Sermon Series: Christmas Promises for YOU
Today’s Message: When Can I Have God’s Power?
Text: Isaiah 9:6; Luke 24:49; Psalm 6:34-35; Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Luke 18:27; Isaiah 40:30-31; 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NIV
Dr. Ken Squires, Jr. (Squireskd@integrity.com)
December 17, 2006 Edited by Dale Weaver
(6)For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9-NIV)
(49)I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24-NIV)
(34) Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies. (35) You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God (Psalm 6-NIV)
(17) Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. (27) Behold, I am the Lord, the God of the whole human race; is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32-NIV)
(27) But, He said, the things impossible with men are possible with God. (Luke 18-NIV)
(30) Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; (31) but those who hope (wait) in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40-NIV)
(8) Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away form me. (9) But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12 – NIV)
(1) The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid? (3) Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. (Psalm 27-NIV)
Some years ago, on New Year’s Day during the Tournament of Roses Parade, a beautiful float sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The entire parade was stalled until someone could find a gas can and get this giant, flower-covered float moving again. The ironic thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. Despite the vast oil resources of this multinational corporation, its engine was out of gas (1).
How many Christians live life without sufficient gas to go the distance? Do you know that you have been clothed with His power?
(49) I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”(Luke 24-NIV)
People want to serve the God with the greatest power. This is only natural, as people are attracted to power. Young people and others attempt to experience power through Satanism, Ouija Boards, Dungeon and Dragons. Others engage in similar types of dabbling with Spiritualism, New Age and other occult practices. But it’s hollow. That’s right: nothing but smoke and mirrors -- Because there is only one God with real power.
In Isaiah 9:6 He is the Mighty God we call “El Gibbor” – the “strength name” for God. God is doing everything he can to let us know that we can have His very nature: “I am your All-Powerful God.” God is waiting to give to your powerless life…His power and strength!
(34) Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies. (35) You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God (Psalm 6-NIV).
Have you ever faced a seemingly impossible situation that was almost certainly aiming toward a head-on collision? No matter what evasive maneuvers you took, the impending crash was threatening to overtake your faith. The impossibilities of our life can either drive us close to the Savior or leave us headed for wreckage.
Today’s instruction from God’s Word is intended to provide access to The Mighty God (El Gibbor) for those who may find themselves caught in an “auto wreck” of seeming impossibility. As we start, let me suggest a couple of scriptures that can serve as the “jaws of life” to free you from the twisted wreckage. Two verses from God’s word are designed to loosen the death grip and provide insight for your dilemma and ready access to God’s power.
1. Jeremiah 32:17
(17) Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
A casual reading of this verse in English can cause us to miss the force of this sentence in the Hebrew. Jeremiah uses the strongest word in Hebrew to drive home this critical truth.
…”Nothing is too difficult for God.”
Listen carefully. This verse starts with the strongest of negations, “nothing,” and ends with the greatest of extremes, “too difficult for God.”
Let that truth arrest you, friend. Your life depends on it. Nothing is too difficult for God. Not the repair of a shattered marriage. Not your recovery from bankruptcy. Not the restoration of a mind burned out by drugs, gambling or pornography. Not the healing of your broken body. Nothing is impossible for Him!
Now, allow your eyes to descend to the base camp of another verse in the same chapter. Let’s read vs. 27, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of the whole human race; is anything too hard for me?”
Same idea, stated a little differently. In fact, God is inviting you to substitute your particular “impossibility” in place of the word, “anything.” God is asking rhetorically, “Is anything (sickness, finances, marriage) too difficult for me?” God’s word is filled with many rhetorical questions. Let the all-powerful God be your anything. The answer to this rhetorical question is, of course, absolutely not!
2. Luke 18:27
(27) But, He said, the things impossible with men are possible with God.
Let’s flip forward some seven-hundred and several books into the New Testament; here we come to Luke 18:27. This is one of the most meaningful scriptures to me personally. For years it hung in our sanctuary to be read weekly by God’s people -- bringing hope and encouragement to all.
Remember the story of Goliath? The Olympic-sized impossibility who haunted and taunted the people of God? The result was rampant fear amongst the people of God. In the end it was a young shepherd boy who, using a sling and a stone as chalk, stepped forward to the head of the class and mark on the chalkboard of Goliath’s forehead the lesson for the day…”things that are impossible with men are possible with God.”
During one recent week the Pacific Northwest was clobbered by a storm. Winds on the coast exceeded 90 miles an hour. More than a million people lost power at one time or another in the Puget Sound. The storm left people in the dark, downed power-lines and roads blocked by fallen trees. As the utility departments worked around the clock to restore power frustrated customers called, often asking the same question: “when will my power be restored?” Each of us should be asking the same question. When can I have God’s power? When will my power be restored?
Here are just a few of the ways to turn God’s power on in your life – to access the power of our Mighty God, El Gibbor.
When Can I Have God’s Power?
(1) You Can Have God’s Power When You Are Weak.
(30) Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; (31) but those who hope (wait) in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40-NIV)
Friend, you can count on God’s power when you are tired. And we are all tired, aren’t we? Just walk through the mall one day and look upon the faces of your fellow beings. It’s not just the holidays either: People are over-extended on their credit, while others try to satisfy children that are spoiled and undisciplined. Folks are stretched to the point of saying, “I have nothing else to give.” Many are simply going through the motions in their marriage. It is a telling commentary on our lives today that we’ve sacrificed our health, marriages and lives to achieve everything but are now too tired to enjoy it!
But don’t you just love the Christian life? I certainly do! It is a life of hope and a message of hope. And Isaiah 40:30 is filled with hope. It tells us that “El Gibbor” the Mighty God, wants to give us a power that is unlimited. He makes it possible for you to never grow weary. He never gets weary. The old song says “He never sleeps, He never slumbers.” He has unlimited energy. Would you like to tap into that type of power? Here’s how.
*Memorize this verse, (Isaiah 40:31) claim it often and expect God to release this promise to you. Write this verse down. Put it someplace where you won’t forget. Embroider it and hang it on the wall. Monogram it onto your sweater. You can count on His power.
Did you know that the book of Isaiah can be seen as a summary of the Word of God? It has 66 chapters, one for each book of the Bible. The first 39 chapters have an Old Testament feel and the last 27 have a New Testament theme. What is that theme? Jesus is our Salvation! Chapter 40 ends with an appeal from God to put your trust in that salvation. The last four verses address the issue that all of us face: exhaustion, weariness and lack of strength. This idea is repeated in each verse (Isaiah 40:28-31).
…He will not grow tired or weary (vs. 28).
…He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak (vs. 29).
…Even youths grow tired and weary (vs. 30).
…They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint (vs. 31).
That same power is available to you. Each stage, His power is with you. How comforting. Even youths grow weary and need His power. Access it today.
(2)You Can Have God’s Power When You Are Afflicted.
(8) Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away form me. (9) But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12 – NIV)
If you have walked with the Savior for any length of time you have undoubtedly drawn strength and power from Paul’s words to the Corinthians about affliction. The text tells us God allowed a messenger from Satan to torment Paul (2 Cor. 12:7). But how can we reconcile that God would allow such a thing? The word for torment is actually “to beat up.” Is God really a bully? As my friend Steve Fry says, “no matter how you diagram the sentence, or parse the verb, the meaning is still the same, that of a boxer being pummeled senseless in the ring.”(2)
So then why would God allow it? Paul experienced it, so we could understand it. Did you get that? Paul experienced it, so we could understand it. God’s power is made perfect in our weakness or affliction. Paul didn’t learn this lesson right away. It was on the third go-around of asking for God’s deliverance that finally the rhema (Greek for “word”) sunk into Paul’s heart, “my power is made perfect in weakness!” God allowed the affliction, so that Paul could introduce us to a new understanding of His grace.
Are you afflicted today? If so, remember that He is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals.
My wife Danice knows Jehovah Rapha, our healer. As a baby she was born without a soft spot on her head. The bones in her skull had already fused together leaving no room for the brain to grow and develop. The doctors told her parents she would most likely be blind and retarded. She would certainly not live beyond her elementary-school years. She cried in pain most of the early months of her life from the pressure of a growing brain inside an already-developed cranial structure.
Her grandparents were pastors of a small church in California. They set up an around-the-clock prayer vigil for their granddaughter. People prayed fervently! Her mom was so tired from lack of sleep that she laid her on the altar and went home. They continued praying all night. The next day, as her mom was rubbing her head, she felt a tiny movement, and it felt like a pulse. She took Danice to the doctors. They were amazed. There was a soft spot. No explanation but the medical records revealed a true miracle. You can have God’s power when you are afflicted.
(3) You Can Have God’s Power When You Are Afraid.
Much has changed for the United States and for all Americans around the world these past five years. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, we watched in horror and disbelief as the twin towers of the World Trade Center burned and eventually crumbled to the ground.
One of the immediate responses to the terrorism crisis has been the fear gripping the lives of countless Americans. The wake of the terrorist attacks left the stock market in decline, the airline industry paralyzed and major Fortune 500 companies declaring billions of dollars worth of losses. But the most noted hangover from the terrorism that came to America is not the financial crisis that ensued, but rather the fear crisis that settled into our hearts.
We have become a people who are panicked. Isolated incidents of hysteria have shown up on the landscape and we are generally afraid. We have a hangover from September 11, and it is a hangover of fear.
What is fear? Daniel Webster tells us that fear, “is an emotion of alarm or agitation caused by the possibility or reality of danger.” The danger may be real: a barking pit bull or the screeching of tires just before they slam into the side of your car. Or the fear may be imagined: the creaking of stairs or the rustling of the wind. Fear is often a God-given barometer to indicate threat or danger.
Fear is as old as man’s sin. It has been around for a long time. When Adam and Eve sinned, the Bible says, “They hid themselves.” Why? They were afraid.
In the darkroom of your mind, thousands of fearful thoughts come and go -- negatives in every sense of the word – and each of them waiting to be developed. Fear doesn’t empty tomorrow of opportunities; it empties today of faith.
How to Win Over Fear
The best anti-toxin to fear is Psalm 27. The purpose of an anti-toxin is to kill the toxins in your bloodstream that are causing infection. God thought that fear was such an important emotion to address, that He made it the theme of Psalm 27. Fear is the effective tool in destroying the soul of an individual. Learn how to get victory over it.
1. Fear has to flee when you hit it head-on.
(1) The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear?
2. Fear has to flee when you make a declaration of confidence.
(1a) The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?
3. Fear has to flee when you turn the battle over to the Lord.
(3) Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
The key to winning over fear is winning over your own thoughts. Paul reminded us of this truth, when he said, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praise worthy -- think about such things.” (Phil. 4:8 - NIV)
Enough is enough! If a thought pattern is habitual and destructive, take those thoughts captive and cut them off.
Take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
Change Your Fear Into Faith. People who are prone to fear often talk themselves into fear. At the slightest sign of fear quote God’s word. Cancel the destructive pattern of playing the “What if?” game. Most people who succumb to fear do so out of ignorance. Their fear is seldom backed by facts.
Someone has said, “Get the facts first, then panic.”
In his Inaugural Address on March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt made the most famous quote about fear when he said,
...The only thing we have to fear is fear itself...nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to retreat into advance.”(3)
America, remember that terrorists cannot frighten us, if we refuse to be afraid. Fear is not created by the evil adversaries enrolling in flight-training schools across the country. It is created in our minds by what we think could happen.
I love the German proverb about fear, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.”
(4) You Can Have God’s Power When You Praise.
(22) As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated (2 Chron. 20).
First and Second Chronicles were originally one book. The author is Ezra the Priest. He penned the autobiography of Israel. Chronicles means, “The words of the days.” Chronicles is the annals of Israel from the garden to Babylon, to Cyrus’ decree for God’s people to return to Jerusalem (2 Chron. 36). Chronicles is a Readers Digest condensed version tracing the flow of human history with the nation of Israel carrying the lead role.
Ezra wanted to rebuild a spiritual foundation with an emphasis on religious purity, proper place of the law, the temple and the priesthood. Chapter 20 of Second Chronicles is the story of the people of God who faced the “potential for extinction.” The first 30 verses, tell the story. Stop for a moment and turn and read them.
*There was an alignment of nations with evil intentions, bent on destruction.
*These tribes were going to drive out Judah -- slaughtering, exterminating and annihilating them as they went.
*This was the purpose of the military conquest in 2 Chronicles.
*These armies are located just 15 hours outside of Jerusalem. They were literally crouched at the door.
This was an impossible situation if there ever was one. Let me ask you this penetrating question. Can you see yourself in the place of Johoshaphat at certain times in your life?
*Perhaps you have gotten a medical diagnosis; “You only have a few weeks to live.”
*Maybe you find yourself nearing financial ruin: you are soon going to run out of money…and you have no place to go.
*After 20 years of marriage you feel your partner has nothing left for you.
With the enemy marching on your kids, health, marriage and finances, no doubt the furthest thing from your mind is to lift your hands and voice up in praise of the Most High God. What happened in Johoshaphat’s life then teaches you today “How to Sing when you’re struggling for your life.” And when you sing, El Gibbor, the God of all power comes to deliver you from your impossible situation.
Admit today that you don’t have it all together. Let God know that you are weak and lack His power. For many this will be a hard step because you hate letting on to the truth you’re not in control. Any thing less is to “pretend.” A lack of complete honesty will short-circuit God’s power from coming to your life.
Plug in to God’s source of Power. What is the source of power? Jesus provides a word picture in John 15:
…”(5)I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Declare your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Draw from the Mighty God all the strength and power you need for life today. One of the best ways to add power to your life is to memorize some of God’s word that will offer this power at a moment’s declaration. Let me suggest several positive affirmations and the scriptures that confirm them:
You can be mighty through God in pulling down spiritual powers (2 Cor. 10:4-5)
You can be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Eph. 6:10)
You can be accepted by God for although He is mighty, He does not despise men; He is mighty and firm in his purpose (Job 36:5)
You can be filled with a glorious inheritance, his incomparably great power for us who believe (Eph. 1:18-19)
You can be a recipient dear one, from Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us (Eph. 3:20)
Don’t wait another moment. Take one of these power filled verses and commit it to memory. Then when you experience a power outage from one of life’s devastating storms, you won’t have to wait long for the real power to return!
Summary Thoughts
1. During one recent week the Pacific Northwest was clobbered by a storm. Winds on the coast exceeded 90 miles an hour. More than a million people lost power at one time or another in the Puget Sound. The storm left people in the dark, downed power-lines and roads blocked by fallen trees. As the utility departments worked around the clock to restore power frustrated customers called, often asking the same question: “when will my power be restored?” Each of us should be asking the same question. When can I have God’s power? When will my power be restored?
2. People want to serve the God with the greatest power. This is only natural, as people are attracted to power. Young people and others attempt to experience power through Satanism, Ouija Boards, Dungeon and Dragons. Others engage in similar types of dabbling with Spiritualism, New Age and other occult practices. But it’s hollow. That’s right: nothing but smoke and mirrors -- Because there is only one God with real power.
3. Admit today that you don’t have it all together. Let God know that you are weak and lack His power. For many this will be a hard step because you hate letting on to the truth you’re not in control. Any thing less is to “pretend.” A lack of complete honesty will short-circuit God’s power from coming to your life.
Surprising Thoughts
1. Friend, you can count on God’s power when you are tired. And we are all tired, aren’t we? Just walk through the mall one day and look upon the faces of your fellow beings. It’s not just the holidays either: People are over-extended on their credit, while others try to satisfy children that are spoiled and undisciplined. Folks are stretched to the point of saying, “I have nothing else to give.” Many are simply going through the motions in their marriage. It is a telling commentary on our lives today that we’ve sacrificed our health, marriages and lives to achieve everything but are now too tired to enjoy it!
2. In the dark room of your mind, thousands of fearful thoughts come and go -- negatives in every sense of the word – and each of them waiting to be developed. Fear doesn’t empty tomorrow of opportunities; it empties today of faith.
End Notes
(1) Steve Blankenship. To Illustrate. Leadership Magazine. Carol Stream Illinois.Winter Quarter. 1985. Pg. 49.
(2) Steve Fry. A God Who Heals The Heart. Deep Fryed Books, Brentwood, TN, 1997, pg. 116-117.
(3) Franklin D. Roosevelt. First Inaugural Address. (www.quotes.prolix.nu/fear.html)
