Luke 2:1-20 ESV

Imagine Mary when the angel of the Lord came to her.

Imagine Joseph when Mary tells him she is pregnant, by the Holy Spirit.

Imagine the shepherds when the angel of Lord came and announced the birth of Christ the child.

Imagine the Christ child, born and lying in a manger.

Psalm 91:1-6 ESV

Matthew 6:6 ESV

Four Steps to Developing a Godly Imagination:

1. See It…by Faith!

2. Believe It…through Faith!

3. Speak It…in Faith!

4. Receive It…because of your Faith!

Imagine yourself fulfilling God’s purpose for your life.

John 5:19-20 ESV

John 15:15-16 ESV

Ezekiel 37:1-10 ESV

Spiritual Organs

Ephesians 1:17-20 NIV

A. Paul’s “Eyes of the Heart”

– Bible teaches that we have Spiritual organs

– God speaks through thoughts. His thoughts come as Words & Pictures that lite on our mind.

– We must learn to “see” and “hear” that it is God speaking. Holy Spirit is Teacher.

B. “Revelation (eyes opened)…so that you can know him better” Ephesians 1:17

– Only way to get to know anyone, including God, is to spend time with them.

– Since God is invisible, and Jesus is no longer on earth, I do that by:

1. The Word of God

2. Inspired imagination to come into His presence

– We are instructed to use our imagination.

Ephesians 1:17-20 NIV

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

– Holy Spirit uses your imagination. There is a point where imagination stops and Holy Spirit vision takes over.

– With Holy Spirit guidance...Word and godly imagination work together.

C. “Eyes of your heart enlightened to know…his comparably great power for us who believe.”

– Paul is concerned that Ephesians will see themselves as powerless, as victims.

– Paul says, “I’m praying that you will have eyes to see that God has put in you the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.”

– How do you see yourself?

– Let’s bring the Word of God and His imagination together to get a right picture from Ephesians 6.

Ephesians 1:17-20 NIV

Worship - The Highest Use of Imagination

John 4:23-24 NIV

Romans 12:1 NIV

1 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

 God’s Word and God’s Spirit fuel your imagination.

• The Word and The Spirit enable you to dream and imagine what Father God wants you to see without running out of gas and losing faith.

1. Holy Spirit

John 14:16-17 ESV

2. God’s Word

Psalms 119:17-18 NLT

Psalms 119:27 NLT

John 1:1-5, 9-18 ESV

2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV

2 Peter 1:9 ESV

Hebrews 11:1 AMP

Faith is a way of seeing!!!

God gave us two ways to see:

1. You see through your physical eyes.

2. You see through your imagination.

Hebrews 11:4-40 ESV

Romans 12:2 ESV

Imagination - “The ability to see what isn’t present.”

Numbers 13:17-20 ESV

Numbers 13:27-29 ESV

Numbers 13:30-33 ESV

Joshua 2:8-11 ESV

3 John 1:2 ESV

II Corinthians 1:20 NKJV

Isaiah 58:11 ESV

Psalm 103:14 ESV

Five times in the Old Testament this word was given:

Genesis 6:5, Genesis 8:21, Deuteronomy 31:21, 1 Chronicles 28:9, and 1 Chronicles 29:18.

What is biblical imagination?

- American Heritage Electronic Dictionary defines it, "The process or power of forming a mental image of something not real or present."

- Pastor Andrew Wommack defines it this way, "The ability to see what isn’t present."

Genesis 11:4 KJV

Imagine or Imagination!

- Imagination is powerful.

- Imagination is the first step in doing…if you can imagine something you can do it.

- Imagination is the ability to see what isn’t present.

- Imagination is the ability to see with the mind what you cannot see with the eyes.

- Imagination helps you see what can’t be seen.

- By renewing your mind to the truth of God’s word, your imagination will help you receive from God what He has spoken or declared to you.

Romans 12:2 ESV

John 3:1-8 ESV

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Philippians 2:3-4 ESV

Mark 2:1-12 ESV

The Born Agains…

1. Others Centered

My Agenda verses God’s Agenda

Luke 4:18-19 ESV

The Born Agains…

2. Motivated by Love and Compassion

True compassion is always accompanied by action!

The Born Agains…

3. Equally Distribute the Load

“…carried by four of them” Mark 2:3

Ephesians 4:11-13 ESV

The Born Agains…

4. Possess Incredible Determination

“…they made an opening in the roof…” Mark 2:4

Matthew 11:12 ESV

The Born Agains…

5. Get Dirty!

“…they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it…” Mark 2:4

The Born Agains…

6. Are Unified!

Parts 1 & 2 Recap:

R.E.S.T. (Recognize; Endure; Speak; Trust) - Pastor Hector

Mark 9:24 ESV "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'"

Worship - Pastor Ron

Psalm 27:13 ESV "I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!"

Today we’ll be dealing with the subject of OBEDIENCE when we’re Disarming Doubt.

Luke 5:1-11 ESV

When dealing with doubt, remember…

1. Our obedience to the word of God is not dependent on us feeling good about it.

Luke 5:4-5 ESV

1.a. Walking with God is not consumer-driven economics.

1.b. Our obedience is a statement of our trust in Him.

1.b.1. The information we do have is the record of His faithfulness.

When dealing with doubt, remember…

2. Obedience by faith is one of the purest acts of worship.

Luke 5:8 ESV

2.a. Worship is most clearly exemplified by the outpouring of our existence. We will all worship, the question is “Who or what will we worship?”

2.a.1. When we obey in spite of our doubts, we acknowledge the greatness of God over all creation and his goodness in our personal lives.

When dealing with doubt, remember…

3. Our obedience brings glory to the Lord and sets in motion His best plans for our lives.

Luke 5:9-11 ESV

3.a. “Man’s chief end is to “Glorify God and enjoy him forever.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

3.a.1. Built into obedience to God is this reality: God is glorified as His will is accomplished and as a result we can walk in joy and peace knowing we are at rest in God’s plan for our lives.

When we choose to obey “at his word”, we disarm doubt!

‘The power of the church and the power of the individual to please God shall never be fully known until we get back to the simple yet sublime rule of [this] text, “At your word.”’

- Charles Spurgeon