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Powerful
2 Timothy 1:7
Your great faith
Powerful (1 of 9)
4 page
4/3/16
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
I.
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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.
d)
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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
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7.
8.
9.
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.”
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.”
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. “
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.
D. a
IV. 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.
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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.
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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.
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