To Him Who Is Able

INTRO.- ILL.- Coming home from his Little League game, Billy swung open the front door very excited. Unable to attend the game, his father immediately wanted to know what happened. "So, how did you do son?" he asked. "You’ll never believe it!" Billy said. "I was responsible for the winning run!"

"Really? How’d you do that?" "I dropped the ball."

Were you ever a good ball player? Not everyone can play ball or play it well. When it comes to playing ball some people have the ability and some don’t. Of course, this is true for all sports.

Did you ever find your sport? Or did you ever find what you were good at in life? Many people end up with jobs in life simply because they never discovered what they were good at.

ILL.- I think it was the year 1963 that I purchased a 1936 Ford five window coupe from my sister’s brother-in-law. Why did I buy it? Because I wanted to make a hot rod out of it? It had a newer model flathead V8 engine (40 plus model) in it and I thought it would make a great hot rod.

I knew nothing about auto body repair but I knew something about engines. However, after working on it for a period of time I discovered I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought.

It had what is called a magneto on the front of the engine, which is our distributor on a car engine today. It wasn’t working right so I took it out, took it somewhere to get it worked on and then I put it back on the engine. I don’t recall but I don’t believe that engine ever started after that time!

We all have a certain amount of ability. There are some things we can do and many things we can’t do but there is someone who is able to do all things well! He is able. And we need to cling desperately to Him who is able!

ILL.- An airplane flew into a violent thunderstorm and was soon swaying and bumping around in the sky. One very nervous lady happened to be sitting next to a preacher and turned to him for comfort.

She said, "Can’t you do something?" she demanded. He replied, "I’m sorry, ma’am, I’m in sales, not management."

This is true for all of us. We’re in sales, not management, which means there are some things that we can’t do or can’t handle, but we know someone who can! HE IS ABLE!

Our text tells about the one who is able to do everything good for us. That’s the beauty of our God. He is primarily interested in doing good things for us and in us.

PROP.- What is He able to do?

1- He is able to keep us from falling

2- He is able to present us without fault

3- He is able to receive all praise

I. HE IS ABLE TO KEEP US FROM FALLING

24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.

ILL.- Perhaps you heard the old story about the preacher who said, "I wonder how many of you would be willing to admit that you love sin?" "I do," one man said. The preacher said, "You mean to tell me that you are willing to admit in front of all of these people that you love sin?" The man, "Oh no, I thought you said GIN."

What’s your greatest temptation in life? We probably won’t make a list but we all have at least one area of temptation and probably many.

ILL.- Do you remember the fallen preachers; Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart? Jim Bakker was not only guilty of financial impropriety but also immorality. From 1984 to 1987, Bakker and his PTL associates sold $1,000 "lifetime memberships", which entitled buyers to a three-night stay annually at a luxury hotel at Heritage USA.

According to the prosecution at Bakker’s later fraud trial, tens of thousands of memberships had been sold, but only one 500-room hotel was ever completed. A good deal of the money went into Heritage USA’s operating expenses, and Bakker kept $3.4 million in bonuses for himself.

On March 19, 1987, following the revelation of a payoff to Jessica Hahn, whom Bakker’s staff members had paid $279,000 from PTL funds to keep secret her allegation that he had raped her, Bakker resigned from PTL. Bakker acknowledges he met Hahn at a hotel room in Clearwater Beach, Florida, but denies raping her.

Then as we recall, Jimmy Swaggart was guilty of picking up prostititutes.

In 1986, Swaggart exposed fellow Assemblies of God minister Marvin Gorman, who was accused of having an affair with another pastor’s wife, who was at the time undergoing counseling with Pastor Gorman. Some said this was done out of fear that Gorman was taking away from Swaggart’s audience and donations. The following year, Swaggart exposed fellow Assemblies Of God televangelist Jim Bakker’s sexual indiscretions and appeared on the Larry King Show, stating that Bakker was a "cancer in the body of Christ."