His Power At Work
Notes
Transcript
How many know today… that our God, the God we serve, is a God of POWER?
Not power like we understand it… but UNLIMITED power?
I want you to consider something: when it comes to power as we know it, it is a measurable power that has limits.
Consider this microphone I am using for a moment. This headset is a powered microphone. It requires a power source to make it function.
Too much power and you will blow it up. If we hooked this thing up to… a 220 line, you would smoke this thing in a heartbeat. It would not be able to withstand that much power.
Too little power and… it won’t be able to function as it is designed to. It will be under powered and unable to transmit as it should.
The typical Alkaline double A battery produces 1.5 volts and is the most purchased alkaline battery in the US.
It is used in a wide variety of portable devices that we are very familiar with. And… we know what happens when the battery begins to get low… the device slows down or stops working.
It’s a measured power source that can only go so far… no matter what the Energizer bunny might say!
What about vehicles? A car engine, in combination with its transmission and gears, can only produce so much power before it reaches its limit.
We can adjust and replace parts. We can tune up and dial in… but it can only go sar far. You will eventually reach the power limitation of that particular engine block.
What about in our own ability or power?
When God created the human being… He created a very powerful thing!
Our minds are able to do incredible things
Our bodies can be conditioned to do incredible things
Our hands are able to do incredible things
But… like anything else in this world… we have limitations. We can only go so far. We have limits regarding our strength, our understanding, our ability, and so forth.
But when it comes to God… His power is unlike ANYTHING else in this world!
His power does not know limits.
His power is strong enough to move mountains… yet gentle enough mend a broken heart.
His power can calm the raging seas… and bring peace to those who worry.
His power can bring down the strongest foe… and can strengthen a weakened spirit.
What we need to understand today is there is NOTHING… say that word with me… NOTHING… there is NOTHING OUR GOD CANNOT DO!
And that is the underlying truth that we will be establishing within our hearts throughout this next series simply called, “The Power of God.”
And some here today might be saying, “Pastor, do we really need a series that focuses in on the power of God? We already know that there is nothing our God cannot do. So why the focus?”
I’ll tell you why… and I’m going to get a little pointed here. I’m beginning to believe that in the American church, we don’t believe this truth. The American church is laying down its trust and reliance in the power of God… for powerless things.
People think power comes from having bigger bank accounts and solid bottom lines. And yet I’m here to tell you that a move of God’s power has nothing to do with how much money we have in the bank.
People think power is found in our comfort. If we have nicer things and more comfortable amenities people will come and join the church. And yet no plush chair or flavored coffee has the power to set a soul free today.
People think performance can replace the power of God’s presence. Having the right songs and the right instruments and the right atmosphere and the relevant style will move people closer to God. Well I’m here to tell you that God’s power has the power to move people toward Him!
People view prayer as a last resort instead of a first response. “Well, I guess all we can do is pray.” The BEST thing we can do is pray!!! Yet prayer is on the decline in life of the believer in America.
People view the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as something that is optional… as an outpouring that is old fashioned, weird, or not for us. We close the door to what God has in store because we don’t think we need what God has to offer. Do we want to know why the church is losing ground in America? Because the church has moved away from the empowerment that comes through the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
And what about… you? Who or what is the source of power for your life?
“Pastor, that question seems kind of weird. I’m not sure how to answer that.” Let me help you out a bit… what source of power do you tap into, when you are all but tapped out?
When the going gets tough… when the road ahead becomes difficult… when the options are limited and the way forward is not easy… who do you lean upon to get you through?
Paul figured out that his power and strength had nothing to do with in what he had… but it had everything to do with who he served. Paul walked through seasons of having it all, and having nothing. And the “secret” to his contentment was Jesus.
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
His power was not found in his things, his bank account, his comfort, his convenience, his performance, his reputation, or anything else of this world. Paul was able to overcome because he served the overcomer!
Our main text for this series, as you may have guessed from the video, comes from Ephesians 3:20-21
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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
This is a powerful verse that speaks of God’s power and ability. It reveals to us… that God desires His people and His church… to experience His power and to bring Him glory.
If we settle for finding power in the things of this world OR in our own abilities… all we can offer the world is more of what it already knows.
The world isn’t looking for more of the same. And here’s the deal: GOD IS NOT OFFERING MORE OF THE SAME! God is offering something greater… something Paul describes as MORE THAN or GREATER THAN.
So this morning we begin to lay a foundation of where we will be going for the next several weeks. And it begins with a prayer you have heard me say many, many times from this pulpit.
Church, I’m not interested in what we can do on our own as a church. As talented and creative and motivate as we might be, I don’t want to settle for what we can do.
I am believing for God to do… the impossible. Not only in this church… but in every one of your lives. So my prayer has been and will always be, “Lord, do what ONLY You can do.”
No matter the topic… no matter the need, I want to see God do what we cannot do. I want to see God’s power unleashed upon the people of the heartland. But before we can expect we, we must first believe in it. We need to know and believe in His power today!
So with that in mind, the first stone for our series foundation for our consideration is:
Our God IS Able.
Our God IS Able.
God IS able! If we truly believe that there is nothing that our God cannot do, then we must understand that God IS able!
Not only does Scripture show us that God WAS able, Scripture tells us that God IS able and forever will be able!
I want you to think about the definition of what it means to be able.
Per the English dictionary, able means having sufficient power, skill, or resources to accomplish an object or task.
Able means having the power to complete… able doesn’t stop at half way or almost there… able means the ability to finish the job - to do whatever it is at hand.
The original Greek word used here is Dunamai. This word means to be able, or WATCH THIS, TO HAVE POWER.
This isn’t a matter of telling ourselves over and over again, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can,” It is a matter of KNOWING that God CAN!
It’s pretty common that we face situations that cause us to stop and question OUR ability.
This can hit us in any area of life.
Do I have what it takes to be a good spouse?
Do I have what it takes to be a good parent?
Do I have what it takes to provide for my home?
Do I have what it takes to be good at my job?
Do I have what it takes to take a hit and keep going?
Do I have what it takes to hear bad news but keep trying?
Do I have what it takes to get knocked off balance but stay the course?
Do I have what it takes to make it to the end of the week?
No doubt the challenges are mounting up and our abilities are tested daily. We are not only tested in what we can do, but in who we are.
Do I have the mental ability, the emotional ability, the social ability, the spiritual ability to navigate the days that are ahead?
And often times in response, I hear people say, “Pastor, I don’t know that I have what it takes.”
And my response to you is this: In Christ, YOU DON’T HAVE TO. Because in Christ, it is NOT about what you can… it’s all about what HE can do, what He has done, and what He is doing!
The reason you hear me pray for God to do what only He can do… is because we are praying and hoping for an answer we could never provide for ourselves.
Be it healing, strength, direction, deliverance, peace, hope, comfort, correction, leading, breakthrough, etc… the desire is to see something happen that is beyond us and guess what… GOD IS ABLE TO DO THAT!
How able is God today? According to the passage, He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine!
Remember what I said about our ability to measure power that is of this world… or eve universe?
We can measure how strong a lighting bolt is. We can measure the intensity of a storm, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, etc. We can even measure… the power of the sun!
At the top of our atmosphere, the sun produces 1,360 watts of power per square meter. If you could capture this power for just one hour in one square meter, you could run a refrigerator for a day.
It’s incredible to me that we know just how powerful the sun is.
But when it comes to the power of God… His power goes well beyond anything we could even begin to imagine.
So if you start thinking to yourself, I can’t… or even I think I can… I would encourage you to move from that point of uncertainty into a place of faith and assurance… we know that God can! We know that God is ABLE.
Secondly, there is another foundational stone we need to pick up on in Ephesians 3:20-21.
His Power IS Working
His Power IS Working
Not only is God ABLE, but His power is not idle. His power is not something that is out of reach or unavailable to us. God’s power is WORKING… and His power is working IN US.
Too often we feel like God is not working… that God is not there. Too often we automatically assume that when things get tough, that means God’s power has been withheld or withdrawn.
But such couldn’t be further from the truth! If you are in Christ, then the power of God is in you… and is working in you.
I want you to consider something very important… do you know where Paul is when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians? Paul is in prison. Do you know why he is in prison? Because of His faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul is literally suffering for his faith as he writes the words “according to His power that is at work within us.”
Did you know that… you can be walking through a hard situation and God’s power is still working within you? In fact I would offer that it is those moments when we need His power most!
Yet we often begin to question the presence and effectiveness of God’s power when our circumstances become difficult.
Here’s the deal… God’s power IS working within us.
He never stopped working and we don’t have to wait for Him to work… His power IS working within us.
We accept this truth by faith… especially when we don’t feel like God is moving. We must believe by faith that God is working no matter how we might feel.
You might be tempted in such moments to rely on your power to get you through. You might be tempted to take the reigns, to lean on your own understanding, and to do all that you can to change the situation. And when we do that… we step out of God’s power… and settle for less.
But so long as we remain faithful, God is able to do immeasurably MORE THAN… say those two words… MORE THAN… we could ever ask or imagine according to HIS power that is at work within us.
Paul gave us another truth regarding the power of God in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul was dealing with a concerning ailment… a thorn in his side that he prayed for God to remove, but God said no.
How many understand that God ALWAYS answers prayer? And how many understand that sometimes… God’s answer is… NO? But that doesn’t mean He leaves us alone to figure out what to do.
Look at what Jesus tells Paul in this moment of weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9
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.
So what is Paul’s final declaration in all of this? He doesn’t go complaining, he doesn’t go around bashing God. He doesn’t go into a woe is me mentality… no… he stands in the power and strength of the Lord!
10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul recognizes that when he is weak, then he can be strong in the Lord. What does it mean to be strong in the Lord? It means we understand that it’s God’s power, not our strength, that will get us through!!! It means God is WORKING in our weakness… and He is working in a more powerful way than anything we could do for ourselves.
And… going back to Paul… he recognized that God’s power and grace was why he was a believer in the first place!
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.
God IS working in POWER and GRACE!
Prayer and Application
Prayer and Application
Some of you are weak today… not because God is not working… but because you’ve been trying to do all things through… you… not Jesus. Let me tell you something… you are NOT CAPABLE of doing all things.
However, there is NOTHING that our God cannot do. There is no mountain he cannot move… no enemy He cannot overcome. There is valley too deep or wide… no sickness too great or small. You’ve settled for what the world can do… are you ready for a move that only God can do?
Then we need to understand that… I can’t… but He can. When this clicks… it opens up a whole new reality of faith.
Consider our sin situation. There was nothing we could do to escape our consequence. We cannot work our way out of sin, we cannot be good enough, or try hard enough. Sin is a master we cannot break free of on our own.
That is why God sent Jesus to do what He did. He did a work… watch this… THAT ONLY HE COULD DO. Paul says in Galatians 2:21
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Let me tell you… Christ did NOT die for nothing! He died for you, He died for me, He died for all sinners. He did this to give us a way where we were powerless to make a way for ourselves.
The greatest work God wants to do in you is the work of redemption. God wants to cleanse you of ALL sin with the blood of the Lamb.
And it is through that cleansing that the power of God comes alive within our souls. Do you need forgiveness today? Would you like to give your life to Jesus today?
PRAYER - Salvation
Secondly, you might be facing a situation that has left you… powerless. You’ve been praying fro breakthrough, you’ve been working for breakthrough, you’ve been doing all that you can.
Today I suggest that you stop… stop trying to do what you can do… and start trusting for God to do what ONLY HE CAN DO.
God is able. His power is working. He desires to move in your life and in your circumstance. He might not change your circumstance… but He can change your heart.
The “thorn” was never removed from Paul’s life so far as we know. But God’s grace remained sufficient.
The jail cell remained locked as Paul wrote Ephesians 3:20-21, but the power of God was still working.
Don’t allow your circumstance to tell you whether or not God is working! Don’t by what you feel, but rather stand strong in your faith!
PRAYER - Breakthrough
And we have one more point… that’s right, I’m not quite done. This last foundational stone is very important.
His Glory THROUGHOUT
His Glory THROUGHOUT
Look at Ephesians 3:21 once more
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
To Him be glory in the church… this last foundational stone is… praise.
Our God is ABLE.
God’s Power is WORKING.
God’s People are PRAISING.
You know what has the power to turn just about any situation around? Praise!
When we choose to praise instead of complain, walls begin to come down. When we begin to worship instead of worry, our focus shifts from what we can’t do, to what our God CAN do. When we give Him the glory, we remember that our God is worthy of our highest praise just because of who He is… no matter what we might be facing.
So… Can you help me praise Him today?
Closing Prayer
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.