Over My Head I. Introduction. a. This morning s sermon. i. I want to talk about some things that are over my head. ii. When we use that phrase, we re usually talking about things that are too hard for us to comprehend. iii. There are a lot of things that are over my head. 1. Anything to do with science. 2. Advanced mathematics. 3. Engineering. 4. Auto mechanics. b. Over My Head. i. This morning, we are going to talk about several things that are over my head. ii. In fact, these topics are over all of our heads. iii. That is, they are beyond our grasp. iv. We won t be able to fully understand the concepts. v. But, I think you will see, that we can learn a good bit about each of them. II. The gift of grace. a. Read 2 Corinthians 9:12-15. i. Paul is explaining that God has blessed men physically in order that they might be able to help their fellow man. ii. But at the end of this passage he refers to the most wonderful blessing of God. 1. Vs. 14, the exceeding grace of God in you. iii. However, consider what Paul says in the following verse. 1. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. 2. The gift of grace is beyond words. 3. There is no way we can adequately describe the gift of God s grace. b. Ephesians 2:11-13. i. We had no hope. 1. Without Christ. 2. No hope. 3. Without God in the world. ii. Verse 1 describes us as dead in trespasses and sins. 1. Because of this, we had to face the consequences of sin. 2. Separation from God.
3. Eternal torment. iii. But God had mercy on us. 1. Read Ephesians 2:4-7. iv. We were afar off but now we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Vs. 13 c. An indescribable gift. i. How do we even start to describe the enormous gift of grace? ii. Read Romans 5:6-8. iii. God wiped away the debt of eternal condemnation. iv. How do you say thank you for a gift like this? III. The love of Christ. a. Read Ephesians 3:14-19. i. Paul s prayer for the church at Ephesus. 1. To be strengthened. Vs. 16 2. Christ would dwell in their hearts. Vs. 17 3. To know the love of Christ. Vs. 18-19 ii. But notice how Paul describes the love of Christ in verse 19. 1. to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. 2. It s above our heads. 3. We re never going to be able to fully understand the depth or width or length or height of Christ s love. b. Connection to the previous point. i. God s grace is indescribable. 1. That God would pardon our sins and replace eternal condemnation with eternal reward. ii. But, it s important to point out that the grace of God wasn t free. 1. It cost God something to pardon us. iii. That s where we begin to get a picture of the love of Christ. 1. 1 John 3:16, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. c. Read Luke 23:32-38. i. Here, the Son of God is being crucified like a vile criminal. ii. Crucified by the people He came to save. iii. Mocked, sneered at, ridiculed. iv. And yet, He s able to say, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. v. What motivated Him? It was love which passes our knowledge.
IV. The power of God. a. Read Ephesians 3:20-21. i. Remember Paul was praying to God for the Ephesians. 1. In this prayer, Paul reminds them of the power of God. 2. When we pray to God, we need to be reminded to whom we are praying. ii. Notice his description of God s power. 1. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. 2. How powerful is God? 3. How much can God do for us? 4. It s beyond our comprehension. b. Another gift. i. Not only has God been gracious to us and forgiven our sins. ii. Not only has Christ loved us and gave His life for us. iii. But consider the promise of God here in verse 20. 1. He is able to answer our prayers. 2. That s the point of the passage. iv. But notice the emphasis. 1. exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. c. Remember with whom we are talking. i. Through prayer, we have access to the Almighty God. 1. The God who said Let there be light, and there was light. 2. The God who caused the Red Sea to part. 3. The God who caused the sun to stand still. 4. The God who raised Lazarus from the dead. ii. We can t fathom the depth of the power of God. 1. And yet we limit the power of God and doubt that He can/will help us in our time of trial. V. The joy of salvation. a. Read 1 Peter 1:3-9. i. How does the thought of heaven make you feel? ii. What does the realization that the grace of God has allowed you to receive the end of your faith the salvation of your souls? iii. Notice how Peter describes the joy of a Christian in verse 8, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
b. Can you imagine the joy? i. On that day when we hear our Savior say, Enter into the joy of your Lord. ii. When we enter the gates of heaven. iii. And see the beauty of God which makes this earth pale in comparison. iv. Truly that will be joy inexpressible. c. But consider this additional point. i. Peter says that we can have that joy now. ii. We should be filled with gratitude because God has forgiven our sins and we don t have to face eternal punishment. iii. But we should be filled with joy when we realize that God has also promised us an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away. Vs. 4 iv. Inexpressible joy. VI. The peace of God. a. Read Philippians 4:6-7. i. Verse 6 contains the command to pray. 1. Don t have to be anxious; don t have to worry. 2. let your requests be made known to God. 3. Two qualifiers: a. with thanksgiving. i. A spirit of gratitude for what God has already done for us. b. in everything. i. Nothing that God can t help with. ii. But notice the result of prayer. 1. the peace of God guard your hearts. 2. And look at Paul s description of this peace. a. which surpasses all understanding. Vs. 7 b. Consider everything we have discussed. i. God s grace has removed the consequences of our sins. ii. Christ loved us so much He was willing to die for us. iii. As a Christian, we have access to the power of the Almighty God. iv. We have the hope of eternal life in heaven. v. And we don t have reason to worry about anything. c. If that doesn t allow us to be at peace, then what will? i. The peace that God gives us surpasses all understanding. ii. It will allow us to endure any trial, any situation. iii. All we have to do is cast our cares upon Him.
VII. Conclusion. a. These are deep subjects. i. Grace of God. ii. Love of Christ. iii. Power of God. iv. Joy of Salvation. v. Peace of God. b. But think about what they tell us. i. The God that we serve is greater than we can imagine. ii. The help that He offers us is more than we will ever understand. iii. And what He has waiting for us boggles the mind. c. I hope these thoughts have one of two reactions: i. Makes you want to be a Christian. ii. Makes you proud to be a Christian.