Outer Banks Community Church

Great Christians Series – Ephesians 3:20-21

Intro: Have you ever heard someone say; When I get out of school I am going to get a job with a 6 figure income, I am going to marry the pretties woman, have one boy and one girl and live in the Suburbs with the perfect two story wood frame dwelling, fenced in yard a pool and a sports car that anyone envy’s, and people will hear of my story from reading the Forbes magazine. Maybe you haven’t heard anyone say that, but there have been many who had big dreams when they were young. The world’s view says “Dream On!” But God’s view says I can use the ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Great Christians believe this! Great Christians Dream Great Dreams.

We celebrate a birthday on the 4th of July. This is a birthday that a country has. This is a birthday that was conceived through Great Christians who had a dream. A dream that would take these Great Christians to a point of no return and a God that allows us to be one Nation.

“God delights to do the impossible thing through improbable people to extend exceeding grace to underserving recipients.” Chip Ingram

Text: Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Application: Every dream that God births goes through the cross!

The base of sanctified dreaming is:

1. GOD IS ABLE:

“You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.” Jeremiah 32:17 (NASB)

Think of the most difficult situation in your life, a problem that seems unmovable. It isn’t too difficult for God. It isn’t even mildly difficult. Or think of the most outrageous dream you can imagine. It is not too hard for God, not even close. God is able to resolve anything at any time.

2. GOD IS DESIROUS:

“But just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS 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." 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NASB)

God is able to do great things through those who love Him. It is God’s desire to do great things through Great Christians. We can’t come up with a dream too big for God, and He has given us every reason to believe He wants us to raise our level of expectation. We often try to lower our expectations and quiet our dreams because we feel that they are too unrealistic or that God wouldn’t do something huge through insignificant people like us. We have a Bible full of examples of ordinary people God used to do great things. Remember the conversation Mary had with Gabriel? And Gabriel answers with: “For nothing is impossible with God."

3. GOD HAS PROMISED:

Not only is God able, and not only does He want to, He also promised. “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Our biggest problem isn’t that our dreams are too big; it’s that they’re too small.

4. GOD INVITES US:

Our God is able, and it is His desire that we would dream, He promises this, as a matter of fact He invites us. One of the greatest examples of this is in the Upper Room Discourse: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:12-14 (NIV)

Can you imagine the disciple’s amazement when Jesus told them they would most assuredly be able to do the works that He done? All the miracles of healing, deliverance, and raising the dead, all the works of compassion and mercy, all the wisdom and teaching that He did would now be carried out by ordinary men. Not only that, Jesus tells them that they would do even greater works than His, this invitation only asks that you abide: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Great Christians are encouraged to dream great dreams! God through His son Jesus invites us to dream. God gave us a Bible full of stories of people with God-sized dreams who depended on His power and promises to fulfill them. How does God produce the dreams in everyday people? There are several good examples which really leave us without excuses:

Abraham – had to learn, the first step was involved with getting out of a comfort zone. The principle we can learn from Abraham is that God often does not birth dreams in us until we’ve demonstrated that we’ll step out of our comfort zone.

Joseph – God puts His dream in your heart. Joseph had a dream that he literally wasn’t looking for. God implants a dream.

Moses – you have the right dream, but you try to accomplish it in your own energy. Moses failure only served to prepare him. God allows us to fail in our attempts to accomplish His dream in our own power.

David – Through all the adversity, David learned that his life was not about fulfilling a dream or even about success for God. It’s about loving the dream-giver more than the dream. He set his heart on the relationship first and the benefits second. God teaches us through adversity to love the dream-giver more than the dream. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26 (NIV)

Paul – God often gives or clarifies a calling during a moment of crisis. God can take our worst failures and use it as a platform for future ministry.

Conclusion: If you don’t have a dream, ask for one. It isn’t complicated, and He delights in the request. Aren’t we glad our forefathers had one? What are you willing to pay for the dream, what will it cost you? The dream will cost your life: “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’ John 12:24 (NIV)

There are many in this country that took this both physically and spiritually. Many died so we could have freedom. This is one reason that most of us don’t want God’s dream. The dream will cost us our life and appear to others as ludicrous just before God accomplishes the impossible through us. We spend much of our time and energy trying to avoid that place. We want just enough of Jesus to make us happy, just enough to give us peace, and just enough to make things go our way to fulfill our dreams and our agenda. Meanwhile, He wants to take us to the cross, where our own selfish dreams, egos, and plans for great accomplishments have to die. The cross brings you to a place of total and absolute surrender of all you have and all you are. You submit everything in obedience to the vision or dream God has given you for your life.

We are encouraged to finish well, that should be a dream for you. We are encouraged to worship, have you prayed the dream that God can really reveal Himself to you through worship. Put all your cards on the table and make those dreams a reality. It could be your marriage, the raising of a family a successful career not a job a career. So DREAM ON!