Jesus once told a wonderful story about a lost sheep. But I want you to personalize it this morning. Imagine yourself as the sheep. Now I want you to personalize it in another way. Imagine someone you love as the sheep. Now I want you to imagine it one more way. Imagine your enemy as the sheep. Does God love each of these people the same? And if so, what will God do in order to seek and to save the lost?

Ephesians 3:14-21 says:

For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

During World War II, a Catholic Priest named Maximilian Kolbe died in place of another man.

This is a great example of what Jesus has done for us. And because Jesus is God, His death could not only be in place of a few lives, but could atone for all sin.

This is the third and last sermon in this series that I’ve been calling The Mystery of Christ from Ephesians. In the first sermon, we talked about how God revealed the mystery of His will to us. In the second, we talked about how God has given us the blessing of sharing Jesus with others.  Today, we will talk about how God is able to accomplish all of His will. Psalm 115:3 says:

Our God is in heaven and does whatever he pleases.

We’re going to talk about that this morning by looking at three points from Paul’s prayer.

First, notice that Paul prayed for everyone to receive Jesus (v. 14-17a). It’s interesting how the Bible does not often tell us that we should pray for unbelievers. And the few times that it does, it’s most often by example rather than by command. Romans 10:1 says:

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation.

Acts 26:28-29 says:

Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?” “I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am—except for these chains.”

Luke 23:34 says:

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”

One of the few times I found it as a command was when Jesus said this in Matthew 5:44 –

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Interestingly, this prayer seems to say more about us than our enemies. 1 Timothy 2:4 says:

[God] wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Another story from World War II about this comes from Corrie Ten Boom.

God calls us to love and forgive even those who are most difficult to forgive. So when we pray for the salvation of others, we’re always in line with God’s desires for them. We should pray that they would be strengthened in the Spirit (v. 16). We should pray that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith (v. 17a).

The second thing I want you to notice is that Paul prayed for everyone’s continual growth in Jesus (v. 17b-19). Being rooted in Jesus is only the beginning of our relationship with God. As we walk with Jesus, we begin to see just how great God’s love is. We begin to realize that we really were the lost sheep. We realize that we really were the prodigal son, another story that Jesus told. I don’t think we’ll ever fully be able to comprehend God’s love, and yet Paul prayed that we would. The more we see God’s love and praise Him for it, the more we’re filled with the fullness of God.

The third thing I want you to see from Paul’s prayer is that God can do anything He desires (v. 20-21).

The life of George Müller is a great example of believing in the power of God through prayer.

I once had a similar experience when trying to get a car part at a junkyard.

If God cares about our needs when it comes to water heaters, drains, and car parts, then certainly He cares when we pray for people. I think some Christians think God will not answer their prayers for their loved ones. But God loves you and all people more than you can possibly imagine. I guarantee you that God loves your kids more than you love your kids. And He’s patient enough to allow them wander away for a time. And He’s powerful enough to bring them back and save them in His time. 2 Peter 3:9 says:

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

All generations will glorify His name.

So, to be abundantly clear, I believe the Bible here and as a whole makes these points:

1. God is love, and desires to save everyone.
2. God is omnipotent, and can do all that He desires.
3. God is Jesus, so He eventually does save all by grace through faith in Him.