Beyond What We Can Ask Or Imagine...

Beyond What We Can Ask or Imagine…

Ephesians 3:20-21

June 8, 2008

NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT USED IN MY MESSAGES IS BORROWED FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."

We: We live in a world of imagination.

It takes imagination to dream up everything we have around us.

It took imagination to come up with the idea of cars. But I’ll bet that even Henry Ford didn’t imagine what the world would do with cars in the world today.

It took imagination to come up with computers. But I’ll bet that even those people didn’t imagine how intricately linked our lives would become to them.

It took imagination to come up with cameras. But I’ll bet that even the Eastman Kodak folks couldn’t imagine the world of digital photography and photoshop.

We’re in a world where we’re asked and expected to imagine all sorts of things.

And that’s good. Because the source of our imagination is God.

He made us and created us with an imagination and He expects us to use our imagination in ways that bring honor and glory to Him.

Now just like everything else, our imaginations can be used to corrupt and sinful purposes, and everyone in here is subject to use it that way.

But when we bring our imaginations under control and use them for God, something wonderful happens: we start believing that God is really all-mighty, not just saying He is.

We start believing that God is true to His Word and that He’s not a liar.

We start believing that God is able to move and act in our best interests.

Today after church we’re meeting to discuss what we think God can and will do through our Vacation Bible School this summer.

But my hope is that as we go through this message, you will find yourself daring to believe God for something that you think is impossible.

Or maybe you’ll find yourself resurrecting a long-gone hope that God would intervene in a situation on the life of someone you love but had given up hope for.

Or it could be that you simply need God to move in your life in a way that you never thought possible because you though the situation was too big, even for God.

Whatever your situation, I hope you’ll be encouraged today.

God: Our passage for today is Ephesians 3:20-21. Please read this aloud with me. –

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.

This is a bit of a re-hash of a message I gave about four and a half years ago.

But as I was reflecting on what we’re asking God to do through Vacation Bible School, and on the dream session we’re having today, I decided to look at this message and see if there was anything that I could use to encourage us to believe big thing from God.

Three facts about God that we can learn from this passage that should cause us to think about Him and what He can do in and through this church:

1. God is bigger than our boxes.

God is a big ol’ God. He’s not some wimpy God. He’s the real deal. He’s almighty, and He’s all-powerful.

Look at this passage:

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…

Think about some of the stuff we know God can do:

He can move mountains. He can set and remove kings and presidents.

You think I’m worried about this election coming up? Not at all!

Because no matter who’s in the White House, God is still on the throne and He’s still in control. You think God’s panicking about the election? Give me a break!

He can control the weather. He can give and take life. He can grant honor and He can bring people down.

He can grant wealth or bring poverty. He can bring feast or famine.

He created the heavens and the earth. And while Carl Sagan could only estimate the vastness of the heavens, God holds them in His Hand. And He can do with them as He pleases.

How’s that for big?

This passage says that God is able to do more than we can ask or imagine.

Now let me tell you, folks, I’ve got a pretty big imagination.

I can imagine seeing 10% of our area being impacted for Christ and living for Him because of God’s working in and through this church.

That’s about 3500 people just in Brown County.