Philadelphia: Did We In Our Own Strength Confide?

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Philadelphia: Did We In Our Own Strength Confide? Series

Contributed by Michael Hollinger on Nov 9, 2005 (message contributor)

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Scripture: Revelation 3:7-13

Denomination: Baptist

Summary: We can only walk through the doors that Christ has already opened for us…

Title: Did we in our own strength confide?

Text: Rev

FCF: We can only walk through the doors that Christ has already opened for us…

SO:

Intro:

The general point: We walk in his strength:

See if you can finish these verses for me:

- I can do all things [how?] through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13)

- My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9)

- God chooses the ____ things of this world to confound the wise (foolish) (1 Cor 1:27)

- OT: For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (2 Chr 16:9)

- For me to live is [what] Christ? To die is gain!

- I have been crucified w/Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

Here’s another one:

- He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

You want to hear it from Jesus?

- Matt 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

- Matt 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

I could keep going, but I think the point is pretty clear in Scripture – We walk not in our power, but in his. This morning, being July 4th & all, I want to do something a little different – I want to focus on the application of this truth in American history – and I want to start in the American city of Philadelphia….

(William Penn’s treaty w/the Indians)

I read through the treaty he made– and the words of mutual respect are quite amazing in light of the predominant ethic of the times, but I would also argue they are profoundly Christian, more Christian in fact than the predominant ethic of the times!

This attitude of respect and mutual submission comes straight out of Quakerism (Quakers are even more Baptist than Baptists – like Baptists they believe that God’s power is given to everyone, the Quakers believe it so much that they refuse to name a single pastor!)

If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants. (William Penn)

Again the power principle applied during Penn’s time period – Have you ever asked yourself why the Americans ever broke away from the British in the first lace? The basic answer – and I would suggest that divine providence had a role in this – is that from the 1600s until the 1760s, the British were basically too busy with their own affairs to bother with the colonies. This open space allowed a unique American identity to develop – one that was far less interested in Ecclesiastical or Political hegemony. (Charles II had essentially overturned the result of the English Civil War – but I’m not sure the Americans ever really did!) Indeed when the Revolution finally broke out, the only real asset the American insurgency had was its ability to wait out a British public that was tired of paying for a war an ocean away. How many victories other than Yorktown can you name? We lost many more battles than we won.

This principle has continued in every single war we fought – The later we were to the war, the better we fared.

WWI, WWII? Great victories – both times we came in 2 years late.

War of 1812? We agitated for its start, and oh, I’m sure it was just so incidental that Napolean was keeping the British busy everywhere else. Let’s see the British invaded, burned D.C., and we sued for peace within weeks of Napoleon’s surrender.

Vietnam? Iraq? Again – the longer we waited, the more realized in what little power we were really operating, the better we did.

Several weeks ago, George Bush was treated to a Soviet style military parade in Red Square. I’m glad we don’t do celebrate the 4th of July that way here, because it is precisely the opposite of this principle of power –we Americans are much better at walking through open doors then blowing them down. I believe wholeheartedly that Germany is one country again because of the United States. We have exported democracy, peace, and even material prosperity to much of the globe. But we have never been great at ….

My little bit about our abuse of powers in Gitmo & Abu Gharib to again press the point, when we operate in our own power, we behave badly.

Today, people still want to think that we as Christians operate in our power. Well, many of us do. The Inquisitions, many of the Crusades, the Great Schisms between the Churches? Indeed, most of those events that the world loves to throw at the Church are when the Church is trying to operate out of its own power.

But when real Christians live out their lives in the power that was given to them through Christ – they change the world! Look at William Penn! Look at Billy Graham! Look at Charles Colson, Mother Teresa, C.S. Lewis, William Wilberforce, Joan of Arc – I could keep this list going for days. I tell you their stories because we all too easily forget this simple principle. When we operate in our power, we abuse it. But when we are channels of his – we use it for its best end.

In his own power, Saul was an influential man – but when Christ re-directed him on the Damascus Road, that’s when Paul changed the world. Earlier, I know I drew from Paul a lot – but that’s because Paul had a better knowledge of

Invitation: Are you trying to get into heaven or even just to live life in your own power? I’d stop trying.

John Winthrop’s City upon a Hill, 1630

Now the onely way to avoyde this shipwracke and to provide for our posterity is to followe the Counsell of Micah, to doe Justly, to love mercy, to walke humbly with our God, for this end, wee must be knitt together in this worke as one man, wee must entertaine each other in brotherly Affeccion, wee must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities, wee must uphold a familiar Commerce together in all meekenes, gentlenes, patience and liberallity, wee must delight in eache other, make others Condicions our owne rejoyce together, mourne together, labour, and suffer together, allwayes haveing before our eyes our Commission and Community in the worke, our Community as members of the same body, soe shall wee keepe the unitie of the spirit in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us, as his owne people and will commaund a blessing upon us in all our wayes, soe that wee shall see much more of his wisdome power goodnes and truthe then formerly wee have beene acquainted with, wee shall finde that the God of Israell is among us, when tenn of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when hee shall make us a prayse and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantacions: the lord make it like that of New England: for wee must Consider that wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eies of all people are uppon us; soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our god in this worke wee have undertaken and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a byword through the world, wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake evill of the wayes of god and all professours for Gods sake; wee shall shame the faces of many of gods worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into Cursses upon us till wee be consumed out of the good land whether wee are going: And to shutt upp this discourse with that exhortacion of Moses that faithfull servant of the Lord in his last farewell to Israell Deut. 30. Beloved there is now sett before us life, and good, deathe and evill in that wee are Commaunded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another to walke in his wayes and to keepe his Commaundements and his Ordinance, and his lawes, and the Articles of our Covenant with him that wee may live and be multiplyed, and that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whether wee goe to possesse it: But if our heartes shall turne away soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced and worshipp other Gods our pleasures, and proffitts, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good Land whether wee passe over this vast Sea to possesse it;

Therefore lett us choose life,

that wee, and our Seede,

may live; by obeyeing his

voyce, and cleaveing to him,

for hee is our life, and

our prosperity

Long Branch Baptist Church

Halfway, Virginia; est. 1786

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Enter to Worship

Prelude …………………………………………………………..……… David Witt

Invocation …………………………………………………………..……… Michael Hollinger

Opening Hymn* …………………………………………………………..……… #40

“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”

Welcome and Announcements

Morning Prayer ………………..……… Mr. Hollinger

4th of July Reading

Offertory Hymn* …………………………………………………………..……… #37

“A Mighty Fortress is our God”