Sermon: Living Extraordinarily: Living in 4-Dimensional Blessings

 

  

Extraordinary!

Acts 19:11-12 (NIV), “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul…” When Luke says that God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, they were extraordinary!

These verses give us an example of someone misunderstanding spiritual things.

1. Some say that the miracles in the Book of Acts are meant for the days of the apostles; days of beginning of the early Church, but they are not for today.

2. Some assumed that Paul was doing the miracles himself. Or they emphasized the perform doing the miracles rather than the source. They thought they could do anything Paul could do, and become famous also. The difference was, Paul was not doing it. See verse 11? “God worked…” Also, Paul was not seeking his own glory; he was seeking God’s glory. Paul was not doing his own will; he was doing God’s will.

Does God do miracles today? Does He still heal the sick through certain individuals as he did Paul?  The problem has never been with God!  He can do anything good. God is all-powerful!

In Eph. 3:14-21 Paul talked about same God who worked the extraordinary miracles in Acts.

Acts - Ephesians: You either believe it all, or you don’t believe at all.

I believe in the supernatural. Everything about God is supernatural. The God that we serve is supernatural. We are called to live a supernatural life - a level beyond the realm of possibility.

Eph. 3:20 - “exceedingly abundantly above all…: The Lord wants to take us beyond and that depends on the supernatural. He wants to take you beyond; well beyond yourself; beyond your talents, logic; beyond your natural capacity, outdoing yourself. “Let the weak say I am strong, poor say I am rich…” that’s living beyond your capacity.

Eph. 3:20 - “according to the power that works in us…” That’s what the Supernatural does. And where does it work? It works in you. Not out there, but in here. Most focus on external supernatural things. Notice that it begins INSIDE OF US-our “inner being” is given strength and power. What’s in you? The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of power! He IS quite capable of doing “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20). Yet perhaps the most amazing thing of all is his ability to demonstrate quiet power in ways often unnoticed by man. HE IS ABLE (: 20)…

Unquestioned ability (3:15) - God can.
Unlimited riches / resources (3.16) God will
Immeasurable love. (3.18) God does

The word “power” (”dunamis”) is defined as “the ability or capacity to perform or act effectively.” God gives us power - Power For Inner Strength (14-17). Power To Understand (18-19). Power To Achieve (20-21) Power Over All Things

Key - Eph. 3:18 That you may und the breadth, length and depth, height … if you can just comprehend, get a grasp of the greatness of God and get that power working in you …If you can plumb the depth - no telling what God can do. If this church can just get a handle of the depth, height of greatness of God - oh, how this city can be shaken….

4-DIMENSIONAL BLESSINGS;
God’s abundance is beyond imagination. God will pour out God’s blessings in our lives in overflowing proportions. There are four dimensions of God’s love and power: How Wide? How Long? How High? How Deep?
Verse 20 is a doxology. Pauls is soaring. He is singing or shouting. Paul is singing because he sees two things. He sees that the power of God over the church goes beyond what we can think. And he also sees that the love of God for the church goes beyond what we can think (verses 18-20). When the massive weather front of God’s love meets the massive weather front of God’s power in the heart of a believer it produces a hurricane of confidence called “Gloria” — a powerful doxology: “To him be GLORY in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations for ever and ever. Amen”

1. BREADTH - LIVE A BIGGER, BROADER LIFE
Bigger expectation, broadened opportunities, experience, world-view.
Width of God’s love. We love certain people but not others. We love certain types of people, but not others. Think about the person you most dislike in the world. Now think about this: God is crazy about that person! God’s love is available for all people. Christ’s arms reaching to all the world

2. LENGTH - S LIFE BRINGS PROLONGED BLESSINGS.
Length of God’s love: that God’s love is forever and always. God’s love doesn’t give up. 

Longetivity to the purposes of God in your life. Daniel 4:27  …perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity (if you live a righteous life) Prolong seasons of blessings. Prolonged prosperity -Deut.  25:15 - more time possessing God given promises.
Deut. 30:19, 26 - He will make your days really long, not just lots more days but more days of effectiveness, blessings, living in promise.    Deut. 5:16 ;1 Ki 3:14
Psa 84: That you may experience as much in a single day as 1000 days/ 3 years without the supernatural. We can accomplish more - if you can grasp the width, length and …. 

3. DEPTH 
Psa 36, 96; 92:5,6 God’s thoughts are deep. That means His choices and judgments for your life - comes with great depths. He has put a lot of deep thoughts into you..
Psa. 139:7 God is there! If I make my beds in the depth, you are there. Maybe literally, you feel like you are in the depths of hell, he’s there. He can lift you up into the presence of God. 
When you serve the Lord, he will give depth to your life’s purpose, to your relationship…. So that you are not easily uprooted.

4. HEIGHT
He will uplift you! Goes farther, enjoy more; go higher - above all natural capacity.
Beyond you! God will move powerfully in our lives. God will move in a greater manner and more powerfully than we can ever imagine. In the words of a Josh Groban song, “You lift me up to be more than I can be.” Height - Raised up and enthroned with Christ

CONCLUSION
You know God loves you - but do you know? Do you really know? God is crazy about you! Now all you have to do is believe it!
Paul prays for the church in Ephesus …* Oh God strengthen the church… Oh Lord overwhelms your people. So that we’re prepared as a church to be ready for all the wonderful, awesome, and glorious things He has ahead for us!

1. Are you living in the love and power of God today?
2. Do you believe He has the power to do more than you can even imagine?
3. Do you believe that through His power nothing is impossible for you?
4. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell
God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s love and peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

To Him be the glory (: 21).