TITLE: God

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TITLE Gods Love Defeats Discouragement

• TEXT Ephesians 314-21
• THEME Experiencing Gods Love defeats
  discouragement

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They followed a three point outline.

• 1. Before salvation I was an alcoholic, a drug
  addict, sexual promiscuous, depressed, poor,
  materialist, or atheist.

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They followed a three point outline.

• 1. Before salvation I was an alcoholic, a drug
  addict, sexual promiscuous, depressed, poor,
  materialist, or atheist.
• 2. Jesus saved me and changed my heart.

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They followed a three point outline.

• 1. Before salvation I was an alcoholic, a drug
  addict, sexual promiscuous, depressed, poor,
  materialist, or atheist.
• 2. Jesus saved me and changed my heart.
• 3. Now I am drug and alcohol or drug free,
  married in a stable relationship, joyful, good
  job, and love Jesus.

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THEMES IN EPHESIANS

• Identity knowing who you are in Christ.

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THEMES IN EPHESIANS

• Identity knowing who you are in Christ.
• Unity understanding who the church is and how we
  are to relate to one another.
• .

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THEMES IN EPHESIANS

• Identity knowing who you are in Christ.
• Unity understanding who the church is and how we
  are to relate to one another.
• Power how to live in God's strength.

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God's power.

• we will know who Christ is 117

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God's power.

• we will know who Christ is 117
• know who we are in Christ 118

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God's power.

• we will know who Christ is 117
• know who we are in Christ 118
• experience his power 119.

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God's power.

• we will know who Christ is 117
• know who we are in Christ 118
• experience his power 119.
• ...incomparably great power for us who believe.
  That power is like the working of his mighty
  strength... (Ephesians 119)

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How do you experience God's power?
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Ephesians 314-21

• 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15
  from whom every family in heaven and on earth
  derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his
  glorious riches he may strengthen you with power
  through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so
  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
  faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and
  established in love,

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Ephesians 314-21

• 18 may have power, together with all the Lords
  holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high
  and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know
  this love that surpasses knowledgethat you may
  be filled to the measure of all the fullness of
  God.

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Ephesians 314-21

• 20 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, 21 to him be
  glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
  throughout all generations, for ever and ever!
  Amen.

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1. God's greatest resource is love.
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Ephesians 316

• I pray that from his glorious, unlimited
  resources he will give you a mighty inner
  strength through his Holy Spirit.

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"Glorious, unlimited resources."

• God has it all. He owns it all.

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"Glorious, unlimited resources."

• God has it all. He owns it all.
• Psalm 50 says, all the animals of the forest, the
  cattle on a thousand hills, every bird of the
  mountains...

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"Glorious, unlimited resources."

• God has it all. He owns it all.
• Psalm 50 says, all the animals of the forest, the
  cattle on a thousand hills, every bird of the
  mountains...
• All the world is mine and everything in it."
  (Psalm 5012)

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Ephesians 318

• And may you have power to understand, as all
  God's people should, how wide, how long, how
  high, and how deep his love really is.

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Ephesians 319

• May you experience the love of Christ, though it
  is so great you will never fully understand it.

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August Hare

• "Love flows downward. The love of parents for
  their children has always been far more powerful
  than that of children for their parents. In the
  same way, no man has ever loved God with more
  than 1/1000th of the love that God has given us."

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Augustine

• "God loves each of us as if there were only one
  of us."

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How do you experience Gods power in your life?
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II. God's love is your life.
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Philippians 19

• I pray that your love for each other will
  overflow more and more, and that you will keep on
  growing in your knowledge and understanding.

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Do you know what makes Christianity unique?

• Do you know what separates us from all the other
  religions and organizations in the world? The
  answer is "Love." Without love, we're just
  robots...organized, disciplined robots. Love puts
  us in a league of our own, and it is the best
  thing we have to offer the world."

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Pearl Bailey

• "What the world really needs is more love and
  less paperwork."

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Ephesians 3

• (17) May your roots go down deep into the soil of
  God's marvellous love.

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Ephesians 3

• (17) May your roots go down deep into the soil of
  God's marvellous love.
• (18) May you have the power to understand, as all
  God's people should, how wide, how long, how
  high, and how deep his love really is.

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Ephesians 3

• (17) May your roots go down deep into the soil of
  God's marvellous love.
• (18) May you have the power to understand, as all
  God's people should, how wide, how long, how
  high, and how deep his love really is.
• (19) May you experience the love of Christ.

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Two Latin words

• meditatio, contemplationmeditation and
  contemplation.

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Two Latin words

• meditatio, contemplationmeditation and
  contemplation.
• Meditation is thinking in a specific direction

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Two Latin words

• meditatio, contemplationmeditation and
  contemplation.
• Meditation is thinking in a specific direction
• Contemplation is thinking for an extended
  duration.

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How do you experience Gods power in your life?
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III. Living in God's love is the key to power.
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Ephesians 319

• May you experience the love of Christ, though it
  is so great you will never fully understand it.
  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life
  and power that comes from God.

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What kind of power are we talking about here?

• Power over sin.
• Power over weakness.
• Power over fear.
• Power over shame.
• Power over despair.
• Power over rage.
• Power over lust.
• Power over greed.
• Power over pride.
• Power over doubt.
• Power over guilt.

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Spurgeon

• "He is truly great in power who has power over
  himself."

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Ephesians 320

• Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work
  within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely
  more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

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APPLICATION

• 1. One of the greatest things each and every
  person needs in their life is for someone
  meaningful to love them unconditionally. We all
  crave for it. We crave for someone who knows the
  deep secrets of live with all its weaknesses and
  shortcomings and loves us anyway

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APPLICATION

• 2. Maybe you have not found that in a parent or
  spouse or a friend and you feel lonely and empty
  or fearful because you think, If this person
  really knew the true me they would despise me.

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APPLICATION

• 3. Maybe you have a view of God that sees him
  simply as a judge and as such He cannot love you
  because of your many flaws.

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APPLICATION

• 4. The reality is that God knows you better than
  you know yourself and yet he still loves and
  wants your best. Dont obsess with your weakness
  and inadequacies- focus on how God loves and
  accepts you fully in spite of those things.

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Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart

• Rigo started sobbing with the same ferocity as
  before. After catching his breath, he gasped
  through the sobs, "Seven buses. She takes seven
  buses. Imagine."

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Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart

• Jesus' ministryhis birth on Christmas morning,
  his meals with sinners, his healing of the sick,
  his death on the cross for our sinshe showed us
  the heart of God, the God who will take a long
  journey of love to find us.

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