Stepping Up To A New Level Of Power! Series

Sermon Brief

Date Written: October 28, 2009

Date Preached: November 1, 2009

Where Preached: OPBC (AM)

Sermon Details:

Sermon Series: Steppin’ UP to the Next Level

Sermon Title: Steppin’ UP to a new level of Power…

Sermon Text: Matt 20:20-28 [NKJV]

Introduction:

What is POWER? Is POWER an evil thing for humanity? What if one day you were called for an interview and your interview went something like this…

[POWER ILLUSTRATION HERE if you have one]

Bruce was given the power of God for one week, and if you have watched the movie you see that he takes that power and begins to use it for HIS own desires and HIS own advantage!

Power is something that many of us do NOT understand, we see power from only ONE perspective… usually for most of us we see it from the perspective of the powerless who are suffering under the thumb of the powerful…

Our Federal Gov’t is powerful in that it can print money, it can send out armies, and it can do many things… but I want you to know that the individual citizen has great power as well. One revelation of that power lies in our right and privilege to vote! The VOTE places people in power by the will OF the people!

The IRS is powerful and a very scary institution within our Federal Government and it has the power to sanction any citizen for not adhering to the tax laws of the land… but if we look at this from a rational viewpoint… the citizen has power over the IRS in that they can vote to put people in power to change the IRS…OR if they so choose they can radically alter our nation by banding together against and standing up TO the tyranny of the IRS…

Employers are thought to have ultimate power when it comes to your job… You’re working for the man… and the man keeps you down… but just as the employer has power over the employee… the Employee has great power over the employer! If we band together… the employer will have to listen to our demands.

I say all these things to say that our view and perception of power is sometimes skewed by our personal situation OR society’s incorrect view of power! You see power is NOT a one way street…power has 2 sides… it always has 2 sides to it!

Look at Gen 1:27-28 and let’s take a look at what God’s plan was from the beginning as it pertains to humanity. [read verses here]

Genesis 1:27-28 [NKJV]

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

In creation, God’s ultimate creation was that which He created in HIS image and to that creation… HUMANITY… God granted power over the remainder of creation!

V.27 we see God’s creation and how special we are… we are created in His image…

V.28 God commands his creation… HUMANITY… to be fruitful and multiply, FILL the earth and SUBDUE it… to have DOMINION over all of creation!

God gives humanity POWER over the earth. How have we chosen to use that power? Well we have dominion over the earth and we have mastered resources and have developed many great things because of our mastery over the earth… but the Earth has power over us as well…

If you don’t believe that speak to anyone who has ridden out a tornado, or been stuck in a white out blizzard, or has been stranded on a deserted island, or has found themselves at sea in the midst of a storm!

Our society today speaks of Mother Nature and how powerful she is…and God’s creation is very powerful, but God has said that we have DOMINION over it!

Does this mean we can strip mine, ravage rainforests, and drain resources with NO sense of consequence or responsibility? Absolutely not! I once heard a great quote that goes something like this… “With great power comes great responsibility!” and how true that is!

With power and dominion over the earth, we also have great responsibility for caring for our planet and making sure that we do what is good for it, as well as what is good for us!

I am NO environmentalist, I am NO tree-hugger, but I am saying that the power entrusted to humanity by God at creation comes with a great deal of responsibility to care for that creation!

We have seen down throughout history how power has been abused and used to hurt and destroy…rather than to care for and build up! Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, the Great Roman Empire, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler many other people in this world have abused the power placed at their disposal.