December 21, 2010
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How do we limit a limitless God by Russell Wilson
Bible study taught on Friday 10/29/10
The previous Sunday Pastor Don showed us a video called Indescribable about how vast and incredible our universe is.
How do we limit a limitless God?
Are we walking in lack our are we walking in power?
John 14:6-14 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
Jesus did nothing on His own authority, but what His Father told Him to do. Jesus also told us that we would also do greater works than those He did. We take Jesus and put Him on a pedestal, but He gave up Godly power to come to earth as a man. The Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit, gave Jesus the ability to do all that He did. Jesus is our role model, who showed us what we were designed for and capable of. We get bogged down in circumstances. We listen to the doctor’s report or our financial reports on the bank statement, or the boss’s words.
We need to remember that the Lord is our provider and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can achieve what we ask.
John 14:15-18 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
God is going to give us the Holy Spirit, a comforter and helper. He has a plan for our lives. Each one of us has a plan for our lives.
Acts 1:7-8 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
We receive power. People in the world will do anything for power, but we in the Christian world do not utilize the power of God that is available to us. We do not exercise our power. Just like with muscle, use it our lose it. We can get weak and not speak the truth of God over our situation.
We looked at Acts 2 to learn more about the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:1-13 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, andone sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
The voice of the devil wanted people to believe that they were drunk, not that this was power from God. Peter set them straight.
Acts 2:14-24 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’ “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
When the Spirit moves miracles happen, eyes are opened, and signs and wonders follow. It is the power of God’s Word that effects changes.
John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
Saul (Paul) had heard it all. When God came to Him, Paul learned that God had a plan for his existence.
God has a plan and purpose for our existence as well. He chose us. He has a glorious plan for our lives. We are not a mistake. We think we can’t get it togehter, but with the help of the Holy Spirit we are able.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
When we are led by the Spirit of God, we are capable of doing all that He did. We are not doing the healing or the works of God, we are the conduit. We place our faith in God and allow the Spirit to flow through us. All we need to do is get ourselves out of the way and let the Spirit flow.
Mark 11:22-24 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Have faith in God. We have a lot of believers, not a lot of sayers. We have to speak to the situation. Don’t say, if it is Your will. It is His will.
Speak it and leave it alone. So often the response comes at 11:59:59 – the last minute.
Jesus is our role model.
We worship who we were, forgetting what He wants us to become. God gives us gifts. Two people can get the same gift, but each person will use the gift in a unique way. God gives us knowledge, power, and experience bringing a particular perspective to the usage of your gift. We use that power to address our circumstance so that we are not distracted and will do what He tells us to do.
Mark 16:15-18 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
As we believe and speak His Word, signs will follow.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
God gives us a new heart. Scientists have shown that praying in tongues increases our immune system. Speaking in tongues is like taking your spirit to the gym. Our natural mind hears more. The devil knows how to push your buttons.
These signs will follow.
The world is enamored with the supernatural. In Third World countries, there is a belief in the supernatural. If Christians do not operate in the power and authority of God, those in those countries will be fooled by the imitation of satan. God is the real supernatural power, and people need to see that.
When we let the power of God flow through us He turns the super into the natural.
We speak things into existence. God can give us wisdom to speak to those whose language we do not know. The people are looking for signs and signs will follow the Word of God. We can handle serpents (poison planted by the enemy). We don’t deliberately place ourselves in danger but in doing His will, if danger comes, He can guide us through it.
How do we gain this? We read the Word. We have to go from knowledge to belief. And from belief to obedience.
We read His Word and go.
Some challenges are best met by prayer and fasting. Pray for an increase. Seek the Kingdom of God first and all the rest follows.
As we increase in knowledge of His Word, He will be able to work more in your life and we will be better equipped to do His will. Give Him praise. Glorify His name. Keep saying His Word. Keep Him constantly before you. Praise and thanksgiving. Whatever you want, thank Him for it.
I pray this blesses you.
Heather
