Rev. David Holwick P Series: What Is Ours in Christ
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 6, 2001
1 Corinthians 4:20
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"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."
I. Our culture likes concept of power.
A. Power in everyday life.
1) Power plays in hockey.
2) Power Bars for extra energy.
3) Power Rangers on TV.
4) Executives take power naps.
B. Would we use word "power" to describe our spiritual life?
1) We know Christians are supposed to have spiritual power.
2) But few of us experience it.
II. What is spiritual power?
A. Ability from God to do things.
1) Miracles, healings, witnessing.
a) When Paul says the kingdom of God is a matter of power,
not just words, he is probably thinking of the
miracles that followed his missionary preaching.
1> "Power Evangelism" focuses on this in our day.
b) This power is not limited to people in the Bible.
A. B. Simpson once said:
"Whatever God has ever done, He can do again!"
"Whatever God has ever done anywhere, He can do here."
"Anything God has done for anyone, He can do for you."
#4536
2) Success over enemies of God.
a) Human enemies and supernatural.
B. Ability from God to be personally transformed.
1) God's power can turn a life upside-down.
a) Prostitutes, murderers and housewives have been changed.
b) God can change you, too.
2) Old sins are conquered.
a) There is no problem or addiction that we cannot overcome
with God's help and power.
3) Love overflows to others.
a) God doesn't just change the bad stuff in our lives.
b) He gives us new, positive stuff. We can love others.
C. A deeper understanding and appreciation of God.
1) God seems real and special to you.
2) You will have a hunger to know him better.
III. Unleashing God's Power.
A. First, evaluate your heart.
1) Ask God to search your soul. Psalm 139:23-24
2) Face your brokenness and depravity. Psalm 51:17
3) Admit your weakness. 2 Cor 12:10
B. Power is unleashed through obedience.
1) To experience power we must listen to God.
2) We must commit our actions to him.
3) We must obey him.
a) Good intentions are not enough.
b) Don't redefine God's words.
C. Place yourself in a position where you will need it.
1) Paul would have had no power if he stayed home.
If you've never participated in "active" ministries
- such as serving a homeless person a cup of soup -
you're limiting your faith.
It's similar to always eating but never exercising.
If you're in a spiritual rut, consider whether you've
become too introspective or inactive.
Then stretch yourself by taking your faith to the street
and applying it there.
Gary L. Thomas
2) Witnessing makes you rely on God.
D. Discover the power of prayer.
1) When early church prayed, things happened. Ground shook.
2) Prayer still has the power.
A missionary on furlough told of this experience while visiting his
home church in Michigan:
While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every two weeks
the missionary doctor traveled by bicycle through the jungle to
a nearby city for supplies.
This was a journey of two days and required camping overnight at
the halfway point.
On one of these journeys he arrived in the city where he planned to
collect money from a bank, purchase medicine and supplies, and
then begin the two-day journey back to the field hospital.
Upon arrival in the city, he observed two men fighting and went up
to find one of them had been seriously injured.
The missionary treated him for his injuries and at the same time
witnessed to him about the Lord Jesus Christ.
The doctor then traveled two days, camping overnight, and arrived
home without any problems.
Two weeks later he repeated my journey.
Upon arriving in the city, he was approached by the young man he
had treated.
The young man told the doctor that he had known he carried money
and medicines.
He said, "Some friends and I followed you into the jungle, knowing
you would camp overnight.
We planned to kill you and take your money and drugs.
But just as we were about to move into your camp, we saw that 26
armed guards surrounded you.
At this the missionary laughed and said that he was certainly all
alone out in that jungle campsite.
The young man pressed the point, however, and said, "No sir, I was
not the only person to see the guards.
My five friends also saw them, and we all counted them.
It was because of those guards that we were afraid and left you
alone."
At this point in the sermon, one of the men in the congregation
jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked if
he could tell him the exact day that this happened.
The missionary told the congregation the date, and the man who
interrupted told him this story:
"On the night of your incident in Africa, it was morning here and
I was preparing to go play golf.
I was about to putt when I felt the urge to pray for you.
In fact, the urging of the Lord was so strong; I called men in this
church to meet with me here in the sanctuary to pray for you.
Would all of those men who met with me on that day stand up?"
The men who had met together that day stood up.
The missionary wasn't concerned with who they were -- he was too
busy counting how many men he saw.
There were 26.
#19043
IV. Our power is different than the world's power.
A. World takes power, enhances self.
1) An example of the world's attitude:
Jesus said we should do unto others as we would have them
do unto us.
It is known as the Golden Rule.
Charles E. Hurwitz, 49, is a corporate raider who rules
a financial empire worth an estimated $8.5 billion.
Concerning the Golden Rule he says,
"There's a little story about the Golden Rule.
Those who have the gold, rule."
#1026
B. Christians use power to help others.
1) It is not an ego trip.
2) Our power is made perfect in weakness.
V. We must face hard questions:
A. Are you willing to let God get into depths of your soul?
B. Are you willing to give up your own ways?
C. Are you willing to let God search you?
D. Are you willing to obey at all costs?
=========================================================================
This series is based on one in Discipleship Journal #114, Nov/Dec 1999.
This sermon follows the format of the article "Power - Finding the
Strength To Live Up To Our Calling," by Timothy L. Sanford, page 74.
SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 1026 Reader's Digest, November 1989, page 147.
# 4536 "God Can Do It Again, Here, For You," by Rev. A. B. Simpson,
quoted in email by Onie Kittle on April 27, 1999.
#19043 "Trans-Atlantic Prayer Warriors," from sermon by Rev. Bill
Norman, http://www.simcon.net/1umc/s2000_1015.htm,
October 15, 2000; original attribution is to Robert Gary Lee,
Maryland. Other sources credit Canadian church planter
Murray Moerman.
These and 17,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
=========================================================================
Article outline
"Power - Finding the Strength To Live Up To Our Calling," by Timothy L.
Sanford; Discipleship Journal #114, Nov/Dec 1999, page 74.
I. Our culture likes concept of power.
A. We use it to describe our possessions.
B. Would we use it to describe our spiritual life?
1) We know Christians are supposed to have spiritual power.
2) Few of us experience it.
II. Power to Know.
A. The power (ability) to believe in and understand God.
1) God's power brings us to believe in him.
B. Paul prays for us to have power to understand. Eph 3:18-19
1) Only way we can understand such great things.
2) Easy to gloss over this aspect of power.
III. Power to Walk.
A. God brings us into relationship and enables us to live the life.
1) True Christian life is impossible with our own power.
2) We can have religion without power. (Phariseeism)
B. God's power helps us persevere and gives patience. Col 1:11
C. We look for glamorous displays of power.
1) Amazing answers to prayer, successful spiritual warfare.
2) But God's power is for ordinary people.
3) All Christians have the power to live consistent lives.
IV. Unleashing God's Power.
A. The kingdom is a matter of power. 1 Cor 4:20
1) Moving from talk to walk.
2) Understanding logic of heart and spirit.
B. First, evaluate our hearts.
1) Ask God to search us. Ps 139:23-24
2) Face our brokenness and depravity. Ps 51:17
3) We must admit our weakness. 2 Cor 12:10
4) Selfishness saps spiritual power.
C. Power is unleashed through obedience.
1) To experience power we must listen to God.
2) We must commit our actions to him.
3) We must obey him.
a) Good intentions are not enough.
b) Don't redefine God's words.
V. What's Impossible for Us...
A. Pray for power when you are desperate.
1) Writer's daughter counseled a sinful convert.
2) God gave her the words.
B. God can work through us when we are weak.
VI. Hard Questions.
A. Spiritual power is not complicated.
1) It is a path of brokenness and obedience.
2) It is also not easy.
B. We must face hard questions:
1) Are you willing to let God get into depths of your soul?
2) Are you willing to give up your own ways?
3) Are you willing to let God search you?
4) Are you willing to obey at all costs?
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