Our God Is Able

Introduction

Good morning to all, and certainly welcome to those who are visiting in our audience. I hope you have a Bible that should be opening with me to the reading in Ephesians chapter 3. In verses 20 and 21. I’d like to read as a text this morning and keep before our hearts as we speak. Where the apostle said, now to him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us to him. Be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Two weeks from today, I believe the South Columbia Church is entering into a new era of work. For it’s on that day, the first Sunday of March, that Brother Adam Willingham will begin his work with us.

His wife, Holly, and their three children, Ty and Stone and June Lee will be here. And I believe that what we’re looking forward to in the days ahead, with us doing our part, and Adam and Greg doing their part, we can be led to greater glory for the Lord. I think of this passage in Ephesians 3, because what it speaks about is how God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

But notice that the text says, exceeding abundantly above. Abundantly above is greater than just the word above. But there’s a third superlative. Exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think. It is easy for us as individuals to sometimes say, well, you know what? I can’t. I’d like to see the Lord’s church grow. I’d like to teach my neighbor or someone I work with or someone I come across, but who am I? Now we’re hiring Adam. We are going to have Greg, and you know, we’ve got Bob, and they will do the teaching. Well, actually, what we have done as elders in the last few months is to try to provide tools that every one of us can use. And that is that we are all, as disciples of the Lord, to reach out and to touch the lives of people that are around us with the gospel.

You may not sit down and have a Bible study, although I would hope you can do that. And some of us are able and should try to learn how to do it and be involved with working through in a personal way, teaching the Bible. But all of us can hand out a card. All of us can do an invitation. All of us can maybe set up a class for others who will be willing to teach. Instead of maybe being like the ten spies, you remember whenever they were sent out to view the land, and they came back and they said to Moses, we’re not able to do that. Well, those walls, they’re walled up to heaven, and the people who live there, they’re like giants in our eyes, and we are as grasshoppers in their eyes.

In other words, here’s a good excuse, Lord, don’t you see? You know, it’s just impossible for us to go in. Of course, you you know the rest of that story. Those who did not have faith in God, that He was able to conquer even the enemies that they were facing because of their unbelief in God, they wandered in the wilderness that all who were above 20 years of age upon leaving Egypt perished in the wilderness. We must not be of that attitude. We must rather be of the kind of spirit that the Lord will provide every necessity of life. Our God is able. When we do our part, what God will do is immeasurably more. If you have an NIV, in fact, I like the translation there where it says that our God is able to do immeasurably, you can’t really measure.

1. Through the Red Sea on Dry Ground

Immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. I like that translation. The New American Center Bible says he’s able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. And you know, there are many Bible stories that illustrate that very point. When you stop and think about it, look at some of the stories that prove that God really is able to do it exceedingly abundantly above. You remember the story, for example, when the children of Israel came out of Egyptian bondage. After, of course, Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh to plead the release of the Israelites, and of course, you know Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. God said, or the Bible says, God hardened his heart. That is, as God put the word, the appeal before him, and Pharaoh resisted and rebuked and and would not, so you could say God hardened his heart, but it was also Pharaoh and his own heart was hardened.

But then there was the tenth plague, in which God told the Israelites that what would be the first month for them on the tenth day of the first month, they were to select either out of the lamb or of a goat, a male, without blemish. On the 14th day at even, they were to slay that animal. And they were to take the blood and sprinkle it on the doorpost and on the lentil. For at night God would pass over. And every house that did not have the blood, indeed, the firstborn would be taken. And so it was among all the Egyptians, even of man, of servants and of cattle. Firstborn was taken at midnight. And so it was then that Pharaoh turned his heart. And of course, get out of here.

Leave. And the Israelites, indeed, having been prepared to go to flee, left. But it wasn’t long till, of course, they came to the Red Sea. And being able to cross the Red Sea became a problem. What really became the problem is behind them came Pharaoh’s army. Pharaoh changed his mind, as you know. And the scripture says in Exodus chapter 14 that in fact Pharaoh ordered that six hundred of his choice chariots. I think in maybe modern terms, that’s like saying, six hundred tanks, get ready, because they’re coming. And when God’s people looked and they saw the 600 chariots or the army of Pharaoh coming, approaching them, they then began to complain, Moses, were there not enough graves back in back in Egypt. Wouldn’t it not have been better for us to have died there than that out here in the wilderness?

And Moses, of course, urged them to wait and to wait on the Lord. And to watch what the Lord would do, even in their behalf. In fact, in Exodus chapter 14 and verses 10 through 14, the scripture says, When Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid. And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.

Then Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. That’s quite a statement. At first, of course, thinking of their own power, doing what they could do, they said, We cannot win. We’re going to die. And what did Moses say? Look to the Lord. Have faith and trust in Him. Many times we maybe are like those Israelites who would say, Look, who are we? Lord, it’s just be better. It’d be better if we didn’t have this task before us. Wait on the Lord. Stand still.

And of course, the rest of the story, again, as they as the as the Egyptians come toward them, Moses is told to reach out his rod. And the east wind began to blow. And the water began to separate on both sides as a wall for them to pass through. But the scripture then says it this way. That they passed through on dry land. Look at verses 21 and 22. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea into dry land. And the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

2. The Walls of Jericho Fell Down Flat

Did you notice, though, the scripture says they went on dry ground? And that’s the point I want to make. You know, you would say, well, okay, he parted the waters, and they’re able to cross over. They don’t drown, but it’s probably going to be muddy, isn’t it? I mean, there’s been water there. The scripture says they crossed on dry ground. Man would not have thought it possible. It is above all that man might ask or think. But that’s not the only story like that. There are so many in the scriptures. In fact, whenever later, after those who were unbelievers and perished in the wilderness, some you might say 40 years later now. When their children now come crossing over the Jordan into the promised land. For God would bring this family, the descendants of Abraham into the land that he had promised.

This nation now. And they come to Jericho. Jericho is a well fortified city. Walled up, strong. How could God’s people conquer a city like this? And again, the way that God told them was not what maybe human thought would be. They had no dynamite. They had no battering ramps. How are they going to conquer the city of Jericho? And then, of course, the scripture tells us in Joshua chapter 6 and in verse 20. God wants you to march around that city. You take the armed men first, and then there’ll be seven priests with seven rams’ horns going before the ark of the covenant, blowing the trumpets as they go. And each day for six days the people march behind and be quiet. Just march around the city.

But on the seventh day, on the seventh day they were to march around that city seven times. And then at the signal that the Lord would give, of course, they were to shout, as the trumpets would blow. In Joshua chapter 6, in verses 12 through 16. Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priest took up the ark of the Lord. Then the seven priests bearing seven trumpets of ram’s horms before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them, but the rearguard came after the ark of the Lord while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. The second day they marched around the city once, returned to the camp. So they did six days. But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early about the dawning of the day, marched around the city seven times in the same manner.

And on that day only they marched around the city seven times. And the seventh time it happened. When the priest blew the trumpets that Joshua said to the people, Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. The point, though, and we think about that, it’s really found down in verse 20, where the scripture says, The people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets, and it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. Now you might imagine, of course, it’s the miracle, of course, by God. It wasn’t because the sound of the trumpets or the sound of their shouting that caused those walls to fall.

3. The Widow’s Oil: Not Just a Few

It was God doing it. But you know, you’d probably think, or I would at least, there’s still rubble there. When that wall falls, and they can enter in, they’re going to climb over all of the stones or whatever would be there as the walls have collapsed. The scripture says wall fell down flat. They entered no doubt with ease. It was God’s doing. If he could make the walls fall at all, he could make them fall down flat. He was above what man might have thought or would have planned of himself. Even later in the scripture, you come to 2 Kings, and there’s a story in the time of the lifetime of the prophet Elisha. In 2 Kings chapter 4 and verses 1 through 7. A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Your servant, my husband, is dead.

And you know that your servant feared the Lord, and the creditors coming to take my two sons to be his slaves. So Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? And she said, Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil. Then he said, Go borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors, empty vessels. Do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons, then pour it into all those vessels and set aside the full ones. So she went from him and shut the door behind her, and her sons, who brought the vessels to her, and she poured it out.

Now it came to pass when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, There is not another vessel. So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons live on the rest. Just a short story, seven verses. But another miracle that God allowed and worked in behalf of his people. This woman whose husband had been one of the prophets or a servant of the prophets. And he had died. And she’s left as a widow. Her two sons are of age, in fact, that now, even according to the law of Moses, they could be taken as servants to pay the debt that they owed.

And therefore she pleads to the prophet Elisha to indeed intervene on her behalf. And what could she do? Well, all she had in the house is some oil. The scripture says, You take your sons and you go borrow other vessels throughout your neighbors. And not just a few. Think of the statement, not just a few. You get all you can. And of course, as they brought the vessels in, and she began from the oil that she had to pour into those vessels, not just a few. But there was more than enough to pay the debt that was owed. And her sons were not taken as servants. Again, a short story, but it, along with so many others, illustrates our God is able to do exceeding and abundantly above all that we may ask or think.

4. Water to Wine, Filled Up to the Brim

We come to the life of Christ, and of course, there are many stories in his life. The one maybe we can think of first, the story when there was the wedding in Cana of Galilee. Perhaps some friend or maybe even relative of Jesus in the flesh. At least as he went to this wedding with his disciples, and they served wine as would be normal at a wedding feast. But when they ran out of the wine that they had, the mother of Jesus came to him and said to him, They have no wine. Jesus said, Woman, what does this does your concern have to do with me? My hour is not yet come. Kind of a strange reaction to Jesus, for Jesus to say.

According to the manner of purification of the Jews, that contained twenty or thirty gallons. It wasn’t just a little bit. It was after they had already drunken well, the scripture says, that they came, Jesus came and turned these maybe a hundred to a hundred and eighty, as much as maybe a hundred and eighty gallons of water into wine. Filled up to the brim, verse 7 says. It wasn’t just a little, and it was the best wine. In fact, the governor of the feast came to the bridegroom and acknowledged the fact that usually they would drink the best first, and then the worst last. But this has been just the reverse order. I’d say this one’s probably remembered by most skeptics. Number one, not only because it’s the first miracle he worked, but because Jesus turned water to wine as though that justifies drinking alcoholic beverages today.

Couple of things they have to remember, though. Number one, they’ve already well drunken. And while Jesus indeed was a Jew and a faithful to the law, and the law of Moses forbade drunkenness, does it seem logical that Jesus would have provided somewhere between 120 to 180 gallons of better wine in the sense that the word better means more intoxicating? Would he have encouraged drunkenness? And I say to you, not at all.

In fact, even in Matthew chapter 9, where Jesus spoke about that we would not put new wine into old wineskins, because the new wine, when it ferments, begins to swell. And if it’s already in an old wineskin, it wouldn’t be burst. But he uses the word ornos, which is translated wine, describes it as new wine, and in the same text talks about old wine. Fact is, what Jesus did and recorded in John 2 was provide the sweetest tasting. I’d say, yes, it was like maybe sweet punch. It was the freshest tasting. It was the best in the sense, not intoxicating. In fact, the word at all does not mean that at all. But the point is, up to the brim. He wasn’t just half filled. It wasn’t just a few of the water pots, but all six up to the brim.

5. A Lad’s Lunch: Not Just a Snack, They Were Filled

And then one more. The story you probably know, the only miracle that is recorded in all four chapters or all four accounts of the gospel, was when Jesus had the multitudes following him. And as the evening drew near, his disciples came to him and said, Look, we need to let the people go back near into the city area because there’s no place right here. But if they go back in, then they can buy food. And Jesus had them all sit on the ground. At least it says five thousand men. Five thousand men plus the women and children, perhaps more than ten thousand. If you were counting numbers.

6. By Faith: God’s Part and Their Part

Again, an outstanding story. It wasn’t that Jesus drew or did this miracle in order to draw the crowd, but it was in order to prove his power as the Son of God. The signs that he worked. But again, the very enormity of the situation. To take a lad’s lunch and feed as many perhaps as 10,000, and it wasn’t just a snack, but they were filled. The power of the Lord. How many stories could we add to these? Our God is able. The very fact is not only are these stories told us, but we’re also told some whys. It wasn’t simply that the Lord promised us to fulfill any covetous nature. You know, we say, well, you know, the Lord will do exceedingly abundantly above, and we we’re going to pray for that and multiply in our own lives.

I am amazed sometimes at some of the Pentecostal preachers today who kind of make the argument that if you’re really serving the Lord, the Lord’s going to bless you. He wants you to be rich materially speaking. You know, that appeals to a lot of people.

And you can live in that mansion somewhere next to a lake or whatever, and God’s going to bless you materially. Well, I’d say some of those preachers have gained materially, but that doesn’t mean God will fulfill that it’s the work of God doing it. The fact is, when we read the scripture in each of these stories, Hebrews chapter 11 and in verse 29, the scripture tells us why they were able to walk on dry ground. By faith, they passed through the Red Sea, as by dry land. Whereas the Egyptians attempting to do so were drowned. It was by faith. It was God’s hand involved. And even when the walls fell down flat, in Hebrews 11 and verse 30, by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.

Again, God’s part worked a miracle, but their part was an act of faith. Whether or not it seemed reasonable in their minds, you do as God instructed. And when you do as God instructed, he is able.

Conclusion

And because of faith, because of fearing the Lord. Even when Jesus spoke about what he was able to do, he said that his coming was not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me. So that Jesus, as he worked the signs, it wasn’t simply the to raise up Jesus as a man among men, but rather to glorify the Father. Let’s come back to the verse that we began with. What has God promised today to us? The whole point that I’m trying to get across this morning is that indeed we have opportunities set in front of us. As elders, we’ve tried over the last several months to make some provisions for us to reach out with evangelism. We’ve provided what is called the tools of social media.

Yes, there’s Facebook. And yes, there are other means by which, through our website that you may lead people to to watch and listen to sermons or answer questions, whatever they may be. That’s something you can direct a person to. That’s something, even throughout all the other tools, and they will be added. As you follow one walking by faith, and you do what you can do. Is God able to do what with us? The passage we began with. To him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us. Whose power? It is God’s. To him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.

This auditorium insufficient to seat all that we might encourage and teach. Can we say, well, let’s our goal? We’ll not only fill up every place in this building, but we’ll have to add to it. Or do we say, oh, we just can’t do that? Which is our attitude? What do we pray for? What is our desire? Or Romans 8 and verse 28, passages like this, how we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. Those who love God are those who do his will. This is the love of God that you keep his commandments. Our part is not simply to fold our hands and say, Well, I’m here, Lord, and that’s the extent of it.

I’ve obeyed the gospel, and that’s all just for me. There’s responsibility in turn as we hear to reach out even unto others. But then one final passage before our time is up. The passage in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 8 through 11. They’re the apostle in writing to the church at Corinth and encouraging them to give as they have been prospered and to give in a way that can help even the saints back in Jerusalem for whom they were raising the contribution. But there’s principles involved here, far more than just simply we’re raising a contribution for the supply of needy saints. When he says, God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always, having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

As it is written, he is dispersed abroad, he is given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. Now may he who supplies seed to the sore, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving to us through us to God. You notice five superlatives in that statement. I’ve highlighted them.

That you always, having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance to every good work. That says God can do far more than we may ask or think. It’s up to us to do our part. So that’s a challenge to each one of us, as members of this congregation, more than that, as disciples of the Lord. Are we really turning to the Lord as men and women of faith that says, Lord, you’ve blessed me with the knowledge of salvation through Christ Jesus? I in turn will do what I can to bless others about me who do not yet know. It’s up to us. Let’s enter this new era with a spirit of zeal and of outreach that relies on the Lord because we do our part as examples of faith.

Let us bow in a word of prayer before we go to our Bible classes. Our Father in heaven, we are truly grateful for your love. Manifested by the gift of your only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. We are indebted, Lord, for you purchased us even with the blood of your Son. And we are a people not simply to live selfishly for our own greed to be satisfied. But we are a people who are living sacrifices. Help us, therefore, to be of that disposition, to turn unto you when we feel weak, to turn unto you when we feel even afraid. Help us to truly trust in you and to do our part in reaching out to others. We pray, Father, that you bless the willing hams as they are about to move to us.

Help them to have a safe move. Help his work to be blessed by you in such a way that in turn will stir us all to greater heights and to zeal in your service. Bless this church and bless each one of us as members of it, that we may work according to your will, that you may be glorified. We pray your blessings upon us now. Save us family. In the name of Christ. Amen.