“You can do it,” No I Can’t, YES YOU CAN!!
How many of us ever live our lives to full potential, how many even step out of our comfort zone once in a while.
So many people in general and not just Christians never think outside the box,
They get cozy in life with their daily and weekly routines, they can almost set their clock by what event happens through out the week.
You know, like it must be Tuesday because were having leftover Monday meatloaf for lunch.
The status quo, its not like it happens on purpose, it just kind of creeps in and sets up a cot in the corner for most people, just for the weekend and never leaves.
But what if it could be different? You know, to have the ability and the faith to live life above the norm!
To live life outside the box, the majority of the time and like it!
In the next town over from here, is a business that was started a few years ago, Extreme Contractors.
Just the name alone sounds exciting doesn’t it, to be able to do not just regular contracting, but the extreme kind of stuff,
You know, like the dangerous, heart pounding kind of stuff no one else could or would do.
A lot can be said in a name that describes someone.
What if we didn’t just call ourselves Christians anymore, but “EXTREME CHRISTIANS”!
There would be nothing with Gods help, that together couldn’t be accomplished.
All the dreams we’ve had over the years could and would come to fruition,
We would no longer be limited by our imagination, there would not be any unattainable goals, the sky would be the limit.
Is it possible to live beyond our wildest imaginations?
Well the bible says it is, somehow I think you knew I was going to say that, we find it in Chapter 3 of the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 3:19-21 NKJ.
19. to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
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.
exceedingly: to an unusually high degree
To go further than you expect
a·bun·dant - adj
1. plentiful: present in great quantities
2. well-supplied: providing a more than plentiful supply of something
That’s like saying, its not just good, but its really, really good. And the Apostle Paul takes it one step further.
Above all that we ask or think. OK. Its like however big, however high, the most outrageous expectation you could ever have in your whole life,
Its still far above that thought or expectation, TBS. (the bible says) things that are over our head, are under His feet!
Now, and as if that’s not enough clarification, it goes on to say;
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.
Its not by our own doing, but the power we receive through the gift Jesus Christ that enables us to do far more than we could ever see ourselves capable of.
God wants us to think that way you know, other wise why would He say for us to do something He didn’t mean.
And when you think about it that context, its exciting to know that this was written especially for our benefit!
Its time to set the bar a couple clicks higher, with this life we’ve been given!
If God be your partner, Make Your Plans LARGE!! Hallelujah, Glory to God forever!!
The question is, as we think of our future as individuals and as a congregation, do we plan our lives, beyond our wildest imaginations?
And if were not, why aren’t we?
Do you think that God wouldn’t do for you what he did for Paul and countless others mentioned in the Bible?
TBS. (The Bible says) that He is not a Respecter of Persons!
Paul wasn’t even one of the Disciples, he didn’t participate in Jesus ministry while He was here on earth, he didn’t help the cause at all.
In fact he did the exact opposite, he was the leader of the anti-Christian movement.
He made it his goal to seek out, identify, persecute and kill Christians, nice guy huh?
Then one day while he was on his way to Damascus, he was blinded by the light and met Jesus in a vision,
his life would never be the same again, from that moment on!
He went from being one of the main persecutors of the Gospel, to being one of the main presenters of it.
With Jesus in his life, he accomplished the most amazing, almost impossible feats for the Kingdom of God.
Traveled thousands of miles on his mission trips establishing many churches, even by today’s standards what he was able to accomplish seems almost unattainable.
He was a major contributing author of several books in the New Testament!
He preached Jesus and the Grace message that Jesus brought with Him, and God blessed his endeavors greatly because of it!
Jerm. 33:2-3
2. “Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name):
3. ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
I’m sure there were countless times Paul called on the Lord, and God showed him many things that he in turn wrote and shared in the scripture we enjoy today.
God loves to work through a willing vessel and if your willing, there is nothing that can not be accomplished when God’s involved in the details.
Jerm. 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, no matter when it is, or where it is, I’ll listen.
"When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.
"When you get serious about finding me, You will and will not be disappointed."
Do you realize that God could have caused Goliath to trip, fall down and die all on his own, but chose instead to use a young Sheppard boy named David?
Because David walked in God’s Favor! He knew God was with him and that there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do with God on his side!
1 Sam. 17:45-47 NKJ
45. Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
47. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
All of Israel was living in the box that day, they were all scared to death.
but not David, he was in the frame of mind, If God be for me, who would have the nerve to be against me!
he was living large that afternoon, he knew that there was nothing to hard for God and with Gods help everybody that was there, got schooled that day.
God could have done away with King Ahab, his wife Jezebel and all of her worthless prophets of baal,
Without having Elijah even lift his voice in prayer at all and call down fire from Heaven!
1 kings 18:25
25. Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”
26. So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
27. And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
Now some would think that Elijah was a little bit arrogant, while he may have been a little bit, one thing he definitely was,
Was full of confidence in the Lord, like David he knew with God on his side, he could act with boldness.
1 Kings 18:30-39
30. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
32. Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
33. And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four water pots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.”
34. Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.
35. So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
36. And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
38. Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
God truly loves a willing servant, some one who will just take Him at His word
and realize that there is nothing, absolutely nothing He can’t do when we ask of Him.
No matter how high Elijah set the bar that day God exceeded it by leaps and bounds.
God wants us to know when we ask of Him and have faith, that He will be faithful to us as well.
He wants us to know we can depend on Him to Help us, He loves it when we do, He loves to work through His people.
For the ones who are willing to completely trust Him at His word, there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can’t be accomplished!
If you knew, that no matter what you attempted that you could not fail, what would you do for the glory of God
and the growth of His kingdom here at Calvary Temple?
Have you ever really thought about asking God to show you your part?
What would extreme faith be for you?
If you had unlimited resources, what would you believe God for?
Well, God does have unlimited resources – and we have access to every single one of them, through our relationship with His Son Jesus!
Now whether were walking in them or not, doesn’t mean that there not available to all who ask, because they are.
Our dreams can never be too large or to unattainable for God, He‘s a God of the skies not even the limit!
The issue is not “How much is God able to do” but “How much are we able to ask, pray and believe that He can do?”
You are the only one that can limit God and how He works in your life, only you!
While you may try to place the blame on a lot of other things, it still all comes back to us and how much we can believe him for! Amen!!
God has told us time and time again how He is going to bless Calvary Temple through one prophetic word after another.
He has never let us down or failed us one time when we have had a need.
He wants to do so much more for all of us in our lives and in our church, all we have to do is ask, and let our request be known.
No matter how High we set the bar, He has it covered. Nothing you could ask Him for would surprise Him.
That’s just the kind of God He is, He’s ready, willing and able to meet every need, however big or small.
None of us are worthy of His goodness and Favor, but because Jesus has qualified us, He gives it freely and makes it available to all who ask Him for it.
That’s how much He loves us, He is a God of Good & Plenty! Isn’t He?
Do you believe it today? Then by faith receive it, Amen!!
Lets Pray (invitation)
