Don't Miss the Blessing
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Ask for a volunteer. When they come up, bless them.
You know one person came up here but so many of you missed the blessing. So many of you weren’t willing to make the walk, to take the step of faith, to give up what was holding you back from the blessing. Sometimes it is for what we think are good reasons, fear or uncertainty, but if we are unwilling to give of all of ourselves, we will miss the blessing or do we forget what it says in Eph 3:20-21: Read
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Chester Barnard said, “To try and fail is at least to learn; to fail to try is to suffer the inestimable loss of what might have been.”
The same is true in faith and giving. If we never reach out to God in giving how do we ever expect to receive. In this time of Thanksgiving I want us to remember the first, the last and the most important thing we can give is our relationship to God. That’s what salvation is built upon, relationship. Giving our time, love, hope and prayers to the Lord as He revisits those same things upon us. Then secondly to pour out onto others, what God has poured onto me, is the second more important way I can show Thanksgivings to God. I want to just read Ephesians 3, the whole chapter for you. It isn’t going to be on the slides, just let it pour out on you and then I want to dig into this chapter a bit, because it has real meaning on the thought of Thanksgiving and how we don’t want to miss out.
I. Eph 3
A. Understanding – vs 6
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Eph 3
Understanding
1. Gentiles were missing the blessing
a. Limited – thought only for Jews
b. Walked on past
c. Didn’t offer it anything, didn’t pour in
2. There is abundance for all
a. Gentiles are a part of this
b. Jesus died for all people
Eph 3
Understanding
Seeing It
B. Seeing it – vs 8-10
Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
1. Stronger together
a. Every person is important
b. Every person has something to give
c. Every person has a blessing coming from God
2. Have wisdom enough for all
a. We are only limited by self
b. We put God in the box
c. Many times we do not have because we do not ask
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Eph 3
Understanding
Seeing it
Willing
C. Willing
God uses only the willing
Test to see if it isn’t true
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Water Next to glass
II. Pouring Out = Pouring In
Pouring Out = Pouring In
Being to Grasp
A. Begin to Grasp – vs 14-19
For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
i. God wants us to grasp these things
ii. He pours them out so we can see
iii. It is all a benefit to faith
a. Remember faith isn’t blind
b. Born of doing and experiencing
Pouring Out = Pouring In
Begin to Grasp
Never Ending Love
B. Never Ending Love
God wants us to get it
It doesn’t need to be a mystery how much he pours out
But we have to trust as we pour in
Pouring Out = Pouring In
Begin to Grasp
Never Ending Love
God Overflows
C. God Overflows
1. Can’t comprehend –
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
2. God will overflow
3. Ask Him and see – Cups with names overflowing
a. Job
b. House
c. Kids
d. Money
e. Faith
f. Prayer
g. confidence
III. Immeasurably more –
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Immeasurably more
Approach the Throne
A. Approach throne
1. Freedom
a. Stop holding yourself back
b. Stop relying on you
c. Let your cup overflow
d. Don’t restrain yourself
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
2. Confidence
a. Result of faith
b. Seeing God is faithful
c. Can’t see it unless you do it
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Immeasurably More
Approach the Throne
Overflowing to Others
B. Overflowing –
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
1. Love
a. So they see God’s love
b. We Prove it true for others
i. Let our light shine
2. Peace
a. Barrier against the World
i. Others are dying to get it
ii. One of the most requested things on Earth
iii. People need to see God’s Peace in us
b. Giving them hope
i. Part of the best of the Gospel Message
ii. They can see our good works and praise God
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
5. And so much more
Pour it out and let it spill on others, it will happen by accident at first, but just keep going. (Tower of cups pouring out)
Immeasurably More
Approach the Throne
Overflowing to Others
The more we give
C. The more we give
1. Where Luke 6:38 Comes from
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Immeasurably More
Approach the Throne
Overflowing to Others
The more we give
2. The more we give
a. Forgiveness
b. Grace
c. Mercy
d. Love
e. Time
f. Money
g. Effort
h. Gospel of Jesus
Conclusion:
Remember, faith is not blind! It is born of the doing. It comes from pouring out to God what God has already poured into me. So many times we get close to the blessing but we miss out, like the gentiles because maybe its for someone else and not for me. We fail to try and reach out or we pour our cup to a point but don’t let it spill over and we miss out.
But today and this week I want you to put this into practice. I want you to practice the pouring out at God has poured into you.
Take this, these are my blessings and I just want to go out here and bless you guys. I want to pour out on you my time, talent and treasures.
Pray