We turn to the word of God to Ephesians chapter three. Ephesians chapter three. Let's read this whole chapter together. And the text will be verses 17, 18, and 19. Ephesians chapter three. For this cause, I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you, word, how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. Wherefore, I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Thus far we read God's holy and inspired word. Call your attention to verses 17, 18, and 19, beginning there halfway through verse 17, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Beloved congregation, in our Lord Jesus Christ, in this past week, we have been involved in a very rigorous exercise. We have been examining our consciences, whether we purpose to show true thankfulness to God in our whole life, and to walk uprightly before Him. Also, whether we've genuinely laid aside envy, hatred, and anger, and desire to walk in true love and peace with the neighbor. We found in this past week that our conscience does not testify that we are perfect, but our conscience should testify that we do indeed love God, and that we love the neighbor as well, and now coming to the Lord's Supper with a clear conscience. we may come knowing and experiencing the great love of God and the great love of Christ for us. The Apostle Paul is making a petition here at the end of Ephesians chapter three, really a twofold petition. The first part of the petition is in verse 16 and then the first part of 17, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. So that Paul is praying God on behalf of the Ephesians that they may be supplied with what they need for their spiritual strength and maturity and that they may be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. And then the second petition Paul makes, which now becomes our text, especially as it's stated there very briefly and succinctly in verse 18, that ye may be able to comprehend, that ye may be able to know the love of Christ. so that Paul makes the first petition praying that they may be strengthened in the inner man so that they may now be able to comprehend the great love that God and Christ has for them. And this is the petition then that Paul makes, not only on behalf of the Ephesians, but for all God's people. Paul's prayer is also for you and for me, that we might know this great love of Christ. This is a love that we may know. It's a love that sustains us and comforts us all our life long and it's the Lord's will that we know this love especially as we hear the gospel and as we come to the table of the Lord this morning. We take as our theme, knowing Christ's love for us. Let's note first that this is a marvelous love. Let's note secondly, the way in which we know it and that would be being rooted and grounded in this love. And then finally, the purpose of it. Knowing Christ's love for us. So that Paul prays that the Ephesians might know Christ's love for them. And when the text then speaks of Christ's love, the reference isn't so much of our love for Christ, which indeed we do love Christ, but it's speaking of His love for us. And from a general point of view, I draw your attention to two things, especially about God's love for us about Christ's love for us and what that love is in the first place. The object of God's love is always something that's very precious and dear to him. That simply is the nature of what love is all about. So that love reaches out and grabs hold and cherishes the object of its love. That's the love that we see within the Godhead. John 1 verse 18, the son which is in the bosom of the father. And that paints a picture of a love that the father has for the son that is so precious that the father would press that son closer to himself. That also is the love that the son has for the father. And the Holy Spirit always being the breath of love, proceeding from the Father to the Son, from the Son to the Father. And so that's the first thing, the love within the Godhead, the close friendship and fellowship there is within the Godhead. But then secondly, that this love doesn't simply remain in the Godhead, but God expresses this love unto his people. And this is the love of God. This is the love of Christ for us. Spoken now in verse 19. And God expresses His love by giving unto us His only begotten Son. So that when the second person of the Trinity took upon himself a human nature, We see God doing nothing less than expressing his love for us. And we see that love of God and love of Christ expressed to us most clearly in the cross of Jesus Christ where we see our Savior suffered and that He laid down His life for us. John 15 verse 13 declares, greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. And take note of that. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. And if there's no love that's greater than that, then that means that's the greatest love possible. And that's the love that Christ has for us. He laid down his life. Now the text goes on to speak of the vastness of Christ's love for us. So that verse 18, verse 18 speaks of the breadth and the length and the depth and the height of Christ's love for us. And the idea is that the love of Christ for us is so rich The love of Christ for us is so manifest, it has so many different dimensions to it. And I call your attention to a few things concerning this vastness of the love of Christ for us. In the first place, so great is the love of Christ and the love of God. that it embraces a large number of people who are the objects of his love, namely the elect. Only a great love could embrace such a large people. Now yes, it's true that the people of God are always a remnant in the midst of this world. They are always a very small and despised minority in the eyes of the world. But nevertheless, they are a great throng. They are a great multitude in and of themselves. and such a great love of God therefore that this love of God, it doesn't limit its objects by race or by wealth or lack thereof, by occupation or lack of occupation thereof. Rich and poor, slave and free are comprehended in this love of God so that a multitude gathered out of every nation, tongue, and tribe of the earth. What a great and marvelous love there is. In the second place, this love of God and love of Christ for us is so vast because it is unto us a gracious love, which means that you and I don't deserve this love. There's nothing special after all when the employer gives his employee a day's wage. The employee after all has worked for that paycheck and from a certain point of view expects that paycheck and deserves that money. But now suppose that employer would go out into the streets and find a homeless man and give to that homeless man many thousands of dollars. Now, from a certain point of view, we would say, well, that's amazing because the man doesn't deserve that money. He didn't do anything to earn it. He didn't merit it whatsoever. Well, in a similar way, the love of God is amazing and gracious because God gives his love to us who are sinners, who do not deserve his great love. And then in the third place, concerning the love of God and the love of Christ for us, note what verse 18 says. When it says that we may know the breadth and the length and the depth and the height, and all of those words are adjectives in a way describing and helping us to understand at least a little bit the love of Christ for us. And now we're familiar with these words, length and depth and breadth and those type of words because If you want to know the volume of a box, you can find what the volume of that box is, and you need three dimensions. You need length, and you need width, and you need height. And when you multiply those three dimensions together, then that will give you the entire volume of that box and everything that can fit in that box. So that everything that can be comprehended in that box You can ascertain at least by way of those three dimensions. But now you notice that the love of Christ for us is so vast that the text uses four dimensions as it were. Four, breadth and length and depth and height. And what's the point of that, of using four different dimensions? Simply the point is that you can't possibly measure the greatness and the vastness of Christ's love for you. So vast is the love of God for us in Jesus Christ. Verse 19 states that it passes knowledge. Now, we have some other things to say about that. We do know it to a certain degree, to a certain point, but beyond that point, we say, this is behind me. I can't comprehend it completely and fully and exhaustively. It surpasses knowledge. Because there are so many dimensions to the love of Christ for us that we just simply can't know it exhaustively. It's beyond us. It can't be measured by us. There's no limit to it. It goes on and on and on, and there's never an end to it. But beloved, that's how vast Christ's love is for us. Now even though the love of God for us in Jesus Christ surpasses our knowledge that we can't know it exhaustively, nevertheless We can know it in measure, and we can know it sufficiently, and it's the will of God that we do know it. So that verse 19, this becomes the petition of the Apostle Paul. Paul prays that we might know the love of Christ. What are some of the ways that we come to know the love of Christ? Well, in so many different ways, but when you and I know that our sins are forgiven us only for the sake of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on our behalf, then knowing that we see that God's love was manifested for us in the cross, and we understand that there Jesus Christ paid for all my sins, and we believe that by faith. We come to know the love of Christ for us by the testimony of the word of God. It's the power of the word itself, God's word, when God says that he loves his people and that in his love he gave the Lord Jesus Christ. And so because God's word declares it, we believe it. And we believe that nothing can separate me from the love of Christ and that he will bring me to heaven to live with himself forever in heaven. And now even this morning, as we presently will partake of the Lord's supper, we are assured of Christ's love for us. So that even as certainly as we eat the bread and drink the wine, So are we assured that Christ offered his body and shed his blood for me. And if Christ broke his body and shed his blood for you and for me, that means that he loves us. That speaks of his sacrifice for us, of his laying down his life. And remember that no greater love is there than this, that a man laid down his life for his friends. And in the Lord's Supper then we know and we are assured of Christ's love for us. And now the text lays before us the particular way in which we come to know the love of Christ and that's verse 17, there in the middle of verse 17, as us being rooted and grounded in love. So that's describing us as God's people, that we are now rooted and grounded in love. And that expression, rooted and grounded, makes us think of a tree or a building and that which lies underneath that tree and building, giving it its strength. and stability so that when a tree or building is firmly set in the ground, when it's firmly anchored in the ground, it's unshakable, it's immovable. And not even a very violent windstorm will be able to blow down that tree, will be able to blow down that house. Well, the tree or building that is rooted and grounded is the church. And what is it lying underneath, giving it its strength and support? Well, verse 17 says, being rooted and grounded in love. Now, from a certain point of view, in love, what is this love speaking of? Is it speaking about our love for others, or is it speaking of God's love for us? And that's hard to determine. And here in the text, I believe that there can be both of those ways that we can understand this. So that first being rooted and grounded in God's love for us. And that means that from before the foundation of the world, God chose his people, God elected this church out of his love for us in Jesus Christ. So that the Apostle Paul is teaching that the way in which you know God's love for you is by knowing your election, knowing the electing love that God has for you, being rooted and grounded in that love, knowing that the ways and the purposes of God are unchangeable and that God doesn't change his mind. He doesn't leave off some of those who were once the objects of his love to go on to somebody else but always having elected us are we the objects of his love. And so as a tree that's firmly rooted in a building, securely founded in good soil, we also see in here in this illustration, there's also this concept of growth, of having been grounded in God's electing love for us, we now will grow in our love for God, and we will grow in our love for the neighbor. And even as a tree, as a building that is being constructed, but we grow higher and higher, as it were, in our love for God and one another. For God, we do that in all our life. Especially during those times of difficulty and trial in life, we come to learn all the more the vastness of God's love for us and that he will never leave me nor forsake me. We recall the mercies and the faithfulnesses of God of old and know that that very same God is my God now and he will be my God and be my guide even unto death. And we love God more and we grow in our appreciation for all that he has done for us. But then we also grow in our love for the neighbor. In love, we seek the welfare of the brother and sister in the church before our own. We demonstrate our love to those who are even from a human point of view, very difficult to love. And we will love them and we will seek to help and be servants And in the way of loving those whom we might otherwise deem unlovable, we grow and come to know more and more that vast love that God has for us in Jesus Christ. And finally, the end of our knowing this vast love of Christ is this in verse 19, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God." And that's quite a statement. That's quite a proclamation of the Word of God. To be filled with the goodness of God, with some of the goodness of God, that would be enough to make the child of God very happy. To be filled with a great measure of the fullness of God, that is astounding. But now when the text says that we might be filled with all the fullness of God, and that means that you and I, knowing the love of God, that we may be overflowing with that love of God in our hearts to be filled with the knowledge of who God is and of Jesus Christ, my Savior. Without knowing the love of Christ, there's nothing but emptiness. So now speaking about what's the opposite of being full, the opposite of being full is empty. And that's characteristic of the world. The world does not know the love of Christ because, obviously, Christ does not love them. They are not his saints. They have not been elected from all eternity. When we observe the world, they appear to be full of health and life and energy and even happiness, but inside, they are spiritually empty because they have not the love of Christ in them. And in their emptiness, then they lead an empty life. There's no sense of purpose, nothing but selfishness, nothing but covetousness, nothing but emptiness and vanity. But when we come to know the vast love of Jesus Christ for us, then we are filled with all the fullness of God. And that simply means that God fills us with His own life, fills us even with the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. And when the life of Christ dwells within us, then we even come to know more and more of His vast love for us, being filled with all the fullness of God. When the Holy Spirit of Christ regenerates us, And then our thinking is renewed and transformed and we have the mind of Jesus Christ being filled with the fullness of God. Then our emotions and feelings and our thinking and our everything we do is brought under the control of the love of Christ. And we find it to be our delight to live godly and to live holy as those who are saints. And we strive to glorify God in all that we do. And then our every need is met. All sense of emptiness and want is gone. And you know, why is that? Why is it that when we fall into sin, especially those habitual sins, why do we do that? Well, it's because we're seeking our fullness in other things. We're seeking our fullness and happiness and security in things that God has forbidden, but what we need to know is that all our needs are met with God in Jesus Christ. Christ fills us so that we have in us, as it were, a well of living water springing up into everlasting life. We have the life of Christ and we are filled with all the fullness of God. And beloved, this is a prayer that God answers daily and often, that we might know the love of Christ, the vastness of it. And God especially answers this prayer as we gather together on the Lord's day, as verse 18 calls our attention to, with all the saints, This isn't simply an individual love that God has for me personally, and we say, yes, God, Jesus Christ loves me, but it's the church, it's with all of the saints that we come to know this love and come to express this love. And may we know this love as we together hear that word proclaimed to us Sabbath by Sabbath, And now presently as we come to partake of the Lord's Supper, may God grant that, that we come to know the greatness of Christ's love for us. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father which art in heaven, we thank thee for thy word, apply it to our hearts. Give us to know the great love that thou hast for us in Jesus Christ. that we may know that love, that we may be humble, that we may be sober Christians, and that we may be so very thankful that not that we love Thee first, but that Thou didst love us and give Jesus Christ to be a sacrifice for our sins. We pray this in His name alone. Amen.