The Power of God

 Gtcotr/ws051524

The Bible is not just a book of good works nor is it simply a historical account of the founders of our faith. Rather, the Bible is the Word of Almighty God, living and powerful, able to deposit faith in the lives of those who open their hearts and minds. I have experienced the power of God’s Word being correctly and faithfully applied to problematic areas of my life and family. I am here to boldly proclaim: It Works!

One word from God has the power to change everything.

There is both purpose and power in the word of God. When we take the written word of God and apply it to our lives, things change. The practice of doing this, along with prayer, are the two most powerful advantages God has given His children on earth. The problems and the people of this world, including every demon of hell and all the spiritual wickedness in this age, is no match for a child of God, filled with the Spirit and speaking the Word.

When taken off the written page and planted in the souls of men, the Words of God become tangible in the life of a Believer. The Words of God are filled with life, light, and love, and are set to release miracle working power when activated by faith. When we embrace the Word of God, we become carriers of miracles for ourselves and others.

A prime example of this is the earthly life and ministry of Jesus Christ. He is the standard by which we test all things. If it worked for Him and in His life, it is intended to work for each Believer. This is the reason Jesus came to earth in the image of man so that He could show us the will of the Father for every man.

The followers of Jesus are instructed to imitate Him … to be and say and feel and do exactly what Jesus showed us to be and say and feel and do. If anything, we are encouraged to go farther and do more of the works we saw in Christ. The instructions are plain, and the examples are abundant.

This evening we are going to look at the power which is resident in the life of a Believer by reviewing the account of a woman in great need who came to Jesus expecting Him to be the answer. And indeed He was … but why?

Mark 5 NKJV

25  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,

26  and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.

27  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.

28  For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

29  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.

30  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

31  But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

32  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.

33  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

34  And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Your faith has made you well. This woman made a demand on the power of God which was available in the Word of God for everyone around her. She accessed this miraculous power by faith. It was her choice …

Imagine how many people that day heard of Jesus but did not personally embrace the word they heard by faith and therefore it took no root in their lives and deposited no greater power or faith than they had when they came. You can do the same thing this evening. Many, in fact according to the Bible example, I dare say most of those who hear the word concerning the power of God, which is available to the believer by faith, will do nothing with it or even try to access a miracle … they will not be changed by it.

Maybe they are not hungry enough, hopeful enough, desperate enough, close enough to God, perhaps they are tired, or may have heard it before, have everything they want, prefer to leave it like it is … and all the time the power of the Word of God is right there, ready and waiting to be activated by someone who believes and reaches out by faith.

Hebrews 4:2  For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

Not everyone will embrace it when they hear it, but the Word of God will change every person’s life who will act on it in faith.

·        Don’t just have a form of religion and deny the power of God.

o   1 Timothy 3:5

·        Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, it is the power of God.

o   Romans 1:16

·        The kingdom of God is not in word only but in power.

o   1 Corinthians 4:20

·        God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can think or ask according to the power which is at work in us.

o   Ephesians 3:20

·        God even anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.

o   Acts 10:38

·        You will receive power when you receive the Holy Spirit.

o   Acts 1:8

·        Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?

o   Acts 19:1-6

·        God will give you the Holy Spirit, like on the day of Pentecost, if you asked Him and then act in faith.

o   Luke 11:13

Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and stir up the gifts of God within you.

1 Peter 4:10  As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Let’s turn on, stir up, and reach out with the power of God to make things better for us and others in the name of Jesus. Make your faith confession!

Mother’s Day ​Life Lessons for 2024

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Without regard as to who we are, our level of education or areas of expertise, we all have one thing in common. Each person on the earth along with every soul in heaven and hell holds one thing in common. Everyone has a mother.

 

Mothers are the most common denominator in life without which you would not be here. In the animal kingdom, mothers are chosen with great care to achieve the designs of selective breeding. We expect many of the traits of parents to be passed on to their offspring, humans not excluded. This phenomenon was intelligently included in the original design and is an element of one of the foundational laws of Genesis, that everything would reproduce as God intended,“after its kind.”

 

God places each life in the envelope of a mother’s care. The perfect unfolding of God’s plan offers the world another generation to continue the cycle of life. This is the way it has been since the beginning of time.

 

Mothers and motherhood afford the best God could imagine and motherhood is still the only viable plan He has. For this reason God encourages us to honor our mothers and recognize them as a gift from Him. We know mothers come in all kinds and types. There are:

 

Hopeful Mothers

• Sarah, the mother of Abraham.

• Hannah, the mother of Samuel.

 

Competitive Mothers

• Rachael whom Jacob loved.

• Leah whom God chose.

 

Unloved Mothers

• Bilhah, Rachael’s maid servant, the mother of Dan and Naphtali. 

• Zilpah, Leah’s maid servant, the mother of Judah.

• Hagar, Sarah’s maid servant and mother to Isamael.

 

Unplanned Mothers

• Tamar, who played the harlot and preserved the lineage of Judah.

• Bathsheba, who became pregnant during an adulterous affair.

• Elizabeth, who bore John the Baptist at a late time in life.

 

Strong and Decisive Mothers

• Jochebed, the mother of Moses, who trusted God enough to let go.

• Lydia, a businesswoman in Philippi who led her whole household to Jesus.

 

Disappointed Mothers

• Eve, who because of her sin experienced the death of her son. 

• Naiomi, lost her two sons and all hope of having afruitful future.

​

Legacy Mothers

• Lois, who taught her son Timothy to serve the Lord.

• Eunice, the godly mother of Lois and grandmother of Timothy. 

 

Nameless Mothers

• The mother of Samson who lived her life for her son.

• The mother of Ham, Shem, and Japheth who braved the Ark and from whom we all descend.

• The mother of Abraham whose history we have never known.

• The mother of Rufus, who treated Paul as her own son. (Romans 16)

 

Honorable Mention Mothers

• Peter’s Mother-in-Law, a good woman who served Jesus.

• Deborah, who took her place as a mother to all Israel.

 

Mothers of all ages and mothers of all stages…

• Younger Mothers

• Older Mothers

• Good Mothers – and there are even

• Bad Mothers 

​

Bad Mothers

• Jezebel, a selfish example for her children.

• Athaliah, who murdered all of her children and grandchildren so she could become queen.

• Lot’s wife who abandoned her daughters in their greatest time of need.

• The Cannibal Mother of 2 Kings 6 who boiled and ate her child.

• Gomer who left her children and returned to prostitution. (Hosea)

• Herodias who influenced her daughter Salome to entice the king and ask for the head of John the Baptists.

 

As a whole, mothers have more influence over the world and the next generation than anyone else. They have the greatest opportunity to shape a life early. Moms have the first chance and in most cases the influence begins well before a child is born.

 

The prince of darkness hates God’s plan, and he fights hard against mothers. If it were up to mothers, there would be no more wars. The devil is doing his best to make a mother’s role seem small and unimportant. The world has trivialized our mothers. Worry, blame, fear, hurt, and regret are all tools used by the devil in his attempt to weaken and disempower them, even in their own eyes – hopefully not in ours.

 

This morning I would like to draw our attention to a story in the Bible about the young lady who was chosen by God to be the mother of His Son. Let’s take a candid look at Mary from the city of Nazareth and hear some life lessons she teaches.

 

Young Jewish girls of that day would often pray that they would be chosen to be the mother of the Promised Messiah. It was not unlike the fairy-tale princess dreams fancifully imagined by other young girls in more recent days. The only exception in this comparison is that Jewish girls back then were taught to believe that the Messiah would one day be born of a Virgin and grow up to redeem God’s children. What better prayer than to pray that you would become the mother of the Savior of Israel. 

 

In the culture of that day young girls were usually betrothed to a slightly older fiancé when they reached puberty, at about the age of 13 or 14. There was normally a one-year betrothal period in which the community considered the couple to be married, even though they did not live in the same house or spend unchaperoned time together. 

 

If either one of the betrothed died during this betrothal period, the other would be considered and treated like a widow/widower. 

 

In light of the faith and practice of the Jews in that day,when Joseph heard Mary was pregnant, he faced three acceptable options:

• He could have made a public accusation against Mary and a trial would have proceeded at the end of which, if she were found to be pregnant, Mary would have been stoned to death along with the man she named as the father, if any. (Deuteronomy 22:23-24)

• Joseph could have put her away privately by giving her a written notice of divorce in the presence of two witnesses and quietly allowed her to continue her life without his oversight or assistance. This was his first choice. (Deuteronomy 24:1-2)

• He could also choose to marry her at which time he was publicly acknowledging acceptance of and responsibility for the child as his own, born of his lineage, heir to his fortune, and son of his house.

 

Mary was from Nazareth. This meant she spoke a different and very recognizable dialect. One might say she was of a poorer, country, uneducated, unrefined type. Mary was a plain and simple, unpretentious kind of girl. Certainly, no good thing could come from Nazareth.

 

Let’s read the account of Matthew concerning this remarkable young woman God chose to be the mother of His only begotten Son, Jesus.

 

Matthew 1 NKJV

18 ¶  Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

19  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

20  But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21  “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

22  So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:

23  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

24  Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,

25  and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

 

Mothers, I encourage you to teach your children these critical lessons from the life of Mary:

1. Nothing is impossible with God. 

a. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can think or ask. (Ephesians 3:20)

b. Don’t be surprised when your prayers get answered.

c. And for everyone’s sake – Don’t stop praying!

2. Submission to the sovereign prerogatives of God. 

a. There are just some things which belong to God. (Matthew 24)

b. All throughout her life, we see Mary submitted to things she did not understand and could not change. (Luke 1:38)

c. She pondered things in her heart, (Luke 2:19), and she continued to be a part of God’s plan and His sovereign choices.

i. From the name of her Baby to the place of His birth.

ii. From the stripes on His back, to the day of His death.

iii. Mary submitted to the divine will and the sovereign choices of God.

3. Wherever God points, He will provide.

a. God will perform His promises. (Numbers 23:19; 2 Peter 3:9)

b. If it takes Him sending an angel with a dream or three wise men with a camel load of gold … God will never forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)

4. If it’s bad, God is not finished yet.

a. You don’t have to treat it like it’s over.(Galatians 6:9)

b. It’s not over until God says it’s over. (John 21:22)

c. Mary saw her resurrected Son, and she is with Him right now in glory. 

d. There is nothing you cannot out-live, out-last, and out-distance with God.

e. He will forgive your sin and help you recover.

f. And what He calls you to do after that will be important.

 

I saw these things in my mother. She exemplified the life of a godly woman. She raised me to be the man I am today and showed me how to love Jesus and love others.

 

Here is my confession of faith:

• Nothing is impossible with God.

• I am submitted to His sovereign will.

• Wherever He points, I know He will provide.

• I’m not going to treat anything like it’s over.

• My greatest day is yet ahead.

 

Moms … thank you all for teaching us these lessons of life.

 

Happy Mother’s Day!