“Xtreme Faith: Living Beyond Your Imagination”
Eph. 3:14-21
On October 30, 2005 I preached my first sermon as your pastor. I felt God wanted me to use the moment to cast a challenge to dream great dreams because we believe in a great God. To do so I preached on one of my favorite passages – Ephesians 3:14-21 – and laid out some principles for a vibrant faith. A short time later, Dubbs shared with me that this very passage was a key to his life and ministry here at Hope. I knew then that God had brought us all together.
A few months ago, when I decided to do this series on Xtreme Faith, I kept thinking about how I tend to limit what God can do in my life because I limit Him to the extent of what I think and imagine. Once again my mind went to this Ephesian passage and I decided it needed to be part of this series. As I was studying it again the things I was thinking began to sound very familiar – so I checked my files and came across that October 30 message and re-examined those principles. After reflecting on them and looking at what’s happened in those 5 plus years, I believe those principles more than ever. So let’s revisit the principles of this Xtreme Faith.
Is it possible to live beyond our wildest imaginations? As we think of our future, as individuals and as a congregation, do we to plan beyond our wildest imaginations? The apostle Paul believes we can. “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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Paul speaks to us, first, of THE POTENTIAL BENEATH THE DREAMS. “Now to him who is able…” GOD IS ABLE. The first three chapters of Ephesians articulate the blessings of life in Christ. Paul wrote that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing; we are holy, blameless, and covered with God’s love; we have been adopted into God’s family; we have been, are now, and always will be forgiven. We are marked by the Holy Spirit to show that we belong to Christ; we have been raised to sit with Christ in glory; we are God’s work of art, His masterpiece. We have been brought near to God; we share in all the promises of Christ; we can come freely into God’s presence; and we are filled with the power that raised Jesus from the dead. God has truly, richly blessed his people. God is able.
Paul spoke from experience, for Christ had blessed his life. Paul, you may remember, was a leader of the anti-Christian movement of his day. He made it his personal mission in life to root out, persecute, and even kill Christians. Then, while on his way to a crusade in Damascus, he met Jesus in a vision. His life changed dramatically. He went from chief persecutor to chief apostle – and was used by God like no other before or since! God truly, richly blessed him. God is able.
Let’s look at Hope Church for a moment. I can’t help but wonder what the founding members dreamed. Could they ever have envisioned this moment, today, in this place? As visionary as they were, I am sure that what has happened is beyond their wildest imaginations – but it proves that God is able. And WHAT GOD HAS DONE PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION for our dreams. Consider what He has done. Hopes early history was a struggle – so much so that Classis wanted to shut her down and consider this church plant a failure. But God had other ideas. Hope grew. In fact, Hope had the original building, to which she made two additions. Eventually she bought a parsonage. Then the current property was purchased and a new building was constructed. Two years after it was completed (1971) membership growth dictated that there was a need for more Sunday school rooms and youth activities. Another building project was underway. By 1977 growth in membership led to another addition, which has served until today. But in 1980, summer attendance reached the point where 2 services were established for summer Sunday mornings. And now, with current attendance and membership, and active, growing youth and children’s ministries, we expanded again. And their ministries continue to grow. Now we have two worship services year round and the total number of people worshiping each week has significantly increased. And time doesn’t allow me to share the details of increased ministries in our community. And this has all happened in the midst of a severe economic turndown – God has honored your faithfulness. As Steven Furtick wrote, “If your greatest fear stems from a lack of resources to do God’s will, the perspective of faith will show you the sufficiency of Christ.” God has proven more than able and that is the foundation for our dreams!
So Paul addresses THE POWER BENEATH THE DREAMS. “Now to him who is able to do…” God is not dead or inactive; God is able to do. GOD STILL ACTS! How does He act and what will He do? “Now to him who is able to do…ALL WE ASK. All! All we ask! Scripture, and Jesus, repeatedly encourage us to ask, because God answers prayer! (John 15:7): “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” For what, in your wildest imagination, should you be asking God? He is able; He will do.
But that’s not all: “Now to him who is able to do all we ask…OR IMAGINE. All! All we imagine! All we ask or imagine. What have you imagined God doing? What can you think of, or dream of to challenge God? Too often we do not ask because we convince ourselves, “I know it’s not possible…” We imagine more than we dare to believe or ask. We put a limit or a lid upon our petitions, and therefore impose a limit on God. To what have you said, “Impossible?” God is able. He will do. But the issue is not “How much is God able to do” but “How much are we able to imagine?” What if no one had envisioned Hope providing resources, through NAEIR, for over 40 ministries? What if no one had imagined a retreat, sponsored by multiple churches and WE CARE, for teens of the greater South Haven area? What if no one had dreamed of a new worship service for the unchurched of our community? What if no one had imagined feeding people through the Open Door, building homes for the needy through Habitat, or promoting adoption for the sake of children without homes and families? What if we dare to ask for even more?
But Paul still hadn‘t expressed the fullness of his confidence in God. “Now to him who is able to do IMMEASURABLY MORE than all we ask or imagine…” Human language is inadequate; Paul was defining the indefinable and measuring the immeasurable. It was inciting a riot in his mind! He knew that THERE ARE NO LIMITS TO WHAT GOD CAN DO. (1 Cor. 2:9): “No eye has seen nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him…” Paul’s whole theme is the greatness of God’s desire and power. We must ask God to do what we cannot do by ourselves. “Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring; For His grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much.” Each and every one of us must petition Christ with our wildest dreams, beyond our wildest imaginations! The great expositor Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones said that the greatest sin of the Christian and the church “…is to limit the eternal, absolute power of God to the measure of our own minds and concepts and understandings.” James 4:2 states we do not have because we do not ask. We just need the holy audacity to ask. Conrad Hoover put it this way: “If we are able to be persons of faith, then we will be persons of prayer. If we are to be persons of hope and healing in the world, then we will be persons for whom living is praying, and praying is living.”
IT IS GOD’S NATURE TO BLESS, TO WORK THROUGH HIS PEOPLE TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE. Jer. 11-13 (MSG): “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll
listen. "When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." Do you realize that God could have caused Goliath to trip, fall, and die, but chose instead to use David? God could have blown open the Red Sea all by himself but he chose to use Moses? He could have smashed the walls of Jericho on his own, but He chose to use Joshua. If you knew you could not fail, what would you do for the glory of God and the growth of His kingdom at Hope Church? Have you ever asked God to show you your part? If you had unlimited resources, what would you believe God for? Well, God does have unlimited resources – and we have God! Our dreams can never be too large for God! But WE DO NOT HAVE A PRAYER IF WE ARE NOT WILLING TO PRAY! The issue is not “How much is God able to do” but “How much are we able to imagine and how willing are we to pray?”
But why is all this so important? Paul pointed to THE PURPOSE BEHIND THE DREAMS. “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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” The Church of Christ is a miracle! Through her, through us, God will receive His due glory from generations “of the age of the ages.” As Steven Furtick so eloquently stated, “The God of the Bible can do whatever he pleases. And what pleases him is to show off his power for his glory and renown. So give him the opportunity.” May it never be said of us, as it was of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth: “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” (Mt. 13:58) As the Head of His Church, Christ proposes what we should do and then, through the Holy Spirit, motivates us to perform it.
This means that GOD WILL HONOR OUR COMMITMENT AND WILLINGNESS. So, how much are you willing to let Him do? God will do ‘according to’ His power – limitless! How open and wild will we be? God says, “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” We can be a church filled with people sensitive to the Holy Spirit, people passionate about reaching the lost and those fallen away, people committed to losing ourlives in Christ, people giving time, talent, and treasure rather than receiving, and people committed to growth. Our property and facility can be a place that invites people in, and then provides them grace, acceptance, and peace; a sanctuary from the pursuits and battles of life; the spot where young people bring friends to hang out, where schools drop off students after day is done so relationships can be built with caring adults. Hope Church can have a program and ministries that equip students and adults to go back outside to reach the lost. We can make a difference! Hope can be a maternity ward where the cries of newborn babes in Christ are constantly heard.
What are your dreams? Chuck Swindoll once stated that, “When you have more memories than dreams, life is coming to an end.” Is your life ending, or just beginning? Listen: “…according to his power that is at work within us…” God’s power – in us! (Rom. 16:25) “Now unto him who is able to establish you…” (Jude 24): “Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy…” (Eph. 1:19-21): “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead …” Through the Holy Spirit GOD WILL DO AS MUCH FOR US AND THROUGH US AS WE WILL LET HIS SPIRIT RULE IN US. This morning I challenge you to open up and let the resurrection power in! New life! Endless life! Limitless life! Beyond our wildest dreams! To the Philippians Paul wrote (2:13): “…for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (pleasure).” And what is God’s pleasure and purpose? That people know, love, and glorify Him.
In 2 Chronicles, Solomon led Israel in dedication of the new Temple. It was a grand procession, sparing no expenses. He then prayed for God to meet with His people in that place. At the conclusion of his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple – even the priests could not enter. People fell on their faces and worshiped God. Paul had that in mind as he prayed for God’s glory to fill the church! What will glory in Hope Church look like? What would it take to make us fall down and worship? Can you imagine it? Dare you ask God for it?
We now stand at the threshold of a glorious future. All that stands between our dreams and us is our imagination. Are we ready? It is time for us to ATTEMPT SOMETHING SO GREAT THAT, WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IT WILL FAIL.
Let’s be a church where people “see the invisible, hear the inaudible, believe the incredible, and think the unthinkable – and dare to live beyond our wildest (dreams) imaginations.” Do you believe you can live beyond your wildest imagination? Do you believe Hope Church has a future beyond our wildest imaginations? God has provided the foundation, but He has so much more He wants to do and He is inviting us to join Him. But God will do only what we are committed and willing to do. How committed are you?
Our Ephesians passage, as magnificently paraphrased by Eugene Peterson in The Message, concludes: “My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth.” So let’s do so – let’s pray.
Father in heaven, I ask you to strengthen (us) by your Spirit--not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength-- that Christ will live in us as we now open the door and invite him in. And I ask that with both feet planted firmly on love, we'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love, that we will reach out and experience the breadth, test its length, plumb the depths, and rise to the heights! Help us live full lives, full in the fullness of God. Father God, we know You can do anything, you know--far more than (we) could ever imagine or guess or request in (our) wildest dreams! You do it not by pushing us around but by working within us, your Spirit deeply and gently within us. Even so, come Lord Jesus. Come into our hearts with new bursts of power, and take control of our lives that we might live with Xtreme faith, for your glory. Glory to you in Hope church! Glory to God in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory forever and ever! Amen.
