Stand on the Power of Jesus v2
Scripture: Isaiah 40:27-31
Isa 40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “ My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (ISAIAH 40:27-31 NKJV)
In a different translation:
Isa 40:27 You people of Israel, say, "God pays no attention to us! He doesn't care if we are treated unjustly." But how can you say that? 28 Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The LORD is the eternal God, Creator of the earth. He never gets weary or tired; his wisdom cannot be measured. 29 The LORD gives strength to those who are weary. 30 Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall. 31 But those who trust the LORD will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired. (ISAIAH 40:27-31 Contemporary English Version)
The message today is “Stand on the Power of Jesus”.
Introduction - The Atheist Professor at a College Campus
This is a fictional story of a event that happened just a few years ago at a college campus. There was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn't exist. His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years, he had taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever really gone against him because of his reputation. At the end of every semester on the last day, he would say to his class of 300 students, "If there is anyone here, who still believes in Jesus, stand up!" In twenty years, no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that He is God, and yet He can't do it." And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred pieces. All of the students would do nothing but stop and stare. Most of the students thought that God couldn't exist.
Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20 years, they had been too afraid to stand up. Well, a few years ago there was a freshman that happened to enroll. He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about his professor. He was required to take the class for his major, and he was afraid. But for three months that semester, he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said, or what the class thought. Nothing they said could ever shatter his faith...he hoped. Finally, the day came. The professor said, “If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!"
The professor and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the classroom. The professor shouted, "You FOOL!!! If God existed, he would keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!" He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleat of his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away unbroken. The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man, and then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man, who had stood, proceeded to walk to the front of the room and shared his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of His power through Jesus. The student was afraid, didn’t have the worldly tools, but held strong to his faith. When he stood, he didn’t stand on the power of man, but stood on the power of Jesus.
Are you afraid? Are you shaky on your faith? Are you standing on the world or on Jesus? Let’s talk a little today about the Transcending Power, the Amending Power, and the Never ending Power of Jesus.
Transcending Power
What’s this Transending Power? The Word says:
54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? (Matthew 13:54 NKJV)
Jesus is the Living word! Jesus is God in the flesh! Jesus spoke and performed mighty works through His Heavenly Father. What Jesus did transcended this world we live in.
Transcending Definition: To climb over, to go beyond the limits of, to exceed, to surpass.
The world does not define you! You are a child of the Heavenly King. The world says and the evil in the world says you are (1) “A product of your environment.” The Word says:
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” (2 Chronicles 20:20 NKJV)
Whatever you put your mind to do that is of God, God will see you through! Abraham was just a childless nomad, but became the father of nations. Moses was born to a people in bondage, raised by the oppressors of his people, but he led the Jews out of bondage as God’s ambassador. God knew you before you were born. What is man’s knowledge compared to that?! While the world seeks to minimize, God seeks to maximize.
The world says and the evil in the world says you are (2) of a ‘Genetic disposition.’ The Word says:
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6 NKJV)
Brothers and sisters, genetic disposition has nothing to do with your spiritual position! God is the potter, man is the clay. He does the molding, shaping, and reshaping of the spirit. You were perfectly made!! The flesh you are in came from the earth and will go back to the earth.
The world says and the evil in the world says you are (3) ‘an oppressed people’. The Word says:
12 “ I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? 15 But I am the LORD your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared—The LORD of hosts is His name. (Isaiah 51:12 and 15 NKJV)
What God has for me and you is for me and you. No weapon formed against me, or you, shall prosper. Says that in the Word!! Are you standing on that?!!
Amending Power
On Amending Power - think of childbirth, with an image we generally see being that of a baby making his or her initial appearance on the world stage and everyone waiting breathlessly for the baby to utter its first cry. It draws in that first breath and uses those lungs and that voice for the first time. He or she has arrived. When we think of that baby we think of purity and innocence. We think of a fresh start, a clean slate. But the spiritual truth of the matter is that each one of us was not born into purity and innocence, but into sin.
Because of what went down in the Garden of Eden, thanks to the efforts of the first of God’s creation, we are born sinners. At some point in our lives, we make a conscious decision to change that. At some point we have to decide whether we want to continue to dwell in this sinful nature or change it, correct it. At some point we have to decide that we are going to leave the pull of human nature (of the flesh), and move toward something much better (Jesus). At some point we have to decide to stand on the amending power of God.
Amending Definition: To make better, to improve, to remove the faults of, to correct.
The Word of God says:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).
When you accept Christ, you are forever changed. It’s promised!! The Word of God is like medicine for the spirit. It’s like a sin antidote and a sin vaccine. If you are standing on the power of man, you are standing on seriously thin ice. You are standing on “bad medicine”. Here’s what the Word says:
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)
Never Ending Power
When we speak of Never-ending Power, mankind has a certain preoccupation with temporary things. We have a tendency to define one’s worth by an accumulation of worthlessness. We can oftentimes lose ourselves in the pursuit of the perishable, the not-lasting, the limited.
Never Ending Definition: lacking limits or bounds; extending beyond measure or comprehension: without beginning or end; endless.
What’s the Word say?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:28 NKJV)
The Battle is already won! There is no mountain too high, no valley too low that the power of God can’t bring you through. And to make things even better, the Word says:
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)
Is there anyone here with a Spirit of hatred…? A Spirit of revenge…? A Spirit of adultery…? A Spirit of Lust and fornication…? A Spirit of fear, self-doubt, hopelessness…? A Spirit of jealousy…? What did God promise? Like the people of Judea, don't you know? Haven't you heard? The Word says:
Isa 40:29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (ISAIAH 40:29-31 KKJV)
I am here to tell you that this never-ending power of Jesus is yours! It’s for you! God gave it to you! Our captors are the mind, the emotions, money, stuff, people, places, things, earthly titles, ignorance of the Word of God - that of the world the evil one tricks us with. Through His grace and His mercy, and through His Son’s Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, you can stand on the power of Jesus! Jesus died for you!!! And you!! And you!! Me too!
He rose with all power so that you and me could tap into that power through the Holy Spirit – so we would be strong in the Living Word – so our earthly bodies would not be our limitation – so we could be renewed spiritually daily – so we could spiritually soar, like eagles, above the world’s traps and bondage – so we can run the race of righteousness without being made weary by the world – that we can stand on Jesus and walk with our head high and be confident in promises of God!!
To Conclude
To close, are you standing on the promises of God? Are you standing on the awesome power of Jesus?!! Have you tried Him??!! TRY HIM!! TRY JESUS!! You can stand on that transcending power! You can stand on that amending power! You can stand on that infinite power, that redeeming power, that soul-cleansing power, that sin stain-removing power, that resurrection power, that uplifting power, that sustaining power, God’s power, Jesus’ power, that Holy Ghost power!
Brothers and Sisters, STAND!! Stand on what was provisioned for you by God. Stand on what Isaiah was telling the people of Judea. Stand on what is true; what is solid, what is real. Don’t say you know the Word and you know the promises of God and then don’t stand!! Be like that young man at USC and Stand on the Power of Jesus!! Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected with all power so we, you, me, could stand strong, confident, joyous, unweary, head high, rooted, protected, powerful! Stand on the Power of Jesus.
Be Blessed!!