limitgd3

     We're going to continue on the teaching of limiting the Lord. We want to have the super natural in our lives. We want to even see the gifts of the spirit in our lives. We want to have God moving in our lives. But are we willing to pay the price for it to happen. Sure there is the very powerful love of God that wants to bless us with all that He has, but all too often, we limit Him. We can actually stop God's perfect plan from happening in our lives because of the limitations we put on Him.

     I. PSA 78:40-41

              A. The 1st way that we can limit Him is by not remembering what He has done.

                        1. PSA 78:42

                        2. We need to remember what the Lord has done.

                                  a. Remember the things that He has done for you in your life, things that He has done in the lives of people you know & even don't know & remember the things that He has done for the children of Israel.

                                  b. God is no respecter of persons, if He did it for anyone else He'll do it for you.

                        3. (Romans10:17) Says, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

                                  a. The more you remember what the Lord has done the more it will cause faith to grow.

              B. The 2nd way to limit the Lord is by turning back or forsaking what the Lord has given you to do.

                        1. Look at PSA 78:41

                                  a. The H.S. may have spoken to you & given you something to do. He may have given you a vision, a goal, a plan, or even a ministry (ministry of helps or a pulpit ministry).

                                  b. When we turn back from what He's given us, we are really in disobedience.

                        2. Our own disobedience will always hinder the Lord from moving in our lives.

                                  a. (Isaiah1:19) Says, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:”

              C. The 3rd way to limit the Lord is found in PSA 78:53.

                        1.This is where I want to pick up from last time. We ended before I finished.

                                  a. The 1st way to limit the Lord is By not remembering what the Lord has done.

                                  b. The 2nd way to limit Him is by not doing what He's given you to do.

                                  c. And the 3rd way to limit Him is through fear, fear that we will not have victory.

                                           i. (2Corinthians 2:14) Says, “Now thanks [be] unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.”

                        2. Any time fear rises up in your heart, whether it's fear that God won't come through for you, or if it's fear that God has not won the victory, it will limit God from working the fullest in your life.

                                  a. (MATT 25:22-27, & 30 Talents 1 man was afraid)

     II. People are plagued with fear in todays society.

              A. Fear of losing their jobs, fear of crime, fear of sickness & disease.

                        1. I heard Dwite Thomson give a sermon once on fear. He found a book of fears that are common to man. (phobia)

                        2. A very real & common fear that people have is a fear of death.

              B. Look at HEB 2:14-15 I like this V from the NIV translation.

                        1. It says, (Hebrews2:15) “and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (NIV)

                                  a. According to this V the fear of death brings bondage & it limits God in your life.

                        2. Why do people have a fear of death?

                                  a. They don't know where they're going to go if they die.

                                  b. In other words, they fear that God has not won the victory over death for them.

                                           i. In (Revelation 1:18) Jesus said, “I have the keys of hell and of death.”

                                           ii. Paul said for the Christian, “absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, which is far better.”

                                  c. We don't have to fear death, because there is victory even in death.

              C. In (MATT 9) there's an opportunity for the woman with the issue of blood to have been in fear.

                        1. Having this condition that she had, caused her to be unclean.

                                  a. The law said that she could not go into a public place or she would be stoned.

                                  b. She could have been in fear of own live or in fear of what the people might do to her.

                                           i. But if she would have been in fear & had not gone, she would have limited God.

                                           ii. We need to turn our fears into faith.

                                           iii. It's approximately 89 times that the Word of God says “fear not” or “Be not afraid.” I think God is telling us something.

              D. Turn to MATT 14:22-30

                        1. What happened immediately before Peter began to sink?

                                  a. “He was afraid.”

                        2. How did the fear get in?

                                  a. He got his eyes off of Jesus & on the circumstance.

                                  b. If we're not careful we can do the same thing.

                                           i. If we get our eyes off of Jesus & on the situation, fear can get in & we limit the God.

              E. People have fear in many different areas.

                        1. It might be a fear of economic system, ozone layer, fear of war, or just about anything that is in the world.

                        2. Look at JOHN 16:31-33

                                  a. I like that, He said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

                                  b. We don't have to fear because He has won the battle for us.

     III. Alright I'm going to go on to a 4th area that we might limit God in our lives. By no means is this a complete list of all the areas where we could limit God.

              A.  Go back to PSA 78:55-60

                        1. Look at V 58 with me again.

              B. Because of their high places & their graven images they limited God.

                        1. I have to ask you this question, What Idols do you have in your life?

                                  a. What High Places have you erected?

              C. Look at DEUT 12:1-3

                        1. God warns his people that when they go in to take the land, that they are to tear down every high place that has been erected.

                                  a. Or there will not be any more victories.

                        2. If you want to go from victory to victory. we have to tear down those high places.

                                  a. A high place is something that has a higher priority then God.

                                           i. That High Place could be a spouse, children, job, hobby, money, leisure time & the list goes on.

                                  b. If you're not seeing the move of God in your lives, if you're not going from victory to victory, tear down those High places & idols.

                        3. In the 10 commandments, what is the 1st commandment.

                                  a. “THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.”

                                  b. 1JOHN 5:21

     IV. If you will put these things into practice in your lives. 1st that you will remember what the Lord has done. 2nd That you will not forsake or turn back in what the Lord has given you to do. 3rd that you will not walk in fear, but be strong in faith knowing that God has given us the victory. And 4th that God will be 1st in your life & that you will follow after Him.

              A. Then you will be at a place that God can move in your live. That the anointing of God can rest upon you & that miracles will happen in your life. That the power of God can flow through you.

WOLCC SUN AM 6/27/93