God's Game Plan for the Church Pt. 4

Opening: Mr. Barksdale (cannot use his name)

Several years ago, I had the privlege of meeting a very unusual man. The people of the town would see this guy, we will call him Yakamo (probably there are no yakamo’s here today) walking around the town in filthy clothes.

His pants were always dirty

He never had a belt, he would just use pieces of rope to hole up his pants

He would carry a nasty bottle around with him, so that he could get free water to drink.

Those who knew him, told me that he lived in a terribly delapitated house, more of a barn. He didn’t have electricty or running water.

He would hang his food in the rafters so that bugs and animals wouldn’t get to it.

One day, Yakamo died. The only surviving relative asked me to do the funeral. I did.

I learned a lot more about Yakamo in the following days.

Yakamo was a very successful business man

At the time of his death, he was worth millions

In the late years of his life, he could have afforded anything he wanted

Any house

Any Car

Any Trip

He just didn’t. Instead, he chose to live as a pauper and ignore his immense wealth.

We, far too often, do that as Christians. God has made us all of these beautiful promises (that will come true, are coming true, and have come true) but we choose to live in the rat-infested slumbs that we can create.

Transition to Paul addresses this issue with the Ephesians. Instead of saying you are choosing to live in rat-infested slumbs, he prays that the Ephesus Christians would realzie what promises are theirs and live in them.

Eph 3:14-21

Ephesians 3:14–21 HCSB

For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Verse 14: , which we talked about last week is a parenthetical passage. So , verse 14 is refering back to chapter 2.

In chapter 2 we see that

Christ makes us spiritually alive

We are His workmanship

We are no longer stangers and aliens

We are fellow citizesn with the saints

built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets

and are continuing to be built… for this reason

Verse 17: Why does Paul pray that they/us wold be strengthened in the inner man so that Christ may bwell in our hearts.

Dont confuse this with the act of Salvation. At the time that we are saved, Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit takes up resident in our hearts and lives.

In many of your houses, you have a “front room” and a “family room.”

Your front room is for all of your sales people, and people whom you tolerate.

Your family room, however, is for those whom you love, and want to spend time with. It is for welcomed guests.

He prays that we would be strengthened in our inner man so that through faith, the Spirit, can be a welcomed guest in our hearts.

Main Point: Because of all that Christ has done for us, we can live with confidence in the power that he gave us, gives today, and will continue to give us.

We too often do our children a disservice when we tell them that they can become anything that they really put their mind to. That simply is not true. I wanted to be a pilot, was never going to happen because I wore glasses. That’s changed some now, but for me it was never going to happen no matter how hard a I tried.

Lets say for a moment that your son wants to play basketball for the NBA

5’ 9” average American male

Only 25 guys have played in the NBA at 5’ 9” or below. (that’s the history of the NBA)

Out of about 3500 players in the history of the NBA only 25 of them have been 5’ 9” 0r less

Only 11 guys have played in the NBA shorter than 5’ 9”

The average height of an NBA player is 6’ 7”

So what are your chances.

Well, if you are of average size (mind you, that is 6’ 7”) and you one of the 3.4% of all of the college basketball players in the world, then you have a 1.1% chance of playing.

So, a guy like me, who is a little taller than average, has a3 inch vertical leap, below average shooting, below average speed, below average dribbling, (which is average for everone of us) my chances aren’t too good.

I had the privelege of playing some pick up games right here, with a former UTAH JAZZ player, he played to our level for fun, but when he thought you were challenging him, he didn’t kick it up a notch, he became a different person that 6 of us below average players couldn’t cover.

We are limited in our ability, but here is one of the greatest truths you will ever here. God is not limited in his ability. He is unlimitd in ability and might. He is omnipotent.

If you are a Christian, you have omnipotence living in you. That doesn’t mean that you can do or become anything you want to, but what it does mean is that God, can make you anything He wants you to be.

So instead of walking around thinking negatively of your self, or wishing you were taller, shorter, richer, smarter… walk around saying “God well up in me, and make me who you want me to be.”

The omnipotent God, is your Heavenly Father!… wow!

Truth #1: The first step to living with confidence in God’s power is to address the inner man.

You and I have heard coaches say that “the game was lost, before the first whistle sounded.” What do they mean by that. What they mean, in a worldly sense is that the inner man took the field with a defeated attitude, and that is exactly what happened.

This is why, now-a-days sports teams, and professional athletes travel, and see sports psychologist. They are trying to to build up the “inner man.”

On the spiritual side of things, this passage is in no ways talking about sports, it’s talking about living life in a lost world, Paul is praying for the Ephesus Christians that they would be in touch with the God, in their hearts, souls, mind, and strength.

Practical application: Read God’s word

Practical application: Pray

Practical application: Spend time daily with God

Practical application: Spend time with Christians friends who will build you up.

How do we know when we are successful in these 4 areas: John MacArthur who is the president of The Master’s University and Seminary , and the voice of the Grace To You radios show says this:

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Spirit’s Power

Spiritual growth can be defined as the decreasing frequency of sin. The more we exercise our spiritual muscles, yielding to the Spirit’s control of our lives, the less sin is present. Where the strength of God increases, sin necessarily decreases. The nearer we come to God, the further we go from sin

Truth #2: It is not God’s desire give you enough, it’s God’s desire to give you His fullness.

Think about your life. I don’t know of anyone that if they were really honest would say, I really just want to get by. In fact, typically it’s quite the opposite.

They say...

I want to be a millionaire

I want to have a mansion

I want to drive the coolest car

I want an i-Phone 10

Advertisers know this, thats why advertisers nevr sell satisfaction, they sell desire.

However, when it comes to being a Christian, too many time we do say, really I just want enough to get by.

I want hell insurances

I don’t want you to change my life, I just want you to save me from hell

Paul is praying that the fulness of God would fill them up.

There is one thing that completely satisfys… and that is God filling you up.

search all you want, you will not find that one thing that satisfys apart from God

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