Class Lesson January 3, 2016

Priceless: Finding Your Value In God

 

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THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

Know any “gifted” people? When I hear that word, it takes me back to the third grade. I don’t know how or why, but I was chosen to go to the school library once a week and work with a “gifted” teacher. 

When we met for the first time, the teacher challenged me to write using my imagination. I was happy to oblige—but all I wanted to write about was Jesus. That previous summer I had given my life to Christ, and He was all I could talk about. Displeased, the “gifted” teacher told me if I didn’t open up my mind to other subjects, I would have to go back to the not-so-gifted classroom. 

And that’s how I got kicked out of the “gifted” class—because my gift was talking about Jesus. 

As we’ll see in today’s session, the Bible talks about giftedness from a much different perspective. God gifts His followers in a way that is far different—and far greater—than any talent or giftedness typically celebrated in modern culture.

The world gravitates to people who are talented or highly skilled with unique abilities. The more talented a person, the more popular that person is. But a multi-talented person does not necessarily make the world a better place. God has a different focus. His desire is for us to serve and support others, and He equips us for that very purpose.

 

Paul is writing this week to the Corinthian church troubled by fractions and divisions. One divisive issue was spiritual gifts. Apparently, some in the church took pride in their gifts and belittled those who possessed what some considered to be "lesser" gifts. Paul reminds the church that all believers serve the same Lord and all spiritual gifts were distributed by the same Holy Spirit of God as He determined fit for the accomplishment of His purposes.

 
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NIV)

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 

6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 

10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 

11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

The manifestation of the Spirit (v. 7)—As believers allow the Holy Spirit to guide and empower them, they reveal the working of the Spirit through their service to God and others. Implied is that the use of a spiritual gift is never to bring attention to the believer, but only to God.

Distinguishing between spirits (v. 10)—The Holy Spirit gives some believers the ability to determine if teachers, leaders, and other individuals are being led by God or by Satan. Satan works through false teachers to lead people away from God and His truth and to disrupt the unity of the church. If an individual is under Satan’s control, those with this gift can warn others to avoid such a person.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Have you noticed how easily we make distinctions between people by slapping labels on them? Blue collar or white collar. Republican or Democrat. Cat people or dog people.

The church in Corinth found another way to divide itself. The Corinthian believers had created faulty divisions around who they considered to be their leader (see 1 Cor. 1:10-13). This was faulty because the church, and every single believer within the church, is under the leadership of Christ. Catch the repeated emphasis Paul gave in verses 4-6: “the same Spirit ... the same Lord ... the same God.” 

The same Lord and Christ in your life is the same Lord and Christ in my life. Every follower of Christ knows Him and experiences Him in a personal and powerful way, because the Holy Spirit indwells all believers. 

Now, the fact that we have the same Leader and the same Spirit doesn’t mean we’re all the same as individuals. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence to work in and through us. Part of that work is empowering us to serve through our spiritual gifts. These spiritual gifts are not material gifts, nor are they natural abilities or talents. Instead, spiritual gifts are given to us by God when we are born again. In fact, the word translated as “gifts” in this passage literally means “a gift involving grace.”

So, even though we share one Spirit, one Lord, and one God, we are still unique. God works in our lives in different ways. The same Spirit gives “different kinds of gifts” (v. 4). And all of those spiritual gifts can be used in “different kinds of service.” In other words, even believers who have the same spiritual gift can be used by God in a variety of ministry settings and opportunities.

The result is “different kinds of working.” The word working is much richer than a list of actions on a to-do list. The Greek term carries the idea of working and getting something accomplished. In other words, it’s effective. These activities accomplish the fruitful work that God desires.

Now let’s run all that together. The Holy Spirit works through you and me with a diversity of spiritual gifts, and He places us in different ministries and roles to use those various gifts. And these ministries of God will result in effective work for His kingdom.

1 Corinthians 12:7-10

 
Paul offered a list of spiritual gifts in these verses, but it wasn’t intended to be exhaustive. He listed other spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10,27-30; and Ephesians 4:11. Peter also discussed spiritual gifts in 1 Peter 4:9-11.

People have attempted to group these gifts in various ways, but perhaps the simplest way is to put them in four broad categories:

• Gifts that support. Gifts such as helping and managing (see 1 Cor. 12:28) guide the work of the church.

• Gifts that share. Gifts such as showing mercy (see Rom. 12:8) and hospitality (see 1 Pet. 4:9) are tangible ways of communicating God’s love.

• Gifts that speak. Gifts such as teaching (see Rom. 12:8) and prophecy ground the church in God’s Word.

• Gifts that supplement. Gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, and faith support the other gifts.

The wonderful thing about the list of spiritual gifts is their variety. They are diverse, and their many combinations create more and more ways we can serve Christ and His church.

Remember, however, that Paul’s goal wasn’t to categorize spiritual gifts. Rather, Paul focused on the purpose of those gifts: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (v. 7).

Your gift is not for your personal benefit. In fact, any use of a spiritual gift to direct attention and glory to an individual is a misuse of that gift. God has given us these gifts so that we might build up, strengthen, and encourage the church; reveal Christ; and glorify Him. Properly using your gift accomplishes all three!

1 Corinthians 12:11

God knows you very well—far better than you know yourself, in fact. God also knows what His church needs. Therefore, the spiritual gifts He desires to work through you are just right for His will. He distributes His gifts “to each one, just as he determines” (v. 11). That does raise some interesting questions.

What if you have a gift you don’t want? I heard that question one night when I was teaching a class on spiritual gifts to young adults. The man who asked it looked mad and miserable. I prayed a quick prayer for wisdom, and immediately God put the answer in my mind. I said, “God will change your ‘wanter!’” A few days later, that young man came to my office. God had called him to preach, but he’d been running from God. Since that class, God indeed had changed his heart—and his “wanter.” God put a desire in him to use his gift in the local church, and he’s been faithfully doing that now for over 25 years! 

It bears repeating: God knows you better than you know yourself. Trust Him. The gift you have is the gift you need.

Why doesn’t the Holy Spirit give every believer every gift? A healthy body needs every member working in harmony together. Accordingly, God has orchestrated His church so that no one has everything he needs without the involvement of others in his life. We were designed to live in relationship; therefore, through God’s distribution of the gifts, we are interdependent of each other even as we depend on Christ. Life in Christ fundamentally requires cooperation and partnership. 

"The place God calls you to is the
place where your deep gladness
and the world's deep hunger meet."
—FREDERICK BUECHNER 

 





LIVE IT OUT

God has uniquely gifted you to serve Him and contribute to His church. How will you respond to those realities this week? Consider the following options:

• Worship. Praise God that He has a divine purpose for your life. Set aside a specific block of time to thank Him and praise Him for the ways He has uniquely gifted you to accomplish that purpose.

• Discover. If you don’t know your spiritual gifts, take an assessment to help you discover how God has blessed you and how your gifts can be used in and through your church.

• Train. Make it a priority to mentor other believers who are unsure about their spiritual gifts. Help them discover ways they are gifted and able to serve.

As a follower of Christ, you’re part of the “gifted” class. But remember that your desire should always be to glorify God by using the gifts He’s given you. Those gifts are for the benefit and good of the whole church, so use what you’ve been given as an act of love.

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Prayer of Commitment

Father God, by Your Spirit You have equipped me with just what I need to serve others in the body of Christ. Open my eyes to see where I may apply my gift in ways that benefit my brothers and sisters in Christ and bring honor and glory to Your Name. Amen. 

Let's make 2016, less about us and  ... "All About Christ"

HAPPY NEW YEAR

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson December 27, 2015

Priceless: Finding Your Value In God

You are loved by God. You are priceless.

Click Here to Watch

How can know you are highly valued by God?

7 things God has done for you that prove your worth to Him.

1. Adopted in God's Family
2. Freed by God's Forgiveness
3. Saved by God's Son
4. Strengthened by God's Power
5. Equipped with God's Gifts
6. Used in God's Service
7. Cherished in God's Eyes

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THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
 

My wife’s parents came to visit. We lead busy lives, so my in-laws thought they would help by vacuuming the house while we were at work. Not a problem, since we bought a brand-new vacuum cleaner the day before.

When we came home, they were sitting on the couch, red faced, sweating, and exhausted! “That new vacuum cleaner is so heavy, we can hardly push it! We had to sit down and rest after vacuuming each room.” 

My wife and I began to laugh! This brand new vacuum cleaner has a great feature—a power assist that makes vacuuming almost effortless. It only takes a feather-like touch to push the system. My in-laws, however, were trying to vacuum the entire house in neutral.

They never put it in drive. 

How many of us do the same thing in our spiritual lives? God has given us an incredible power, a supernatural power, in His Holy Spirit. This power is there for us all the time. We simply need to use it.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)
 
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,

15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. 

Your inner being (v. 16)—Paul was not referring to the eternal nature that all people possess. Instead, he was talking about the redeemed spiritual nature of believers, which is accomplished through the work of spiritual renewal by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 3:14-17a

What is power? Ask that of anyone on the street, and they’ll probably give you a definition in terms of either energy or influence. In the sense of energy, power is the ability to get up and get moving. In terms of influence, power is the ability to exert your will on that of another.

As Christians, however, we need a different kind of power in order to live the way God designed us to live. To put it simply, we can’t live the Christian life in our own strength. We need another source of power. Or, as Paul phrased it in verse 16, we need to be strengthened “in your inner being.” The good news is that God, who is rich in glory, is also rich in power and strength. 

The Holy Spirit gives us access to God’s power for our lives. But just because the Spirit lives in us doesn’t necessarily mean we are fully experiencing everything He has for us. God’s power is always available, but we don’t always rest in that power. Like a vacuum cleaner stuck in neutral, we often forget to apply the Spirit’s power to our lives. We try to make things happen through our own strength. 

So how do we take advantage of the power available to us? We experience the Spirit’s power as we continually surrender control of our lives to God. When we submit to Christ’s lordship and stop relying on our own resources, we put ourselves in a position for God to do His work in us and through us.

As we rely on the Holy Spirit, He will “strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (v. 16). As a result, the Father leads us into an ever-deepening experience with Christ.

Learning to live and rely on the Spirit’s power is a lifelong journey. You learned to walk when you were a small child. But that learning process didn’t happen overnight—and it didn’t happen without someone helping you. Both of these things are true of us spiritually. We might be spiritual toddlers right now, but God’s will is for us to grow up into walkers, and for us not to do it alone.

I’ll repeat that again: we’re not alone. God the Father dwells in our hearts through His Son and empowers us through His Spirit. And that’s good company. 

Ephesians 3:17b-19

 
Strong winds can be dangerous for most trees. But you may have noticed that one tree may get knocked down in a yard, while another tree stands firm not even ten feet away. What made the difference?

The roots. The deeper the roots go, the sturdier the tree will be.

Roots also matter for Christians. As the psalmist described, an obedient follower of God is “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Ps. 1:3).

 

Where are your roots? What gives you stability and nourishment? Paul wrote that when we are empowered by God’s Spirit and Jesus dwells in our hearts, we become “rooted and established in love” (v. 17b). When the winds of difficulties and even opposition blow against us, the love we experience through Christ keeps us grounded and strong.

Paul’s prayer for us is not that we would have this love—it’s already ours in Christ—but that we would “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (v. 18). We can talk about the dimensions or directions of God’s love, but we can’t define its limits.

 

Paul’s desire is for us to “know this love,” but he contended that such love “surpasses knowledge” (v. 19). How can we know something that exceeds knowing? That sounds like an oxymoron—a contradiction of terms such as “jumbo shrimp” or “plastic silverware.” The answer is that we can know the truth of God’s love, even though we will never fully know it. We can continually be discovering the depths of God’s love without ever touching bottom.

In other words, God’s love is something we can’t fully explain, but something we can fully experience.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Do you hear Paul’s excitement as he wraps up this prayer? He’s already prayed that the Holy Spirit would strengthen and empower us, that Christ would dwell in our lives, and that we would increasingly comprehend and experience God’s love. In verse 20, he affirmed God’s power to answer each of those prayers—and to do so in a way that goes far beyond what we can imagine. God is able! We can reject all thoughts of giving up or running away, because God can do the impossible. 

I wonder if we often don’t pray as we should because we don’t want to ask “too much” of God. Or we can’t see how God could possibly answer. We need to remember that the way God answers isn’t our concern; our task is to go to Him and ask. As James said, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (Jas. 4:2). Jesus invited us to ask when He said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matt. 7:7).

For the loving and powerful God who would do this for us, Paul had only one response: praise. “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!” (v. 21). Everything is for God’s glory. God empowers us for His glory. He immerses us in His boundless love for His glory. He does more than we can ask or imagine for His glory. Our lives—and His work in our lives—are all for His glory.

You may feel ordinary, but God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things for His glory! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now residing in you (see Eph. 1:19-21). 

And that is far from ordinary.

 

LIVE IT OUT

God has promised to empower you through His Spirit. Consider the following options for taking advantage of that gift this week:

• Start each day with prayer. Make a commitment to pray at the beginning of each day this week. Use these moments to echo Paul’s prayer that you would become more and more aware of God’s presence and power in your life.

• Surrender. Take a moment to evaluate whether you’ve been attempting to follow Jesus in your own power. If so, acknowledge the lordship of Christ in your life and allow His Spirit to strengthen and empower you.

• Set goals. As you pray for God’s Spirit to empower your life, you may find it helpful to set specific goals that you can use in your conversations with God—big goals. Make God-sized requests, and then submit to His authority. (Note: you may find it helpful to record these goals in the prayer request pages at the beginning of this resource.)

It’s a sad truth that so many Christians attempt to live out their faith in neutral. Don’t be part of that crowd. You have the immeasurable power of God’s Holy Spirit in your life—use it!

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Our Lesson Today:

Ah yes, Casper, that friendly, adorable Pillsbury Doughboy-like character from our youth who lays claim to being the "friendliest ghost" we know. Is Casper the friendliest Ghost we know?

Why is that we can be so “at home” and comfortable with a cartoon character like Casper and have this moment of nostalgic freedom and yet be so not “at home” with the Holy Ghost?

Anybody been to see Star Wars? Why is it that when we go and watch Star Wars and hear about the force, the dark side, and the light calling out the good in one that we want to connect this with a very biblical truth we all seem to know about but can’t embrace or surrender to.


Our lesson this morning asked each of us about some technology we have today that we can’t live without? What comes to your mind? Cell phones, microwaves, computers, iWatch, Google, etc.


Why are we asked this?

• We’ve all stepped into a new job, or new task with that feeling of being left on your own to figure it out.
• New parents often feel this way when they are handed their first child.
• The Christian life can carry the same feeling. What do I do, how do I do it, where do I go for help? God doesn’t leave us alone to figure out how to live for Him. He empowers us with His very presence. The Point: God does not leave us on our own but empowers us through His Spirit.

God has given each of us an incredible power, a supernatural power, in His Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. This power is there for us all the time. We simply need to get to know Him and use Him. And Paul this morning actually prays for that - that you will grow to understand this Holy Ghost because He is not only the friendliest Ghost you know, He’s your greatest source of Strength and Power too!

STRENGTHENED BY GOD’S POWER


Paul’s prayer this morning is considered one of the greatest prayers in the entire Bible.

• One writer called it “the Holy of Holies in the Christian life.”
• Another writer called it “a prayer for the impossible.”
• It’s a prayer for enablement and power.

Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 3…


Ephesians 3:14-17a

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.


What is Paul’s prayer for?

• This is a prayer for spiritual strength in the inner being (literally in Greek, the “inner man”). Paul prays for one thing and one thing only in this prayer. He asks God to strengthen the Ephesians by the Holy Spirit on the inside so that they can fulfill God’s will for them. Though this prayer has many parts and builds to a big climax, there is only one basic request.
• Paul’s prayer is a prayer that we desperately need to pray for each day—spiritual strength.

Why does Paul make this prayer request?

• Because our greatest need is for the spiritual power walk the Christian life. No believer ever advances so far that he doesn’t need God’s power. Our prayer is not, “Lord, take away my burdens,” but rather “Lord, give me stronger shoulders to carry the load.”

What is this power that Paul speaks of?

• People will give you a definition in terms of either energy or influence. In the sense of energy, power is the ability to get up and get moving. In terms of influence, power is the ability to exert your will on that of another.
• As Christians, we need a different kind of power in order to live the way God designed us to live. We can’t live the Christian life in our own strength. We need another source of power. Paul said, we need to be strengthened “in your inner being.”
• The Holy Spirit gives us access to God’s power for our lives. But just because the Spirit lives in us doesn’t necessarily mean we are fully experiencing everything He has for us. God’s power is always available, but we don’t always rest in that power. We try to make things happen through our own strength.

How do we take advantage of the power available to us?

• We experience the Spirit’s power as we continually surrender control of our lives to God. When we submit to Christ’s lordship and stop relying on our own resources, we put ourselves in a position for God to do His work in us and through us. As we rely on the Holy Spirit, He will “strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being” (v. 16). As a result, the Father leads us into an ever-deepening experience with Christ.

• Learning to live and rely on the Spirit’s power is a lifelong journey. You learned to walk when you were a small child. But that learning process didn’t happen overnight—and it didn’t happen without someone helping you. Both of these things are true of us spiritually. We might be spiritual toddlers right now, but God’s will is for us to grow up into walkers and for us not to do it alone.

Paul’s prayer is: “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” That Christ might be “at home” in our heart - it’s the picture of a man at home in his own house.



What’s the difference between a house and a home?

• A house is a building; a home is a dwelling place.

Is it possible for Christ to be “in” your heart but not “at home” there?

Many years ago Robert Boyd Munger wrote a little booklet called My Heart, Christ’s Home. In it he imagines the believer’s heart as a home with many rooms. The heart has a living room, a dining room, a bedroom, a kitchen, a computer room, a TV room, many closets, and an attic. Too many believers keep Christ in the entryway, as if to say, “Jesus, I’ve got you in the door. Now stay there and don’t bother the rest of my life.” But the Lord wants to enter every room. He wants to enter your kitchen, your bedroom, your library, your TV room, your computer room, and He wants access to every closet and even to the “attic” of your heart. As long as you keep the doors locked, He can never be “at home” in your heart. And you will never be happy as a Christian.

My Heart, Christ’s Home - Robert Boyd Munger 

Is Christ “at home” in your heart?


You see, the question is not, “How much of the Lord do I have?” but rather, “How much of me does the Lord have?”
 
Paul’s prayer is a prayer for a deeper experience between Christ and the believer. Call it what you will—sanctification, the “second blessing,” total surrender, dedication, or even the filling of the Spirit. In reality, it is “what we desperately need that most of us lack.” Until Christ is at home in your heart, He will always seem like a stranger to you even though He lives in you.

What’s an example of real life strengthening of the Spirit?

• Christmas and family. Ah, sweet family. Remember Charles Dickens’ famous quote, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Now don’t pretend your family is always harmonious. Families consist of people, and sometimes people fight, even at Christmas.

• How does the Spirit strengthen you during these “worst of times” moments? One way is to close your eyes, take a deep breath and remember James 1:19: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” If your ears are open and your mouth is closed, it’s impossible to say something you will regret! Listen to your family member, young or old, like you’d want Jesus to listen to you. It's OK to step away for a few minutes to gather yourself and pray for guidance. In fact, Romans 8:26 tells us “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Pray for the Spirit’s strength, take a breath; you might be surprised how these moments may go.

Ephesians 3:17b-19

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.



You know, strong winds can be dangerous for most trees. But have you ever noticed that one tree gets knocked down in a yard, while another tree stands firm not even ten feet away. What made the difference?

• The roots. The deeper the roots go, the sturdier the tree will be.

Roots also matter for Christians.



What would you consider the roots to a Christian life?

• As the psalmist described, an obedient follower of God is “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Ps. 1:3).

Where are your roots? What gives you stability and nourishment?

• Paul wrote that when we are empowered by God’s Spirit and Jesus dwells in our hearts, we become “rooted and established in love” (v. 17b). When the winds of difficulties and even opposition blow against us, the love we experience through Christ keeps us grounded and strong.
• Paul’s prayer for us is not that we would have this love—it’s already ours in Christ—but that we would “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (v. 18). We can talk about the dimensions or directions of God’s love, but we can’t define its limits.
• Paul’s desire is for us to “know this love,” but he contended that such love “surpasses knowledge” (v. 19). How can we know something that exceeds knowing? That sounds like an oxymoron—a contradiction of terms such as “jumbo shrimp” or “plastic silverware.” The answer is that we can know the truth of God’s love, even though we will never fully know it. We can continually be discovering the depths of God’s love without ever touching bottom.

In other words…

God’s love is something we can’t fully explain, but something we can fully experience.



Paul prays that you and I will have a growing understanding of this love of Christ. (vv. 17b-19a)

And I pray that you, … will grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge. There is a sense in which all Christians experience the love of Christ. But love itself has many dimensions. Paul is saying, “I pray that you may grow in your daily experience of the love of Jesus.” He even says, “I pray that you will come to know (in a personal way) this love that surpasses knowledge.” No matter how far you go in your knowledge of Christ’s love, you will never come to the end of it.



Paul then prays that you will have the fullness of God in your life. (v. 19b)

• “that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

• To be filled is the idea of being dominated by something. If you are filled with rage, then rage will dominate your life. If you are filled with love, then love dominates your life. If you are filled with joy, then joy dominates your life. When you are filled with God, then God Himself will dominate your life. It pictures the total transformation of the human personality by virtue of the presence of God in your life. This is an amazing thought—to be filled up with all the fullness of God. Don’t shy away from the implications of this truth. As believers we have been created to be the containers of God. He desires to pour His life into ours and to fill us until we’re full.

How are we filled with the Holy Spirit?

• We are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith. How did you become a Christian? By faith. "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him."
• You receive Christ by faith. You live by faith. Everything you receive from God, from the moment of your spiritual birth until you die, is by faith.
• You do not have to beg God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. You do not have to barter with Him by fasting or weeping or begging or pleading. For a long period of time, I fasted and cried out to God for His fullness. Then one day I discovered from the Scriptures that the "just shall live by faith." You do not earn God's fullness. You receive it by faith.
• Sin is what hinders the filling of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to God is how the filling of the Spirit is maintained. Ephesians 5:18 commands that we be filled with the Spirit; however, it is not praying for the filling of the Holy Spirit that accomplishes the filling. Only our obedience to God's commands allows the Spirit freedom to work within us. Because we are still infected with sin, it is impossible to be filled with the Spirit all of the time. When we sin, we should immediately confess it to God and renew our commitment to being Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.
• An Illustration of Faith: Suppose that you want to cash a check for a hundred dollars. Would you go to the bank where you have several thousand dollars on deposit, place the check on the counter, get down on your knees, and beg, "Oh, please, Miss Teller, cash my check?" No, that is not the way you cash a check. You simply go in faith, place the check on the counter, and you wait for the money which is already yours. Then you thank the teller and go on your way.
• Many Christians are begging God for something which is readily available -- just waiting to be appropriated by faith. They are seeking some kind of emotional experience, not realizing that such an attitude on their part is an insult to God -- a denial of faith. But faith is the only way you can please God.

Though you are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith and faith alone, it is important to recognize that several factors contribute to preparing your heart for the filling of the Spirit.

1. First, you must desire to live a life that will please the Lord. You have the promise of our Savior, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."



2. Second, be willing to surrender your life totally and irrevocably to our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul admonishes in Romans 12:1, 2: "I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will."



3. Third, confess every known sin which the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and experience the cleansing and forgiveness which God promises in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." I call this process "Spiritual Breathing." Just as you exhale and inhale physically, so you also breathe spiritually. You exhale spiritually when you confess your sins.



Now the climax of Paul’s prayer!


Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.


You can literally hear Paul’s excitement as he wraps up this prayer!

• He’s already prayed that the Holy Spirit would strengthen and empower us, that Christ would dwell in our lives, and that we would increasingly come to understand and experience God’s love.

In verse 20, he affirmed God’s power to answer each of those prayers—and to do so in a way that goes far beyond what we can imagine. God is able, because God can do the impossible!



How can we know God will answer this prayer?

• The answer to this prayer is not up to us; it’s up to God! That brings us to the magnificent doxology that concludes this prayer (vv. 20-21). This prayer can be answered because God is able to answer it. We have this magnificent statement that God is able to do whatever it takes to answer this prayer.
• We stand at the end of this prayer and marvel at its richness. An amazing prayer tied to an amazing promise. It is an impossible prayer made possible because “God is able” to do “exceedingly abundantly” beyond all we can ask or think.
• It only waits for us to pray. God wants us to pray, He invites us to pray, He waits for us to call upon Him. He is able to hear us and to answer us. If we do our part, God cannot fail to do His.

Have you ever not prayed because you don’t want to ask too much of God?

• We need to remember that the way God answers isn’t our concern; our task is to go to Him and ask. As James said, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (Jas. 4:2). Jesus invited us to ask when He said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matt. 7:7).
• For the loving and powerful God who would do this for us, Paul had only one response: praise. “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!” (v. 21). Everything is for God’s glory. God empowers us for His glory. He immerses us in His boundless love for His glory. He does more than we can ask or imagine for His glory. Our lives—and His work in our lives—are all for His glory.

Maybe you feel ordinary, but God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things for His glory! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now residing in you (see Eph. 1:19-21).


And that is far from ordinary.



Close:

The Christian life is not supposed to be static; it’s supposed to be dynamic! God doesn’t leave us alone, He empowers, enriches, and fills each of us through His Spirit – the Friendliest Ghost we could possible know. What you know of Him and have experienced in Him, as wonderful as it is, is not the limit of God’s ability. He is able to bring so much more to our lives when we seek Him and open ourselves up before Him. So, to pray as Paul prayed is always appropriate for us. Daily we should pray to be strengthened so that we may know the love of Christ and that we may be filled with His fullness.


You have the immeasurable power of God’s Holy Spirit in your life—use it!

Prayer of Commitment


Father, thank You for the powerful work You have done in my life. May I personally bring You glory as does Christ Jesus and as should His church - forever. Amen.



Hope to see you this Sunday!



In His Love,


David & Susan