Sunday, February 8, 2015

02-08-15 Living at Full Potential

Scripture     Psalm 8

VIDEO – A Majestic God – Psalm 8 

Early church father Athanasius said “Most scripture speaks to us, while the Psalms speak for us.”         

Psalm 8       (For the director of music. According to gittith.  A psalm of David.)
          8:1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  

Gittith — a stringed instrument of music. This word is found in the titles of Ps 8; 81; 84. In these places the LXX. render the word by "on the wine-fats." The Targum explains by "on the harp which David brought from Gath." It is the only stringed instrument named in the titles of the Psalms.  (from Easton's Bible Dictionary). 

EXPERIMENT: See yourself from God’s perspective. How does he see you as you are? How does he see you as he wants you to be? 

TWIN BAROMETER

1)    God is judge and see yourself as hopeless.

2)    God as forgiver and see yourself with hope.

1)    Your judgmental view of yourself causes you to see God as looking at you with little potential.

2)    Your forgiven view of yourself causes you to see God looking at you with abundant potential.

1)    How can God use me; and why would he, there are many people more spiritual and holy than me.

2)    Of course God can use me, and why not me, I may not be the most spiritual and holy person there is but Jesus died for my sins and God’s strength shows up even through my weakness.
 
Even for those with Barometer number two – chances are, your vision of how God sees you is far below the full potential He is looking at.  This would be true of us as a church as well.  At times we may be down on ourselves – barometer number one, but when we think highly of our self as a church; barometer number two God sees us with so much more potential than we will ever see for ourselves. Why do you think I have given you the same benediction every Sunday for over 7 years now – “Now glory be to God who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires thoughts or hopes. Now glory be to God through the church and through Jesus Christ throughout all generations both now and forever. Amen!

          That is how God sees us – individually and corporately so much greater potential than we see in ourselves.  Who has more potential for Christ’s Kingdom? A mother Teresa or Billy Graham during their best most vital days? Or you and your church today? Let me ask it another way – How much potential does God have? “0” None! God is the fullness of life and light – He has no potential to be more than He is.  So if you feel like you are the least likely for God to use you or see your church as a lesser ministry agent compared to others, then you have greater potential than others because you have much more room for improvement – therefore God sees you with great potential.

          David realized how God saw him – “O Yahweh our Adonai” Yahweh = “I am that I am” no potential he is all in all. Adonai = “Master, Ruler, King – none greater” O I am that I am our Master, Ruler and King!

With David we begin with recognition that God is all in all and that we are chosen to be children of the king.  “How excellent” the ones who excels above all others. “You have set your glory” = meaning His worth and value – I above the heavens. The speed of light travels at 186,000 miles per second – in a year of seconds, light travels six trillion miles. That is the distance of a light year – that is equal to 60,000 times the distance of the sun form the earth.  The universe is so vast that to cross it at the speed of light, you would have to travel 40 billion light years.  God’s glory is set above that – how do you look now from God’s vantage point?

We say with David – who are we God that you can even notice us, no more than that, that you care for us, mere man! No more than that, you assigned us the highest glory on earth – above all animals and creatures, above creation itself.  How can we respond to that God but to end where we began? In worship: “O Lord, Our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Having been given dominion in the earth we are responsible to exercise that as God desires and can only do so as we depend on Him. Ps 24:1 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.  We have been given potential to co-labor with God for the redemption of the world-and all who live in it; as individuals and as his church.

Are you living up to your God given potential? If not, do 3 things:

Claim your realm (Oikos) God has joyfully placed people into our life that he wants to redeem and has us there to assist him. He has crowned you with his glory to accomplish this work.

Consecrate you realm   Make your oikos a priority for his kingdom by your prayers, your words and your actions.  Se his kingdom’s glory rise in the life of your oikos – your realm of responsibility and potential.  1 Peter 3:15  But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. When is the last time anyone asked for a reason for the hope that is in you? Are you living at full potential the way God sees you?

Commit yourself to excellence in your realm   He grants us his excellence as we release ourselves to bring him glory.  WATCH THIS: 2 Cor 5:18-21   All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

Shout to the Lord “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth” And know that he has called you, crowned you, and committed you to live for Him at FULL POTENTIAL!!!

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