Title: Powerful Text: 2 Timothy 1:7 Theme: Your great faith Series: Powerful (1 of 9) Style: 4 page Date: 4/3/16 I. Opener A. 2 Timothy 1:7, For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-disciple. B. II. Trouble and Conflict in our World A. Power is the battle that is constantly fought at all levels. It is a source of much of the trouble and conflict that we face in our world, in our country, in our in our community, in our church, in our families, and within our own hearts. B. It is much of the cause of murder, fights, and hatred. The battle rages in our own country. It s in our political landscape now. 1. Even the founders of America wrote into their new government a system of checks and balances so as to spread power across more than just one person or group. C. Power 1. Knowledge is power. Francis Bacon 2. Ghandi said, Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment. 3. Lincoln said, Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. 4. Nietzsche said, Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. 5. Elie Wesel, Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself. 6. Malala stated, When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful. 7. Leo Tolstoy, in War and Peace, wrote: Power is a word the meaning of which we do not understand. D. False definitions of power verses God s definition of power. Why that matters. 1. Miriam-Webster: a) : ability to act or produce an effect b) ability to get extra-base hits c) capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect, legal or official authority, capacity, or right 1 of 6
d) possession of control, authority, or influence over others, b : one having such power; specifically : a sovereign state, c : a controlling group : establishment often used in the phrase the powers that be, d archaic : a force of armed men, physical might E. Antonyms - impotence, inability, incompetence, weakness, failure, loss, uselessness, infirmity, surrender, yielding. F. 2 Timothy 1:7, For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-disciple. 1. Power = dynamos a) Plato said, Dynamos is the absolute mark of being. 2. Power is the absolute mark of living. a) Is that really true? Is that what we think? Much of Plato s thoughts are still relevant. 3. We get another glimpse of the corrosive nature of power in Vaclav Havel s 1991 acceptance speech for the Sonning Prize. Havel was a poet, playwright, and opponent of communism in Czechoslovakia before the revolution. Through a series of unexpected events, he became the President of the country. In 1991 he was honored for his work and took advantage of that opportunity to express his worry about the changes in his life. He had previously criticized politicians. But now he understood how difficult it was to be close to power without succumbing to it. In his speech he notes that people are in office for one of three reasons: they really want to serve and believe they can make things better for others; they want to be affirmed, to shape the world in their own image; or they like the perks that come with the job. These three are intertwined; no one ever says, I m in it for the glory or the perks. He initially viewed his public service as a sacrifice. The perks were to be endured. But the line is hard to see and easy to cross. It only made sense to employ a driver, given his busy schedule. It only made sense to use police escorts, given the wide-ranging places he needed to be. It only made sense to bring medical personnel directly to him, given that he could not miss important events for a tooth ache. It only made sense to hire a chef and ship in quality ingredients, given that he couldn t shop for his own food, and he couldn t serve other heads of state anything but the best. Havel was unable to say where the best interests of the country stopped and the love of privileges began. It was virtually impossible to keep his sense of judgment. Havel argues that politics is not a dirty business. Instead, it requires especially pure people because it is so easy to become morally compromised. There are a lot of people with a lot of power in America: people who lead companies and have climbed to the top. There is something very dangerous in thinking, I deserve this. After all, I m president, I took the risk, I studied for years, I worked harder than anyone else. Those who work hard and take risks deserve more upside. That s the best system we can hope for in this broken world. The problem is that power corrodes your soul. The line between appropriate and inappropriate power is very hard to see and very easy to cross, even if we are doing doing our best to embrace humility, show grace, and put the needs of others ahead of our own. 2 of 6
4. III. Trouble and Conflict in the Bible A. The verses we are looking at are written by a man who was imprisoned in one of the most powerful empires to ever exist - the Roman Empire. He was an enemy of the state for his beliefs and teachings. The powerful were worried about the power that he possessed. B. Jesus was killed because the powerful were afraid to lose their power. The power that they thought they had caused them to miss out on Jesus. 1. Think of people that you ve asked to come to church - what stops them from doing it? 2. What tempts you away from serving in the children s ministry, student ministry, visiting nursing homes, learning to play the drums, or reaching out to build friendships with nonbelievers in order to bring to them the love, grace, and power of Jesus? (Is it the perks that come from your powerful position?) C. What power did Jesus and the new Followers of Jesus have? 1. Power is mentioned 335 times in the Bible. 200 in the OT. 135 in the NT. In Paul s writings we see him use the word 44 times. 2. Matthew 3:11, I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 3. Jesus can t even answer a dumb question because it s so dumb. Matthew 22:29, Jesus replied, You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 4. Woman touched the hem of his robe. Mark 5:30, At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, Who touched my clothes? 5. John 19:10-12, 10 Do you refuse to speak to me? Pilate said. Don t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you? 11 Jesus answered, You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin. 12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar. 6. Acts 19:1-20, While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[a] you believed? They answered, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. 3 So Paul asked, Then what baptism did you receive? John s baptism, they replied. 4 Paul said, John s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus. 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became 3 of 6
D. a IV. obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out. 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you? 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. [c] 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. 7. Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 8. 1 Corinthians 1:18, For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 9. 1 Corinthians 4:20, I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 10. Grace and Good News in the Bible A. God has all the power. 1. John 19:10-12, 10 Do you refuse to speak to me? Pilate said. Don t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you? 11 Jesus answered, You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. 4 of 6
2. There are people alive that have more power than you. But there is not one person, group of people, or nation, that has more power than God. 3. B. The cross gives us the power. 1. 1 Corinthians 1:18, For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. C. You will receive that power through the Holy Spirit. 1. Acts 1:8, You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. D. a V. Grace and Good News in our World A. 2 Timothy 1:7, For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-disciple. B. (Grief) No matter what you are facing - C. (Going for it) No matter how ambitious your goal - D. (Haters, doubters, physical barriers) No matter the opposition - E. (oppressed, emotionaly scarred) No matter the fear - F. VI. Conclusion A. Take aways 1. Write down that goal! 2. Sign up for that class! 3. Shave your head! 4. Hold your head up high! 5. Ignore those who would try and hold you back! 6. Wake up, get dressed, and boldly head out into that day For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power B. Ephesians 3:16-21, I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. C. My friend Rich is powerful 1. This verse was the verse for our college. Our President had the nearly impossible job of moving a traditional college with very little funding to an entirely new location in a cornfield. He faced opposition in every way you could ever understand. Their are still people that doubt it. But, without his faith in Jesus that school would be dying the death that a lot of other little bible colleges are. Instead - they are producing church leaders equipped to minister in our changing culture. 5 of 6
2. Rich did an amazing thing. Something that many of us here would be far too afraid to try. Something I m not sure if I would have the courage to do. He did it by the power of God, not by his own power. That seems inspiring to read this... and to think back on what God did through ordinary people who had a courageous faith in the extra-ordinary God. I believe that what captivated me was the part of the scripture in 21 where God's glory would show up in the Church (and Christ Jesus) in every generation. My passion was for His Immeasurable glory to show up in our corner through the College carrying out its compelling mission in a way that pointed to the measure of HIS capacity rather than any human strategy. Be sure to emphasize the "power of God at work in us" through people who believe that God's immeasurably more, un-explainable, glory would be seen in the corner where we work and live. 6 of 6