Experiencing the Transformative Love of Christ

 

Summary

In Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul prays for the Ephesians to comprehend the vastness of Christ's love, a love that surpasses knowledge. This prayer is not just for intellectual understanding but for an experiential knowledge that transforms lives. The Apostle Paul emphasizes that this knowledge is not merely conceptual but deeply personal and experiential, urging believers to seek a direct and immediate relationship with Christ. This relationship is not limited to a select few but is available to all believers, regardless of their doctrinal positions or backgrounds.

The sermon challenges us to examine our spiritual lives and consider where we stand in relation to Christ. Are we in the innermost circle, constantly seeking His presence, or are we on the periphery, distracted by worldly concerns? The analogy of concentric circles around Christ illustrates the varying degrees of closeness believers experience. Some are fully absorbed in Christ's presence, while others are more distant, occasionally turning towards Him.

The sermon also addresses the misconception that seeking a deep, personal relationship with Christ is mystical or impractical. True Christian mysticism, as taught in the Bible, is about knowing Christ intimately and allowing His love to transform us. This knowledge is not just for personal edification but is the driving force behind Christian service and mission. The love of Christ compels believers to act, as seen in the lives of the apostles and historical figures like Count Zinzendorf and George Whitefield.

In conclusion, the sermon calls us to examine our spiritual lives and strive for a deeper, more intimate relationship with Christ. It challenges us to move beyond mere intellectual assent to a vibrant, experiential faith that transforms our lives and compels us to serve others.

Key Takeaways:

- The love of Christ is not just to be understood intellectually but experienced personally. This experiential knowledge is transformative and is available to all believers, regardless of their doctrinal positions. [02:25]

- Our spiritual journey can be likened to concentric circles around Christ. The closer we are to Him, the more we experience His presence and love. This proximity is not about physical distance but the orientation of our hearts and minds. [07:02]

- True Christian mysticism is about knowing Christ intimately and allowing His love to transform us. This is not an impractical pursuit but the very essence of the Christian life, driving us to serve and love others. [24:29]

- The love of Christ compels us to action. Historical figures like the apostles and Count Zinzendorf were driven by their deep love for Christ to serve others and spread the Gospel. This love is the true motivation for Christian service. [36:47]

- We must examine our spiritual lives and strive for a deeper relationship with Christ. This involves moving beyond intellectual assent to a vibrant, experiential faith that transforms our lives and compels us to serve others. [42:15]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Introduction to Ephesians 3:14-21
- [01:08] - The Apostle's Prayer for Comprehension
- [02:25] - Experiential Knowledge of Christ's Love
- [04:47] - Self-Examination and Spiritual Circles
- [07:02] - Concentric Circles of Faith
- [10:06] - The Reality of Christian Experience
- [12:40] - True Christian Mysticism
- [17:36] - Living Below Our Privileges
- [22:27] - Addressing Misconceptions of Mysticism
- [27:04] - Biblical Basis for Experiential Faith
- [31:30] - The Promise of Intimacy with Christ
- [36:47] - Love of Christ as Motivation for Service
- [41:23] - The Danger of Activity Without Love
- [43:18] - Invitation to Deeper Relationship with Christ

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Ephesians 3:14-21

Observation Questions:
1. What does Paul pray for the Ephesians to comprehend in Ephesians 3:14-21, and how does he describe the love of Christ? [00:49]
2. How does the sermon describe the different levels of closeness believers can have with Christ using the analogy of concentric circles? [07:02]
3. What examples from church history were mentioned in the sermon to illustrate the transformative power of Christ's love? [36:47]
4. How does the sermon address the misconception that seeking a deep relationship with Christ is mystical or impractical? [24:29]

Interpretation Questions:
1. In what ways does the sermon suggest that experiential knowledge of Christ's love can transform a believer's life? [02:25]
2. How does the analogy of concentric circles help us understand our spiritual proximity to Christ, and what does it imply about our spiritual journey? [07:02]
3. What role does the love of Christ play in motivating Christian service, according to the sermon? [36:47]
4. How does the sermon differentiate between true Christian mysticism and false mysticism? [24:29]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current spiritual journey. Which concentric circle do you find yourself in, and what steps can you take to move closer to the innermost circle? [07:02]
2. The sermon challenges us to seek a deeper relationship with Christ. What practical changes can you make in your daily routine to prioritize this relationship? [42:15]
3. Consider a time when you felt compelled to act out of love for Christ. How can you cultivate this motivation in your current life circumstances? [36:47]
4. The sermon suggests that experiential knowledge of Christ's love is transformative. Can you identify a specific area in your life where you desire transformation? How might you invite Christ into that area? [02:25]
5. How do you respond to the idea that true Christian mysticism involves knowing Christ intimately? Are there any misconceptions you need to address in your understanding of this concept? [24:29]
6. The sermon mentions historical figures who were driven by Christ's love to serve others. Who in your life exemplifies this, and how can you learn from their example? [36:47]
7. What distractions or worldly concerns might be keeping you on the periphery of your relationship with Christ, and how can you address them this week? [07:02]

Devotional

Day 1: Experiencing Christ's Love Beyond Knowledge
The love of Christ is not just an intellectual concept to be understood but a profound reality to be experienced personally. This experiential knowledge is transformative, offering a depth of relationship with Christ that goes beyond mere doctrinal understanding. It is available to all believers, regardless of their doctrinal positions or backgrounds. This love surpasses knowledge, inviting believers into a life-changing encounter with Christ that reshapes their hearts and minds. [02:25]

Ephesians 3:18-19 (ESV): "May have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Reflection: Think of a moment when you felt deeply loved by Christ. How can you seek to experience His love more fully in your daily life today?


Day 2: Drawing Closer to Christ's Presence
Our spiritual journey can be likened to concentric circles around Christ. The closer we are to Him, the more we experience His presence and love. This proximity is not about physical distance but the orientation of our hearts and minds. Believers are encouraged to examine their spiritual lives and consider where they stand in relation to Christ. Are they in the innermost circle, constantly seeking His presence, or are they on the periphery, distracted by worldly concerns? [07:02]

James 4:8 (ESV): "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

Reflection: Identify one distraction that keeps you on the periphery of your relationship with Christ. What step can you take today to draw closer to Him?


Day 3: Embracing True Christian Mysticism
True Christian mysticism is about knowing Christ intimately and allowing His love to transform us. This is not an impractical pursuit but the very essence of the Christian life, driving us to serve and love others. It challenges the misconception that seeking a deep, personal relationship with Christ is mystical or impractical. Instead, it emphasizes that this intimate knowledge of Christ is foundational to a vibrant faith and active Christian service. [24:29]

Colossians 1:27 (ESV): "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Reflection: Consider how you can cultivate a deeper intimacy with Christ in your daily routine. What practical steps can you take to allow His love to transform you?


Day 4: Love as the Motivation for Service
The love of Christ compels us to action. Historical figures like the apostles and Count Zinzendorf were driven by their deep love for Christ to serve others and spread the Gospel. This love is the true motivation for Christian service, urging believers to act out of a genuine desire to share Christ's love with the world. It is a call to examine the motivations behind our actions and ensure they are rooted in Christ's love. [36:47]

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (ESV): "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent act of service you performed. Was it motivated by Christ's love? How can you ensure that His love is the driving force behind your actions?


Day 5: Striving for a Deeper Relationship with Christ
We must examine our spiritual lives and strive for a deeper relationship with Christ. This involves moving beyond intellectual assent to a vibrant, experiential faith that transforms our lives and compels us to serve others. It is a call to pursue a more intimate connection with Christ, allowing His presence to permeate every aspect of our lives and influence our interactions with others. [42:15]

Philippians 3:10-11 (ESV): "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel distant from Christ? What specific action can you take today to deepen your relationship with Him in that area?

Quotes


We are to apprehend it with our minds as we see it revealed in the scriptures and we are to meditate upon it but beyond that and above that we are to know it in an immediate and in a direct sense. We are to know it in this way that the Lord himself should tell us that and manifest it to us personally directly and immediately. [00:02:47]

There is nothing which is more terrible than just to consider something like this without applying it. There is a current notion that you can teach the scriptures in an objective manner without applying them. That is a terrible thing to do. We are not to have some intellectual acquaintance with these things as possibilities. They're meant to be practical. [00:05:15]

Suppose professors of religion to be arranged in different concentric circles around Christ as their Common Center. Some value the presence of their savior so highly that they cannot bear to be at any remove from him. Even their work they will bring up and do it in the light of his countenance. [00:06:58]

There is the innermost Circle, those who live for him and even do their work in his presence and keep on lifting up their eyes to him. They're afraid of losing even a beam of his love. Now then there's a CLE little bit outside that, others who to be sure would not be content to live out of his presence. [00:07:40]

The reason why the men of the world think so little of Christ is that they do not look at him, their backs being turned to the sun they can see only their own shadows and are therefore wholly taken up with themselves while the true disciple looking only upward sees nothing but his Savior and learns to forget him. [00:11:24]

There are some people who seem to think that these intimate experiences of the Lord Jesus Christ are only to be found among certain people who don't know much about Doctrine and who are full of a vague mystical and loose Notions and ideas. Here is a man who like Edward pacon was a man who was characterized by his fondness for Doctrine and Theology. [00:13:03]

Blessed it is says he wion to be really in him. No awakened Soul should stop short of a realization and experimental enjoyment of Union with the Lord. No converted Soul should rest satisfied till it think every thought and speak every word in communion with Jesus. [00:16:24]

We are like people who've been left a great fortune in a will but we don't seem to realize it. It seems too good to be true. We've been so accustomed to poverty and to penury and to struggling to make both ends meet that though we are told that we've been left a fortune we go on living as if nothing had happened at all. [00:18:12]

There is true Christian mysticism. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me. I can do all things through Christ which dwelleth in me. I live yet not I to me to live is Christ. Now that's pure Christian mysticism that I may know him. Why does he want to know him? Because he already knows him. [00:27:09]

The men who have been most busy in the service of their Lord and Master in the long history of the church have always been those who have known him best and who have rejoiced most of all in his love. Now let me start with a supreme example. What was it that made the Lord Jesus Christ himself do all that he did? [00:33:47]

The love of Christ constrain of me. I can't help myself. It's Christ's love that is pressing me and urging me. There was never a more busy or active men than this great Apostle and it was not because he was an active Men by Nature. I don't believe he was for a moment. He was much more of a contemplative but the love of Christ sends him on. [00:36:47]

The greatest Servants of God that Adorn the life and the history of the Christian church have been men who have realized that this is the most important thing of all and they've spent hours in prayer seeking his face, enjoying his love and the man who knows this can do more in an hour than the other type of busy men can do in a century. [00:41:23]

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Transcript
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