DESTINY #3: TAKE THE LIMITS OFF AND DREAM BIG!
(May 2010 – Beausejour Church – Pastor Chris Jordan)
REVIEW WEEK #1 & 2:
We are going through a series in the Book of Ephesians.
• The first three chapters talk about what God has done for us.
• The last three chapters talk about what God wants us to do for Him.
• In the first week, we looked at how every one of us has a destiny in Christ.
• We learned that in Christ: We are Chosen, Adopted, Accepted, Redeemed etc.
• Last week we learned about how we were dead in our sins before Christ, but He made us alive together with Him, and that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
PROPHETIC CHALLENGE FROM THE LORD:
“How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy.” (Psalm 78:40-42).
• We don’t want to be like the children of Israel and limit Him!
• The 10 spies brought back a bad report, but Caleb and Joshua had a different spirit, believed God, and said, “We are well able!”
• At the end of the service, we’re going to have a time of breakthrough prayer for whatever impossible situation you’re facing in your life!
• STORY: On Friday, when I was finishing preparing this message, the Lord spoke to me about believing Him for the impossible. At the same time, Liza was driving in the city, listening to the song “Healer” and at the part “Nothing is impossible for you” the Lord started talking to her about our church family believing Him for the impossible.
• I had to go into the city yesterday to rescue Liza because our white van broke down. Driving home, the song “Healer” came on and we called each other at the same time!
THE BIG IDEA: We have a rich and glorious inheritance in Christ! God wants us to take the limits off and believe Him for the impossible in our lives.
1. WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD AND PEOPLE:
“14 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
• Because of Jesus’ death on the Cross, we now have peace with God and with people.
18 For through Him (Jesus) we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
• Here is a beautiful picture of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• God wants us to walk in peace and unity with one another in His body!
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:13-22).
• What does the Bible say about who we are in Christ?
• We are fellow-citizens (we belong), saints (set-apart), members of His family (children)!
• See the picture and importance of unity – He is building us together – so we can be a dwelling place for God’s Holy Spirit, power, presence, anointing! (See Psalm 133).
2. WE HAVE BOLDNESS TO APPROACH GOD IN PRAYER:
“1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles-- 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
• Paul is writing from prison and tells the Ephesians about the “mystery”
• What is the mystery? That the Gentiles would be heirs of the PROMISE in Christ!
• What are the promises and blessings?
• “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2-5).
• This is worth shouting about! This is good news! Great news! Praise the Lord!
7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.” (Ephesians 3:1-13).
• What is the message? “The unsearchable riches of Christ.”
• We have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him! We can draw near!
• What does this mean? “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).
• This is worth shouting about! This is good news! Great news! Praise the Lord!
• Therefore – do not LOSE HEART or be afraid when you go through difficult trials…
3. GOD WANTS US TO EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE AND FULLNESS:
“14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory:
1. to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
2. 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
3. that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
(NLT = May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.
4. 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—
*comprehend = Katalambano - to lay hold of so as to make one’s own, to seize upon
5. 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;
*know = Ginosko - to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel; to become acquainted with.
6. that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
*fullness = riches, wealth abundance of external possessions.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21).
• God is able to do exceedingly abundantly MORE than we can even imagine!
• It’s time to take the limits off!
• It’s time to DREAM BIG!
• It’s time to believe God for the IMPOSSIBLE!
CLOSING SCRIPTURE:
“So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ’Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:22-24).
CHALLENGE:
What do you need God to do in your life?
What are you believing for?
For the salvation of a loved one? He is our Saviour, MIGHTY to SAVE!
For the healing of someone who is sick? He is our Healer
For deliverance from addictions? He is our Deliverer
For a restoration in relationships? He is our Peace
For peace of mind, freedom from worry? He is our Comforter
For financial provision? He is our Provider, El Shaddai, more than enough!
BREAKTHROUGH PRAYER TIME!
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
