Does God Love Me: Ephesians Pt. 5
Sermon Summary
If you have ever wondered whether God truly loves you, whether He sees your pain and still cares, you are not alone. In Ephesians 3:14-21, the Apostle Paul drops to his knees and prays one of the most powerful prayers in Scripture, asking God to make His love not just a fact we believe but a reality we actually experience. This message is an invitation into that same prayer.
Paul prays for two things that every believer desperately needs. First, that we would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in our inner being so that Christ can truly dwell, not just visit, in our hearts. Outward religious activity is not enough. God is looking for surrendered people who carry His presence, not just perform for Him. Second, Paul prays that we would be rooted and established in love and would grasp, together with all the saints, just how wide, long, high, and deep the love of Christ actually is. This love surpasses knowledge, meaning it cannot be understood by the mind alone. It must be experienced through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Key Scriptures
Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV)
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Revelation 2:2-5 (NIV)
"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first."
2 Timothy 3:5 (NASB1995)
"Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these."
Matthew 24:12 (NIV)
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold."
Instructions for Groups
Choose a few of these questions from the various categories to go deeper in the sermon and put the truths of Scripture into practice. You do not need to answer every question. Select the ones that will best help your group engage with God's Word and apply it to your lives.
Discussion Questions
Scripture Study and Deeper Understanding
1. In Ephesians 3:14-15, Paul addresses God as "Father" and refers to "every family in heaven and on earth" deriving its name from Him. What does it tell us about God's character that Paul uses the word "family" here rather than "person" or "individual"? What does this language reveal about how God designed us to relate to Him and to one another?
2. Paul prays in verse 17 that Christ would "dwell" in the hearts of believers. The word "dwell" carries the meaning of living as a permanent resident, not just a visitor. Looking at the full context of verses 16-17, what is the specific role of the Holy Spirit in making that dwelling possible? What does Paul say must happen first before Christ can dwell in that way?
3. In Revelation 2:2-5, Jesus addresses the church at Ephesus. What specific things does He commend them for, and what is the single thing He holds against them? What does Jesus instruct them to do in response, and what does that instruction tell us about how seriously He views the loss of first love?
Encouragement, Challenge and Personal Testimony
4. The sermon quoted a warning that "the next move of God will not be louder, it will be cleaner. The Spirit is not looking for hype. He is looking for holy." How does that statement challenge the way we sometimes think about spiritual growth or church life? Where have you seen the difference between a Spirit-empowered life and one that is outwardly religious but inwardly dry?
5. The Dorothy shared that the world, disappointments, and even the daily grind can wear down our spirit and cause God's love to feel distant. Have you ever walked through a season where His love felt hard to sense? What helped you find your way back to being rooted in it, and what did you learn about God in that process?
6. Dorothy shared a vision of Jesus on the cross whispering her name, saying "Dorothy, I love you" with every painful breath, and she realized it was her unbelief that was heavy on His shoulders. That image speaks to the extraordinary, personal dimensions of Christ's love. What has helped you move from knowing about God's love intellectually to actually experiencing it in a personal and anchoring way?
Putting it into Practice
7. As we head into three days of prayer and fasting centered on Ephesians 3:14-21 and what Dorothy shared, what is one specific area of your life where you sense your love for God or your awareness of His love for you has grown cold? What will you bring before the Lord during these three days as an act of repentance and return?
8. How can you be praying for your Lifegroup members during these three days of prayer and fasting?
Prayer
9. Listening to the Holy Spirit
We are going to take focused time to listen to the Holy Spirit and what He wants to speak to us personally based on our time in Scripture and discussion tonight. Let's sit in silence for 60 seconds and ask the Spirit to speak to each one of us.
[After the minute of silence] What do you sense the Holy Spirit highlighting or speaking to you as we prayed?