AN ABLE GOD - PART 1&2 Combined Sun 8-26-07

Philippians 3:21  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

I want to take out of there - three words and tag them onto the last.  Whereby - he - is - able, even to subdue all things unto himself.

And I want to talk for a while today about an able God.

The age in which we are living, everything has a tendency to be bigger, better.  Quicker and faster.  Stronger and more powerful.  ----

Everything is bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. 

It goes without saying, sometimes we feel overwhelmed about and with who we are, where we are, and what we are facing in our generation.  –

There is not a kid on a campus that does not feel overwhelmed. 

There's not a person on the job today that doesn't at times feel overwhelmed. 

There's not an individual anywhere in any walk of life that sometimes does not feel like, I'd don't believe I can make it another day. 

Never before have we seen our public school grounds and classes and on them what we are seeing and hearing today. 

We have seen our television turn into garbage pits were now the news is even X-rated. 

We have seen our congressional leaders turn from people with convictions into puppets of immorality.  We have seen terrorists cave in the secure wall and feeling that we have here in America. 

We have watched the violist of movies and seen them arisen to the height of popularity. 

I do not understand why in our society people want to go to a movie house and watch something scare them.  It doesn't make any sense to me. 

All you have to do is drive down the road and get scared enough.  S

As it appears we’re standing at the bottom of the stack and wondering when the avalanche is coming.  We know its coming, we know it is there, but we just don't know when. 

We don't know when the next shoe is going to fall. 

Now the economy is shaken until it has shaken the core of America. 

We are seeing it around the world in the instability.

!  But I do not want to dwell on the negative very long, because I have good news for you. 

!  In spite of all of the above, in spite of everything

!  that I've mentioned, and hundreds of other things

!  that I have not mentioned, I want you to know we !  have an able God.  Who is still God in this

!  generation, the same as he was in the last

!  generation. 

!  A God that is alive today the same as He was a

!  hundred years ago, or 200 years ago, or two

!  million years ago.  And he'll still be alive, and he'll

!  still be God, and He'll still be an able God.  Glory to God. 

He's able.  He's able. 

I'm afraid that in view of all the bad news, and I am guilty.  I stand the guiltiest in this room today of what I’m about to say. 

I don't put anyone any guiltier than myself. 

Because I watch the news, you watch the news and we read the newspaper and we hear the bad news all-around.

!  And in view of all of the bad news we are often prone to run and Bury our faces in the pillow and wonder if there is an answer. 

!  We wonder where can we go? 

!  Where can we turn?  But I have good news for you. 

!  We do have an answer, we still have an able God!  He is able!  --  H!

!  Don't lose faith, don't lose hope in God. 

!  He's still God.  He's not going to advocate.  

!  He's not going to step down from his throne. 

!  You can't vote him out.  You can’t impeach Him. 

!  He's not going to do anything to come to trial. 

!  He's Judge of all the ages.  And he is the jury. 

!  And he is the advocate.  He is all in all! –

Well glory.   An able God. 

One, the Bible says, who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can even ask or think.  S

Now, exceedingly abundantly means to, a great degree.  - Abundantly, plenteous, exuberant, overflowing, plentiful, fully sufficient.  God is able. 

He is able.  Glory - I didn't say that. 

That's not me saying it, that is this infallible, inherent Word of God that says that. 

!  I'm not the one saying he is able, he is the one saying that he is able. 

!  I'm not the one that can heal you, he is the one saying he can.

!  I’m not the one that can save you, he's the One saying that he can. 

!  I’m not the one that can walk into hospital rooms and walked out of there and say you are well. 

!  He is the one who says, I am able to do that.  S

He is able. 

It declares that we have an unchanging, limitless God.  His power goes beyond all limits. 

All limitations.  [slow]

So what he expects of me is for me - is for you to respond to this power, to accept his glory, accept His limitless power and strength and respond in faith that He is what he says He is and He can do what He says he can do and He is willing to do what He is able to do. -- Halleluiah. 

Now it’s one thing to have a great big God sitting up here on a throne and having the power of looking down and say I could if I wanted to.  –

It's another thing to have someone over here on the throne saying that I’m willing but I’m spineless and strengthless and weak. –

I'd like to.  I would, but I can’t. 

It's altogether another thing having one sitting high and lifted up and His train filling the temple who not only is willing to do so but able to do so. 

That's an able God that we have. 

!  We go around with our head to the ground expecting everything to jump on us and that is understandable. 

!  When you turn the television off after watching - the news used to be the only thing people say that’s all that’s worth watching, and that's not even worth watching anymore.  S

!  By the time you get through the news you don't think you're going to live by the time you get to bed.  --  !  Everything is bad, everything is getting worse. 

!  And we think that everything is gonna jump on us.  !  No, no, no, no, no, no. 

!  We ought to hold our heads up high.

!  Why? because I belong to him.  He's mine, I’m his child.  G to God. 

He holds me in the center of his hand. - Thank God.  He writes my name, the word says, in the Palm of his hand.  And every time he turns it over He sees me, he sees you. 

He's going to take care of you. 

Though the storms come, the winds blow. 

Though the nation is in turmoil,

though everything is topsy turvy.  He's still in control and He’s still God.  He's still able.  Halleluiah.  

I'm glad I’m serving that kind of God.  Aren’t you?  Lift up your head. 

[Shout out loud he is my God and he is able.]

He is able to do whatever you need Him to do today in this room.  - He is able. 

Let me tell you about this able God that we serve.

Look at what happened in brother Noah's day. 

In the middle of a wicked and perverse generation.  They laughed him to scorn, they mocked him. 

No question what they thought in their mind,

it had never rained in the history of the world. 

Here he was building an ark out in the middle of nowhere. 

And they must have laughed and said, Noah you're crazy.  What is wrong with you? 

You need to be locked up somewhere.  But he kept on building.  And for 120 years he built that ark, when it was completed all he saved was Noah, his wife and his family. 

!  But God delivered them out of a generation that

!  hated God. 

!  It's bad when God gets to the place that he wants

!  to destroy an entire generation. 

!  But God is able to do what he wants to do!  S

But He’s also able, and I like it, he's also able to save you out of that kind of generation. - Halleluiah. 

Aren’t you glad that you know that in a world of sin, in a world of filth, in a world of shame that God is going to be able to pluck you out of that generation and take you home with Him.?  Halleluiah! 

!  Come on board he said.  Noah went onboard with !  his wife, his three sons and their wives. 

!  They marched onboard and then the animals

!  came onboard by two’s and by 7's. 

!  And when they came on there and marched

!  onboard, and God shut the door to that ark, he is

!  able to keep an ark built by man afloat on top of a

!  flood that man cannot do. 

!  The waters began to rise from the earth, the

!  waters began to rise from the sea, and the rains

!  came down and some months later Noah found

!  himself on top of Mount Ararat safe and sound. 

!!  God is able to deliver you out of a generation

!!  that's hell bound in a hand basket. 

!!  But God is able to lift you up and let you sit with

!!  him in heavenly places, and lets you know that

!!  you are his, His Name is on your lips, his name is !!  on you're forehead and his name is sealed on

!!  your heart.  God is able! --  Oh glory.  Glory.  Glory to God. 

He is able.

He did Lot the same way. 

I don't understand all there is about Sodom and Gomorrah. 

I just know that if God punished Sodom and Gomorrah and if America continues in the same direction she's going and if He doesn't do it to America He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.  --

But He won’t let it go, rest assured.  He won't let it go.  Sin is still sin. 

Doesn't make any difference, sin is still sin.

The Word is still the same.

And in the middle of it Abraham kept pleading and kept pleading.  And said, if there is 50 down there that is righteous will you save this city? 

And the Angel said yes I will. 

!  Well he thought about it a little bit And he said what about 40?  What about 30?  What about 20?  What about 10?  If there's ten righteous. 

 It's a shame and a disgrace if there's not ten righteous people in a town. 

!  It's a shame if in the size of a city like Sodom and Gomorrah you can't find 10 people, 10 righteous people.  S

God is able to do what he wants to do.  S

The angel had to literally drag them out of the city.  And lots wife was so filled with the city, so filled with the city. 

Let me pause right here and say, you like me, may live in Sodom, we may live in this nation, we may live in this situation, but it doesn't have to live in you.   --  It doesn't have to live in you.  –

Lot’s wife said, I just love that city so much I have to turnaround and look. 

What a testimony she gave to her daughters. 

What a testimony she gave to those around her.  What a testimony.  I loved the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah more than I do freedom and life itself. 

!  But if God is able to pick up Lot and his family only out of that city and take them out of there, killing everyone else with fire and brimstone He is still able to keep you and take you out of this world safe and secure.  Halleluiah. 

!  Don't you let this world cave in on you and don't

!  you let the trials and problems of this world crash

!  on you and weight you down until you feel like

!  you're not going to make it out of here.  You're

!  going to make it. 

!  Somebody is going to make it. 

!  Put your hand in the hand of God. 

!  You're going to make it out of here. 

!  We're going to leave here shouting.  Halleluiah. 

!  We're not going to leave here whipped! 

!  We’re not going to leave here broken! 

!  We’re not going to leave here down!

!  We’re going to leave here shouting!  He lives!  He's able!  He's able!  He's able!  --

Oh glory to the lamb!  He's able.

!  God is able to keep you over the bumps of life and over the uneven journeys of life. 

!  He is able to straighten the crooked places and raise the low places and lower the high places. 

!  God is able to keep you safe in His hand. - Halleluiah.  He's able. 

Man may cast you aside, but God won’t leave you.  Man may push you down but God picks you up. 

!  Somebody may curse you, but God blesses you. 

!  Somebody may come along and give you a

!  backhand, but God gives you the lifting hand. 

!  Halleluiah!  God is able. 

When God promised Abraham a son, and Sarah laughed. 

Why are you laughing? 

Well Sarah is 90 years old and Abraham is a hundred.  That's why she laughed, it's impossible.  --With God, nothing is impossible.  --

Sarah conceived and brought forth Isaac and even in the miraculous part of that when Abraham took him up on the mountain to offer him as a sacrifice, God provided himself a sacrifice.  Because he's able. 

When the children of Israel stood at the red Sea, Pharaoh and his army behind them, that had to be a scary site. 

I get upset at the children of Israel sometimes when I read the stories why they didn’t have faith. 

I get upset when they say let's go back to Egypt, you brought us out here to die. 

I get upset until I put myself in their place.  -

You know it's easy for me to stand here and say,

they should have and they should have and they should have. 

It’s easy for you to sit out there and say well pastor you shouldn’t have you shouldn't have. 

It's easy for you to look across the table and say, you should have done this and you should have done that, and you should have done something else.  Walk in somebody else’s shoes and see what you would do.  S

It's easy for me to say, those people shouldn’t have complained.  He brought them out of here and he's going to lead them on. 

Until I begin to think about myself and hear some of my prayers.  -

When I fall before God and say, now God I don't know how in the world you’re going to do this. 

I don't know if you can do this, I’m in a mess.   S

Until I realize somebody else can say to me, can’t you believe God after what he did here and what he did there and what he did someplace else and what he did ten years ago.  Can't you believe God?  --

And then I turn to myself and I say Lord, look at me God.  Here I am begging you for something knowing you are able.  And it passes.  And He gives us His strength.  God's able. 

Israel looked there, they marched across on dry ground, God even dried up the mud.  --

Walked across smooth on the land.  -

At flood stage Israel walked across the Jordan on dry ground.  Why?  Because God is an able God. 

God is able to dry up the Red Sea.  And rollback the Jordan River. 

Look at Brother Elijah when he walked over with his mantle to the Jordan again. 

And the Jordan parted as he smote the waters.  Those sons of the prophets stood back and they said, Elisha don't you know the master is going leave you today?  Don't you know Elijah is going to be gone? 

And he says yes I know but I’m going on anyhow. 

And Elijah smote the waters and the waters parted and back came Elisha. 

!  And they said we're going to see whether the God of Elijah is the God of Elisha. 

!  And old brother Elisha said, where is the Lord

!  God of Elijah.  He smote the waters and they

!  parted again.  Why?  Because the same God that

!  was able for Elijah is the same God that was

!  able for Elisha!

!  And I came by to tell you that the same God that

!  took care of your forefathers is the same God that

!  will take care of you. 

!  And the same God that will take care of you is the

!  God that's going to take care of your children. 

!  If you'll put them in His hands, if we’ll put our

!  church in his hands, if we’ll put our families in His

!  hands, God is able!  God is able!  God is able! ---

!  Well glory to God!

_________________________________________

My problem and your problem is, (I’ll speak for myself)  My problem is really trust.

Do I really trust Him?

That’s deeper than saying, Well, do I trust or do I don’t trust?

Our problem is, do we really trust God?

Have we placed everything we have in his hands and do we really trust him with it?

The problem we have with trust is, we ask God and then we don’t really believe.

If we believe,

Ill.  If you pray for rain, take an umbrella with you.

If we really believe Him.

The problem we have is trust.

Sometimes we say to people, “I trust you.” And we really don’t.

Sometimes we say to God, “I trust you.”  And we really don’t.

I’m guilty, we’re all guilty.

There’s not an individual in this room that’s not guilty at times of not trusting God.

Because we get out on our own limb and we say, Lord, here I am, I don’t know if you really know where I am.

Have any of you ever made these kind of statements?

God, I don’t even know if you know which ally I’m in.  I don’t know if you know which street I’m on.

I’m on a one-way street headed for a dead end.

And I don’t know if you really know where I am.

[Does anybody else know what I’m talking about in this room?]

Sure you do.  If you don’t, and you can’t admit it, next Sunday we’ll talk about lying.

Because we’ve all been there.  You’re not super human.  And you’re not super spiritual.

And you’re not above the heartaches and the hurts and the doubts and disappointments of this world.

Our problem is really trusting God.

Can I really trust and do I really put my all in Him?

Man’s ability is limited.

I only wish I could cure you of your problem.

[I wish I could]

But then I would be God and I’m not that.

I wish these doctors could supply and furnish everything you need physically, but they can’t!

[That’s an impossibility, they’re not gods.]

Man’s ability is limited.  We can only do so much.

God’s power is only hindered - by man’s unbelief.

God can do anything, if we can believe Him.

Ill. Do you remember what the man said, he came to Jesus and said, Lord, help my unbelief.

Lord, I’ll believe if you’ll just help me in that area of my life that I don’t believe.

It’s easy to believe you’re going to be all right when you get home, you know you have a home there.

It’s all together another thing if you don’t have anything to trust and believe God.

Next time you ask God to open the waters, you do not honor Him by walking around in the mud.

Ask, expect, believe and the Word says, it shall be done.   H

Ask and it shall be [taken away from you?]  -

Is that what it says?

Ask and ye shall receive.

Knock and it shall be - open.

Seek and ye shall - find.

That’s the book.

Do we believe it, or don’t we believe it?

That’s the bottom line of the whole thing.

We must believe that God says what He means and He means what He says, and we can stand on what He means.

Ill.  I’ve preached to you several messages about the walls of Jericho.

Everybody marched around, the walls fell down flat.  Every man went over, not just through a hole in the wall.   Every man went straight way before him.

If God can tumble one stone, He can tumble the whole wall.

We ask God sometimes to do something and then we say, lord let me put it so it’s easy for you to do.

Let me put it in a simple thing for You.

You don’t have to simplify things to God.

Can you imagine these people walking around the walls and say, Lord, there’s a stone right over here, now we’re not going to ask you to move the whole wall.  If you’ll just move 4 or 5 stones out so we can go through there.”

That’s our faith sometimes.

We’re saying, Lord I really know you’re not able to heal of cancer, so will you just heal this headache.

[You understand what I’m saying?]

“I know God you’re not able to supply all of my needs, so if you’ll just take care of this little one, I’ll be satisfied.”

If god’s able to take care of you’re little one, He’s able to take care of you’re big need.  -

If He’s God at all, He’s God of all!  --

And thank God he is God.   H

Elijah on top of Mt. Carmel said, and I like this man, he called all the prophets of Baal and prophets of the grove out and he said, we’re going to have a show down.  And if your god is god, we’re going to serve him, if my God is God we’re going to serve Him.

Whichever God is able, we’re going to serve Him.  -

He said go ahead and pray to your god, but your god is not able.

When they placed the ark in with other gods, they fell down before the ark because of the power of our God.  H

Elijah on the mountain said, let’s make it difficult.

You know, if it had been me I would have said, Lord, just in case you don’t, I have a couple of matches here in my pocket.  (magnifying glass)

No, not Elijah.  He said, go get 4 barrels of water to pour on this sacrifice.

Elijah, don’t do that.  That’s too much.

Poured it on, let it soak down a little bit.

Four barrels is a lot of water, especially in a drought.

He said, go get 4 more.  And then 4 more.

12 barrels of water they pour out.

Saturate the whole place.

Water runs everywhere.

And then he prays a simple little prayer and fire comes down and consumes the sacrifice and the altar, the stones, the water, everything around there.

No wonder those people looked up and saw the ashes and declared, the Lord He is the God.

He is still God and we will worship Him.   H!

!  The next time God sends the fire, why don’t you let Him burn up everything that hinders you.

!  Throw everything on the altar and say, “God burn up my doubts, burn up my confusions, burn up my anxieties, burn up my worries, burn up my fears, burn up my situations of yesterday, my guilt’s and everything there is.

!  Burn up my:  habits; neglects; gossip; hurt feelings.

God has more fire than any man can imagine and any body can use.  Because He is able.   H  H

I think it’s time once again we got to the place that we said, Lord, here is my problem.  And came to the altar and laid it on the altar.

ILL. they didn’t know in early Full Gospel what Psyc, Psyc, counselors, any of that business was.

All they knew was that God was able.

That’s all they knew.

And you know what?  It worked.

And it still works.

It still works the same as it ever has worked.

Because if He was God 40-50 years ago, He’s still the same God today.

I still believe He’s able to save an individual and change them at that instant and deliver them from every habit that binds them.

I still believe He is able to take their lives and turn them completely around and challenge them to live for God.  -  H  -

A certain preachers wife struggled along in Elisha’s day, 2 sons were taken as slaves.  The creditors had come.  Etc.

It was a sad day, they were taking everything.

And poverty wasn’t nearly as bad as them taking her 2 sons.

She cried out and Elisha said go borrow the vessels not a few.  Start selling the oil, pay the debt, live off the rest.

God was able and the oil kept flowing.

If she did not live in luxury after that statement from God, it was her own fault.

If we do not live in the plane where God wants us to live, it is our own fault and not God’s.    A

God has a better place for us than where we are.

We can stay down in the fence rows and mully grubs all we want to.

God is able to take you above that and lift you up. H

!  If you ask God to pay the debt of sin, if you ask Him to pay the debt of sickness, the debt of heartache and the debt of sorrow.

!  Furnish enough vessels for Him to do it and let Him just keep flowing and flowing and flowing and flowing.

!  If you furnish the vessels, God will furnish the supply.   H!

!  He has no less power when He finishes the last vessel then He does when He fills the first one.

!  Because He can start over here at this side and sweep across this room and come back one more time and do it over and over and over again.  H

!  He could have filled every vessel in the world if that woman could have brought them in there.   S

All that was limited was the amount of vessels she had.

Look at the 5,000, starving, multitude of people.

A boy had 5 loaves, 2 fish.

When Jesus got through, they had 12 baskets left over.

He could have easily fed 5 million as he did 5,000.

We limit god.

The disciples went fishing and caught nothing.

But Jesus shows up and business always picks up when Jesus shows up.

Jesus showed up and Jesus helped them fish the second time.

“let down your nets.”  And the Bible says they could not hold the fish.

I want to put my net down on the right side where God tells me to every time.

The disciples were in the storm, Jesus not only ceased the waves but there was a great calm.

And he is able to take you to the other side when He says we are going to the other side.

If He sends you across the lake, you can have hurricane ANDREW, KATRINA, and all of the rest put together with 10 million tornadoes out in the lake if He told you to go across, they can’t stop you.

Because He’s able to carry you through there.

Look at what the thief said.  Remember me.  And Jesus said, today thou shalt be with me in paradise.

Nobody is able to do that but Jesus.

But He is able.

He gave a little widow immortal fame because she dropped in two mites in the offering plate one time.  That’s all she had.

I have a feeling [it doesn’t say] but I have a feeling that little woman’s needs were supplied and taken care of after she gave everything she had to God.

I have a feeling God took care of her from that moment forward.

ILL.  An obscured Sunday School teacher spent 30 years in a shoe store winning a pupil and that one pupil was D.L. Moody who won millions of souls.

I’m saying, God is able.

You like me, are serving an able God today.

!  It doesn’t make any difference if your sin is as deep as the ocean, high as the mountain, He is able to save.   - H

!  It doesn’t make any difference how sick you are, He is able to heal more than you ask or think.

!  Ps 103 “Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name.  Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits.”

!  What are his benefits?

!  He is able to walk with me in the valley.

!  He’s able to still a storm.

!  He’s able to tell the demons to shut their mouths.

!  He’s able to open the mouths of anything that

!  needs to be opened.

!  Or shut anything that needs to be shut!

!  He is able to open tombs and Lazarus come out of a grave.

!  He’s able to touch a man that’s been dead in Nane and bring him back to life again.

!  He is able.  H

“and forget not all His benefits.”

The benefits of God:

He walks beside us.  He talks with us, he tells us who he is and he tells us we are His.   H!

!  “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities.”

!  It doesn’t make any difference how black, it makes no difference how dark, it makes no difference how deep our sins are, he forgives us.

!  “who healeth all thy diseases.”

!  It makes no difference what they are, our God is able.

!  “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies.”

!  That is an able God!  S   S    H H H

Life does not consist in the abundance of things.

It consist in Him.

Keep your eyes on Him.

Get your eyes off of the world, and get your eyes off of the waves.

The waves will always be higher than you are.

The storms will always be stronger than you are.

The valleys will always be deeper than you’re able to understand.

And the hills will always be steeper than you’re able to climb.

Unless He walks with you.

But if He walks with you, he is able to take care of it.   H

You like me, have - an able God.

What do you need?

And what do you have need of?

Right now?

I know, I know, I know.

I know your burdens are heavy.

There’s not a person in this room that doesn’t have heavy burdens, I know that.

God is Able.

[Say that with me:  God is Able.]

I know you’re weighted down with the cares of this world, say it with me:  God is Able.

!  I know your minds are cluttered with the cares and responsibilities,  God is Able.    H

!  I know your kids might not be what they ought to be, but God is Able.  --

!  I know your situation at home might not be what

!  you want it to be, but God is Able.

!  I know you may be having difficulty at home,

!  working things out, God is able.

!  I know you may be facing the biggest trial of your

 life, but God is able.

!  I know your mind might be playing tricks on you,

 and telling you one thing when it’s something

 else, and throwing you curves when you’re not

 expecting it, but God is Able.  H

!  And that’s the battleground of the ages right here

 in our minds, and if the devil can change you and

 redirect you he’ll do that, but God is able to keep

 you in perfect peace who’s mind is stayed on

!  Him.   H!

!  I know you may be overwhelmed and you’re

!  fighting against heavy odds, but God is able.

!  I know it’s not an easy road, it never has been an

 easy road, but the Savior is with us, His presence

 goes before us and He stands with us everyday.

!  I know it’s difficult, but He is Able!  X5

You’re no different than any body else I mentioned in this Book.

Elijah was a man of like passions as we are.

He got down in the dumps.

Wanted to die.

God gave him angel food.

Gave him strength and rest.

You’re no different than him or anybody else.

Whatever need you have, He’s able.

Trust in Him.  --

He’s Able.

STAND TO YOUR FEET ACROSS THIS ROOM.

He is able.  We serve an able God.

God can do anything.

The problem is not God, the problem is me.

I’m my biggest problem.

Anybody here understand what I’m saying?

Yes sir.

God’s God, and God’s able.  His word is truth.

If you need him… Etc.

You’re in this room today and need God to be an able God in some kind of situation in your life or in your family, come up here right now.

[Didn’t mention any on purpose]

But you need God to be an able God and need to lean on Him come on.

He’s able.

Pastor Kevin is not here today.

He wants to be involved in ministry as a senior pastor…

And we have released him from ministry at Southview to give him the opportunity to pursue that calling –

And we pray God’s blessing upon Kevin and Clarissa.