Plugging Into the Power Source
Text: II Corinthians 5:14-21 (NCV)
Introduction: An old farmer decided it was finally time to take his family into the big city. They loaded up the old truck and rumbled into the swank downtown shopping district. Upon entering a huge department store, they could not believe their eyes. Ma took off checking out the latest in household goods. Pa and the boys wandered over to the other side of the store. There they came upon a set of doors that kept opening and closing. People would walk through the open doors. The doors would close. A bit later, the doors would open and out walked some more people. As they watched, they noticed this older woman, gray-haired and humped over, stepping into the open doors, which quickly closed behind her. In a few short moments, the same doors opened and out stepped this young, gorgeous blonde. “Wow,” Junior exclaimed, “What kind of machine is that Pa?” Pa stroking his beard replied, “I don’t know, son, but hurry up, go fetch your Ma!”
Pa thought he had found an amazing machine that possessed the power of personal transformation. We all wish it could be that easy, don’t we? Unfortunately, it was just an elevator. An elevator can help you change your location, but you walk out the same person who walked in. I wonder if any of you who walked in here today expect to walk out a different person. Paul instructs us in Romans 12:2 to quit conforming to the patterns and ways of this world but rather be transformed. We understand through the trial and error of life that this is a very difficult task to perform. We make headway, then seem to stumble right back into our old ways. We need something to help us through this process. Where can we find the power that is able to produce this real and true transformation in our lives today?
Our text passage makes some claims which are rather hard to believe regarding this whole theme of life makeover. Verse 17 says, “If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!” Any type of change requires that the old must go and something new must take its place.
Any of you that have tried to change are well aware of the difficulty involved. We have a desire to change but oftentimes the power to carry through just isn’t there.
Illustration: Think about this for a moment. In my secular job, I depend heavily upon power tools. I prefer the cordless type, it’s just easier, that is, as long as the battery has a charge in it. With a dead battery, the tool is worthless. In your own power, you can’t bring about the complete change necessary for your life. But with a charged battery, the tool makes the job so much easier. That battery is a life source for this tool - it’s a Power Source. This drill has to be plugged into its power source to be of any use at all. The stronger the power source, the better the tool works.
The power to change must possess the power to remove the old and bring in the new. This becomes even more difficult when it comes to personal change. The old has become engrained in us. Our past cannot be undone. We have essentially become a product of everything that we have done and everything that has been done to us. Though we all would very much like to change, and no doubt have made numerous attempts at change, we learn along the way just how difficult change really is. The old doesn’t want to go and the new always seems to be just beyond our reach. Thus, we come to understand that the power to transform must be an extremely powerful power! We must get our lives plugged into the Power Source. It is the power of Christ, the resurrection power, the power that raised Christ from the dead. That is the only power that is able to bring about a real, a true, a lasting change.
Our text shows three ways that this power that can be utilized.
The power of Christ is available to bring us:
1. Complete Forgiveness
A. Real change must deal with the reality of sin and the effects of that sin upon our lives.
1. The "old" that must go.
2. No moving forward into the “new” until we experience the forgiveness of the “old.”
3. That forgiveness must be thorough and complete.
B. Our sin is very grievous.
1. Once we’ve committed it, we cannot un-commit it.
2. Once sin gains a foothold in our lives, it becomes difficult to stop committing it.
3. Our sin separates us from God and the good things of God.
C. God has done something through Christ for us that we could not do for ourselves.
1. Verse 19 says, “God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold the world guilty of its sins. And he gave us this message of peace.”
2. Verse 21 - “Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God.”
3. The death of Jesus upon the Cross possesses the power necessary to provide for the cleansing of the sin of the world.
4. The cross possesses a unique power that is able to bring about the complete forgiveness that we need.
Application: It is the power of Christ that washes away our sin and makes us whole again. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can do such a thing. As we come to understand the process of reconciliation, God drawing us back unto Himself, we begin to understand the power of God’s love and His ability to completely forgive us of our sins.
The power of Christ is available to make you into a:
2. New Creation
A. The power of Christ goes beyond the power of forgiveness.
- The old must be replaced by the new for our change to be complete.
B. This passage contains two very significant “in Christ” statements.
1. In v.17, Paul says, “If anyone belongs to (or is in) Christ, there is a new creation.”
a. The word for “creation” is the same word used to describe the power of God that brought the universe into being out of nothing.
b. The crowning event of that creation was the forming of humanity in the image of God.
c. The creative power of God returned to our world when Jesus came.
d. That creative power of Christ is focused on forming a new race of redeemed humanity.
e. The power of Christ is not only able to take out the old; but He is able to bring in the new.
2. The second “in Christ” statement is found in verse 21: “in Christ we become right with God.”
a. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can obtain a right standing before God.
b. The power of Christ is able to create us anew in His perfect righteousness.
Application: Your destiny is not the old life of sin and selfishness. Your destiny is the new life of God’s perfect righteousness. The power to realize your destiny is the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus stands in history as an irrefutable display of the power of God. His victory over sin and death becomes yours when you become part of that new creation.
The power of Christ is available to give you a:
3. Compelling Love
A. Our understanding of Christ’s power is incomplete until we come to see it as the power of love.
1. His death and resurrection were acts of love.
2. As God, His very essence is one of love.
3. His power is the power of love.
B. The love of God is a compelling love.
1. V. 14 says, “The love of Christ controls (or compels) us.”
2. This love relationship with God that brings about our own reconciliation should also motivate us to share the ministry and message of reconciliation with others.
3. It is in this power of love that we become ambassadors of Christ - His hands, His feet, and His voice.
4. Love compels us to become active agents of reconciliation in this broken world.
Application: Does the love of God that brought you to a place of forgiveness and newness of being also motivate or compell you to do more for God’s Kingdom? If you’ve really grabbed ahold of the full concept of that love, it will. Once you experience it in it’s fullness, you will move out on God’s mission of love.
Conclusion: Consider a few closing thoughts with me. Too many Christians are caught between the old and the new. They struggle with hanging on to the old that will one day be completely gone, rather than focusing on the new that has already come and will go on into eternity. The Bible clearly states that the power of a new creation is already come into the world. The power of the new is readily available in the here and now. We are called to believe that this is so and to demonstrate that belief by a complete and thorough surrender of our lives to the power of Christ.
Why is this issue of surrender so important? Simply because you cannot experience the new while you are still hanging on to the old. You cannot access the full power of Christ through a half-hearted commitment. You cannot follow up a moment of surrender to the new with a daily lifestyle still controlled by the old. Surrender is not a momentary deal; it is a moment-by-moment deal.
Illustration: As everyone was gathered around the table playing games, the power suddenly went out. People started flipping switches to no avail. So the switches were turned off and the candles were brought out. The game went on only with much more difficulty in the now dimly lit room. Hours passed and finally someone looked out the window and noticed that the neighbor’s lights were on. A mere flip of the switch and light filled the house once again. The power had been on for hours but the switch was off. What a parable of our own Christian experience! We muddle through with candles of our own spotty efforts, even though we have access to the power of Christ’s love. Today we declare Christ’s power. Today we say, “It’s time to turn the power on!”
Conclusion: The New Testament pathway to personal transformation involves a synergy between Christ’s power and your participation in that power. The power to transform is Christ’s. There is a God-part to transformation without which there is no transformation. But there is also a part you play. Christ supplies the power of grace. You are commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Growth involves a learning process. The transformation you long for requires your participation. You are not passive in the process. There is a part you play. It is through the daily disciplines of spiritual growth that you gain access to the power that is able to transform.
Disclaimer: Portions of this message or certain ideas within this message may have been gleaned from other messages. Please feel free to use this message as you see fit for the glory of God’s Kingdom.
