Power With Purpose

What I am raising is that the power of Christ’s resurrection is power to share the very presence and power of the Lord Jesus Christ to needy, hungry lives.


Scripture: Ephesians 1:20, Ephesians 5, Acts 1-5

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again my dear radio friends. How in the world are you? Everything Alright at your house? Well I trust so. Bless your heart, I’m feeling fine. Hallelujah! No complaint. [Laughs] Feel like I could live to be a hundred and maybe I shall, who knows. In any case, we’re glad to be together once again looking at the inspired Word of God, the Bible. And we’re using some references to the Book of Acts as an illustration of the truth that we found in Ephesians 1, where Paul talks about the power of Christ’s resurrection.

“The exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead.” Resurrection power. The first point we made about it from the Book of Acts was resurrection power showed up in the lives of Christ’s followers coming out of a prayer meeting. And the point I made was any impact you make on this whole world around you, demonstrating the power of Christ’s resurrection is going to have to begin on your knees. Seek God every day for His touch, beloved. It’s God’s touch that makes you effective.

“Not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord.” That’s the scripture of it and it’s eternally true. And we come to the second chapter, and there you have the bestowment of the Holy Spirit of God upon the church. The rushing mighty wind, cloven tongues like as a fire sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And the people who lived in Jerusalem understood this because every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and marveled and said how — what is this?

And some of the mockers said “These fellows are drunk” and Peter stood up and said, “No, we’re not drunk because it’s but the third hour of the day, it’s only 9 o’clock in the morning. Who gets drunk at 9 o’clock in the morning?” This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. Joel said, “It shall come to pass in the last days saith God. I’ll pour out my spirit upon all flesh.” And then he preached his marvelous sermon there on Pentecost day and 3,000 people trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Now we’re talking about resurrection power. And I’m going to lay aside with your permission the differences that we find between evangelical denominations on this matter of speaking as we say in tongues. I make room in my thinking for differences of opinion there. There’s one God and one Spirit and one baptism, says Paul in Ephesians, and many gifts. And so I’m not going to argue about that with you. I’ve seen too much evidence that the Spirit of God uses people who maybe do things differently from the way I do and to get in to an argument about it, there is an underlying point here that I want you to see. Is that Alright with you?

Now don’t write to me and argue with me about this because if you’re a Presbyterian or Episcopalian or Baptist and you say, “How dare you talk about speaking in tongues.” Or if you’re an Assembly of God member, and you will write to me and say, “Well, why don’t you come out stronger for…” Listen, don’t argue about that. There’s an underlying truth here that I want you to get. Is that Alright?

These people were scared people when they started out after the resurrection. Then they were praying people that we talked about that before, now didn’t we, in chapter one? Now they are filled people and as a result they were enabled to speak with power. The power of Christ’s resurrection comes from the filling of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5, “Be not drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit.” I believe that when you’re born again, you are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit. It is a command, however, and you’ll read this then in the verse that I quoted for you in Ephesians 5. It is a command for you and for me by faith to open the doors of our heart house and let the Holy Spirit fill every part of our lives.

When that happens, when that happens, you’ll find that you speak with effectiveness and power; power to stand and speak effectively. That was the net result of all of this and it says people heard and understood. He had said — they said every man heard them speak in his own language. “How we hear every man in our own tongue where in we were born, Parthians and Medes, and Elamites and Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia,, Pamphylia, Libya and Cyrene, Rome, Cretes and Arabians. We hear them speak in our tongues.” See? So that it was speaking, it was speaking that could be understood, and it was speaking that was effective and powerful because 3,000 of them said what shall we do and they were — they repented and were converted that very day.

Now, do you mind then if I get the underlying truth here and lay aside the arguments that we have so often about the gifts of the Spirit and the manifestations of the Spirit? He’s real, this wonderful third person of the God head. He has all the attributes of the God head. He is absolutely real, he’s a wonderful person. He comes to dwell in your heart the moment you’re saved.

He wants to fill every room in your heart out and when he does fill you, when you open all of your life to him by faith, you will be enabled to speak, and people will understand and they will respond because you speak with power. Now that it seems to me is the underlying truth there that we want to get at when we’re talking about the power of Christ’s resurrection. Do you follow me in that? Bless your heart. Oh let it be, let it be this that you open your life so fully to the Holy Spirit of God, that He will take control then of every thought process and all the verbalization of those concepts that are in your heart, and that as you speak then, there will be a power that is not yours but is God-given because the Holy Spirit of God who indwells the believer is filling your life. Amen?

Now we come then to chapter 3, the power of His resurrection. Here’s Peter John going to a prayer meeting on the ninth hour. That’s three o’clock in the afternoon as they reckoned it. And here’s this man who never had walked. He’s lame from his birth but they carried him every day at the beautiful gate of the temple. Set him down to ask for alms, a beggar at the beautiful gate of the temple. There’s an anomaly there in the phrasing, isn’t it?

A beautiful gate and a beggar who wasn’t beautiful at all, representing human misery and woe and poverty. There he was and people were accustomed to passing him by and he was accustomed to being passed by. One of the things I noticed in many countries of the world as I’ve traveled by God’s gracious provision in many of the mission fields of our world is that people who are beggars do not often look at you. They hold out their hand or their little cup or receptacle or basket and they ask you for something. but they don’t often look at you. They are used to being neglected. They are accustomed to being unnoticed and uncared about. It’s a sad commentary on human nature.

Here was this man every day, there he was. Well, Peter and John went past him and he called out, “Baksheesh, alms.” And Peter said, “Look at us.” And now he looks up, he gave heed unto them. Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none but such as I have give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand, lifted him up. Immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength and he leaping up, stood and walked and entered with him into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God, and all the people saw him walking and praising God.

Doctor Pettingale used to stop here and smile and say the testimony of his leaps was even better than the testimony of his lips. [Laughs] He was so right, wasn’t he? Now, what does this have to do with the resurrection power? Does this mean that everyone one of us can go up to lame people or sick people and heal them? No, I don’t think so. It doesn’t mean that. But here again there is a deeper meaning that I want you to get.

You do as a matter of fact share something of yourself with every person you meet. And it’s a pity that many people whose lives are filled with bitterness and rancor and resentment share that sort of acid with those whom they meet. It’s a pity that that’s so but they do. You and I share something of ourselves with every person whom we meet. That being so, when your life is filled with the Holy Spirit of God, you can share his presence and power with other people. There are some folks that are so full of God that you just feel blessed having met them and you want to do your best. You feel strengthened and encouraged after you’ve met people like that. Isn’t that true?

Well, that’s a little illustration of what I’m talking about. And I’m frank to confess that I have to work on this as long as I live. I’m going to work on this matter of how best to share the power and blessing of the resurrected Christ. God hasn’t given me the gift of healing. I prayed for some people and they got well and I prayed for other people and they died. [Laughs] So, if you get sick and ask me to pray for you, watch out. [Laughs] No, I don’t have that gift. Wish I did. Some people do, but God is sovereign; He heals whom He will. You know that.

In any case, we’re not talking here basically about whether or not you or somebody else or anybody else in the name of Jesus can see people healed. That isn’t the point that we’re raising. What I am raising, is that the power of Christ’s resurrection is power to share the very presence and power of the Lord Jesus Christ to needy, hungry lives. That is resurrection power and you do that by giving the Word. “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” The power of God is wrapped up in his Word and when you give out his Word in the enablement of the Holy Spirit, the power of the resurrection shows up, and you share with others the very presence and power of your risen Lord Jesus Christ. You follow that?

Now, then you come to chapter 4. We’re talking about the power of His resurrection. What is this? Well, Peter and John were thrown in jail as a result of the publicity that arose out of the healing of this man. They just threw them in jail. But the next day, on the morrow, the rulers and the elders and scribes and Annas, the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander and so on, now they’re examining them and so on. They’re cross examining them and they’re threatening them. Peter said “Listen, we ought to obey God rather than you and we’re going to do it because there’s no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” Power to face opposition. We’ll talk about that the next time we get together.

Father God, I pray for thy blessing upon these dear ones. May we have the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God as we face various circumstances this very day. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, I pray. Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!



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