WEEK 5, DISCOVERY 4
Items needed:
Power point presentation
Small power tool
More powerful power tool
Color key:
Red = Scripture
Blue = Bulletin insert blanks
Purple = Power point slides with numbers
[ppt 1] Discovery of the Week: You can receive power.
[ppt 2] “Power is Better”
Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:7, 13-14
If you read your bulletin this morning, you read that I’m a power tool guy. I have
to watch myself, or I could develop a real addiction! A tool – now that’s a man’s Christ-
mas gift. And, the more power, the better. Women may not want gifts with a cord for
those special occasions, but guys love gifts with cords! Every time I get a new tool to do
a job Sue asks, ―Do you know how to use that thing?‖ And with a sound of certainty I
say, ―Oh, yeah!‖
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I have just about everything a regular guy could need. I brought a couple of
them to show you. I’d really rather have brought my 8-direction power miter saw with a
12 inch blade. It is sweet! But, it’s much too big to drag on the platform.
Here’s a 3-volt power screw driver. It has about as much power as a wet noodle.
In fact, I doubt if it could put a screw through a wet noodle. Not too impressive. Here’s
my 18-volt power drill. Now this baby has power to spare. It can run a drill bit through a
solid concrete wall. It even has a light for dark spots and the battery indicator lights up
with the amount of power I have for the job. You can duct tape this to the bumper of
your car and use it for a headlight.
The title of today’s sermon is ―Power is better.‖ I just made my point, so we can
all go home now. Just kidding. Our quest for today is obviously ―Power.‖
For about the past 25 years we’ve been entertained and amused at [ppt 3] the
pink Energizer Bunny who bangs his drum on TV and keeps going and going and going.
What’s that little guy powered with -- Plutonium? I can promise you, it’s sure not Ener-
gizer batteries! My CD player can eat those things like cotton candy at the state fair.
The pink bunny trademark, however, gives us a window into our quest for this week.
When we think of the word ―power‖ all sorts of images come to mind.
1. There’s the power of the playground bully to beat up little kids and take their
lunch money. That’s the same power that gangs use to control their turf or the
mob uses to control a neighborhood. Some dictators even use it to control an
entire nation.
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2. There’s the power of an athlete to knock a home run, drive in a touchdown,
knock out an opponent, or score a goal.
3. There’s the power of an electrical plant like Wolf Creek to provide energy to an
entire city or section of the state.
4. There’s the legal power to interpret the law and thereby control a nation.
5. There’s the military power of an army, navy, or air force to hold back an enemy
attack or win a war.
6. There’s the power of a jet engine to lift a Boeing 747 with more than 400 people
and all of their luggage to 39,000 feet and take them half way around the globe.
7. There’s the political power to win an election and keep a candidate in office for
many years.
8. There’s the magical power to leap tall buildings with a single bound, stop a
speeding bullet, and outrun a steam locomotive. (For you young people, that’s
Superman’s calling card – the black and white Saturday morning version of the
Superman that I grew up with.)
So when we come to church this morning and talk about power, what kind of
power are we talking about, exactly? More often than not, I think we come into the
sanctuary with very different expectations of what we think this power from God looks
like. For some, it’s the power to win religious debates. ―My beliefs are right.‖ For oth-
ers, it’s the power to impress people with great signs and wonders from above. ―The
Lord is obviously working in me.‖ For still others, it’s just the strength to crawl your way
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through another week of trials, temptations, taxi duty with the kids, over load at work,
house chores, and stresses of life.
We want to talk about this spiritual power that God sends us on a quest for. I
think you’ll see from our scriptures for today that He has much more in mind for us than
we might imagine.
Remember the ―Cold War‖? I reviewed it again this week at the Truman Library.
Those were turbulent days for our world. Few shots were fired and both sides did what
they could to keep direct military confrontation at a minimum. [ppt 4] In the Cold War,
the world lived with a balance of power. The United States and the Soviet Union waged
a ―cold war‖ for control of the world. The balance of power was all that kept us from
WW3.
The threat of making crispy critters out of all of us kept the peace. Both sides had
enough nuclear warheads to destroy the world several times over. I never understood
that. It seems to me like blowing the thing to Kingdom come just once would be enough
to satisfy the world leaders. But, oh, no, we have to be able to blow it up 9 times over.
Didn’t any body realize that after the first melt-down, no one would be around to hit the
red buttons 8 more times? Neither side got the upper hand, so we lived with a balance
of power.
[ppt 5] Many believers live their lives in this way. They believe God will give
them just enough power to get by but not enough power to live a life of victory. They
think Christ’s followers have a balanced supply of power against the devil but not
enough to live in complete victory over him. How sad!
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When Jesus was preparing to leave His disciples, He gave them a promise of
power. Paul picked up on that promise when he wrote a letter to His pastor friend Timo-
thy.
Let’s put three passages of Scripture together:
READ TEXT HERE
[ppt 6] Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:7, 14
[ppt 7 – 8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and
you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of
the earth.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-
discipline.
Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the
Holy Spirit who lives in us.
That doesn’t sound like a balance of power to me. Does it to you? It doesn’t
sound like the amount of power in an Energizer double A battery either. Does it to you?
These passages of Scripture sound like Jesus is promising all the power neces-
sary to fulfill the Great Commission – like we talked about on Week 1. It sounds like
Paul believed the promise was not only for the original disciples but for all Christians
down through the ages – including us.
Do you remember the question that started us on this quest 5 weeks ago? ―How
can I live the life I’ve longed for?‖
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We can only live this life if God has a way of empowering us to do it because we
certainly can’t power it on our own.
Has God provided that kind of power? Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus
suggests that He has.
[ppt 9 – 10] 1. God’s power is working in us.
Ephesians 1:18-21
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know
the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of
his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and
seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority,
power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but
also in the one to come.
I often think of this verse of Scripture when I’m facing a difficulty of some kind. I
usually first think of the seemingly insurmountable obstacle that faces me. Then I think
of how much power it’s going to take to over come it. At that point, I ask myself, ―Do I
need more power than it took the Father to raise Jesus from the dead?‖ The answer is
always ―No.‖ I can rest easy in knowing that God has the ability to help me with this
matter just as He has in the past with all of the other matters.
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[ppt 11] 2. God’s power gives us strength.
Ephesians 3:16-17a
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit
in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
When Paul speaks of our inner being, he’s thinking about the source of our per-
sonality and our spirituality. You know -- the place where God lets us know He has par-
doned our sins and accepted us into His family. It’s the place from which we praise and
worship Him. It’s the source of our will power. It’s the fountain from which our emotions
spring. It’s the root of our attitudes. It’s the location of our conscience. It’s the place
we draw up plans for our actions and reactions in life. That’s why it is so important for
the Spirit of Christ to dwell in our inner being continually and completely. He must flavor
everything that springs from our inner being.
[ppt 12-13] 3. God’s power surpasses our knowledge to grasp it.
Ephesians 3:17b-19
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together
with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure
of all the fullness of God.
As I mention in my writings, as a kid I used to take my toys apart and reassemble
them. My curiosity always got the best of me. I just had to know what made them work.
We’re tempted to do that with God’s work among us. We want to know just exactly
what it is and how He does it – sort of like the way we want to know how a magician
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does a slight-of-hand trick. It’s not that we want to control God. We just want to explain
Him. Give it up!
God’s power and love are beyond our ability to grasp. We should receive and
enjoy His bountiful gifts, and realize they are beyond human knowledge.
[ppt 14] 4. God’s power does immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according
to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Look carefully at this entire Scripture passage. You’ll see that while power is
referenced several times, power is never the subject of the quest. The Spirit of Christ
should be the focus of our quest. We should seek Him, not power, just as children
should love their parents more than the gifts they give them. God’s power comes as a
by-product of our relationship with Him. As a result of our relationship with the Spirit of
Christ, notice what Paul says we receive, along with God’s power: the love of Christ and
the fullness of God.
[ppt 15] 1. The power of God that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is working in us!
2. The power of God strengthens us in our inner being!
3. The power of God surpasses our knowledge to grasp it!
4. The power of God does immeasurably more than we ask or imagine!
It sounds from these passages of Scripture that God has not only promised pow-
er but has, in fact, given us the power we need to live the life we long for! This week
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you’re going to read in your devotions about God’s power for specific purposes in your
Christian life – not just generic power, but specific power to live this live you long for.
Pay particular attention in your reading this week to the timing of God’s gift of the
Spirit to the disciples. He’s given at the Feast of Pentecost. Since we Christians don’t
celebrate the Jewish feasts, we just refer to it as the Day of Pentecost. The original
Jewish feast commemorated God giving the Hebrew people the 10 Commandments.
The fact that the Father gifted us with His Spirit on that day implies that God wants to
give us the internal power and ability to live the way the 10 Commandments originally
intended for us to live. What an incredible plan from God!
How do we get ourselves spiritually fit and worthy to exercise this power? I know
I sound like a CD with a thumb print on it. You know, it repeats the same line over and
over. You’ve heard me say it 3 times before about each of our previous discoveries.
Here it comes again. Are you ready to catch it?
You don’t make yourself spiritually fit and worthy. Look at the verb of Discovery
4. What is it? ―Receive,‖ that’s right. Like all of the other discoveries, it’s a gift from
God. [ppt 16] This power doesn’t come through strenuous religious exercise. It comes
from holding out your hand and accepting it.
There’s no doubt about it. God has the power for the life you long for. He wants
to give it to you as a gift. You must do what Jesus’ disciples did: ask for His gift and
wait for His response. [ppt 17] Once more, remember to preference the Giver over the
gift. The gift of power comes as a by-product of a close, personal relationship with God.
Conclusion
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Let me share with you in closing where & when I learned the most valuable les-
son of my ministry about God’s power at work in a believer’s life. Nearly 30 years ago I
finished my studies at MNU and NTS, and Sue and I headed out to our first pastoral as-
signment. We moved to a little country town in Ohio. I felt like I’d gotten a good educa-
tion at MNU and NTS, but God had another big lesson for me to learn about power from
a little lady in our first church.
Mrs. Shaw stood about 4 foot 6 inches tall. She once stood much taller but os-
teoporosis had taken its toll on her little body. She didn’t have a lot of formal education,
but she knew the Lord. Boy, did she ever know the Lord! She lived across the street
from the church and parsonage. She said she bought that house several years ago just
so she could live close to the church. She said it made it easier for her to attend all of
the services. She was there every time the doors were open!
I think I called on Mrs. Shaw every week. It wasn’t because she had such a
warm, cozy house. I hated going into her house! You see, she loved cats; she had do-
zens of them. They all lived in the house with her. Yuk! I always left with the smell of
―house cats‖ in my nose, 5000 cat hairs on my clothes, and that creepy feeling you get
from cats rubbing against your leg.
But, I kept going back week after week because Mrs. Shaw just loved to talk
about the Lord. She knew Him better than most people know their blood relatives. She
spoke about the things of God with authority and conviction. You know that feeling you
get when you’re around someone that is famous [like a sports personality or a television
celebrity], or someone that is big and strong, or someone that is rich, or someone that is
politically powerful, or someone that is really smart? You just sense the power they
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have. Celebrity power. Financial power. Political power. Academic power. You know
what I mean.
Well, Mrs. Shaw had spiritual power. She lived in close personal relationship
with the Lord. And, the almighty power of God flowed through her veins. I realized right
then and there – during the first year of my pastoral ministry – that’s what I wanted for
my life.
I have a good education. I have some talents and abilities. But, they don’t mean
a thing if the almighty power of God doesn’t flow through my veins. You see, your good
education, your talents and abilities, your charisma, your wealth, your popularity –
whatever God has gifted you with – will only take you so far.
But, when the Spirit of Christ empowers you: (1) He helps you in ways you never
imagined or dreamed. (2) He gives you the ability to accomplish the task He has given
you to do.
The power that raised Jesus from the dead. That power is available to you this
morning! Why would you choose to live on a double A Energizer battery? Why would
you want to crawl through life with a balance of power when you can run in step with the
Spirit?