Sermon Text: Eph 3:16-21
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — 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. NKJV
Big Idea: Living life today as a Christian is a seemingly impossible task. As a Christian we are faced with the trials and testing on every side. No matter which way we turn there are obstacles that we must overcome. The early day disciples were facing persecution from the world around them but also from those who they once called friend. Jesus said in John 15:18-20 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. NIV.
As a disciple of Jesus living for Him means that you will face challenges that most will not experience. If you ae living as a committed disciple of Jesus, then trouble will come your way. Jesus told those early day disciple that after His ascension to watch and pray and they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. When you became a Christian you were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit therefore you need to find your potential in Christ Jesus. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are able to face more, do more, and live more for Jesus then we could ever on our own.
"The Christian hope is the hope which has seen everything and endured everything, and has still not despaired, because it believes in God. The Christian hope is not hope in the human spirit, in human goodness, in human endurance, in human achievement; the Christian hope is hope in the power of God.” (--William Barclay, The Letter to the Romans-Sermon Central)
Five Question Concerning Your Potential
1st What can you do without God?
What are your limitations with God?
What is your Potential through the Holy Spirit?
2nd What is Gods purpose for your life
3rd What can I do through the Power of God? Phil 4:13
Ps 139:13-16 Observations concerning Ps 139:13-16
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book, they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
NKJV
1. Gods is my Creator -Ps 139:13
2. God knows me better than my-self-Ps 139:14
3. God is the Author and Finisher of my life
4. God has equipped you for His purpose-Ps 139:16
5. God has given me the tools to accomplish His will-Ps 139:16
1st What can you do without God? John 15:5-6 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. NKJV
Jesus said that without Him you can do nothing. Think about these words we are completely powerless to do anything in our lives unless we have the power of God in our lives. Hid you ever try to root a plant. When I was in high school, I took two sweet potatoes and put them in a jar of water. One of the potatoes, soon the potato began to put out roots to absorb the moisture in the jar. But the other just sat there and eventually shriveled up and died. The other developed a long lengthy vine with bright green leaves. In the same way a person without being rooted in Jesus will shrivel away.
Consider what happen to David King of Israel in 2 Samuel 11, instead of being in the center of Gods will and leading his armies he stayed in Jerusalem. David’s failure leads him to adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, the death of Uriah her husband, death of a child born to David and Bathsheba and much more.
It has been said that sin will keep you from God, but God will keep us from sin. Consider the outcome had David had stayed in the center of the will of God and been with his troops. The deaths of Uriah, the child could have been avoided. Have you ever realized that your actions brought heart ache and wished you had made a Godly decision instead of a Godless decision?
What can you do without God? Answer to this question is the word “fail” without God in our lives we will fail to do anything. Without God worldly living may look successful but, in the end, will end in destruction. Without God and His Son Jesus you can’t know the peace that only comes from a personal relationship with Jesus. John 14:27-28 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. NKJV
2nd What is Gods purpose for your life? Ps 57:2 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills [his purpose] for me. NIV
God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives. He has uniquely equipped each of with talents and abilities to use for Kingdom work. Eph 4:11-14 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; NKJV
Eph 5:30 states that the church is the body of Christ and just like our physical bodies they are made up of members. Hands, arms, legs and feet each part of our physical bodies have a specific function. In the same way the body of Christ (the Church) has various members and those members have specific functions. Paul writes in Eph 4:11-14 that God has given each member of the body a purpose and function to build up or to equip the members of the Church.
Each of you have a specific function and purpose that God has specifically endowed you with to aid in the building of the body of Christ. Unfortunately like our physical bodies when they become inoperative the body suffers and in the same way when members of the church don’t use their God given talents and abilities the Church fails to grow and develop as God intended. Notice in Eph 4:12-13 That God has equipped each of us for the work of the ministry and the building up or edifying of the church till we are in unity of the faith and knowledge of Jesus. We re use these special gifts to be perfect of the body of Christ.
Unfortunately, there are some Christians who are still babies who are unstable and easily led astray. Satan and his ministers are waiting to tear down the church with their lies. The church is edified (built up) through the Word of God. Churches are not built up and strengthened through man-made programs, entertainment, recreation, or “drives.” The church is a body and must have spiritual food; this food is the Word of God. When the body is completed, Christ will return and take His body (of which He is the Head), home to glory. (Warren Wiersbe)
Your talents and abilities come from God. God has given the to use for His kingdom. Your purpose is to use them for the building of the body of Christ. Look around how many vacant chairs do you see? Remember back when they were occupied by someone who no longer here. When that chair becomes vacant it is yours and mine responsibilities to fill those empty chairs with another lost person that they to can know the joy of salvation in Christ Jesus.
I am reminded of the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 where servants were given talents to invest for a return for their master. There were different quantities given but each was expected to be invest the talents and bring increase back to their master. But one of the servants hid what he was given and brought back nothing. What you don’t use you lose; God has given us talents and abilities to use for His Kingdom is He pleased with how your using what He has given you?
Romans 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. NKJV
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. NKJV
1 Corinthians 12:20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. NKJV
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. NKJV
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. NKJV
1 Corinthians 12:20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. NKJV
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. NKJV
3rd What can I do through the Power of God? Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. NKJV
Last Sunday I told you the words “I can’t and cannot” are not found in God Word. When those early day disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit they went out and literally turn the world upside down for Christ. Acts 17:6 "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Can you imagine the if we as disciples of Christ took our God given talents and focused on reaching other for Jesus what could happen? There is nothing you can do with in your self but the nothing you can’t do when you trust in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit which is in you. It is like plugging in to a wall socket, before you plug the cord of a lamp in the wall socket your in the dark but when you insert the electricity travels down the cord to the switch and when the switch is flipped your are in the light. In the same way we must be plugged in through faith in Jesus Christ and we must flip our spiritual switch and walk in the light of the power of God.
ILLUSTRATION: THE POWER OF GOD
Hudson Taylor:
"Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence with them."
Billy Graham, in The Secret of Happiness, pp.103-104:
"Satan does not care how much you theorize about Christianity or how much you profess to know Christ. What he opposes vigorously is the way you live Christ - the way you become an instrument of mercy, compassion, and love through which He manifests Himself to the world. If Satan can take the heart, motive, and mercy out of Christianity, he has killed its effectiveness. If he can succeed in getting us to talk a good case of religion but to live a poor one, he has shorn us of our power." (From a sermon by Jason Jones, "So You Call Yourself a Pastor 2")
Acts 4:11 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." NKJV
