God is more powerful than anything we can imagine.
Out of curiosity, what is the most powerful thing you have ever experienced in your life? I remember the kickback of a 12 gage shotgun I once fired as a teen, and how the shell completely obliterated my target. I remember the roar of the V8 in my neighbor’s Pontiac Trans Amas we effortlessly exceeded 100miles an houron a back country road. Personally, I have always been a fan of air shows. I became a junkie the first time I saw an F-16 take off and within seconds, accelerate vertically out of sight. Sign me up for a ride anytime (I think).
Everyone likes to experience power. Remember the first time you sat in the driver’s seat and pressed the gas pedal? Or the first time you operated a piece of power equipment? Come on now, you ladies aren’t exempt. If only you could see the joy on Lara’s face, and the way her hair blows in the wind, as forty-three NASCAR drivers rev their 750 HP engines to 8500 RPM, at the drop of the start flag on race day. Oh yeah, she’s addicted to power.
Yet our contention is that the God of creation, the maker of the heavens and universe, is infinitely more powerful than anything we can imagine.Romans 1:20 (NIV) says, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities— his eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."Who among us hasn’t stood in awe of God’s power, revealed in creation?
But here’s the thing: God wants us to experience his power in a deeply personal way— not just in creation andnot just in things around us. He wants us to experience his power within us.
Have you personally experienced the power of God in your life?
Here's a case to consider.How about a changed life due to the power of God? Over the past few weeks we’ve described how the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives and powerfully changes us. How many of you have experienced the power of God’s Holy Spirit to heal a heart divided by sin, or to heal a corrupted mind led astray by sinful desires, or to heal a seared conscience which is hardened by habitual sin? Power is when the Holy Spirit takes our bodies that have been conditioned to sin and gives us new impulses, new desires, and self-discipline so that we are no longer slaves of sin.
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV) says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."
For whatever power our desires hold over us, God’s power has proven even greater. Do you sense the power of God’s Holy Spirit changing you within? Has he enabled you to live an increasingly holy life? Or has he allowed you toparticipate in his divine nature in order to escape the corrupting power of your evil desires?
Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us to power to become like Jesus in character and in holiness. Many of you know this power. Perhaps others have yet to experience it.
We experience God's power when we love like Jesus loved.
But there is more, much more. This morning I want to talk about another way that we can experience God’s power. Not just in becoming like Jesus in character and holiness,but in learning to love like Jesus. The Holy Spirit mobilizes us to serve and do the hardcore kind of good works that God has prepared for us to do. He enables us not just to be good people, but to do good things.
Ephesians 4:7-8 (NIV) speaks about this. "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: 'When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.'"
Nowthis is a really fancy way of saying that when Jesus went into heaven, he took people like you and me, people who were held captive to their evil desires and self-interests, and gave them special gifts. But what kind of gifts? And what is the purpose of these gifts?
Ephesians 4:9-13 (NIV) continues, "(What does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built upuntil we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
We are given spiritual gifts so that we can love others just as Christ loved.
A spiritual gift is a special way God has given us to show his grace to others. God didn’t stop showering his grace on people the moment Jesus ascended into heaven. God continues to shower his grace on people through the Church. He has given us all at least one way to love others just as Christ loved.
In Ephesians 4 Paul mentions apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NIV) explains, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."
In Romans 12:4-8 (NIV) he says, "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
What we notice is that some of these gifts are flock-focused, while others are lamb-focused. Gifts like prophesying, preaching, teaching, apostleship, and leadership tend to focus on equipping the church at large. Those with flock-focused gifts have been given the ability to multiply love through others.
But other gifts like serving, encouraging, healing, hospitality, giving, and mercy tend to be lamb-focused. Those with lamb-focused gifts key deeply into individuals and their needs. The church needs both types of gifts in order to be a vibrant expression of God’s love. One type of gift is not inferior to the other.Both are of equal value.
The person who preaches to the congregation is of equal value to the person who prays beside a hospital bed, or sets up chairs, or holds a baby in the nursery, or helps a widow in need. All share the love of Christ, but in different ways. Someone with the gift of apostleship might plant a church or become a missionary. Someone with the gift of giving might give secretly and generously to support that work. Both are indispensible.
We cannot use spiritual gifts without relying on the power of the Holy Spirit.
But here is the really scary and exciting thing about spiritual gifts. We cannot use these gifts without relying on the power of the Holy Spirit. Should we attempt them in our own power, we would fail. By definition, their operation puts us in a place of dependence and reliance upon the Holy Spirit. They put us in a place of fear and trembling, a place of feeling inadequate.
The only way it can be considered a spiritual gift is ifyoucannot do a task without completely relying on God’s power. One of the gifts I have experienced is the gift of evangelism. I tremble every time I talk to somebody about Christ, not because I doubt the gospel, but because I doubt myself.When I am witnessing for Christ,I am not in control, because I cannot wing it on natural ability or personal charisma. I feel the same way in preaching. No matter what you think, I know I personally have nothing of value to share with 300 people, let alone a handful of people. Yet God never fails to give me a message of wisdom or knowledge to share.
1 Peter 4:8-11 (NIV) says, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."
This passage reminds us that each one of us should use whatever gift we have received to administer God’s grace in its various forms. No two of us love the same. God’s given you the ability to show Christ’s love in a way that I cannot. Maybe you can’t preach sermon, so what? Maybe God’s put it on you to encourage, be a good listener, counsel, pray, serve behind the scenes, organize and administrate, or show mercy.
This passage alsoreminds us that if any of us are going to show Christ’s love, it’s going to be by relying on God’s power. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God gets the glory!
I’ll tell you what’s broken in Christ’s Church. We appoint people by natural ability and not by God-given ability. We assume that because a person is a good businessman,he will be a good church leader. We think thatbecause a person is a good salesperson,she will be a good evangelist. Or because a person is a good school teacher,she will be effective teaching Christ.Because a person has a great voice, hecan effectively lead God’s people in worship.
What qualifies us isn’t natural ability. It's that we would completely rely upon God’s power. It’s that we would rely on God to give us the words, to give us the strength, the patience, and the wisdom to love others. If we’ll open ourselves, we experience the power of God’s Holy Spirit not just to help us become like Christ, but to mobilize us to love like Jesus loved.