Filled Up to All the Fullness of God

In one paragraph

This message came from Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul's prayer from prison that his readers would be strengthened, rooted, and filled with God. The sermon focused on what Warren the preacher calls the "kneeling" posture that connects the positional truths of Ephesians 1-3 with the practical walk of Ephesians 4-6. The central theme was that real change begins in the inner man, not in outward behavior or...

Read together

1. Ephesians 3:14-21 the main passage read aloud and expounded throughout the sermon
2. Romans 7:18 quoted to illustrate the struggle of living by the spirit versus the flesh
3. Romans 7:22 quoted to show the inner man joyfully concurring with the law of God
4. Romans 8:2 quoted to show the law of the spirit setting believers free from the law of sin and death
5. Romans 8:5 quoted to contrast the mindset of the flesh with the mindset of the spirit
6. 1 Corinthians 3:16 quoted to show believers are a temple of God indwelt by His spirit
7. John 15:4-5 quoted on abiding in Christ as the vine in order to bear fruit
8. Galatians 5:22 quoted to list the fruit of the spirit as a litmus test for abiding in Christ
9. John 8:31 quoted on abiding in Christ's word as the mark of true discipleship
10. Romans 5:8 quoted on all things working together for good for those called according to God's purpose
11. John 1:14 quoted to show the Word becoming flesh, full of grace and truth
12. Ephesians 5:18 quoted on being filled with the spirit rather than controlled by wine
13. Ephesians 1:23 quoted to describe the church as the fullness of Christ who fills all in all
14. Jude 24-25 quoted as a closing doxology about God keeping believers blameless with great joy

Talk about it

1. Paul was chained in a Roman prison when he wrote this prayer, yet he was praying for the inner needs of others rather than his own physical freedom. What does that tell us about where he believed the greatest needs actually are, and how does that compare to what we usually pray for?
2. The sermon drew a distinction between comprehending God's love, grasping it mentally, and apprehending it, laying hold of it personally so that it moves from your head to your heart. Is there something you know about God's love that you feel you have not yet apprehended in that deeper way? What do you think is getting in the way?
3. The fruit of the Spirit was offered as a kind of litmus test for whether Christ is truly abiding in us. When you look honestly at your own life, which of those fruits do you see growing, and where do you see bitterness, anger, or unforgiveness crowding them out?
4. Wiersbe is quoted as saying that if God took the Holy Spirit out of this world, most of what Christians are doing would go right on and no one would know the difference. How does that land with you, and what would it look like practically for our church's life together to be more genuinely dependent on the Spirit?
5. The sermon closes with the idea that we were made to worship and we will worship something, whether a band, a craze, or God himself. Where in your own life do you notice yourself giving the kind of attention, energy, or hope to something that really belongs to God?