The Ability of God

Today on Renewing Your Mind. God is able to answer your biggest request and as a result, God is worthy to receive your highest praise he deserves the glory alone. He deserves the glory in the church. He deserves the glory in Christ Jesus. He deserves the glory throughout all generations and 4F.

The 13th century philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas wrote theology teaches of God is taught by God and leads to God, the Lord welcome to the Monday edition of Renewing Your Mind. I'm really well today were pleased to feature the teaching series blessing and prayers, benedictions and doxologies in Scripture or teacher is the program Dr. HB Charles Junior Pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida please that that he will be one of our speakers at next month's league international conference here in Orlando. Here he is now with a lesson titled the ability of God when going to be studying together some of the wonderful benedictions and doxologies in the Scriptures in a session I want to share with you my favorite doxology from Ephesians chapter 3 verses 20 and 21. It reads now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever a man like Donald Gray Barnhouse once stood in the pulpit of the 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and shocked his congregation by announcing prayer changes nothing but even make the statement for shock value. Barnhouse is trying to communicate the truth that God changes things, not prayer that is prayer works not because of the words we say the promises we claim for the faith. We demonstrate prayer works because of the sovereign power. The op nipple tent power of all mighty God Christian living must always flow from Christian truth itself. One is to learn to pray, one does not. Best learn to pray by studying prayer one best lines to pray by studying the God who answers prayer in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 20 and 21 declared great truths about this God who answers prayer thereto. Prayer reports and Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus there is a prayer for understanding in Ephesians 1 verses 15 through 23. And then there is a prayer for strength in Ephesians 3 verses 14 through 21, the prayer begins in verses 14 and 15 with an invocation. For this reason I bow my knees before the father, for whom every family in heaven and on earth is named verse 16 is the main petition of the prayer that according to the riches of his glory. He may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.

Verses 17, 18 and 19 of the intended results of the prayer, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath then laying in height and depth to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God, then this prayer is in verses 20 and 21 with a closing doxology now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that you could ask or think, consider that the petitions of this prayer are sandwiched in between. Make statements about God. Verses 14 to 15 Paul addresses God is the one father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, then in verse 20 he refers to God as him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we could ask or think. The very structure of the prayer teaches us something about pray that all effective prayer is God centered. You won't be able to pray writing to you first recognize that God is willing to hear and able to answer prayer. Sometimes we short-circuit our own prayers because we say a man to so prayer is not over. After you've given God your laundry list of personal request. Prayer should not end until you give praise to the God answers prayer in Psalm 50 verse 15. The psalmist writes there is. God speaks call to me and I will deliver you. You will glorify me, that's the purpose of prayer, not merely the answers you receive. The purpose of prayer is the glory of God. Here we see in this doxology that you shouldn't wait till after you get an answer to glorify God before you get the answer. In fact, as Paul shows us here before you have finished the prayer should give praise to the God who answers prayer in these two verses of this wonderful doxology. Paul declares to statements about the God who answers prayer. He first says that God is able to answer your biggest request.

God is able to answer your biggest request. Verse 20 says now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. This is a wonderful statement about the nature of God, the power of God.

The character of God, but noted that he does not call God by his name. He identifies God here by the outworking of his divine omnipotence and sovereign authority. He is the God who is able and the word God is nipple tent. Jeremiah chapter 32 verse 17, O Lord God, it is you was made the heaven and the earth with your mighty power in your outstretched hand. Is there anything too hard for you and Jeremiah 32 verse 27.answers: I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. There is nothing too hard for me. In Luke chapter 1 verse 37 the angel explains to Mary how she will give birth to a son even though she is not known to man. The answer is simple. With God all things are possible. In Luke 18 verse 27 Lord Jesus Christ himself declared that the things that are impossible with man are possible with God. God is able in his divine omnipotence is at work on the behalf of those who are in Christ in two ways. God's power is at work in a way that is infinitely beyond us.

He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we could ask or think God is able.

That is, he has the ability to get things done. He has the ability to work according to his intention. It's one thing to have good intentions since their motives, great expectations, it's another thing to be able to accomplish what you intend. This is our God. He is able. The Scriptures declare second Corinthians chapter 9 verse eight that she is able to make all grace abound toward you Bible says in June 24 that he is able to keep you from stumbling and in acts, Paul says to the Ephesian elders that he is able to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. X 20 verse 32 is able. This is good news. His ability is not just theoretical or hypothetical. God is able to do stuff with his power is not a ceremonial authority attributed to him. That does not accomplish anything. God has real power says all here to do something with his power.

But consider what God does with his sovereign omnipotence. Hold onto your seats. Paul says he is able to do what you ask this statement in verse 20 is cherished by what it says about the power of God. But here's a statement about the goodness of God, the God has all power in his hand, uses it to answer prayer. The God who is omnipotent is also cognition. He who has all power knolls all and he is able to meet the needs that we don't even have the words to articulate.

David says it this way. Psalm 37 verse four. He says delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

He is able to do what you ask.

He's able to do what you think. How much of it. Paul says he is able to do all that you ask or think.

80 Robison comments here that are highest aspirations are not be on his ability to bestow.

There is no bargain that God cannot lift, no door, the God cannot open note in the that God can, not defeat.

No need that God cannot meet the problem that God cannot solve no sickness that God cannot heal and no sin that God can forgive he is able to do all that you ask or think. And he doesn't have to stress strain and struggled to do it. He's able to do far more abundantly than all that you ask for. Think is the God who is infinitely at work beyond us. But God's power is also at work as it is indwelling within us now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that you ask or think, according to the power at work with in us the power to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think works according to the power of God within us. In fact, the verb able is tied here to the noun power God himself, but God who is able is himself the power that is at work within us.

This is good news because where we people where weak people. The promise here is that power is available to resist temptation to live obediently to serve faithfully to witness boldly and even to suffer joyfully and also we are told here when I have to wait for God to scoop down from the sky with power that we need to help us.

It is at work within us, every believer the moment you trust Christ for salvation God the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart immediately, permanently, completely Romans eight verse nine, the be part of that verse. Ask whoever does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. When you trust Christ for salvation God the Holy Spirit immediately takes up residence that he lives with in us to give us the strength we need to do God's will and it's according to power.

I like that it's according to not just out of but it's a according to some celebrity goes into a restaurant and leaves the thousand dollar tip.

Shows up on a tabloid blog site and something big. But it's no big thing for millionaire to give $1000 tip out of his or her wealth their billionaires that are dedicated to giving away half their wealth for education and medical research. They're not giving out of their riches that giving according to their riches and this is how God provides strength to his children in Christ, not merely out of but according to the power that is at work within us, northern feel that way right.

Sometimes we say of this exceedingly abundantly above power is at work within me. I sure don't fill it, which I say good the promisee is not that you will feel strong fact, I suggest to you that it is a good thing when we feel weak when we feel strong. We are prone to act as if we are self-sufficient, the weaker we feel the more we lean on him, even when we don't feel strong. The assurance of God's words that this power still real and available in sufficient. One writer said it is as gentle as the development of the new drop as imperceptible as the growth of the tree, but as lasting as the throne of God, even when you don't fill it is strength is available is not what Paul affirms in another place in second Corinthians, when he received this thorn in the flesh. He prayed about it, concluded he could not serve the Lord with this debilitating weakness, only to have God telling my grace is sufficient for you sent Corinthians 12 at nine and my strength is perfected in your weakness. Thought first thing this passage tells us about the God who answers prayer is that this God is able to answer your biggest request. Then in verse 21 is the second truth about the God that answers prayer. In this doxology and it is this God is worthy to receive your highest praise the God who is able to answer your biggest request is the God who is worthy to receive your highest price you have not understood this doxology if you stop at verse 20 is wonderful as it is. Verse 20 and 21 go together.

In fact, they are linked by parallel language. Verse 20 begins to him who is able verse 21 begins to him be glory.

The purpose of prayer is the glory of God's major truth of this doxology. The purpose of prayer is the glory of God.

We speak of God's glory to Weitzen's intrinsic inherent glory.

God is glorious because God is God is the shining light of his presence. It is the crushing weight of his character to say that God is glorious is to say the goddess God which you have here, however, is an ascription of glory is the believers response to God's self revelation of who he is in the light of this God answering prayer. He is worthy of glory DA Carson raises an important question related to this doxology has God become so central in your thoughts and your pursuits and thus in your prayers that you cannot imagine asking God for anything without sincerely desiring that the answer would bring glory to God, to understand prayer is to pray for things that would bring glory to God. Listen to what Paul says about the glory of God. Here he says give glory to God alone. If you watch them award show person will stand on stage with a list of people to thank, after they have received the reward. Paul says here if you receive an answer prayer. There is no list of names only one name. The glory is not to go to them. It is to go to him. John Stott says the power comes from him the glory must go to him not alone deserves the glory, some 115 verse one declares not on to us not onto us.

So Lord but to your name. Give glory because of your steadfast love and your faithfulness give glory to God alone and then Paul says give glory to God in the church give glory to God in the church every New Testament doxology is addressed to the church. This is the only New Testament doxology that includes the church here.

He says the church is the platform for the glory of God.

There so many today who would almost apologize for the church as if it is some necessary evil. They treat the church as if it somehow gets in the way of the glory of God. But here Paul says that the church is the platform for the glory of God in the world.

So make says that God made us a little lower than the heavenly beings and is crowned us with glory and with the image of God is been marred by sin. Romans 323 all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God by the rescuing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are made new.

We are cleansed from sin. We are adopted into God's family, and we are made trophies of God's amazing grace, so the texture says this God who deserves glory alone has so designed that sinners are testaments of the strength of his grace and that he is to be glorified in the church and then he said that God is to be glorified in Christ Jesus to platforms by which God is received glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.

Of course this is not saying that they are equal, it is reminding us that the church is the body of Christ, and Christ is the head of the church. He is the shepherd and we are his sheep piece the groom and we are his bride.

In other words, friend. You cannot have a high view of Christ and a low view of the church.

At the same time, the priority must be to Christ.

John 114 says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. Jesus in his incarnation was the walking, talking, breathing glory of God. In John chapter 12 verses 27 to 28 Jesus says now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say father, save me from this hour for this purpose I have come to this, our father, glorify your name.

Jesus did not die at the cross merely to fix our problems. He died at the cross to glorified his father. Integrity chapter 4 verse six says that God who said, let there be light has caused his light to shine in our hearts so that we might see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God the face of Jesus Christ God alone deserves the glory God is to be glorified in his church. God is glorified in his son the Lord Jesus Christ and then finally buses give God the glory forever not just forever to time references. He mentions he says God deserves the glory throughout all generations in every season in every circumstance and every. When the generations and glorify him for whatever and ever when we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun. God is able to answer your biggest request and as a result, God is worthy to receive your highest praise he deserves the glory alone. He deserves the glory in the church. He deserves the glory in Christ Jesus.

He deserves the glory throughout all generations and 4F says if he said it all. But there is one more thing to be said a man, a man means so be it. It's true right on so but aren't you glad he doesn't say now to him who is able.

We hope so. Now to him who is able. Maybe now to him who is able to see how things turn out says no, God is able a man a man indeed God's S Dr. HB Charles Junior with a message from his new series blessing and praise in addictions and doxologies in Scripture.

This is the first time we bear the series for on Renewing Your Mind. Dr. Charles is pastor teacher of tribal Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville Florida. Throughout his series. He shows us what we can learn about God and the benedictions and doxologies that we read in Scripture wearing a portion of his series this week and if you like the complete series on video eight lessons at all the colors with your donation of any amount to regular ministries.

Our number is 800-435-4343. You can also find us online at Renewing Your Mind.word here. The regular ministries sure were hard at work expanding an already vast library of teaching resources recently added series on the great commission. The Lord's prayer.

The upper room discourse and the series by Dr. Charles blessing and praise.

So again, we invite you to request the series with your donation of any amount or web address again is Renewing Your Mind.org and her phone number is 800-435-4343 will tomorrow will continue this series by Dr. Charles with the benediction from the book of Hebrews makes God, who brought again the Lord Jesus from the dead, you make you make you prepared even restoring the broken places of your God make capable and ready to quit with what with every thing we hope you'll join us Tuesday for Renewing Your Mind