Don't believe me just watch-the ordinary turn extraordinary

Romans 8:1 "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins."

Romans 8:11 NLT "[11] The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you."

1.      God will empower, and employ every means necessary to connect us back to Himself. 

1.      Here scripture declares to us the inspiring fact that we have the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead living inside us and working through us!

1.      This same Spirit did miracles through Christ throughout His earthly ministry.

1.      We ought to be excited about that!

2.      All the resurrection power which He put forth in raising Jesus from the dead He is ready, willing, and holds all the authority to envelop us with that same power.

1.      He will quicken, give life to, your mortal body.

2.      If the Holy Spirit was able to heal the sick through Christ and then raise Him from the dead, don't you suppose that He could heal your body, your mind too?

1.      He's living in you.

3.      You don't have to run to a crusade, summer camp, or mission's trip to find Him.

1.      The Holy Spirit inside you is well able to cure every disease, every instability, and every insecurity that you could possibly have.

2.      Well able to cure every depressed thought, well able to provide in the midst of great lack.

3.      The power to forgive is in you right now, the power to minister to your family is in you right now, the power to overcome sin is in you right now, that same Spirit with us right now!

3.      Stop and think about the Powerhouse within you!

1.      There is no power shortage!

1.      The power plant is always on and in great working order.

1.      There is an obedience shortage.

2.      There is no drought!

1.      The bible says that rivers will flow out from within.

1.      There is drought of faith.

4.      We're not discussing some weak, wimpy, watered-down version of Holy Spirit Lite.

5.      Not part of the same Spirit. 10% Holy Spirit, 20% Oprah, 40% other religions, 30% of the newest and creative church ideas.

1.      You have the same Holy Spirit in you that worked to perform Christ's miracles and raised Christ's dead body.

6.      Not a Holy Spirt knock off.

1.      That same Spirit.

2.      God uses the simple things of this world to confound the wise.

1.      God will use the ordinary to create the extraordinary, don't believe me just watch. 

1.      Because God's not dead we have a Savior we can call upon, He will answer, and supply our every need!

2.      Because God's not dead we have a rescue mission that came to us in our most intricate of times and saved us.

1.      Saves us from calamity, saves us from disbelief, and saves us from operating in the ordinary.

3.      Because our God's not dead we have a God who knows our weaknesses and understands them as He guides us through them!

4.      Because God's not dead we share His message, we share His love, we share His gifts, we share His joy and we'll share His suffering.

2.      That same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead shall quicken us to obedience. 

2.      God places obedience right in front of outcome.

1.      God places obedience, the natural, right in front of outcome, the supernatural.

1.      You have to step into obedience to see His perfect outcome.

2.      We have to choose just like the early disciples, just like the early men and women of God before us to step out on faith.

1.      Step out in faith, and operate in faith.

1.      What is step number 1 with God?

1.      That's easy, obedience.

2.      Well then what is step number 2?

1.      The follow through of step number 1.

1.      And are there other steps? Directions?

1.      Absolutely and those are the same as step number 2. 

Obedience-compliance with an order, request, or law. Submission to another's authority.

Romans 5:18-19 NLT [18] Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. [19] Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous."

Illustrate here: When you step into the realm of faith and you stand out there on nothing but the word of God, that's when God shows up.

•   Not when you decide to step out for God.

•   Not when you pray about stepping out for God.

•   Not when someone confirms that you should step out in faith.

•   Not when you have exhausted all others options and avenues.

•   Not even when God speaks to you about obedience.

•   Obedience is the one thing, our segue way that will step you from the natural right into the supernatural.

•   Very common, right into the uncommon.

•   When you step into it you'll immediately know it, God will confirm that you made the right decision.

•   You can drain every other option, eventually you'll come to recognize and realize that obedience is the right track, it's the way, it's the truth, and it's the life.

•   Obedience is stepping out into that unforeseen moment in time that we Christians call faith.

•   Placing complete and utter trust in the unseen and the intangible.

1 Corinthians 1:18 "The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent." 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe."  

•   The gospel of Christ is God's most powerful wisdom and greatest gift.

1 Corinthians 1:27 "Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful."

3.      The work of Jesus Christ upon Calvary provided for us:

1.      As we step into obedience God will provide us, resource to reach the city.

1.      Prepare ourselves to dig a ditch, plant a seed, expect a harvest.

2.      God is preparing us to reach.

1.      Resource to #reachUkiah

2.      Reconstruction to our hearts, our lives, our habits, and those things we deem important and necessary.

1.      God is reconstructing our priorities.

2.      Resolution to #reachUkiah.

3.      Getting resolute in our cause.

3.      Calvary has provided revival to #reachUkiah.

1.      Rescuing our God purpose to #reachUkiah.

2.      Rapture ready to #reachUkiah.

1.      When you are rapture ready you can't help but spill that knowledge, spill that excitement, and spill that confidence, around you, and into others.

4.      I believe God is building, forming, and providing recruits to #reachUkiah.

1.      Reprimanding us to #reachUkiah.

1.      I've been busy, I've been caught up, I've been held up, I've been tied up being about my business.

1.      But to be like Christ He declared "I must be."

2.      "I must be" about my Father's business.

1.      "I must."

2.      I deeply desire an "I must" mindset.

5.      Resurrecting us to #reachUkiah.

1.      Releasing us into our purpose.

2.      This year, this month this day, this moment, release us into your divine call.

6.      Calvary most importantly provided for us redemption to #reachUkiah.

1.      Found people, find people.

7.      Calvary provided a refuge, it removed the regret.

1.      Calvary removed the rejection, brought us out of rebellion, gifted us with reason for living, ransomed us from our sin, released us from our ridicule, and restored us to right relationship with God.

4.      God uses the common to confuse and confound the wise.

1.      God uses all sorts of people to do His work, people like you, oh man and people like me!

1.      God uses the ordinary to create the extraordinary, don't believe me just watch.

2.      He used Jacob who was know as a deceiver to "Father" the Israelite Nation. Genesis 27

3.      He used Joseph, a slave, to save his family and rescue Egypt. Genesis 39.

4.      He used Moses, a shepherd in exile, and a murderer, to lead Israel out of bondage, to the Promised Land, Exodus 3.

5.      God used Gideon, the least of his family, the least of his tribe, a farmer, and an excuse maker, to deliver Israel from Midian, Judges 6:11.

6.      Jephthah was the son of a prostitute, his inheritance stolen from him by his brothers, was used to deliver Israel from the Ammonites, Judges 11:1.

7.      Hannah was a barren, bullied, homemaker, but a woman of faith and prayer, God empowered her to be the mother of Samuel, who was a great priest, and served God his whole life 1 Samuel 1. The LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.

8.      David was a shepherd boy, last born of his family, to be Israel's greatest King, 1 Samuel 16. You remember David he killed the lion, the bear, and the giant Goliath. Later he kills his greatest warrior by sending him out to battle and removing troops from around him so he could have his wife who was pregnant by David. 

9.      Ezra who was a scribe (a person who copies documents) well God used him to return to Judah and write some of the Bible. Ezra, Nehemiah.

10.Next God used Esther, a courageous slave girl, to save her people from massacre, Esther.

11.He chooses Mary, a peasant teen age girl, to be the mother of Jesus Christ, Luke 1:27-38.

12.He calls Matthew, a tax collector, to be an apostle and a gospel writer, who later gives his life for the Gospel through martyrdom, Matthew 9:9.

13.Luke, a Greek physician was empowered to be a companion of Paul, carried out the ministry faithfully, and also was a Gospel writer. Colossians 4:14

14.Then Peter, a fisherman who cursed, dealt with many confrontations violently, needed anger management and humility school, to be an apostle, a leader in the early church, preached the first Pentecostal message where thousands believe upon Jesus Christ. Matthew 4:18-20.

15.Jonah hears from God, pays the fare to jump a ship to leave the presence of God, from a mission he found distasteful.

1.      God says ok Jonah you take that route.

1.      Jonah finds himself miserable apart from the call of God.

2.      Disobedience is difficult, and disdainful.

3.      Even in spite of Jonah's disobedience God still used him to rescue a nation from destruction.

4.      Because God is about grace, mercy love, and forgiveness, not the law, and the commandments.

1.      Jonah hated Nineveh, it was Assyria's capital an evil empire and Israel's most dreaded enemy.

2.      He wanted revenge God wanted repentance, restoration, and revival.

3.      The gospel is for all people everywhere!

4.      Jonah preached and repentance occurred.

1.      God uses simple things to connect us to Him.

2.      God uses plain things to work His miracles.

3.      God uses ordinary things to minister to the generations.

4.      God uses every day stories, situations, circumstances and even tragedies to gain an opportunity that He might know us once again.

Psalm 71:14-18 NLT "[14] But I will keep on hoping for your help; I will praise you more and more. [15] I will tell everyone about your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim your saving power, though I am not skilled with words. [16] I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign LORD. I will tell everyone that you alone are just. [17] O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. [18] Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me."

•   I will keep on hoping.

•   I will praise you more and more.

•   I will tell everyone about your righteousness.

•   I will proclaim your saving power.

•   I will praise your mighty deeds.

•   I will tell everyone that You alone are just.

Think about the rich young ruler, he refused obedience to follow God with everything, for the scripture says he was very rich. You could place any excuse in the world right here rather than to allow God to change him and therefore walking away from an eternal, abundant, and full life.

•   The greatest wound that we can inflict upon the heart of the Father is to insist on living outside His will.

•   Living in disobedience.