GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS
TEXT: Jeremiah 33:3
A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in Michigan…"while serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every two weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies. It was a journey of two days and required camping overnight at the halfway point. On one of these journeys, I arrived in the city where I planned to collect money from a bank, purchase medicine and supplies, and begin my two day journey back to the hospital. Upon arriving at the city, two men were fighting, and one was seriously injured. I treated his injuries and told him about Jesus Christ. I then traveled two days, camped overnight, and arrived back home without incident. Two weeks later I repeated my journey. When I arrived back at the city, I was approached by the young man I had treated. He told me he knew I carried money and medicines. He said "Some friends and I followed you into the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight. We planned to kill you and take your money and drugs. But just as we were about to jump your camp, we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed guards!"
At this I laughed and said that I certainly was all alone out in that jungle campsite. But the young man pressed the point, saying, "No Sir, I was not the only person to see the guards. My five friends also saw them, and we all counted them. It was because of those 26 armed guards that we were afraid and left you alone."
At this point in his message, a man in the audience jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked the exact day that incident happened. The missionary told him - and the man excitedly told THIS story - "On the night of your incident in Africa, it was morning here, and I was preparing to play golf. I was about to tee off when I felt the urge to pray for you. In fact, the urging of the Holy Spirit was SO STRONG, I called men to meet me here to pray for you. "If you were here with me that day to pray please stand up?" The men who met together to pray stood up. The missionary wasn’t really concerned with who they were - but he wept as he counted their number -You guessed it - there were 26! Isn’t that AMAZING? Hey, my God’s in the AMAZING business!! GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS. Let’s let this verse of scripture speak to our hearts about God’s GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS.
1. God promises to do GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS if we PRAY - "Call to Me and I will answer you."
a. What is prayer? Each of us probably has his or her own definition for prayer. What do you call it? Communion with the Father? Calling out to God? Pleading with Him for preservation and protection? Looking to Him for guidance and direction? Some call it conversation, adoration, praise, confession, petition, requests, devotion, thanksgiving, supplication, penitence, worship, intercession? In truth, these can all be aspects or definitions of prayer. I like this one from "Walking With the Savior" - "Prayer is the recognition that if God had not engaged Himself in our problems, we would still be lost in the blackness."
How many of you believe your relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important relationship in your life, and that prayer is vitally important to that relationship. Then why don’t you do more of it? Statistically, the average DEVOUT Christian spends THREE MINUTES a day in earnest prayer. QUESTION? How much time do YOU spend in earnest prayer each day? You say, preacher, I pray before meals and I pray before bedtime - GREAT - what’s that take, maybe 5 minutes? WOW! That makes you above average! How many of you think the most important relationship in your life is worth - say - at least FOUR PERCENT of your time, priority, and devotion? Of course it is - and that would mean spending ONE HOUR - SIXTY MINUTES every day with the Lord! Some of you can barely stand sixty minutes in corporate worship! There’s no way you could PRAY for a solid hour! WHY NOT? You talk to your girlfriend or boyfriend for an hour on the phone! You talk with your family for an hour at a restaurant! You talk to your spouse for an hour in bed at night!
Do you want to know how to deepen your prayer life? PRAY! Don’t prepare to pray - just PRAY! Don’t read books about prayer - just PRAY! Don’t attend lectures on prayer - just PRAY! Don’t engage in discussion about prayer - just PRAY! Just PRAY! JUST PRAY! Somebody say - JUST PRAY! Say it again!
b. Remember our definitions - they included conversation and communion. Folks - prayer is conversation - and conversation is a two way street. On 1 September 2000 a young freshman in college - took a vow of silence for one year because he realized he does not listen to others - he says he either talks, or he thinks about what his next response will be when others talk to him. That’s a drastic step - and I don’t know whether he will make it or not - but he has the right goal in mind. To stop worrying about impressing others with his brilliance - and learn to truly LISTEN to them when they speak! That same lesson applies to many of us in our prayer lives. The Psalmist says, "Be still - and know that I am God." When you pray to God, do you truly listen to His responses?
In his book entitled "A Gentle Thunder" Max Lucado says, "Once there was a man who dared God to speak; Burn the bush like You did for Moses, God. And I will follow. Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God. And I will fight. Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God. And I will listen. And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for God to speak. And God heard the man, so God answered. He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church. He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin. He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul. And God waited for the man to respond. And He waited….and waited. But because the man was looking a bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives, seas, and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing. Finally the man looked to God and asked, Have You lost Your power? And God looked at the man and replied, Have you lost your hearing?"
c. In light of the world in which we live, there is another very important aspect we must discuss concerning the first phrase of this verse. "Call to ME, and I will answer you. QUESTION? Who is ME? In the world we live in today, that’s a very BIG question!
I recently retired as an Army Chaplain. I proudly represented Jesus Christ and the Southern Baptist Convention in every aspect of my ministry. But as an Army Chaplain, I also had a responsibility under the U.S. Constitution, to protect and ensure EVERY soldier’s right to worship and practice his or her religion according to the tenets of his faith. And I was glad to help protect your worship rights as a soldier, because in doing so, I was also protecting my own!
BUT WATCH THIS! Here’s the RUB! In our world today - when they hear "Call to ME and I will answer you" - FAR TOO MANY people don’t have the foggiest idea who the ME really is! WHO IS ME? WHO IS HE?
Let me tell you something, folks - HE ain’t BUDDA! HE ain’t CONFUCIOUS! HE ain’t MOHAMMED! HE ain’t BAAL. HE ain’t SATAN. He ain’t the WICCANS. HE ain’t HARI KRISHNA! HE ain’t JOSEPH SMITH! HE ain’t CHARLIE MANSON. He ain’t JIM JONES. He ain’t DAVID KORESH. HE ain’t YODA. And He ain’t found in YOGA, OR ZORASTROISM, or any of those far eastern religions! Back when I was a SOURDOUGH in God’s country - the last frontier, called Alaska - we had a term for all that stuff I just mentioned - you can gather it all up in a big pile and simply call it - MOOSE NUGGETS!
OK, preacher, if HE ain’t any of those, then WHO IS HE? I’m SO glad you asked!
YHWH! He is Yahweh, Jehovah God of the Old Testament. The "I AM" God. He is JEHOVAH-JIREH - the God who provides all my need. He is JEHOVAH-ROI - my caring Shepherd. He is JEHOVAH-SHALOM - the God of my Peace. He is JEHOVAH-ROPHEKA - the God who heals me. He is JEHOVAH-NISSI - the Lord my banner. He is JEHOVAH-MEQADDESHKEM - the Lord who sanctifies me. He is JEHOVAH-TSABAOTH - the Lord of hosts. He is JEHOVAH-ELYON - the Lord Most High. He is JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH - the Lord who is there for me. He is JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU - the Lord my righteousness. He is the creator and sustainer of all life. He created the worlds and the universes and everything in them. He is the TRIUNE GODHEAD - FATHER, SON, and SPIRIT.
WHO IS ME? WHO IS HE? In the New Testament, Jesus Christ calls Him ABBA - Daddy! And Jesus declares "The Father and I are ONE."
WHO IS ME? WHO IS HE? HE IS JESUS!
He is the LAMB OF GOD. He is the RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. He is our ADVOCATE. He’s the GREAT GOOD SHEPHERD. He is the SHEPHERD and BISHOP of SOULS. He is the JUDGE. He is the KING OF KINGS. He is the LORD OF LORDS. He is the MAN OF SORROWS. He is the MASTER. He is the SAVIOR. He’s the HEAD OF THE CHURCH. He is the FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS. He’s THE ROCK. He’s our GREAT HIGH PRIEST. He is the DOOR. He is the LIVING WATER. He’s the BREAD OF LIFE. He is the ROSE OF SHARON. He is the LION OF JUDAH. He is the ALPHA AND THE OMEGA, the FIRST AND LAST. He’s the LILLY OF THE VALLEY. He is the TRUE VINE. He is the MESSIAH; TEACHER; the HOLY ONE. He is our MEDIATOR. He is the BELOVED SON. He is the BRANCH. He is the CARPENTER. He is the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. He is the IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD. He’s THE WORD. He is the CHIEF CORNERSTONE. He is the SERVANT; and He is THE ALMIGHTY. He is the EVERLASTING FATHER. He is the PRINCE OF PEACE. He is SHILOH. He is the great I AM. He’s the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF THE FATHER. He is a WONDERFUL COUNSELOR. He is IMMANUEL, God with us. He is the KING OF THE JEWS. He is DAYSPRING. He is the PROPHET. He is our REDEEMER. He is our ANCHOR. He is the BRIGHT MORNING STAR. He is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. He is THE BRIDEGROOM. He is THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. We call Him JESUS -- JESUS -- JESUS! -- There REALLY IS something about that name!!! WOW! Let me say that backwards - WOW! Folks, if that don’t light your fire, your wood’s all wet! Call unto Me - Jehovah God the Father, and Jesus Christ His Son. The Psalmist tells us "There is no other God before You, there is no other God like You!" Peter declares "There is no other name given under Heaven by which men must be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth." We must PRAY TO GOD, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
2. Secondly, God promises to do GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS if we will BE PREPARED. - I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know (or have not known).
a. "I will answer you." WHAT A PROMISE! When I pray - me - just a breath - or a blade of grass - in the scheme of things - yet I’m SO important and special to God that when I pray - any time I pray, every time I pray - He PROMISES to hear and answer my prayer.
NOW WATCH THIS: - If you are NOT born again - if you do NOT have a personal saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then God only promises to answer ONE prayer from your heart and lips - the prayer of faith for salvation. Does that mean He can’t or won’t answer other prayers? Absolutely not - He is GOD - therefore He can do whatever He wants within the confines of His nature and the parameters He places upon Himself. He may have answered numerous of your prayers - hoping those answers would turn your heart to Him by faith.
If you ARE born again - God promises to answer EVERY prayer you utter. Now pay attention - because God has more than one option for His answers. Among them, He can say YES, or He can say NO, or he can say "WAIT OUT" - that’s army for "NOT YET!" I WILL ANSWER YOU.
b. I WILL SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS WHICH YOU HAVE NOT KNOWN. PAY ATTENTION NOW - Nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is too hard for Him. I WILL SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS! What kind of GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS? -- Just when the womb gets too old for babies, Sarai gets pregnant. -- Just when the people have given up, God sends a Moses. -- Just when the Israelites think they’ve reached a dead end - God parts the Red Sea. -- Just when the enemy seems too large and the battle too hard, the walls of Jericho come tumbling down. -- Just when the Giant seems too fierce, God sends a David.-- Just when the sin seems too great for Grace, David is pardoned. -- Just when the people have lost their focus, God sends a prophet. -- Just when the FLAMES are ready to "lick up" their prey, God sends a "fourth man, like the Son of God" into the fiery furnace to save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. -- Just when the King says "let the big dogs eat!" - God stills the lion’s mouths for Daniel. -- Just when the people of God have given up hope, God sends His Messiah. -- Just when the Centurion’s servant is about to die, Jesus speaks the word of healing. -- Just when the disciples fear they will drown, Jesus calms the storm.
-- Just when the Pharisees think they’ve trapped him in the rules of the law, Jesus kneels and writes a new law in the dirt - "He who is without sin among you may cast the first stone." -- Just when the disciples think they’ll be Generals in His army, Jesus goes to the Cross. Just when the Romans and Jews alike think they’ve rid the world of this rabble rouser, Jesus of Nazareth, - God raises Him from the dead! And just when the world least expects it - HE WILL COME AGAIN! Somebody ought to shout HALLELUJAH!
c. QUESTION? What GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS do you want from God? What GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS do you want for this church? What GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS do you want for this community? Nothing is too hard for the Lord! What do you want God to do for you? What kind of FAITH do you have? Do you possess eternal life? Have you experienced the new birth? Every time Jesus forgives one of us of our sins and writes our name in the Lamb’s Book of Life - THAT, my friend is a GREAT AND MIGHTY THING! Every time Jesus heals a broken body, or broken spirit, THAT is a GREAT AND MIGHTY THING! Each time Jesus restores a troubled marriage or relationship, THAT is a GREAT AND MIGHTY THING. Anytime there is forgiveness and cleansing for a sin, or when God gives the ability to quit - whatever - smoking,-commercial - folks dropped 1,200 body bags in front of major tobacco co. - because 1,200 people die from tobacco use EVERY DAY. Or when He gives the ability to quit Alcohol, drugs, fornication or adultery, THAT is a GREAT AND MIGHTY THING. Every time a believer determines under God’s power and leadership to quit being a Gossip, or to stop using profanity and gutter language, or stop slandering others, or stop losing their temper, THAT is a GREAT AND MIGHTY THING. Every time one believer has the courage to go to another believer and say, "I’ve wronged you, and I’m sorry. Please forgive me - THAT is a GREAT AND MIGHTY THING.
Every time the Holy Spirit speaks to one of God’s children, giving them unction to plant a seed for Christ in some lost sinner’s life, THAT is a GREAT AND MIGHTY THING. Every time a believer has COMPASSION on someone less fortunate, and helps pay rent or utilities, or buys groceries and leaves them on the doorstep, or even gives a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name, THAT is a GREAT AND MIGHTY THING.
God is watching. He is waiting to do GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS things in your life! He wants to do GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS in this church. He would love to use you as His instruments to do GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS in this community! For all you know - right at this moment - the check is in the mail. The apology is on someone’s lips. The job contract is on the desk. The marriage proposal in the making. The baby is in the oven. The healing is about to take place. The walls are about to come tumbling down. The REVIVAL is about to break loose!
I can’t wait to see what GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS He will do in our lives in the coming days.
Copyright © 2002 Danny Presswood, WOW! Ministries. Permission to reproduce this material is automatically granted on the condition that credit is given to the author, it will be used for non-commercial purposes, will not be sold, and will be distributed for the sole purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Any other use requires the written permission of WOW! Ministries.
