Good to Great in God's Eyes - Dream Great Dreams, Part 1

God is looking for ordinary people to do extraordinary things for him. Let me ask you, do you believe that it's true.

But in order to move this from your head to your heart. You need to take one very important step. You talk about that stuff today.

Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with the mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christian Bible to ask for joining us as we continue chip series, good to great in God's eyes. This program will reveal the dreaming of big dreams for God just for All-Star Christians. Every heart that you learn how to unlock bring into reality. It was a lot to cover so let's jump right into his message from Ephesians chapter 3 God delights to do impossible things through improbable people to impart exceeding grace to undeserving recipients spent some time making that sentence up, and since it was so wonderful. Let me give it to you again because I want to really think about what it means. It's not that God just happens to do it God delights. There is a pleasure in the heart of God. There's something that happens in the divine Trinity.

He delights to do impossible things, not hard things not difficult things is not what really smart people getting together with a lot of money and a lot of resources a lot of effort to do God delights to do impossible things, but he delights to do it not to people that everyone think it could happen.

He delights to do it through improbable people a lot like the person that might be sitting in your chair. The person that you would think a faith great timing. There's other people that are great and there's other people that I'm sure God will use in certain things will happen in the world. I mean yeah maybe I can help them out, but Nona God delights to do impossible things through improbable people. Why to impart exceeding grace. See, it's not about us. It's not about our ambitions, our dreams are visibility God wants to do something impossible through someone like you, and someone like me so other people get what they don't deserve to impart exceeding overwhelming lavishing grace to people that don't deserve it because when God does that.

He gets the glory.

He gets the glory when my seventh and eighth grade coach found out I was playing college ball they had to print pretty figure out somewhere that you know God must've showed up somewhere in my life is at 4 foot 11. Kid did not have a career basketball. God wants to do amazing things, but you know something, nothing can ever happen until it becomes even the flicker of a thought. Nothing will ever happen in the future until that flicker of a thought becomes a desire that you would even be willing to come to think about that desire might happen.

I'm talking about godly God honoring things would help lots of people and then that little desire has to flicker and go into a flame to where you have a dream that is birthed in your heart and your life.

And then that dream becomes the target become something that you you think about in your pray about and you your energy and your resources and your priorities and your focus gets around this drain that if God would so decide to do it. It would be so impossible that everyone would know God and God alone has done and I want to talk about how does it happen. How does God develop birth dreams and people like you and people like me well. He invites ordinary people to dream something so great that it would be impossible if God did not do it. You just invite you. It's not mysterious, it's not for us a few special people special time somewhere God invites ordinary people to dream something so great that it would be impossible if God did not do it at this point you were living in a world where you go to a seminar for several hundred dollars and learn to think positively and you go to another seminar the bookstore and you know, think and grow Rich and there's a lot of self-help material to multibillion-dollar industry. You were right on the edge of so chipper you really saying that you know what the mind can believe the will can conceive and in all that jazz. Now I'm talking not sanctified, dreaming, I'm talking about a God thing.

I'm not talking about learning to think a certain way now are those very helpful tools. When people begin to think and think positively and organize their life.

Can you see levers or unbelievers have very successful things. I'm sure yeah, but I'm not talking about that I'm talking about, sanctified biblical dreaming that God bursts not so that we can become successful, visible, wealthy, affluent, famous but so that we could be an agent of grace were God would do something first in us, and then through us that both we and all that know us would say this is the hand of God, so let me give you the biblical basis for sanctified, dreaming. First, God is able right that it is able. He's able to do the impossible. Jeremiah 3217 says, Lord God, behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you. What if we believe that nothing is too difficult for God and just before you say will that's an Old Testament passage and maybe that's not really operating the same way it was okay. Let me give you New Testament, Luke 137 for nothing will be impossible with God.

Remember where that showed up. Mary is being told you are going to be the mother of the Messiah Mayor. His team told guess what God is going to visit the planet. The second person of the Trinity is going to come and she says I think we have a problem here.

I'm a virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit is going to come upon you, and by the way, don't worry about the scientific deal for nothing is impossible with God the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will be with child. We need to first believe that God is able but that he can be able and we can say that's great. He has the power to do it. I intellectually believe that that's not enough. Second, God is desirous God is desirous not only has the power and the ability but God is desirous to not just plant a dream but to do things in you and through you. That's beyond what you can even think of conceive is a board you get that first Corinthians 29. The apostle Paul says, but just as it is written, things which I is not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him. Take your pen out and and put a line under I hasn't seen ear hasn't heard I ready for this. And then that last part have not entered the heart of man that doesn't that sound like something a little bit bigger than you have in your mind right now and will and what it what is it God desires to do. He stores up things that have never come into your mind things you've never seen things it in your wildest dream. You've never birth God desires to give and is stored up for those that are his children to do things in you and through you for his glory but is not only able, and desirous he's made a promise. Psalm 37 forces delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Now I this is been widely misused.

This does not mean delight yourself in the Lord and you always make the great decisions in the stock market. This does not mean delight yourself in the Lord and under your family will ever get sick, you never get cancer in your life will go you know, peachy cream, nice and smooth.

This isn't delight yourself in the Lord and that new Lexus that you really want but know this is about when you delight yourself in the Lord. Then you begin to take delight in what God takes delight in your heart begins to beat with the things beats with God's heart. Your concerns begin to be God's concerns the things that are of God the things that bring him to life his purposes for the world and for the planet for people you begin to delight yourself in your special relationship with him what you get is I want to please you, Lord, I want to love you.

I want to enjoy you all want to be your man. I want to be your woman I want to find my delight and my value in my significance in my security in you not and stuff, not in people not in success not in fame, not an accomplishment. I thank you for those things I want to find my delight in you. And when God finds a man when God finds a woman like that, whose ultimate delight is longing for him.

He says tell me what your desires are and into the desires or get birth the desires that will get birth in your heart and life will be according to your background and your gifts will be according to what God has planned for your life and you'll burst desires inside of you and God will delight to fulfill those desires that will bring you exceeding joy in him exceeding glory God is able God is desirous and here God has promised that as we delight in him see it flows out a relationship, but finally I love this last one, God invites us to meet you literally says okay I'm able I'd like to I like to plant a dream in your heart and see things happen in you and through you that you could never imagine and I made some real promises to those kind of people who really want my glory. And then he says here's an invitation. Psalm 28 asked of me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as your possession that bigger what is that an invitation from the Almighty God as you picked up, Lord, will you give us the nations will you give us the nations for our inheritance. Good can we be a part of what you're doing with the body of Christ and with churches around the world in churches and pastors herein with people who love you when you give us the people groups of the world.

See what we want you to know is that this isn't something that might happen someday, somehow, someway was some groups somewhere else. This is what God is doing and he is inviting you and inviting us.

How did those things happen.

He spoke to individual people.

He was able he was desirous. He made promises, and he spoke the individual improbable people and he said he whispered in her ear when I couldn't even believe it. I want to do something impossible through you in the response early on was I an improbable person. You could never do that to me. All I like to use improbable people and I want to use an improbable person like you to do something impossible so I could do what I can provide exceeding grace to undeserving people so that when it happens, everyone will know it's not about you it's about me.

Would you like to be involved in that. July God to use your life and that way. In fact, if you think I'm pushing it a little again from the Old Testament. This is the very last night, Jesus is on the earth. I mean let's get there okay let's let's not make this a Bible story. Let's let's think about.

Let's this could let's smell the smells and the dust on the sandals and and and be a little bit sweaty and having the robes on and you being uptight this last week, and he's cleared the temple one and Nina were having the Passover meal and gone out and he's told us that this is gonna be the last time together is washed our feet and then he looks in her eyes and he says truly, truly, I say to you we been around long enough to know that whatever he repeats that word truly, truly, this is like underline this.

This is highlight this in your mind. This is the big stuff. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, and were all sitting around the table, saying, Lord, we believe in you Lord, if we don't believe in you were the were the dumbest guys on the face of the earth because it looks like the way things are going on you to get killed, so are we truly, truly, I say to you if you believes in me, the works that I do he will do also the works I do think what Jesus did brace people from the dead, that 5000 on a you few fish and a couple pieces of bread, the works that I do greater works than these he will do. Why, because I go to the father and here's the invitation. Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do so that the father may be glorified in the son. If you ask me anything.

I will do you believe that or have we. Over time, been so unconsciously and unwittingly dumbed down, but the basic question we unconsciously ask is how do I make it through this week. How can I get my kids to college going take the business to the next level.

How can my marriage be a little bit better than it was last year.

Well it's come to help out the church and in let's teach a class here and do something there. All those things are good things, but you know what happens is we get so close, so close, so close were living in this tiny little box in the God of heaven is shouting a wake up I want to put a God sized dream in your heart. I want to do an impossible thing to do an improbable person like you to provide exceeding grace to undeserving people ask of me greater works than I have done you will do, ask, ask me anything from the father and I will do it in course the code.

The condition is your asking things and honor him. You're asking things that align with the word of God.

You're asking things that will bring glory and praise to Jesus.

God births dreams and his people.

How does it work functionally mean I don't know about you but when I go through this biblical basis of sanctified dreaming I would start thinking and I think so small I just got I I'm thinking I'm thinking about life in terms I don't mean to do it about what I can accomplish in my strength and my time doing it my way for your glory and what you want to do is a chip that's not what I want in your life. I want you to start asking what I could do through you, not what you can do.

Let me give you a little stroll through sort of a biblical line if you will about how God births dreams and his people, yet everyone how this works. If sort of things about me.

I never open this book until I was 18, but what I love it. It's it's so earthy it's a real I mean you know we make these people like they are so out there and you and we put in stained glass and oh Peter Fowler rock loudmouth betrayer loser went back to fishing Abraham. The great men of the faith, liar.

She's my sister. Please don't kill me, Rahab, former prostitute. I read this book. I'm thinking out about you.

I qualify this is a book about very improbable people effect.

Some of you may be too good for God to use in reversing and like you know you use may have too much going for you is to the people that God uses here and I've got boy they got baggage they got struggles. I got send you know you I think about the great men that God is use the great people gotta Jesus just to commit murder to be greatly used of God. Moses David Paul Moses David Paul, each for different reasons. Succumbed to the flesh and did the most hideous of things that a human being can do to another human being, and they were forgiven and they were restored and God planted not just a dream, but he change the course of history and fulfill his purpose. Through an improbable person. How about you could could could it be that God brought you here on this day to sort of pull the veil off your eyes and get you thinking God sized dreams and sing Lord you know Dawson Trotman was a guy with a high school education.

Cameron Townsend was, you know, some guy they didn't have a lot going for them but he dreamed a dream and now all those languages are being translated from the Bible.

Let's let's talk about how it works. I mean I want to get down to the very nitty-gritty in the way I've done this, as I just did little surveys some Bible characters and I think there's a principal from each one.

How God births dreams and his people. Let's take Abraham first, he commands us to step out of our comfort zone.

By the way most dreams are done right here. If you are not willing to step out of your comfort zone. Forget the dream stuff, you know, just listen to the first part of this and give it to friends like you might like this. It's not for me. Unless you are willing to step out of your comfort zone. Unless you are willing to take a risk unless you're willing to do something for you step out in your thinking. Oh God, if you don't help me forget dreams because without faith it's impossible to please him and those who come to God must always believe two things we always emphasize one but not the other.

Those who come to God must believe that he is who he really is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Do you believe he is a rewarder you believe that when you step out with your time when you step out with your money when you risk in relationship and get out there on the edge that God is waiting, leaning over the throne of heaven, wanting to reward you and help you and bless you that's a part of what faith is. Genesis chapter 12 here's Abraham all of his families right around him. He gets a word from God. Abraham I want you to leave everything I here's I want you go where you want to go. I'll let you know later.

Can we go over that again yeah I want you to leave all the security all the people and all this land with all its evil. I've got a whole brand-new plan and what I want you to do is just follow where I say and it's go out of town that direction on that road and no destination. No, no map, no you just take the first steps of where I'm showing you and as you keep walking my word to you will be a light into your path, and a lamp that will show you where one step of the way the first step in a birthing process of God's dream in your life will be the same one with Abraham you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone.

Second, from the life of Joseph. We learn he puts a dream within our hearts. This isn't something you have to go out somewhere and say what some great wonderful thing.

What are your passions what are the things that every time you see it you without understanding your emotions start to well up. What is it that when you hear about or you think about your blood pressure goes up your heart beats a little bit faster and you catch yourself going CPC God he just Joseph was just dreaming and God put a dream in his heart because it a plan for his life and remember that the dream that he gave them was Joseph. I'm gonna have you in a position where you know what your brothers in fact, your folks are gonna bow down to you and now he was a very mature were often not very mature with our dreams. The blabbing was gone Eric and had some character issues to deal with but you know a few times in prison a little but neglected to get your character you know what needs to be and you know that's what God does. He puts the dream in your heart, and often as you move toward the dream life does not get better at all and gets worse, it gets worse, it gets worse, because when God entrusts a great dream to a man or a woman. The greatest danger is they will get swallowed by the dream and get caught up in their role in the dream as we usually have to take you some painful, difficult times so you always know who the dreams about. And so Joseph's character got to the point where when he was the ruler of all the land of Egypt. He understood who God was and he understood. He's just a steward and he was put in this role, and in this role.

It was how God to answer to you and what we know he preserve the entire nation.

He saved God's agenda. Emily speaking but gotta give your promise. Gotta birth the dream. What's yours. What's yours is pastoring in Santa Cruz and most ordinary guy you meet. I didn't grow up in a Christian home. My grandfather was a pastor and you have to share my story and I'm a coach and I still in my minds. I just think I'm coach just a different team and what coaches knows players when games and I've never seen a coach get on the Florence case scored 40 tonight. We think you coaches find the right players get the right people in the right spots and cast a vision and a help those players become all that they can become an I've always been a coach and but I never dreamed I'd be a pastor, coach and so this church begin to grow and then into the thing got on the radio and that started to happen then.

Some people wanted to take some stuff and put it in the form of the book and this dream I did know all I know is God use my life.

And if you've never done this I did something I've never done is a God, you know, I'm a I'm hidden this this window of the 40s and the pull of the church and the growth of the radio and people want me to write these books and you know what this is an improbable person.

I don't how to handle this. We you show me how it all fits together. I'll do whatever you want me to do right now I just feel like my heart and my emotions are just getting jacked around and if you pulled here and pulled herein and I can see all the temptations and it looks like a slippery slope. I could see how you could really use my life or I could see I could be one of those statistics and get caught up with myself. I need to hear from you.

We went on a retreat, 1996 up to little camp called cornea and that we were reading another Collins book as a staff in each staff member came up with big hairy audacious. We called them dreams instead of goals we figure. Men can achieve goals. Only God can fulfill dreams and every staff member would would come up with. This is the dream for my area of ministry and and then begin to pray and have a strategic plan to get there and I we were ready to pull all the staff together and each person was going to share this is this is my big hairy audacious dream for the glory of God and I thought well okay great and nobody I work with.

I told you about and Steve. I said well this'll be good to get what yours is and will remain with mine while mine is that all these guys and gals for fulfill theirs and then that's my dream. And you don't and classic ex-football coach to coach you guys understand the see colectomy went and hit me right in the chest may not real hard but hard enough, but that wasn't all that fun. You cut a boom like that and he said come on Ingram. He said you don't get away with that. Go out there. We got a half-hour sit in the field. Ask God what your personal dream is everyone else has a dream you're the coach you got have one for yourself and you know is just a divine push from God and I can still remember I went out sat crossed legs open my Bible and we have two or three days a great worship in great teaching and you know we were all close to God.

I said Lord I been asking about this we you just you just tell me what you what you want to do with my life.

It's all gonna come together and I sat quietly and I don't come from an overly mystical background okay but this is one of those times I heard the spirit of God prop me and say as clearly as an audible voice chip.

I want you to be a catalyst to transform how America thinks about God how pastors think about preaching how churches think about their communities, and how every day believers without their faith at home and at work you want to go slower write that down and literally I mean I pool. I pulled out a pen and it's it, literally, could you go slower.

I want you to be a catalyst you need to be a big somebody a catalyst is a small little something put in a certain environment because a chain reaction chip. I want you to be a part of of lifting my name so there's a high view of God. I want I want America to be transformed and how they think about me. I want pastors to get back into preaching through the text, but in relevant application awake.

I want churches that dream dreams for their community and get off building your own little kingdom, and would team and their whole communities and love each other, pray and worship together reach your communities and I want the days got us come were every day at 11 o'clock people live exactly the same ways they do 11 o'clock on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday and how you drive the carpool and how you do business deals is exactly how you do it when you're worshiping God and I wrote that down.

I went back and I shared the dream, the got birthed in my heart and I was so embarrassed to me. Does that sound audacious or not you're one church on the left coast to some people would call it an you know you're on your own for radio station so you will build a transform how got you the nation thinks about God and you're in the process of writing one book that you don't even notice can be any good or maybe I will ever buy it and you hear this dream is got understand Abraham and move out your comfort zone. Joseph Hill, Bertha dream and as he burst it if it is impossible you'll just at you'll save yourself this.

How can this be how can this be eight years later.

What I realized was, it wasn't just about helping America be transformed and teeming with other pastors and other organizations in the church. It's about what God wants to do in the world, but that birth of that dream that became. I will tell you that vision statement became the grid. Every decision that I've made from 1996 till now been listening to part one.

Dream great dreams. Be right back with his application for the stitching series. Good to great in God's eyes. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus said whoever wants to become great among you must what through the series chip explores what great this means to God by highlighting 10 crucial practices he says are vital know if you're looking to dive deeper into the subject. Let me encourage you to check out chips book or small group study.

These are perfect tools to help jumpstart your faith. To learn more about these resources go to LivingontheEdge.org the chip and remap call AAA 333-6003.

I'll be right back with some final thoughts on today's message but before I do I just have to tell you it is so exciting as the people order their small group resources, and we see people getting connected in small groups and growing and then you guys tell us some amazing things are happening in your relationships, and the only way that we can do this is by the faithful generous support of what we call partners. It's like a partnership together. Where were really making a difference and sometimes you don't realize the impact that you're making and the fact of the matter is, we can say you know something, here's what were doing here.

Here's the tools and now people are forming small groups and God is multiplying real disciples because of your generosity in your partnership, so I just wanted before we go on to just stop for those of you that have partnered say thank you very very much will strip said if you're already supporting us financially, we appreciate you. With your help Living on the Edge is ministering to more people than ever before. But if you're benefiting from this ministry in some way and haven't yet taken that step. Now would be a great time to join us to send a gift or to become a monthly partner go to LivingontheEdge.org or text the word donate to 741 41 that's donate to 741 41 or visit LivingontheEdge.org Listeners tap donate. Thank you in advance for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do well here's chip with some final application as we close today's program.

What I want you to know is that yes, great Christians, I mean great Christians in God's eyes. They do think great thoughts, and they pursue great people and they read great books and as were learning. Now they dream great dreams, but I just have to tell you that you gotta ask yourself how in the world are ordinary people like you and me really gonna pull this off and this study has been one of the most exciting. In fact, I was in Columbus Ohio and they had a whole series of men's groups.

I mean around the city. There were all going to go through good to great in God's eyes, and they were reading the book and watching the small group DVD and sitting around saying okay what's it mean to read great books and holding each other accountable and encouraging one another and I read this or pursuing great people and I mean it's a dynamic that happens in a group ends, get team moving together.

It's the grace of God in the spirit of God, and it happens in community you have to have a plan you need encouragement and I'm convinced you have to study together to make this happen. That's a great reminder chip to help you get into meaningful community. Let me encourage you to check out our small group resources are so easy to use chip provides the teaching that he'll have time to discuss what you've heard alongside our helpful study guides. So if you're not in a small group you are you aren't sure what to study. Next, check out our resources today and for a limited time. We've discounted all of our small groups tools for you to learn more, go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 Listeners tap special offers will. Until next time for everyone here. This is Steve saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge