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Ephesians 3:20-21
“When People Ask…”
“As we trust God, all that he plans to do will be accomplished in our lives.”
Sunday morning Sermon
01.23.07
Intro: (Start with title and text)
I am amazed at the lack of trust I have grown inside me. I’m sure it didn’t start out this way – it developed over time. Over Christmas we were able to spend some time with my dad, and Hailey was doing something – Dad looked at me and said, “She’s just like you.” My first reaction was, man, I hope not. Hailey trusts me. She will jump off the bed right into my arms. She allows me to spin her around and trusts that I won’t let go. I can toss her in the air and she laughs with full confidence that I will bring her down to safety. When we were at the swimming pool last summer, she could trust that we would be at the bottom of the slide where the deep water is. She is filled to the very top with trust. I hope and pray that she will continue to trust those around her because Trust is one of the core characteristics of our heavenly father. He takes Hailey and gives her to us – trusting that we will take care of her. He has a bride that is the church, and he trusts the leadership to move it forward and fulfill the commission, and the vision to bring people to a closer relationship with Him.
Yet, it’s so easy to allow the lack of trust in what he can do in us and through us to build up rock solid in our hearts.
Discussion:
Our trust of God is sometimes difficult to work out in our minds. I know we want to trust him, as Christians we should trust. But, it’s easy to trust yourself, in the things you can do, the limitations you have. Trust means that you are able to get hurt, get let down, to be rejected. But if there is ever a time to trust him – the time is now. If there is ever a moment to make him not only God, but Lord of your life – the time is now.
Our text this morning takes us to a church – Paul wants for this church, and every Christian the same that he wanted for the church in Ephesus when he wrote this.
Turn with me, if you have your Bibles to (Advance)Ephesians 3:20-21 (Read)
This is absolutely my favorite section of scripture, because it shows a limitless God. It proves that God is only limited by the limits we put on him. (Advance)
“As we trust God, all that he plans to do will be accomplished in our lives.”
I see two things this morning – As things start to move again, and we get opportunities to serve set up – See these two things:
(Advance)
I. God is at work (20)
“Now to him” -- …Back to God
a. God is able to do more
i. Immeasurably More – than we could ask or imagine
Picture our church growing – people coming to know Jesus as Lord --
ii. Young people –
1. Making choices based on God’s word
2. Bringing their friends
3. Waiting till marriage, not because they have to, but because they understand it’s God’s desire.
I see a church where young adults can get their needs met, where we incorporate the wisdom and understanding of those who have gone before us – in areas of marriage, money and children – and this church becomes a Christ-centered resource. Instead of our young adults turning to the internet or TV for advice or counseling.
iii. Older people
I see a church where people of age are respected and honored because of their life commitment to God. I see places of service – enjoyment of our worship, and ministry that meets their needs.
iv. Children
I hear noise – good noise – babies crying, (churches with no small kids are that way for a reason), mom’s taking the time to encourage and strengthing one another, praying together, growing together and loving each other.
v. Worship
1. unrestricted because of who might be watching
2. Hands raised in praise to God – it’s biblical by the way.
3. Heads bowed in prayer – I see…
4. Honesty and clarity
5. Bibles open
6. People taking notes – effective preaching
7. People Growing
Those are excellent things to reach for – I hope your vision of this church is just as big.
It’s easy to say – this vision for this body of Christ will take time, tons of energy and lots of wisdom. God looks at this vision and says – “Jay, that’s only the beginning”. Here’s an excellent truth – that will keep our vision from being too small:
b. If we can ask for or imagine it
i. God can do it – That’s right.
Some of you are testing me right now – holding out your hand asking for a $20 bill. – Like that’s going to work. Let me explain how it does work though: Just like you wouldn’t give money to a thief – God doesn’t give potential treasures to those who won’t take care of them. Listen to me: God will not give treasures to those who won’t take care of them.
c. As we approach God
i. We can do so with confidence (Advance)
Hebrews 4:16 – Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
But we also must keep ourselves in line with his will when we seek those who are outside our fellowship and bring them inside as we grow together in Christ.
d. He will bless our efforts
i. Limited only by our vision for growth
ii. Limited only by our vision for the needs we can meet
If we could go to God and simply ask him to go beyond our vision for ourselves, our families, our energy, our commitment – and truly ask him to show us something more, we will be blessed.
e. It is his power
i. Which is unlimited
Let me ask you this – what in your life needs unlimited power? Who would come to church this morning, if power was unlimited? Hear me: We have unlimited power in Christ Jesus – The Bible says – you have a spirit inside you given by God that is defined by POWER – LOVE & SELF-CONTROL.
(Advance)
2 Timothy 1:7 – For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Why do we sing praises to God like we are powerless? Why do we approach those outside the church, outside the body of Christ in general without love? Why do we fly off the handle and spew words that are insensitive and demonstrate a lack of self control? Could it be – that we don’t embrace the power that we have through Christ? Could it be that there is a lack of trust in what God could do in our lives – in spite of who we are or claim to be?
f. We must trust –
i. God is able
1. To do all he has promised
2. To provide for all our needs
3. To work his power through our lives
g. Embracing the power – means
i. Letting go of the things that drag you down. (Advance)
Hebrews 12:1b …let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
The author of Hebrews says that we throw off (behind us) the things that hinder us (relationships, unfiltered internet access – whatever it is) and the sin in our lives that tries to trip us – so that we can run (always forward movement) the race that God has for us – it’s not that we just run this race, we run even when we want to give up and quit.
I didn’t get out much when I was a kid. We lived on a huge farm in Western Oklahoma. One of my best memories of growing up was dad taking us to tractor pulls – They take this great big machine and hook it up to something heavy and see how far they can pull it.
Our lives are like that – we have this spirit God has given us, we have an imagine that we have been created in – and yet we willingly hook ourselves up to this huge weight of sin – thinking it doesn’t slow us down, thinking it doesn’t affect our efforts or lessen the power of God in our lives – listen church– it does. The only way to approach sin is to STOP! Recognize it for what it is (according to scripture) – and STOP. Quit justifying it, quit making excuses – you want power in your life – By the power and grace of God – STOP! You will never become all that you can be if you try to hold the hand of sin in one hand and the hand of God in another.
He tells the church one more thing:
(Advance)
II. It’s For His Glory (21)
This church we are building, that God is building – this Christian life we are growing will do one of two things – it will either praise us, build us up, be all about us, on our schedule based on what the Bible calls our “Itching ear” or it will be for the glory of God.
Someone once told me – “If you are looking for praise in this life – don’t worry about looking for it in the next.”
Matthew 6 Jesus gives us instructions on several different things – But this principle of self-praise is taught using three religious activities –
Jesus doesn’t go outside the Godly community to talk about self praise – because it can be done right here.
Giving to the needy – (Advance)Matthew 6:4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Prayer – He says basically the same thing in this section – (Advance)Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Fasting – Again same thing – (Advance) Matthew 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
When you give don’t announce it. When you pray – do it alone, when you are fasting – don’t announce it – Listen, if you announce it – that’s where the praise and the reward of God stops – Biblically it tops out. If our activities are truly inline with the will of God – it will automatically be a blessing to those around you – you will gain praise – but the true source of that blessing will also gain praise and honor.
Why don’t we make this ministry about something greater than us? Why not, instead of doing this by our own wisdom, our own strength, why don’t we ask God to make it about him?
a. This ministry
i. If it is not about God and his glory – SHAME ON US!
ii. If it is not about being real, and honest – SHAME ON US!
iii. If those who are on the outside, come inside and they see anything but the glory of God – SHAME ON US!
But to be honest – it’s not just about church it’s about our lives as well. It’s about our Checkbooks, it’s about our time, it’s about our speech, and it’s about EVERYTHING we do regardless where we are.
b. God’s power is connected to his glory
i. Give God the glory in all that you do – all the victories you have – times when you get past a struggle – even when you understand a trial – Give God the glory.
ii. If he receives glory – he will give you more opportunities to do it again. That’s the way we grow, by giving him back the glory.
iii. As we give him back the glory –
1. His power will also be revealed in our lives
In the Old Testament – the glory of the Lord was his very presence. Exodus 16 his glory was in a cloud. Exodus 24 says that his glory was a consuming fire on the top of a mountain. (Advance)
Numbers 14:21— Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth…
There was a clear idea that the glory of the lord was everywhere…
Today – we have the presence of his glory – But we also have a choice to allow that glory to show, to give him honor and praise that he is due – not only in this church, but in our personal lives as well or we can cover it with self, with pride, with our sin.
Conclusion:
Paul’s prayer for the church was that they would be united. They would find strength through the power of God. His prayer was that they would allow Christ to dwell – literally take up residence in their hearts. Paul’s prayer was that the church together would know the wideness and the depth of God’s love for them.
As we move forward – could it be that we have an excellent chance to live out the prayer that Paul originally had for the church in Ephesus? I really think so – but it starts with you and me making a good choice to give God the glory at all points in our lives. Listen, as we do that – He will change us. He molds us and shapes you and me into something greater than what we are – listen, it’s not so we can demonstrate our greatness in the community, or bring glory to ourselves but so that we can become dependent on his strength and his wisdom. We become a body of Christ that truly lives out the imagine we are created in.
We are going to have a decision song this morning. We have a time set aside to make a choice that we are going to live out the glory of God in our own lives. Maybe you’ve been doing things for your glory – maybe you have been doing things for your own glory – maybe it’s clear that now is the time to get on board, and start living out the glory of God.
