“God’s Power in You”

Eph 1:16-19 and Selected

Tomorrow kicks off our VBS… “Power Lab” Discovering Jesus’ miraculous Power… Children will learn power to be thankful, power to help others, power to be brave, power to live forever and power to tell others about God… Thank you to all the workers for the new look here at Cross Creek!

What kind of environment will God’s Power flow?  What does His power look like today? Is His power available to us? Do you facing a great burden or need that only the intervention of God can handle?

Ephesians 1:18-21 ¹⁸ I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength…

God uses three accumulated words describing “power” in verse 19 that underscores the magnitude of God’s great power available to Christians today

·         “Incomparably great power” – a spiritually dynamic and living force directed toward the believer

o   “working” – “energeian” God’s energetic/operative power (we get our English word, energy)

o   “mighty”– “kratos” manifested power, overcomes resistance, dominion (as in Christ’s miracles – this word is used ONLY of God, never of believers)

o   “strength” – “ischyos” (iss-khoos) ability, might, (power that raised Christ from the dead)

POWER – “dynamis” – (dynamo, dynamite - explosive) ability, strength in abundance, mighty force, power in action…

I.  God is Powerful

Psalms 77:13-14 ¹³ Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? ¹⁴ You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

Psalms 147:5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

·         Omniscience, Omnipresent, Omnipotent – ALL POWERFUL… Created the Universe

·         God’s Power is seen in storms, shepherds staff, boys lunch, widows mite, donkey, stones, holding up arms, in answer to prayer, droughts, plagues, manifest presence, Word spoken, living, written

·         Seen in creation of all things… Delivering the Hebrew children from Egyptian bondage… Seen in parting the Red Sea… Giving of the Ten Commandments… Shekinah Glory on Sinai & Temple…Seen in Jesus Christ… virgin birth, walking on water, stilling the storm, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, casting out demons, feeding the multitudes, raising the dead…

·         Seen at Calvary… sinless Lamb of God crucified, buried… resurrection back to life… ascension to heaven… Our Lord is mighty in power! 

God is Powerful! 

Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.

II.  We are Powerless

2 Timothy 3:5a “…having a form of godliness but denying its power…”

·         Lacking Genuine Salvation

Romans 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

·         Deception of the enemy

2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

·         Ignorance of Truth

Ephesians 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

·         Toleration of sin & your spiritual condition

Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 3:12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

·         Choosing not to fear God

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Romans 3:18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

III.  We Need Jesus

Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus) under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years. Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work. Jesus Christ forgives sin, transforms a life forever… don’t live powerless… get connected with Jesus.

IV.  The Promised Holy Spirit – God’s Power in You

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

·         Convicts & convinces of sin, transforms us into a brand new creation… forever changed

·         God gives you the power to become that new person in Christ… 2Co 5:17

·         Power to deliver you from temptations and through the storms of life

·         Imparts spiritual gift(s) to be actively used in the church body God’s Divine nature in you

·         He Indwells, seals, teaches, guides, intercedes, empowers

·         Power to experience life abundant (have life to the full) and life eternal… Jn 10:10

From Addlain, Jafar gains "all the power of the universe" but forgets that he must also be confined to the "itty-bitty living space" of a genie's lamp… God’s Awesome Power in “itty bitty” you!

V.  Your level of Dependence Determines your level of Power

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Many words describing this – surrender, humbling, submission, yielded, living sacrifice…

James 4:6-8a   “…God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you…”

·         God uses ordinary people… humble servant called Moses, shepherd boy David, Fishermen named John or Peter, a farmer called Gideon, Young general named Joshua

·         God uses those who realize they can’t but God can… Dwight L. Moody once said, “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves.”

·         Surrender brings victory… impossible situations become possible, addictions, habits, hang-ups, hurts and pains… Powerful changes, powerful praying, powerful living!

I read about a pastor who had a parrot. All the parrot would say was, “Let’s pray, let’s pray.” The pastor tried to teach him to say other things but to no avail. He learned that one of his deacons had a parrot. That parrot would only say, “Let’s kiss. Let’s kiss.” So the pastor decided to invite the deacon and his parrot over to his house. When the deacon arrived they put the parrots into the same cage to see what would happen. The deacon’s parrot started to say, “Let’s kiss, let’s kiss.” The pastor’s parrot promptly said, “Thank you, Lord. My prayers have been answered.” There’s great power in prayer.

Your level of Dependence Determines your level of Power

V.  God’s Power Displayed in You… He will be evident (salt, light & fruit)

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

·         Treasure of God’s presence in your earthly vessel… “jars of clay”…

·         We are weak, frail, and flawed… some of you are “crackpots” highly loved by the Lord

·         When you trust Christ all heaven’s resources is at your disposal… all-surpassing power

During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government welfare. Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract. At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day. And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he’d been living on welfare. A multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem? He didn’t know the oil was there even though he owned it.

Many Christians live in spiritual poverty. They have all heaven’s resources, indwelling Holy Spirit and His energizing power, but living anemic spiritual lives as paupers…

Ephesians 3:20 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,

·         Fruit of the Spirit Gal 5:22-23 – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

·         God imparts every believer with spiritual gift(s) to be used in the local church body

·         Calls every believer to be witnesses… make disciples… reaching people w/ Gospel

Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

I will make a difference for Christ this week…

ü  Impassioned Spiritual mind and life – Being “On-Fire” for Jesus!

ü  Inviting and praying for the children at VBS – Being a Difference Maker!

ü  Investing my life in whatever needs to be done – Being God’s Servant!

Displaying God’s Power in You by serving in VBS, praying or doing construction work!