Series Introduction

A.  R.C. Sproul, a philosopher and theologian who I respect,

      was asked, “What, in your opinion, is the greatest

      spiritual need in the world today?”

      To this he replied, “The greatest need in people’s lives

      today is to discover the true identity of God.” He pointed

      out that most nonreligious people do not really understand

      the God they’re rejecting. If they did, they would probably

      call a truce – to make sure the battle was worth continuing.

B.   Someone then asked Sproul, “What, in your opinion, is the greatest spiritual need in the lives of church people?”

      To this question he gave the same response, “To discover

      the true identity of God. If believers really understood

      the character and personality and the nature of God, it

      would revolutionize their lives.”

C.  There you have it. The same thing that will feed the “seeker” and the veteran church-goer is to come to a full understanding of the character, personality and nature of God. So that is what we will be studying in the five messages that I will be delivering over the next two months. Because the power of Christianity is found in

the nature of the God we serve.

HELP! I NEED SOMEBODY!

A.  My experience at the Mustard Seed…and illustration of

      feeling powerless.

B.  Many people can identify with this sense of powerlessness.

      They feel like victims to their circumstances. For some a

      sense of obligation keeps them at a job they can barely

      tolerate. Others feel like prisoners to their character flaws,

      their bad habits or their addictions. Many Christians feel

      this same sense of frustration. but they have the added

      pressure of being seen as spiritually mature.

C.  Where does this frustration lead to? To buying expensive

“toys” we don’t need, enrolling in diet programs that don’t work, joining any  12 step program that promise solutions to our addictions, all an attempt at gaining some measure of control of lives that don’t make sense.

D.  Can you relate? If so, hang in there with me. Whether you are just beginning to explore the possibilities of entering into a relationship with God or have been a Christian for many years, you’re about to learn one of the most energizing, encouraging, and awe-inspiring truths about God. His power is limitless and He wants to share it with you liberally!

      E.   Read Isaiah 40:29-31.

I.   WHAT KIND OF POWER DOES GOD POSSESS? (v. 29).

A.   For God to offer power to us presumes that He has the

       power to give in the first place.

1.   Look at what God says to filled with self-pity, Jeremiah...“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is there anything to hard for me?”

2.   Illus. of the man hanging to the branch...! Before we

can receive God’s power we must acknowledge that he has the power to help us.

     B.    God’s power extends over two areas.

            1.  His power extends over the physical world.

a)   His power is LIMITLESS.  Even Job in his misery

had to admit that…“By his power he churned up the sea...by his breath the skies become fair...who then can understand the thunder of his power?” (Job 26:12,14)

b)   His power is UNRESTRAINED. The Psalmist says  in Psalm 115:3: “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.”  When things are not going our way we need to remind ourselves that God can do  whatever He wants.

c)   His power SERVES HIS OWN PURPOSES. When

      Israel went astray, He gave power to her enemies in

      order to punish her: “Once again the Israelites did

      evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this

      evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over

      Israel.” (Judges 3:12)

d)   His power is GRANTED TO INDIVIDUALS. We

      see this evidenced in the example of Samson: “The

      Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power so that

      he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he

      might have torn a young goat.” (Judges 14:6)

            2.  His power also extends over the spiritual world.

a)   With the coming of the Holy Spirit after the death of

      Jesus, God’s power was unleashed in ever new and

      more startling ways: “With great power the apostles

      continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord

      Jesus.” (Acts 4:33)

b)   What was the source of this power? The Apostle Paul

      explains in Philippians 3:10 that he and the apostles

      sought the “power of His resurrection.”

c)   Think of your powerlessness over a particular

      sin...now think of the defeat you feel after every

      other sin you’ve ever committed...now multiple the

      power needed to overcome the sin in your life by

      the numbers of people who have every lived. From

      Adam and Eve, through Homer, Plato and

      Socrates --all the  way up to Prime Minister

      Chretien. All their sin, not just the sins they

      committed openly, but also the secret sins. Don’t

      forget the sins of Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Sadaam

      Hussein, General Molosovich, Henry Morgantaler

      or serial killers and drug pushers.

d)   The power to break free of your sin alone seems

      unlikely enough, but the thought there could be

      enough spiritual power to completely obliterate

      the choke hold of every sin that would ever be

      committed by everyone who ever lived sounds

      beyond comprehension. And remember, every

      person who ever lived has added to, rather than

      subtracted from, the pile of sin.

e)   But that is the power of the resurrection of Jesus

      Christ---a power that could overcome every

      spiritual failing, every sin, every weakness, in one

      explosive act. What we are powerless to do in our

      own lives, Christ was powerful enough to

      accomplish for everyone who would believe.

     C.  God shares this power with us! (vv. 29-31).

II.     HOW CAN WE ACCESS THE POWER OF GOD?

A.    To access the power of God requires the RIGHT

       ATTITUDE! (vv. 29-30)

1.      The attitude that must die for us to experience the power of God in our lives is the attitude that sees us as actually doing quite a bit for God and all we need is a little help

a)      The following prayer illustrates someone who has made this important discovery:

“Dear Lord,

             So far today I’ve done all right. I haven’t

Gossiped, lusted, lost my temper, haven’t been

Greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or over-indulgent. I’m very thankful for that.

             But in a few minutes, Lord, I’m going to get out of bed.

             From then on I’m probably going to need

a lot of help.  Amen

2.   Until we see ourselves as weak we can not receive the

      strength that God offers (I.e.. Poweraide...all you add

      is guts).

            3.   Example of the Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh...

“...My grace is sufficient for you, for 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. 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.” (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

                  ...we see God at work most dramatically when we do

                  not have the strength of ourselves...

B.    To access the power of God requires us to EXERCISE

       FAITH ON A DAILY BASIS (v. 31)

1.   We have a prime example of acting in faith from Moses at the Red Sea (Ex. 14).

2.   Key: Even though Moses didn’t know how God was

      going to intervene, he acted as though God would.

3.      This faith must be acted applied on a daily, no moment

      by moment, basis! (There is an old African proverb

      that illustrates what I’m saying. It goes like this:

      “How do you eat an elephant? ONE SPOONFUL

      AT A TIME!”).

APPLICATION

A.      Do you want to regain power and control of your life?

Let me review the simple steps:

        #1:  Insure that you have a saving relationship with

               God.

             #2:  You must believe that God has the power to help

                     you.

#3:   You must admit your weakness and inability to

        control your life.

#4:   You must acknowledge your total dependence

        upon God to help you.

#5:   You must act in faith as He shows you what He

        wants for your life.