Sermon Central
-
No More Used To Be’s
Contributed by Charlie Roberts on Nov 29, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: God is a progressive God, both in thinking and action! And at times in life it may not seem like we have been created in His image and characteristics! However, God both wanted and created us, to be the same way!
No More Used to Be’s
Ephesians 2:4–7, NKJ
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us...raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”
Right now the time that we’re living in, I want you to know is the ages to come! And in a year from now, in a year from that and a year from that, will be an are all “The ages to come!”
Most people and that includes all of us, have a hard time getting past the used to be’s in life. You know what we all consider as the normals of life.
Even though normal was never to be intended the best, or the complete way things were wanted to be. At best they were an acceptable version of mediocre. Thing is, most people aren’t willing to let go and still hold tightly to them, because of the comfort they represented!
No matter how things may seem to appear, no matter what news reports we will ever hear, we must always remember, “there’s a better day a coming, for were not home yet!” Amen??
The bible records some of the most amazing miracles throughout history, thats a given fact! Everything from creation, to the Ark, to Jesus resurrection!
Absolutely we should always be willing to acknowledge what God has done in the past, because our faith builds upon what we have heard about and even more so what we have personally witnessed!
But at the same time, we also have to look forward to what God wants to do in our lives today. If all we held were memories of yesterday, what would we care if any, about tomorrow?
God is a progressive God, both in thinking and action! And at times in life it may not seem like we have been created in His image and characteristics! However, God both wanted and created us, to be the same way!
In our text, Paul was and is talking about and looking towards the future, not the past! He was saying don’t let your thinking get or become stagnant, because in doing so, you will never realize or experience the true abundant life God has always had planned for you!
TBS. (the Bible says) that “in the ages to come” God would do things that far supersede anything He’s ever done before.
That means tomorrow holds the opportunity, if you can believe and let your faith arise to the capabilities God holds, for Him to do over and above anything up to this point that He has done!
Paul, by God’s inspired and divine revelation, writes and is challenging us to have an expectancy of God going above and beyond, each and every day in our lives!
Far too many Of God’s people, are under the assumption that it is wrong to have an open expectancy of receiving, when they are believing for something they are wanting to come to pass!
Paul wants us to know and understand, if your expectant of Him, and are a follower of Him, you should count on Him to be a deliverer of what you ask, not just occasionally, but consistently and faithfully.
Let’s read our text again,
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us...
(notice here are two of the main components responsible for all of creation, “God’s mercy and love” This is the why part of Gods actions!)
raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
(this is not just some off-the-cuff glancing thought of maybe someday it would be a nice thing to do, this is God’s strongest desire! THIS IS THE INTENT OF GODS PLAN!)
that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”
(Notice not just some of His riches of his grace and kindness towards us, but exceeding amounts of His riches of his grace and his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus! THIS IS THE REWARD OF FOLLOWING GODS INSTRUCTIONS!)
Always enough, never not enough, always and forever and ever more than enough to do in accomplish anything set before us!
Its true, this is part of our inheritance! TBS. He raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Psalms 23:1 NKJ
1. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
God doesn’t want us to want, He wants to meet our needs and to realize when we come to Him, we should always come boldly when we ask of Him!
