Power For Living- The Holy Spirit & Healing+
3/23/14 2 Kings 4:38-44 Acts 9:32-43
If you could have power to do something you really wanted to do today, what kind of power would you want to have?. Would you use that power to get some money, to get a promotion, to win a game, to heal someone’s body, to restore a relationship, to be set free from an addiction, to overcome a sin, or to reach a goal you have for yourself. Often times the difference between living and existing for a person is that, one is using power that’s available to him or her and the other one is not.
If someone were to ask you, just how much power do you have, what would you point to out to begin to measure your power? We are in this series entitled Power For Living, The Holy Spirit & Faith, Healing and Boldness. Jesus was one of the first to recognize that in order to be a follower of Jesus Christ, each of us would need to receive power. One of the last things he told us before going back to Heaven, was that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
How big is the God you serve? Do you serve your God, or does your God serve you. When you pray, do you show up with instructions and a list of thing for God to do, or do you show up to report for duty expecting to receive an assignment. The amount of power we receive for living is dependent on who is our power source and what do we think is available to us.
If I told you, I want you to go to Atlanta and get there as quickly as you could and all I gave you was a bicycle and $400 for to use on the trip how many of you would immediately see that as unfair or too much of a burden? How many of you would see the bicycle as a quick way to get to the bus, to get to the train, to get on a plane to get to Atlanta. What we see as power that’s available to us will either cause us to step up to a task or shrink away from it.
The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity. As Christians we believe in God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit. They are not 3 gods, but one God that is perfectly connected to Himself, yet very distinct in His personality. We say that God is perfect love. Love requires that there be an object of that love. God has always been love, so there has always been something for God to Love prior to creation. The something that God loved was the divisions within God, with the Father loving, the Son, and the Son loving the father, and the Holy Spirit being the power channel through which that love flowed.
Jesus offers us the chance to plug into the power source of the Holy Spirit for what we need in our lives. The Holy Spirit can do things in and through us without us even knowing what He’s doing or how he’s doing it. God can work through any of us at any time, without us having met some special condition.
In our Old Testament Lesson, we saw the prophet Elisha. A famine was taking place in the land. Elisha was trying to hold a bible study lesson for a large group of students and they got hungry. He told one of the guys to put on a large pot of water and cook some stew for these men. Well one of the cook’s servants went out to collect some plants to cook, and he found a plant that looked good, and had some delicious looking gourds attached to it. He brought them back, and cut them up into the pot. This stew was served to the men, and they all started eating.
Shortly thereafter one by one, they must have developed stomach cramps and began falling over and throwing up. That good looking plant that had been found was obviously full of poison. Somebody went to Elisha and told him that there was death in the pot. The Holy Spirit came upon Elisha in a very non-dramatic way. He simply revealed to Elisha, what needed to be done to bring about a healing. Sometimes we receive power, simply from listening to God and doing what God says.
Some people may have expected Elisha to come and lay hands on them, rebuke the poison, and have him anoint them all with oil. But that’s not what God wanted to do in this situation. Doing things the way we always did it, may hinder us from receiving healing in a different situation. There is nothing in the Bible to let us know that Elisha was a medical doctor or a botanist, specializing in cures for certain poisons. The Holy Spirit however specializes in everything we face in life. He told Elisha to tell the people. Go get me some flour. He put the flour into the pot and said serve it to the people.
Let me ask you, how many of you are going to eat from that pot, especially if you were throwing up or you saw others falling over. Fear can keep us from getting a healing that God wants us to have. We are afraid because of what we have seen before. Just because it happened before, does not mean, God can’t change it this time around . We think that God’s way of doing something is too simple to make a difference in our lives, and so we don’t listen and we miss out onwhat God has for us.
Later while the famine was still going on a man came wanting to be a blessing to Elisha with the food that he had. He brought the food in a sack, which indicates just how little it was. Elisha had been shown by the Spirit, that this offering was not simply for him. He told the servant, “use this to feed the young students so that they could eat. The servant was scared there would be a fist fight break out over who would get to eat and who wouldn’t. There were a 100 young men there who were students. It would be like me telling you, join us in the fellowship hall for lunch, and there was only one bucket of chicken available. The difference is that they were in a famine and they needed food.
When the servant complained and said “no way, can I do that. There simply is not enough food.” Elisha told him, “ Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says, “they will eat and have something left over.” This servant had to decide if the what he had in the sack, was the source of his power or if the word of the Lord could make things happen. You can’t say you don’t have enough strength to do what God wants you to do. You’ve got enough love inside you to already love that person. You’ve got enough forgiveness inside of you to forgive that other person. But you won’t see God multiply to bring about a healing until you actually risk laying it out on the line.
The servant took the food before the 100 hungry men, and just like when Jesus would later feed the 5000, there was food left over. It was left over because God had said it would be left over. Once we believe that God can do what God said he would do, it gives us power by taking anxiety out of our lives. That simple bible verse in Philippians 1:6 “He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it” should give us all renewed power for whatever kind of healing we need in our lives.
Let’s suppose we had one of our runners in a state championship 1600 meter race. If during the race, our runner was tripped and fell on the track. Now she got up and was 20 meters behind everyone, but with time and perseverance she caught up . Coming around that final bend, she saw our New Life At Calvary emblem as we were all shouting, you can do it run. She then gave it her all and was running neck and neck down the track with the final challenger on the last turn, and she then fell right at the finish line after passing the other runner. She becomes the new state champion.
Now suppose the race was videotaped for those of us who not at the meet and we showed it during service. How many of you know when she trips and falls, come of us are going to moan and say ahh. How many of you know that as she catches up, some of us are going to start smiling and saying yes, yes. Even though we are going to have a host of emotions, how many of you, none of us are worried about whether or not when we get to the end of the race if she is going to win. We have complete confidence in her victory because we know how it’s going to turn out. Your life in Christ is going to turn out okay, not because of you, but because He who put you in the race is faithful to see to it that you finish it well. Time does not exist for God. He sees the videotape of you winning. He sees The Holy Spirit giving you the power for your healing.
God called an uneducated fisherman to be a follower of Jesus Christ. He was far from perfect. He talked at times before he thought. He tried to correct Jesus on a number of occasions to let Jesus know the statements Jesus was making could not possible be true. In a time of weakness, he denied knowing and even having been with Jesus. At first he didn’t want to believe that Jesus had actually risen from the dead. But he did come to believe and was willing to pay whatever cost was necessary to tell others about Jesus Christ. He had one situation in which he was flogged and beaten with a whip as Jesus had been.
What made him stand out was his willingness to believe in the power of God to bring healing into situations. He believed God could bring healing between races so that when God told him to go preach to people whom he had been taught to despise, he went and preached to them. God’s Holy Spirit is up on some of you to do the same things. He wants you to be willing to love some people, that you may have looked down upon because of their sin, because when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, He comes with power which enables us to be witnesses for Him. Remember that being a witness goes beyond just telling what we saw. Sometimes we have to show how something happened. The only way we can show how Jesus loved, is by choosing to show love. That love needs to begin with those you run into, that you would perhaps prefer to avoid.
Peter was open to the Holy Spirit coming upon him. How open are we to a fresh move of God? Does God have permission to do something we have not had happen here before here at New Life At Calvary, or do we insist God stay within the bulletin protocol for our worship. Do we come to church hoping to see something different, or do we come to preserve what has been.
You know if someone came to church and said, last night God healed me of cancer. Would we give them 20 minutes to shout and to dance and sing with them, or would we be like the Pharisees who got upset with Jesus for healing a woman who had been bent over for 18 years. Would we say, you ought to have given that testimony at the end of the service, so that we could have had our regular service?
How do I know that Peter was open, because he was going from place to place traveling to tell others about Jesus. He went to visit the saints in Lydda. He went looking for a chance to be used by God. If you look, you will find the opportunity. He found a man who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years.
Peter didn’t need a choir to stir things up. He didn’t need an offering before he could pray. He needed the Holy Spirit to give him the words to say. He didn’t ask this time, whose fault was it, that this man was in this condition. He simply said, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take your mat.” Immediately, Aeneas got up. That’s what I want to see taking place at New Life Calvary. The word being spoken and lives being changed.
The same Jesus Christ, that set Aeneas free, is the one who wants to set us free today. 8 years was a long time to struggle. But God changed the situation in a moment. What God did for Aeneas, I believe God wants to do for us. It’s still the same Holy Spirit at work.
When people heard about Aeneas, they wanted Peter to come and pray with them for Dorcas. Dorcas was a Christian known for her good works and good deeds. She had died, and the people believed Peter carried a power with him that could no doubt raise her from the dead. When Peter got to the house, it was very similar to Jesus facing the situation of Jarius’ daughter who had died. People in the house were standing around crying and in tears in their mourning and grief. Peter remembered what Jesus had done and he did likewise. He told everyone to leave the room.
Peter got down on his knees to pray. He needed to plug into the power that would allow him to be a witness. It’s interesting to note, that in plugging into the power, Peter was looking away from the situation. He didn’t want anything coming in between him and his God. After he felt the Spirit upon him, Peter turned and said “Tabitha get up.” Most of us aren’t ready for this kind of power, because when Tabitha opened her eyes and turned toward Peter, we would have ran out the door or tried to start our own raising from the dead ministry. But Peter took the time to take her by the hand, helped her to her feet and presented her alive to the people who had been crying.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon us with power, it doesn’t mean this is going to happen every time we run into a situation. There’s no record of Peter raising anybody else from the dead, but that doesn’t mean that God can’t do it today if God chooses to do it. God shows us His power demonstrated through Peter to simply prove the point, nothing is too hard for God.
Death is supposedly the ultimate end for humanity. But in raising Jesus Christ from the dead, God shows that He is bigger than any problem that we might have. The problem is that some of us have grown to comfortable with our sin. We have justified our sin, instead of seeking God’s deliverance from it. It’s not that God can’t deliver us, we don’t really want to pay the price to leave it behind.
We have excused our actions instead of saying, this is sin and I need to repent of it. It may be that, that that’s just the way you are, but I want you to know that’s not where God wants you to stay. If anyone is in Christ, he or she is to be a new creation.
You can have the healing in your life that you need. God will either take you out of a situation or walk with you through it. God is God, and He decides which path you’re going to have to take. Our job is to say, “Here I am Lord, use me as you see fit.” You receive Power for living, by following the lead of the Holy Spirit. Next week you will see how knowing the role of the Holy Spirit is going to make you bold in life.
Power For Living- The Holy Spirit & Healing+
3/23/14 2 Kings 4:38-44 Acts 9:32-43
A. If You Had Power To Do What You Really Wanted
• Get Money, Promotion, Win A Game , Heal A Boday
• Restore Relationship, Addiction, Overcome Sin
• Reach A Goal
• Difference Between Living & Existence
• The Power Available
B. How Much Power Do You Have-How Measure
• The Series Power For Living ==The Holy Spirit
• Faith, Healing, Boldness
C. Jesus The First To Recognize Followers Need Power
• Last Words—You Will Receive Power When The Holy Spirit Comes & Be Witnesses Acts 1:7-8
• How Big Is The God You Serve
• Do You Serve God Or Does God Serve You
• Is Prayer Instruction Time Or Receiving Order Time
D. Amount Received Based On What We Think Is Available
• Go To Atlanta- Give You A Bike & $400
• See A Bike Or Quick Trip To Bus, To Train, To Plane
• What We See—Either Shrink Or Accept Task
E. The Nature Of God & The Trinity
• Father, Son, Holy Spirit
• Perfect Love—Love Needs An Object
• Before Creation Father to Son, Son To Father , Holy Spirit The Channel Or Power Source
F. Old Testament Lesson Introduced To Prophet Elisha
• Famine In The Land --Students Bible Study
• Put On A Large Pot Of Water
• Servant Of Cook Finds –Wild Vine-Gourds
• Sickness—Fall Out- Death In The Pot
• Holy Spirit Comes Quietly On Elisha
• Does Not Do The Ordinary Lay Hands, Cast Out, Prayer
• No Record Of Medical Degree or Botanist
• We Receive Power From Listening And Obeying
• Get Some Flour & Put It In The Pot
1. Who Would Eat It
2. Fear Keeps Us From Getting The Healing
3. Afraid Of What We Saw In The Past
4. God Can Change It This Time Around
5. We Think Something Is Too Simple
H. The Feeding Of The 100 Students
• Man Comes With Food
• Holy Spirit—Not For You Elisha Tells Him To Serve 100
• Man Is Afraid Because Of Size Of Group & Bag
• Afraid Of The Fist Fight Break Out
• Man Complained
• Man Saw Bag As Source Of Power Not God
I. You Can’t Say You Don’t Have Enough To Do It
• God Given You The Strength You Need
• Got Enough Love Inside You To Love The Person
• Got Enough Forgiveness Inside You
• You Have To Make A Choice To Begin Before God Will Start The Multiplcation
J. Elisha God-Said Some Would Be Left Over
• Servant Took In The Food
• Very Similar To Jesus Feeding The 5,000
• Left Over Because God Said It Would Be
• If We Believe God, It Takes Away Anxiety
• Philippians 1:6 He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.
• Words Should Give Us A Renewed Sense Of Powr
K. Our Own 1600 Meeter State Champioin
• Goes To State, Trips & Falls
• Gets Up, Catches Up, Sees Us, Falls At Finish Line Victorious
• Those Who Watch It On Video During Service
• All Kinds Of Emotions Present, Except Anxiety
• We Know How It Is Going To Happen
• God Knows How It Ends & You Win.
• God Is Outside Of Time, Past, Present Future
L. God Calls An Uneducated Fisherman To Be A Follow Of Christ
• Not Perfect, Quick To Speak, Rebuked Jesus
• Denied Jesus, Didn’t Believe Resurrection
• Became Sold Out For Jesus, Took A Whipping
• Believed In The Power Of God For A Healing
• Brought Healing Between Races Of People
1. Overcame His Own Prejudice
2. Preached & Loved Those He Looked Down Upon
3. Holy Spirit Power Made Him A Witness
4. God Wants To Do The Same For Some Of Us
5. Heal Relationships By Loving The Unloving
6. Witness Goes Beyond Just Telling Others About Jesus—Show His Love
M. Peter Was Open To The HS Coming IN Power For A Fresh Move Of God
• Does God Have Permission To Do Something New At Calvary
• Does God Have To Stay Within The Bulletin Protocol
• Do We Come With The Expectation Of Something Different, Or The Same Old Same Old
• If Someone Came And Said Last Night I Was Miraculously Healed Of Cancer
• Would We Allow Them 20 Minutes Of Praising and Praise With Them Or Would We Be Like The Pharisees After The Woman Was Healed From 18 Years
N. How Do I Know Peter Was Open
• He Went Looking For Opportunities Going From Place To Place
• If You Look, You Will Find
• Found Aeneas—Bedridden 8 years
• Didn’t Need Choir, Offering, --Needed Power From The Holy Spirit To Know What To Say
• Didn’t Ask This Time, Who Sinned
• Said Aeneas, Jesus Christ Heals You, Get Up And Take You Mat. Immediately Aeneas God Up
• That’s What We Want To See AT New Life At Calvary
• The Word Being Spoken & Lives Being Changed
• That Same Jesus Sets Free Today—The Same Holy Spirit Comes Upon People
O. The People Send For Peter For Dorcas
• Dorcas Good Deeds---Her Death
• House Full Of Mourners
• Just Like Jesus And Jarius’s Daughter
• Sent Everyone Out—Plugged Into The Power
• Turned To The Problem- Gave Her Back
• Most Of Us Not Ready For This Kind Of Power
• Would Have Ran, Or Started Rising The Dead Ministries
• Peter Did Neither—No More Records Of God Using Him In This Manner
• Does Not Mean That God Can’t—Eutychus & Paul
• Does Not Mean God Is Going To Work The Same
P. The Point Is Nothing Is Too Hard For God
• Death Is Supposedly Ultimate Enemy
• Bring healing Here, Bring It Anyway
• Raising Jesus Christ From The Dead, Greater Than Any Problem
Q. Why We Live In Defeat
• Grown Comfortable With Our Sin
• Excused Our Sin Calling It Something Else
• Not Wanting To Pay The Price For Deliverance
• Claiming It’s Just The Way We Are
• Anyone In Christ Is To Be A New Cration
R. God Has The Power For Your Healing
• God May Choose To Walk With You Through It Rather Than Grant It In The Way You Want
• How Big Is Your God, And Who Serves Who
• Our Job Is To Say Yes Lord, here I Am
• You Receive Power For Healing By Following The Lead Of The Holy Spirit
• Next Week We Will Look At Boldness Coming Into Our Lives By Our Following The Spirit.
