Spiritual Powerlines
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Spiritual Powerlines
So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”
zec 4 6-76 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
7 “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ()\
INTRO:
Thank yous!
Spiritual Power for God’s Glory
Spiritual Power for God’s Glory
There is a pertinent dialogue in the sixteenth chapter of Judges. Delilah says to Samson: “Please tell me wherein your great strength lies” (v. 6). After three unsuccessful attempts to discover the source of Samson’s strength, Delilah renews her efforts. Finally Samson succumbs and declares his power is in his hair. You remember the rest of the story. He not only lost his hair, but he lost his strength.
When we consider Christian ministry, we must inevitably ask, where does the strength come from? First and foremost, it comes from God! “God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control” ().
Kind of nervous today yall= I can say yall cuz Im below the mason dixon line and for the last 17 yrs I couldnt use that-although I realize that this part of Florida is not always recognized as a southern state, unlike the north and panhandle, you have enough Bar B Q restaurants here to qualify as southern in my book!
Im nervous cuz these events are always a little different and new, but I want you to know that Faith and I feel very welcomed and accepted!
But im also nervous b/c of what the Lord has laid on my heart to share this morning.
God has used Hope Church , is presently using Hope Church and will continue to use Hope Church for His glory!
Rebuilding a church reminds me of the Israelites when they came back from captivity, to find the temple and the city of Jerusalem destroyed.
Im not comparing the causes here, just the situation, we want to grow-the right way and for the right reasons, just as Hope Church grew in the past.
As we begin we want to focus on the why, before we focus on the how.
The why is simple-For the glory of God!
We are His church, His sheep and we live to bring Him glory.
Everything that is done to the church, in the church, or for the church, either with the permission or by the power of God, is for God’s glory, as well as for the church’s well-being.
Now that we have established why we want to grow, we focus on the how. But there is a problem:
We need power!
We need power!
‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
This was a vision given to through Zechariah the prophet to a guy named Zerubbabel.
So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”
zec6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
The Church like the moon shines only with a borrowed light. She has no resources of her own. All depends upon the central Sun of Righteousness, not only for illumination, but for every other kind or degree of influence (Lange)
7 “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ()\
So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
This was a vision given to through Zechariah the prophet to a guy named Zerubbebel, a man faced with a tremendous task, a task he was powerless to complete- and he knew it.
Q: Where does the world teach us to go when we need power?
Observe, these Scriptures do not say that there are no enemies, no mountains, no difficulties. They do not make the salvation of the Church that light thing which some of us make it. On the contrary, they suppose it to be in itself a work of the utmost difficulty.
But then, Christ, they tell us, is more than equal to. it; He is mighty to save; He can prepare his people for heaven and carry them there, in spite of everything. (Lange)
A: Any place you can find it!
zec
But this is a word I believe God wants us to have as we continue to build the Kingdom here at Hope Community Bible Church.
This was the word God gave AB Simpson and his little group of people. Simpson left the prestigious pastorate of the 13th street Presbyterian church and sought to begin a work in the heart of NYC.
As they prayed one night for God's direction, God led them to this verse: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts.
I have already seen God's spirit at work here, and today I just want to encourage you to continue on the path you are walking.
His Spirit is already leading, this is evidenced by your ministries and by your love for one another.
There are many examples we could cite, but I want to mention just two:
Two examples:
1. CEF to kids outside this church! Tremendous!! 12 converts in the 5 day club last week.
2. Love for each other through a desire to stay united.
Love for one another, not holding on to traditions or personnel, but a desire to show the world that Christians love one another through hard relationship problems. more important than accomplishments.
There are three ways we can attempt to do the work of God:
we can trust our own strength and wisdom;
we can borrow the resources of the world; or
we can depend on the power of God. (Wiersbe)
What kind of power?
What kind of power?
Zerubbabel faced with a tremendous task, a task he was powerless to complete- and he knew it.
Observe, these Scriptures do not say that there are no enemies, no mountains, no difficulties. They do not make the salvation of the Church that light thing which some of us make it. On the contrary, they suppose it to be in itself a work of the utmost difficulty.
Zerubabell faced enormous obstacles: His task was to rebuild the temple.
But then, Christ, they tell us, is more than equal to. it; He is mighty to save; He can prepare his people for heaven and carry them there, in spite of everything. (Lange)
The best Hebrew scholars tell us that “might,” may be translated, “army.”
It signifies power collectedly—the power of a number of men combined together.
Might-many people, even military here- now we have to work together, and we need the entire body of Christ, using all its collective gifts to be engaged,
But that alone is not enough.
Gideon & 300 vs. Midianies, was it the 300 farmers, shepherds, and tradesmen, or God's Spirit that won the victory?
The second word, “power,” signifies the power of a single individual.
“Not by the combined might of men labouring to assist each other, nor by the separate might of any single hero, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.” (Spurgeon)
But that alone is not enough.
Gideon & 300 vs. Midianies, was it the 300 farmers, shepherds, and tradesmen, or God's Spirit that won the victory?
Power - The abilities of an individual with gifts and skills.
Yes necessary, A psator/leader is necessary, but he cannot succeed alone. Z was being warned that an influential leader was not enough.
Was it the outstretched arm of Moses that led the nation of Israel through the Red Sea or was it God's Spirit?
Pastors are shepherds they are not called to raise money, build buildings or draw crowds. -Daniel Akin
This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty
There are three ways we can attempt to do the work of God:
we can trust our own strength and wisdom;
we can borrow the resources of the world; or
we can depend on the power of God. (Wiersbe)
But...
“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”
zec 4 7
What “mountains” was Zerubbabel facing?
Discouragement among the people, opposition from the enemies around them, poor crops, an unstable economy, people not obeying God’s Law—problems not too different from those the people of God have faced throughout the centuries.
The answer to these problems is prayer that releases the Holy Spirit’s power.
By My Spirit!
By My Spirit!
all three are needed. The Lord must be the reason we do what we do! Not a desire to succeed but a desire to bring Him glory above our own glory as a church, or the glory of a leader lay or vocational.
Not a desire to succeed but a desire to bring Him glory above our own glory as a church, or the glory of a leader lay or vocational.
Does this mean we stand aside and say that we are useless and not needed? That we rest and watch as God grows His church? No, He told Z to gather all the help and expertise that was present in the people and get them to the task.
A sailing vessel perfectly equipped and staffed with seasoned sailors, cannot move in a calm.
The most ingenious machine accomplishes nothing, if power is withheld.
In like manner the Church is helpless if forsaken of the Spirit of God.
Zerubabel had tools, materials and manpower .
God told Z to take his place as the leader and to guide and encourage his people to get to work.
But he reminded Z that the Spirit of God will inhabit these efforts and accomplish the task and receive the glory!
“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”
We need power because there are mountains too big for us to climb!
“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”
What “mountains” was Zerubbabel facing?
What “mountains” was Zerubbabel facing?
Discouragement among the people, opposition from the enemies around them, poor crops, an unstable economy, people not obeying God’s Law—problems not too different from those the people of God have faced throughout the centuries.
The answer to these problems is prayer that releases the Holy Spirit’s power.
Be encouraged, God is not finished with you! He will make mountains flat if He has to, and he told Zerubbabel to hang on, it will happen!
God's Spirit will lead Hope to bring glory to Himself!
All churches go through cycles of growth and plateau and shrink and come back. But the glory of the Lord must be the reason we do what we do!
BUT the Lord must be the reason we do what we do!
Not a desire to succeed but a desire to bring Him glory above our own glory as a church, or the glory of a leader lay or vocational.
Does this mean we stand aside and say that we are useless and not needed?
That we rest and watch as God grows His church?
No, He told Z to gather all the help and expertise that was present in the people and get them to the task.
next sermon
Take this with you...
Take this with you...
I want to share a word with you that God gave me last year. I thought it was for my former pastorate, but I think it was for you and me at Hope Church.
Wrestle with God as Jacob did. “Bless Me!” (Pray until He answers!)
Pray until He answers!
Bless Me!
200-250
125 by Christmas
2 services
All these paralleled with what the search team shared with me concerning Hope.
Numbers are not the focus of our ministry, but they are a barometerof it to some degree.
I struggled with using specific numbers, but I believe God was giving these to me and I believe he has confirmed it as well.
Will we get bigger than 200-250? When will we get there?
What sorts of folks will be coming, young, older, un-churched, marginal Christians, believers other churches?
The answers are not as important as our attitudes. Our job is not to direct God who to send here, but to love deeply who He sends here.
I don’t know, I do know that God has a way of reminding us he is God and that the church belongs to him—and when we put our own desires ans ideas before his, he tends to teach us that lesson over again.