1. POWER
• As Christians we have power; this power exists both in the Spiritual and Physical realm and can only be obtained by those who believe in God’s ability to endow it
• One New Year’s Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas. Often, Christians neglect their spiritual maintenance, and though they are "clothed with power" (Luke 24:49) find themselves out of gas.
• Luke 24:49: “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
• Jesus informed the disciples of a ‘supernatural’ power that was coming
• We too, as Christians have this same power; it is the power of the Holy Spirit
• Acts 1:8: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
• We see, in this passage, that the power comes after salvation
• We, as Christians must rid ourselves of the defeatist attitude and gain an attitude of overcoming and power
• WE HAVE POWER OVER:
a. DEATH (1 Corinthians 15:55: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”)
• Death for the Christian is the beginning of life, not the end (John 5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”)
• WE HAVE POWER OVER:
a. SORROW (John 16:20: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”)
• Sorrow is a part of the curse, and God is willing that our sorrow be replaced with his joy
• We can overcome sorrow by placing God in all aspects of our life.
a. Romans 8:6: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
• We see, that in being spiritually minded we find the ‘peace’ of God
• WE HAVE POWER OVER:
a. SIN (1 John 4:4: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”)
b. John 5:14: “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”
• God has given us the tools to overcome sin; it is up to us whether or not we take advantage of them
2. LOVE
• This kind of love centers on pleasing God and seeking other’s welfare before one’s own self
• 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
• Our lives and ministry must be based on one thing, that is LOVE
• Christ died for us for no other reason than love
• Love is a fundamental character trait of a Christian
• Galatians 5:13: “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
• Freedom is love, and provides the ability to serve God, but Paul said we are to use our freedom to love one another.
• Luke 12:48: “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
• We have an obligation as God has blessed, to reach the our sphere of influence regardless of race, color creed or religious background
• How can we pick and choose whom God would want to be saved or to serve in a church? What is our obligation to God? It is to provide every opportunity to everybody.
• Faith without love is no faith at all, faith without a desire to serve is dead, servant-hood is a must have to the Christian foundation
• John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
• “If we discovered that we had five minutes left to say all we wanted to say, every telephone booth would be occupied by people calling other people to stammer that they love them. Why wait until the last five minutes?”
• John 13:35: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
• Jesus said that the single most important trait we have as His children is to have love one for another
3. SOUND MIND
• What is a sound mind?
a. This refers to a disciplined, self-controlled, and properly prioritized mind.
• This is the direct opposite of having a mind of fear and cowardice that causes disorder and confusion
• 1 Corinthians 14:33: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
• If God does not create confusion, then we know that this is an attack of the devil to sway our service to God
• The Christian must overcome doubt, faithlessness, and the inability to cope; with power, strength and the God given ability to do his will
• II Timothy 1:7a “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear”
• It is Satan who takes away our ‘sound mind’ our ability to make sound decisions
• How do we facilitate a sound mind?
a. Colossians 2:6-7: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
b. James 1:8: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
• What does it mean to be double minded? Matthew 6:24: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
• We either serve God, or the devil; we can’t pick and choose based on the situation
• Romans 8:6: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
• We gain a SOUND MIND through:
a. PRAYER
i. 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.”
ii. Matthew 21:22: “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
iii. Romans 12:12: “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”
b. STUDY
i. 2 Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
ii. Colossians 2:6-7: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
c. COMMITMENT
i. Luke 9:23: “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
ii. 1 Corinthians 15:31: “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”
• Christians possess many important traits; serving God completely is a compilation of using all of God’s gifts, talents and abilities
