God’s Power Tools

GOD’S POWER TOOLS

2 Cor. 10:2-4 Msg.

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: PROPER COVID RESPONSE

1. Sherry Campbell told that at the height of the Covid-19 crisis her boss set her and other secretaries down and said, “From now on, when a visitor arrives at our office, they must ring the bell, sign in, be interrogated about their health, take their temperature, and not pass that line over there!”

2. The boss turned to one of the secretaries to see if they got the procedure, “So what do you do when the bell rings?” She said, “That’s my signal to go to the bathroom.”

B. TEXTS: We’re talking about TOOLS – early on

1. ORIGIN OF TOOLS. “Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron” Gen. 4:22. (NIV). 6th generation; Adam, Cain, Enoch, Mehujael, Lamech, Tubal-Cain.

2. THE BIBLE RECOGNIZES OF IMPORTANCE OF TOOLS

The Philistines, the enemies of Israel, kept them from getting tools in order to keep them weak & under their domination. “There wasn't a blacksmith to be found anywhere in Israel lest those Hebrews start making swords and spears." 1 Sam. 13:19.

C. THESIS

We’re going to look this morning at the emergence of power tools, their parallels in the spiritual realm, and point out the urgency of using these to accomplish the work of the kingdom. Title: “God’s Power Tools.”

I. THE EMERGENCE OF POWER TOOLS

A. GENERAL TYPES

1. For thousands of years, humans did their work with the force of their arms or legs (or ‘beasts of burden’), but with the onset of the modern age came steam engines, gasoline motors, and electric motors. These dynamos brought a revolution to how we do our work.

2. It would be impossible to list all of the power tools available today. [DISPLAY TOOLS BY PULPIT]

a. TOOLS THAT CUT & PREPARE THE SHAPE:

Chain saws, miter saws, routers, jigsaws, Sawzall, nibblers, shears, band saws, jack hammers, many types of drills, lasers, etc.

b. TOOLS THAT PREPARE THE SURFACE:

Sanders and polishers, scrapers, belt sanders, orbital sanders, planers, etc.

c. TOOLS THAT FASTEN THINGS TOGETHER:

Impact drills, screw guns, nail guns, staplers, riveters, welders, etc.

d. OTHER POWER TOOLS -- dynamite, explosive agents, nuclear power, earth-moving equipment, cranes to move large objects, etc.

B. VALUE OF POWER TOOLS

1. MAKE JOBS EASIER/ QUICKER. How many of us would ever want to go back to turning screws with a screw driver? It takes a tiny fraction of the time and effort.

2. RELEAVE NEED FOR HUMAN EFFORT. I’m amazed at the grit it takes to put in a dozen screws, let alone assemble an entire ship with screws!

3. DESIGNED FOR SPECIFIC TASKS. Each tool is designed to perform a specific function. It is that specialization that makes tools so efficient.

II. 4 OF GOD’S POWER TOOLS

Just as in the natural world there are tools which expedite our activities, which relieve us of strictly human effort, and are designed to perform specific functions, so are the TOOLS IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM for the same purposes.

The MESSAGE Translation mentions these spiritual tools and some of their uses in the second epistle of Paul to the Corinthians; “The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity” 2 Cor. 10:2-4.

Let’s look at four specific SPIRITUAL POWER TOOLS GOD HAS ENTRUSTED TO US:

A. THE NAME OF JESUS

1. IS THE BATTLE AX OF CHRISTIANS. The Name of Jesus was the battle ax of Paul as much as the ROD of MOSES was in his hands. If the Egyptians could have stolen the Rod of Moses they could have stripped Moses of His weapon. If the Sanhedrin had succeeded in stopping the Apostles from using the name of Jesus, they would have stripped them of their power! Us as well.

2. SALVATION COMES THROUGH HIS NAME. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” Jn. 1:12 (Acts 4:12).

3. VAST USES: Mark 16:17; “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” Mark 16:17.