Sermon prep - Kingdom Power
Principles
4 Points
1. Our weakness magnifies His strength
2. True power is God’s NOT ours
3. Humility shows true godly power
4. Kingdom power serves, not orders
Intro
1. Pictures of POWER – what are those dramatic moments of power that we see God work…
2. Elijah calling down fire from Heaven
3. Moses and the plagues of Egypt / Moses parting the Red Sea
4. Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead
Jesus
radically blows our expectations away when it comes to power, position, wealth,
and affluence.
“It
feels good to be in a place of power. It becomes addictive. I think power is a
very addictive thing, and we’re just sitting ducks for it.” (Eugene Peterson)
The
World teaches that success gives power, that money gives power, position gives
power, that all relationships should be leveraged in order to
take one to the top, and that it doesn’t matter how many people you have to
step on to get there, the top is where we want to go. And we do sometimes see
these same power dynamics imported into churches. We see Money, and position
and notoriety used to draw attention to people and to things.
•
World’s
perspective on power
•
success gives power,
•
money gives power,
•
position gives power,
•
all relationships should be leveraged in order to take one to the top!
Defining Power, ability and strength
Word for strength
here is: 1539 δύναμις
(dynamis), εως (eōs), ἡ (hē): n.fem.;
≡ DBLHebr 2657, 2658, 7372; Str 1411; TDNT
2.284—1. LN 74.1 ability,
to perform an activity (2Co 1:8); 2. LN 76.1 power
(Ac 1:8); 3. LN 76.7 mighty deed,
miracle (Ac 2:22); 4. LN 37.61 ruler,
human ruler (Ro 8:38), for another interp, see next; 5.
LN 12.44 supernatural power
Luke 22:24-30
24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them
should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, “The
kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise
authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is
greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or
he who serves? Is it not he who sits
at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
28 “But you are those who have continued with Me
in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My
Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that
you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and
sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
What
happens when godly men and women try and use the World’s picture of power in
the kingdom of God?
Acts 8:18
“And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy
Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also,
that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God
could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this
matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of
this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the
thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned
by bitterness and bound by iniquity. 24 Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the
Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”
•
Simon wanted Kingdom power on his own
terms.
•
Offered to pay for it, and I imagine
he offered a lot of money…
•
The apostles instantly spotted the
hypocrisy and challenged it!!
Think
of the temptation of the wilderness: Matthew
4:8-9 “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and
their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You
will fall down and worship me.”
•
Satan is offering a shortcut to power,
•
One that would bypass the cross
•
Satan is offering all the kingdoms of
the world - power over all of them.
Other
times when the Disciples were tempted to think in terms of earthly power:
•
Matthew
18:1 [ Who Is the Greatest?] At that time the
disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of
heaven? 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in
the midst of them,”
•
Matthew
23:11 But he who is greatest among you shall be
your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted.
•
Mark
9:33-34 [ Who Is the Greatest?] Then He came to
Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you
disputed among yourselves on the road? But they kept silent, for on the road
they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.”
•
Luke 9:46 [ Who Is the Greatest?] Then a
dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.
•
Luke
22:24 [ The Disciples Argue About Greatness] Now
there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered
the greatest.
You
might say that God’s kingdom is upside down:
Core
text:
Matt 20:20-28 “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons
came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He
said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of
mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your
kingdom.” But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you
able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with?”
They
said to Him, “We are able.”
So, He said to them, “You will indeed drink My
cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My
right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it
is prepared by My Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased
with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know
that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great
exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever
desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you,
let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give His life a ransom for many.”
The
Kingdom that we are in is the exact opposite of that of the world. Jesus calls
us to die to self, and that by dying to self that we may truly, really
beautifully live. The world says let others die, let others serve, let others
do those things and live FOR self that you may succeed…
Upside
down power principle – to be great, put on the apron and serve. To be the
greatest, selfless serve all!!
Power
negotiations: Mama Zebedee is trying to get the top two spots for her two sons…
In
what ways are we just like the sons of Zebedee, asking Jesus for power, not
accepting humility?? Do we search for ways to be powerful or for ways to
serve??
~~
The way of the Dragon or the way of the Lamb - reference~~
Paul’s
perspective pertaining to power
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 “For God, who said, “Let there be
light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could
know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have
this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars
containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “And lest I should be exalted above measure by
the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a
messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning
this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for
Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Word
for strength here is:
1539
δύναμις
(dynamis), εως (eōs), ἡ (hē): n.fem.;
≡ DBLHebr 2657, 2658, 7372; Str 1411; TDNT
2.284—1. LN 74.1 ability,
to perform an activity (2Co 1:8); 2. LN 76.1 power
(Ac 1:8); 3. LN 76.7 mighty deed,
miracle (Ac 2:22); 4. LN 37.61 ruler,
human ruler (Ro 8:38), for another interp, see next; 5.
LN 12.44 supernatural power
Personal struggles as a pastor and as a man:
•
I have many weaknesses:
•
I struggle with lust, always have
•
I struggle with legalism
•
I struggle with wanting power and acclaim and notoriety… maybe I’m
the only one
God’s
grace, and God’s power is made perfect in my weakness…
But
my natural response is to hide, to ignore and to downplay my weakness
Illustrating service by the son of God
John 13:1-17 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when
Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the
Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2 And supper
being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot,
Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all
things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4
rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.
5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’
feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came
to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
7 Jesus answered
and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know
after this.”
8 Peter said to
Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered
him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 Simon Peter
said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
10 Jesus said to
him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean;
and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
12 So when He had
washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do
you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say
well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I
have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most
assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he
who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed
are you if you do them.
~~ Display of
washing someone is the congregation’s feet… Laura Grant(first); Scott Crane
(second)
Gospel Message: “Gave his life as a ransom for many” – Gospel presentation – Jesus
died to ransom us from sin and death
Power principles:
1.
Power in weakness
2.
God in me = strength
3.
To be great I MUST serve
Questions for thought, reflection and application:
1.
Where am I serving like Jesus?
2.
Am I serving at all or am I only being
served…??
3.
What is ‘my’ modern equivalent of Foot
washing??
4.
Whose feet does God want me to humbly
wash??
5.
Where have I lifted myself up, when I
need to step aside?
6.
Do I seek power, position and wealth?
Let’s stand and pray together…
Material that I did not get to cover or
work into my message:
Word
for weakness is: 819 ἀσθένεια (astheneia), ας (as), ἡ (hē):
n.fem.; ≡ Str 769; TDNT 1.490—1. LN 74.23 incapacity,
a state of weakness or limitation (1Co 15:43; 2Co 11:30; 12:5, 9, 10, 13:4; Ro
8:27; Heb 4:15; 5:2; 7:28; 11:34+); 2.
LN 23.143 illness, the state of
sickness, implying weakness (Mt 8:17; Rev 2:22 v.r.);
3. LN 25.269 timidity, a state of weakness of courage (1Co 2:3+)[1]
Word
for servant: 1356 διάκονος (diakonos), ου (ou), ὁ (ho)
and ἡ (hē):
n.masc. and fem.; ≡ Str 1249; TDNT 2.88—1. LN 35.20 servant,
one who serves, without necessarily having the office of deacon (Mt 20:26; Ro
16:1; Eph 6:21; 1Th 3:2 v.r.), for another interp of Ro and Eph, see next; 2. LN 53.67 deacon, one
entrusted to serve the needs of believers (Php 1:1; Ro 16:1; Eph 6:21; 1Ti 3:8,
12), for another interp of the Roman’s &
Ephesian’s passage, see prior
Word
for slave:
1528 I. δοῦλος (doulos), ου (ou), ὁ (ho): n.masc.; ≡ DBLHebr
6269; Str 1401 & 1400; TDNT 2.261—LN 87.76 slave,
servant (Mt 8:9; Mk 10:44; Jn 8:34; 15:15; Ro 6:20; 1Co 7:21; Gal 3:28; Eph
6:5; 1Ti 6:1; Phm 16)[2]
|
Sermon
on the Mount |
|
|
Worlds ideals |
Jesus’ ideals |
|
Rich in Spirit |
Poor in Spirit |
|
Those who rejoice |
Those who mourn |
|
Powerful, forceful, persuasive |
Humble |
|
Hunger and thirst for power. Money, position |
Hunger and thirst for righteousness |
|
Merciless |
Merciful |
|
Crafty in intentions |
Pure in heart |
|
War mongers, dominators, winners, successful, takers |
Peacemakers |
|
Above persecution |
Persecuted for righteousness |
|
|
|