WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.560 Saddened and shocked us last week with the bombing 00:00:03.560 --> 00:00:06.179 in Saudi Arabia that took the lives of American 00:00:06.179 --> 00:00:11.800 men and women serving in uniform. I suppose that 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:14.160 it is events like this that remind us that even 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:17.660 though we are the superpower of the world, there 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:20.519 are limitations upon us as to how we can react. 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:25.539 We see that not only in governmental matters 00:00:25.539 --> 00:00:28.219 that we have limitations, but we see it personally, 00:00:28.460 --> 00:00:33.219 don't we? We see it, for example, in the Olympic 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:35.960 events coming up. How many of you would like 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:38.899 to be participants in the Olympics? Would you 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:42.420 raise your hand? Well, that's some of us brave 00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:45.219 souls. The rest of us are probably more honest, 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:49.399 because we see that we have limitations. We may 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:52.560 have desires to do certain things, but we have 00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:56.340 weakness. We have limitations in our humanness 00:00:56.340 --> 00:01:01.420 and our flesh. Weakness is inherent. in being 00:01:01.420 --> 00:01:07.560 human. But God is different. God is different 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:11.000 than we are. He is able to do all that pleases 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:15.239 Him. It may please us to be in the Olympics, 00:01:16.319 --> 00:01:20.420 but that doesn't mean that we will be. It might 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:23.159 please us to strike out at those terrorists by 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:26.719 doing something that would get their attention. 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:33.340 But we can't necessarily do that. But you see, 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:38.140 God can do all that pleases Him. Now that's not 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:42.819 the same as saying that God can do anything at 00:01:42.819 --> 00:01:50.319 all. Because God can't do anything. Emphasis 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:54.900 on any. What I said was that God can do all that 00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:58.439 pleases Him. Let me illustrate the difference. 00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:01.659 There are some cynics who through the ages have 00:02:01.659 --> 00:02:06.700 posed the question, can God create a rock so 00:02:06.700 --> 00:02:12.120 heavy that he cannot lift it? And they have debated 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:15.319 round and round about that and sometimes mocked 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:17.939 and made fun of the idea that that God is all 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:21.879 -powerful. Actually the question is a foolish 00:02:21.879 --> 00:02:25.400 question. Because it's based on a false premise. 00:02:25.419 --> 00:02:28.460 That is that God might do something out of harmony 00:02:28.460 --> 00:02:35.099 with his nature. And he can't do that. Theism 00:02:35.099 --> 00:02:40.300 in his theology says God is all -powerful and 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:44.539 able to do whatever he wills. Since his will 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:47.659 is limited by his nature, God can do everything 00:02:47.659 --> 00:02:55.050 that is in harmony with his perfections. Paul 00:02:55.050 --> 00:02:57.469 ends who's also a theologian writes a little 00:02:57.469 --> 00:03:01.009 more simply and a little more plainly when he 00:03:01.009 --> 00:03:04.169 says God cannot do things that are not in harmony 00:03:04.169 --> 00:03:09.229 with his nature He cannot go back on his word 00:03:09.229 --> 00:03:17.370 He cannot lie He has no relationship with sin 00:03:17.370 --> 00:03:25.370 So you see God cannot do anything But God can 00:03:25.370 --> 00:03:29.710 do all things that are in harmony with who he 00:03:29.710 --> 00:03:34.430 is. One word that theologians use to describe 00:03:34.430 --> 00:03:38.870 the mightiness of God is the word omnipotence. 00:03:40.430 --> 00:03:44.110 That comes from a Latin etymology, omni, meaning 00:03:44.110 --> 00:03:52.009 all, all -encompassing, everywhere, omni, and 00:03:52.009 --> 00:03:57.370 then potens. which means powerful. And so this 00:03:57.370 --> 00:04:01.729 word omnipotence means that God is all -powerful. 00:04:03.229 --> 00:04:05.650 The word is found in the King James Version in 00:04:05.650 --> 00:04:09.229 Revelation 19 verse 6 where it says the Lord 00:04:09.229 --> 00:04:14.550 God omnipotent reigneth. Those familiar with 00:04:14.550 --> 00:04:17.850 the Messiah will recognize that Handel used that 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:22.180 verse as part of the hallelujah chorus. The New 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:24.980 American Standard Version and the New International 00:04:24.980 --> 00:04:32.180 Version translate that, Lord God Almighty. And 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:34.740 that particular translation or title connects 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:38.139 with our text today in Jeremiah 32, where I invite 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:47.250 you to turn. Jeremiah chapter 32. And I pick 00:04:47.250 --> 00:04:50.209 up again the theme at the end of verse 18 where 00:04:50.209 --> 00:04:55.569 it says, Oh great and mighty God, the Lord of 00:04:55.569 --> 00:05:02.110 hosts is His name. Great in counsel and mighty 00:05:02.110 --> 00:05:09.910 in deed. Mighty in deed. You see that title for 00:05:09.910 --> 00:05:15.639 God, the Lord of hosts? That is translated Lord 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:19.180 God Almighty in the New International Version. 00:05:20.439 --> 00:05:22.660 Now obviously the Old Testament is written in 00:05:22.660 --> 00:05:25.639 Hebrew and the New Testament is written in Greek, 00:05:26.100 --> 00:05:28.439 but the two names are very close to the same 00:05:28.439 --> 00:05:32.199 though the different languages. Here the literal 00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:38.439 name for God given is Lord Sabeoth. And if you 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:40.699 remember singing Martin Luther's hymn, A Mighty 00:05:40.699 --> 00:05:44.850 Fortress, you remember that name is incorporated 00:05:44.850 --> 00:05:50.389 in Luther's words. I remember as a kid thinking 00:05:50.389 --> 00:05:53.850 that I said Lord Sabbath his name. Because that 00:05:53.850 --> 00:05:57.029 was a word I was used to, Sabbath. But then I 00:05:57.029 --> 00:05:59.230 looked at it more closely and I saw no it's not 00:05:59.230 --> 00:06:04.089 Sabbath, it's Lord Sabeoth. Which literally means 00:06:04.089 --> 00:06:08.750 the Lord of the armies. The Lord of the armies. 00:06:09.410 --> 00:06:15.589 It is the warrior name. of God. He is the Lord 00:06:15.589 --> 00:06:21.670 of the armies of heaven, and as I say the NIV 00:06:21.670 --> 00:06:27.089 translates it, Lord Almighty. Today we want to 00:06:27.089 --> 00:06:30.670 talk about the fact that God is mighty in his 00:06:30.670 --> 00:06:37.949 deeds. In the context of Jeremiah 32, God's might 00:06:37.949 --> 00:06:44.040 is illustrated in several supernatural historical 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:49.980 events. The first one is found in verse 17, where 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:53.000 it says, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth. 00:06:54.660 --> 00:06:58.920 And so Jeremiah, as he prays to God, calls upon 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:04.779 his understanding of God, and he names the making 00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:10.019 or the creation of the universe as a demonstration 00:07:10.509 --> 00:07:19.529 of the power of God's deeds. God spoke and formed 00:07:19.529 --> 00:07:25.509 the heavens and the earth. As he continues praying, 00:07:25.529 --> 00:07:29.029 he calls upon other historical events to show 00:07:29.029 --> 00:07:35.569 how God is mighty in His deeds. Verse 20. Who 00:07:35.569 --> 00:07:39.550 has set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt? 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:43.860 This goes back to the judgments or the plagues 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:46.480 that came upon Pharaoh because he would not let 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:51.399 the people of Israel go. In verse 21, Thou didst 00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:55.639 bring thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt 00:07:55.639 --> 00:08:00.680 with signs and wonders. And so here we see the 00:08:00.680 --> 00:08:06.879 deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Verse 22, Thou 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:10.379 gavest them this land which thou didst swear 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:13.939 to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing 00:08:13.939 --> 00:08:16.360 with milk and honey, and they came in and took 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:20.879 possession of it. And so here Jeremiah is pointing 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:25.740 back to the possession of Canaan when Israel 00:08:25.740 --> 00:08:28.000 entered into the land and took possession of 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:33.379 it as recorded in the book of Joshua. And then 00:08:33.379 --> 00:08:38.470 in verse 24 he seems to to bring up another historical 00:08:38.470 --> 00:08:41.289 event that shows the mightiness of God's deeds. 00:08:42.149 --> 00:08:45.870 But this one is not a happy one for Israel. Behold, 00:08:46.110 --> 00:08:49.909 the siege mounds have reached the city to take 00:08:49.909 --> 00:08:55.730 it. Jeremiah is saying that among God's mighty 00:08:55.730 --> 00:08:59.809 deeds must be counted the fact that the Babylonians 00:08:59.809 --> 00:09:02.950 are knocking at the front gate of the city of 00:09:02.950 --> 00:09:12.299 Jerusalem. God is mighty in his deeds. Notice 00:09:12.299 --> 00:09:15.679 that Jeremiah twice uses the phrase, signs and 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:21.159 wonders. A sign is an indicator or a signal of 00:09:21.159 --> 00:09:24.700 something. Those who live in Minnesota have no 00:09:24.700 --> 00:09:28.399 trouble understanding signs, for when spring 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:32.120 arrives, we have new signs everywhere that say, 00:09:32.340 --> 00:09:36.909 road closed, detour. et cetera, et cetera, et 00:09:36.909 --> 00:09:40.950 cetera. And when we see those signs, it's an 00:09:40.950 --> 00:09:44.769 indication to us, a signal that something is 00:09:44.769 --> 00:09:50.029 changing. And boy, does it change. And then the 00:09:50.029 --> 00:09:55.429 word wonders refers to what God does that invokes 00:09:55.429 --> 00:10:00.629 awe and amazement. It can also include the idea 00:10:00.629 --> 00:10:05.559 of being a miraculous omen. or a harbinger of 00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:10.360 something that is coming. What Jeremiah says 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:14.100 is that God in His mighty deeds performs both 00:10:14.100 --> 00:10:19.500 signs and wonders. These are demonstrations of 00:10:19.500 --> 00:10:23.799 the might of God. And as you read the Old Testament, 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:29.480 you find that the ten plagues that came upon 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:35.730 Egypt were especially noted as God's signs and 00:10:35.730 --> 00:10:39.450 wonders. They would include the opening of the 00:10:39.450 --> 00:10:43.809 sea so that the people could pass through on 00:10:43.809 --> 00:10:47.830 dry ground, the water that came from the rock, 00:10:48.970 --> 00:10:53.509 the wilderness, provision of manna, the quail, 00:10:54.429 --> 00:10:56.990 the pillar of fire, all of these things as well 00:10:56.990 --> 00:11:01.879 as the ten flags. must be counted as signs and 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:05.039 wonders that God performed in the history of 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:08.200 his nation. This guy, could you get that glass 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:09.820 right there and go fill it up with water for 00:11:09.820 --> 00:11:14.620 me please? Thank you very much. You look very 00:11:14.620 --> 00:11:16.679 comfortable sitting there, but I need the water. 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:25.960 Thank you. Now why did God do these things? Well, 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:31.379 he tells us. It was to make a name for Himself 00:11:31.379 --> 00:11:37.379 in verse 20. To make a name for Himself. God 00:11:37.379 --> 00:11:39.960 in His mighty deeds performed these things so 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:44.379 that He could gain a reputation among the nations. 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:48.980 Now I don't have time this morning to go into 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:51.120 the scripture texts that deal with this, but 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:53.440 just try to track with me as I explain what I'm 00:11:53.440 --> 00:12:01.220 saying. In the 14th century, in the 1400s B .C., 00:12:01.220 --> 00:12:06.379 God performed these signs and wonders. It was 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:11.340 in the ministry of Moses. And when God did that, 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:13.820 He said to Pharaoh, I am raising you up and I 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:16.559 am doing these things to you so that I can gain 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:22.539 a name among the nations. You will find if you 00:12:22.539 --> 00:12:25.799 study scripture that for the next one thousand 00:12:25.799 --> 00:12:31.500 years. That was the reputation of the God of 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:36.779 Israel. What he had done in Egypt and at the 00:12:36.779 --> 00:12:40.320 Red Sea, thank you very much, and what he had 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:44.519 done in the wilderness in providing for his people. 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:49.980 For example, 450 years later David mentions it 00:12:49.980 --> 00:12:54.750 as he prays before the nation. in 2 Samuel 7, 00:12:54.750 --> 00:13:01.090 23. 300 years after that, Isaiah talks about 00:13:01.090 --> 00:13:06.210 this in the 63rd chapter. Our text today in 586 00:13:06.210 --> 00:13:11.190 BC. Daniel, about 50 years later after this, 00:13:11.549 --> 00:13:15.809 will again mention this. And Nehemiah, about 00:13:15.809 --> 00:13:19.679 100 years after that, will again mention. that 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:22.960 God had gained himself a reputation among the 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:29.320 nations by the mighty deeds which he did. God 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:34.879 wants to be known as the God who is mighty in 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:43.340 deeds. Now today we don't talk about God very 00:13:43.340 --> 00:13:46.340 often in relation to what he did in ancient Israel. 00:13:48.060 --> 00:13:52.519 I think we should. I think we should mention 00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:55.720 this more than we do. Because it happened to 00:13:55.720 --> 00:14:00.500 Israel, we often assign it to page B, or to a 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:05.279 subcategory. But in fact, God wants to be known 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:10.799 by these mighty things which He did. So you say, 00:14:11.299 --> 00:14:15.690 that was Old Testament. Yes, it was. But the 00:14:15.690 --> 00:14:17.490 God of the New Testament is the God of the Old 00:14:17.490 --> 00:14:25.870 Testament, isn't he? However, God has done something 00:14:25.870 --> 00:14:30.210 in our age that is greater than the ten plagues, 00:14:32.230 --> 00:14:34.289 the opening of the sea, the provision in the 00:14:34.289 --> 00:14:40.250 wilderness, all of that put together. God has 00:14:40.250 --> 00:14:43.690 done something more mighty than all of that. 00:14:47.309 --> 00:14:53.590 And it is this deed by which God especially wants 00:14:53.590 --> 00:14:57.629 to be known in our age. Not forgetting the others. 00:14:59.610 --> 00:15:02.230 But God has done something that is so mighty, 00:15:02.450 --> 00:15:06.169 so surpassing of all of those things, that he 00:15:06.169 --> 00:15:10.570 wishes to be known by this deed in this age. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:15.740 Turn with me to the book of Ephesians the first 00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:18.559 chapter and you will see what this mighty deed 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:36.440 is. Apostle prays beginning in verse 18. With 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:39.279 these words I pray that the eyes of your heart 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:43.370 may be enlightened. so that you may know what 00:15:43.370 --> 00:15:45.789 is the hope of His calling, what are the riches 00:15:45.789 --> 00:15:48.450 of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 00:15:49.490 --> 00:15:55.629 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power, 00:15:57.370 --> 00:16:03.149 His omnipotence, toward us who believe. Now notice 00:16:03.149 --> 00:16:08.889 the next sentence or so. These are in accordance 00:16:08.889 --> 00:16:14.129 with the working of the strength of His might, 00:16:18.169 --> 00:16:21.549 which He brought about in Christ when He raised 00:16:21.549 --> 00:16:27.750 Him from the dead and seated Him at His right 00:16:27.750 --> 00:16:34.549 hand in the heavenly places. In this age, this 00:16:34.549 --> 00:16:37.610 God who is mighty in deeds wants to be known 00:16:37.610 --> 00:16:45.529 for this act. That He, the mighty God, was able 00:16:45.529 --> 00:16:52.750 to reverse death. Not temporarily. Not just to 00:16:52.750 --> 00:16:55.269 raise someone from the dead, only to die again. 00:16:56.730 --> 00:17:02.350 But He raised a man from the dead. who was also 00:17:02.350 --> 00:17:09.789 his son. He raised him from the dead never to 00:17:09.789 --> 00:17:18.609 die again. He raised him as an immortal being, 00:17:21.190 --> 00:17:25.869 the first of his kind. No one has ever been like 00:17:25.869 --> 00:17:31.440 Jesus before in his resurrection. No one. Others 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:33.420 have been raised from the dead, as I say, but 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:37.559 none has been raised like Jesus, never to die 00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:45.019 again. And not only that, God took this man who 00:17:45.019 --> 00:17:49.980 is His beloved Son, this one who is the God -man, 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:56.079 and He raised him to be seated at His own right 00:17:56.079 --> 00:18:00.509 hand. No one has ever been there before. no human 00:18:00.509 --> 00:18:06.390 being. But Jesus Christ is now seated at the 00:18:06.390 --> 00:18:11.170 right hand of God, and God has proclaimed that 00:18:11.170 --> 00:18:18.009 He is head of everything. Before Adam was the 00:18:18.009 --> 00:18:24.630 head of the creation, Adam lost that by his fall 00:18:24.630 --> 00:18:29.670 into sin. But Jesus Christ is the last Adam. 00:18:29.789 --> 00:18:34.609 He is the counterpart to the first Adam. And 00:18:34.609 --> 00:18:38.109 He is the beginning of the new creation of God. 00:18:40.210 --> 00:18:43.789 And He has been exalted to the right hand of 00:18:43.789 --> 00:18:50.470 God and sits there in authority over all of the 00:18:50.470 --> 00:18:58.869 creation. And God says that that is the single 00:18:58.869 --> 00:19:04.210 greatest deed that he has yet performed in the 00:19:04.210 --> 00:19:12.430 history of the world. Now that has lots of profound 00:19:12.430 --> 00:19:17.329 implications for you and me. Not the least of 00:19:17.329 --> 00:19:23.509 which is that we are seated there with him in 00:19:23.509 --> 00:19:28.450 Christ. that we have been raised from our sin, 00:19:29.710 --> 00:19:31.529 that we have been given new life, that we are 00:19:31.529 --> 00:19:36.529 seated with Him. But I want to focus in on one 00:19:36.529 --> 00:19:39.789 particular mighty result of this for you and 00:19:39.789 --> 00:19:45.289 me. And that is that because Jesus Christ is 00:19:45.289 --> 00:19:50.630 seated at the right hand of God, you and I have 00:19:50.630 --> 00:20:00.420 the privilege of prayer. We have one who is at 00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:05.900 the right hand of God who intercedes on our behalf 00:20:05.900 --> 00:20:11.640 and through our prayers. God is mighty indeed 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:15.180 and He is able to answer your prayers and mine 00:20:15.180 --> 00:20:17.259 and I'd like you to flip over just a page or 00:20:17.259 --> 00:20:21.119 two in your Bible to chapter 3 of Ephesians where 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:26.140 Paul begins to draw the line underneath the things 00:20:26.140 --> 00:20:29.069 that he has written about in the first three 00:20:29.069 --> 00:20:33.490 chapters. And he says, as he closes this chapter, 00:20:33.549 --> 00:20:39.789 verse 20, Now to him who is able to do exceeding 00:20:39.789 --> 00:20:45.069 abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according 00:20:45.069 --> 00:20:48.509 to the power that works within us, to him be 00:20:48.509 --> 00:20:52.170 the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to 00:20:52.170 --> 00:20:56.920 all generations forever and ever. Amen. God who 00:20:56.920 --> 00:21:00.960 is mighty indeed is able to answer your prayers. 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:03.359 By the way, if you want to see some of the other 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:08.660 implications of God's might, look up that little 00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:15.079 phrase in your concordance, He is able. For God 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:18.119 is able, and do a Bible study on that. It will 00:21:18.119 --> 00:21:21.839 thrill your soul. But I'm picking out just one 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:24.460 this morning before we go our ways in verse 20. 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:33.480 Now to him who is able. We're talking about the 00:21:33.480 --> 00:21:37.740 one who is able to pour out plagues upon Egypt. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:40.559 We're talking about the one who is able to open 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:45.920 up a sea and let his people through. We're talking 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:50.339 about one who is able to provide manna from heaven 00:21:50.339 --> 00:21:54.200 and meat for his people. We're talking about 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:57.259 one who is able to provide water out of a rock 00:21:57.259 --> 00:22:01.400 in the middle of a desert. We're talking about 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:04.559 one who can dam up a flooding river and let his 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:10.460 people into a land and give it to them. But beyond 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:12.640 all of that, we are talking about one who is 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:20.259 able to raise the dead into immortality. Now 00:22:20.259 --> 00:22:26.410 to him who is able... to do. God is able to work. 00:22:26.470 --> 00:22:31.910 God wants to be known as the God who does things. 00:22:34.910 --> 00:22:39.490 God's power is not dormant. God has not grown 00:22:39.490 --> 00:22:46.450 weak with age. God is still in the business of 00:22:46.450 --> 00:22:56.349 doing. And how does He do? Well, it says, beyond 00:22:56.349 --> 00:22:59.769 all that we ask or think. And so we have a part 00:22:59.769 --> 00:23:05.009 in this. The implication here is that God does 00:23:05.009 --> 00:23:14.009 when we ask. God does things when you and I petition 00:23:14.009 --> 00:23:22.460 Him. I heard a very convicting tape this last 00:23:22.460 --> 00:23:28.299 week that was a sermon of Jim Symbola, who pastors 00:23:28.299 --> 00:23:31.519 at Brooklyn Tabernacle, when he spoke to the 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:33.359 praise gathering in Indianapolis a couple of 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:39.500 years ago. His major point in the message was 00:23:39.500 --> 00:23:43.799 that Jesus said, my house shall be called a house 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:50.390 of what? Jesus didn't say my house. shall be 00:23:50.390 --> 00:23:57.190 called a house of worship and music." He didn't 00:23:57.190 --> 00:24:00.490 say, my house shall be called a house of preaching. 00:24:03.150 --> 00:24:06.630 Not that either of those things is bad. In fact, 00:24:06.650 --> 00:24:10.569 God made provisions for them in the Old Testament, 00:24:10.690 --> 00:24:15.109 didn't He? In the worship of the temple. There 00:24:15.109 --> 00:24:18.670 was music there that was glorious, choirs and 00:24:18.670 --> 00:24:21.690 instruments of all kinds and dancing in the presence 00:24:21.690 --> 00:24:26.410 of the Lord. And the word of the Lord was read 00:24:26.410 --> 00:24:31.210 and explained. But Jesus said, my father's house 00:24:31.210 --> 00:24:36.230 shall be called a house of prayer. And what is 00:24:36.230 --> 00:24:41.910 the thing that we least do in our congregation? 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:50.779 at the end of the 20th century. We emphasize 00:24:50.779 --> 00:24:54.119 preaching. Somehow we have elevated it to be 00:24:54.119 --> 00:25:01.220 the center of the service. We work hard at worship, 00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:05.819 trying to develop styles that will allow people 00:25:05.819 --> 00:25:12.259 to express themselves. That's fine. But the thing 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:16.079 that we ought to be concerned about We neglect, 00:25:16.839 --> 00:25:27.000 and that is prayer. If, in fact, God's mightiness 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:34.400 is not being demonstrated in our day, might it 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:38.740 not be that part of the reason for that is our 00:25:38.740 --> 00:25:45.930 lack of prayer? And why is it that we have hundreds 00:25:45.930 --> 00:25:48.470 who come on Sunday morning and 50 on Sunday night 00:25:48.470 --> 00:25:53.730 to pray? And I don't say that to throw a guilt 00:25:53.730 --> 00:25:55.769 trip on anybody. I'm just asking that question. 00:25:55.869 --> 00:25:59.309 Why is it that we are excited about coming to 00:25:59.309 --> 00:26:03.549 Sunday morning worship, that somehow other things 00:26:03.549 --> 00:26:09.490 are more important than gathering to pray? My 00:26:09.490 --> 00:26:11.869 house, said Jesus, shall be called a house of 00:26:11.869 --> 00:26:15.349 prayer. Notice what God says about this. He says 00:26:15.349 --> 00:26:18.170 God is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond 00:26:18.170 --> 00:26:22.329 all that we ask or think. You know, there are 00:26:22.329 --> 00:26:25.710 some things you don't even ask God for. You think 00:26:25.710 --> 00:26:29.589 them. It may not enter your mind to ask, or you 00:26:29.589 --> 00:26:32.250 may say to yourself, well, boy, that's, you know, 00:26:33.369 --> 00:26:35.150 I don't know if I'm brave enough to ask God for 00:26:35.150 --> 00:26:39.420 that. Do you ever have imaginations that kind 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:42.539 of stretch the limits, that push the edges out 00:26:42.539 --> 00:26:44.940 a little bit on what you would like to see God 00:26:44.940 --> 00:26:48.339 do? Well, what it says here is that God is not 00:26:48.339 --> 00:26:51.759 only able to do what you ask and what you imagine, 00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:56.559 as far as you can push that, but God is able 00:26:56.559 --> 00:27:00.140 to do exceeding abundantly beyond all of that. 00:27:02.900 --> 00:27:05.759 God's able to do far beyond anything that we 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:09.069 can ask. anything that we can imagine, and some 00:27:09.069 --> 00:27:16.210 of us can imagine some pretty wild things. And 00:27:16.210 --> 00:27:19.849 God's able to do beyond that. Now remember, God 00:27:19.849 --> 00:27:23.509 can't do anything, but God will do all things 00:27:23.509 --> 00:27:27.569 that please Him. And so when we get a hold of 00:27:27.569 --> 00:27:30.769 what God's mightiness is about, and understand 00:27:30.769 --> 00:27:35.829 that we are a part of God demonstrating that. 00:27:36.589 --> 00:27:40.369 It ought to excite our hearts. It ought to really 00:27:40.369 --> 00:27:45.950 turn us on about prayer. It ought to motivate 00:27:45.950 --> 00:27:51.190 us to say, God, how can I pray today that will 00:27:51.190 --> 00:27:56.730 allow you to do what you want to do in my life? 00:28:00.819 --> 00:28:03.680 God, would you work in my imagination and help 00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:06.519 me to imagine things that you want to do and 00:28:06.519 --> 00:28:09.759 I can ask you for? Because I know even if I ask 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:15.279 you for that you can do more. The mightiness 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:21.279 of God. God is mighty indeed. He is not only 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:25.960 able to answer our prayers, He delights in answering 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:29.569 our prayers. And what I'd like for you to do 00:28:29.569 --> 00:28:32.970 this morning in response to this brief message 00:28:32.970 --> 00:28:39.710 on God's mightiness is just to sit and reflect 00:28:39.710 --> 00:28:44.230 for a moment and think about your own prayer 00:28:44.230 --> 00:28:50.529 life. For most of us, that's pretty convicting. 00:28:54.649 --> 00:28:57.250 And to say, God, what have I been asking you 00:28:57.250 --> 00:29:03.549 to do? And have I been asking you in faith? And 00:29:03.549 --> 00:29:06.549 have I been asking you what you want me to ask 00:29:06.549 --> 00:29:08.829 so that you can do what you want to do and what 00:29:08.829 --> 00:29:15.450 pleases you? And when we examine our hearts, 00:29:16.509 --> 00:29:18.369 then I think we need to come to the place where 00:29:18.369 --> 00:29:24.589 we simply say, Lord, teach me to pray. Teach 00:29:24.589 --> 00:29:31.509 me to pray. Show me how to pray. So that you 00:29:31.509 --> 00:29:35.069 can demonstrate to the world how mighty you are. 00:29:35.650 --> 00:29:41.710 So that God, you can gain a reputation in our 00:29:41.710 --> 00:29:46.950 generation. I'm not going to take time to read 00:29:46.950 --> 00:29:50.630 it, but Jeremiah just tore into the people of 00:29:50.630 --> 00:29:52.849 Judah in his preaching because they had followed 00:29:52.849 --> 00:29:56.230 the God of the nations around them. And he says, 00:29:56.710 --> 00:29:59.930 you make these gods out of your hands and you 00:29:59.930 --> 00:30:02.910 carry them around because they cannot walk and 00:30:02.910 --> 00:30:06.029 they will not respond to you. He says to them 00:30:06.029 --> 00:30:09.089 in essence, why are you following these gods? 00:30:11.769 --> 00:30:14.569 When you have a God who made the universe and 00:30:14.569 --> 00:30:17.349 a God who delivered our forefathers from Egypt 00:30:17.349 --> 00:30:19.930 and provided in the wilderness and gave us this 00:30:19.930 --> 00:30:30.509 land, why? You do not trust Him. Today we trust 00:30:30.509 --> 00:30:35.750 so many things, but we don't trust God as we 00:30:35.750 --> 00:30:39.230 ought. So it's a time for us to reflect on this 00:30:39.230 --> 00:30:43.109 this morning and ask God to uncover our hearts, 00:30:43.309 --> 00:30:49.490 to stir us up to pray, to show us where we have 00:30:49.490 --> 00:30:56.220 ourselves followed idols. And may God, as a result 00:30:56.220 --> 00:31:01.279 of this, loom large in our minds, and may we 00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:06.299 see afresh how mighty, how potent God is, and 00:31:06.299 --> 00:31:10.920 how He longs to demonstrate His mightiness in 00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:24.720 your life and mine. Let's pray. proceeding abundantly 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:29.480 beyond all that we ask or think according to 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:34.579 the power that works in us. That is the power 00:31:34.579 --> 00:31:41.740 of the resurrection. As you examine your heart, 00:31:44.140 --> 00:31:45.859 what do you want to talk to the Lord about right 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:48.519 now? Is it your prayer life? Is it what you've 00:31:48.519 --> 00:31:50.720 been praying for? Is it how often you've prayed? 00:31:52.009 --> 00:32:03.609 Talk to him right now. Tell him what you're sensing 00:32:03.609 --> 00:32:09.430 inside. And will you commit yourself to him right 00:32:09.430 --> 00:32:22.069 now to pray more and better? Will you commit 00:32:22.069 --> 00:32:26.029 yourself to Him by simply saying, Lord, teach 00:32:26.029 --> 00:32:33.549 me to pray as it pleases You? Show me how to 00:32:33.549 --> 00:32:39.930 pray so that Your almightiness can be demonstrated 00:32:39.930 --> 00:32:49.410 in my life and in the world. If that's close 00:32:49.410 --> 00:32:51.589 to what you're saying to the Lord, and the commitment 00:32:51.589 --> 00:32:53.630 you want to make this morning, would you just 00:32:53.630 --> 00:32:56.849 lift your hand and put it down? By the lifted 00:32:56.849 --> 00:33:00.109 hand, say, that's where I'm at. That's very close 00:33:00.109 --> 00:33:03.109 to what I'm saying to God. Yes, God bless you. 00:33:04.710 --> 00:33:08.450 I want to pray more and better for God to demonstrate 00:33:08.450 --> 00:33:13.930 His almightiness in my life. God bless you. Father, 00:33:14.009 --> 00:33:16.890 I pray for all of you who have lifted the hand. 00:33:18.380 --> 00:33:25.019 And with them, I pray, teach us, Lord. Teach 00:33:25.019 --> 00:33:31.660 us how to tap into the almightiness that is at 00:33:31.660 --> 00:33:35.380 work in our lives. Thank you for the demonstration 00:33:35.380 --> 00:33:39.480 of your power in the resurrection and exaltation 00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:47.720 of the Lord Jesus. Father, show us, I pray. the 00:33:47.720 --> 00:33:50.880 exciting possibilities in our lives if we will 00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:56.200 only learn what that means. If only we will give 00:33:56.200 --> 00:34:00.940 ourselves to prayer, to fellowship with you. 00:34:07.940 --> 00:34:11.900 Let's stand together, please. With our heads 00:34:11.900 --> 00:34:22.559 bowed, let's sing. sweet to trust in Jesus, just 00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:35.000 to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His 00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:47.219 promise, just to know the best of all. Jesus, 00:34:47.219 --> 00:34:58.659 Jesus, how I trust Him, how I prove Him o 'er 00:34:58.659 --> 00:35:11.099 and o 'er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh, 00:35:11.420 --> 00:35:19.820 for grace. to trust Him more. Look up at me just 00:35:19.820 --> 00:35:26.079 for a moment. The songwriter said, how I've learned 00:35:26.079 --> 00:35:32.519 to trust Him, how I've proved Him, or and or. 00:35:34.139 --> 00:35:38.360 May that be our experience, to prove the Lord, 00:35:40.559 --> 00:35:45.679 to learn to trust Him. and to see him demonstrate 00:35:45.679 --> 00:35:50.079 his all -mightiness in our lives this week. This 00:35:50.079 --> 00:35:54.119 week. I don't know what that may mean, or what 00:35:54.119 --> 00:35:59.000 it will look like, but if we will determine to 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:03.539 trust him and ask him to prove himself in our 00:36:03.539 --> 00:36:09.940 lives, he will. And he's able to do all that 00:36:09.940 --> 00:36:14.070 pleases him. that is in harmony with his nature. 00:36:16.369 --> 00:36:19.630 And now, Lord, help us to dream big dreams because 00:36:19.630 --> 00:36:30.269 you're a big God. Help us to ask wisely because 00:36:30.269 --> 00:36:35.510 you are a God who delights to answer. And may 00:36:35.510 --> 00:36:42.320 we this week, as we have sung, prove Jesus. in 00:36:42.320 --> 00:36:46.599 our lives. In His name we pray. Amen.