Power of God

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. We want to talk about what the power of God does in our life and what it means to be filled by the Spirit of God. I think we would all have to say and we would all have to admit that there's times in our lives where the power of God is not real evident in our lives. [00:00:36] And then I believe that there's also times where probably all of us can say that the power of God has been very evident in our lives. But I do think, we do have to say that overall that the churches in America have lost their power. And I don't believe that it's because God's power is not available, but it's because we are not allowing God's power to fill us and to let His light shine through us. [00:01:11] You know, we as men love power. Most of us do. You know, my boys, I have three boys, you know, I don't have to say, look at that tractor over there. They'll say, Dad, look at that tractor. Look how big the tires are. I mean, you know, and most of us don't tell other people about the tractor that wouldn't pull the implement that we wanted to pull. But we tell people about, man, I had this 50-foot cultivator, you know, and I mean, I put it on behind that tractor and I mean, it just pulled it right through the field, you know, and it just, it just, oh, I mean, the power. [00:01:50] You see, we as men are attracted to power, but for some reason we are not naturally attracted to the power of God in our lives. It's because it's not natural for us to allow someone else to have control of our lives. We want to be in control of our lives You know, I like to be in control of my life But God says, listen, you let me fill you And you let me give you the power that you need [00:02:22] And David said in Psalm 62 verse 11 You don't have to turn there, that's not our main passage But David said that power belongeth unto God Do you believe that this morning? That power belongeth unto God And see, the problem that we have is, is there's two people that want our soul. It's God and it's the devil. And it's up to me, both the God and the devil have both cast a vote for my soul. And it's up to me to break the tie. Okay? [00:02:53] Okay? And so either I vote for the devil or I vote for God. And that depends upon how much the power of God is upon my life. You see, repentance is me taking sides against myself with God. That's what repentance is. It's saying, you know, I'm tired of trying this on my own, and so God, I need you to fill me, and I need you to give me your power. Oh, about a year, not quite a year ago, I had a pickup truck. [00:03:24] It was a 1990, but it was in really good shape, and the odometer read below 100,000 miles, and it was a three-quarter ton, it was a four-wheel drive, and it had power. And my boys loved that truck. My wife even liked to drive it, to be honest with you. I mean, they loved that, they liked that truck. Well, I had a friend in southern Indiana and I wanted to sell that truck and he needed a truck. And so he called me up and, you know, we did those things that men do because we like power. [00:03:57] We said, he wondered, you know, what kind of tires it had on it, what kind of engine it had on it. And then he asked all these different questions and we talked for a while. and then we was just ready to hang up and he said, oh, he said, by the way, he said, what color is that truck? You see, to him, the color, now see, the ladies would have said, well, what color is the truck? Before they'd ask anything else. But see, us as men, we are attracted to power. And folks, I want to tell us this morning and I want us to get this as we go through some of these illustrations this morning [00:04:30] that the greatest power that we have available to us is the power of God in our lives. You know, there is nothing more greater than that. And maybe you use this term, and I don't like to use the term a higher power. Because, you see, there's more than one higher power than me. But there's only one true power, and that's God. You see, God is all-powerful and He's almighty. [00:05:00] And He is not, God is not a higher power. He is the power, okay? There's a big difference. So don't get caught up in saying a higher power. Say that God is the power, okay? Because He is the power in our lives. But the only thing is, is the devil also has power, and his power is greater than our power. But when we have the power of God in our lives, He's no match. You see? So me against the devil, I am defeated. [00:05:30] But with God in my life, I can live victoriously. And so there's a great difference between having the power of God in my life or not. And let me tell you this morning, coming to church does not put the power of God into my life. Me not watching certain movies does not put the power of God in my life. I will do some of those things because of the power of God in my life, [00:06:03] But not doing those things or doing those things does not put the power of God in my life And you know God is always a gentleman He does not demand to be part of my life He knocks and He asks And then it's up to me to allow You know the old picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking And of course you know we always say well there isn't no knob on the outside Well, the little boy asked his mother one day, he said, how come we always show that picture of Jesus knocking but nobody ever opens the door? [00:06:42] Pretty good question, isn't it? Is that how it is with God in my life or in your life? Is he always standing there knocking but nobody opens the door? And his mother said, well, she said, maybe they're too busy or maybe they're caught up with something right now or maybe they just don't even hear him knocking. You see, that's how it is in our lives when we get too caught up in the things of this life. I like it there in the Old Testament when it says that he heard the voice of God in a still, small voice. [00:07:12] It wasn't in the lightning and the thundering and all the other things, but it was a still, small voice. Well, turn with me this morning to Matthew chapter 9, and we're going to look at several different passages this morning. Okay, Jim told me you usually go till 1, and so that's what... No, he didn't tell me that. But, Matthew chapter 9, and we're not going to spend a lot of time in these verses, [00:07:45] but I am very thankful for what these verses have to say. Matthew chapter 9, verses 1 to 8. And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee. And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? [00:08:18] For whether is it easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Arise and walk? But that ye know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sin Then saith he to the sick of the palsy Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house And he arose and departed in his house And when the multitude saw it, they marveled and glorified God Which had given power unto men Now, you know, this morning, it would be easy for me to just start walking back Can you hear me if I get away from that? [00:08:52] Okay It would be easy for me just to start walking back to him and saying, Your sins be forgiven you. Your sins be forgiven you. Your sins be forgiven you. Now, obviously, I hope we all believe this morning that I cannot forgive sin, but it would be pretty easy for me to do that because I'm doing it, right? I'm just walking back there and saying, Your sins be forgiven you. Your sins be forgiven you. And that's what the Sadducees were saying about Jesus. They were saying, well, you know, well, yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean, It's easy for somebody to say, your sins be forgiven you, but you know, if you were paralyzed, and I walked up to you, and I said, you'd be healed, and you got up and started walking around, some people would believe, wouldn't they? [00:09:33] That's right. And so, Jesus said, because of the hardness of your heart, to show you that God has power to forgive sins, he said, I'll go ahead and heal this man so that you will believe. Well, folks, this morning, I am glad that God has power to forgive sin. And I believe that with all of my heart this morning because I have experienced it in my own life. And, you know, the Sadducees a little bit later on, one of the things, and we're not going to, this is a whole other message, [00:10:07] but, you know, one of the ways that we can tell whether we're scripturally smart or spiritually minded is our response to things. There's a lot of people that are scripturally smart, but they're not spiritually minded. There's a big difference. You know, the Sadducees came to Jesus, and they said, Jesus, this man, this woman had a husband, and her husband died. And he said, and you know how the custom there was? The next brother would take that wife and try to raise up seed. They said, now there were seven brothers, and all the brothers died, and this woman was left. [00:10:43] And now they said, now Jesus, in the judgment day, whose wife will she be? You see, they was scripturally smart, but they were not spiritually minded. Because see, they wasn't really concerned about what Jesus really thought about this. What they were concerned about was trapping Jesus and putting him into a corner. See, when you're spiritually smart, you're not out to trap someone. You're not out to try to trap someone or to get them to trip up [00:11:13] But what you're out for is to know the truth and to learn the truth And see the Sadducees, they were trying to trip Jesus They knew what the Bible said and they knew what the law said But they said, now whose wife will she be? And I love Jesus' response He said, you know what? He said you err in two ways He said, first of all, you don't know the scriptures And second of all, and how many times have you ever had a message on this? that you know not the power of God. And you know, when I read that verse, it really stuck out to me. [00:11:44] Do you know the power of God in your life this morning? He said there's two things in here. You don't know the scripture, and you don't know the power of God. Have we experienced the power of God in our lives? You know, sometimes I like to go out and walk and to pray. And, you know, I told God the other morning, or the day I was walking, I said, God, I said, you created this holy universe, the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, everything, you created me, and I said, you keep it in place and everything goes so perfectly and so right, I said, God, I know that you have the power to change me, just a little old me, did you ever think about all the power that God has in the universe, the sun is 93 million miles away, and it shoots out flames of fire at 180,000 miles, [00:12:30] 180,000 miles out, the flames of the sun is shooting out. And if you go out and you're not used to the sun, what happens at 93 million miles away? You what? You burn. 93 million miles away. And God keeps all these things. God created these things. You see, one time, and this is just a story, but somebody said that the devil was talking to God and they were talking about some different things. and God said, well, you know, look at all these great things that I've created. And the devil said, well, I can do that. [00:13:03] And so the devil bent down and he started picking up some dirt. And God said, wait a minute, make your own dirt. You know, isn't that interesting? Only God can create something. We make things. We make beautiful furniture and different things like that. But only God, only God has the power to create things. And I'm telling you this morning, only God has the power to sustain you in your Christian life. Your brothers and sisters can't do it. [00:13:34] Your church can't do it. Now that's all a plus. And that's all a benefit. But only God ultimately has the power to do that. Well, turn with me to Matthew chapter 28. And I want to look at a few verses here. Matthew 28. and this and a lot of times if you've ever had a parents pass away or different things the last words that people say sometimes are very very meaningful and these are the last words here recorded of Jesus that he told his disciples Matthew 28 verses 18 19 and 20 a lot of times [00:14:10] we call this the great commission and Jesus came and spake unto them saying all power is given unto Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. And you know, this is a really popular passage that we would use when we're having a missionary that's, you know, someone that's going to another country or this or that, and there's nothing wrong with that. [00:14:45] But I believe that we focus too often on verses 19 and 20 and we miss verse 18 Where Jesus said, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth What Jesus is saying is, I have all of this power and I want you to be in a relationship with me That I can allow this power to be used through you to reach out to others See, a lot of times we get it turned around, and we've probably all known people that maybe they felt like they were called to the mission field, but they ran ahead of God. [00:15:24] Well, we have to get to the mission field because there's people dying. Well, God knows that. You know, and when Jesus told his disciples, he said, you go tarry at Jerusalem, and he said, you wait until the Holy Spirit of God comes upon you. Now they were there for ten days before the Spirit of God came upon them. But you know the disciples could have said, well now wait a minute. God, I mean there's people out here in the streets that are dying and all this and that. We've got to go right now. [00:15:55] But Jesus said no. He said you wait until you have received the Holy Spirit and until you have the power of God upon your life. And folks, I have found out in my life, and so have you, if you admit it, that things go a lot better when the power of God is upon our lives. You know, we can go, we can go, we can go through the motions. And sometimes what happens is when we try to do it in our strength. You know, I ran across people that felt like anybody that they ever talked to, they had to tell them about Jesus. [00:16:28] Well, you say, what's wrong with that? Well, I'm not saying necessarily that there's anything wrong with that, but I believe sometimes that is a working of the flesh. You see, I don't believe that every person that passes me on the street tomorrow, that God expects me to stop and tell them about Jesus Christ. But I do believe that as I walk with Him, and I talk with Him, and I fellowship with Him, when I pass that individual on the street that's seeking for God, God will tap me on the shoulder. [00:16:59] And He'll say, I want you to talk to that person. Because you see, when I try to do it in my own strength, I may talk to a hundred people in my own strength in one day, you know, and I might tell them all about Jesus Christ, but I might miss the one that was looking for Jesus Christ. I might miss the one that God really wanted me to talk to because I was so focused on doing it in my own strength and in my own power. So as we do some of these things, I'm not against witnessing, you understand, right Jim? [00:17:32] I'm not against witnessing, but what I'm saying is, is anything that we do, even good, it can be out of a fleshly desire, out of a fleshly motive And Jesus said in Acts 1.8, he said, all power is given unto me Now I'm sorry, but ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you And I wonder, why is it that sometimes we're so powerless? How many of you have ever, come on, how many of you have ever experienced in your life times where you just were powerless, really? [00:18:09] I'm lying. We can talk about lying. That's right. And the times that you felt powerless, were they times that you were really close to God? Probably not. You see, Jesus wants to fill us with His Holy Spirit and to give us His power. Well, you know, sometimes I've found myself, you know, I come home and I pull up the garage and I push the garage door opener and I say, oh, the power's off. [00:18:48] You know, I don't stop to think of all the thousands of times I've came home, pushed a button, and the power just, the door just went right up, you know, I could pull right on in. But the one time that I come home and it doesn't go up, I think, oh, good grief, what's going, you know, I'm just being honest, you do the same thing sometimes too, you know. What's going on? Why is the power always off? You know, and sometimes my boys remind me, Dad, the power isn't always off. I mean, it's usually on, you know. And so, you know, we can learn from younger children even on things like that. [00:19:20] But folks, I believe that when the power of God goes off in our life, it causes a lot of heartaches and a lot of trouble. And a while back I preached through a series of messages on the life of Samson at home. And I did about six messages. And you know, one of the things that really stood out to me was, well, Samson made a progression. You see, Israel was God's people, the Philistines were God's enemies, and so, I'm sorry, Samson was created or born to deliver God's people, [00:19:58] but instead, he flirted and messed around and played around with the enemy. He got to the point that he could lay right on the enemy's lap and sleep, which was Delilah. She was a Philistine. She was an enemy of God's people. He got to the point where he could lay his head right on her lap and go to sleep. And he got to the point, place, he did some great feats. You know, when he took those gates of Gaza and the post and he picked them up and carried them away, you know, he carried them for 38 miles. [00:20:30] Uphill most of the way And you know, this wasn't some kind of a little gate that you put in your driveway that you push a little code and it opens up We don't have those, some of the wealthy people in our area do You know, where you push a code and it opens up and you go on in and then it closes You know, it wasn't one of those because the gates of the city were huge They were designed to keep armies out [00:21:02] They wasn't just a wood door They were probably either solid metal Or wood covered in metal And so when he went up there And he took this gate and the post And he pulled it out And he took off and he carried it for 38 miles I mean that was quite a victory And you know almost every time When Samson did something That was really subdued with strength You know what it says? And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. [00:21:35] You know, but it's kind of interesting, when he was lying there on Delilah's lap, and he had his head shaved, it says that Delilah said, Samson, get up, because the Philistines are upon you. And it says he got up and shook himself as before, and he said he didn't even realize that the Spirit of God had left him. That's probably the darkest picture. In this whole life of Samson. Because you see, I believe that Samson lost his spiritual eyes long before he lost his physical eyes. [00:22:10] You see, he was being blinded because he was playing games with the enemy. And so he got up and it says he went out as before. And of course you all know what happened. He was captured and his eyes were poked out. But you know, I ask you this question this morning. How, if you, if last week the Spirit of God would have been taken out of your life, would you have been able to tell the difference? Would there have been any difference? You say, well, I had my devotions and I prayed and I went to work and I came to church. [00:22:42] I didn't say if you did those things. I said if the Spirit of God was taken out of your life, would anything have changed? If you came in here to church, if next Sunday, now obviously if you knew it you would be looking for it, because I ask the people at home this, next Sunday if the Spirit of God was taken out of this congregation and you came here, would you tell a difference? Or would you just go about church like you did before? Would I just show up and put in my time? [00:23:14] Do you understand what I'm saying? Are you following me? is the things that we're doing is the power of God upon our lives. Well, we're not going to turn to these verses, but in, well, yes, we are. Philippians chapter 3, let's go ahead and turn to these. We're just going to read a couple of them. Philippians chapter 3, Paul says in verse 10, I'll just read verse 10. It says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable unto his death. [00:23:46] I heard some of you still turning pages. I'll read that again. Philippians 3.10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable unto his death. You see, I believe that there's four things that every... Jesus experienced four things in his life. Let's start there. He experienced death, burial, resurrection, and new life. And I believe, and we don't have time to go through all those this morning, but that's a beautiful picture of a Christian. [00:24:19] We must experience death, right? We must experience burial. Burying those old things that we died to. Then we experience resurrection unto new life. And then we have a new lifestyle. And isn't it kind of interesting that when the disciples and the ladies, when they came to the tomb, and they ran into the tomb, and they looked in the tomb, what was in the tomb? Say it. The old grave clothes. And folks, that's how it is when the Spirit of God, when we come in our Christian lives, [00:24:56] when I die to myself, and I am buried to myself, and I am resurrected in Jesus Christ, and I walk in new life, I leave those old grave clothes in the grave. You see, Jesus didn't come out of the grave with the grave clothes on, did he? No, he left them in the grave because he was resurrected into a new life And you know, sometimes we're a little bit afraid of Well, we don't want to get too carried away about getting excited about Jesus and all this and that But folks, listen, if we can't get excited about what Jesus Christ has done in my life [00:25:28] Then what is there to get excited about? Because you see, in my life, and it's the same in yours I was a sinner headed for hell And I was a filthy, good-for-nothing, rotten sinner until Jesus saved me. Is that your story? That's what I was. I was headed for hell. I was with the drunkards. I was with the prostitutes. And I was whatever. But Jesus got a hold of my life and he changed my life and he washed me and he cleansed me and he gives me power to live above things. [00:25:58] There's things that was in my past that I've been able to leave in the grave because of the power of God on my life. And that's what the power of God does in our lives. Now, in Ephesians it says, we better turn to those so that we get them. Let's look at Ephesians 5. And I want to illustrate this out this morning a little bit. We hit this verse pretty hard. [00:26:32] Ephesians, I'm in Galatians, that's why it ain't working. Ephesians 5 and we'll probably look at 18 through 21 but I just want to look at verse 18 right now and it says and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be filled with the spirit how many of you today have heard many times preached about not being an alcoholic come on come on Amen. When I go like this, does that mean yes? This means yes, this means no. This is amen. [00:27:08] So how many of you have ever heard about not drinking alcohol? Quite often. How many have heard just as often about being filled with the Spirit of God? Just be honest. If you have, you have. Okay, one person thinks so. It's kind of iffy though, isn't it? I mean, we think, well, yeah, we've heard See, I think one of the things that we miss there Is it says, be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess But be filled with the Spirit of God [00:27:41] You see, we talk about, we say, don't ever take your first drink And you'll never be an alcoholic I'm not downplaying that, that's right Okay, I'm not saying that But that verse also says But be filled with the Spirit of God You know, I wonder what would happen if in our churches Obviously we wouldn't let someone probably be a member that was an alcoholic But I wonder what would happen if we'd say no you can't be a member Because I don't think you're filled with the Spirit of God That would raise a little bit of hair on the neck wouldn't it [00:28:16] With us sometimes, even in my own life sometimes But it says be not drunk with wine wherein is excess But be filled with the Spirit And folks, there's been a lot of homes that have been destroyed because of the brown bottle But I believe that there's more homes being destroyed because their mom and dad are not filled with the Spirit of God I believe that totally and completely Mom and dad are just kind of going on through life And they're working 50, 60, 70, 80 hours a week And they're just piling up the money [00:28:47] And they're building these great places And they're saying, wow, look how God's blessing me Is God blessing me? I don't know. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, you know, I have a nice place. I have a, you know, I have some money in the bank. I'm not living on my last hour. What I'm saying is, is where is our focus? You know, and what is, what are we doing? Are we being filled with the Spirit of God? Well, being filled with the Spirit of God, what is this? [00:29:18] Do you know what this is? What's this right here? A cup, a glass, right? It's a glass, okay? Is that glass full? Would you say that that glass is... If you wanted some pop and I said, I'll give you a full cup of pop, would you say that that's full? No, it is. It's not a trick question. You think I'm cheating. It's not a trick... It is. It's not full, is it? Okay? So this... We're going to let this this morning illustrate... [00:29:49] This is my heart, okay? and my body, whatever. And when the Bible talks about the heart, it's not about that organ in the pump. It's our inner being that David's talking about there. And we're going to take that this water this morning is the spirit of God in our lives, okay? And I'm not going to baptize this morning. And I don't believe that baptism brings the spirit of God in our lives. I believe baptism is important, proper, and it's placed. [00:30:19] Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit of God. But that's pretty good if I'd be half-filled with the Spirit, wouldn't it be? [00:30:57] Would you say that that glass there is full? Why not? Would you say that that glass is full? Why not? Well, how full is full? Okay, so that's not full. [00:31:29] Well, how about if we put a little bit more in? Would you say that that's full? That's what? Okay. When you say that that's full, why not? When you say that's full, I can't get anybody to say that's full? I can't get anybody to agree with me. Well, why isn't it full? Because it's not in time. Now would you say that, is that full? Almost though, isn't it? [00:32:00] Would you say that that's full? Okay, well we're going to have to put it in here I guess. Now how many of you would say that that's full? I would agree with you that that is full. And so Jesus said, don't be drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit of God. Now, here's what happens in our lives. So we come to God, and we empty out our lives, and we're filled with the Spirit of God. [00:32:35] But what happens is, is the devil comes along, and he brings some temptations. And I hope this doesn't happen in our lives, but sometimes it does. And these stones are going to represent hard spots that I'm not willing to give over to God. The devil comes along and he says, remember that time back there when you didn't tell the truth and you need to go back and make that right? And you say, no, I'm not willing to do that. And so a hard spot goes into our lives. [00:33:07] And then the Lord says, remember, remember, remember that I told you about how you need to forgive that person? And he said, no way, I'm not going to forgive that person. And so another hard spot comes in our lives. And the Lord brings all kinds of things. Remember that I said, you know, I don't want you to go there. And you say, well, that's too bad, God, I'm going to go there. Or I don't want you to be there, or I don't want you to talk that way, or I don't want you to whatever, look at those things, or whatever it might be. [00:33:39] And these hard spots just keep coming in our lives. Now, would you say, boys, that that glass is full of water? Well, isn't it clear to the top? Now, wait a minute. Let me get this straight. When that is full, you know, just a little bit ago when that was clear to the top like that, you told me that that was full, right? Okay. So, isn't it full now? Why isn't it full? It has stones in it. And so you see, the more that I tell God no, and I listen to the devil, these hard stones just keep coming in. [00:34:19] And sure, we even say, wow, people say, wow, look at Terry Myers' life. I mean, wow, there's even water coming out of it. I mean, he's even running over a little bit. But you see, as long as I keep those hard spots in my life, you know, the water's coming out. It's running over. But it's not running over for the right reason, is it? It's being shoved out because of the hard spots that are in my life. And so now, and so, and then I come to a point in my life where I say, you know, [00:34:52] well, yeah, God, I guess you're right. There are some hard spots in my life. And so I say, you know what? I'm going to do some really heavy fasting and praying this week. I mean, I'm going to really get serious with God. But this whole time I'm not willing to get rid of those rocks in my life. And so see, I say, oh man, God's pouring it on now because I'm praying and I'm fasting. Is the rocks going out of my life? [00:35:25] I say, you know what? Everybody says this is a great book. I'm going to read this book and I'm just going to allow the Spirit of God to overflow in my life so God can just keep pouring that on my life. and I read this book but you know for some reason the stones still stay in there and I say well you know that church that I go to and the pastor that they got well I'll tell you what they're about is dead I'm going to go somewhere where it's a little more lively and where we can really get into it [00:35:55] and so well we pour a little more water on but the rocks are still there and so we say well you know I heard about a seminar and they say this guy is really good. And so I'm going to go to that and surely that will get the rocks on there. So we pour a little bit more on. Are the rocks still there? They are, aren't they? They say, well, I hear so-and-so over there is having revival meetings. We're going to go over there and we're, wow, I'm going to let God just, just, just, I mean, look at that. [00:36:25] I am just overflowing. I mean, look at all the water that's down in here. You know? runoff isn't worth a whole lot when you talk about farming when it rains real hard and the water just runs off it's not really good for anything all it does is leave ditches in the field and things like that well that's what's happening in our spiritual lives when I have sin and there's areas in my life that God that I won't let God have it doesn't matter how much water I pour on there how will I get the stones out of my life say it how do I get those stones out of my life [00:37:02] Allow God to take them out. See, there's nothing wrong with going to a good seminar, is there? There's nothing wrong with going to revival meetings. But there's nothing wrong with fasting and praying. But as long as I have those hard spots in my life and I won't allow God to take them out, it really doesn't do me any good. And so the only way to get the rocks out is to go to God and say, God, I know I haven't forgiven. I've been doing things that I shouldn't. I just want to get these things out of my life. God, I just want you to get rid of them. And so now I'm okay, ain't I? [00:37:43] So I just set the glass back down and I say, ah, I've given them all over to God and now I'm fine. Is that true? What's got to happen now? You've got to be filled up again. You know what the Bible says that when we cleanse our temple and we don't fill it back up again, you know what happens? It says that they come back worse and harder and they just keep coming in and they keep coming in [00:38:15] and pretty soon we're worse off than what we was before we ever emptied the glass because we didn't allow the Spirit of God back in our life. So when I come to God and I say, God, I want to give those things up and I want to experience the power of God in my life and then, I don't know if I've got enough water here or not, but then we allow God to fill our glass again. Oh, so close, isn't it? Well, I have to get a little bit of water out of here. I don't laugh if I spill it, okay? I'll have to do it with you at home once in a while. [00:38:56] But you see, then I allow God. And now I'm full in it. And then, because, and see now, when I pray and fast, oh, it just gets me closer with God. And the Spirit of God just flows out of my life. And when I go to good revival meetings, oh, the Spirit of God just flows out of my life. When I read a good book, oh, that just touches my heart. [00:39:27] And the Spirit of God just flows out of my life. But why is that? Because the rocks are gone. That makes all the difference. So if you have areas in your life that maybe for years you've struggled with and you've tried all kinds of things to get them out of your life, try just giving them over to God and saying, God, take them out of my life. Because, you know, no amount of these other things, unless we open our hearts to God in that area, will fill us with the Spirit of God. [00:39:58] And you see, the problem is that we say that God is powerful and He can do anything, but, you know, Satan also is very powerful. Last February, I was down in Haiti for a week, around a week, and I heard some interesting stories down there about how powerful Satan is. And folks, I want to say this, Satan is working just as hard in America as he is in Haiti, okay? I know, and this, I'm going to tell you a couple stories, and one or so of them is probably going to be pretty hard for you. [00:40:32] Even though you know me, Jim, you might be a little skeptical, you know, is that really true there? But you know, I believe that Satan has tremendous power, okay? And that's why I know without the power of God in my life and being filled with the Holy Spirit that I'm done. I know, and I didn't get these stories off of the internet or I didn't get them off of a call-in talk show host where they've seen the UFOs and all these types of things I got it from solid sources I know a pastor that was doing work in Haiti [00:41:06] and he said that when he came home one night they had been working with some different things and when he came home he said that the living room furniture was floating in the air God is the power of the devil this morning, but what I'm saying is we've got to have the power of God in our life to counteract the power of the devil. [00:41:46] power of the devil. And one of the guys that was the head of the mission told me this story when I was down there in February. He said there was a man that obviously he had sold his life out to the devil. And he went into a witch doctor. And you see, one of the things that happens is, and sometimes we get this idea, well, it works, so it must be okay. Just because something works doesn't mean it's okay, all right? And I'm going to say this now, and you can take it for whatever you want. [00:42:19] I don't want to be any part of water witching and those types of things. You can say, well, it works. It works. So can the witch doctor heal your child. Does that mean it's okay? No. Now, I know there's all kinds of explanations, but that's one of the things that they face in Haiti, because they say, well, we take our child to the witch doctor, and he heals it. But you can't heal our child. Well, I really don't think, I'm not for sure, you know, the devil never makes anything better. [00:42:51] You know, he always makes it worse. So I believe that the devil has a grip on that child's life then from that moment on. And I don't know that he ultimately permanently long-term heals him. You know, when Moses and Aaron was before Pharaoh, you know, they could make things worse, but they could never make it better. They could give more frogs, they could give more lice, but they could never switch it back the other way. The devil always makes things worse. Well, anyhow, this guy was obviously full of the devil, and he went in to the witch doctor, [00:43:23] and he said, I want you to change me into the image of a cow. Now, I heard this from a reliable source. Do you think that the witch doctor could do it? He was able to do it. They said that he went in there and he said, you know, I want to be transformed. Transformed isn't the right word because transformed is when life is completely changed for God. [00:43:57] But he said, I want to be, I don't know all the details, but he said, I want to be changed into a form of a cow. And he said that that witch doctor was able to do it. Now they said that here's this creature. He comes walking out and they said that it has the body and the form of a cow And they said that the front legs of the cow was like his arms And the back legs of the cow was like his legs But it had the form and things of a cow And here's what makes it more strong in my heart Some of these people from the mission were driving by there [00:44:30] And they seen this group of people out Well this creature came walking out of there And it so terrified the Haitians that they took their machetes and killed, killed him. They killed this cow. And so, and so, well, it was actually a human being, but in the form of a cow, sort of a mix. And so some of the people from the mission were driving by, and, and they seen this group, big group of people, which isn't anything unusual in Haiti, I mean, anything happens, and there's can be a big group of people. And, and so they kind of came up to it. And they just kind of swung on out around it. And they seen this creature laying there kind of on the side [00:45:07] and the one girl said hey that was a cow and the other girl said no she said it was it was a human because I seen his hand and they debated about this a while and they went on and then later they heard this story of how the witch doctor was actually able to to um to transform or to change this this human into the form of a cow and I say that to tell you folks that when we go up against The devil, there is all kinds of power, and there is all kinds of might, and folks, if we are not filled with the Spirit of God, if you're here this morning, and you are filled with the Spirit of God, I can guarantee you that the witch doctor could not turn you into a cow, okay? [00:45:53] I can guarantee you that. I can guarantee you this morning that if you're here and you are filled with the Spirit of God in your life and you have all the rocks out of your life, that the devil cannot defeat you in any way. He has no power over you this morning if you are filled with the Spirit of God. Now I've never seen the devil turn somebody into a cow, but I've seen him turn people into wild people. and wild men and sinners and adulterers and fornicators. [00:46:28] And so if he can do that, I believe he can turn us into a cow also. And so folks, the challenge this morning is, is are you filled with the Spirit and the power of God? And you say, well, how do I get filled with the Spirit of God? Well, 1 Peter, we're not going to turn there, but 1 Peter 3 says we are kept by the power of God. How did, how, in your relationship with your wife, when you were dating your wife, how did you get to know her? [00:47:00] I spent a lot of time with her. You spent a lot of time with her. And when she said something to you, you said, oh, I don't think that's important, honey, we'll just forget that. Is that what you said? What did you say? Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. And when she sent you a letter, you just kind of, I'll kind of line it and drive it down the road. I'll kind of scan this a little bit and just go on, toss it away. Sometimes I get a little bit of time, I'll pick it up again and read it. Was that your response? What did you do? [00:47:32] I probably read it two or four times. And everything stopped, didn't it? Everything else stopped. And you read this letter. And then you read it again because you wanted to make sure that you didn't miss something there, right? And if you didn't understand something, you'd ask her, right? What did you mean by this? Isn't that the same way it is with our relationship with God? If we really love God and we're really sold out to Him, don't we want to read His Word? Don't we want to know what His Word says? I don't think I just want to say, well, I'm eating here and while I'm doing this and while I'm doing that [00:48:06] and while I'm playing ball in the backyard with the boys, I'll try to read the Word of God a little bit. No, I take time in God's Word, and I read it, and I read it again, and I read it again, and if I don't understand it, I say, God, what did you mean by this? And folks, even, I think all, I'm not going to say even more, but just as powerful is our prayer life. You are no stronger in your spiritual life, I don't believe, than you are in your prayer life. [00:48:39] That's, I'm saying you, I'm saying we, me. I am no stronger in my spiritual life than what I am in my prayer life. And so, if you want to be filled with the Spirit of God this morning, you've got to get rid of the stones, and you've got to spend time in His Word, and you've got to spend time in prayer. And I can guarantee you that you can be filled with the Spirit of God. Let's pray. Lord, this morning we've talked about being filled with your spirit and with the power of God in our lives. [00:49:17] And Lord, I know from experience in my own life how a lack of time with you, how my power, the power just dwindles. And God, you have said in your word that all power is given unto you. and you want us to receive that power so that we can live and be led of you. And Lord, I just pray that this morning that as we looked into your word and Lord, we realized just briefly how powerful the devil really is [00:49:50] and how deceptive the devil really is. But Lord, we also looked at how powerful you are. And God, I do believe this morning that we can be eternally secure in you. I believe this morning that no man can take us out of your hand except for my own fleshly desire and will. So Lord, help us this morning to be filled with your spirit and with your power. [00:50:22] Thank you, Lord God, for it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Don't forget, folks, that as you go through life, you know, who's the greatest enemy you'll ever face? That's right, yourself. It's not Satan. It's not the world. It's not your church. It's not your pastor. It's not your wife. It's not your husband. It's not the neighbor. But the biggest enemy that I'll ever face in my life is myself. And if I can give myself over to God, because Jesus said, if any man will deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. [00:50:55] That's getting rid of our self, you see. And so I just challenge you this morning that if self is on the throne in your life, you're not filled with the Spirit of God, okay? And I'm just going to give you a couple minutes. Would somebody like to give a testimony this morning of what the power of God means to your life? Or maybe a confession of when the power of God was not in your life like it should have been. You know, I think it's good that we... [00:51:27] Some people say, well, that's boasting. No, I don't think it is if you give the glory to God. Somebody have a testimony this morning. I know you wasn't expecting that, but that's okay. Things happen in life we're not expecting. I know that there were so many years, year after year, of when I knew that I wasn't being filled and I knew that there were rocks. [00:52:01] Maybe I didn't. Maybe I really didn't see it that way. But I definitely wasn't being filled with the Spirit. And I wasn't even trying to be filled with the Spirit. I was going to church and all the right things and talking the right talk but I praise God for making a difference and not changing my life around for having mercy on me and forgiveness and long suffering and giving me a nice gift I really praise God for that [00:52:32] The thing for me, being filled, to be filled, I don't think is a one-time thing for me. It's a everyday thing. Every day I'm being filled. Thank you. There was somebody back there. I'm just thinking of the time. It's not so much that I'm credited as maybe the power of God being in me, The power of what God has given us is super and I remember I had some friends or an old friend that I went to school with and I hadn't seen him in quite a few years. [00:53:15] The chances of me running away were slim to nothing. So it was pretty easy for me to pray for him. And then I told God I would have an opportunity to talk to him. He walked into my office that day. and I dropped but I knew what was expected of me and God did give me the strength to talk to him a little bit [00:53:53] maybe not too much availed, he's still living, but it shows me that God does listen and we do have Mm-hmm. That's right. We was a few years back, we was with a group up in Chicago, and the year before, a guy had led a man to the Lord, and he said, Lord, I'd like to talk with him again if you want me to. And he was standing on the street corner there, and guess who walks by? That same man. You know, seven million people, all different times of the day. [00:54:28] And at that exact time, they were both at the same street corner together. Not chance, but, you know, God. And, you know, and in the scripture it says, when I talk about the power of God, it says that in some places Jesus didn't do many mighty works because they didn't believe. And I don't want that to be the case in my life, or in this congregation, or in the congregation of, that we miss out on a lot of blessings because of our lack of faith. One more, and then, one or two more, and then we'll... Thank you. [00:55:34] It takes a man to confess. One more. and the [00:56:04] you know those rocks are probably the biggest thing in a Christian's life even one or two little ones is a hint and drags you down and I know that that's what God has been working on in you to give up every one of those little areas that there is no hint for the working of the Holy Spirit in my life I just want to thank you for sharing that All right, Lord bless you all.