Picture the dream car someone saved for in secret for twenty years, and it just sits in the garage, never once driven. That image opens a study of Paul’s prayer in Ephesians (Ephesians 3), where he asks that we be strengthened in our inner being and come to know a love that surpasses knowledge. The sermon takes us into the relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and shows that you cannot share a love you have never received yourself. Listen if you have ever tried to live a spiritual life in an unspiritual way.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Paul begins his prayer in Ephesians 3:14 with the words "For this reason I kneel before the Father." What is this prayer responding to, and what does it tell us about where true spirituality comes from?
- In John 17:25-26 Jesus prays that the love the Father has for Him may be in His disciples. What does this reveal about the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and about our place in it?
- The speaker compared new life in Christ to a dream Mustang that sits in the garage for years. In what areas of your life does the gift of spiritual life tend to get "parked in the garage"?
- The sermon says we cannot love like God until we first receive His love ourselves. What makes it hard for you to receive God's love before you start doing things for Him?
- The speaker described God as an eternal relationship of giving and receiving, using the example of children sharing toys. How does this picture shape the way you think about love in a church where people of different cultures and languages come together?
- The image of little Rowan in his dad's arms shows a child simply gazing at his father in wonder. What specific step can you take this week to pause in worship and let God love you?
