Matt. 13:53-58 WHAT MOVES THE HAND OF GOD
INTRO:
***A little boy was heard talking to himself as he walked across the backyard, baseball cap in place, ball and bat in his hands. "I am the greatest hitter in the world," he said. He threw the ball up, swung and missed. "Strike one," he said. But again, he told himself, "I am the greatest hitter ever." He threw the ball up again, swung and missed. He looked at the ball, and at the bat, and said, "I’m the greatest hitter that ever lived." He threw the ball up again and swung and missed a third time. This time he said, " Strike three! Wow! He said, “I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”
How many times in your life have you missed God doing a miracle or mighty work in your life???
How many times have you missed God doing a work and then try to pass it off as God’s will???
There are times when God wants to bless us but He is unable to and so we try to save face by convincing ourselves that it wasn’t God’s will to heal us, or to meet a certain need…
Don’t fall into the false assumption that says, “If it’s God’s will then it will happen…” That is a statement we use to keep from having to pray or strive to see God do something in our lives…
Because God allows certain things doesn’t mean it is His desired will…
Think about this scripture…
2Pe 3:9 ¶ The Lord is… not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. PREACH!!!
The sinfulness of this world is not God’s will…
When you and I disobey God it is not His will…
It is God’s will to work in our lives but in order to work in our lives there are some things that must take place…
LET’S READ OUR PASSAGE…MATTHEW 13:53-58
A) Why do some people seem to experience much of God while most of us seem to WATCH God work from a distance???
What causes the Power of God to explode in one person’s life but not in another???
You know the ones…
It seems as though every time you hear them speak they are testifying of something new that God has done in their life while you sit and wonder, “Why doesn’t anything like that ever happen to me???”
B) Why do some churches experience the blessings of God while others struggle to
keep the doors open???
***According to Barna Research, an average of 1000 churches this year will meet, sing a song, say a prayer, turn out the lights and lock the doors for the last time…
What is it that Moves the Hand of God???
How can YOU experience the “dunamis” “dynamite” POWER of God in your personal life???
If we can ever get a hold of the mightiness of God IN OUR PERSONAL LIVES!
If we can ever get a hold of the mightiness of God IN OUR FAMILY’S LIVES!
If we can ever get a hold of the mightiness of God IN OUR CHURCHES!
If we can ever get a hold of the mightiness of God IN OUR COMMUNITIES!
We can begin to experience the miracles and works that God desires to do among us rather than merely hearing about what He’s doing somewhere else…
***SHORT STORIES OF GOD AT WORK…
***There was a young girl who lived on New York, and her parents didn’t allow her to play in the streets, so she had to play upstairs. Where she played it was a third floor window and she would always play by this window. One day she was playing and lost her balance and fell to the ground. Some of the people who saw her fall ran and called the ambulance, when they got there they rushed the little girl to the emergency room. The doctors put her on the talble and began to examine her, but she had no broken bones. The docotor looked puzzled and the people who saw her said examine her again. But the little girl kept saying "I didn’t fall, a man caught me." So they released her and she went home, as time moved on she and her mother went to aunts house to visit, and there was picture on the wall of Jesus and the little girl said "mama that’s the man that caught me."
Here is an interesting fact: Follow me through the book of Matthews:
•In Capernaum He healed a great multitude – Mat 8:1
•Healed the Lepper – Mat 8:1
•Heals the centurions servant – Mat 8:5
•Heals Peter’s mother in law – Mat 8:14
•Many were healed in – Mat 8:16
•The wind and waves obeyed Him – Mat 8:23
•He raised a girl from the dead – Mat 9:25
•He made the blind to see – Mat 9:29
•Made the mute to speak – Mat 9:32
These were all MIGHTY WORKS!
All this was done outside their city! Why? Because three reasons.
What is it that is quenching the power of God in most of our churches today??? What is causing God to withhold his power in your life?
I. THERE IS NO VISION!
Imagine the thrill Jesus must have felt to be able to go home and preach the way of salvation to those who knew Him…
A) They could not see Jesus as He is…
Instead, they could only see Jesus as He was…
If we want to experience the Power of God we need to get a true vision of who Jesus is and of what He wants to do in us and through us…
We must see Jesus as the Son of God…the Savior of the world…He is our salvation our healer, our deliverer…
Notice what they say about Jesus…vs. 55-57a
They could not see Jesus as the Messiah, only as an earthly man…That’s how the world sees Him…not as the risen Savior but as a good teacher…that’s all!!!
WHY IS GOD NOT MOVING IN HIS CHURCHES AND HIS PEOPLE TODAY?
THERE IS NO VISION…
Prov. 29:18 – Where there is no vision the people perish…
Vision – mental sight; seeing the unseen…dream, vision….
Perish – to loosen or cut off; undirected, undisciplined…
Without vision we become like a boat drifting aimlessly at sea tossed about by every wave…
It is VISION that gives us purpose,
It is VISION that gives us direction,
It is VISION that gives us hope,
It is VISION that gives us courage and
It is VISION that gives us motivation….
***
-An architect envisions a building before the plans are drawn or construction begins
-A farmer envisions a crop before the ground is broken…
-A Mom and Dad envision many things for their children even before they are born.
The church…of God… must envision:
-Lives being changed…
-people being fed…
-widows being ministered to…
-homes being restored…
-families reunited…
-people being healed…
-sinners being saved…
Once we begin to see and envision we will begin to expect God to do great things…
We will begin to have hope, courage, purpose and direction…
First we must:
A) Get A VISION OF JESUS!
Of how He left Heaven to be born in this flesh of a virgin…..PREACH JESUS!!!
B) We Must Get A Vision Of Perishing Souls!
Who are these perishing souls???
-Your neighbor…your mother…your Father.
We must literally see the flames…….
………….literally hear the screams of torment…..
………….literally smell the stinch of Hell……Sulfuric
………….literally see the demons as they pounce upon each soul as prey…..
………….envision the wailing and gnashing of teeth….the darkness….
C) We must Get A Vision of Eternity!
Eternity is forever and ever and ever……..
Not only is there no vision in most of our churches today, but
II. THERE IS NO PRAYER.
Notice that they spoke about Jesus…even in His presence…
But they didn’t speak to Him…
How much do we speak about God but seldom speak to Him???
We try to convince others that we have a relationship with Him because we speak about Him…
I’ve had people as lost as you can be tell me how God has blessed them…
It’s amazing how religious people suddenly get when they find out that I’m a preacher…that’s usually there defense mechanism…
But prayer is…speaking to God…having a conversation with Him not about Him…
***Boudreaux and Thibodeaux…I bet you can’t say the Lord’s Prayer…..
Now I lay me down to sleep…
Satan’s number one weapon against the church is Christians who won’t pray…
PRAYER IS REACHING INTO THE DARKNESS WITH THE HAND OF GOD!
We must LEARN how to pray!
YOU LEARN HOW TO PRAY BY PRAYING
FINALLY,
III. THERE IS NO FAITH! Read Vs. 58
“Without FAITH it is impossible to please Him…...
Yet we operate apart from faith and expect God to bless us….
FAITH IS ASKING GOD TO DO A MIRACLE OR WORK IN SOMEONE’S LIFE AND THEN EXPECTING IT TO BE DONE….
What do you do when you are expecting a baby???
You make preparation to receive the newborn into your life…
-You begin storing up diapers…
-You prepare the room for a nursery…you buy more diapers
-You baby proof the home…more diapers…
YOU GET READY TO RECEIVE THE BLESSING!!!
THAT’S WHAT FAITH SAYS TO GOD…
***The woman with the issue of blood…… “Thy Faith hath made thee whole”
***The Centurion’s servant…..
Mt 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Great Faith will always do three things:
1) Great Faith will always get God’s attention!
***Woman with issue….Jesus stopped……..
***Man crippled with palsy…through the roof……Jesus stopped the service…
2) Great Faith will always get an immediate response!
But not always immediate result….(Daniel…Gabriel…21 days…)
3) Great Faith will always reap a great move of God….
Something only God can do……
***When Jesus raised Lazarus….He told Martha, “Did I not tell thee that if thou
wouldest believe thou wouldest see the Glory of God?”
CLOSE:
Folks, if we are going to see the Glory of God at New Hope Baptist Church…..
If we’re going to see the mighty works of God in our lives and our community…
We need to get a vision of Jesus and what He wants to accomplish in us
We need to pray effectively, fervently for His will to be done in us…
We need to walk in great faith…believing God is already at work in us…
