Sermon Series: Plug In

Sermon Title: Plug in to God’s Power

• What is God’s power?

We could not possibly conjure up enough words that would encapsulate the entirety of God’s power.  For His power is limitless.  However, here is an attempt to put words to it.

Power – dynamis - strength power, ability

1. inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
2. power for performing miracles
3. moral power and excellence of soul
4. the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
5. power and resources arising from numbers
6. power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts

We can apply all these definitions and some when trying to describe God’s power. 

• For His power resides in and of Himself; it is a virtue of His nature; It originates with Him. He spoke the world into existence.
• His divine power produces miracles in humans. There is no flaw or imperfection with God so He is not in need of a miracle.  However, He is the originator of miracles.
• His power helps humans to live righteously. Righteousness is His standard, It is who He is, therefore His power is given to humans to help them live morally righteous. 
• It is His power which causes the rich to have influence. Those who are richly blessed are so because God said so.  Those who are in high-ranking leadership roles are there because God said so.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

¹⁷ You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” ¹⁸ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

• If we were to consider God’s power from a military perspective, there is no enemy that can stand against Him.
• He has the power to save and deliver the human soul.

God’s power has been active in the world since the beginning of time.

• Creating the earth and every living thing in seven days
• Destroying the earth with floods and heavy rains during the days of Noah
• Delivering the Israelites from Egyptian slavery by ten incredible plagues along the parting of the Red Sea with Moses. The list goes on.

Then He sent His Son Jesus to the world. Jesus demonstrated God’s power everywhere He went. 

• Turned water into wine, paid his taxes with money that came from a fish
• Fed the five thousand and the four thousand
• Raised Lazarus from the dead
• Walks on water
• Restored blind eyes, healed the sick, lepers, paralytics, woman with issues, mute, deaf
• Cast out demons

John 14:11-13

¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. ¹² “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Jesus says a couple of remarkable things in this passage:

The reason why He performs such miracles is because He is in the Father and the Father is in Him.  In other words, it is the power of God working through Him that enables Him to heal and deliver.

But even more astonishing is that Jesus grants this same power to those who believe in Him. The only prerequisite to plugging into the power that Jesus moved in, is believing in Him.  For it is not by our power that a person is made whole but by His.  It simply requires faith. So, when you pray, ask anything in His name, pray in faith believing that:

            Ephesians 3:20-21

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

• Why do we need God’s power in our lives?

The power is given to us, not to make a name for ourselves, not to make a fortune from the afflictions of others.  But the power is given to compel sinners to surrender to Christ and to bring glory to God. The power is also given to edify and commission the body of Christ into the work of the Lord.

John 9:1-3

¹ As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³ Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 

We need God’s power in our lives so that the world will glorify God through our good works.  However, this power does not originate with us, so it requires us to be connected to the power source.

If we were to take this (lamp) and try to turn it on, nothing will happen unless it is plugged into the power source.  This lamp does not and cannot generate power for itself, it needs a source. 

When a lamp is plugged into an electrical outlet and is turned on, electricity flows from the breaker panel and then into the outlet and finally into the lamp, providing power to the light bulb. The electrical current passes through the lamp's components, such as the switch and eventually to the light bulb closing the circuit and causing the filament to heat up and emit light.

But apart from being plugged into the power source the light bulb cannot and will not generate light on its own. Interestingly, we are called to be light amid darkness.

Plug in To Be a Light 

         Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

We cannot produce light on our own power.  We must be plugged into the source.  Which our source is Jesus. Jesus is the power of God; He is the light.

We must be the light because we are surrounded by darkness. 

John 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 

While Jesus walked the earth in flesh and blood, He was the light for men to see.  Now that He has ascendedto the Father and has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, we are to be that light for people to see.  The light that we have is to be displayed for all to see much like a city on a hill.  Our light should not be hidden.  You should light up a room when you step into it.

         Therefore, we need to be plugged into His power to be a light. 

Plug In to walk in His Might (to be effective in the earth)

1 Corinthians 1:24-28

²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. ²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.

Let’s pause right there.  Do you remember what you were before Christ came into your heart?

Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,

A key to being a conduit of God’s power is to come to the realization that we are nothing apart from God.  Apart from God we are not wise, we are not influential, we are not intelligent, we are nothing without Him.  The apostle Paul’s ministry was effective because he realized this.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. 

It is Christ’s power in me that makes me who I am. It is God’s wisdom that He uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. To be effective in this world, to make a difference, to impact this world for Christ, we must plug in to His power.  For we are nothing without Him.

Philippian 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Plug In to Live Right

Colossians 1:9-14

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Look at some of the things mentioned that come about as a result of His power in our lives.

• Live a life worthy of the Lord; to please Him in every way.
  • We cannot please the Lord unless His power enables us to do so.
• Bear fruit in every good work
  • We are not able to bear fruit apart from His power.

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 

• Grow in the knowledge of God
  • We cannot grow in the knowledge of God unless He quickens our mind to do so.
• Have endurance and patience
  • We cannot make it to the end outside of God’s power working in us.

The way that we can do this is to be strengthened by His power.

Plug In to Fight the Good Fight

            Another reason we are to plug into His power daily is because we fight against forces of darkness.

            Ephesians 6:10-13

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 

Don’t try to fight the devil on your might, you won’t win that battle.  But if you are in His Might, that is the might of The Almighty, if you are dressed in your armor then the enemy doesn’t stand a chance. 

There is a promise that you will withstand against the schemes of the devil as you “go in the strength of His might.”

Luke 10:19

¹⁹ Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

So hopefully by now we can see that we need His power in our lives.  Not just for supernatural miracles, but for everyday living.  

What does it mean to plug in to His power?

• Personal relationship with the Lord with daily communication
• Constantly be filled with the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:8

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

• Imitate Christ as you obey the Lord’s commands and His promptings (given by the Holy Spirit)

God’s power is available to us when we plug in.

• To Be a Light
• To Walk in His Might
• To Live Right
• To Fight the Good Fight

All right!