Be Blessed: ‘he Cares’ Series

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). He is able.

(2). He is able to do.

(3). He is able to do immeasurably more.

(4). He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask.

(5). He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

(6). He is able to do this…according to his power that is at work within us.

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• The day was April 18th, 1930,

• The time was: 8.45pm.

• The Media was: The Radio.

• The programme was: The BBC News.

• This broadcast was made:

• “Good evening. Today is Good Friday. There is no news.”

• Now, can you imagine that,

• In our fast-paced, information-saturated world,

• It is hard to imagine a day when literally nothing made the news!

• But that actually happened on the 18th April 1930,

• According to the BBC nothing at all newsworthy occurred,

• So instead of news stories,

• The listeners were treated to 15 minutes of piano music,

Now, think about that for a moment.

• An entire global news agency,

• Tasked with informing the public, had nothing to report.

• No headlines. No drama. No crisis.

• Just ... silence and a little music.

• TRANSITION:

• There can be moments like that in the Christian life,

• When it seems as though nothing is happening.

• There are times when we feel that,

• Our spiritual life is suspended between routine and emptiness

• When nothing is broken,

• But it seems as though nothing was growing.

• i.e. We read our Bibles, we pray, we go to church,

• We do what we ought to be doing!

• But we don’t feel goosebumps,

• Or hear God speak loudly through the preacher or his word.

• TRANSITION:

• Now in those times, it is tempting to think,

• “God is absent or uncaring and not at work in our lives right now.”

• But remember this, silence doesn’t mean absence!

• Just because the headlines of our lives feel quiet,

• It doesn't mean God isn't at work behind the scenes.

• Some of God’s greatest work is done in the stillness.

Ill:

• i.e. Moses shepherded sheep in Midian for decades,

• Before leading God’s people.

• i.e. David tended flocks in obscurity,

• Long before he became king of the nation.

• i.e. Ruth collected wheat quietly in a field,

• Before her life would be transformed dramatically.

• i.e. And Jesus himself lived thirty years in hidden obedience,

• Before stepping into public ministry.

Ill:

• One of my favourite parables,

• Is the much-overlooked parable of a seed growing.

• (Mark chapter 4 verse 26–29),

• Jesus said the Kingdom of God is like a seed,

• It is growing silently sprouting even when no one watches,

• It produces the full kernel in God’s perfect timing.

• The pace may be slow, but the promise remains sure.

• Sometimes we just have to be paaaaaaatient!

• To, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

I have entitled this benediction, “He cares!”

• And when you face difficult or barren times,

• Hold on to these words from Hebrews chapter 13,

• And remember, “He cares!”

Question: What is a benediction?

Answer:

• Our word ‘Benediction’ comes from two Latin words:

• ‘Bene’ which means ‘well’.

• And ‘Dicere’ which means ‘to speak.’

• A ‘benediction’ is simply ‘a short request to speak well’.

• A blessing is more than just a good wish,

• It is a request, a desire to God,

• To show favour and grace to an individual or a group of people.

(1). God of peace

“May the God of peace”

Ill;

• Years ago, while on holiday in France, Saint-Tropez.

• I wondered into an art gallery and purchased a Picasso!

• It hangs on the wall of my office.

• OK, you’ve figured out that it wasn’t a genuine painting,

• It’s just a print.

• But it always gives me a story to tell.

• TRANSITION:

• Here are two vastly different Picasso’ paintings.

• Pablo Picasso is normally known,

• For his bold, fragmented paintings,

• i.e. wild shapes, piercing eyes, and tormented faces.

• His art often carried the trauma of war,

• And the chaos of human suffering.

• As captured in his painting, “Guernica.”

• But after World War II,

• Picasso painted something different.

• A dove. It is simple. White & gentle.

• It was called “La Colombe” - The Dove,

• And it became a global symbol of peace.

• TRANSITION:

• It’s easy to create art that shows the brokenness of the world.

• It’s harder to paint a picture of peace.