I want everyone to close their eyes this morning. I want you to imagine 2 new families walking in this morning. They may have a few kids. they are vibrant and excited and they love the Lord. Then imagine the a few weeks later another family, then a few more families and the building is getting fuller and fuller and everyone is now having to scoot in shoulder to shoulder so that we can some more folks in. We have to 2 to 3 rows of teenagers sitting to gether. Everyone is excited to be here, everyone wants to help and be active, we gather midweek to do service projects in our community 3/4 of the congregation shows up. We have every race you can imagine in Giddings gathering together as one family. It eventually gets to the point after a few months that we decide to tear down a wall and expand the auditorium. we outgrow our classroom and fellowship hall so we begin to look at other properties around town to begin a new facility. We are sending missionaries all over the world to preach the gospel. after several years some of our very own children come back and are faithful members of the Lord’s church and even a few of our kids are in ministry and doing mission work all over the world and finally Daryl can retire! No just kidding! Isn’t that a nice vision of the future. for some of us that is just a pipe dream. for some of us that’s impossible, for some of us we could careless about the future and what it looks like. for some of us that would be too much change and we like it the way that it is.

How often have you allowed yourself to dream like that. How often have you dreamed about the church at all, I’m not talking about nightmares. How many of you have ever watched the Man of La Macha. It’s about this old man who sees what everyone else doesn’t. Instead of seeing what is, he inspires others to see what it could be or should be. In that movie there is a song that has been covered by many artist over the years and the song is entitled The impossible dream.

To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe

To bear with unbearable sorrow

To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong

To love pure and chaste from afar

To try when your arms are too weary

To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest to follow that star

No matter how hopeless, no matter how far

To fight for the right

Without question or pause

To be willing to march

Into hell for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true

To this glorious quest

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm

When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this

That one man, scorned and covered with scars

Still strove with his last ounce of courage

To reach the unreachable star

The fight the unbeatable foe

To dream the impossible dream

And the world will be better for this

That one man, scorned and covered with scars

Still strove with his last ounce of courage

To reach the unreachable star

To fight the unbeatable foe

To dream the impossible dream

Why do we not dream the impossible dream? Many times we fail to dream because we forget that God is able!

Now to Him who is able.

- Paul is saying God can do it. He is all-powerful - there is no limit to his power, there is no limit to what he can do! My God is so Big so strong & so mighty there is nothing my God cannot do. He can do it! (proof: spoke the world into existence, saved Noah thru the flood, parted the red sea, 10 plagues, brought down the walls of Jericho ) Led the people out of Egypt etc.

Now to Him who is able to do

- God is doer, he doesn’t just make bold claims he does them. he doesn’t just boast about his power, makes it happen. God is alive and he is active and doing right now. He hasn’t retired, he’s not chill-axing up in Heaven. he is a worker and a doer. God is active and working right now.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond

- exceedingly, abundantly beyond - quite beyond all measure, NIV - immeasurably more. There is no maximum amount of what God can do. there is no place where God would say, I can do no more. Don’t ever doubt that he can. there is no limit to what God can do. He is able

He is able to do all that we ask!

Paul is asking some pretty extraordinary things from God right before he breaks in to this doxology - to be strengthened, Christ to dwell, to comprehend, know the love of Christ. He asked God to do these things and he can. there are no limits to what God can do; the weaknesses or limits are with man’s ability to express himself.

James 4:3 NASB95

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

maybe the reason we don’t ask is because we have a lack of faith, for some reason we don’t believe he can or he will do what we ask.

Hebrews 4:16 NASB95

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

bold and persistent Luke 18:1-8 ask in faith (Jas. 1:3-6). Brothers and sisters it is time to stop holding back. It is time to stop making up excuses of why he won’t. It’s time to believe in God that is able to do far more abundantly that all we ask. Brothers and sisters if you want this building to be full then ask. Be persistent about it, ask in faith believing. You want to have more opportunities to reach the lost then ask. Brothers and sisters God is able to do all that we ask & EVEN MORE. You can’t out dream God’s ability. You cannot ask something that is

He is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think

- imagine. You can’t dream up anything to big for God. Again the weakness is with man and not God. Do you ever dream about the church and its future. what can you envision. man can dream some pretty big dreams, convert an entire city, state, country.... As you ponder God’s greatness, would you have envisioned delivering Israel through 10 plagues or feeding them with manna from the sky and water from a rock. would you have envisioned fire consuming the water logged altar of Elijah or the delivering of King Hezekiah and God’s [people with an angel who wiped out 185,000 in one night. would you have envisioned Jonah and the fish and the conversion of a whole city. Brothers and sisters dream and dream big and dream often. Maybe we dream and think about other things other than the church and God and maybe that's why we don't do great things. Its not because of God its because of us. We think and ask about a million other things.

God is able! And Here is the real kicker

He is able to do...through us! This is what is really amazing! Can and will use you. You may think that you are tapped out, you may think that you have nothing to offer but God can do great things through you. But you have to show up believe, trust, have faith that God is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. You have to allow yourself to be used. In other words get off the sideline and get into the game. Use whatever gifts and talents you have. now is not the time to retire, quit, or pass the buck onto someone else. God is able to do these things through you.

God has always done great acts through His people. Did Moses believe that God could deliver his people through him. did Gideon think that God , through Him, could rout the Midian Army Judge 7:19-25? Did the Israelites think that little old David would be able to kill the great warrior Goliath 1 Sam. 17. God has always used people. Peter the first Gospel sermon in Acts 2. Paul before Felix and Agrippa, Sermon on Mars Hill. The 12 apostles to begin his church and spread the word to the world. Praise God

Ephesians 3:20 NASB95

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

Do you want God’s power to be a t work in you? Believe that he is the Christ the Son of God and confess him as such like the Eunuch did in Acts 8 repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and so that you will receive the Holy spirit and the Lord Himself will add you to His church and God will begin to strengthen you and use for His glory. If you are a child of God this morning, don’t for get who is at work with in you. God is able! Lets dream big!