Francis Chan: Ephesians 3:14-19 — Focus on the Family

I need you guys to pray with me just for a minute I'm still a little unsettled I'm sure of what I want to talk about and it's getting close to the time when I'm supposed to speak and I want you to understand it's not you know people go oh yeah I'm gonna be like France I'm just get up and wing it and and I do that occasionally but that's after 20 years of verse-by-verse getting into the word you know there's something it's not like I'm just throwing stuff out of the air but I really look at each situation now and go god what what do you want to say to this group of people you know sometimes I come with a plan I usually come with some sort of plan but I get there and I look around and I sense what the spirits doing and go no lord I don't think that's the passage for today what is the passage for today and then once in a blue moon you have a time like this where you go I'm walking up I still don't know and so then you pray right and you ask everyone else would you just pray that that God gives me the message that's specific for you specific for today and for you I don't I don't want to waste time we're only on this earth for a little period of time and I want to say something that will actually impact you and will actually matter a hundred years from now where maybe you even look me in the eyes a hundred years from now and say thank you for having the courage to say that that's exactly what I need to say I didn't like it at the time whatever it may be like that that's my purpose I'm not here just going let me do the 20 minutes and jump back on the plane or this or that it's like I'm thinking eternity I'm thinking that the clock is ticking and there's there's no time to just say whatever and just you know throw a can talk up there and be done with it I want this to matter there's some serious hurts in this room there are some serious lies in this room and it's like Holy Spirit how are you going to cut through all of this the fears the doubts the lies and then others that are doing great and just need to continue to keep going that way so would you pray with me father please me wisdom to not waste our time here give me words to say so that when people leave they'll be thinking about you and not me God do something that is real and it is of your spirit like the miracles we read about in the scriptures I pray that what's done is from the Holy Spirit and not out of cleverness lead us Lord in Jesus name Amen you have your Bibles we can turn to Ephesians chapter 3 Ephesians 3 verse 14 this is this is what I I believe the Lord has for us today I think it's a very important passage in light of where the church is today you guys know we live in a crazy time I live in San Francisco and so it's even crazier there and and you know the world is going to be the world that's we're not going to change that it's always been crazy what what gets sad is when the church is no longer the church and we're not different like when Paul warns Timothy and second Timothy three and four II tell talked about how terrible it's going to be in the last days and it's not because the world is any different it's because the church is so different and in the church you find lovers of self people with lovers of money you know kids being disobedient to their parents things that we just kind of take for granted in the church today we'll of course kids disobey you know we're surprised if there's one that obeys and yet Paul is telling Timothy it's going to get terrible in the end because even in the church is the way it's going to be even the church people are lovers of self we even preach that in the church I love your neighbor as yourself and you go well I better work on loving myself more than because unless I love myself more it's like no what are you talking about you love yourself plenty every time we get together we talk about you you know it's like get get over yourself that this is going to creep into the church a lot of money lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God and it's just this whole picture I was praying for the church the other day as on this flight and a United flight and as I'm praying I there's video screen in front of me is that that TV show The Deadliest Catch you know that one that's where they fish for crabs out in the Bering Sea and they die and but I'm watching the scene where there's boats being just pummeled by the waves and and you see people's bodies just sliding across the deck have you seen that where the water is pushing them over back and forth and the captain's holding together and like oh man that's it that is exactly it we can't control the waves out there but you can control this boat you can keep it going in the right direction you keep the crew motivated and go men no no I know all the waves are coming against us it seems like we are going nowhere we're even being pushed back but let's just set our course keep going let's keep this thing strong I can't control nature and in the same way we can't control what goes on out there and sometimes Christians spend way too much time trying to change that and and you can't you can't but what you can is say no I'm the captain of this ship and I'm going to keep it going the right direction I don't care what they're teaching out there in the church I love that phrase that Paul says to Timothy but as for you okay I don't that's going to go on it's always going to go on but as for you as for you and your house as for you and your church what's it going to be like and I think our hope for the future though and in the midst of all this craziness I find it in the prayer that Paul prays in Ephesians chapter 3 in verse 14 he says for this reason I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded in love 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 surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the full nests of God love that prayer when's the last time you prayed anything remotely close to that for someone else been a pastor for almost thirty years I don't hear people praying like this I hear oh I pray for Suzy her foot hurts I don't hear this for this reason I bow before the father okay it when's the last time you you if you're a Christian leader or or you're under a Christian when's the last time he has heard someone say man I want you to know I got on my face I was like bowing before God I was praying on behalf of you that that you from the inside out like you'd be so strengthened in here you'd be like rooted in this love of Christ and that you would get how big this thing is I was just on my face go gone please they gotta know they got to know they got to know when's the last time you did that I just told my pastors you know I run a network we just started a network of these house churches and I I tell my pastors I go look if you're not praying for your people by name then don't do anything else okay I would rather don't don't even work on your lesson don't work on whatever like the first thing I mean what if you had I go think about imagine you went to a church you know and and and your pastor was a terrible preacher boring as heck everything else not a great leader but you knew that he got on his knees like he had such a connection with God you go man that guy up there knows God and he gets on his knees every week and begs God for my heart my soul and he prays for my kids by name that they would be just deeply rooted in love you know what tears in his eyes he's begging God for that I go isn't that the faster you want where you go man he knows him he is such a connection with him and then he thinks to get on his knees for me I could look you guys if you're not going to do that for your church I don't want you to be one of our pastors the other stuff I don't care if you're a terrible preacher oh well they can podcast you know get it on your knees for your people this is where the pout this is what Paul's saying he goes I bow before the Father from whom every family in heaven and earth is named it's just reminding us okay there's one being from whom everyone comes from the word there is it's almost like a play on words there's like one father for whom every father came from it's you know a lot of times when I speak I'll tell everyone to take a deep breath in fact do that with me to go just to remind you that you were able to do that only because he allowed you to like he determines like I don't just get over yourself to do we're not that important okay there's one being who determines if I take another one that was his decision that was his decision I mean every moment and that's why Paul goes it that's why I get on my knees for you I'm coming before the one from whom everything from the only one who's immortal from every family in heaven and earth is named that according to the riches of his glory according to the riches of his glory think about the riches of his glory every once in a while I'll run into someone who is so ridiculously rich it's like my mind doesn't even comprehend like someone who's you know I've met a few billionaires and you think billion do you realize that you just give me one of your cars and I could change you know this whole city right here like feel like you ever ever meet someone like that where you go you have the ability to change my whole ministry it changes one nation over here the starvation like you have that capacity and so you talk to them with this different lens not trying to show favoritism but you just realize you've got the ability to do so much well Paul says I get on my knees and he begs God that according to the riches of his glory the creator of everything you know you think about that scene in Revelation 4 where it's not just his but it's as he's glowing like diamonds and rubies you know he has his appearance of Jasper and carnelian and in lightning and thunder and fire coming from his throne and a hundred million angels all bowing down to him he's in charge of everything every single one of us and think about what he's capable of doing and bosses like get on my knees before him that according to the riches of everything his whole glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being that's his prayer he goes I get on my knees before you and I say God I know how powerful you are I know about the riches of your glory and I am begging you these people that I love would you strengthen them with power through your spirit in their inner beings this is the prayer we need to be praying for people not the Jo stop smoking or the Tom stops looking at pornography or that my son stops smoking pot or that my daughter would not be so promiscuous but in our facing god I need you you have all power I want this person I want Tom to be strengthened with power through through your spirit to where it gets into his inner being this is this was the promise in the Old Testament Ezekiel 36 God says a day's going to come when I'm gonna put my spirit inside of a human being and if you back then we're just like there's no way you can't just put all of God inside of a human goes no no watches this the whole valley of dry bones it's like it's is I might bring the dead to life it's like no but we see the ark we we know about the Holy of Holies and that type of power you're going to put inside a human because yes that day is going to come I'm going to put my spirit into them take out that heart of stone turn it to a heart of flesh and then from the inside they're actually going to want to obey my commands I think so often in our Christian culture we can be about rules and off I can get my daughter to go to Bible study every week if I could get them to memorize these verses if I get them to stop hanging around those neighbor kids if I can do this if I can do this if I can do this no there's only one factor here his name is the Holy Spirit and either the Holy Spirit enters in them and changes them from the inside out to where they become a slave to what is right and actually desire the things of God then you don't really have to worry about them that much God becomes their master otherwise you spend all day long trying to set up programs and systems to keep them from trouble and that's what we do in the church because there's nothing going on in here and so then people start blaming the church well you know they gave me these accountability partners call me that much and you know they missed like three weeks so I went back to drinking it's like no no that's not it the reason why you went back is you never you never really understood who God was you never had the Holy Spirit of God come into your heart and change who you are and that's why pause as I get on my knees and I ask that God according to the riches of his glory that he would just strengthen people inside out through his spirit with this new power in their inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded in love I love that picture that you like you individuals being rooted and grounded in love it's the idea of these roots just just just sticking deep into you with it which is the love of Christ it's like when Jesus tossed the seed out and said you know it's like a farm or throwing seed out and and some lands on rocky soil and what happened to the rocky soil those were just rocks and he says yes something sprouted up but there were no roots to it it never really penetrated and so the moment the Sun came out or a moment the wind blew boom they were gone why they would they were never rooted in it and I meet so many people in our what we call churches which are just these services that we have on Sundays not really the church but in these gatherings in these meetings there's all these people who yeah they'll keep coming to our meetings and they'll keep trying to do good things as long as we protect them don't let them out in the world don't let temptation come their way make sure they each have four or five accountability partners keep them so busy that they can't sin but the moment they leave and that's why the stats are so bad for our 18 year olds the moment they're no longer forced the moment they're no longer in that / tected you know greenhouse it's like you realize it never took root gee I don't know about you but I can't leave Jesus could you leave Jesus there's no way kill me that I can't leave him he's everything to me what am I gonna do I want to even live without him I'm not saying don't get tempted here there might want us straight but I can't I'm a slave to what's right I'm like I love him he's everything to me take everything else away but I've got to have him I can't leave him and that's not because I'm in this perfect protected little bubble it's something in here he's the seal of my salvation he makes sure that I can't walk away because I'm rooted in his love grounded in his love he says that they may have strengths he's praying to God God what these people have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and the length and the height and the depth he says God can they he's on this face going God give them strength so they can just see how big this is like they think it's about going to a service they think it's about not drinking they think it's about walking up an aisle and praying a prayer Oh God would you give them strength God by the glory of your riches I know what you can do and I can change your heart open their heart give them strength so they get this is bigger this is so much bigger than a mortgage payment or having a retirement or having nice kids or let me help them see how wide and long and high and deep this thing is that they may know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that they may know to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge what an interesting phrase is I want them to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge how can you know something that's beyond knowledge since this whole point I could sit here all day and read to you and lecture you and and you know hey let's get into the Greek let's get in the Hebrew let's get into whatever you want Alera make sure why not we can educate but to know the love of Christ that's not just knowledge and information you pass on that's why Paul's on his face going god I can't do this I can share the gospel I can say it all day long till I'm blue in the face but for them to know the love of Christ to where they go okay I will pick up my cross and follow you I will sell everything I have gladly because you are a treasure that is way beyond anything on this earth I can't make that happen except on my knees you say God oh I want every child that we have you know just to know you I can't make her love you I can't get her to know the love of Christ doesn't matter that she's my daughter doesn't matter she's my son doesn't matter if she's in the best church and I put her in a Christian school and and don't let her to go out on Friday nights it doesn't matter that doesn't do it it's about the Holy Spirit to know the love of Christ a surpasses knowledge and in the last phrase that you may be filled with all the fullness of God when people describe you they describe you as someone who is filled with all the fullness of God filled with all the fullness of God I don't know what your goal is in life I don't know what you want to be known for but I decided you know like I I don't want to be known as a good teacher I mean that's fine whatever I don't at that or a good leader or this or that it's like man this is what I want I want people to go man that guy is not normal that is not just a human being up there the things that that happened the way he prays and and just the way he lives is like that's not human that's not normal exactly why because I'm not just a human being I'm filled with the fullness of God and it's like the supernatural like joy through any situation this peace this courage like man that is not just another guy up there that's my goal that's my goal for the people in my church where I don't want them just showing up oh good we've got a full room who cares if those are not individuals were filled with the fullness of God who deeply know the love of Christ and are deeply rooted then just forget about this thing because then we're painting a picture to the world of something that's stale something that's powerless it's lifeless that where they don't look in and go ooh I really want to be one of them but this is a supernatural thing we do I'm not sure why the Lord led me to this passage for you it may be because I'm in Colorado Springs and maybe sometimes my impression of this part of the country is a lot of church service attenders that try to obey rules pretty diligently and I'm not making like as over generally just like it's everyone but filled with the fullness of God knowing this deep root do you understand how big this is and how much you get it but it can very easily become a cultural thing and we can easily try to make people into certain types of people and raise our children a certain way rather than getting on our knees and desperately praying for the Holy Spirit to enter into them that they would have strength along with all the saints of the past who endured persecution stonings beatings because they knew how wide and long and high and deep was the love of Christ our world is changing our country is changing and unless we are raising up disciples and children who have that type of fire from in here they're not going to survive but once they're rooted in the love of Christ we don't have to worry about the future because graters he who's in them than he was of the world and just like I'm confident that he will began a good work in me he's going to complete it like I I cannot walk away from him I just don't think it's possible I'm just rooted it just is just I'm stuck this is who I am till I die I'm not leaving Jesus unless that's happening in our people in our churches and we're just playing games because pretty soon the wind is going to come the Sun is going to start beating down and we'll see what's left but for us today I guess I'm saying search your own heart think about even the goals of your life I know it was easy for me even as a pastor to think okay I want this massive church I want that you know but at the end of the day you go now I'm going to stand before God one day and what does the world really need to see does it really attract the world to go wow that guy attracted twelve thousand people to listen to him talk or as a world get attracted to human beings who are filled with the fullness of God just let that phrase sink in filled with the fullness of God is that the goal of your life to be a man or woman that is filled with the fullness of God that God according to all the riches of his glory just filled you up and made you like him and now you're just this fearless courageous full of his glory full of his light where no one can deny okay something happened to her something happened to him it's not enough just to play the role anymore we're in a different time and I'd like to pray for you again just as my brothers and sisters if you are indeed truly my brothers and sisters and maybe some of you even here today go man I don't know I grew up in this thing I've just kind of done it it has just been culture I don't know what you're talking about this thing inside and this heart and this love and being grounded in love man I'm going to pray for you to that by the riches of his glory he'd give you the strength to understand because it's not something I can talk you into I can't give you that knowledge the love of Christ surpasses knowledge and that's why I'm about to get on my knees for you that you'd have that moment where you get it and you'll know because it lasts so let's pray father I just don't want to play games anymore I don't want to play Church anymore I don't want to give speeches I just want to experience your power and I know everything you've done in my heart and this love that I have for you and it's amazing how you put it in there that I just adore you I adore you I adore you and it's because of you you do it all you granted me power to understand you and God I'm praying for these men and women in this room first God that you would grant them that same grace that they would get how wide and long and how deep and how high God if they would just get how big this is your love you everything about you is so wide and long high and deep you're not someone we visit you're everything to us and so God for those who don't get that I pray that they would that we no longer compartmentalize and do our church thing and our work thing and our family thing and our pleasure thing but everything would be about you I got I pray for our children people in our churches God that you would start pruning and make your church beautiful again that should be filled with lovers of you or filled with your fullness so God forgive us for settling for so much less than your fullness filling us changing us from within is pray to do whatever you need to do in everyone's heart that's listening or watching this on a screen I have no clue and I don't need to father would you please the corner the riches of your glory open their eyes and strengthen them from within in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Crazy Love

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Keywords: Francis Chan (Author), Francis Chan, sermon, church, GOD, Jesus, Crazy Love, Crazy, Love

Id: xOUdwnfET5A

Length: 33min 20sec (2000 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 31 2015