How Big is Your God
11 October 09
· Ephesians 3:20 - “Him who is able to exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us, to Him be glory in the church…”
· God wants us to believe - to be believers – to believe nothing in impossible.
· Able = 1410 = dunamo = to be possible, to supernaturally work.
· Think = 3539 = to exercise the mind, to have understanding.
· We need to extent our mind, our thinking beyond what we think about God now.
· Mind, thinking, attitudes limit what we can do with God.
· Ask = 154 = to desire, long for, seek after, pray.
· Cannot focus on past, or experiences, or hurts – focus on what is possible.
· 2 Corinthians 3:18 - “Beholding as a mirror the glory of the Lord are being changed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord”
· We become like the God’s we worship.
· Behold = 2734 = to look at one self in the mirror.
How do you see yourself?
Do you se yourself as God sees you, the image of His Son?
· Glory = 1391 = splendor, brilliance, brightness, magnificence.
· God wants us to see Him as He is – not a watered down version.
· God’s desire is to clothe us with Him and express Himself to the world.
· Need to see ourselves clothed with the Spirit of God – acknowledge identity.
Philemon 6 - Communication of faith becomes affective as you acknowledge every good thing in you and in Christ.
· Changed = 3339 = metamorphous = to change to another form.
· Worship God as He is – The God of the Bible.
See ourselves as His children reflecting what He is like. God imparts His DNA into us as we encounter Him.
3. How Big is your God?
a) The God of the Bible:
· Exodus 12:29-30 Smote all first born of the Egyptians
· Exodus 14:13-14 Destroyed the Egyptian army
· Exodus 19:16-18 Thunders – Lightning – Fire
· Joshua 10:8-14 Hailstones from heaven destroyed the enemy
· Matthew 9:35 Healed every sickness and disease
· Luke 8:24-25 Command the wind and waives
· Mark 6:39-44 Feed 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes
· Matthew 17:18 Conquered every demon
· 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 Died and rose again
· Acts 2:1-4 Poured out the holy Spirit
· Acts 17:6 Anointed men who changed something – turned the
world upside down
eg Roman names: Caesar and Brutus given to dogs.
Jewish names: Peter and Paul
· Acts 19:11-12 Anointed men to do mighty works
· Is that your God, the mighty living God of the Bible?
b) Gods of our own making:
· Psalm 78:41-42 - They limited the Holy One of Israel – forgot what God did?
They forgot the Power of God
They changed the image of God to ‘more respectable’
· Eg Exodus 32:1-4 Aaron and the golden calf
· Substituted the presence and power of the invisible God for image.
· Not the God of the Bible.
· Eg 1 Kings 12:28 - Jeroboam and 2 golden calves
· “Too mush for you” – don’t really need to do that
· Change the image of god – changed attitude to the House of God
· Religion of convenience and control. Convenience and anything that adds to ones ease or comfort.
· Not the God of the Bible
· Eg David – 1 Chronicles 21:24-26
4. Personal Challenge:
· Have you limited the God of the Bible?
· Have you worshipped an image, substitute something more convenient – not the God of the Bible?
· Have you reduced God to mentality, experience or an idea?
· Must choose to believe who God is and what He can do
- Read the mighty works of god, His promises
- Meditate, what is possible – more than you think
- Expand thinking – God is within me Romans 8:11