Somebody from this congregation gave me the book “The Promise of God’s Power” by Jim Cymbala and I have been reading it lately. In the book, the author tells the story of Pam Pena, who is the wife of one of the associate pastors in their church. She grew up in a Christian home, but as a teenager, lacked confidence and felt worthless. She wanted to please her school friends and began cutting school and drinking and smoking. At age 16 she found herself pregnant and when her boyfriend found out, he abandoned her. She was devastated and quickly obtained an abortion. After that she determined that she would try harder to do the right thing so that God would accept her, but these efforts left her empty and she remained insecure and became obsessed with the weight she had gained.
After she graduated, she attended a Christian college, and while there she engaged in compulsive dieting and vigorous exercise, which left her weak and thin from bingeing and purging. After two years, she dropped out of college and went to a secular school where her life began to spin out of control. She began to take cocaine and became addicted and continued her excessive dieting. One New Year’s eve at a party, she raided the medicine cabinet of the host family and the next day took all the pills she had found and while she was waiting to die, she phoned a friend. This led to her rescue, but her compulsion to food was not broken. Sometime later she made another suicide attempt.
All during these turbulent years her family and church were praying for her. One morning while driving to work, she cried to God and was sobbing so hard that no sound came out of her throat, but her soul was shouting, “O God, I want to live!”
She remembers that “the love of God came into the car.” She says, “I quit striving for approval. I saw my self-deception. Finally I saw with my spiritual eyes what I had been missing. I seemed to fall into God’s arms saying, ‘I give up. I will believe that you love me.’”
Her addiction to cocaine stopped right there. Within a few weeks she stopped smoking and over the next two years, without psychotherapy or seminars the Holy Spirit began to work on her eating disorder. A few years later at a Thanksgiving celebration she was having dinner with familiy. Holidays can be the worst nightmare for bulimic people. As she was eating and as she even took desert, the Holy Spirit seemed to whisper in her ear, “your fine. It’s finally over.”
Cymbala comments, “The fact is that God performed a miracle in the life of Pam Pena. Today she is a wonderful servant of the Lord who brings others to freedom in our church. She was healed, not through human strategies, but rather through the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit.”
When I read such stories, I am encouraged, but also have a lot of questions. I know what the Bible says about the power of Holy Spirit, and when I read these stories I often wonder where the power of the Spirit is in my life. This morning I would like to speak about the power of the Holy Spirit. I confess that what I am speaking about is more of a question than an answer. I know that I easily live by what I know. It isn’t hard to figure things out and make plans based on knowledge. I know that I easily live by my effort. It isn’t hard to see a path and determine by will to walk it. But I truly wonder if that is what God wants. I wonder if we are missing something. I wonder if we too often run ahead of God. Much of what I will share has been prompted by Cymbala’s book, but the things raised are things that have been questions in my heart for some time. They are also ideas which are rooted in the Word of God. As we hear the Word of God this morning, I hope that we will hear what God is saying to us and respond to His invitation to live by the power of His Spirit.
As Christians we have often emphasized the importance of making a commitment. The Bible calls us to do so. In Romans 12:1, we are invited to “offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” We understand such an invitation and we determine to live by it. We live our Christian life by a commitment to Christ and to obedience and this is right and good.
As Christians, we have emphasized the importance of God’s Word. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” We live our Christian life by reading and studying the Word of God and trying to do what it says and that is right and good.
When we want to make decisions we are encouraged by God to seek and follow wisdom. All of Proverbs is a call to follow the path of wisdom. Proverbs 2:1-5 says, in part, “…if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding…then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” We live our Christian life making decisions and living according to the wisdom we gather through the fear of the Lord and that is right and good.
The Bible calls us to live our faith life in community. Hebrews 10:24, encourages, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…” Whenever we have struggles or questions, we speak to one another and seek wisdom from the community of faith which surrounds us. We live our Christian life in the context of brothers and sisters who can help us walk in faithfulness and that is right and good.
However, God has also promised us power through His Spirit.
When Jesus ministered on earth, he did so in the power of the Spirit of God. In Luke 4:16-22, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1, 2 and indicated that that prophecy had been fulfilled with His presence. The text says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” All of the work of Jesus was done in the power of God so that, as He says to the Pharisees in Luke 11:20, the power displayed through Him in healings and teachings was evidence that the kingdom of God had come.
God has promised that same power to us through His Spirit. In Acts 1:8, Jesus promised that his followers would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. What follows in the book of Acts is a story of the work of the Spirit of God demonstrated in miracles, powerful teaching and clear guidance. The message of the New Testament is that the power of the Spirit of God is available to every believer.
The apostle Paul said, in I Corinthians 2:4, 5, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”
We understand living by commitment, by the Word of God, by wisdom and by the help of the community of faith, but do we understand that God intends for us to live in the power of the Holy Spirit?
D.L. Moody wrote, “I believe, and am growing more into this belief, that divine, miraculous, creative power resides in the Holy Spirit. If we look to the spirit of God and expect it to come from Him and Him alone then we shall honor the Spirit, and the Spirit will do His work.” “I cannot help but believe that there are many Christians who want to be more efficient in the Lord’s service. It is from the Holy Spirit that we may expect this power.”
The Christian life is to be lived by the power of the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? How do we live in the power of the Spirit? Where is the power of the Spirit active in our life?
The Spirit of God is at work in the world, in the church and in the believer. This morning, I would like to look particularly at two areas in which we need and are promised the Spirit’s power.
The first area in which the Spirit’s power is available to us is in changing us to become more like Christ. God has forgiven our sins by the gift of Jesus Christ. We can never live obediently enough to make ourselves acceptable to God and have had our sins atoned for by the blood of Jesus. Just as we have been changed from sinners to saints by the power of God, so we must continue to be changed into the image of Christ, not by our power, but by the work of the Holy Spirit.
In II Peter 1:3, 4, Peter says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness … he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” In this verse we notice that it is by “His divine power” that we have received everything we need. What we need does not come by the power of our commitment or the strength of our resolve, but by the Spirit of God. Furthermore, it is through that power given to us by the Holy Spirit that we “participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world.” In other words, we are changed into Christ likeness by the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians in 3:16 is, “ … that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” As we express faith, it is the Spirit who empowers us to know and live in Christ.
J.B. Phillips wrote, “Every time we say, ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit,’ we mean that we believe that there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.” God has promised us power to change and that power comes from His Holy Spirit.
Robin Giles was born to an unmarried 21 year old who communicated to her that she was a mistake. All of her life she heard and experienced severe rejection from her mother. Her mother expressed this rejection through her words and even through physical violence against her. As she grew up, bitterness began to grow in her heart. For years she lived on a rough road of self doubt, depression, inner seething at the unfairness of life, irresponsible relationships and even a suicide attempt. She admitted, “I felt I had a right to be angry.” In her mid twenties she began to attend church and came to know Christ. God healed her from her terrible past. She says, “God has taken the sting out of my past. For so long the memories of my mother’s behavior kept me from experiencing abundant life. But then I realized one day that the Lord had changed my heart toward her. I had hated her for so long but God totally took that away.”
Is God changing me by the power of the Spirit? If change comes as a function of our faithfulness, strength, ability and power, we get the glory? If it is a result of something God has done, then He gets the glory.
If God is not changing us, why not? How can our lives be changed by the power of the Spirit?
The other area in which we need the power of the Spirit is in serving Him. God has promised that His Spirit is the one who will empower His work through His servants.
In II Thessalonians 1:11 Paul prays for the Thessalonians saying, “we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.” It is a prayer that God’s power will be active to make their service effective. God has promised to answer that kind of prayer.
The marvelous phrase in Zechariah 4:6 should give us a clue about how God accomplishes His work. There we read, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty…”
It is the Spirit who convicts the world of sin according to John 16. It is the Spirit who accompanies the preaching of God’s Word with power, according to I Thessalonians 1:5, where Paul says, “our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit”
Charles Spurgeon said, “Without the Spirit of God we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind or chariots without horses. Like branches without sap, we are withered. Like coals without fire, we are useless.”
Samuel Chadwick said, “The work of God is not by might of men or by the power of men but by His Spirit. It is by Him the truth convicts and converts, sanctifies and saves. The philosophies of men fail, but the Word of God in the demonstration of the Spirit prevails.”
Michael Durso came from a well to do family. He inherited the pasta business which was well known and successful in New York city. He met a girl who was also from a fairly well to do family and together they enjoyed the fast life and participated in drug use and immorality. One day she expressed that she was feeling empty in spite of all their money and life of pleasure. She suggested that they go to church. She said that “God seemed to be saying to her, ‘give me your life.’” They attended, but he didn’t want to go and went with a defiant mood. As the meeting was brought to a close, there was an invitation to receive Christ. Michael says, “Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed. I knew my life was headed for hell. All my confidence in my religious upbringing and my smart image vanished. Both Maria and I headed for the front.” They were soon married and they grew in faith and became involved in various ministries as he continued to work in the family business. A number of years later, their church was offered a church building that was being abandoned and they were invited to start a church there. As the church leadership prayed they “sensed the Spirit of God directing their attention to Michael and his wife to spearhead this new venture.” Without seminary training and with the understanding that they would have to leave the family business, they accepted this challenge. Over the next few years this new church grew. The life and ministry of this man is an evidence of the work of the Spirit of God.
Are we serving in the power of the Spirit? If we are serving in God’s power, we will serve with God given giftedness. Then there will be effectiveness beyond what is natural to us and God will receive the glory for what He is doing.
If not, why not? How can we serve in the power of the Spirit?
How do these promises become reality in our life? Ephesians 5:18 commands – “be filled with the Spirit.” We can and must do something for the Spirit of God to become active in our life. What do we do? How do we do it? Perhaps that is the wrong question. I think it would be more accurate to say that it is the Spirit who does His work in us and through us. How do we put ourselves in a position to allow Him to work?
I wonder if the starting point isn’t at the point of our need. I wonder if the Spirit will work before we really want Him to work. As long as we believe that we have what it takes or that we can do it; as long as we want to work for God without God, God will not get in the way. In John 12:24, Jesus says, “ … unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” This verse isn’t only about salvation, it is also about service and it is the person who gives up, who is willing to die to self who will discover the power of God.
If we can humble ourselves and give up, the next step is to ask God. Jesus promised in Luke 11:13, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Samuel Chadwick said, “The church that multiplies committees and neglects prayer may be fussy, noisy, enterprising, but it labors in vain and spends its strength for naught. It is possible to excel in mechanics and fail in dynamics. There is an abundance of machinery; what is wanting is power.” We have a prayer room; let us use it to seek God. Whenever we have a prayer meeting; let us come in order to seek God.
When we have prayed, we need to wait for God to work. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Cymbala says, “God has given us a very simple equation if only we have the faith to reach out and experience it: The Holy Spirit’s power is our greatest need. This power and blessing is freely promised to all God’s people. This promise can only be fully received through sincere praying in faith and through waiting on God for His blessing to come. This is what happened in the New Testament, and this is the only thing that will satisfy our souls’ thirst.”
It took a thorn in the flesh for Paul to realize that he needed to depend on God in an ongoing way. In II Corinthians 12:9, he admitted, “…my power is made perfect in weakness.”
This dependence must be ongoing. D.L. Moody said, “A great many think because they have been filled once, they are going to be full for all time after; but O my friends, we are leaky vessels and have to be kept right under the fountain all the time in order to keep full. Let us keep near Him.”
If we desire, ask, wait and depend, the promise of God is that we will see His Spirit at work in our life and in our church. His promise, in II Corinthians 3:18, is that we are being transformed by the Spirit. His promise, in I John 4:4 is that the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world. God assures us, in Ephesians 3:20 that He is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”
May we stand on these promises!
I have sometimes wondered, “Is the Spirit absent in our church?” I have sometimes questioned, “Do we want the power of the Spirit or are we content to retain control and work in our power?”
God’s Spirit is at work in our church! I see it in the many people who are serving Him. I see it in lives being changed. I see it in ministries that are effective beyond the natural. I see it in compassion shown to anyone in need. I see it in the commitment to mission that goes deeply into our hearts and wallets. I see it in the generosity of many people who gladly give to the work of God. I see these things, but I wonder what else God wants to do among us? I have so much to learn about what it means to live by the power of God offered through His Spirit to His people. Will you join me in seeking the power of the Spirit in your life and in our church?
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