2018.03.04 - Stretched

God wants to call you into a deeper level of Life, of Christ His Son!

What do you do right now in your life that is GOD SIZED?  Do you work hard to bring the huge, the impossible down to your level or surrender for Him to draw you closer, stronger INTO HIM?

    I.         Life And More Life

a.    John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life , and that they might have it more abundantly. KJV

                                              i.     superabundant (, excessive; violently; KJV - exceeding abundantly above, , beyond measure, superfluous, vehement [-ly].

1.   primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, , betwixt vehemently, with (-out).; often of completion.

b.   John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way , the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. KJV

 II.         Vision Given

a.    God gives you a vision and then stretches YOU until you fit the VISION.  If it is from God you will always be too small to accomplish it alone, through flesh.  The vision from God will always be larger than you, than your reserves, than your faith, than your checkbook

b.   God loves you enough to take you as you are, but loves you too much to leave you that way.  He has a plan and a vision for your life and wants to stretch you

                                              i.     Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. KJV

III.         Stretched

a.    Abraham – Old age gave him a child

b.   Peter

                                              i.     Called to the Jewish leaders of his day  

                                            ii.     Called to follow The Master

                                          iii.     Called to get out of the boat

1.   Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? KJV

c.    Paul – Called to the Gentiles

d.   Moses – who could not speak well to lead missions

e.    Jonah – who didn’t want to speak and preach to revive a city!

f.     Job – to show forth His love and glory

g.   All of us – He stretches us until

                                              i.     The faithless are faithful

                                            ii.     The cowards are courageous

                                          iii.     The poor become prosperous

                                          iv.     The dying are delivered from death

                                            v.     The weak are made strong
                  vi.  Joseph was given a God sized dream and it took God many years to stretch him to the place God wanted him to be at - all the while, when things were not going the way Joseph thought they would or should be going, he was, quite literally, living the dream! Stretching is not comfortable, easy or pain free.  

God stretches us until it is not about US but abo