Throughout All Generations
“16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-20
Intro: The past “1000 Days” have been exciting.
Today we wrap up one step in the journey
Today we Celebrate: reducing the debt on the Family Life Center ¼ Million dollars in 18 months.
Even though we still have a $94,000.00 more to go we are in process of refinancing the loan.
also rebalancing the church operating budget.
I want to thank especially Bob H. and Jeanie D. We love these two people.
(They don’t want any recognition
But everyone owes them a hug or a handshake and a word of thank you and appreciation for the job they done as co-chairs of the campaign.
I love Paintsville
I love Johnson County.
I love all of you.
I love this church.
Turn to someone right now and say, “I love this church.”
I want to thank all of you for your work and effort.
All of this hard work frees up money and resources so that we can shift the focus from debt to Missions.
We Celebrate: establishing the Living and Legacy Endowment Fund.
Which provides a second permanent funding source for Ministry.
Today is truly a historic day at First United.
I am not sure I even grasp how significant these two accomplishments are.
years from now:
Today will be looked back upon as the day things took a significant change for the better.
I hope you can see the big picture like I do.
None of what is happening is an accident
It is all coming together by design, and discernment, and hard work,
by me and the staff
and the people you have elected to represent your vote in the committees.
After God finished creation
You know after everyone rested on the Seventh day
On the Eighth day committees were created
What is happening today was planted 3 years ago.
The Family Life Group that we taught at the parsonage
and Janet Baker will start the next Family Life Group in a couple weeks.
Let’s give God all the praise and honor for guiding us this journey.
We begin to take the first step in our NEW journey
for the next “1000 Days the theme is “Helping People Changing Lives.”
We will turn the attention outward rather than inward.
We will focus more on building relationships with people around us.
If I could pick any time for a person to come to church it would be today.
I would pick today over Christmas, over Easter, over any other Sunday.
Because today represents a turning point;
a change in the momentum that has been in the works for almost a decade and a half.
The work we have done over the past 18 months
will free up resources so that the next generation of visions and dreams can come true.
Today I want to talk about three things:
1. God’s love is an unlimited resource
2. Christ through the Holy Spirit completes us
3. (ask you to) Dream with me
I. God’s love is an unlimited resource.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” Ephesians 3:16
Think about the words “His glorious riches”
The meaning here is one of value being given or bestowed upon us from God.
Let me tell you. When the God of the universe says you are of value and worth
Nothing else that any person on this earth says about you matters.
• YOU MATTER, (you are important to me here!!!!)
Value is determined by how much someone is willing to pay.
How much is your car worth?
Not as much as you paid for it when you bought it.
The moment you drive it off the lot it goes from new to used.
Your car is worth what somebody is willing to pay for it. No more.
How much is a baseball card worth?
To some of you, it's worth nothing.
A Honus Wagner baseball card sold for 3.1 Million dollars last year.
In the eyes of the world there are lots of variable that determine what someone is willing to pay.
How many were produced and still exist?
What the condition? They are graded on a certain scale.
Any little imperfection takes away from the value.
Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t value us based on the condition we are in?
Just As I Am….
God valued you so much.
That he was willing to pay the price of his only son Jesus.
Jesus loved you so much
Jesus was willing to pay the price of going to cross and being crucified.
Somewhere, sometime, someone loved you so much that they shared the Gospel with you.
II. Christ through the Holy Spirit completes us
Next I want you to notice a series of words or phrases in the text:
through his Spirit in your inner being,
that Crist may dwell in your hearts that you, being rooted and established in love,
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
A. Reason---discernment between right and wrong
B. Conscience---tenderness, what causes us to be compassionate
C. Will---so often we know what is right but we don’t do what is right
Dwell which is a word for permanent (dwelling) as opposed to temperary
III. (ask you to) Dream with me
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
According to Strong’s Concordance this is the only occurrence of this particular word in the bible.
Beyond what you ask for
John 10 Mary the woman who onointed Jesus with ointment and wiped his feet with her heai
Had a sister Marth and a brother Lazarus
Lazarus was sick--- his sisters sent for Jesus to heal sickness.
Martha said, Jesus, Lord, if only you had been here.
All they could imagine was Jesus healing a fever or sickness….
Jesus was able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
Jesus brought him back to life
New International Version
The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
That amazed them….
King James Bible
And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
Came because I could not hear and Jesus healed my hearing and also that pain in my back.
Came because I could not walk and Jesus healed my paralyzed legs but also took away my headaches,
Came because I could not see and Jesus healed my blindness and also took away the arthritis in my hands.
Came because my body was diseased and sick but Jesus also took away my sin!!!!!
Blind wanted to see--- Jesus gave him eternal life
according to his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and
in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-20
That is one way God’s love become endless
From Heaven to Earth
From God to Son
From Jerusalem to Paintsville
From someone who told you about Jesus to someone who you are supposed tell about Jesus.
God’s love is an unlimited resource.
God wants to help you.
he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Think about those words “strength and power”
There is only one way overcome the problems of this world.
There is only one way to overcome the sins of this world.
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
rooted
established in love,
18 may have power,
his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-20
The truth is “We are all beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.”
I want you to think about your experience here at First United.
I became your pastor in June of 2015.
In just a couple months we will start our fourth year together.
I have enjoyed getting to know you as your pastor.
We have shared in baptisms of your kids and grandchildren
We have shared weddings
We have stood together at funerals.
We have laughed together
We have cried together.
That is what being inside the church is all about.
When I read the bible I find that the church is to be the most open, welcoming,
friendliest place of hospitality there is.
But sometimes people are guilty of carrying things from outside the church that don’t belong
to inside the church.
We love the idea of community
—everyone engaged and involved and connected
—everyone longing for someone to reach out to them,
shake their hand and have more than a two-minute conversation?
When someone new comes to worship with us the insiders
We should be the ones who take the initiative.
Matthew 25:35 Jesus said, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
One of the great joys you will ever experience is to walk into a church a stranger
and leave feeling like you were at home.
The real proof that we are believers is how we treat people we meet as if we ourselves were Jesus Christ.
We are to create a place in the church for transformation.
We are all about changing the hurts and troubles and brokenness
into healing and hope and relationships.
I love the story of the country farmer who ventured to the big city for the very first time in his life.
He loaded up his jalopy and he brought his wife and his son and they went to this big city.
And all they could see were huge buildings and skyscrapers.
It was just blowing their minds.
He said to his wife, “You wait here in the car while me and the boy go inside
we’re going to buy one of those big city newspapers.”
He parked in front of this huge skyscraper and he and his son went walking in.
I mean, their jaws were down here the whole time.
After a few minutes they were mesmerized because they saw these two shiny, silver…
looked like pieces of a wall.
They moved back and forth and they’d never seen anything like it.
So the boy said, “Dad, what is that?”
and the father said, “Son, I have no idea what that is.”
They had never seen an elevator.
About that time an elderly lady came walking up
She had her cane.
She pushed the little button on the wall and the two shiny doors opened.
Then it showed a little tiny room and she got in the little tiny room.
Then the doors closed again and little lights flashed up above.
Two minutes later the doors opened back up
and a 24-year-old, beautiful, young woman came walking out. (Laughter)
The guy said, “Boy…go get your mama.” (More laughter)
Don’t you wish it were that easy to change people’s lives?
You just put people in a shiny room and close the doors.
A few minutes later they come out new, redeemed and transformed.
Their old life is wiped away and a new life begins.
A few moments ago I said, I want to “Talk to you about who we are.”
The truth is we all could use some transformation.
What needs changing in your life?
What do you need to have worked on by the Holy Spirit?
What things have you thought you had figured out, only to find out you were wrong?
What answers did you think you had, only to discover you didn’t know what you were thinking?
What things have you been working on and trying to improve only to discover your life is still out of control?
Are you listening to hear the voice of God?
As shocking as it may seem many people who go to church because they are hurting, or searching,
find that the church is no more compassionate than people outside the church
even as the gospel is preached each Sunday.
I don’t want anyone to ever say that about us, do you?
You are here today because somebody gave.
You are here today because somebody paved the way for you to be here.
You are here today because somebody volunteered, they served, they witnessed, they sacrificed, they gave.
Who was that somebody? Do you remember who invited you or brought you to church?
Maybe you can say thank you to them.
1. Dream about a little boy or girl coming up and asking questions about who is Jesus
What does communion mean---me explaining the cross and resurrection
When can I get baptized?
2. Dream about the church house being filled
Holy Spirit and revival
Filled to capacity--- having scoot over!!!
Numbers do matter
I say unto you that likewise more joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth,
than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance. Luke 5:7
Every class room has a class.
Every class had new members and growth
How long has it been since your class or group had a new person join?
(Maybe we should be asking why?) or someone got saved at one of your class meetings----?????????
God loves you and he doesn’t want us to quit as long as one lost sinner remains!!!!
I Dream about lost people being saved.
3. Dream of Church so full of LOVE that our reputation become one of LOVE!!!
That responsibility now rests on your shoulders to invite, and help make an open place of radical hospitality
so that future generations
will experience the fellowship, and community and love that you have experienced.
WHAT DO YOU DARE DREAM ABOUT???
When you really love something you give.
When you really love something you want to see it get stronger
You want to see it get better
you work to see it grow.
There is story told about a women who lived in a small town.
Her only source of income was made through doing laundry for other people.
When she turned eighty years old she gave a fifteen dollars to her local church. (Her life savings)
Someone asked since she had lived such a meager life,
why had she not spent the money on something she wanted?
She smiled and answered, “I have lived in this small town all my life
and gone to that church since I was a little girl.
I wanted others to have what I had. So, thank God I did spend it on what I wanted.”
She wanted others to have what she had.
She had very little food but she had salvation of the Gospel
She had very little clothing but she had the promise of being clothed in a robe of heaven.
She had very little financially to live on but she had feasted at the table of the Holy Spirt.
What do you have that you want others to have?
Generous believers want others in the world to experience the love of Christ like they have.
Some live to consume the bread, eat the fish, and leave behind dirty dishes,
and then there are those who live generously.
What is life’s greatest joy? Is it getting or giving?
Is it having or serving?
Is it collecting or contributing?
Teach us, oh God, to put in more than we take out.
To leave the world a better place than we found it.
2 Corinthians 9:7 “God loves a cheerful giver.”
Our attitude is always important in whatever we do especially when serving God.
Our Attitude matter in all things….
LOVE ???? Attitude of openness, and positive, kind words, building up others
SPIRIT???? Holy Spirit in you??????
DREAM What do you dream about?
