LOJ #172: ‘Unboxing God’
Andover Baptist Church-February 17th, 2013
Opening
A. Text for today is Luke 17:5, 6 and our sermon is titled
‘Unboxing God’
B. Scripture NET:
1. Recap: Luke 17:1-4
“1Jesus said to His disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.3 Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
2. Luke 17:5, 6
“5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”6 So the Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you”
C. Children’s Sermon(SLIDE)
1. What did Jesus do for us?
2. Why did He do that?
3. How strong is God?
4. Can He help us with our problems?
5. Is there any problems He can't help us with?
6. Sometimes when we get older we forget that, I pray you
never do
D. Introduction
1. Out of the mouth of babes….why can't we trust God like
that?
2. It's because sometime down the road we built God a box
3. Here is my God box, sometimes I try and put God in it
4. I would imagine each and every person who calls upon
the Name of the Lord in this room has done the same
thing
5. Yet try as we may its impossible to confine an
Omnipresent God into this little box
6. Now some of you are saying: James I don't have the
slightest clue as to what you are talking about!
a. In fact some of you might exclaim, ‘I don't have
a God box!’
b. Have you ever doubted God?
c. Have you ever worried?
d. Have you ever doubted His Word?
e. Have you ever elevated your own wants and
desires above His in your life?
f. If you have done any of those you’ve put God in a
box
7. Now some of you may subtly say, ‘James I don’t doubt
God, I just doubt myself!’
a. And for the Christian that is one of the most
deceitful of lies the devil spews upon us
b. When you doubt your ability to do His will, you
are in actuality doubting the One Who can give
you the power to do all things for His Glory
8. Ohhow foolish and sinful it is, to doubt the power of the
Almighty!
9. Stop doubting what God can do in your life and in the
life of this church! Use your faith for His kingdom
and this church!
Sermon
READ: Luke 17:5 (Scripture slide)
“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
A.'the apostles'
1. The 12
2. This was the Lord speaking to His disciples, this is for
people who call upon His Name
B.'said to the Lord'
1. They looked to the One Who is able
2. Jesus is the source of faith
Hebrews 12:2 (NET)“keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”
C. Their request: 'Increase our faith!'
1. Jesus had just told them to live radically. To live in a
state of radical forgiveness.
2. How did they reply?
a. This is hard stuff Master, we don't know if we
can do it
b. We need a dose of faith
3. This type of living is impossible for the world!
a. They can’t do it
b. They cannot live a life that is seeped in
forgiveness and self-control
4. How can a person do this?
a. How can a person forgive their rapist?
1. An ex-spouse?
2. That mean kid at school?
3. My family?
4. Myself?
b. How can I get the faith to live the life Jesus
would have me live?
c. Only through Him
Philippians 4:13 (NET)“I am able to do all things through the One Who strengthens me.”
5. Sometimes you have to go to God and say 'I can't do it!'
But your Word Lord says 'That which is impossible with
man, is possible with God!' I can't in and of myself
forgive, but I can through Your power, Your strength
and through your Almighty love
6. Many times however it's an obedience issue not a faith
issue
a. When you tell your kid to go take out the trash, it
would be like them saying 'Increase my ability to
take out the trash'
b. I've heard too often in the church, 'I can't forgive
them' often translated 'I don't want to forgive
them'
c. ‘I can't change’ translate to ‘I don't want to
change’
d. What is at the heart of this statement by the
disciples? They don't want to forgive...they
don't want to be patient with people. They
want to be worldly.
e. We often times don’t want to change, even
though Christ calls to us to change
f. How about you? Are you resisting change in
your life? Is there things you know Christ
wouldn’t want and you simply don’t want to
change it? If so that is dangerous ground my
friend,
READ: Luke 17:6(Scripture slide)
“So the Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
A. 'So the Lord replied'
1. Just the other day I had a friend ask me if Christ always
hears our prayers
a. I told him yes
b. But I also told him that doesn’t mean He always
answers them in the way we want
c. Sometimes His silence is a very loud answer
2. Here Jesus hears the request of His disciples, but He
responds in His Own sovereignway
B.'If you had faith the size of a mustard seed'
1. Did Jesus miraculously give them more faith...no! He
teaches them about trusting in Him.
2. The disciples didn’t need faith the size of a Sherman
tank, just faith in Him big enough to get confused with
a mustard seed
3. It’s not the amount of your faith that matters, but the
power of the One you have faith in
4. Contrary to some heresies God doesn’t need our faith to
work in this world
5. In the book series ‘The Lion the Witch and the
Wardrobe’ there is a scene that I simply love (best in the
whole series I think)
a. In it the Lion, named Aslan, represents Jesus
b. In this scene the youngest of the heroes, Lucy,
meets Aslan after having gone a time without
seeing Him
c. When she sees Him she is surprised and says,
"Aslan you're bigger'
d. He responds, 'That is because you are older, little
one,'
e. Confused Lucy states, 'Not because you are/'
f. Aslan responds, 'I am not. But every year you
grow, you will find Me bigger.'
6. That is the picture of us growing in Christ Jesus, ever
maturing in our faith in Him
a. From the moment we meet Him, Jesus remains
the same
b. It is us who changes in our view of Him
c. We need to become less and less and He needs to
become more and more prominent in our lives
and in our church
C. Just how do we obtain faith and grow in faith in Christ?
1. By hearing His Word
2. We can do many things here at Andover Baptist, but
NOTHING should take precedence over Christ and His
Word!
3. Open your Bibles to Romans 10:17
4. Have people read it in a couple of translations
5. (SLIDE) Put it up on the screen
Romans 10:17 (NET)“Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.”
a. Does faith come from singing songs?
b. Does faith come from shaking hands?
c. Does faith come from prayer requests?
d. Does faith come from fellowship meals?
e. Where then according to Gods’ Word does it
come? Ultimately the preached Word of Christ
f. What is more important than faith? What is more
important than the Christ and His Word?
g. (SLIDE) NOTHING! Hebrews 11:6 tells us
without faith we cannot please God
h. I’m afraid we are guilty of times of making idols
in the Name of Christ
i. I’m here for one reason, the reason I’ve been
called to the Gospel ministry, the thing I will
stand before my Lord and Savior for, the thing I
will be accountable for: preaching and teaching
the Word of God.
j. And I love you and Him too much to let even the
seemingly most noble of things interfere with it
6. Now, I don't know about you but my God doesn't fit in a
box!
a. My Lord and my God walked on water, healed
the lame, spoke the universe in existence and on
that third day rose again
b. The question arises do you trust or doubt Jesus?
c. Do you believe His Word? Do you believe it
when it says that faith, the one thing
D. 'you could say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled out by the
roots and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you'
1. One must be careful here thinking that one's faith can
tell God what to do and He jumps, this is obviously in
line with the will of God and His sovereign will to work
as He sees fit
a. If having faith meant we got what we wanted,
explain Paul’s words:
2 Corinthians 12:7–10 (NET) “7 Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in my flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me-so that I would not become arrogant8 I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”
b. The idea here is not that we can do anything we
have the faith to do, but we can handle and do
that which comes our way
2. Jesus is spelling out that we should have radical
dependence upon Him to move in our lives
a. The root system of a black mulberry tree
extremely interwoven and deep
b. Jewish rabbi’s used to exclaim that to pull a
mulberry tree out of the ground and untangle it’s
root would take the better part of 600 years
c. Their meaning: It would be impossible to
untangle that mess
d. To pluck one out of the ground would take
substantial power
e. If Jesus wanted you to tell a tree to uproot itself
and plant itself in the ocean? Wouldn't He be
able to do that?
3. The will of God coupled with your faith is unstoppable
4. If you faith, even the size of a mustard seed is there,
trust the God Who planted it there!
5. If you really truly, have faith in Jesus, you don't need
more faith, you need to simply use it!
Mark 9:23–24 (NET)“23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
E. This brings me to the purpose and mission of Andover Baptist
Church
1. What does Jesus want to do with our church?
a. Does He want it to impact our community?
b. To reach our friends, families and neighbors?
c. Of course!
d. But if we don't have faith that He is able to do
that through us, why would He do that through
us?
2. Yes we are a little church, but praise Jesus I’d rather be
in a small church with big view of God, than in a big
church with a small view of God
3. Christ told His disciples to go and make other disciples
and to teach them to obey His Word
4. I see that happening here and I feel that the next 5 years
is going to be an exciting time for our little church
5. But we need to untangle our roots of complacency and
nurture our faith in Christ
6. This sign (Ps: 138:9) Hangs in my office it says, ‘The
Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.’
7. Do you believe that for yourself and for this church? I
do!
Application (slide)
A. Now maybe some of you here today have faith that seems as
small as a mustard seed
B. Maybe there are some deep rooted things in your life that needs
to be torn from the roots and cast away from your life? You
might not be able to do it yourself, but God can, God can!
C. Maybe you have a situation in your life that seems beyond
hope.
1. Struggles, Problems.
2. All that seem bigger than your back they are breaking.
3. Do you consider yourself a Christian?
4. Do you believe Jesus Christ went to the cross of
Calvary?
5. Do you believe Him to be the Creator and Sustainer of
all?
6. If yes….than you don't need more faith, you simply
need to utilize the faith you already have!
7. If Christ has done all these things...if He by His power
moved the stars into their orbits and the galaxies in
place….why should you see your problems and burdens
as too heavy to be dealt with?
8. Take God out of the box you place Him in! Put your
life in His hands!
9. If you don’t know Christ. If you have faith that He is
the Son of God and that He died on that Cross for your
Sins. If in faith you accept His offer you will be saved.
10. Come and He will change you.
Invitation
Let us sing our last song #,
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