There are many questions you are faced with every day. We are all searching for answers
that will make a real difference in our lives. It's hard to imagine that these answers
might be right in front of us. Get ready to discover answers in the Bible with Bayless
Conley.
I think one of the inward questions that people have or one of the issues they grapple with
is: Is God mad at me? You know, I've done so many things wrong. I've trespassed against
others. I've failed to do what I should have done. Certainly God must be mad at me.
Well, we're going to be looking at that and the truth is, is God loves broken things
and broken people. He loves you.
Here's Bayless Conley with part two of his continuing message from last week.
And then we read verse10, "to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might
be made known by the church (or through the church) to the principalities and powers in
heavenly places." Now principalities and powers refer to both bad angels and good angels.
You can look at Ephesians 6:12 later on if you want where it talks about the forces of
evil: Our warfare is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world. So it can refer to fallen angels, but
it can also refer to good angels. First Peter 1:12, speaking of the Gospel and the church
and this mystery that has come to light says this, "that even the angels long to look
into these things." And the manifold wisdom of God, the varied wisdom of God is declared
and displayed through the church! And when all the fallen angels see it, they think,
"Why did we ever crucify Him? Look what we've done! We've sealed our own fate.
We didn't know." And the good angels lift their hands, and they say, "Oh, God, thank
you for Your glorious wisdom, and we praise You forever and ever!" It's an amazing
thing!
And at the end of verse 9 it says, "All things were created through Christ." But,
you know, God did not choose to showcase His wisdom through the mountains or the seas or
through the earth or the moon or the sun or the stars or through the galaxies that are
doing their choreographed dance throughout the universe. But through the church God has
chosen to display His wisdom. We read in chapter 2 that through the church, from generation
to generation, from age to age, stretching to eternity, there will be one thing that
stands as a beacon and a revelation of God's amazing grace, and it is the church. And in
this chapter it says that God will reveal His wisdom through the church! How grand is
His church! What an amazing privilege to be part of His church.
And because we're in His church, part of His family, we can come to Him without fear,
without anxiety. Look in verse 12, it says,
in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
Meaning we have access to the Father. We can come to God with boldness and confidence.
The word "boldness" literally means freedom of speech. It carries the idea that we can
come without shame because of what Christ has done, we can come without fear because
now we belong to God's family, and we can boldly make our requests known to our heavenly
Father. What a wonderful thing!
This is the mystery that brought the church to birth, that made us accepted into God's
family. It's made us heirs and joint heirs with Christ so much that Jesus in John 16,
when He's talking to the disciples, He said, "In that day…" talking about the day
the mystery is revealed, the day of the church. "In that day," says, "I won't go to
the Father for you. But you go to the Father, yourself, and you just ask in My name because
the Father, Himself, loves you." In the next chapter, in John 17, Jesus is praying,
and He says, "Father, I know that You've loved them as You have loved Me." We are
the ones that have been chosen to display God's grace and His wisdom.
Now that doesn't mean we're going to have a trouble-free life. If you've been around
at all, you know that's true. Look at verse 13:
Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your
glory.
So don't lose heart when things happen that don't make sense. Still come to God with
boldness and confidence and let your request be made known. I mean, the Apostle Paul had
led these Ephesians to Christ. He established the church there. And now their leader, their
mentor, he's in chains in Rome. Some of them would have lost heart over that. Some
of them would have said, "I don't understand!" You know, "Where is God?" But you know,
God was working out His plan even while Paul was in prison. And, frankly, it is an honor
to suffer for Christ, as Paul makes clear in that verse.
And from here Paul begins to pray for them. And I'm going to make a few comments. Beginning
in verse 14 he said,
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from 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 through His Spirit in the inner man,
This is a great prayer to pray for others and for yourself. Pray for inward strength,
not just for changed circumstances. Many, many people spend much effort and energy praying
that God would change their circumstances. Very few people pray for inward strength.
Someone once wisely said, "Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Pray
for… Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks."
And then the first part of verse 17:
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…
And certainly there's the idea there of praying for the awareness of Christ's presence
in your life. But I think there's more than that. The word "dwell" means to settle
down, to settle in, and to make a permanent home.
I remember when I went to college. Now once I left home, I traveled around and lived in
a few different states. And I eventually ended up in college up in Oregon. And I remember
my first day. I actually lived in a dormitory for a year. And walked in the room of my assigned
dorm, and there's a guy, he's going to be my roommate, sitting on one of the beds.
And he was as different from me as you can imagine. He's got a military haircut, his
clothing is way different than mine, and I am Mr. Hippy that's just walked into the
room. I have very, very long hair. My clothes were radically different than his. And I dragged
in a piece of driftwood that I had in my car. I put it up in the room. I had this old ripped
painting I had got at a yard sale like five years before that I dragged all over creation.
I put up this old ripped painting. I hauled all my records in. Then I ripped off my shirt
and I flopped down on my bed. And I could tell he was freaking out. But I didn't say
anything to him. We later became friends. His name was Joe. Actually, we became good
friends. And Joe confided in me one day, says, "Bayless, you know that day you walked into
the dorm room and you put down that weird piece of wood and put all your records down
there and put that weird painting up?" He said, "I thought, 'Oh, my God! He's
actually settling in here. I've got to live with this guy for a year!'" Well, you
know what? The question is: Has Jesus really settled in in your life? He may not bring
a piece of driftwood or some old painting or a bunch of John Fahey records, but He will
decorate the walls of your soul with peace and joy and confidence and purpose and security
and faith and love. Has he settled down? Is He at home in your life?
It goes on in verse 17, it says,
…and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and
height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
He talks about knowing something that surpasses knowledge. It's an interesting thing to
say, isn't it? He's praying that they will know the unknowable, to know that the
width and the length and the depth and the height of love. Well, my friend, its width
that encompasses all the earth; its length that begins in the heart of God and it stretches
into eternity; its depth, it's far enough to reach the most depraved heart and the most
lost soul. And I want to tell you tonight: I don't care how low you have sunken in
your life, God's grace can reach low enough to grasp you. King David said, "If I make
my bed in hell, God, even You are there." And the height is so high it seats you in
heavenly places in Christ. His love is higher than heaven, it's deeper than hell, it's
longer than eternity, and it's wider than the farthest horizon. It casts out fear, it
never fails, it has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Somebody says, "Pastor, why don't I feel that kind of love?" Maybe you should start
praying this kind of prayer!
He is praying that they would know it. Friend, this is a Holy Spirit inspired prayer. To
be filled with all of the fullness of God. It's one thing to be filled with God, another
thing to be filled with the fullness of God, another thing yet, to be filled with all the
fullness of God and to know His love.
What would compel Jesus to leave heaven and to separate Himself with the eternal, blissful
fellowship He had known with the Father throughout eternity past? To be born as a baby, to become
a man of sorrows, to be persecuted, to be put to shame, to be nailed to a piece of wood,
and to literally be killed by His own creation upon a cross? It would be like you choosing
to die for an ant, only infinitely beyond that. The answer is love. Love brought Him
from heaven. Love demanded His death on the cross. And we are invited now to begin the
eternal quest of experiencing that love and knowing that love in us and through us to
others. Some of the most amazing language in all of the Bible in these verses. Look
in verse 20. Most of us know this one:
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according
to the power that works in us,
Once again human language continues to stagger and to buckle under the weight of such thoughts.
He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. You know what? I
can ask really big! And I can think even bigger. But God can do exceedingly more. I wonder
if much of our praying is far too small? I wonder if when we get to heaven we're going
to go, "Oh, I could have had so much more! I could have done so much more. I could have
experienced so much more. But I thought God was so small."
You know, Bethany, Harrison's wife, one of her brothers worked years back at the Montage,
the hotel in Laguna Beach, at one of the restaurants there as a waiter. And there was a husband
and wife that were staying at the Montage for a week, and they came into the restaurant
one night, and her brother, Ben, waited on them. And when he came to give them the bill,
the guy just handed him a credit card and said, "Look, whatever you think you're
worth, write that as the tip." Whatever you think you're worth. Ben wrote $250.
Brought it. The guy didn't bat an eye. Filled out the check, paid it. Well, he and his wife
came back into the restaurant the next night, and all the waiters and waitresses were fighting
over who got to serve him. And he did it again the next night. He told… It was I think
a waitress the second night… he says, "Hey, whatever you think you're worth, just write
it down." $500, didn't bat an eye. Just paid it. The next night, came back again.
And this went on like for six nights in a row… five or six nights in a row. It got
up to… the final one wrote a thousand dollars. The guy didn't bat an eye. Just paid it.
And when I heard that story, I couldn't believe it! I thought, "Why not put ten
thousand down? Why not put $50,000 down? Why not write in a million?" I mean, to some
people, that's like twenty bucks. I mean, all he could have done was say no. And I wonder
if we do that with God? When He supplies our need, He does it according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus.
The story is told of a famous golfer here in the U. S. This is decades and decades back.
He was actually invited by a king in one of the oil-rich middle eastern countries to come
play golf. And he was reticent to respond. He wasn't going to do it. But his friend
said, "Yeah, you should do it!" So he agreed to come. And this sheik or king, he
sends his private jet over to get him, flies him all the way over to the country, and they
spend three days golfing… had three wonderful days! And when he's getting ready to get
on the jet and fly back, the king said, "Listen, these days have been very memorable for me,
and I want to thank you. I would love to give you a gift. What can I give you?"
And he said, "Look, nothing. I don't need anything. This has been great."
He said, "No, please." And he could see that the king was not going
to relent. He says, "Well, I collect golf clubs. As well as playing, I collect rare
golf clubs. Maybe find a golf club for me." The king said, "Okay, done."
And on the way back he's thinking, "Man, what kind of a golf club would a king give?
Is he going to give me a gold putter with my name etched in it? Or is it going to be
a gem-encrusted seven-iron?" And he got to thinking about it and started watching
the mailbox for like the next week or so. And I think it was two weeks later he gets
a registered letter from the king, opens it up, and it is a deed to a 500-acre, 18-hole
golf course. And he realized that when he said a golf club, the king thought he meant
a golf club because the word can mean both. Kings think differently than we do.
How about King Jesus? Exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think regarding
inner strength, regarding what He does in our church, regarding your kids, regarding
your retirement, regarding your job. He's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all
we can ask or think!
And then he finishes in verse 21:
to Him be glory in (or through) the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever
and ever. Amen.
First grace through the church and then wisdom through the church and now glory through the
church. Do you want to be part of it? There's only one way: Embracing His Son Jesus Christ.
Won't you bow your heads, close your eyes, if you would.
Oh, Heavenly Father, help these hearts of ours to grow. You said that You gave Solomon
largeness of heart like the sand by the sea. Lord, expand these hearts of ours. Our faith
is challenged when we read such words. But we know that You mean them! Lord, You so intricately
and methodically worked out Your plan. And we know that even as individuals, You are
working in our lives. Though we may not be able to see it going forward, looking back
we'll be able to say, "Oh God, Your astonishing wisdom!" We trust You tonight, Lord. We
thank you that You've sent Your Son to redeem us and to make us part of this great revealed
mystery called the church. We just invite You, Holy Spirit, to move in our midst, through
our hearts. Thank you for breathing on Your church, O God. Thank you for reviving Your
church, O God. Thank you for giving us a fresh visitation of Your Spirit, O God. Fresh illumination
concerning our mission together as a family, but our part as individual members of that
family. Lord, we bless You.
Please, every head bowed, every eye closed. I'm just going to take another moment, and
I just want to invite you to pray with me if you've never asked the Savior into your
life. Listen, Jesus died for the sin of the world. I can't say more. He paid the price.
He's real. He was raised from the dead on the third day because the claims of God's
eternal justice were forever satisfied. And what He did He did in your stead, on your
behalf, in your place. And this marvelous thing we've been talking about tonight,
for you, it's a prayer away. The Bible says if you believe in your heart God raised Jesus
from the dead and you confess Him with your mouth as Lord that God will bring you into
this relationship with Himself called salvation. It makes you a part of His church, a part
of His family. It gives you access and so much more.
I'm just going to ask before I pray, if you know you need to pray this prayer, if
you want to pray this prayer with me… you may be a backslider that needs to come home,
a prodigal son, a prodigal daughter, and you're tired of living out in the perimeter. You
know you can't enjoy sin when you know the truth about Jesus. And you certainly are not
enjoying Christ when you're sinning. And for you it's time to come home, prodigal
son, prodigal daughter. So I want to invite you to respond, as well. And to the person
that may have never uttered such a prayer, let me assure you, this is not about signing
some list of things you're no longer allowed to do. It's not about ceremony or ritual.
It's about you having life. It's about you finding out the purpose for which you
were created. It's about you having your sin washed away and becoming part of something
glorious that spans the globe. If you want in on the prayer, nobody looking around but
me, just put your hand up right now all over the auditorium. Just put it up. Let me acknowledge
it. After I acknowledge the hands you can put them down, and then we'll pray together.
A lot of hands. Just keep them up for a minute, and I see them. I just want a minute to look
around. It's awesome. Okay, okay, good, wonderful. All right, put those hands down.
Let's pray together. Let's maybe say this out loud, if you would. Just say,
O God, I humble myself before You, and I want to say thank you. Thank you for thinking of
me. Thank you for sending Your own Son who died on the cross for the sins of the world.
Jesus, thank you for going to that cross. I believe You died and were raised from the
dead, and I invite you now to come into my life, Lord Jesus. From this moment forward,
all I am and all I have I place in Your hands, and I choose to follow You. It's in Your
name I pray, Lord Jesus, amen.
Awesome, awesome, so good.
Stay tuned at the end of the program today for a special inspirational thought from Bayless.
You know, sometimes something as simple as praying a prayer like you just watched us
pray together in the church can make all of the difference in the world. That difference
being your heart. The Bible says that God doesn't see as man sees. Man looks on the
outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. And even if you pray a stumbling, halting
prayer. But if your hearts behind it and you really want God in your life, you really want
help from Him, you really want to know His Son, Jesus Christ, God will answer your prayers.
Just let your heart and your lips connect. Speak words to God. Be sincere and you will
find out He is not very far away at all. In fact, I just want to put this out there, I
don't think it's a coincidence that you are listening to me right now. I think God
has set you up and He wants to change your life. Talk to Him. Do it now.
And now here's Bayless with an inspirational thought you can apply today.
You know, hundreds of years before the events happened, Isaiah prophesied by the Holy Spirit
about the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. You can read about it in Isaiah chapter 53.
And some of the things that it says there is that He was despised, that He was rejected,
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter but He didn't open his mouth though He could
have opened His mouth, He could've called legions of angels, but He allowed Himself
to be beaten, and to be taken to the cross, to be rejected, to be despised.
And, you know, He did those things as a substitute. If you think about it, Jesus was rejected
by the very world He created. He was rejected by the brothers that He grew up with. He was
rejected by the nation from which He sprang. And ultimately He was rejected even by His
Heavenly Father as the sin of the world was laid upon Him. And He became our sin substitute.
The Father turned His back upon Him when He was on the cross, where Jesus cried out: My
God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
For in that moment He identified completely with mankind's curse. He who knew no sin was
made to be sin for us. And the good thing is that He did that so that we need never
experience it. He was rejected by God so that we can be accepted by God.
Listen to these verses from Ephesians chapter 1, if you would.
Verse: 6: To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the
beloved. When Jesus raised from the dead, when He was raised from the dead, He did it
as our substitute. And in the eyes of God we are in Him. He died as our substitute,
He was raised from the dead. And when the Father looks at Jesus, He sees us. We're
accepted by the Father in Him.
When I look back, I think of all the decisions I had to make.
Really, none of it was by accident. There was that time with George and Tim….
Wow… But that was right when Chris showed up in
class. He was the one that lead me to God. I spent so much time wondering what to do
once I graduated. But then I saw that Bible verse, and I just
knew it was for me. Such a confirmation! Right then, the direction I was meant to go
became so clear, God had been trying to show me all along.
When I look back, it was so obviously God that gave me peace about the relationships
I was meant to have and pursue. So what about tomorrow?
God, You know. And I have every reason to believe You'll keep leading me.
Did you know that God is interested in every single detail of your life?
Order the 2 message CD or DVD series "How God Cares for You" by Bayless Conley now.
Just use the information on your screen. "How God Cares for You."
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