The link to the message is below. (Ephesians 3:13-20)
The night I realized the meaning of “a man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3) and “he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4) is the night that has forever changed me. Whenever I think about that night or preach this message, it moves me to tears. I do not understand how to adequately describe it. (Lord, please give me the right words.) It is the description of the love of Jesus for you and me, a love that is immeasurable, an out-of-this-world love.
When I finished praying to the Lord to help me write this article, I started crying. I have never had anything or anyone move me like this as the night I realized how deep the love of Jesus has for Keith Watts. I had so many mixed emotions in my heart. I felt like I was the worst person that had ever lived. I felt so sorry and humble and ashamed of myself. I asked myself why Jesus loves me that much.
Let’s get back into the message.
Ephesians 3:18 “…May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height…”
Do you comprehend how wide, long, deep, and high the love of Christ has for us? Comprehend means grasp or to get a hold of. I have preached this message several times and shared this thought with many, but it seems that most Christians and preachers cannot comprehend it. Only when we see Jesus face to face will we truly grasp the love that he has for us.
I want to quote something by Dr. Jerry Falwell.
“The breadth extends to all people; its length extends to all time; its depth extends to the lowest condition of human needs; its height extends to the highest heavens.” — Liberty Bible Commentary Volume II.
This statement is so true. In the last article, I said that Jesus’ death on the cross showed his love for us. It is one thing to say I love, but it is much different when you show that love. For years, I told Jesus that I love him, but I hardly ever showed that love to him. When I read Ephesians 3:18, this was my thought: The breadth is how far his hands were on the cross. How long is his body on the cross? How deep did his blood go into the ground? How high did his voice go when he spoke on the cross? When you read what Jesus went through on the cross for you, does it still bring you to tears? We have read the stories so much that we have gotten used to the cross.
Ephesians 3:19 “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
To know the love of Christ. Do you truly know the love of Christ? I thought I did, but I found out that night that I really did not know his love. This next statement, “which passeth knowledge.” When I thought about this statement, I chewed on it for a while. This is what it means: to know by experience the unknowable. When a Christian is lukewarm, they do not experience the love of Christ as does a Christian that walks hand in hand with Jesus every day. This statement means to go beyond what you know. Wow! All of this is amazing to me. What is this statement about — “to know the love of Christ”? You cannot truly know this until you really experience his love. It is time to get right with your Lord and start walking hand in hand with him every day.
How much does Jesus Christ love us?
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
He took our place. We should have been the ones to die on the cross and go to hell. We deserve hell. God does not owe us anything. Jesus showed his love for us when he laid down his life for us. You read this verse, and the easiest thing to do is pass right by it or you do not fully understand it.
Through the years, this verse meant to me that Jesus lived a sinless life, and on the cross, he took on all of our sins on him (and he did). And when this happened, God the Father turned his back on his Son. This is what happened the day Jesus died on the cross for you and me. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin. My thought on this verse all those years was shallow. So much more happened on that cross than we realize. On the night that I realized His love for Keith Watts and how deep it is, it hurt me so much to really realize the pain and suffering our Savior went through.
There is one of the verses that truly reveals how high, wide, deep, and long his love is for you and me.
Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Even though Jesus knew most would reject him, he still loved them enough to die for them. That is so amazing to me. He was despised — a strong word. To them, he was disdainful or scorned, a vile person.
“A man of sorrows.” Jesus is 100% man, but he is also 100% God. Maybe this is why we have such a hard time understanding how deep his love is for mankind. His ways and thoughts are so much more than we can handle. The pain and suffering that God the Son went through was unreal. How can mankind describe this kind of pain? Jesus became a man of sorrows. (Lord, please help me with this.) This is my first time ever writing this message down. (I am not a good writer.) I need to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. If you and I could experience this kind of pain for one second, it would kill us. I believe we would realize how much he really loves us.
“And acquainted with grief.” This means Jesus experienced every sickness and injury that every person will ever experience on the face of this earth. Whatever it is: disease, crippled, etc. Do you realize that when Jesus was on the cross, he felt every sickness and injury that mankind would ever feel throughout all of history? It’s hard to comprehend that.
Isaiah 53:4 “Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
He took upon himself every grief and carried our sorrow. He became a man of sorrows.
This is the description of how deep his love is for the world. Every person that has been raped, abused, tortured, lied about, murdered – whatever it is, he felt it on the cross. You lost a son or a daughter? He felt it on the cross. You lost a wife or husband? He felt it on the cross. Your son or daughter was kidnapped, and you don’t know where they are? He felt it on the cross. A baby was aborted? He felt the baby’s pain, and he felt the mother’s pain of having an abortion when he was on the cross. A little girl or boy is raped and murdered? He felt it on the cross. Every woman or man that has been raped, he felt it on the cross.
It does not end there. He became sin who knew no sin. On the cross, he felt the rapist and murderer’s guilt. Because he became sin, he felt like we all do when we sin. No matter how big the sin, he paid for every one of the sins committed in the history of mankind on the cross.
He is 100% God the Son. He did not have to go through with all of this. He is God, but because he loves us this much, he went through it all. Why? Because of our sins. Thank you, Jesus, for loving us this much. This truly is the greatest love story ever told.
Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
I believe we are moving the heart of God Almighty in this worldwide prayer movement. I ask you to be a part of the harvest of lost souls.
“Able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Do you believe this? I do. The power of the Holy Spirit that worketh in us.
Urgent prayer request for Israel and the USA:
I am asking all prayer warriors from around the world to join us for a day of prayer, fasting, and repentance on August 15, 2022, for Israel and on behalf of over 8,942,316 precious souls in Israel and over 15.1 million Jews around the world. Also for my beloved nation USA and on behalf of over 332,403,650 precious souls.
Please join this worldwide prayer movement and post the date.
Facebook Group: Prayer Warriors 4HIM Online Ministries
Email bkwatts64@yahoo.com
Keith Watts Online Missionary to the world