The God who is able.

This morning as we consider all that has went on in the month, i would like to turn our attention to the fact, that our God is able. The question that we automatically think of when we consider this is, what is our God able to do? We know that God told Abraham “ is anything to Hard for me” (Gen 18:14). Job declared that God could do all things and that no plan of his can be thwarted (Job 42:2). Jeremiah ascribed this to the lord. “ Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. (Jer 32:17) In that same chapter God Declares this about Himself. Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? (Jer 32:27). Int he Gospel of Matthew Jesus disciples Asked Him who than could be saved? Jesus’s Reply was, With man this is impossible, But with God all things are Possible. (Matt 19:26) When The Lord told marry that she was Going to conceive of the holy Spirit, He said Nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:37) And Jesus in the Garden as he was praying on the night before he was crucified said, “ All things are possible for you”( Mark 14:36)

It is in this context that we will be looking primarily at three Scriptures, Three promises that we can look to in difficult times, Three things that God is able to do and we can know that Our God is faithful and dose do.

The God who is Able to strengthen you.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

The God who is able to strengthen you, what does Paul mean here when he says strengthen. verb here Sterizo which means To strengthen, Fix something in place, or establish. This does not mean that God is Going to give you physical strength. but rather it has the idea of being inwardly established or strengthened. He means here that God Gives the spiritual strength to anchor ourselves in Christ only through his empowering presence in us. This is the strength to live the Christian life and to understand and apply the revelation of divine truth in his word.

What is the basis of this strength? How do we get this strength? Paul here tells us that it is The Gospel, He says “ according to my Gospel not ht it is the Gospel from Paul But rather the It is the Gospel of God ( Rom 1:1) I think Paul is pointing us back to all that he had wrote in the letter to the Romans.The source of strength for serving the Lord is found in the gospel, which is the core of Paul’s preaching, and the gospel is grounded in the message about Christ. Paul is reminding us that The Gospel is the Power of God, ( Rom 1:16) He is reminding us that we are Justified by faith in christ ( Rom 3:21-31) He is reminding us that we have peace with God, that God has pour out his love into our heart by the holy Spirit, That Christ died for the ungodly which is you and TRomans 5: 1-11) Paul reminds us that we are dead to sin and alive to God in christ. (Rom 6: 11) He reminds us that we are united with Christ. (Rom 7:4) Paul is reminding us that we are no longer under condemnation, ( Rom 8:1) he reminds us we have revived adaption as sons. ( Rom 8:15) Paul reminds us of our security we have in God. (Rom 8:26-39) Paul reminds us that we became a Christian by sovereign election and the purpose of God. ( Rom 9) and that our faith can through here the word of Christ ( Rom 10) and that as gentiles we have been grafted in to the branch ( Rom 11:19)

God is able to strengthen you and the means by which he does that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Beloved I cannot stress to you more that the Gospel is not just for the new Christian… We will never out grow the Gospel as a matter of fact it is our source of strength, it is what saved us, it is where we stand, and it is what we are being saved by.

English Standard Version Chapter 15

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

The God who is able to keep you from stumbling.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Here we see that God is able to keep us from stumbling, this great doxology reminds us if the power of God, Jude in heart felt praise says Now to Him who is able to Keep you, What does it mean for God to Keep us. I ask this because just 4 verses earlier Jude extorted his readers to “Keep themselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ”( Verse 21) True, he has told them they must keep themselves in the love of God (v. 21), but he uses a different word for ‘keep’ here. There tēreō is used; it means ‘watch’. So here we see these to go together, the Love of God and Looking for the mercy of christ unto eternal life. We must watch that we stay close to the lord. Here in verse 24 the word used is phylasso which means to guard, protect, it has the idea protection and safety. The word here has the idea of a horse that is sure footed. And so Jude is saying in affect that God alone is the one who can make us sure footed so we don’t stumble. In what ways does the lord keep us and preserve his saints 1. Error of Doctrine, 2. Error of spirit such as want of love, discernment, unbelief, fanaticism. these are not all the areas that God Keeps us but some. None but the Lord can keep us from stumbling, No place guarantees security, the church, the closet, the communion table, all of theses things are invaded by temptation.

Jude is calling us to see that we are dependent on our God and Savior to keep us from stumbling. From the beginning of the Christian life to the end, we need God’s preserving grace because we cannot persevere in our own strength.Jude gives his readers the assurance that God will keep believers from stumbling by reminding them that God is able. God’s perfect power is available to believers wherever they are, no matter what is happening in their lives. Jude is not giving his readers a remembrance of a time when God’s power had worked in them. Neither is he speaking of a time in the future when God will work powerfully in the lives of His people. Rather, he is speaking of the fact that God is able to work in their lives at all times and in all circumstances.

Not only is God able to Keep us from stumbling, it also says And to present us blameless, before the presence of his glory with great joy.  Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (Eph 1:4)so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (Eph 5:27) 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world (Phil 2:15)

God promises to present His people to Himself blameless and joyful. Left to ourselves, none of us is blameless. Only those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb will be made to stand blameless on the day of judgment. Though Adam and Eve lost the joy of living in the presence of God when they sinned, Christ has taken away the guilt of our sin and removed the fear of judgment. We will rejoice in that day because we will stand clothed in His righteousness and will have been fully set free from sin. Additionally, God personally rejoices to bring us to Himself in glory. The writer of Hebrews tells us that “for the joy that was set before him” Jesus died to bring us to glory (12:2).

The God who is able to do far more.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Here I think we see the greatest of what we have been talking about, think with me for a minute about the words that Paul is saying. Able to Do far more than what we could ask or think. Far more he says!!!!! Gods power is unlimited, Gods care for his people is unthinkable, this speaks of God infinite ability. There is no limit to his Power, only human thoughts and words about it are limited.

As we consider why Paul comes to this conclusion at the end of Chapter three. It is interesting to me that after all that Paul has laid out concerning who we are and the benefits that we have in Christ he still reaches beyond that as says God is able to do far more. Far more abundantly here has the idea of superabondantly, quite beyond all measure, greatly exceeding all boundaries. The form is used as the highest form of comparison imaginable.

Lets look some of the benefits that Paul gives us in this letter that will help us understand the greatness of Gods ability. s 1. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, God the father has chose us in christ, in christ we have recieved adoption as sons, we have redemption, the forgiveness of our trespasses, he made know to us the mystery of his will, we have obtained and inheritance, sealed with the promised holy spirit. (Eph 1:3-14) Paul continues by telling us that we are dead, that is to say we have no ability, cut off from God, he then tells us that He God made us alive in christ, it’s by grace that we have been saved, he has seated us in the heavenly places in christ, we are his workmanship created in christ, we were strangers and have been brought near by the blood of christ. (Eph 2:1-13) we are fellow heirs, and fellow partakers of the promise in christ, ( Eph 3:6).

It is after all of this that Paul burst fourth into prayer and praise to the God who is Able!!!! This passage teaches us that God is infinitely powerful and omniscient and is therefore able to meet our deepest needs—even beyond all that we could ask or think. It reveals that God works His power in His people for His own glory. The God who powerfully answers prayers is the God who is glorified in the church and in Christ. God is infinite in power and is therefore Himself the power. God comes and dwells in His people by the Holy Spirit. The power that God works in us is brought about by the indwelling of the Spirit. Though we are, in and of ourselves, weak people, God works His power in us to resist temptation, live obediently, serve faithfully, witness boldly, and suffer joyfully.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

God is worthy of exclusive praise, highest praise, and unending praise because He is the only God, and He is the God who strengthens us, keeps us and is able to do far more than we can ask or think. God is worthy of exclusive praise because He is the only God, our Savior. God is worthy of highest praise because He has all glory, majesty, dominion, and power. Finally, we are to give God unending praise because Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The eternal God is the God who keeps us and presents us before the presence of His glory with great joy.we are to praise God for His glory, which is the sum total of all His attributes, the blinding light of His presence, and the crushing weight of His character.