Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 21, Issue 19 October 30, 2011
Man oh man…..do I have GOOD NEWS for you!
I am not merely held by the hand of a limited God ... but according to Ephesians 3:20 “He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.”
We are not just given a life, but according to John 10:10 “life and that more abundantly”.
We are not just given power to overcome our enemies ... but according to Judges 10:9-33 “we are given power to subdue the enemy of our soul!”
Digging a little deeper, we see that the Israelites had asked for one victory in one battle.. yet God enabled them to completely subdue them from that time on!
God has so much more for you than the victory in one battle. He wants you to subdue your enemy so you will have the total victory! He makes you more than conqueror!
Folks, I believe that God always over answers the prayers of His children.
- I am not merely a conqueror through Christ, but according to Romans 8:37 “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
- I do not merely have joy, but according to I Peter 1:8 “we can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
- I am not a recipient of mere promises, but according to II Peter 1:4 “we are given exceeding great and precious promises.”
- I am not a recipient of a measure of grace, but according to I Timothy 1:14 “the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
He continually gives us more than we ask for.
Think for a moment.....God has done that for you!
* You asked God for a clean heart
He gave you a new one! He gave you a heart that hungers after Him, a heart that thirsts after Jesus! He gave you eyes to see and ears to hear.
* You asked for forgiveness
He not only forgave, He wiped out the record! He put a hatred for sin in you, and flooded your soul with hope and confidence in Jesus!
* You asked for peace
Jesus became your morning dew. He refreshes your soul daily.
You are not dead or dying - you are alive and growing in Him! He waters your soul with His word.
You only asked to be saved and
God poured it on in abundant measure!
David said of the Lord in Psalms 130:7 “Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD [there is] mercy, and with him [is] plenteous redemption.”
Even when we are wayward at times. Isaiah 55:7 says, “Return to the LORD, and he will have mercy, return to God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
He not only forgives sin - He overflows with mercy and grace!
Matthew 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
One of my favorites is in Acts 3:2. “A certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, and laid daily at the temple gate called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.”
He simply wanted a little bit of money!
“And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed to them, expecting to receive something of them....
Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted [him] up: and immed-iately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”
This beggar would have settled for some green back, instead he got what money could not buy!
We too must change our
EXPECTANCY
level when we pray.
Ephesians 3:20 describes God as the “one that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.”
May our Father’s nature be more to our keeping as well.
We need to walk in the foot steps of our Lord,
becoming more than generous!
becoming more than generous!
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your. For the way you give out is the way you will receive..sow sparingly, reap sparingly!”
I Corinthians 2:9-10 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.”
I Timothy 6:17 “trust in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”
Somehow we’ve come to think it spiritual
to not ask Him for anything.
to not ask Him for anything.
Yet, Jesus says in Luke 11:9 & Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened.”
In the Old Testament the Lord had spoken to Ahaz saying, ask for a sign from Me. His response may sound holy, “I won’t tempt God!”
But, it angered God. He knew Ahaz had lost his faith long before this incident.
Like so many today, this guy didn’t want his faith tested....
Some never ask God for anything
because it will test a faith they don’t have!
because it will test a faith they don’t have!
Ahaz had already figured a way out of his dilemma.... he did not want to bother God with it. God said, “Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?”
How long will you disgust the Lord your God, when will you trust Him?
- How long before you stand on My word?
- When will you learn that I am the great I AM?
- When will you believe that I have all that you will ever need?
- I can and will take care of you!
This is perhaps the greatest over answer of prayer yet! “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
The people had cried, “send us a deliverer”. They had thought “some man”. Well, this was some man alright - it was none other than Immanuel Himself!
Pray, believing that God delights to
answer you in His own way and time...
trust Him for your financial situation,
trust Him for those unsaved loved ones,
trust Him for that healing!
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