Power Equipped

Power Equipped

TCF Sermon

August 24, 2003

Approach a member of the congregation...

- hand him/her a hammer and ask him or her to build something

When they say they cannot, ask why not?

answer should be something along the lines of

- I don’t have the tools

- I don’t have the materials

- I don’t know how

- I don’t have time

The bottom line - we’re not equipped....that is, we don’t have what we need to do it. That’s often how we feel in life, isn’t it? Sometimes we’re just not equipped for work, for specific tasks. And the truth is, we’re not all equipped for just anything, because we’re not all supposed to do just anything.

For example, when I was in 7th and 8th grade, I wanted to be a pro basketball player. There were just two problems with that. Was I equipped to be a pro basketball player?

1. I wasn’t ever going to be tall enough

2. I wasn’t ever going to have enough skill or talent

Two little things stood between me and NBA stardom, and being a millionaire. Other than that, I could have been a good pro player. Fortunately, I realized that early on I wasn’t equipped to be a pro player, and it’s clear I wasn’t supposed to be.

When Paul Burgard shows up on the jobsite to build something, or sends someone to build something, do you think he shows up one day and says, let’s build this? No, he gets all the materials, he gets all the tools, and he gets the people who know what to do with those materials and tools.

He comes fully equipped for the job at hand...

Fully Equipped: we hear that term related to car sales...what it means is that a vehicle has all the equipment you could want or need...

- a.c.

- CD player

- power everything,

- maybe electronic remote keyless entry

- maybe a video screen

- etc. etc....

Equipping is empowerment....being equipped means you have the power to do something. We like the sound of something that’s Power Equipped.

That’s the title of this morning’s message: Power Equipped. We’ll read a passage of scripture here in a moment which reveals that idea in a fuller way.

Put more simply, I wouldn’t ask someone to go paint a room upstairs, without proper instruction, without giving them paint and brushes!!! Without empowering and equipping them with what they need, to do what I’ve asked them to do.

When we look at the Word of God, we see that God asks or commands us to do many things. God says, "Be holy as I am holy." Jesus says, as Jim preached about last week, "Go and make disciples of all nations." The Word tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. The Word tells us to rejoice in the Lord always.

The Word tells us not to conform to this world. The Word tells us to bless those who persecute us. Scripture tells us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. The same passage tells us to look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. With many of these things, we might have the same reaction as in our opening illustration.

I can’t.

I don’t know how.

I don’t have the tools, the equipment, the ability, the time.

That is, I’m not equipped to do those things. But here’s the kicker.

God says that, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are Power Equipped to do all that He has asked us to do.

2 Peter 1:3-11 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. 4Through 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. 5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.