When small things become the main things, the most important things become forgotten things. This is what happens when we lose sight of the love of Christ.
When our desires get out of control we lose sight of the love of Christ. When we seek safety through seclusion or escape through gratification or justification through performance or acceptance through affirmation, we make small things into main things that become sinful things that distort the love of Christ.
Have you ever thought about how massive the love of Christ is? Last week we began to focus on verse 18 of Ephesians 3 and we learned that Paul prayed that the Ephesian believers would be strengthened to comprehend or experience the love of Christ in community with all the saints. But that’s not all he prays for. He also prays that the Ephesians would have the strength to comprehend or experience the breadth and the length and the height and the depth of Christ’s love.
1: How wide is the love of Christ?
The Psalmist says, “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s steadfast love towards those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Ps. 103:11-12) The width of God’s love is like the distance between the east and the west. It’s limitless. It’s endless. It’s wider than you can ever imagine. Your sin may loom huge on the horizon of your heart and mind. Your out of control desires may appear to be too big to get a hold of. The suffering in your life may seem to go on forever and ever. But the love of Christ is wider than all of that.
2: How long is the love of Christ?
The Scriptures say that, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” (Lam. 3:22-23) There is no end in sight for the love of Christ. He has loved us from before the foundations of the earth and he will love us throughout all of eternity. There is no variation and no inconsistency in the love of Christ. It’s a constant and consistent flow. Your sin doesn’t interrupt the love of Christ. Your rebellion doesn’t stop the love of Christ. Your forgetfulness doesn’t impede the love of Christ. The length of the love of Christ is unbroken, unearned and unstoppable. No evil thing can shorten its reach. And no amount of running can withstand its relentless force. The length of the love of Christ is designed to outrun any opponent who tries to take it on.
3: How high is the love of Christ?
The Psalmist says, “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens.” (Ps. 36:5) The height of the love of Christ is something you can get lost in. Christ loved us so much that he wasn’t just willing to go to the cross for us. He was overjoyed to go to the cross for us. Before the stench of our sin reached the nostrils of our Heavenly Father, the love of Christ burst in and overcame it. Before our rebellious hearts began beating, the love of Christ drove our Savior to take a beating. Before we chose to love Jesus, the love of Christ chose to capture us. There is nothing in all of creation that is higher than the love of Christ.
4: How deep is the love of Christ?
The Scriptures teach us that, “while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:6-8) No matter how deep the wounds of suffering are inside of you, the love of Christ will renew you. No matter how deep the sin runs in your life, the love of Christ runs deeper. No matter how deep the desires of your life are rooted, the love of Christ cannot be uprooted.
Application and Discussion Questions:
The love of Christ is wider than you can imagine, longer than you can measure, higher than you can climb and deeper than you can dig. Don’t let the most important thing (Christ’s love) become a forgotten thing.
- How has your picture of the love of Christ grown through this study? What new things have you learned? What old truths were you reminded of?
- What does it look like for you to try to outrun the love of Christ? In what ways do you resist the love of Christ?
- When was the last time you got lost in the love of Christ? Is this a regular rhythm in your relationship with Jesus? How can you make this a more regular rhythm?