6th October 2024 - Communion Service - Living in the OERFLOW

M m morning.

Mm hmm, John okay and j.

Mm hmm.

One two.

One two kay one to.

Hear one two h m hmm, thank you m So

this morning we are starting a new series called Abundance

or titles Abundance for next four weeks. The title of

this message this morning is living in the Overflow. Living

in the Overflow. So when I was growing up, my

aunt and inkle just to live down the road about

five minutes literally found at my family when I was

a kid, lived at in five minutes, just the way

it was in the village where we grew up. And

my uncle was a great gardener. He went to university

in Hungary and then moved to the UK, and so

he studied agriculture. He could grow anything, and so in

the back of their house they had two allotments, and

so from March through to October that's where he spent

his evenings in the allotment. That was his thing, and

he could grow anything. So it used to happen at

a certain time of year. Mama used to come home

with a bag of veg because they grow more than

enough and they couldn't get rid of it quick enough

because they just you know, when you've got a fertile soil,

it grows.

And it grows, and it grows and it grows.

So we used to get this bag and bags of food,

and so did their neighbors, and so did their friends.

And that was every year, and.

It got to the stage where I used to expect

at a certain time of year these bags, shopping bags

of food coming around. And we ate back in the

day organic veg so there you go from the garden,

not from the supermarket. And it's something about that that

couple that the abundance they got from their garden, they

always shared, you know, with vegetables, lettice, carrot, etc.

Etcetera.

There's a shelf life, so one should cut it and

take it out of the ground. It needs to being

fairly quickly. So they with o vergence then knew how

to share their abundance and just start this new season

about abundance. Today, I don't talk about vegetables, but I

want to talk about how God sees abundance. He wants

to challenge our thinking. He wants to challenge our perceptions

that we have. Sometimes we've grown up with those perceptions,

sometimes we've learned those perceptions. But he wants to challenge

and speak to each one individually, whether you're listening online,

whether you're listening later. He wants to speak to us individually.

So don't think about the Sunday dinner. Don't think we're

going to be out next week. Focus on what he

is saying, and let's see what he reveals to us

through the Word this morning. So let's pray, Holypit, we

do well, kee me this morning. Please open the Word

to us that we might receive the truth that you're

have in it. They we might see something new, something different,

that we might understand more of your word, more of

your character, and more about abundance.

John three sixteen.

Says, for God so loved the world that he gave

his only bigot, than some who weather believed in him

shall not perish but have everlasting life. That's a well

known scripture that has been to a church as a

kid or as your older. So for God's love the

world that he gave his only son, that's Jesus, the

ever believes in him shall not perish, but however lasting life. Now,

if you don't know Jesus, come and speak to me

later after the preach. Okay, just come and find meal.

The conversation. But what I want to see about this

word is for God's love the world that he gave.

God's character is to give, right. God's character is to give.

In life, you meet people who are givers, and you

meet people who are natural givers, and your people who

just take.

You can meet.

You can tell you met to give because they give freely.

And then the begrudging giver, Okay, I'll share you. I'll

share my car, or I'll share my suitees or I'll

share my whatever. But there's those people. There's those people

who will share naturally. Just depends on their character, depends

what they've been told. But God's character is to give.

That is just the way he is. So we can

look at them the scriptures this morning and take us

through a journey and let's see. Let's see what he does.

One Kings and seventeen is the story of Elijah and

his journey with One King seventeen when he speaks to Ahab.

So I'm going to pick up from verse one, read

through to verse seven, and Elijah, the tishbite of the

inhabitants of Gilead said to Ahab, as a lord, the

God of Israel lives before whom I stand, there shall

not be due or reign these.

Years except by my word.

The word of Lord came to him, saying, get away

from here and turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith,

which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that

you shall drink from the brook as Ak, and I

have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he

went and did according to the word of God. And

he went and stayed by the brook Cherith, which flowed

into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat

in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening,

and he drank from the brook. And it happened that

while that while, that brook dried up because there was

no rain in the land. So notice God met Elijah

at the point of his need. He provided water, he

provided bread, provide a protein. But then the brook dried up.

I mean Elijah had spoken God's word. It was not

going to rain, so it didn't rain, and the brook

dried up. So he got up. Verse seven says so

verse nine. Verse nine of verse seventeen says, arise, go

to Zarafeth, which belongs to Sidon, and well, there see

you've commanded a widow there to provide for you. So

he arose and went to Zaratheth. Is it interesting that

God sends Elijah the prophet to a widow to provide

for him. He didn't say, go and see this rich dude,

of this rich person down there, he's got lots of food.

Go to widow women outside Israel's God's ways. Sometimes that

are our ways. God's ways are doing things. Sometimes that

our ways are doing things. Sometimes he does things that

we think are out there. But that's always a purpose

behind the way things God does things. The key thing

is to listen and obey. So, picking up from verse

ten of chapter seventeen, So he arose and went to Zaratheth.

When he came to the gate of the city, indeed,

a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called her

and said to her, please bring me a little water

in a cup that I may drink. And she said,

And as she was going to get it, he called

to her and said, please bring me a morsel of

bread in your hand. So she said, as the Lord

your God lives, I do not have bread, only a

handful of flour and a bit in a bin, and

a little oil in a jar. And see, I'm gathering

a couple of sticks, that I may go and prepare

it for myself and my son, that we may eat

it and die. Elijah said to her, do not fear

go and do as you said, But make me a

small cake first and bring it to me, and afterwards

make some for yourself and your son for us, says

the Lord God of Israel. There been a flower, shall

not be used up, nor the jar of oil and

dry until the day the Lord sends rain. So again

we see God providing through a different way.

For Elijah.

Isn't interesting go to the widow with them in in Zarafath?

So he rocked up to Zarathaith, and it's looking around

the town. This lady's there. You just approached her. Give

me some water and then give me something to each

didn't bat an Eyelid only spoke about water, even though

there was a drought. As soon as he mentioned food,

that was her pressure point. Of course, she only had

a little oil and a little meal. What quality that

was and how rance that was at that time, I

don't know, but that was her the last dregs of

what she had. But interesting, she obeyed what he said

and asked sheray obeyed the word of God came, which

was this bin of flower what I'm gonna call it,

isn't gonna run down, and this jirab oil is not

going to deplete until the rain comes. Now, about what

when I see from these both, these two accounts about

Elijah by the brook and Elijah with the woman of

Zarah Feth, is that God met them at the point

of their need, that meat of that need. Was miraculous

in what he did. And I'm sure if we went

round this room today and ask people about what God

had done for them, people put their hand up and say, yes,

God did that for me. He met my need miraculously,

or he met my need. I remember working with the

guy and he.

Bought a house. He was a builder.

And worthy at the back of the house, as there

was a massive conservatory.

It's quite something.

He came out at the back of the house and

went up by the fancy roof and they went right

at the back of the house, and that's where they

had their dining kitchen. But when he bought it, he

found out as a leak. So when if you ever

buy a house, it's quite quite expensive. And when you

bought the house and paid the legal fee you and

all the rest of it. Usually you have to wait

for a while before you've got to just spend some

more money, because you always stretched the best you can get. Anyway,

he said to me, I don't know how this happened,

but over the last last through in three months, nothing

miraculous happened. But I got the money together to fix

the problem. Even though I put out a lot of money.

I got it.

Because God works in the supernatural, but in the natural,

and he meets our need. That is something that he

does just because he is God. He meets us at

the point of our need. Another story, years ago, I

used to work with the kids, I mean many years

ago before something you people are born, and the team

he used to work withrowing a chat and was a

lady who.

Knew somebody in the church.

And the conversation went like this, I don't have enough

money to get me to the end of the month.

And so the lady said, okay, so do you tithe?

And she said no, I can't tithe because of her tie.

I still have no money to get to the end

of the month. So the lady said, well, you're not

making it to the end the month now, so why

do you trust God and tithe?

So she said, okay, I give it a go.

So anyway, I got an update a few weeks later,

and the and the and the story went like this,

we started tithing.

And I don't understand it, but.

Everything that we need to meet, all the bills, all

the food, everything has been paid for and they've got

money left over. But but it's still the same amount

of money coming in. Now, some of you may relate

to that, so you might not relate to that. I

certainly can relate to that. And I said those two

things to say this God meets us at the point

of our need. We know that, we believe that we

receive that right. That is something that we as believers know.

If you're not in if you don't know him, if

you don't have that relationship, this be like over one's

head because it's not something of experience. You can only

talk from experience. You can't talk for something you don't know.

Otherwise you're just blowing in the wind, you know. Go

back to my notes now, So this morning God wants

us to stretch our understanding of who he is and

what he can do for us. Okay, Philippin's four nineteen

says that's why he's got the hebun Greek in it.

And my God shall supply all your needs according to

his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And that's something

we've all experienced, God providing all our needs. Now the

Greek word there is sarier, which can also be translated want,

so you could say, and my God shall supply all

my wants accint as riches in glory in Christ Jesus,

which has a bit out there for some people.

You look at the amplified version of.

Filippings four and verse six, it says this, do not

fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every

circumstance and in everything, by praying, petition, definitely requests with thanksgiving,

continue to make your wants known to God. And God's

peace shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul

issued of its salvation through Christ. And so fearing nothing

from God and being content with the earthy lot about

I would never thought that is that peace which transcends

our understanding, shall garrison amount God over your hearts and

minds in the anoint to Jesus Christ is the Greek

word translated Messiah or anointed. All right, do not a

threat to have an anxiety? Who's ever thret had I

had anxiety before?

Or is it just me?

In every circumstance and everything with thanksgiving, make your wants

known to God. What God wants to talk to this

morning is about understanding. Yes, he meets as a point

of our need, but also he meets our wants. That's

of the million a drive with a Rose Royce tomorrow,

or have my own private jet to go on holiday,

you know, because not this's in need that, but something

I do want, something I do want, he will give me.

I remember at the end of COVID, my wife's car

was fourteen fifteen years old and it was we recognized

that he needed to be replaced. He was like, okay,

we've got it for it's been for a while. Now

we need to go and get another one. We tend

to keep a card on as possible for it, you know,

And is that optimum point when you've got to get

rid of it? And then we get rid of it.

So I said, what do you want? So my wife's short,

so a certain car, she can't sit in the seat

because the gap between the back of the seat and

the front of the seat means she can't touch the

floor or breach the pedals. Now that might be a

revelation for some of you taller people, but that's the fact.

So anyway, so you've got to use So we had

to look find the car which has the right seat depth.

You know, she just can.

Touch the feet. The feet so eats the car in

the steering and all the rest of it. So we

found a car tightly does that. And I said, what

do you want? She said, well, look, I really like

a sunroof. I had a car two or three times

ago where the suroof, But this car does have a

su roof. Now, if you know a thing about cars,

there's a transition from cars having some roofs to cars

having their conditioning and cards of their condition don't necessarily

have a su roof because there's not this. So what

you want, you know, with the sum roof open, you

can't you know, you get the heat coming in, but

you don't get the cool air. Anyway, So I found

her a car which had a sum roof. Believe god,

got a deal, got a good deal, actually paying more

for that Mike car, and I thought it was worth

and I found this car sev undred miles away in Vaness,

and God brought it down for my wife. And now

you know, she's got this car with a some roof,

with something that she wanted. God knew she wanted this,

and she's very happy with it. I think the word

I would say it doesn't get old anywhere between May

and October, that some roof will be open and somebody's

very happy with their some roof. Now, just she was

as an example, that was a want all right. It

wasn't like I need that, mate, I need that. It

was a want light story. But it makes the point

and the point God is trying to make to us

today is he wants to move us from understanding about

meetings the point of our need, through to the meetings appointment,

through meeting our wants. Other words, God isn't limited, so

why do we limit him?

Right?

I think the Bible says Matthew seven, if he gives

you a kid, yeah, let's look correct, let me find it.

Matthew seven, Here we go. What manners there among you?

If his son asked for bread, will give him a stone?

Or if he asked for a fish, or give him

a serpent? If then being evil. You know how to

give good gifts to your jother, how much most of

your father give the Holy Spirit to you. So look

in other words, God as a father gives us good gifts. Right,

He's not going to give you a stone. I'm not

going to give you a serpent. Anyone that was a

father here would not give his kid a stone. I'll

give him kid a sap. He would give him something

that he know he wants, so I know he needs.

I remember one guy who I knew, you know, his

kid wanted this certain toy and it was like the

toy know he could find. And they were both on

this mission to find this toy, the toy, but they

were keen in it and they were believing God to

get this toy. This might sound a bit out there

for some people, but the trusted God and God got

this little boy what he wanted, and they were both

made up. The dad has made up because the kid

had what he wanted, and the kids made up he

had as well. The point was God met these people

at not they want, so that didn't need, but they want. Okay,

Now the challenge is for us this morning we're listening

online or in the room, God wants us to stretch

beyond want.

You might say, what is beyond want? Yeah? I did,

John ten ten am befire diversion. You got it.

The thief comes in order to steal and to kill

and to destroy. I came they might have life and

have it more abundantly to the full till it overflows.

So what goes on to challenge us today is we

know you can meet our needs. We know he can

give us what we want.

That's right, love.

I wasn't gonna know that about to dance. I don't

do dancing. You don't want to see that. He wants

to go beyond need. He wants to go beyond want.

He wants to go into abundance. The title this message

is living in the overflow. God wants to stretch our thinking.

So where we're living in the overflow, okay, he might

have life to the full until it overflows. So that's

life physically, physical life, spiritual life, emotional life, financial life,

social life, life in all its fullness, not just a

compartment to something. So there's many people who believe God

for what they need. There's some people who believe God

for what they want. What God stretching us. This morning

is will you believe him for the overflow? Will you

believe him for the overflow? I haven't spoken this word before,

you know, So it's quite interesting what reactions are going

to get with from people. You're watching these people's faces.

They sit there, they go oooh, not sure about that. But

God wants us to believe us for the overflow. Yeah,

if we stretch to it, we'll live in that space.

Ephesian three twenty start reading in nineteen says, and it's

the amplified version that you may really come to know

practically through experience for yourselves, the love of Christ, which

far suppresses from your knowledge without experience, that you may

be filled through all your being, unto all the fullness

of God, that you may have the richest measure of

the divine presence and become a body wholly filled and

flooded with God himself.

That's pretty good now to.

Him who, by in consequence of the action of His

power that is a work within us, is able to

carry out his purpose and do super abundantly far over

and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely

beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, and dreams. So

there this stretchess to you this morning. This morning is

verse twenty Phsion three, verse twenty. Now to him by

in consequence of the actions of His power that is

a work within us, is able to carry out his

purpose and do super abundantly far over and above that

we all dare ask or think beyond, infinitely beyond our

highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes and dreams. Now we've all

had our needs met, we've all seen wants met. But

we're not all living in that overflow. And that's not

a problem. But the challenge today from the Lord is

we need to stretch to that. That means we need

to be expectant. That needs me to follow the word

of God, follow his principles. That needs it means he

needs to trust us. My aunt and uncle when they

had all those that vegetables as a kid, and all

his big bags being dumped on the counter, they just

gave it away. Sometimes God may give us some overflow

just to give it away, sometimes to make give us

some overflow to bless us. Yeah, because God is a

giver and he wants us to align with his nature.

If God gives you an extra house and you know

some of your needs a house, then give him the house.

If God tells you to do so. It's like Simon

Sons needs a house, give him a house. Yeah, you

can't win two, can you. I'm trying to say, is

that with walking in the overflow, there is there is responsibility.

Yeah.

I know this is new to a lot of people.

This is fairly new to me. I spoke this before.

I'm aware of the principle. But you know, some people

get a bit heavy about oh gossip. I can't believe

for God for overflow. I can't even be of God

for need. But that's not what the Lot said to me.

When I was praying about this word. He said, put

it out there so to the people to stretch to it. Yeah,

so this might be weird, but that's what I was given. So, yes,

he can meet us the point of our need. Yes,

you can provide what we want. But more than this

is the God of abundance to the full until it overflows.

The challenge for us is he wants us to stretch

to that. So the head of this preach, I said,

God speak to us all individually, because we're all in

different places. And you know you can say so from

the front here and then we go, oh would you do?

But then when you go out and have to live

it out, it's different because you know you've got to

work out what God is saying to you. As an individual.

He is easy. Out there is the challenge. So let's pray, Father,

pray in the name of Jesus for everyone in this room.

Everyone listening to a line. Everyone listened.

Later they would come to know you of the God

of abundance, the God of more than enough, the God

of overflow.

His help was all to stretch to that understanding. I

appreciate it. This is.

Novel for summers. But you are the God of the overflow.

You are the God of abundance. He's over to see

what we need to do in our lives to align

with that, and see you as that in our lives.

Lord in Jesus name. Amen.