I. Review of Context of Ephesians 3:16-19
II. Introduction
A. The Jordan River vs. the rivers of South America
B. The breadth (width) of Christ’s love as it extends to all people
C. The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God
D. Setting the course for this sermon
III. Psalm 145:8-9: God’s loving care for all His creation
A. Jonah 4:11, Acts 17:25, Matt 5:45, Acts 14:17
1. Application: so we too must care for His creation
IV. God’s love extends to all people
A. From one generation to the next (Psalm 145:4)
1. Application: preach the whole gospel to children
2. Application: be willing to set aside tradition for the sake of loving another generation.
a. without compromising the message
b. without compromising the method
B. Across racial, cultural, and gender barriers
1. Application: fight against your carnal tendency toward
segregation
2. Jesus and the woman at the well
3. Jesus is the ‘Savior of the world’ (John 4:42)
a. Application: will you go?
b. Application: will you pray for missions and missionaries?
C. So there is no longer any room for prejudice in the church
1. Even though the church has failed miserably
V. The love of Christ as demonstrated in the death of Christ (atonement)
A. Is Christ’s atonement universal or particular?
B. Revelation 5:9 – The atonement is designed to love broadly
C. We were all enemies and aliens, yet God still loves us (Rom 5:10)
1. Application: love your enemy
D. The love of Christ is wider than:
1. your sin (Ezekiel 16:8, Hosea 11:4)
2. tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword
3. the spray of fiery darts of the devil
