"May be able to encompass with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the honey of Christ, which passeth cognition, that ye might exist filled with all the fulness of God." —Ephesians iii:eighteen-19

We now come to the bodily petition which was offered by the Campaigner for the Ephesians. It is that, having been rooted and grounded in love, they may be fully able to comprehend with all saints "what is the breadth, and the length, and the depth, and the peak, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge". Nosotros must remind ourselves that we are dealing, non with our dearest to God and to Christ and to the brethren, but with His dearest to us. So far we have looked at information technology very by and large. Nosotros now proceed to consider information technology in a more detailed manner. Before we examine the nature or the character of that noesis we must consider the noesis itself, and find out what can be known of the love of God. The Campaigner sets this before united states in an boggling mode in the words I have just quoted.

The terminology used by the Apostle in and of itself suggests vastness. And there is no uncertainty that he chose to describe it in this iv-dimensional manner in order to requite that very impression. It is interesting to speculate every bit to why he decided to do this. I agree with those who say that probably he had still in his mind what he had been saying at the end of the 2d chapter, earlier he began on the digression which occupies the first 13 verses of this chapter. In that location he had been describing the Church as "a holy temple in the Lord", as a dandy building in which God takes upward His dwelling house and in which He dwells. I am ready to believe that that was nevertheless in his heed, and that as he thought of the vastness of the Church equally an enormous temple, he felt it to be a good style of describing the dearest of Christ to His people. It is like to the breadth, length, depth and height of such a keen building.

Whether that is then or not, the Apostle was certainly concerned to bring out the vastness of this honey. Indeed in doing so he almost contradicts himself by using a figure of speech which is called oxymoron. He prays that we may "know" the love of Christ "which passeth noesis". How can you lot know something which cannot be known? How can you ascertain something which is so great that it cannot be defined? What is the bespeak of talking about measurements if it is immeasurable and eternal? Just, of course, in that location is no contradiction here. What the Apostle is saying is that, though this love of Christ is itself beyond all computation, and tin never be truly measured, nevertheless it is our business to learn every bit much as we can about it, and to receive equally much of information technology as nosotros can perchance comprise. Then information technology behoves us to expect at this description which he gives of the love of Christ.

We are about to wait into something which is so glorious and countless that information technology will be the theme of contemplation of all the saints, not merely in this globe, but likewise in the world which is to come up. We shall spend our eternity in gazing upon it, and wondering at it, and in being astounded by it. But information technology is our business to get-go upon this hither and now in this life. It has e'er been one of the characteristics of the greatest saints that they have spent much time in meditating upon the love of Christ to themselves and to all God'south people. Nix has given them greater joy. Indeed this is a characteristic of love at all levels; it delights in thinking not just of the object of its love, but besides of the love it receives. Cipher therefore should give greater joy to all God's people than to meditate upon this dearest of Christ. Indeed, our chief defect every bit Christians is that we fail to realize Christ's dear to the states. How frequently have y'all thought about this? Nosotros spend time thinking about our activities and our bug, but the most important necessity in the Christian life is to know Christ's honey to usa, and to meditate upon it. This has always been the bound and the source of the greatest activity that has ever been manifested in the long history of the Christian Church building. So let us endeavour to look at information technology in terms of the dimensions which the Campaigner uses.

Have you lot always considered the breadth of this love? There are several places in Scripture where this particular dimension is put before us in a hit manner. In the Book of Revelation, for instance, we detect the words: ". . . and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue and people, and nation". And again: ". . . and the number of them was 10 1000 times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" (5:9, 11). The Book of Revelation seems to be particularly interested in the breadth of Christ's honey. As it gives us the picture of the glorified saints, and of the Son of God with His redeemed, it uses these figures: "After this I beheld, and lo, a keen multitude which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood earlier the throne and before the Lamb" (7:9). One twenty-four hours, in the glory, we shall run into that perfectly. But in a discouraging time like this in the history of the Church, what tin be more encouraging and more exhilarating than to think of this breadth of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ? As Christians we are only a handful of people in this country today, a mere small per centum. That thought sometimes tends to depress us and to discourage the states. The antidote to information technology is to consider the breadth of Christ's love.

The ultimate cause of the failure of the Jews was that they never grasped this particular dimension. They thought that salvation was only for the Jew. But those of them whose eyes were opened past the Spirit, including the Apostle himself, who was "a Hebrew of the Hebrews", and had in one case held this exclusive view, had come to see that that narrow, naturalistic dimension was altogether wrong, and that in Christ in that location is "neither Gentile nor Jew, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor gratis" (Col 3:xi)Nothing is more encouraging and invigorating than to retrieve that even in these days of religious declension in that location are in the world, in every land, in every continent – though differing in color, in culture, in background, in almost everything men and women meeting together regularly to worship God and to thank Him for His dear Son and His great salvation. In the celebrity we shall all be amazed at this, as nosotros realize what the love of God in Christ has achieved in spite of sin and hell and the devil.

Ten thousand times ten thousand,
In sparkling raiment bright,
The armies of the ransomed saints
Throng upward the steeps of lite.
'Tis finished, all is finished,
Their fight with decease and sin;
Fling open broad the golden gates,
And Jet the victors in!

That is the glorious prospect on which we must dwell and meditate.

We have no conception of the greatness of this plan of salvation and of its scope. In Luke's Gospel nosotros are told that sure people came to our Lord ane solar day and asked the question, "Are there few that be saved?" (13:23). 1 exercise not know the precise respond to that question, just I practise know that Scripture teaches that nosotros shall exist astounded when we see all the redeemed gathered in – the "fulness of the Gentiles", the "fulness of Israel", "all Israel" saved, and the redeemed standing in the presence of their Redeemer. It is not surprising that the Apostle should pray so earnestly that these Ephesians might know this because this changes your entire outlook when y'all tend to experience depressed, when you lot are tempted to doubt whether there is whatever hereafter for the Church seeing that we are just a handful of people. The answer is to expect at the latitude of Christ's love, to look alee, to wait into the glory and run across the final effect of His finished piece of work. Once you brainstorm to realize the latitude of His love you will lift up your caput again, your centre will begin to sing over again, and you volition realize that you are having the precious privilege of being one apprehensive member in a mighty army, ane in this thronging multitude who will spend their eternity in the presence of the Lamb of God, and enjoy Him for ever. The breadth of His love!

Simply let us endeavor to await also at the length of His dearest. I am convinced that the Apostle specified these particular measurements in order to encourage the Ephesians, and us through them, to work this out in our minds. To meditate upon the love of God in an abstruse mode is not very assisting. We have to work it out in detail every bit information technology has been revealed. The length surely conveys the endless character of the dear of Christ. Sometimes nosotros read in Scripture about the "everlasting" love of God -"I have loved thee with an everlasting love" (Jer 31:3)- Take you ever considered the eternity of Christ'due south dear towards you and towards all the saints? The dimension of length reminds us that this is a love which began in eternity. It was e'er there. The superiority of the Reformers, the Puritans and the evangelical leaders of the eighteenth century over us is seen in the fact that they were more theologically-minded than nosotros are. We heedlessly think that the about important thing is to be practical. We agree that the practical is nearly important; merely the men who have accomplished almost in this globe take always been theologically-minded. A human being who rushes into activity without studying theory is finally seen to be a fool. Recall of a man who desires to begin to play with atomic ability without knowing something about it!

The slap-up evangelical leaders of the past saw the importance of theology and doctrine, and they spoke and wrote much about what they chosen the Covenant of Redemption which led in plough to the Covenant of Grace. What they meant was that, before time, before the world and human were ever created, an agreement was entered into between God the Begetter and God the Son. It was an agreement apropos the salvation of those who were to exist saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Fall of human being was foreseen, everything was known; and the Son, every bit the Representative of this new humanity, entered into a covenant with His Father that He would salvage them and redeem them. The Father covenanted with the Son to grant certain privileges and blessings to the people who were now given to the Son.

How important it is to meditate upon such a theme! To practise so brings united states of america at once to the realization that the love of Christ to His own began earlier time, away dorsum in eternity. Christ'due south dear to u.s. did non of a sudden come up into beingness, it was in that location earlier the beginning of time. Hence we read that our names were "written in the Lamb'due south book of life from the foundation of the globe" (Rev 13:8; 17:viii). This is, to me, 1 "of the about staggering things of all, that I was known past Christ in eternity. one, in detail, and every one of united states of america who vest to Him, in item. Nosotros were known to Him, and our names were written in His book. What a nobility it adds to human being life, and to our existence in this earth, to know that He has prepare His eye upon usa, that His affections rested upon united states of america even in eternity! That is the beginning – if such a term is possible – of the length of His honey towards united states. Before time!

But permit united states look at this dimension of length as it works out in life in this world. The beloved of Christ for His own is from eternity to eternity. It began in eternity, and information technology continues in time. We tin can therefore always be certain that it volition never modify, that information technology will never vary, that information technology will ever exist the same. "Jesus Christ the aforementioned yesterday, and today, and for e'er" (Heb 13:8). And His beloved is always the same. There are no interruptions in it. This "length" is an unbroken line. Whatever may happen, it goes on; it is not a variable, information technology is a constant. It does non all of a sudden cease, and then start again. "Thine is an unchanging love". It is a line, a straight line, it is not variable. Information technology is a love that never gives us up or lets u.s. get; it is a love that never despairs of us.

One of the most perfect expressions of this chemical element of dimension is found in our Lord's own parable of the prodigal son. In spite of the fact that the younger son had been a fool and had gone to the far country, spurning the love that had been shown him in his home, and had wasted his substance on the gaudy and tawdry pleasures of that far country, his father still loved him and was waiting for his render and showered blessings upon him. This is the picture of the love of Christ towards His ain patient, long-suffering, bearing with usa, never giving us upward. Nothing is more wonderful than to realize that, even when we in our folly plow our backs upon the Lord, and even sin grievously against Him, His love yet remains. George Matheson's hymn expresses information technology perfectly: "O Dear, that wilt not let me go". Information technology is a dear that follows united states wherever we may go; it "will not" allow us go. God has said, "I volition never leave thee nor forsake thee".

How important it is that we should meditate upon this beloved and contemplate it! It is considering nosotros fail to do so that we tend to retrieve at times that He has forgotten us, or that He has left united states of america. When troubles and problems and trials come, and we come across difficulties and disappointments, nosotros tend to inquire, "Where is His dearest?" The reply is that it is in that location, always there. The error is in united states, that nosotros cannot see information technology, and have not meditated upon it, have not realized its eternal graphic symbol, and have not grasped its dimension of length. The Campaigner Paul expresses this truth in these words: "I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things nowadays nor things to come, nor height, nor depth nor whatever other creature, shall be able to dissever us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom eight: 38-39). Zero tin can always cause it to change or to fail. Equally Augustus Toplady says:

Things future, nor things that are at present,
Not all things below or above,
Can make Him His purpose forego,
Or sever my soul from His love.

What comfort, what consolation, what strength it gives; what a stay in times of trial and adversity! If He has gear up His heart and His affection upon yous, they will remain at that place. Nothing will ever exist able to pluck you out of His hand, zip will ever rob you of that love. Goose egg! If hell be let loose, if everything goes against you, nothing volition always cause Him to let yous go.

And this will continue even into eternity. It has started in eternity, it manifests itself in fourth dimension, and information technology goes on again into eternity. This line is unbroken. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews states information technology thus: "Wherefore" – in other words, considering Christ has an eternal priesthood -"He is able besides to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (7:25). He will save us "to the uttermost". Nix volition be left undone. Whatever may happen, His dearest for His own will proceed until the plan of redemption has been completed. Our Lord is in heaven making intercession for us now, and He will e'er exist there. He is not like the earthly priests of the One-time Attestation dispensation who went in and out of the Holiest of all. They lived and did their work, and so they died and others had to accept their place. "He ever liveth"; He is e'er in that location and ever volition be. That gives us some thought of the length of His love.

Merely let us look at the depth of His dear. As we wait at each dimension we are tempted to say that it is the nearly wonderful of all, the truth being that that is true of each one! As we consider the depth we can do naught better than to read what the Apostle wrote to the Philippians in the second chapter, where he shows that the depth of Christ's beloved tin can be seen in ii main respects. Outset, in what He did! How guilty we are of reading hurriedly and peradventure thoughtlessly some of the near staggering words e'er penned. In eternity our Lord was "in the form of God". He was God the Son in the bosom of the Father from all eternity. Only the Apostle tells united states of america that "He thought it not robbery to be equal with God". That means that He did not regard His equality with God equally a prize to be held on to, to be held on to at all costs. Rather He humbled Himself, He divested Himself of those signs of His eternal glory. And He came into this earth of sin and shame in the likeness of homo, in the grade of a man.

This is entirely beyond understanding; as the Apostle says, it is "the love of Christ which passeth noesis". These are facts. He deliberately did non concur on to what He had a correct to hold on to, but rather humbled Himself, and entered into the Virgin'southward womb, and took unto himself of human being nature, and came and lived equally a human in this earth. Recall what we are told nearly the poverty and the lowliness of the home into which He was born. Remember what happened to Him while He was in this world, how He performed a menial task; He who was equal with the Father, the Son of God eternal.

Next consider what He suffered at the easily of men, the misunderstanding, the hatred, the malice and the spite. Remember of His suffering from weariness and hunger and thirst. Think of men laying roughshod hands upon Him, arresting Him and trying Him, mocking Him and jeering at Him, spitting in His well-nigh holy confront. Think of cruel men condemning Him to death and scourging Him. Wait at Him staggering under the weight of the heavy cross on His way to Golgotha. Look at Him nailed upon the tree, and listen to His expressions of agony at the thirst He endured and the pain He suffered. Remember of the terrible moment when our sins were laid upon Him. He even lost sight of the face up of His Begetter for the one and only time, and gave up the ghost and died, and was buried and laid in a grave. He, the Author of life, the Creator of everything, lies dead in a grave. Why did He practise all this? The astounding answer is, because of His love for yous and me; because He loved u.s.. Such is the depth of His love 1 There is no other explanation.

His dear shows yet greater and deeper when we recollect that in that location was zip in us to phone call forth such dearest. "All we like sheep take gone astray". Nosotros all have "come up short of the glory of God". In our natural state we all were hateful and hopeless creatures. That nosotros may have some true formulation of our actual state and condition, and the depth of His beloved, permit us plow to what Paul tells us about the condition of flesh until the grace of God in Christ laid agree upon the states. We find it in the third chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, where we read, "There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth practiced, no, non i. Their throat is an open up sepulchre; with their tongue they accept used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose oral fissure is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they non known: there is no fear of God before their optics. At present we know that what things soever the police force saith, information technology saith to them who are nether the constabulary: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may go guilty before God" (vv. 10-19). It was for such people that Christ came, indelible the Cross and despising the shame. The Apostle makes the same betoken in the 5th affiliate of the Epistle to the Romans. Our Lord had said, "Greater love hath no homo than this, that a man lay downward his life for his friends"; just says Paul, "God commendeth His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" and "If, when nosotros were enemies, we were reconciled unto God past the death of His Son. . ." He did all this for sinners, for His enemies, for those who were vile and full of sin and who had nothing to commend them. That is the mensurate of the depth of His love. He came from sky, He went down to the depths and rose again for such people. It is only as we meditate upon these things and realize their truth that we brainstorm to know something about His love.

That brings usa, in turn, to the tiptop of His love. By this dimension the Campaigner expresses God's ultimate and last purpose for usa. Or nosotros may say that this is the style in which he describes the superlative to which God proposes to heighten us. Nigh of us tend to think of salvation only in terms of forgiveness, as if the beloved of Christ only purchases for usa the forgiveness of our sins. Anyone who stops at that has clearly never known anything about the height of the love of Christ. Something of this top is seen in the fact that He died not only that nosotros might be forgiven; He died to make us good. He died not merely that our sins might be blotted out, but besides that nosotros might be given a new nascence; not just to relieve united states from punishment, only also that we might be made children of God, sons of God, heirs of God, and articulation-heirs with Christ. Such is His purpose for us, and all He did had that cease in view. Furthermore, having given us this new birth, this new principle of life, He causes to dwell in united states of america the same Holy Spirit that was in Himself. "God giveth non the Spirit by measure unto Him", we are told (John 3:34). He gives the same Spirit by mensurate to usa. That is the meridian of His beloved to u.s.a..

Merely, every bit the Apostle has already been reminding these Ephesians, His love to us is so great that He has really joined us to Himself. We are united with Christ, He has made united states of america office of Himself, of His own body. That is why we were "quickened with Him" and "raised with Him" and are "seated in the heavenly places" with Him. In the fifth chapter of the Epistle he goes on to say: "We are members of his body, of his mankind and of his bones". It is His dearest that has washed that for us. But nosotros read in the Epistle to the Philippians that He is not only saving u.s.a. in a spiritual sense, He is even going to salvage our bodies. He purposes to redeem us entirely, so we wait for the coming from heaven of the Saviour, "who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" (3:20-21). Have we realized that Christ volition not exist satisfied until our very body is glorified as His own body was glorified ?

We must go even beyond that, and think how in His last prayer on earth to His Begetter, He prayed these words, "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory" (John 17:24). Our Lord'south love toward united states of america knows no bounds; His desire for us is that nosotros should be with Him and see something of that glory which He has shared with the Father from all eternity. He is not satisfied with purchasing our forgiveness and delivering us from the Pollution of this sinful globe, He wants us to be there with Him in the glory and to spend our eternity at that place.

The Apostle John in his first Epistle, describing this height, says: "Behold, what fashion of love the Male parent hath bestowed upon usa, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth, us not, because it knew him non. Dearest, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall exist: but nosotros know that, when he shall appear, we shall exist like him; for we shall see him as he is" (three:1-2). A lover always desires that the object of his love should share all his privileges and blessings and enjoyments, and then our Lord desires that nosotros should relish something of His eternal glory. He will not exist satisfied until, as the Apostle says in the 5th chapter of this Epistle, Nosotros shall be "a glorious church building, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, only that it should be holy and without blemish" (v. 27). This is His ambition for the Church and for all whom He loves. We shall exist glorified in spirit, in soul, and in body: there will be no fault, no blemish, no contraction. We shall be perfect and entire and filled with "all the fulness of God". The final word is, "and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thess 4:17)

Thus we accept tried feebly to grab a glimpse of the honey of Christ to us. Have you been feeling distressing for yourself, and somewhat lethargic in a spiritual sense? Take you been regarding worship and prayer as tasks? Accept you allowed the world the flesh or the devil to defeat yous and to depress y'all? The one antidote to that is to meditate upon and to contemplate this love of Christ. Have y'all realized its breadth, its length, its depth, its top? Take you lot realized who and what you are as a Christian? Accept you lot realized that Jesus is "the Lover of your soul", that He has set His affection upon you lot? Have you realized the height of His appetite for yous? "Child of God, shouldst yard repine"? Are we merely to shuffle through this world? We should rather respond to John Cennick's exhortation:

Children of The heavenly Male monarch,
As ye journey, sweetly sing;
Sing your Saviour's worthy praise,
Glorious in His works and ways.

One great cause of the present condition of the Church building is that we do not know Christ's love to united states of america. Nosotros spend out time with trivial things, and in fussy activities and discussions. Were nosotros to be total of this love and of the knowledge of this dear we would be entirely transformed. Information technology is this knowledge that makes us mighty. That is why the Campaigner prayed without ceasing that these Ephesians might "with all saints comprehend what is the breadth and length and the depth and the height, and to know the honey of Christ which passeth knowledge". Oh that we might know information technology, and grow in information technology and rejoice in it. Allow usa follow Cennick as he continues in his hymn:

Shout, ye little flock, and blest,
You on Jesus' throne shall remainder;
At that place your seat is now prepared,
There your kingdom and reward.

Lift Your optics, ye sons of light,
Zion's metropolis is in sight;
There our countless dwelling house shall be,
At that place our Lord we soon shall run across.

Fear not, brethren; blithesome stand
On the borders of your land;
Christ your Lord, the Male parent's Son,
Bids yous undismayed proceed.

And then let us join Cennick in saying
Lord, obediently nosotros go,
Gladly leaving all below;
Just Thousand our Leader exist,
And we still will follow Thee.r