pursue
this worm to death? It is in this way, the Lord replied,
I answer prayer for grace and faith. These inward trials I
employ from self and pride to set you free and break your schemes
of earthly joy that you may seek your all in me. Lord, give me grace or I am sending
you to trial. Lord, give me strength. What
do you need strength for except the trial? Overcoming faith overcomes what?
Trial, faith, the world. Here's the trial I'm going to
send you. I'm going to give you all the riches this world has. It overcomes most people and
they end up leaving the gospel for things. That's the greatest
trial that's going on right now in the church. Rich and increased
with goods and have need, heartfelt, all-consuming desire for Jesus
Christ and to know him. These things make him a part-time
pursuit. I'm telling you the truth. These
are the last days. And this is the greatest trial
that God sends. Prosperity makes you forget God. It happened to Israel, and it
happened to His people. Lord God, please don't let Satan
entice me with these things. I'm such a weak sinner. Please set my affection on things
of God, not on things of the enemy. I guess it's always desperately
to hear that. Go back to the text. Paul says,
I pray to God that you may be able to comprehend with all the
saints. I really need another eyewear,
but I'm not going to do it. Don't worry. One time Paul preached all night
long. The people were so hungry to
hear it. Oh, he said, I want us to be
able to comprehend, understand something with all the saints.
All the saints comprehend something. What's the breadth, the length,
the depth, and height to know, really enter into the love of
Christ? Amen. I'm going to talk about
the love of God. He says past is novel. Let me
tell you something about the sun, the bright sun. Can I describe
the sun for you? Well, it's hot. Well, it's bright. I can't describe the sun. Let
me tell you about the power of lightning, thunder. ocean in
all its fullness. The depth of the ocean. Let me
tell you, I've never been there. You can't fathom it. When we
talk about the love of God, the person of God, the glory of God,
it can't be declared. Passeth knowledge. Can't really
comprehend it. But we can know something of
it. Something of it. Oh, the love of God. Oh, the
love of God. measureless, strong. He says here in verse 18, the
breadth of the love of God. Breadth. Did you ever, your children
when they were little children, I've preached a while now, I'm
going to tell you something. I've lost you now, I'll gain
you back later. Your little children, did you ever say, how much do
you love me? What did you do? This much. Did you do that? Meaning, I can't reach far enough
to show you, wide enough to show you how great my love is to you. I can't declare it. God commendeth
His love. How great is God's love? How
wide? How inclusive? Wow, you were yet sinners. Well, you never gave him a thought.
Well, you never called on him. You never thanked him for one
thing. He loved you. That's incomprehensible, isn't
it? How wide do you love her? How inclusive is it? How inclusive
is it? You know, I think about that
ark. Here it is. Our God's love takes in all kinds. All kinds. That ark of Noah. You know this happened. They
all got on that ark and Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Noah went out and here he brings
in a skunk. A skunk and his mate. You know
what they said. Don't you? Don't bring him in
here. We don't need him. Surely you're
not going to include him. Oh, yes. How bad a sinner are you? You're
more than a stinker. I can tell you that. If God ever gives you a whiff
of yourself, you know what you'll say? No good thing. Maybe the
angel said, not him. Not her. She's been nothing but
a harlot all her life. Still plays the harlot. Yep.
That's who he came for. That's who he's going to get
great glory for. Yes. Yes. Worm. What about a worm? You need a
worm? Who needs a worm? How inclusive is it? The length.
The breadth. The length. The length. Oh, how
far reaching. How far will he go? How long
does his love last? Everlasting. Far reaching. The length of it. His arm is
not short. Modern religion says God wants
to save you and can't. That means his arm is too short.
He can't get you. Buddy, I was down in a pit. And
I cried, out of the depths have I cried unto thee. And he raised
me up and brought me up out of a horrible pit. Who did it? He
did it, because his arm's not short. Out of the depths, verse
18. Oh, the length, the depth, the
depth. That means how profound it is,
how deep it is, how unfathomable it is. How do I know modern religion
is false? Because it's so shallow. What they say about God, what
they say about sin, what they say about salvation is just an
offer. It's just something He did. Whoever
wants it can have it. That's shallow. That's not the
gospel. Oh, the depth of the riches of the glory and the power
of God, the depth of His mercy. Depth of mercy can there be.
Mercy is still reserved for me. Me, the chief of sinners forbear. Oh, the depth that our Lord went. to rescue his people out of the
muck, out of the mire, out of the dung heap. You know, true love, true faith
is deep. It's in the heart, not in the
head. It's in the heart, rooted deep.
And the height. Oh, the depth and oh, the height. Do you remember when you fell
in love with your husband or your wife that you You remember
how your heart soared to great heights? You couldn't even function. You were walking two feet off
the ground. Do you remember that? You couldn't travel far enough.
I climbed the highest mountain, and I swam the deepest sea to
get to her. I really did. I went without
sleep for days, didn't I? I really did. To get to her. I loved it. It soared a great
height. I don't think we understand.
Do you remember when you first heard the gospel? Do you remember? You were so
sad. You ran home to tell everybody.
What about now? Has the gospel changed? Shouldn't it lift our hearts
and souls high? Shouldn't it lift our voices
and our praise to Him high? Do you know how high our Lord
is going to take us? You know how high this love of
God is going to take us? All the way to the throne of
God Himself. I'll give you an illustration. That thief on the
cross, he was the lowest of humanity. He started out low and he just
kept getting lower until he was as low as a scum on the earth.
He killed. He stole. He never did one thing
good to anybody. He's living in darkness. He's
living in the gutter. And finally, he's dying a painful
death on a Roman cross. And everybody's going to forget
about him forever. Gladly so. But God, with one
look, with one prayer, Lord, the next thing he knows, He's
seated with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and David, and Solomon,
and Rahab, and Lydia in the throne of heaven with Jesus Christ. The next thing he knows, he's
seated in the heavens. How high. Oh, the height that
this love is going to take you. The height. Oh, that we might
comprehend. Now verse 20, unto him that's
able. He's able to take this poor message
and do something with it. You know that? He's able to do
exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. And
it's all according to the power of His Word, His Gospel that
works in it. Oh Lord, use it. Unto Him. Unto Him. Stand with me. Stand
with me. This will be our prayer. This will be our closing hymn,
okay? Read it with me. Everybody, last verse. Verse
21. Read it with me. Unto Him be glory. in the church
by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.