Knowing the Love of Christ
A Sermon on Ephesians 3:18-19
Originally preached March 3, 1957
Scripture
18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Ephesians 3:18–19 titled “Knowing the Love of Christ,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that there are two wrong ways to think about love. One is to see love as purely intellectual and mental. The other is to see love as nothing more than emotional feelings. He says that the biblical view of love, as found in the New Testament, is a much richer expression than either of these false views. Love causes one to seek to understand it and apprehend it. It prompts the hearts of those who have been touched by it to respond in joy and love. This particularly is the case with the love seen in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The love of God in Christ transforms and renews all who believe in the gospel. Testament to this experience is found in the lives of saints and faithful believers all throughout the history of the church. There are many uneducated, ordinary Christians who came to know the love of God and the gospel in a deep and personal way. These were not great theologians and preachers but everyday Christians. This should prompt people of faith to abandon all views of spiritual superiority and see that this great knowledge and experience of love is available to all of God’s children.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is praying for the Ephesians to know the love of Christ.
- This is the greatest knowledge possible for humans to attain.
- This love is open to all believers, not just certain people.
- Paul describes this love with the dimensions of breadth, length, depth and height.
- This knowledge of Christ's love is conceptual - it involves grasping ideas and truths mentally.
- There is no contradiction between emphasizing being rooted in love and this conceptual knowledge. Love has an intellectual element.
- We must meditate on and study Christ's love. We must survey the wondrous cross.
- The second word Paul uses is "know" - this is knowledge gained through experience, not just concepts.
- This knowledge is direct, immediate and personal. It is knowing Christ's love for us personally.
- Christ's love surpasses knowledge - it is inexhaustible and unsearchable. We can always know more of it.
- This knowledge of Christ's love is possible for all believers in this life.
- The Bible and testimony of saints show this is possible. We can have peace, joy and transport in this love.
- We should pray for ourselves and others to have this knowledge of Christ's love.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.