Power and Perils

Introduction

It is so good to see so many here with an interest in spiritual things. Those who gather and worship our God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Let’s be sure to keep Ken and Deedra in our prayers, as well as the others that you might know who have COVID. Ken said last night that their symptoms have been mild, at least as of last evening. And this is more of a concern for our safety than theirs. Kind of a quarantine type thing. But let’s be sure to keep them in our prayers. This morning, the first Lord’s Day of a New Year, I thought it would be beneficial to talk about the power of God as well as the perils we need to sidestep as we live a faithful life in Christ.

And not just for this coming year of 2022, but our lives beyond that. When you discuss spiritual things with those who lack in living a Christ-like life, the question often comes up, saying, how do I keep from falling to temptations? They might say, I know what God wants, but how can I keep from falling? And this is such a good question, not only for them, but for anyone that knows God and knows what God wants from those that follow him. And as we go into 2022, we can probably all use a boost in knowing God better, and can use a boost in our confidence toward him and his power. We need to recognize power and where it comes from and the perils that we must avoid.

1. The Power of God

In Exodus chapter 9, Exodus chapter 9, verses 13 through 16, we find Moses and Pharaoh. And Moses is telling Pharaoh of the seventh plague that is about to come about, the plague of hail. God instructs Moses to go to Pharaoh and say, Thus saith the Lord God of Hebrews, let my people go that they may serve me. Verses 14 through 15, it says, For at this time I will send all my plagues to your very heart and on your servants and on your people, that they may know that there is none like me in all the earth. Now, if I had stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. Verse 16, but indeed, for this purpose, I have raised you up, that I may show my power in you, and that my name may be declared in all the earth.

Pharaoh, the mightiest man on earth at this time, was nothing but a tool for God. He was a tool at God’s disposal. God raised him for a specific purpose to show the people the power of God.

God brought Pharaoh to power for this purpose. And my thoughts are that Pharaoh could have been by his own choice a good ruler and could have shown the power of God in good ways. But sin was in Pharaoh’s heart, so God hardened his heart to the point of no repentance for a while and used it for his purpose. Pharaoh was given a stubbornness of heart not to yield to God. Think, by the power of God, the results were the Israelites and the Egyptians were shown who had real power. In fact, Paul makes mention of the same event as he was writing to those in Rome in Romans chapter 9 and verse 17, as he was speaking on God’s mercy. Paul, who also told those in Rome and in Romans chapter 1 and verse 16, he says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.

He tells those in Corinth and 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 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. The power of God.

David writes in his Psalms in six uh Psalm 62, verse 11, that power belongs to God. We sing from our song books. The power belongs to the Lord. David also speaks of God being clothed with power in Psalms chapter 65 and verse 5. But also that God gives strength and power to his people. We find this in Psalm 68, verse 35. Then ends that verse with the phrase, or with the statement, David making, blessed be God. The power of God, not only over man, but over everything. For example, how did God make the world and all that’s in it? He said, Let there be. And you know what? There was. That is power. How did he bring man to life? He breathed into his nostril the breath of life.

2. The Power of Life

We find this in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. God created us by intent. He wanted us to have life. That is his power. The sermon this morning is focused on the power, God’s power, and the strength and power that we can gain through his word, as well as perils that we’re faced, which can result in our failures and being obedient to his word. We have seen the power of God, but what about the power of life? There are those whose life’s biggest drive within each individual is the will to live. And how sad that is. If we look at God’s power in being alive versus being dead, we might go to or think of passages such as Lazarus when Jesus raised him from the dead, or Jesus, God raising him from the dead after he was crucified.

And there’s several places in the Gospels mentioning the dead being raised for the specific purpose of showing that Jesus truly was and is the Son of God. These examples show God’s power over our physical lives. When we speak of power in the flesh, Jesus tells us the Spirit, as was read just a few moments ago, the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Jesus says this in the Garden of Gethsemane. But John mentions life eternal when speaking of the Jesus and them abiding in him and those who would try to deceive them. In 1 John chapter 2 and verse 25, he says, and this is the promise that he has promised us, eternal life. But when we speak of eternal life, this removes the flesh and blood, conscience or breathing, or our bodies being alive or not alive.

And it brings us into the eternal. But consider this the weakness of the flesh mentioned by Jesus could be a peril to our faith. Thus we need to be prepared. In 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 12, Paul instructs the young preacher Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on to eternal life. He also told Timothy that this eternal life was promised to us before the beginning of time. We find this in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 19. But to gain this eternal life, we have to fight this good fight of faith. And to do this, according to 1 John chapter 5 and verse 20, it takes the power given to us from God. And this power comes from having an understanding.

That we know him, God, and his son. And we’re in him, and we are in him who is true, in his son Jesus. And that’s eternal life. As we look at the power of life, whether it be physical life or eternal life, we have to know that God is in control of all things. Even to the extent of having power over Satan. Jesus died for this very purpose, which gives us power over death through his death. Not to say that we’re not going to die, but that we have the power to put ourselves in eternal rest because of the sacrifice of Jesus, or we put ourselves in eternal punishment because we refuse to obey.

3. Power Over Death and the Peril of Satan

This results in eternal life through Christ. But just as we can have power over life, we can too have power over death. Not only is there power through Christ, by living a faithful life which offers eternal life, there is a peril, an opposite pull toward an eternal separation from God. And this is where Satan makes his presence.

We find this with Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5. He can tempt us because of our lack of self-control. We find this in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 5. He can take advantage of us. 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 11. He comes to us with power, signs, and lying wonders. That’s Satan.

And many, many turn to him. The power of Satan, which changes a person from being faithful to God, loving God, and obeying God to a person that lacks self-control. Their hearts being filled with lies, being taken advantage of. They give their lives over to Satan. They no longer fight that good fight. They have given up and have joined all others that have no hope.

Unfortunately, there are times when those who, like the high priest of the Pharisees who denies Jesus as the Son of God for their own personal well being or gain, there can be those in the church who does the same. Preachers, elders, deacons, saints, all can fall from the grace of God. Think about it. How much power Satan has if you give it to him. You see, Satan wants you and he will fight to get you, but we have the power to turn him away, to fight the good fight, to put God’s will before our will or desires in all things. And this is what God wants us to do, because he loves us. In Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 14, it says, inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death.

That is the devil.

Jesus, as God, being divine, could not die. So Jesus became as us, flesh and blood. In doing so, he could be sacrificed. His life could be given. And by him dying as the perfect sacrifice, he broke the power of Satan, which is eternal death. In Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 4, it tells us that the sins of Israel could only be pushed forward because it says it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Now, after the death of Jesus, they can be completely wiped away. Satan no longer has the hold on eternal death. Through the death of Jesus, we, the flesh and blood, now have the power to determine our eternal destination. And this is only possible through the death of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus was about to be baptized, John said to the Pharisees who were approaching in Matthew chapter 23 and verse 33, he says, Serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape the condemnation of hell? That’s a great question given by John. And then denying Christ as the Son of God, how can they possibly come to love and obey Jesus? They have the power to escape eternal damnation through accepting Jesus as God’s Son, but they too had a hardness of heart, like Pharaoh. John was telling them, you are against the very one who wants to save you. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes chapter 7 and verse 1. A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. This is so true for the righteous, but for the condemned, it’s not so much.

He also writes in chapter 8 and verse 8, he says, No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it. He is saying, once we die, it’s over. We cannot hold our spirits back, and we are all going to one day die. There is no more power. Nothing else can be done to assure our place in heaven. A life of wickedness or a life of sin will not give us that place in heaven with God our Creator. In chapter 12, verses 13 through 14 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon ends his book with the consolation, with a conclusion.

For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

4. There Is Power and Perils in Friendship

Many of us are brothers and sisters in Christ. But I have a question. How many of us are friends? Because there is power and there are perils in friendship. Think about a friend. How would you describe him or her? Maybe they’re good, examples, honest, fun to be with. These are all good attributes, but give me someone who cares for my soul. Such as Jesus says in the Garden of Gethsemane, Father, forgive them, they know not, or on the cross, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. In Acts chapter 7 and verse 60, Stephen asks, Lord, do not charge them with this sin before he died at the hands of those who were stoning him. A friend who prays for me when I’m sick, traveling, in times of weakness, the prayers of our friend should always be cherished.

But I want us to consider this. Who is your friend? How often do we fail at choosing friends today? We know that the worldly influences of our friends could be and how bad they can be, and that so many times they do not look out for our spiritual interests, but we say, yet, friend. In John chapter 15, verses 13 through 14, Jesus says, Greater love has no one, no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. He says in verse 14, you are my friends if you do whatever I command. In Matthew chapter 26, verses 49 through 50, immediately Judas went up to Jesus and said, Greetings, Rabbi, and kissed him. But Jesus said to him, and this is right before Judas betrays Jesus, Jesus says, Friend, why have you come?

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. Jesus, of course, knew why Judas had come to him and why Judas kissed him, yet he referred to him as friend. This would be that perfect love which can only be found in Jesus and his Father. Jesus laid his life down for Judas, his friend. However, Judas was not reciprocating that friendship. He did not do whatever Jesus commanded him. If you have a friend and which you can lean on in tough times and they help you your spiritual well being, you are blessed indeed. But know that a friend has the power to influence both in good ways and in bad ways. And while considering this, understand that there can also be power in an enemy.

Think about the friends just mentioned. Honest, fun to be with, good examples outwardly, but inwardly they might be the ravenous wolves that we read of. How about someone described by Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 5, saying, having a form of godliness, but denying its power, and from such people turn away. Hypocrites. Sometimes it is tough to know who is your friend and who is your enemy. But when a friend shows who they really are, if they are not who they seem to be, Paul says, from such to stay away or to turn away. But just like knowing who your friends are, the same rings true with enemies. Know who your enemies are. What I mean is this. A so-called friend could really be an enemy, but a so-called enemy could really be your friend.

An example is in Galatians chapter 4 and verse 16. Paul, as he is exhorting those in Galatia to live lives right in the sight of God, asks them, he says, Have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth? Was Paul the enemy or was he their friends? He told them what they did not want to hear, but he told them the truth to eternal life, not a lie just to make them feel good. In 3 John chapter 1, verse 11, John writing to Gaius, he calls a beloved or dear friend whom he loves in the truth. He says, Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.

Of course, a true friend will tell the truth in all things, even when being faced with being ostracized or hated in return. Concerning those who have put on Christ, but astrayed from the truth, Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 15, he says, We are not to count him as an enemy, but to admonish him as a brother. This is when a friend is a true friend. Even when viewed as an enemy, when they support you and help you and edify you in spiritual things and encourage you to walk the straight path, to fight the good fight, they have a caring love for you. And with this love is power.

5. The Power of Love and the Peril of Indifference

Just a few verses later in John 14, in verse 21, he who has he who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest or make known myself to him. Just a few verses after that, in verse 23, Jesus says, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Just a few verses after that, verse 24, the next verse. He who does not love me does not keep my words, and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father who sent me. In John chapter 15 and verse 9, he says, As the Father loved me, Jesus speaking, I also have loved you.

Abide in my love. In verse 10, if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. Just as I have kept my father’s commandments and abide in his love. Does anyone not see the power of the love of Jesus in these verses? Well, how about this? But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This is what Paul told those in Rome, in Romans chapter 5 and verse 8. Our love toward Jesus has the power to save. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Romans chapter 12 and verse 9. This is speaking of our love toward others. However, even when we are speaking of love toward God and his son, we have a hypocritical love when we refuse to obey his will.

When we put our will above his.

Guilt about it. This could be having an indifferent attitude toward God and his son. And that is the perils of being indifferent. Unfortunately, many have an indifferent at uh have an indifference toward God. They want what he offers. They proclaim love, but in action they are really indifferent. They want to do it their way. A very common case in point, you say you love Jesus until it comes to your will versus his will. How many of us will say, Thy will be done, and walk away from the temp to uh and walk away from any temptation? Hopefully, all of us, but it’s not always that easy. We can have strong wills. So our love can at times be based on our will. Jesus, on the other hand, loves unconditionally.

In Romans chapter 8, verses 35 through 39, it speaks of this very thing. Starting in verse 35, it says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written, verse 36, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Verse 38, for I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor heights, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

6. Power in Righteousness and the Perils of Sin

Thanks be to God that nothing can take the love of Christ from us, but we can choose not to love him. We can either hate him or be indifferent toward him, both condemned. And within this is the power of hate. It will separate us from our Father and take the hope that we have through Jesus away from us. We have the power to either deny God’s will, or we can use our will, our will power to be right with God and deny ourselves. Because after all, there is power in righteousness. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse 6 says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 10 says, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5, verse 20 says, For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. There are so many that claim righteousness, but the righteousness they speak of is their own. Just like the scribes and Pharisees who claim to be righteous, but were not. Matthew chapter 6 and verse 33, Jesus says, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 24, we are told to put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. Right before this, Paul speaks of a putting off of your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt with deceitful, uh deceitful lust, but to be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

This leads us to true righteousness, the righteousness which saves. Be right is in the sight of God. First John chapter 3 and verse 7. John says, Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. In verse 10, it says, In this, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest, are made known. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God. We read of the whole armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6. The need for this armor is in verse 13, to be left standing after we battle against flesh and blood, against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness, against wickedness in places you would not expect to find wickedness. We are told in verse 14, Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on a breastplate of righteousness, point is guard your hearts.

There is only one righteousness, the righteousness of God. Everything else leads to sin. Finally, the power and perils of sin.

Jesus saying, Depart from me, you who practice lawless lawlessness. This lawlessness is an untrue righteousness or a false righteousness or a righteousness not of God. It might be right with man, it might be right in society, but it is not right with God. Jesus says in Matthew chapter 12 and verse 30, he who is not with me is against me, or he who is not of true righteousness is of sin. Sin is the result of the battle of our will versus God’s. And our will prevails, thus sin. John chapter 8 and verse 21, Jesus says to some of the Jews, as he taught in the temple, I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.

Sin will not enter heaven. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 26 says, For if we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. James chapter 1 and verse 15. Then when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. Sin separates us from God. The only way to be once again right with God is to repent. As you probably guessed, there is really there is no secret pill to take which keeps us right with God. You can’t click your heels twice and say there’s no place like home. There is only your desire, your will, and a love for God and his son. Matthew chapter 26, Jesus is in the garden, as was read earlier.

Conclusion

He says, The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. At all costs, brothers and sisters, never lose that willing spirit. This will help you to continue fighting that good fight, which Paul encourages Timothy to do, to hold fast to that which is good, as we read in First Thessalonians.

Confess. Repent, and we will pray for you. If you struggle with private sins, which so many do, pray to God for courage to fight Satan and his power, to overcome the evil one. Pray for a tender heart to know that in your current state you do not have that hope of eternal life. And ask God for forgiveness with the intent to live right with him. If you’ve not yet made that good confession that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died for your sins, come forward to be baptized as he has commanded. We have that opportunity right now, as we all stand the same.

Are you farther of the land? Are you fully trusting in his grace?

In the soul of the land of God and silence, Are you walking in my Savior sight? Are you washed in the blood of the land? Do you rest peaceful in the cruise? Are you washed in the blood of the land? Are you washed in the blood? In the soul, cleansing blood of the land. Are you harnessed? Are they might as so? Are you washed in the blood of the land? Lay aside the harness and resting and be washed in the blood of the land. There’s a fountain flow before the soul be washed in the blood of the land. Are you washed in the blood? In the soul, cleaning blood of the land. Are you harnessed on the white so? Are you washed in the blood of the land?