Infinitely More

Ephesians 3:20–21 NAS

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

I was asked to do a funeral last week and of course God always teaches or shows me something through times like that. This particular one i learned, “do not follow the hearse all the way up to the graveside. Once the funeral was over the family gathered right in front of my truck and so not wanting to be a jerk i sat and waited. Finally, one of the funeral directors said maybe if you get in your truck they will move out of the way so I was like ok I guess I’ll try that. However, I don‘t know if you know this or not but someone who is deaf cannot hear anything. Like its not just that they can’t hear you talk but when you get in your truck and slam the door they don’t hear any of it. So, finally the lady comes over and asked them nicely to move. Anyways the other thing that i got to thinking about as we were headed out to the cemetery was this is where my Grandpa is buried. And this is the first time i have done a funeral here. But as i was leaving i found my grandpa‘s grave a stopped for a bit And thought about somethings like he might need a new head stone. But also one thing that came to my mind was something that has been there even before he died and that was one weekend when we were up at his lake house. He had been diagnosed with cancer and he had been going to church and i can remember the adults talking and I can’t remember if this was the deal but for some reason it seemed like we were waiting and someone said well he is getting baptised or maybe that just the way it seemed but I have never forgot that. I may not remember the exact way it went down but I remember that and for a ten year old boy that said something to me because even later I remember thinking that placed an importance in me about this thing called Christianity. On my moms side of the family it looked different because they went to church every Sunday and it just seemed like that’s what you did but when my pawpaw Charles did it spoke more to me that this was something you had to have right in your life. The following year I was in a car crash that I do not remember but what I do remember was the day they told me my cousin died. And thinking about what if it would have been me. I believe my grandmother prayed for grandkids. I especially believed she prayed for me because I know she cared for me as much as she whipped me and washed my mouth out with soap. But here is something that I cant wait to find out when I am able to be reunited with my grandparents. I want to know about what there thoughts were through them giving their lives to Christ. Did my pawpaw know that him being baptized would be something that stuck in his grandsons mind. That he showed me something by getting his life right with the Lord before he died. Something else I wonder about is what did my Grandmother pray for me. Did she simply pray that I would live for Jesus. That I would give my life to the Lord? Maybe after I survived the car wreck she said God I believe you left him for a reason So I pray that you will use him. but can I tell you I don’t think my me-maw ever thought that I would be pastoring a church in Nacogdoches where lives are being changed and people are coming to know the Lord. Family trees are being changed because fathers are saying get up we are going to church. Mothers are saying I don’t want to go out of town, because I don’t want to miss church. Lives are going to be changed and that is the way it is going to happen but can i tell you I am here today I believe because of those like my grandparents that gave their lives to him but I don’t think my grandmothers prayers were as big as what God is doing. Because God does infinitely more than we ever ask or think. I don’t know why. God gave me a big vision for this church and when I share it with people i feel like they look at me funny because it is a big vision and sometimes I feel weird praying about it because it seems like that is a big vision that you don’t really see other cowboy churches doing why do i think God is going to do that here but then I come to a passage like this and think Satan stop trying to kill the vision and i keep asking and thinking about it because the God I serve is a God who can take nothing and create a universe the God I serve is the God that takes a nobody shepherd boy and makes him a King. The God I serve makes dead bones walk again. dead men walk out of graves. the blind see the lame walk and so what ever it is this morning that you are thinking man I wish God would do this man I wish i could see God move in this way. stop wishing it and start asking. You wanna see God change you start asking, you wanna see God change your family start asking for it. you got an addiction that you feel like cant be kicked stop wishing you could quit and start asking God to make you quit.

My grandfather never thought about this

My grandmother never asked for this. But yet i believe through her prayers

Ephesians 3:20–21 NLT

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

My grandfather never though about this

My grandmother never asked for this. But yet i believe through what they did God was able to use that to do infinitely more than they would ever even think about more than they would ever even ask for. And he does it to show how he is able to do things in a way that only he can receive the glory for. He saves those that you wouldn’t think are even thinking have a chance because he wants to show you the power that he can work with in us.

but you know maybe for us its because we are so much like Peter. If you flip over to Luke 5 if you have your bible. Jesus has started his ministry he has been casting out demons he has been healing people, he’s been rejected in his home town but he is still continuing to preach. So, here we come to this little story here and in verse 1 it says.

Luke 5:1–11 NLT

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Simon Peter like many of us we doubt God right. Jesus has been doing miracles and miracles that if you were a Jew these were miracles that pointed to Him being the Messiah. We read the accounts of what God has done through his word, we can hear things through personal testimony, we can hear what God is doing in other parts of the world and then when we bow our heads to pray, Father thank you for this day thank you for my family, watch over them and protect them, keep them safe from all harm, bless this food into the nurishment of my body and my body into your service amen. For love for friends for daily food our father we think you amen.

new york city most influential cities in the world. in the 1980s it was one of the most dangerous cities in the world. In 1990 there were 2262 murders 600,000 felonies. people thought NY was going to be a disaster. graffiti, trash. in the 90s it began to turn and in 2005 in a one year span t 562 murders. people studied it trying to figure out what happened. booming economy, inovative police strategy - when a window wsa broken the government was fixing it. Abortion.

but when they began to really look behind the veil of what was going on they found that in the 90s a group of Christians started to gather and pray for the city. and it began to gain momentum where more people were getting involved and gathering and praying to where more than a thousand Christians were praying and now more than 60,000 regular joe christians pray that God would redeem NY.

to do. God is a doer. He is not distant. He is a doer and he wants to do something through each one of us. he wants to do something through His church. but you have to make that first step into being a part of His church. it is not about just being in a church but it is about being a part of a church. We have a pathway for that but the first thing it starts with is just like those disciples did that day they got out of that boat. they left everything and they followed Jesus.

to all generations. This means we are to be producing for the kingdom. We produce children that are followers of God. We raise our kids to know who God is and that means doing more than just taking them to church once or twice a week and dropping them off for the church to teach them something. We send our kids to school for sometimes 14 years and they leave knowing some things but we bring them to church twice a month hoping that in that time they catch enough of Jesus that they want to live for him or at least make the decision to get baptized so we feel better about ourselves. So, it is no wonder that a new survey came out by focus on the family that says “Millennials don’t know, believe, or care” whether God exists.

Matthew 28:19–20 NLT

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

“If we are not gathering, growing, or producing, why are we doing it?” Josh Sparkman, No Fences Cowboy Church

None of that will happen if we aren’t meeting together

John 1:12 NLT

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

many of you hear the gospel and think that is a great story about how you can end up in heaven one day but here is the deal thats not all its about. the gospel weighs in on every aspect of life. when your marriage is on the rocks the gospel is the only thing i have to go off of in that moment. if i tell you to do what makes you happy i not speaking to you biblically.

Today is the day you make the decision that affects you for eternity.

calling upon Christ simply means praying and asking him to save you.

A simple prayer coming from a sincere heart is enough:

Heavenly Father,

I ACCEPT that I am a sinner. I confess that going on my own stubborn way has hurt you, myself, and others.

I BELIEVE that Jesus died for me and took my punishment on the cross.

I CALL upon you and ask you to save me. I humbly ask you to receive me as one of your children because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. Amen.