Breakthrough: Acts 3 Unleashing the Power! 1/25/15

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1 Breakthrough: Acts 3 Unleashing the Power! 1/25/15 I. Willing to use what you Have (By Faith) 1. What I do have I give you! 2. Are you willing to give what you do have? 3. The Holy Spirit is not asking you to give what you don t have but give what you do have and use the gifts that you do have. 4. We have all been given gifts, use what you have not what you don t have. 5. We all don t have the gift of miracles but we all can use the gifts we do have. (1 Cor. 12:29) 6. Example of Moses and the Staff in his hand. What do you have in your hand? 7. Peter was open and obedient to what the Holy Spirit wanted to do. Peter didn t heal every beggar that day, just the one the Holy Spirit led. 8. Jesus in feeding the 5K II. Focus on the present not the past! 1. Don t allow your past to determine your future. 2. Peter then addresses the crowd. Acts 3:14 as convicting of sin but it was only months earlier that Peter denied Christ. Revealing that God forgives and we cannot hold onto our past mistakes. 3. Peter used the miracle to point people to Jesus. Even though Peter himself just weeks earlier denied Christ, now he is bold in pointing people to Christ. Don t allow your past to prevent your future. 4. Recognize the authority by which we are unleashing God s power! By the authority of Jesus Christ. Matthew 28: Paul says he wants to know the power of Christ s resurrection so he forgets what is behind him and presses forward to take ahold of the power of God (Philippians 3) Closing Example of Moses (What do you have in your hand) 1

2 Manuscript Breakthrough: Unleashing the Power! Good morning. I was watching this program on wildlife that had been domesticated and caged up. And one of the sad effects is that the animals often loose their zest for life and their power. It is not that the animals do not have the same power in captivity it is just they are leashed or caged and not able to utilize that power to their full potential. I am not trying to give a commentary on animal parks but I was thinking that believers are struggling with the same issue. 2 Timothy 1:7 states, For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. Yet, this power that we have been given is often caged up and leashed so we are not experiencing the full potential that God wants for our lives. Today we are continuing our series called Breakthrough a study in the book of Acts. This series is really an accumulation of what God has been doing upon my heart for over a year. Over the past year God has been showing me there is a lot more. What I mean is there is a lot more of Him than I have ever experienced. God has been showing me that He is longing to do a breakthrough in His church. He wants to pour out His presence and power like never before, and it is desperately needed. I have experienced personally, and have listened to many testimonies of believers saying they feel empty of God s power or presence and they are tired of trying to follow God on their own strength because they are failing. It is for this reason that God wants to, and we desperately need, a breakthrough of the power of the Holy Spirit. The purpose or heart of this series is recognizing that without a breakthrough of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit we can do nothing. We cannot love God, because without God teaching us and enabling us to love Him we cannot do it on our own strength. We cannot muster up enough energy or self will to follow God because our own flesh wants to do things our way and not God s way. We cannot cause eternal transformation in someone s heart, just as we cannot do miracles on our own. We are completely and utterly dependent upon the Holy Spirit. It is because of this fact that we need to continue to learn and grow in being God dependent and not selfdependent. It is important that I mention this before each sermon during this series. It is possible to have the Holy Spirit, but not fully walk as we could be in the power of the Holy Spirit. Once you are saved you have the Holy Spirit within you as a deposit guaranteeing your salvation, but possessing the Holy Spirit is not the same as walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 to not quench the Holy Spirit, or in Galatians 5:25 says, since we live in the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Do you see the difference? We can possess the Holy Spirit but not walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to learn to unleash God s power in our lives. I see and sense a desperate need for a breakthrough of the power of the Holy Spirit. It is too easy to fall into the self-dependent lifestyle upon which we are limited to our own strength and power and are achieving ordinary results, when we serve a living God who desires that we do the miraculous and the extraordinary. But God never expects us to do the miraculous on our own strength. This is why Jesus in Acts 1 tells His disciples to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit that they may go out and be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. Without the Holy Spirit we cannot be a witness to the living God. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to witness to the world. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us true joy, peace, and power. It is the Holy Spirit who works through us that is able to do the 2

3 miraculous in this world. Today, I want to explore how we can have a breakthrough by unleashing the power of God in our lives. Read with me Acts 3:1-10. So here we read of a breakthrough of power that took place within the life of a crippled beggar. This man who had been born a crippled and not just partially crippled, but so crippled that he had to be carried to the place where he begged. The day started out like every day of this man s life. His friends carried him there to beg and simply live his life out. But this day was different. This day Peter and John, who had recently been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, were walking to the temple to pray in the middle of the afternoon and their paths crossed with the beggar. Then in shame the beggar not even looking at Peter and John asked them for some money, and we read that Peter stepped up and told the man to look at him. He didn t want the man to simply hear but to have his full attention. Then Peter said, silver or gold I do not have but what I do have I give you. And Peter looked at the man and told him in the name of Jesus Christ to get up and walk. And then Peter took the man by the hand and the man s ankles became strong and he began to walk. At this miracle everyone in the crowd was amazed for this man had been born a crippled. And we read later in Acts 4 that the number of people who believed in Christ grew by thousands. How awesome is that! Okay, so that is a great story. The power of God was unleashed through the miracle done through Peter. I love it and whished I was there to witnesses it. But honestly, I haven t performed any miraculous healings in my life, nor have I seen any miraculous healings like this one described in Acts 3. So what good does this passage do for us? Well, remember the entire book of Acts is about the breakthrough power of the Holy Spirit, not the breakthrough power of the Peter, Paul, or any of the Apostles. This miracle that took place was through the power of the Holy Spirit not Peter. However, Peter does model for us how to unleash the power of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. And this is what I want us to grab a hold of today. One of the first things we see is that Peter used the gifting he had. We read in Acts 3:6 that the beggar asked John and Peter for money. And Peter s response was money I do not have, but what I do have I give you. Do you see it! Peter used what he had and for him it was the gift of healing. But the mistake we make is that we often do not look at what we actually have or worse we look at it and don t use it because we don t think it is of value. Instead, we are bummed out that we do not have this resource or this ability or this gifting. When God never asks you to give what you don t have, rather He asks you to give what you do have. Read with me 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. The same message is given in Romans 12:6-8. Both of these passages highlight the fact that we have been all given a variety of gifts. Not everyone is going to have the gift of healing, not everyone is going to have the gift of miracles, not everyone is going to have the gift of teaching, etc., etc. But everyone has a gift and everyone has a choice what are you going to do with that gift? In John 6 we read the account of Jesus testing His disciples faith by asking them how they are going to feed the over 5K hungry mouths. They all complained about how the tasks was impossible and that they did not have enough money or food to possible feed all of those people. But finally, Andrew, who was actually Peter s brother, stepped up and offered what he had. Andrew only had 5 loaves and 2 fishes. But how far would that go to feed over 5K people? It would seem ridiculous and that Andrew should not even try or even offer up such a small sacrifice. Yet, we read that Jesus took what 3

4 Andrew had and He did the miracle and used it to feed the 5K plus people. Obviously, Peter learned something that day. Because when Peter ran into the beggar he did not stand there and worry about the fact that he did not have any money to help feed the beggar, but he did offer what he did have and that was the gift of healing. Peter unleashed the power of the Holy Spirit because he was willing to use what he had been given by the Holy Spirit. But the truth is that to be willing to utilize what we have takes a step of faith. Read Acts 3:16. Here Peter boldly exclaimed that the man was healed by faith in Christ. Let me ask you, how much faith did the cripple beggar have? I would guess none. Think about it. What was the beggar doing he was asking for money. He did not know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Nor did he look to Peter and John and ask for healing. He looked to Peter and John and asked for money. Rather, it was the faith of Peter that caused a breakthrough of the Holy Spirit and unleashed the power of God. It was Peter s faith that led him to look straight at the crippled beggar and ask him to do the impossible through the power of the Holy Spirit. It was faith that enabled Peter to step out and offer up all that he had. In the same way, if we are to have a breakthrough and unleash the power of God, then we also must take a step of faith and use what we have to unleash God s power in our lives. You need to have faith that when you seek to be used by the Holy Spirit that God will uses it even if you don t see the results right away. You need to have faith that God has given you spiritual gifts and it is our job to use them for His glory. Do you know what the real miracle was that day? It was not just the physical healing that took place with the beggar, but the spiritual awaking of the man and the thousands that came to the Lord because God was given glory through Peter who stepped out in faith and used what God had given him. In the same way if we want to unleash the power and miracles of God in our lives we need to learn not to sit there and worry about what we don t have, but simply give in faith what we do have. Many of us do not have the spiritual gift of healing or miracles. Some do and just don t know it. But even if you do not have the gift of healing or miracles that does not mean that you cannot participate in the miracles of God. God longs for us to participate in His power that is why He has given every believer the Holy Spirit. The question is, are you willing to step out in faith and use what you do have to unleash the power that God in your life? Are you willing to use your spiritual gifts, your time, your talent, and your treasure that God has given you to unleash the power of God? Are you willing like Andrew and Peter, to look at our world say, I may not have this, but this I do have and I give it for the glory of Jesus Christ? If we are to see God s power unleashed in our lives through the Holy Spirit we need to utilize all that He has given us to do that. That includes everything our spiritual gifts, our talents, our treasure, our time. Let us stop focusing on what we don t have and start praising God and in faith using what we do have! Start waking up everyone morning and asking God to reveal to you what needs are around you and how you can help by using what God has given you through His power. Continue reading with me Acts 3: Wow, Peter doesn t pull any punches does he?! As soon as he heals the cripple beggar a crowd is gathered. And Peter is not shy, he starts right off and starts by telling the people it is by the name of Jesus that this man is healed. The same man that you handed over to be crucified. Doesn t this seem extremely bold and even a little hypocritical of Peter? After all, wasn t it a few weeks earlier that Peter himself denied Christ not once but three times? But, this is another 4

5 powerful example of how Peter modeled for us unleashing God s power in our lives. It is true, that Peter only weeks earlier denied Christ. But, Peter repented and focused on his future not his past. Peter didn t allow his past mistakes, fears, or failures prevent him from stepping out and being used by God. He was bold and fearless and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter had a breakthrough with the Holy Spirit and he was unleashing the power of the Holy Spirit by focusing on God and not on himself. The Apostle Paul was very similar to Peter, but with an even worst past. The Apostle Paul not only denied Christ but persecuted all who followed Christ. He approved of the murder of Christians and he sought to imprison those who followed Jesus. Yet, once Paul had a breakthrough of the Holy Spirit he also learned that in order to unleash God s power he needed to focus on God and not his past. Read with me Philippians 3:7-14. In this passage the Apostle Paul was reflecting on his past and recognizing that both his successes and failures mean nothing compared to having his righteousness in Christ. What that means is that Paul does not want to find his value, his worth, in his own abilities or successes but only in Christ. Then we read Paul s motive in Philippians 3:10, that he wants to know the power of Christ. Did you get that? The Apostle Paul is seeking out a breakthrough, an unleashing of God s power in His life and then we read in Philippians 3:12-14 our key verses. Paul says that he has not already obtained this but he forgets what is behind him and presses on what is before him! The Apostle Paul understood what Peter understood. That to unleash the power of God in our lives through the Holy Spirit we need to focus on our present and not on our past. Hopefully we can all agree that everyone here has made mistakes and we all our sinners. None of us deserve to serve God or participate in His miracles or plans. Nonetheless, God finds joy and glory in using us to further His will. But we only hinder and quench the Holy Spirit when we focus on our past failures and instead of the present opportunities. Don t allow your past to prevent your future. Don t allow your past mistakes and failures prevent you from being the parent, the spouse, the employee, or ambassador that Christ has called you to be. Take a hold of that which has taken a hold of you. Just as the Apostle Paul stated, Forgetting what is behind and pressing forward to what is ahead. And remember what Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, that all authority on heaven and earth has been given to Him, so therefore we are to go out to the ends of the earth and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is not by our authority or our ability but by the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot make disciples or reach thousands and impact millions on our own strength. We need the power of the Holy Spirit and to unleash the power of the Holy Spirit we need to let go of our past and take a hold of our present in Christ. God has always sought to move through His people. He has always sought to reveal His power in and through His people. For example, when God set out to free the Israelites from physical slavery in Egypt He called His servant Moses to do the work. Like us, Moses had a bunch of excuses of why he could not be God s person. Moses was a murder and he had a past that he thought disqualified him from serving God. And then Moses believed he had nothing to offer God. But what I love is that we read in Exodus 4, Moses asks God, what if they do not believe that you have sent me. God s answer in Exodus 4:2 was, what is that you have in your hand? Moses response was a staff. Then God told Moses to throw the staff on the ground and the staff turned into a snake. And then God said pick up the snake and the snake turned back into a staff. The staff 5

6 itself was nothing miraculous. It was just a stick. It had no power on it s own. God was simply using what Moses had. God was trying to teach Moses that He can use Moses with what he had. Moses just need to step out on faith and trust in God and be willing to use what God gave him. And just like Peter and Paul, Moses had to be willing to focus not on his past but on his future. Moses had to let go of the fact that he had committed terrible sins, such as murder, and rest in God s grace, focusing not on his past but on God s future. Just as God wanted to set the Israelites free from bondage, so too God is seeking to set the world free from the bondage of sin. As it says in Acts 4:12 there is no other name by which we must be saved. And God is looking to do this through His people, but not through our strength. We are meant to be His vessels that He uses. We cant be successful on our ability or our own strength. We cant even follow God on our own strength. And we were never meant to. God wants to breakthrough in our lives with the power of His Holy Spirit. But part of that process is us learning to stay in step with Spirit. For we do want to quench the power of the Holy Spirit but to unleash the power of the Holy Spirit. And to unleash the power of the Holy Spirit and experience a breakthrough we must learn to trust in God and use everything we have to serve God. We cannot worry about what we do not have, but rejoice and utilize what we do have. Trusting, just as Peter did, Andrew did, and Paul did, and Moses did that God will be faithful. Each one of those examples had a past but all of them chose to focus not on their past but on their future with God. This morning if you are here then God wants you to experience a breakthrough of the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. God wants us all to grow in His strength and power. Just as the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3, we should want to know that same power that resurrected Christ that we too may live the life that Christ has called us to live. If you are here today and you have never asked Jesus into your heart then today can be the greatest day in your life. God is longing to fill you with His Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing your salvation. It begins with you repenting and asking God to be the Lord of your life. If this is your desire then I want to ask you to pray with me. Lets pray. 6

7 Scripture for 1/25/15 2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and selfdiscipline. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. Romans 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Philippians 3:7-14 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 7

8 Scripture for 1/25/15 2 Timothy 1:7 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Galatians 5:25 Acts 3:1-10 Acts 3:6 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Romans 12:6-8 Acts 3:16 Acts 3:11-16 Philippians 3:7-14 Philippians 3: