Gateway Franklin Church

Genesis 1&2, Ephesians 5, Dt 6, 

February 2nd, 2025

Family Matters is a series about “making more” of your family!

We are not all on our own! We have…

Jesus as the change agent; His life transforms our life. 

The Bible which majors on foundations and fundamentals. 

The Holy Spirit who gives power and wisdom for shaping and application. 

The Church from whom to borrow, lend and link faith.

Quick fixes, short cuts and trick plays don’t win championships. Championships take “more” commitment to the fundamentals.

Marriage Championship Fundamental #1 

Your spouse is an image bearer. You are an image builder.

Genesis 1:26,27 (NIV) Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 

Genesis 2:7 (NIV) Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 

God’s creative breath is profoundly more purposeful and deeply more personal than we could imagine. 

The Image of God is a physical manifestation of divine (or royal) essence that bears the function of that which it represents; this gives the image bearer the capacity to reflect attributes of the one represented and act on his behalf. 

Genesis 2:20b-25 (NIV) But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 

More People + More Prayer = More Power

Ephesians 3:16-21 (NIV) 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

3 Core Prayers for 2025

Father, strengthen me in the power of the Holy Spirit in my inner being so that Christ may dwell in my heart. 

Father, broaden and deepen my experience with love of Christ. 

Father, fill me up with your fullness. 

God wants us to experience more of Him and His love than we do right now. When you get more of God you will have more than you could ever hope or imagine. 

Our God… is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. What would change in your life if you lived like you believed God was an immeasurably more God? 

ecclesia = “an assembly of called out ones”

God’s intent is for His church/assembly to be more than a loose collection of individuals, we are called into what the NT calls koinonia – which means common fellowship. We share are to share a… 

Common identity in the person Christ. 

Common fellowship under the headship of Christ. 

Common manner in the ways of Christ. 

Common mission in the power of Christ.

There is always more to the church than meets the eye. We are more than the sum of our parts. A unified church is more powerful, more imaginative, more influential and more impactful than anyone could ever imagine. This is why the church is worth more investment and more engagement.

Colossians 3:12-15 (NIV) 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive

Immeasurably More: Praying More for More

Ephesians 3:14-21 Matthew 6:5-15, Luke 11:1-13

January 19th, 2025

More people + More prayer = Immeasurably More!

Ephesians 3:16-21 (NIV) 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

3 Core Prayers for 2025

Father, strengthen me in the power of the Holy Spirit in my inner being so that Christ may dwell in my heart. 

Father, broaden and deepen my experience with love of Christ. 

Father, fill me up with your fullness. 

1 Core Conviction

Our God… is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Immeasurably More = Hyper-ek-perissou

Hyper = Over and above.

Ek = exhaustlessness.

Perissou = exceedingly, abundantly, beyond what is expected, imagined and hoped for.

God wants us to experience more of Him and His love than we do right now and He wants to do more in us, with us, through us and for us than we could ever ask or imagine.

2 “More” Hazards to Avoid 

When more substitutes for trust/faith. 

The Immeasurably More Promise

Ephesians 3:16-21 (NIV) 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Paul prays for 3 very specific things. 

1) To be strengthened in the power of the Holy Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in our hearts. The more space Christ occupies in our hearts the less room there is for the stuff that weakens us. 

2) To have a deeper experience and gain a deeper understanding of the love of Christ. 

There is more to the love of God than salvation. 

3) To be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God… 

Literally, this means to be completely saturated with God's presence, character, and love, essentially living a life fully aligned with God's will and experiencing the richness of His nature to the fullest extent possible. In a very heartfelt and descriptive way, Paul is praying for us to have more of God.

God of the Ask

…who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. 

Hyper-ek-perissou = Immeasurably More 

Hyper = Over and above. 

Ek = adds the idea of exhaustlessness. 

Perissou = exceedingly, abundantly, beyond what is expected, imagined and hoped for. 

We pray to an immeasurably more God who wants us to experience more of Him and His love than we do right now and who wants to accomplish more in us, with us and through us than we could ever dream. But, but there is still more to more. 

Thank you for listening. Take a look at the sermon notes of this message on the church website: https://www.gatewayfranklin.com/sermons

To find out more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit us at gatewayfranklin.com or join us online each week at gatewayfranklin.online.

Get the handbook, E-Book and Audiobook at HopeInEmptyPlaces.com

Thank you for listening. Take a look at the sermon notes of this message on the church website: https://www.gatewayfranklin.com/sermons

To find out more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit us at gatewayfranklin.com or join us online each week at gatewayfranklin.online.

Get the handbook, E-Book and Audiobook at HopeInEmptyPlaces.com

Thank you for listening. Take a look at the sermon notes of this message on the church website: https://www.gatewayfranklin.com/sermons

To find out more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit us at gatewayfranklin.com or join us online each week at gatewayfranklin.online.

Get the handbook, E-Book and Audiobook at HopeInEmptyPlaces.com

Thank you for listening. Take a look at the sermon notes of this message on the church website: https://www.gatewayfranklin.com/sermons

To find out more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit us at gatewayfranklin.com or join us online each week at gatewayfranklin.online.

Get the handbook, E-Book and Audiobook at HopeInEmptyPlaces.com

Thank you for listening. Take a look at the sermon notes of this message on the church website: https://www.gatewayfranklin.com/sermons

To find out more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit us at gatewayfranklin.com or join us online each week at gatewayfranklin.online.

Get the handbook, E-Book and Audiobook at HopeInEmptyPlaces.com

Thank you for listening. Take a look at the sermon notes of this message on the church website: https://www.gatewayfranklin.com/sermons

To find out more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit us at gatewayfranklin.com or join us online each week at gatewayfranklin.online.

Get the handbook, E-Book and Audiobook at HopeInEmptyPlaces.com