Ephesians 3:16~19

Ephesians 3:16~19
 
 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power  through his Spirit in your inner being,
  17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you,  being rooted and established in love,
  18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long  and high and deep is the love of Christ,
  19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the  measure of all the fullness of God.      The difference between animal and human is that human is the existence of thinking. One philosopher said “I’m thinking, and so I am exsistence.” In the bible, it mentions “understanding” over the meaning of “exsistence”.

 

To live a regretless life, we need bless of understanding. “understanding” directs a life in a world that we have never known before.There is a man who smoked from young. Everyone knows smoking induces lots of diseases, but he cannot escape from the temptation. What’s the reason? It is because the temptation of smoking is stronger than the understanding. In other words, understanding needs will and resolution.

 Many people suggested him stop smoking and told him the reason. But some people did not care his smoking since they do not know the seriousness of smoking to the health. There is a famous man in Korea named Lee Zuill. He was dead because of lung cancer.Mr Lee lived in splendor and also he was a member of the National Assembly. But he had to end his life because of lung cancer since he had not understood the harm of smoking. However, when just before he would die, he said in the TV that “Everyone, do not smoke, it’s poison.”

  Mr Lee understood smoking was harmful, but it’s too late. The reason that somebody makes you stop smoking is because he or she love you.Most people know smoking is bad for health, but do not suggest others stop smoking, which is because they do not love them. If they love the smokers sincerely, they would not let them continue smoking.


Listen, if you see anyone in your neighbor smoking, please make them stop smoking, since we love them sincerely. In today’s scripture 19, it mentions the understanding of Paul from a letter to Ephesos church.19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the    measure of all the fullness of God.
 
Paul understood the love of God. Faith is equal to love. Religious life is to understand God’s love. To know the God’s love that surpasses knowledge. If we understand God and his love more, the good result will be shown in our life.Hopefully, people here from all over the world understand God’s love and would be fulfilled.Today I would like to talk about what is to understand God’s love. In this morning, pray for all saints could feel the understanding of Paul and live a blessed life in Jesus name.

Read scripture 16.16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power    through his Spirit in your inner being,
 
Amen.
The difference between human and animal is personality. We can notice from the animal world that King is for the strongest animal, for example, tiger, lion and so on.
With strength they can do anything and they can occupy everything such as looking for spouse.

 

In the bible says God created men and women, and the Timothy says “would become a husband of a wife.” It means it is relationship of love and marriage between a man and a woman is relationship of love.
If a man lives with two or more women, then it is not relationship of love, but something like animal. However, in the letter that Paul sent to Ephesos church, it is said that people who understand God’s love will live by the strength of love.


What does it mean by understanding God’s love? Scripture 16 says “strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being”. Different from animal, human has spirit, which is a way for human to communicate to God. When God create human, he use soil to make body and give us living soul. Since our shapes are same to God, we should know and respect the existence of God.Animals do not worship to God. Our inner being is strengthened means our spirit will be recovered as beginning. It is important core to live religious life with correct mind.

Religious life is understanding of mind, and live our life by the understanding in our mind.With the agreement of his wife, a farmer went to exchange his horse to another better horse. On his way, he saw a cow and exchanged his horse with the cow, and later he exchanged the cow with a sheep, and finally he exchange his thing with a rotten apple.

 
In the evening, he met a stranger in a motel. The stranger told him that his wife would be angry to him. But the man didn’t believe the stranger’s words since his wife had never been angry to him before.
Then the strange said he would give all of his money to the man, if the man’s wife would not be angry. The next day the man came back home, and told all things to his wife with a rotten apple in his hand.

 
It is surprising that his wife said she needed a rotten apple to make vinegar and praised his husband. The stranger heard the wife’s words and was so surprised. And the man got a lot of money from the stranger.
What’s love? Love is the activity that people cover others’ mistake. In the old testament of Proverbs(17:9) says “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.”


Our inner being will be strengthened means act the love from God in our life. Forgiving and comprehending others and sacrificing ourselves are the love.However, the scripture says be strengthened with power. It mentions “power through his Spirit” which means power through Holy Spirit.

 
It is possible with the power through Holy Spirit for us to love others and act the love in our life. As a result, saints love others when they get, understand and experience the love from God. What’s the reason that saints get discouraged? It is because they do not feel and understand the love from God.In Romans 8:38~39 describes the love of God as follows:
 
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
 
Amen. Love from God is the representative of life, and even could love enemies sacrificing his son Jesus. When we experience it, we could live with the love from God.In the scripture 17~18, there is God’s love in the mind of people who understood the love, which is stronger and stronger.17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you,  being rooted and established in love,    18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long  and high and deep is the love of Christ,
 

Scripture 18 mentions “may have power”. When we experience the love it could be the power.What’s the God’s power could be defined? It’s love. Today we could have good faith and powerful people when we act the love in our life.

 
In the old time, King Cyrus in the Persia wined in a war and arrested a prince of enemy and also his sons.  The King asked what the prince would do for him if he would spare the prince. The prince answered he would give half of his wealth to the King. Then the King asked what the prince would do for him if he would spare the sons of the prince. The prince answered he would give all of his wealth to the King.


King Cyrus got interested in the prince’s words. Then he asked again that what the prince would do for him if he would spare the wife of prince. The prince answered he would like to give his life to the King. The King was moved by the words of the prince since the prince loved his families so much.

 
King Cyrus spared all of their lives. The love could save all lives of other people and their families. Love of Jesus saved all of us who fell in sins. Everyone, what’s the religious life? Religious life is understanding love from God. The people who understand the love from God could act the love in their life. Pray that acting the love, we could be fulfilled with God’s love in Jesus name.