God's Power Cannot Be Stopped (4)

Good morning, CHURCH!

(Opening joke)

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter.

They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.

But Because of their hectic schedules, it was difficult for the couple to coordinate their travel plans.

So the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, while his wife planned to fly down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. Unlike 20 yrs ago there was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife.

However, he accidentally left out one letter of her email address and sent the email without realizing his error to a grieving widow.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, the widow had just returned home from her husband’s funeral. He was a Baptist minister who had just suffered a heart attack.

The widow decided to check her email, expecting condolence messages from family and friends.

But after reading her very first email, she screamed and fainted.

The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen on with a letter which read:

To: My Loving Wife

(Now remember the widow is reading this letter that was intended for his bride.)

I’ve Just Arrived Today. I know you’re surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. Since I’ve just arrived, I thought I would send you an email.

Everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you then!

Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P. S. Sure is hot down here!!!

Are you ready to be equipped today?

Let me see your Bibles.

Let’s go to the book of Jeremiah 32:26-27 ESV for this week’s wisdom Vaccination.

This Week’s Wisdom Vaccination Jeremiah 32:26-27 ESV

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?

This was God’s opening response to Jeremiah before he unleashed his righteous anger on Israel for their constant disobedience.

And we know that Jeremiah agreed with this statement God made because he stated the very same thing.

Jeremiah 32:17 ESV

‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

We know God said this about himself.

We know that Jeremiah believed this about God.

Now my question to you.

Do you believe this about God?

Do you believe that He is all power and nothing is too hard for him.

Or

Do you believe it’s too hard for God to provide for you?

Do you believe it’s too hard for God to heal you?

Do you believe it’s too hard for God to save your marriage?

Do you believe it’s too hard for God to free your mind?

If you believe that nothings too hard for God, I applaud you.

If you want to believe it but you really don’t, stay tuned.

We are in a series titled:

God Cannot…

Today’s message title is:

God’s Power Cannot Be Stopped

Today we are going to look at 3 passages in scripture for my 3 points.

We will look at more scriptures than normal in a service but we won’t be jumping from book to book.

Each point will be from a specific book of the Bible.

We’re going to start in Daniel 3.

Point #1

Are my tests and trials to powerful for my God?

Think about what you’re facing and ask yourself this question.

For context.

Daniel 3:1-3 ESV

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

At this dedication they were commanded that whenever they heard all the musicians play, they were to bow down and worship the image that the King set up.

Now that may seem foolish to us in America, but in a Kingdom, everyone has to do what the King says.

side note: The Kingdom of God operates this same way.

Daniel 3:6 ESV

And whoever does not fall down, and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.”

How many of you Jesus followers in here would reject bowing down and worshiping the image if your disobedience resulted in being thrown into a fiery furnace?

side note: Whoever doesn’t obey the King in the Kingdom of God will be cast into a lake of fire.

That’s some serious symmetry for you.

Let’s see what the three Hebrews would do.

Daniel 3:12 ESV

There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

The King summoned the 3 Hebrews and questioned them as to whether the accusations were true or not.

side note:(Facing what seemed to be sure death by fire, what would you have done or said when the King directly questioned you?)

So, the King puts them to the test immediately.

Daniel 3:15 ESV

Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

Let’s see if Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego believed that nothing was too hard for God.

Daniel 3:16-18 ESV

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

side note: We need some but if not followers of Christ here at FFM.

King Nebuchadnezzar was furious and ordered that the flames be turned up 7 times hotter than usual.

The King ordered the Hebrews to be bound and thrown into the fiery furnace.

The fire was so hot that it instantly killed the guards that threw them in the fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:24-25 ESV

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

Could you imagine the praise party going on in there?

The King and all his men were astonished to see that the flames had no power over the Hebrews.

Ask your neighbor again, are my tests and trials too powerful for my God?

My God can deliver me out of anything that I face. But if not!

Point #2

Is God’s power strong enough to protect me?

In chapter 6 of the book of Daniel we run into an account in which King Darius sets 120 men over Persia under his leadership.

One of those 120 men was Daniel.

Daniel 6:3 ESV

Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

side note: is there a spirit of excellence on you?

A spirit of excellence doesn’t say things like,

“Oh well I guess it will be alright like this.”

Daniel was one of three that rose to the top, to even be over the 120 men.

But the other two leaders and the rest of the men got jealous that this Hebrew had risen in favor like this.

They tried to find legitimate cause to smear and tarnish his reputation but could find nothing.

Daniel 6: 4 ESV

Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.

Since they could find nothing in his work ethic or character, they decided to use against him his faith and commitment to his God.

Daniel 6:7 ESV

All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors all agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.

They urged the King to sign the document and injunction and he did.

If you were Daniel and you found out that this was now in place for the next 30 days, what would you have done?

Daniel 6:10 ESV

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

He didn’t even hide the fact that he was going to continue to worship and pray to Elohim.

So, of course the schemers went to the King and snitched on Daniel.

“O King did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within the next 30 days except you, be cast into the den of lions?”

They said “Well, ya boy Daniel pays no attention to you or your injunction.”

Now the King liked Daniel and didn’t want him to be eaten by lions, but the injunction was in place.

Daniel 6:16 ESV

Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”

The next morning the King arose early and went to the den of lions.

Daniel 6:20 ESV

As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

Daniel was like, what’s up King, yeah I’m good.

My God sent an Angel to shut the lions mouths.

Daniel 6:23 ESV

Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Tell your neighbor, God is easily powerful enough to protect me and to deliver me.

Point #3

God’s power paid the price of sin.

We’re still talking about the power of God.

Let’s get some context for point #3.

Matthew 27:11-14 ESV

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Here we have all the top Roman leaders accusing Jesus of charges that would lead to him being publicly crucified.

There was one last chance to free him and that was if the people asked to release him as the one prisoner they would set free.

Matthew 27:25 ESV

And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

A scourging was a beating that was as close to death as you could get without actually dying.

We know the enemy was feeling pretty good right about now.

Matthew 27:35 ESV

And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.

Matthew 27:50 ESV

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

The devil thought he had won.

He thought he had stopped God’s plan for redemption of mankind.

But Satan remembered that Jesus made claims of rising in three days.

So, just to be sure that he didn’t arise and come back:

Matthew 27:62-64 ESV

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”

So, now the enemy is feeling really good.

Right up to the point when Jesus arose from the dead just as he said he would.

Next the women went to the tomb to try and take care of the body as was customary.

Matthew 28:5-7 ESV

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

The power of God could not be stopped.

Jesus had paid the price of sin for all of humanity that would believe and except him as savior and LORD.

(Closing illustration)

I remember being in Louisiana at a service and we were supposed to head to the airport after that service, but the weather was reporting something close to a tsunami heading our way.

As a church we all prayed to the God of Heaven and Earth to turn that thing around.

If you’re watching online or here in the room, I have a very important question to ask you.

What is Holy Spirit saying to you right now?