"Beyond All You Can Ask or Imagine"

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

AS WE CLOSE OUT THIS SUMMER SERMON SERIES ON YOUR NEXT MIRACLE WE CELEBRATE THIS MORNING HOW

“Miracles happen [when] we praise God.”

The story is told about a woman missionary in China many years ago. She contracted a deadly disease and

was given up to die. For days she lay quarantined in her bunk, with no medical help—it was a hopeless

situation.

The only thing she could do was pray. So hour after hour, she pled with God to heal her. Then suddenly the

Lord gave her a vision. She saw an old-fashioned scale, the kind often seen on justice statues, with a

fulcrum and plates held by chains on each side. This scale she saw was heavily weighted on one side, while

the other side was way up in the air because it was empty. The scale was clearly out of balance.

The Lord revealed to her that the heavy side was her prayers—she had certainly prayed many prayers—

while the empty side was her praise. God quickened to her that the praise side needed to be filled to

outweigh the trouble she was facing. When the scale was balanced, her healing would be manifested.

So this desperately sick woman stopped pleading for her healing and started praising God. She praised Him

for His greatness. She praised Him for sending Jesus and for all His benefits. She praised Him for being her

savior, her healer, her provider, and for everything He’d ever done for her.

At first, she was so weak that her praises were mere whispers. But as she continued to do nothing but praise

and worship God all day and all night, she grew louder. As the people outside her room heard her fervent

praises they feared for her life, thinking that maybe she was delirious with fever. You can imagine how

amazed they were, several days later, when she walked out of that room on her own, totally healed! She

had taken “the praise cure” and she was completely made well.

FROM THE GOOD SAMARITAN HEALTH CENTER PATIENT PORTAL BLOG DATED AUGUST 12th

AND WE’VE ALL HEARD IT SAID, EVEN IF WE HAVEN’T SAID IT OURSELVES, BELOVEDS, “WHEN THE PRAISES GO UP,

THE BLESSINGS COME DOWN. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE STORY OF OUR CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY, IN CHINA, IS HOW

PRAISES ALSO CAN PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN YOUR NEXT MIRACLE.......YOUR NEXT SET OF BLESSINGS.....YOUR WAY OF

SHOWING GOD THE DESIRE YOU HAVE TO REALLY TUNE IN AND LISTEN AND TO BE AWARE THAT IF ALL YOU CAN DO

IS PRAISE GOD SOFTLY, PRAISE GOD FROM YOUR HEART.......IF ALL YOU CAN DO IS COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS ONE BY

ONE AND PRAISE GOD IN THE PROCESS.....BELOVEDS, PRAISE GOD IN THE PROCESS.....

PRAISE HIM, THE GOSPEL SONG WRITER, WROTE....FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN UNTO THE GOING DOWN OF THE

SAME, HE’S WORTHY, JESUS IS WORTHY…OH HE’S WORTHY TO BE PRAISED.......Glory! Glory! In all things give him

glory. Jesus, blessed Savior, he's worthy to be praised

SO, ON YOUR WAY TO YOUR NEXT MIRACLE NEVER FORGET TO PRAISE THE GOOD LORD IN ADVANCE…AMEN?

4 ADDITIONAL WAYS YOUR PRAISES OF GOD WILL BLESS YOU

THE MISSIONARY’S PRAISES PREPPED AND POSITIONED HER FOR HER NEXT MIRACLE......AND FOR PEOPLE OF

FAITH OUR PRAISES CAN DO MUCH MORE.........SO DON’T LET ANY DISCOURAGEMENT THAT COMES YOUR WAY KEEP

YOU DOWN.....RICK WARREN, THE PASTOR WHOSE CREATIVITY BROUGHT US ALL THINGS PURPOSE DRIVEN IN

CHRISTIAN LITERATURE, NAMED 7 BENEFITS OF PRAISING GOD......WE WON’T LOOK AT 7, WE’LL LOOK AT HIS 4 BEST

BENEFITS

#1 - PRAISES LIFT YOUR SPIRIT.....FOR THE MISSIONARY IN OUR STORY REMEMBER THAT LAST LINE, “She

had taken “the praise cure” and she was completely made well. RICK WARREN WANTS US TO FLIP OVER IN

OUR BIBLES TO PSALMS 42: 5-6

Psalm 42:5–6 NET

Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention. I am depressed, so I will pray to you while I am trapped here in the region of the upper Jordan, from Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

OUR PRAISES TAKE OUR EYES OFF OURSELVES, OUR PRAISES POINT THE WAY TO THE HOPE OF OUR SALVATION,

JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD....PRAISE GOD WHEN YOUR SPIRITS ARE LOW, BELOVEDS.....PRAISE GOD...

#2ndly - PRAISE HELPS YOU AND I SENSE GOD’S PRESENCE, BELOVEDS....

WE KNOW GOD IS ALWAYS PRESENT WHETHER WE SENSE GOD OR NOT. SOMETIMES WE FEEL SO FAR AWAY FROM

GOD.....AND AS WARREN PUTS IT, “WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL GOD’S PRESENCE IS WHEN YOU NEED TO PRAISE GOD

THE MOST. IT’S EASIER TO ACT YOUR WAY INTO A FEELING THAT FEEL YOUR WAY INTO AN ACTION. IN FACT,

MATURITY IS WHEN WE DO WHAT’S RIGHT WHETHER WE FEEL LIKE IT OR NOT. THE BIBLE SAYS, PSALMS 140: 13

Psalm 140:13 NIV

Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence.

3rdly - PRAISE ENLARGES YOUR PERCEPTION OF GOD

OUR TEXT THIS MORNING IS ABOUT HEARING THE APOSTLE PAUL PRAY WITH THE CONFIDENCE TO KNOW GOD IS

DOING MORE THAN WE CAN ASK OR IMAGINE.....THAT’S ENLARGING THE PERCEPTION OF ALL THOSE WHO WOULD

HEAR AND PRAY THIS PRAYER FOR THEMSELVES, BELOVEDS......PRAISE PREPARES US TO RECEIVE PAUL’S PRAYER,

PRAISE PREPARES US TO CONFIDENTLY PRAY THIS PRAYER FOR OTHERS......AND IT IS PSALM 69:30

Psalm 69:30 NRSV

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

THAT REMINDS US TO KEEP MAGNIFYING OUR GOD, AND AS WE MAGNIFY WARREN WRITES, WE ENLARGE THE VERY

THING WE’RE MAGNIFYING, AMEN? AND WHEN OUR GOD GETS BIGGER, OUR PROBLEMS CAN GET SMALLER.....CAN

YOUR PROBLEMS EVER BE BIGGER THAN GOD? OUR PROBLEMS CAN FEEL LIKE THEY’RE CONSUMING US AT TIMES,

AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS BELOVEDS.....WE’VE GOT TO PRAISE OUR WAY OUT THEM, PRAISE OUR WAY INTO THE

PRESENCE OF OUR GOD WHO’S BIGGER THAN EVERYTHING......

4thly and FINALLY, PRAISE CAN REVEAL SOLUTIONS WE CAN’T SEE....

AS WE COME INTO GOD’S PRESENCE SEEKING SOLUTIONS TO THE COMPLEXITIES OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES

WE HEAR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE CATHOLIC MONK, THOMAS A. KEMPIS

TO PRAISE GOD IN ALL THINGS......AND TO CARRY OUT OUR VERY LIVES THIS WAY, BELOVEDS:

DIY Bible Study How Isaiah Can Transform Your Life

To act well, and suffer evil, to praise God in all things, and never to draw vanity from his good gifts—such is the life of the just.

BELIEVERS COME TO RECOGNIZE AND AFFIRM THAT PRAISING GOD IN GOD’S PRESENCE CAN REVEAL SOLUTIONS

TO THE TOUGHEST TIMES AND CIRCUMSTANCES IN OUR LIVES WITH NEW WAYS TO THINK, ACT & SEE......PSALM 73:16-17

Psalm 73:16–17 NRSV

But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.

SOMETIMES WE’VE GOT TO PRAISE GOD IN THE SANCTUARY, EVEN AS WE PERCEIVE THIS BOTH LITERALLY AND

FIGURATIVELY........WE COME INTO GOD’S PRESENCE, AND ALLOW GOD TO WORK ON OUR MINDS, OUR HEARTS AND

OUR SOULS....WE COME INTO THE SANCTUARY AND LEAVE LIFTED, WE LEAVE WITH A SOLUTION OR TWO WE MAY

HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED BEFORE......

REMIND YOURSELF ABOUT HOW GOD MADE US

GOD GAVE US THE MANY, MIGHTY AND MYRIAD GIFTS OF ARTISTS & ACADEMICS OF SO MANY KINDS.......THE

AMERICAN WRITER AND LONG-TIME ENGLISH PROFESSOR AT WHEATON COLLEGE IN ILLINOIS, CLYDE S. KILBY

WANTED PEOPLE OF FAITH TO LOOK TO GOD AND TO SEEK IN OUR DIVINE CREATOR EVERYTHING WE NEED TO

EXERCISE AND EXTEND OUR IMAGINATIONS........HE WROTE:

SINCE WE ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, WE SHARE IN GOD’S CREATIVE ABILITY. THE CREATIVE GIFT

RESIDES FOR THE MOST PART IN THE IMAGINATION.....

THIS GIFT OF IMAGINATION MAY BE ONE OF GOD’S GREATEST TO HUMANITY.....

SHANA SCHUTTE WROTE:

When imagination and excitement are mixed together, you will either not notice obstacles or they will be

largely diminished—and, therefore, your courage will increase! This is important to remember as you pursue

your God-given purpose.

AND IT WAS ALBERT EINSTEIN WHO WENT ON TO WRITE: “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming

attractions.”

AND THIS IS THE INTERSECTION OF YOUR IMAGINATION WITH YOUR NEXT MIRACLE......WHAT IS YOUR NEXT

MIRACLE IF IT’S NOT A SO-CALLED “COMING ATTRACTION” IN YOUR LIFE? AND AS GREAT A GIFT AS YOUR

IMAGINATION IS TO YOU, SPURRING ON YOUR CREATIVITY, GIVING YOU CONFIDENCE TO FACE YOUR

TOMORROWS.....AND AS GREAT AS THIS GIFT OF IMAGINATION IS....THE APOSTLE PAUL’S PRAYER HERE IN

EPHESIANS CLOSES WITH OUR SCRIPTURE FOR THE MORNING WITH HIS MOST POWERFUL DOXOLOGY IN ALL OF

HIS WRITTEN LETTERS....ONE COMMENTATOR ON THE TEXT ASSESSES PAUL’S CLOSE HERE THIS WAY.....

CONCLUSION

A Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians Commentary

Paul’s prayer had apparently reached a height beyond which neither faith, nor hope, nor even imagination could go, and yet he is not satisfied. An immensity still lay beyond. God was able to do not only what he had asked, but infinitely more than he knew how either to ask or think. Having exhausted all the forms of prayer, he casts himself on the infinitude of God, in full confidence that he can and will do all that omnipotence itself can effect

THE GOOD NEWS IS THIS YOU CAN’T OUT-IMAGINE WHAT GOD’S GONNA DO FOR YOU......

YOU CAN’T CAN OUT HOPE GOD FOR YOUR NEXT MIRACLE.......

WHEREVER AND WHENEVER YOUR FAITH MY FEEL IT’S WEAKEST…GOD CAN AND WILL MAKE IT STRONGER AS YOU

ALLOW IT....

SO WHETHER THIS IS HOW I’M CLOSING OUT A WORSHIP SERVICE, OR CLOSING THIS SERMON, OR CLOSING OUT

THIS SERIES.....IT IS MY GREAT JOY TO REPORT GOD’S STILL WORKING ON YOU AND FOR YOUR NEXT

MIRACLE.....AND AS LONG AS YOU CAN MATCH YOUR TIMETABLE TO GOD’S.....THIS GOOD NEWS IS THE GREATEST

NEWS WE CAN GET.....

AND WITH NEWS THIS GOOD, BELOVEDS, WE CAN’T GIVE GOD ANYTHING BUT GLORY, GLORY NOW AND FOREVER....