“Victorious Living”

God’s Power - part 4 of 6

Mt 28:18 & Selected

God’s Presence - God’s Passion - God’s People - God’s Power - God’s Purpose - God’s Promise

Matthew 28:18-19a Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples...

Luke 24:45-49 ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. 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."

Acts 1:8-9 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." ⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

	What is God talking about in these passages of scripture... power? Authority? Opened their minds?
	Two Greek words are predominately used: “dunamis” – dynamite, miraculous power, miracle, strength & “exousia” - authority, dominion, mastery, right, ability

1.      God’s Power is revealed...

·         In Creation – Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

·         Look into the night sky... trillions of stars, billions of solar systems, galaxies, constellations

·         Power in creating matter itself – “In the beginning God created the heavens & the earth”

·         Create, “bara” – instantaneous, miraculous, something out of nothing – conversion of energy into mass.  Scientists estimate to “create” 1 gram or 1/450lb require 10mkw 2.5 times the energy generated by Niagara falls in one day!  Man cannot create (bara).

·         Power in the way God dealt in the affairs of men... (Ex 19:16-19 Mts trembled, on fire, smoke, sound)

·         In Jesus Christ – Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

·         The power of the incarnation... God taking upon Himself human flesh... virgin birth, miracles...

·         The healing of the blind, the crippled, the diseased, many miracles, walking on water, raising the dead

·         We see God’s power at Calvary... the perfect, sinless Son of God taking the sins of the world upon Himself.  Shedding His precious blood the sacrificial Lamb of God!  Buried in a borrowed tomb...

·         Triune Power is seen in Christ’s resurrection – Father - Gal 1:1, Holy Spirit - 1Pet 3:18, Jesus - Jn 2:19

·         In Transformed Lives – 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

·         God’s Awesome power is seen today in changed lives... transformed from ashes to beauty!

·         My friend, just stop and look around to see God’s power revealed.

·         God is Omnipotent – Omniscience – Omnipresent, Power of Word, Blood, Cross, Grace

·         The Holy Spirit  baptizes every believer into body of Christ by at the moment of conversion (1Jn 4:13)

1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

·         If God is so powerful, then why do we sometimes struggle, and rarely seem to gain the victory?

·         What’s the reason we never seem able to break sinful habits, lustful thoughts, or bouts of depression?

·         Realize, we can’t gain victory ourselves... we must depend upon God’s power living in us.

·         God’s dunamis power is available to us today... In fact, God tells us to be filled with the Spirit!

Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

·The Lord Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit...why?  The disciples cast demons out of people, they healed the sick and preformed miracles, they preached the Good News and people responded, they were there when Jesus taught the multitudes, they witnessed His miracles & His resurrection power... now He told them to wait... to tarry... till Pentecost!  WHY?

·You can do NOTHING without the Spirit of Christ!  But after the Holy Spirit comes upon you - WOW

2.      God’s Power is Available to us... (God works in cooperation with you)

·         Power to Save You!

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

·         If you’re sitting here this morning and have never experienced the Power to save your soul...

·         I invite you to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior.  Available to all but only appropriated by some.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

·         Power to Transform You!

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

·         You may have yielded your life to Christ, yet you’re engaged in the epic struggle with truth.

·         The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you... He gets shoved into the lower reaches of your life...

·         We end up trying in our own strength to break some habit or sin... we’re defeated, depressed, in doubt

·         My daughter Sara bought a new Elantra (Hyundai).  Ever since she bought her new car, I’m aware of the Elantra... everywhere I go I see Elantra’s...  They’ve been there all the time, I just didn’t realize it.

·         Same goes for the Holy Spirit – He dwells in you... get your focus upon Him... you’ll see changes in life.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

·         Power to Deliver You!

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

·         God goal for your life is to make you more and more like Christ... in character and conduct (Rom 8:29)

·         God does not want you dabbling in destructive behavior that is displeasing to Him & hurtful to you/others

·         Temptations – designed by Satan to draw you away from God

·         Trials – designed / allowed by God to draw you toward God

·         Every sinful act is actually committed twice – once in our heads and once in our behavior

·         To win the behavior battle, we MUST first win the battle in our minds... not focusing on the behavior but the one in you who grants the power win the battle in our minds.  Walking / living in the Spirit

1 Corinthians 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

Galatians 5:16,18 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature...But if you are led by the Spirit...

·         Power to Keep You!

1 Peter 1:3-5 ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

·         God begins the good work of salvation in you... thank God He will continue till you meet Him.

·         Saved today then lost tomorrow has no truth... it’s a lie the Devil loves for you to believe...

John 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

Ephesians 1:13-14 ¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

·         Power to Resurrect You!

1 Corinthians 6:14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.

·         Just as God raised Jesus Christ... God has the power to reconstruct every atom of your body!

·         God has power to rapture you or resurrect you, giving you a glorified body to live in heaven

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

John 14:2-3 ² In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

3.      To Be Victorious... (4 Keys)

ü       Change the Direction of your Thinking!  FAITH

Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

·         To win the behavior battle we must win the battle in our minds... I want to know Christ!

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

·         The focus of your attention determines your direction!

·         It’s NOT about you it’s about Christ in you... He indwells you... Reorder your thinking!

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

ü       Surrender your Life to Christ!  HUMILITY

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.

·         In myself, I cannot produce 1 oz of righteousness, either before or after salvation

·         Our potential to live righteous is in direct proportion to my willingness to surrender

·         It’s not a matter of trying harder, holding on, performance or greater dedication... it’s surrender!

·         You can’t gain victory – BUT – God in you can!  The way down is up & the way up is down!

·         Fisherman, tax collectors, DL Moody, Charles Finney, Jeremiah, Falwell... surrendered lives!

Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:1-4 ¹ When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. ² For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,

ü       Pursue a Balanced Spiritual Diet!  DISCIPLINE

1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

·         Physically, you’ll pay the price, If you spend your life eating junk food – candy, soda, chips

·         Spiritually we must pursue a balanced spiritual diet...

·         Bible intake – Prayer – Church attendance – daily devotions (just you and God) – obedience

·         Christians can so easily become anemic, off balance, wrong thinking... defeatsville living.

·         Spiritual discipline matures us and gives us discernment between good & evil.

ü       Put on God’s Protective Armor!  VICTORY

Ephesians 6:10-11 ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

·         God doesn’t save us to sit around looking handsome or pretty... but to stand firm in battle

·         EITHER be armored up or walk defeated – wooped by the enemy... unable to gain victory

·         Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Gospel of peace, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation, Sword of the Spirit, Spiritual Prayers... having done all – TO STAND

A young shepherd boy named David faced an incredible foe named Goliath.  David’s focus was not that he was 9 feet tall but David saw the enemy as God’s to handle not his.  With hundreds of soldiers frightened to death, young David trusted in the Lord... His focus remained on God... not Goliath - David was trusting God and God is able... David left the stone fly by faith – then God stepped in to direct the stone and defeat the enemy... David’s activity flowed from his faith. 

What are the giants in your life?  Lustful thoughts, unforgiveness, jealousy, greed, laziness, character flaws??

Take God at His Word and allow Him to work in your life... refocus your thoughts upon Him...

If God is speaking to your heart today and you mean business with God... I want to live victoriously in Christ... would you quietly stand... don’t stand if you’ll not willing to submit to His Lordship...Let’s pray

Lord, I claim victory over the giant of _____________________!  Lord Jesus you defeated this giant in my life at Calvary’s cross.  I can not do it myself, but I can walk victoriously through your mighty power that lives in me!  Help me to remember the battle is yours!  Thank You for the Victory!