God is Able
Ephesians 3:20-21
(eg) Life in the box…confined, limited, seems safe, “normal”, seems the way it should be…But there is More…
· But Life in the box is not where God is
· God is bigger than our box.
· God will not let us conveniently confine Him to our Limits, our Boundaries, to our Parameters…
· God wants out of the Box and He wants us out of the Box…No limits; No Boundaries
· This Text – will help you Breakthrough the Box; Lift You Above your Limits; will get you beyond the Boundaries
Eph 3:20-4:1
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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. NIV
Eph 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. NASU
God is Able -- There is Power ABOVE Us
His Power is ABOVE US
1. With God – you get more!!! You Always get more…(eg) My God is so Big, so Strong and so Mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.”
· We need to revive some of the children’s preaise songs
2. (eg) When I was a kid – I used to read Comic Books. That was before Computer & Video Games. Long before VCRs and DVDs. The Comic Books were great – Archie; Superman; Batman & Robin. One of the best parts of the Comic Book was the Advertisements in the Back of the Book. They had the coolest stuff…There were Gadgets & Gizmos, there were practical jokes – gum that would turn your teeth black; there were magic tricks…Everything that a kid needed.
· I remember saving and saving for X-ray Vision Glasses. In the advertisement, there was a cartoon of a guy looking at his hand – you could see the outline of his hand, but you could also see all of the bones of his hand. A skeleton – all right. I had to get a pair of those X-ray Vision glasses.
· This would be great – I could see the bones of anything that I looked at.
· I saved and Saved. Filled out the order blank, sent it off in the mail, and then waited. It would take 4-1,000 weeks for delivery. I waited so long that I actually forgot about the glasses coming.
· Finally there was a package in the mailbox. The package had my name on it. Dens McConna – it was spelled wrong, but I didn’t care. I opened up the package and there it was. My pair of The X-ray Vision Glasses. It didn’t matter that the frame was made of flimsy plastic and the lenses were thin, colored cardboard – these were gonna be so cool…I was going to have X-ray Vision just like it said in the Advertisement – Comic Books don’t lie.
· I put the glasses on – the plastic ear pieces barely went over my ear, I looked through this magical device…I stared at my hand…I blinked…nothing. My hand looked red and green and all fuzzy. Maybe it was the lighting – I went outside in the sunshine, I went in the bathroom and turned off the lights, I held my hand under a lamp – nothing…I expected the power to have X-ray Vision – all I got was Red, Green Fuzziness. It was plastic & Cardboard…
3. And that was the first of many experiences of learning the Disappointment of getting Less than what you expect. It happens all the time now…We get Less than what we Expect. It is the rare moment that you Exceed the Expectation.
4. With God – You get More. You Always Get more than you Expect. Listen to the Text…
· New International Version - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine – God is able to do so much more you can’t even measure what God is Able to do
· The King James Version translates this - Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
· The New American Standard Version – Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us
· the New American Standard Updated Edition Translates this…Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
5. This is a fun phrase in the original language…Paul uses a double compound word…he makes up his own word phrase. He is so caught up in the BIGNESS and AWESOMENESS of God, he creates a new word phrase to make his point…He stacks these words upon each other in an attempt to say…
· God is not just Big but He is – Big-uhmundo-huge-a-riffic
· God is Fan-awe-stical-some. Awe-Magni-great-more-big-fully. Super-beyond-erful. Incredi-outrag-i-dible
· Beyond words – Paul is morphing all these words together to make his point…
· Paul is saying that God is -- Incredibly Incredible. Extravagantly Extravagant. Awesomely Awseome in His Awesomeness. Outrageously Outrageous. Fantastically Fantastical. Amazingly Amazing. Infinitely Infinite – all the time…
6. Here’s what I believe the point is – There Ain’t no box Big enough baby – to hold our God
· God is Ably Able in His Ability
· Our words cannot fully Express what we know and Feel. There’s no such word that can contain ALL of WHO HE is and ALL of what He can do. Our God is Indescribably indescribable.
7. God is Able – that would be enough said. God Can! God is! God is Able to do!
· That would be enough to have our hearts beat with Confidence and Faith
· Our hearts would beat a few beats faster – Our God is Able to do more than what we ask or imagine…Oh yeah! Go God!
· Our hearts should be pounding in Praise – Our God is Able to do abundantly more…
· Our God is Able to do abundantly more beyond all we ask or imagine
· Our God is Able to do FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY BEYOND ALL
8. God Exceeds the Expectation…
· The Lord not only forgives a Sin – God can Forgive ALL your Sin
· God not only loves you when you’re good – God loves you when you are bad
· God not only gives you the Hope of Heaven Today – God is preparing Heaven for You for All Eternity
· God not only gives us our daily bread – He gives us Steak and potatoes, the corn, the peas, the beans, the macoroni and cheese, a fresh green salad, hot apple pie and a scoop of your favorite ice-cream…and if you are still hungry – he’ll let you pick up a Krispy Kreme donut for a snack.
9. The Lord makes me giggle –
· He provides at just the right time, in just the right way, with everything I need and then some more.
· God is the God of the – “and then some more” (eg) – S’Mores)
· Listen to Lamentations 3:22-23 -- Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
10. God is Able to do MORE>>>>His Ability is --- Incredible, Outrageous, and Extravagant. He exceeds the Expectation…You Get more than what you expect…God is Faithful. God is Able..
· God didn’t make just a single drop of water He made Oceans of water
· God didn’t create just 1 star – God made Galaxies
· God didn’t just make a single kind of bird – God created 1,000s kinds of birds
· God didn’t just make a hill – God made the Rockie Mountains
· God didn’t just make the Sun – God Sunsets and Sunrises….
· He Exceeds all the Expectations…
· He is able to do far more abundantly beyond all we ask or imagine – Above and Beyond all…He Exceeds the Expectations with Excellence – He’s God.
11. There are No Limits to His Love
· No Boundaries to His Blessing
· No Fences withholding His Faithfulness
· No Lines drawn separating us from His Salavation
· No GuardRails against His Grace
· No Containers holding His Compassion
· No Restrictions to Experiencing His Righteousness
12. If God is able to do all that – what can He do with your Life?
· What can He do with your Heart? With your Hands? With your Talents? With your Gifts?
· What can He do With Your Family? With your Friends? With you at School? With you at work?
· What can He do with your Future? With your Potential? With your Love?
· What can He do with your Challenges? With your Weakness? With your Problems? With your Disappointments?
· God is Able to do far more and abundantly beyond ALL we ask or think..
· 1 Corinthinas 2:9 -- as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"- NIV
13. By the way – I am Glad that God is not limited to what I ask or think – because there are times when my askin’ is lackin’ and my thinkin’ is stinkin’.
· I’m glad that God is God and I’m not. I don’t get it - all the time and I don’t get it all – most of the time.
· I don’t know what God knows. I don’t see what God sees. I don’t understand what God understands. I’m not where God is…
· I’m OK with that. I’m OK with letting God be God – I’m pretty sure that God is OK with that. because I really don’t think I have a choice in that matter anyway. God is God and God is Able…
God is Able - There is Power WITHIN Us
1. Another Surprise – God’s Power – God’s “Able to do immeasurably more power!” His “FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY BEYOND ALL I can ask or think” Power? Guess where this Power is. Guess where this Power works.
2. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
3. This word - translated power, if transliterated into English, would be our word for dynamite. Dynamite Power. Explosive Energy. Awesome Ability. There is Tremendous power given and at work within us. God’s Power in us.
4. (eg) Has this ever happened to you? It’s snack time and you are going for the Fruit Smoothie.
· You get out the Blender…You put in a banana, few strawberries, some juice…
· What’s wrong with this thing? It must be broken – I can’t believe it…Broken at just the time I needed it. I was so looking forward to a fruit Smoothie……
· Ooops. It’s not broken…it’s not plugged in.
· You have all the Power you need – but the Power is of no value unless you are plugged in and switched on!!!!
5. We’ve got to Get Plugged in – get connected with God. Get wired in. There is a Connection made so the Power can Flow…
· Then get turned On! Flip the Switch! We say, “YES” to the Lord. “I am ready to Receive You and what You have for Me. You are the Power. You are My Strength. I need You. You are Able – I believe that. I will live that. I will trust that.
6. Power to do what? In a word – it is the Power to Love
7. Listen to the Prayer that Paul prays for these believers – It is a Prayer of Power and a Prayer for Power…Eph 3:16-19
· 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.
· Jesus isn’t just taking a Vacation with you. Your Heart becomes His Home. His address is now your life. He lives with you and in You – a Permanent Residence
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, 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.
· The Power to be rooted in His Love –
· The Power to be established, grounded in Love…
· The Power to Grasp His Love – means to literally “take hold of it with the intent of never letting it go” To possess it. To seize this Love. To Comprehend how wide His love is, to grasp how long is His Love is – how far will His Love go to reach to you and to me. To grasp how High His love is – so High that it came down from the Throne of God. To grasp how deep is His Love –
· Power to know every dimension of His Love…
· Power to Know that this Love surpasses all that we can know about Love. There is nothing like this love. Not then. Not Now. Not ever. This love surpasses all our knowledge. We can never come to know all that love is but we are spend our lives trying. To know what can never be fully known. The more I learn of His Love for me the more I want to learn…
· Power to be Filled with God and to be filled with His Love…
· Power to Serve in His Love --
· Power to Surrender to His Love -- Gain -- Surrender – that Christ may dwell in your hearts. Surrender to Jesus as Lord…
God is Able – There is Power THROUGH Us
Eph 3:21-- to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
1. To Him be Glory in the Church…means that we, as the Church, the Called out ones of God, are to present God in all His Brilliant Splendor, that He is to be seen in all His Majestic Beauty.
2. To Him be the Glory in the Church -- This is our purpose. This is our mission. This is our desire. This is our value. This is what we live for…this is our essence
· Our lives are to be His Glory! Our Love is to be His Glory.
3. Psalm 29:2 -- Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
4. When I hear the word Glory – I think of the way we sing the word Glory in Choir --- GLOW-Ri. To Give Him Glory is to make Him glow…
· (eg) the spotlight of our lives are always directed to Him…always focusing the light on God. We Make Him Glow…Let Him Shine in all His Magnificence.
· We want others to see His Brilliant Splendor. We want others to see His Majestic Beauty.
· In John 15 – Jesus tells us – I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me – you can do nothing…If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to My Father’s Glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
5. When God Exceeds the Expectation – We’ve got to let that be known. We must tell the story.
· The Power Comes in and the Glory Goes out --
6.(eg) It’s time to Take God out of our Box…
7. Let His Glory be Known. Let His Glory be Revealed. Let God be God and let God be Known. Uncovered. Unhidden. Revealed. Witnessed.
8.(eg) My Life’s Motto and Mission – By His Grace and for His Glory! I can’t do it without His Grace and everything I do, I want to be for His Glory…
9.(eg) I love the Jack Buck Call when Mark McGuire hits THE homerun to break the record. Do remember what Jack Buck says and does?
· “pardon me folks while I stand and applaud…
· Mark McGuire exceeded the Expectation…We would have never dreamed that a baseball player could hit that many homeruns in a single season
· When you are in the presence of Exceeded Expectations – you got gotta stand and you gotta applaud…
· Our God exceeds the Expectation everyday…in everyway…
God is Able -- Do you Believe it? Do you Live it? God is Able – That must be our first Response to anything in life...
