LIMITLESS GOD UNLEASH GOD’S POWER!
Jeremiah 32:17, 27, Matthew 14:15-21
As we celebrate our 41st anniversary, we remember that we have a LIMITLESS GOD – and we can UNLEASH HIS POWER by faith!
Jeremiah 32:17 and 27 tell us that nothing is too difficult for God. The God of all flesh is able to do anything. The Bible tells us that God is limitless – His will is supreme, His power is infinite, His purposes are unchanging, and He is sovereign over all. All things are possible with God (Mark 10:27)! The context of this verse is about how hard it is for rich people who put money above God, to be saved. With men it is impossible, but with God, it is possible to be transformed! Paul reminds us to pray to Him who is “able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). This is an amazing revelation of God being limitless. But can we limit God? We cannot limit Him because He is God. But some of us limit what God can do in our lives when we insist on living in wickedness and sin, so that the Lord will not hear us (Psalm 66:18). Jesus did not do miracles in certain places because of the people’s unbelief (Matthew 13:58, Mark 6:5-6). Unbelief is not just saying God does not exist – but also thinking that He cannot do the impossible and thus doubt His character. The Israelites were an example (Psalm 81:13,16) – God wanted them to walk in His ways, and He was willing to bless them. However, they refused to listen and insisted on their disobedience.
“Unbelief is not a misfortune to be pitied; it is a sin to be deplored” (Charles Spurgeon). Many people today have religion, but they do not know God. How can we trust someone whom we do not know intimately? Satan is out there to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have abundant life (John 10:10). To experience God’s power, we walk by FAITH and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). We don’t live the Christian life by how we feel but instead, rooted in a solid object of faith – hinged on JESUS CHRIST, the Son of God, and belief in our limitless God. How do we unleash His power?
Let’s look into the miracle mentioned in the four gospels – the multiplication of five loaves and two fishes that fed more than 5,000 people (Matthew 14:15-21). A large crowd had been following Jesus, it was late, and the disciples had to feed everyone. Their initial solution was to send everyone home. But Jesus commanded them to feed everyone! Jesus was partnering with them in this situation, using it as a valuable lesson on obedience and provision. The problem, according to Philip, was that they did not have enough resources to do it (John 6:7). Andrew found a lad who had five barley loaves and two fishes but that is obviously not enough to feed everyone (John 6:8-9). We can focus on the problems we face and find that we are limited when pushed against a wall or at a dead end. We need to fix our focus on Jesus!
When Jesus commanded that the five loaves and two fish be brought to Him the disciples had the crowd sit down, fully obeying what Jesus was asking them to do (Matthew 14:17-19). To unleash God’s power in your life, you need to understand that you are a channel – do what God is asking you to do and let His power flow in and through you! As we read in the story, all the people were able to eat and were satisfied (Matthew 14:20-21). Moreover, there were twelve full baskets of leftover pieces! It is costly to obey and surrender your all to God, but it is more costly to miss out on what God has in store for your life if you don’t surrender to Him.
Jesus continued training the disciples when He compelled them to get into the boat immediately and go ahead of Him to the other side of the lake. But Jesus took time to be alone and pray. The disciples encountered a storm right after they’ve seen Jesus do a miracle (Matthew 14:24). Obedience does not mean you are exempted from trials. God allows storms in our lives not to destroy us, but to build us up and make us stronger as our spiritual muscles develop. It prepares us for something better. The disciples battled against the storm for long hours and suddenly encountered Jesus walking on the water (Matthew 14:25-26)! God will show up during the storm of our lives. Jesus told them to take courage, yet Peter was the only one who asked Jesus to command him to walk on water (Matthew 14:27-28). Peter obeyed, stepped out of the boat, and started walking on water! To walk on water, we must get out of our comfort zone. But when Peter saw the wind and waves, he became frightened and started to sink (Matthew 14:30). Immediately, Jesus stretched out His hand and saved him, but told him “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” The Christian life is a day-to-day “fixing our eyes on Jesus” walk of faith (Hebrews 12:2). The moment Peter lost focus on Jesus, he began to sink. When we look at people, problems, and circumstances, we will indeed sink. We must fix our eyes on Jesus!
When Jesus got into the boat, the winds stopped, and the disciples worshiped Him and declared He is certainly God’s Son (Matthew 14:32-33). Who is worthy to accept worship? Only Jesus alone. Eventually, we must all realize who Jesus is. He is not only our Savior, He is truly the Son of God. If He asks us to step out of our comfort zone, we do it fully trusting in Him. Reach more for Jesus and so that through us, more people can experience the power of our LIMITLESS GOD!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Have you ever “limited” God in your life before? How was life like back then?
- What are you doing now that might be limiting what God can do in your life?
- What does God want you to do now that is out of your comfort zone?
PRAY CARE SHARE IN ACTION
Pray for the Philippines to see and experience the reality that God is limitless! Trust Jesus and obey Him when He tells you to partner with Him to do the “impossible” so that multitudes will know Him as Savior and Lord. Do something out of your comfort zone this week to bring someone to Christ.