Let’s Be Powerful
Matt 16:15-19
Matt 16:15-19… Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven.". NLT
Power
A church was having a workday of spring-cleaning.
Several women showed up with vacuum cleaners to clean the sanctuary. After
an hour of hard work one woman noticed that her machine was not working. She
flicked the switch and nothing happened.
She turned to notice that the whole time she had been working so hard her
vacuum cleaner was not plugged in but she hadn’t noticed because all the
noise of the other machines!
The pastor had a very good sermon illustration that Sunday!
Even though there is a lot of noise around and hard work, it does not mean a
thing if YOU are not plugged in to the power source!
The Threat of Decline:
Church in Ephesus… Rev 2:2-4 …I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
Church of Sardis…Rev 3:1-3…Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Living off accomplishments of the past will cause spiritual death.
Church Laodicea…Rev 3:15-16…I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
Big banks account with lots of money but were spiritually bankrupt with out the Holy Spirit moving in their midst
Under the directions of spirit filled men, all of these churches had established their roots in Pentecost. They had experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their church. After a short time they lost the power edge of the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
We have the same threat presented to us as we continue to function as a church. Each life that is part of Open Door Church must choose to functions in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The choice made by each member to hear and to follow the Holy Spirit will stop the threat of decline.
How to Lose the Spirit…
1. When the presence of God is no longer of great value, the spirit is lost.
Thoughts on keeping God’s presence:
Tradition: Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matt 15:6… you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. niv
Continue to believe: John 11:39-41… "Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, said, "Lord, by now the smell will be terrible because he has been dead for four days."
40 Jesus responded, "Didn’t I tell you that you will see God’s glory if you believe?"
Acting on God’s promise: Rom 5:1-2…Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. NLT
Increasing God’s Grace: 2 Cor 4:15…as God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. NLT
2. We also loose the Spirit when the human limitations of fear and doubt cause us to be afraid so the Holy Spirit cannot minister through us.
Prov 29:25…Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.
Two examples of fear and doubt in the military:
Deut 20:7-8…Then the officers shall add, "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too
Judg 7:3… ’Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
Loss of a promise: The children of Israel at the edge of the promised land. Listen to the fear and doubt of the ten spies:
Num 13:28-33… But the people living there are powerful, and their cities and towns are fortified and very large. We also saw the descendants of Anak who are living there!
30 But Caleb tried to encourage the people as they stood before Moses. "Let’s go at once to take the land," he said. "We can certainly conquer it!"
31 But the other men who had explored the land with him answered, "We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!" 32 So they spread discouraging reports about the land among the Israelites: "The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that’s what we looked like to them!" NLT
Fear and doubt will deny the miracles witnessed as seen with parents after their adult son experienced healing of blindness.
John 9:20-22… His parents replied, "We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him." 22 They said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. NLT
Fear and doubt will keep you from proclaiming the wonderful works of Jesus
John 12:42-43…Many people, including some of the Jewish leaders, believed in him. But they wouldn’t admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. NLT
This has been witness many times when an individual of non-fundamental religious background, experiences the power of God in one of our services. The influence of the family established in a dead religion causes them to fear leaving the families belief structure. Often they will know in their heart they have experienced God but will not go against the family to change how they worship.
Fear and doubt will keep you seeing only the possible, causing you to miss the impossible. Mary Magdalene had seen the risen savior…
Mark 16:10-11… She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
Also later these same men
Matt 28:16-17…Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
3. We loose the spirit when we substitute our own ingenuity… Gal 3:2-4…Are you so foolish. After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
Common Substitutes:
• Complex structures of organizations
• Impressive ceremonies
• Magnificent Buildings
• Professional Music
• Elegant Speech
How to Keep the Spirit…
1. Church members must never accept the full gospel doctrine without also accepting a personal, full gospel experience.
Acts 2:4… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
More than Just Speaking in tongues:
1 Cor 12:7-11…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,
• 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.
Results of each one being full of the spirit in seen in…
Acts 2:46-47… And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
2. Require full gospel leadership. Living a life of holiness and humility as a servant /leader
Leadership must be servant to the Holy Spirit:
Rom 12:6-8… 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. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 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.
Gal 6:7-8… Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
1 Cor 3:12-15…If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (from New International Version)
1 Tim 6:20-21… Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.
3. We must have the priority of the New Testament to keep on being filled!
4. Always remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit with a quick response to His guidance. Zech 4:6…Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Closing:
Do you want a powerful church
Are we going to maintain the Holy spirits power in our life
Altar:
It is time to be refilled, re-fired, refreshes
Or to be filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time
Let us be powerful!
