Surfer’s Chapel, Huntington Beach: Pastor/Teacher Bill White “Power of the Lord” (#3 in a series) preached 7/22/95

Wonder: Is this it? What’s up with this life?

As Christians, walking in obedience and the truth of scriptures, we can find ourselves sometimes wishing things were overall better. We want to have something better than we have in our lives. It’s more than a “grass is greener in our neighbor’s yard” misconception. It might be an “already-not yet” kind of vibe. As in, He’s “already” done the work on the cross to redeem us, we’ve believed and walk now redeemed, with the Spirit, yet we yearn for Heaven, and “not yet” do we get to experience it. We need to remember that to the Lord a hundred years is like a second, and when we get to Heaven (or even get older in this life) we’ll think time just flew by, like, “wow, my kids were just toddlers, like last week, now they’re in college…” It’s weird how our perception about time changes as we mature.

In the wonder, we need not forget He’s in charge, always at work around us, and even in us and through us. And by His power He has done great things and will continue to do great things, even things we can experience before our “graduation” to Heaven.

Consider Job, especially when God enters the scene at the end of the book.

Job 38, to the end of the book almost. He’s got it going on in ways we’ve probably never even thought of. Has the power to raise people from the dead, even if Mary and Martha didn’t see it, we can read of His love and power over the entire situation with Lazarus (John 11). What about Jesus Himself, He got up out of that grave, after God raised Him from the dead. Can you believe it? Do you believe He’s got the power over the grave? Jesus made the lame walk (Matthew 15:30 and other places).

In our wonder moments, we may need to be reminded of how by His power He set everything in motion (Genesis 1). It’s crazy what science has proven about how perfectly He created everything. The way He supports life and dresses the flowers more beautifully than you “do you”. (Matthew 5 to 7, the Beatitudes).

1 Peter 5:7 – Why be anxious?

Exodus 9:16 – He shows us His power to be ambassador to this dying world.

2 Kings 17:36 – He brought Israel out of Egypt, and by His power, us into new lives In Him. Redeemed from the past sinful, wickedness of our apart from Him. It doesn’t cease to amaze me of what He has done in my life, or by His power He may do in my future.

1 Chronicles 29:11 – He deserves all our praise. This verse would serve as an awesome prayer closer, to “seal the deal” (as my former salesperson scripts surface!).

Jeremiah 32:17 – Nothing is too difficult for Him! He’s way more powerful than we can understand.

Mark 5:30 – He knows when we seek Him, and we should. To want our rescue from pain or from trouble, provided the cause wasn’t from our own hand that we still have consequences to serve. That subject is hard sometimes for people to understand, I know I’ve struggled with it for a minute. That we’re forgiven, but we still have to serve our “time” in some way. I know it’s hard, yet we can still rejoice in Him, count our blessings and be thankful for what He’s done in His power already in our lives. It’s funny, a few days ago I gave a friend a ride home after meeting him at the auto shop. As I dropped him off, I apologized that I wasn’t 100% the best driver of all time… (ha!)… and he said: “Well I didn’t die, did I?”. I laughed at that, and it hits me now. It’s sad how some people have such “thin skin” and are so brutally sensitive to everything and everyone. That is not to say, especially us as Christians should be offensive in any way at all, or mindlessly evil, right? Yet inn response to this sensitivity, or a complaint about whatever, could be met with “you didn’t die, did you? Be thankful for that” (I need to make/have made a bumper sticker for that, with the silhouette of a Jeep and LandCruiser on either end).

Romans 1:16 – Of course, it’s not for just one people group, or another, it’s for every race, tribe, color and culture.