More Than You Ask or Think

I. Paul's doxology
A. To Him be the glory
B. In the church
C. And in Christ Jesus
D. To all generations forever and ever

II. Able to do far more than we ask or think

A. This applies to the immediately preceding verses -- that God is able to reveal to us His incomprehensible love in Christ.

B. Biblical examples of people who believed and God did far more than they expected, as well as people who didn't believe, and God did far more than they expected or imagined.

C. The example of George Mueller

III. Personal application

Part of the reason we don't believe is because of our focus. We focus on certain truths, but to the exclusion of other truths. Like Peter on the water, we start focusing on the very real problems of wind and waves. That was true, but it made Peter sink. He needed to fix his eyes on the truth of Christ and Christ's power and presence and love and willingness to help him walk on water --- NOT the truth that people do in fact drown in water and that the sea was not favorable to swimming that night.

Question: Do we see so few salvations, and so little power of God among the lost of our generation, because we focus on the truth of total depravity and the very real hostility to God to the exclusion of God's power to save those who are dead in sin? Are we focused on the deadness (the wind and waves), instead of the power of Christ? And do we miss the nature of the problem, because we are focused on something that is in fact true? Therefore, how could it be wrong?