Pencoed Am 26.8.07.
Place: Pencoed AOG. Date: Am Sunday, 26th August 2007.
Text: Acts 1:8. Theme: Knowing the power of God in your life.
Introduction: Reading: Acts 1:8.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” I want my own faith to increase. I want this message to be a “hands on message.” The subject is not something you can think about, or talk about, it needs to be prayed for and received for yourself. I have not yet received its fullness. My subject is: Knowing the power of God in your life.
Jesus said those who receive the Holy Spirit, shall receive power. Power for living, power to witness, power to pray, and power to move in the super-natural. Power to live like God would have us to live. Power to follow Him with our lives. Power to do the things He did. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” John 14:12.
Do you love to hear stories like that of the power of God? Do you long to see God’s power move in our midst? The question is, “What kind of environment WILL God’s power flow? You see, I do not think we need ten great steps to make (or the latest book, or tape from the states). Here are some very basic principles that we must recognize if we desire to see God’s power in our own lives and in the midst of us.
1ST POINT: GOD’S POWER FLOWS WHERE HE IS.
Sounds simple! God’s power flows where God is. If we would see the power we must secure the presence of God in our midst. Mary and Martha knew that. When their brother Lazarus died they called for Jesus. They knew that if He was present God’s power would flow. But Jesus arrived late, and Lazarus had already died.
Remember what Martha said? “If only You had been here.” SHE KNEW THAT WHERE JESUS IS THERE IS POWER. Her problem was that she saw Jesus as the God of YESTERDAY “if only You had been here.” Jesus said that Lazarus would live again. Martha replied, “Oh, I know he will live again in the resurrection.”
To her Jesus was the God of yesterday and of the distant future! But Jesus said to her: “I AM the resurrection and the life, he that believes on Me though he be dead yet shall he live.” Jesus is THE GOD OF TODAY! Yesterday, today, FOREVER Jesus is the same!
2ND POINT: GOD’S POWER FLOWS WHERE IT IS EXPECTED.
We need to expect something good to happen in our midst. How many know that God does “exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think?” The problem is that so often we come to God not expecting anything at all! We come to church ready for “just another Sunday service;” we will sing a hymn and take an offering, sing some choruses, pray, take communion, and providing the preacher is short we will be out at 12.00pm.
It is so important to come to church longing to hear God speak. Nothing is sadder than going to church when you are not expecting anything to happen, and worst still when you are positively sure that nothing is going to happen! I tell you, if it gets to the stage that Pentecostals come to church not expecting anything to happen, then “WE ARE OF ALL MEN MOST MISERABLE.”
When you feel that way, what a surprise, nothing does happen! Yet so many people throughout the world go to church every Sunday feeling just that way. Whether it is at home in your private devotional or when you come to the house of God WE MUST COME TO GOD WITH EXPECTANCY!
3RD POINT: GOD’S POWER FLOWS WHERE RIGHT AUTHORITY IS RECOGNIZED.
We must recognize that there is GREAT authority in the Name of Jesus. AUTHORITY to heal and restore, to release and deliver, authority to advance His Kingdom. In Matthew 28:18 Jesus says: “ALL authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” All authority belongs to Jesus! That is wonderful enough, is it not?!
But now listen further, because if we read on we see that Jesus has made His authority available to us! Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In fact, we read of several occasions in the Gospels when Jesus invested His authority in His followers in order to complete tasks that He sent them to achieve.
ALL ultimate authority in the universe belongs to Jesus Christ, our King. And He has invested that authority in us, HIS CHURCH, in order to accomplish His purposes. On every occasion that we read of Jesus sharing His authority in others - every Scripture which promises us His authority - it is ALWAYS to the end that HIS purposes might be accomplished.
God’s power flows where RIGHT AUTHORITY is RIGHTLY RECOGNIZED.
4TH POINT: GOD’S POWER FLOWS WHERE HE WILL RECEIVE THE GLORY.
God’s power flows WHERE HE WILL RECEIVE THE GLORY! I was greatly challenged in reading an account of the REVIVAL IN WALES in 1858-1860. One of the men whom God so signally blessed and used in that revival was the REV. DAVID MORGAN.
There are many incredible things about this man’s life, but I remember one account in particular. It occurred in a place called “Devil’s Bridge” in North Wales, it was the evening service on New Year’s Day in 1860.
An old minister who was there with David Morgan wrote these words: “The evening was terrible. So near was the revivalist to his God that his face shone like that of an angel, so that none could gaze steadfastly at him. Many of his hearers fell under the power of the Holy Spirit.
ON THE WAY HOME I dared not break the silence for miles. Towards midnight I ventured to say, “Did not we have blessed meetings, Mr. Morgan?” “YES,” he replied; and then after a pause he added: “The Lord would give us great things, if only He could trust us.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “If He could trust us NOT TO STEAL THE GLORY FOR OURSELVES.”
Then the midnight air rang with the sound of his cry, at the top of his voice, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto THY name give glory.” We must JEALOUSLY GUARD to ensure that everything we do is genuinely for HIS glory alone.
CONCLUSION:
1. Where HE is.
2. Where there is EXPECTANCY.
3. Where RIGHT AUTHORITY is RECOGNIZED.
4. Where HE ALONE WILL RECEIVE THE GLORY.