Clothed with Power [Part 1]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright model Thursday night mojo were brought to the church not Holy Spirit and somebody close around zigzagging on the highway going about 90 miles an hour and almost quit the farm. I called and I was feeling a whole lot of things but none of them would love higher power is presented, rebuild the church in North Carolina.

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More on this later in the program but right now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright this every good gift and every great challenge of the Christian life.

All is to be lived by. Also the gift of God's own power everything that he's invited you into every blessing and every challenge.

He provides the powerful rent.

I want to talk to you about higher power phrase that AA made popular by really describes the sense of power from on high and we can start today and will go all the way through the Christmas season talking about the spirit filled life and what it means to live empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The little chill in the air and and I got talking about the inevitable coming of winter, and somehow are conversation turned to the inevitable power outages to see Mike in our neighborhood.

We've had more than our fair share.

Recently they know, and in funny like it when you know there's a power outages that you just all of a sudden you just like first thing in your mind. Do I have power pull into your neighborhood and you're looking on the stoplights working are the streetlights working and then you can start looking at other houses around your simple and they would do. We got power, the power and member last year went on. We can implement the neighborhood and we saw that the other houses seem to have lights on as I guess we got power and we got to the house and we did realize is because my neighbors get generators more more people are getting my wife. She said, and then we saw Jesus I want to get a generator. They range from simple ones. He can run like a refrigerator. Get the whole house systems you got some of those posh whole house systems that seamlessly just turn on the power goes out.

I got some friends that got those nice ones. And so when people are experiencing outages. There's just one thing around smugly. You know where my friend recently of the power was out and he has Moses invested you just hoping the power would go out once it just that you could have your automatically cut on and watch a movie on your 70 inch screen and open the freezer as many times as you want to get out snacks during the power generator, you know. And the idea of a generator is something that is the ideas is generating power see it's not. In fact, you gotta take gas or whatever natural gas are inputted into the generator and then it reduces electricity is not generating power that is translating power into a different stream of power and so what, where and when does it come from well if you put gas in it where that come from fossil fuel where that come from the sun amount understand physics but basically all this energy came from the sun awarded that his son get its energy. So what we believe is that in the beginning there was a divine creator or who is himself generating of his own being power, who said, let there be light is what I believe and that then suddenly light hundred and six's 86,000 miles a second starts penetrating the darkness is the spirit of God is brooding over the chaos of the deep and bringing order where there was disorder that there is a power source to the cosmos, but no science could never figure it out, and we believe God is that source of power and when you start thinking about the power of God and reading the Scriptures you will see that everywhere in the Scripture, the promise is that you will have power from God.

Let's start today as we get in this series. In Luke chapter 24 where the disciples are overjoyed that Jesus has appeared to them after the resurrection, but they are having a hard time believing he allows them to touch him and then he makes this incredible promise to them, says Luke 24 verse 40 and when he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet and while they still disbelieve for joy and were marveling. He said to them have anything here to eat and they gave recent broiled fish and he took it and ate it almost a little humor from Jesus.

They are like God share how real I am a member piece of fish from the fishermen and then he said to them, these are my words that I spoke to was there with you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and he said to them, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem and you are witnesses of these things, and behold, I'm sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Three and focusing on that verse.

I'm sending the promise of my father stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Think about this. The disciples had been with Jesus for three years almost 24 seven and just got to wrap your mind around this. They had been literally physically with the Savior of the world with God in the flesh for three years. They witnessed all of his miracles. Everybody that he healed every demon he cast out saw him raise the dead, they watched miracles when crowds that were hungry had no food and suddenly there was food. They watched him walk on water. They heard him call hurricane force winds by word. They heard every one of his teachings, precious teachings, infinite wisdom pouring from his mouth. I saw how we handle adversity and then they had seen the fulfillment of Scripture that he would be crucified, and now he was in their midst raised from the dead.

He he was there. They said here. Touch me watch me eat a piece of fish. It really is. I they were they were in the presence of the resurrected Lord Jesus three years with them seen all the miracles heard all the teaching and witness firsthand the resurrection of Jesus Christ in there with him and they are now chomping at the bit to go tell the world about this and he said don't don't try to do any of the Christian life until you are clothed with power.

If there was anybody who had ever been qualified to begin Christian ministry. It was those disciples right man went to seminary for three years. It didn't feel like I was on a walk with Jesus for three years. Is there amen there are days on my what are we even talking about here. You know, higher criticism and this and that you know and all the socially Jimmy on just like and they had been with him and they'd seen it all. They'd even had moments were Jesus had shared his authority with them and they'd already tasted what is like music and he said wait in Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high. Do not try to do any of the Christian life by your own power, even though you've been with me for three steady years. While Helen Wright will have more teaching moment from today's important series, the better marriage you don't need more good you need more good news. Marriages like people are changed by human effort or even principles change by the gospel of grace sessions and lead you and your spouse into a fresh encounter with God's grace. Sinful grayscale process that makes great communication discover the freedom of forgiveness and celebration to learn how to pray for your last one another with ground when you're in the video series licensing company is going through some special challenges when your marriage is a powerful transformational tree in your marriage. Marriage the grace of God. When you get right ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get to go. We look for special offer. We are happy for Misty Banks from Alan Wright Ministries, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and got a whack today's teaching you once again is if you read the Bible just plainly and you see the description of the Christian life and you see what were called to the Christian life, then it makes sense to you. Just knowing and believing that Jesus is who he said he is that not enough because we can't know the stuff in the Bible.

I was thinking about how much I like basketball and you know you get My Carolina cargoes again when yesterday in football but after three losses.

My thoughts are real basketball and I love basketball is a killer basketball. I love to watch a basketball. I like to go play basketball at the neighborhood at the at the at the driveway next door.

The rides they had best mobility by hanging out there. I was pretty good little guy playing horse and I could I could dribble ball handle pretty well and I love that I'd like to gone and been a basketball player at the University that was my I would love basketball, but I focus instead on on on on tennis and soccer because I I was not rising to the vertical stature that is conducive to playing basketball. Imagine if I were to chance to go play NBA basketball and the coach pulled me over to try to answer your NBA player right now is will want to do. I want to first go out there and wanted to just delete from around the foul line and it flies through the air and dumped the basketball, you know, maybe Michael Jordan we get that picture that this form of a pixel time if we got fly through the air. You got aside air and and and dumped the basketball or the real the real mystery of all time even remember spiderweb play Francies today. He is 5 foot seven and in 1986 he won the NBA slamdunk contest, 5 foot seven tower over spiderweb go to bully over and he's like go out there and the basketball I will and is is is and here's what you also need to build it. You build up rise up maybe get to elbow above the rim to block some of the shops that are common in and okay and want to go to Sprint full speed stop at the three-point line pull about 2 feet in the air over there for a moment and then with a flick your wrist want to start making some three point what what what what I do.

If the coach told me that that's what NBA player does go out there. At first I just be anxious at me like what are you expecting of me I can't do that if I tried it for a little while you what would happen. I would do this this is it for me and I would go sit in the bleachers and waiting to a few elite athletes in the world who can do it would go out there and I would cheer for heavy stopping time recently. Think about what the Christian life is described as being like what Jesus told us were going to like Matthew 543. You've heard it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

What we have special guest here last week as Lottie got to hear Sam storms and we have special needs on Thursday and Friday night many were special. We we prayed for hundreds of people to be freshly empowered by the Holy Spirit and if you not been here. We want to pray for you will pray for you today we continue to pray for the importation always. It was wonderful and Sam is so godly. I mean if he's got a vices. I don't know what it is except maybe too much love for Oklahoma football but is just you know Sam's biblical scholarship and I picked him up on Thursday night from the hotel were driving to church to come have a night to talk about the power of the Holy Spirit, whose is going to be in our midst and and somebody pulls around zigzagging on the highway going about 90 miles an hour and almost clipped the front of my car and I was feeling a whole lot of things but none of them would love Sam is can at least hope they get a ticket for that city.

I think that's godly enough, love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you once were not Matthew 18 it gets even stronger. Peter said how often my brother sin against me and I forgive him as many as seven times is in no 77 77 times. People forgive and forget.

Again, the people that hurt you the most.

What Matthew 18 it gets even gets even stronger is Jesus is blessed, blessed, blessed are you when other volume, persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven they burst when people are picking on you when people are are are persecuting you when you're getting denied your privileges because the gospel rejoice.

Jesus said in Matthew 10 proclaim as you go, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleansed lepers, cast out demons heal the sick, and if that's not scary enough Jesus just said it plainly in John 14.

Truly, truly, I say to you whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do and greater works than these will he do because I'm going to the father. If that's what it means to be a Christian. I think a lot of us feel like it's the coaches are good to go after jump from the free-throw line. Slamdunk basketball and we find ourselves going to keep doing that. So we sit in the bleachers and we wait and clap and cheer for the few people that we think can as if there some spiritual elite were learning today in the coming weeks if they're not any spiritual elite. You are the heirs and co-heirs of Christ in this power of the Holy Spirit is for every single believer. What I'm saying is not one shred of New Testament Christianity makes sense except for the power of the most high God, energizing, and equipping people to do the otherwise impossible not just talking about the supernatural healings an amazing miracle sort. I'm just about daily living, having joy in a depressed world having a hope in a discouraged environment having peace when your circumstances present no reason to have peace. All of the Christian life is impossible without the power the Holy Spirit is always interesting to me that people could think that Jesus is a good teacher and yet not divine linking air ministries last year did a survey of 3000 people and 52% of those polled said they believe that Jesus is a good teacher but not divine. But if if you're a teacher tells the students that there to rejoice when their persecuted love their enemies, heal the sick, and cleansed lepers and yet it's impossible to do, how to be a good teacher and making sense is only one way that the Christian gospel makes sense and that is the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the father's promise is just sort of dissect this key verse here in verse 49 I'm sending the promise of my Father upon you look at that there the promise of my father see in the Old Testament there were prophets who would speak forth by revelation, by the power of God. They have a revelation of God's own heart and our own thoughts and words and would speak that and there were priests who, by the power of God were reckoned as holy so that they can be mediators between God and humanity, and they would handle the holy things and then there were kings and they also were anointed, anointed to govern and anointed the fight on behalf of the people and administrative skills.

Everyone knew we got prophets and priests and kings and their special and their set apart but God had made this promise that what you see glimpses of in episodes and in temporary anointing that come upon these very special leaders. He saying this is my plan for all of my people to live in this sort of power. Alan Wright good news message clothed with power from the series higher power. I encourage you to stay with his past rail in his back. You're in the studio sharing a parting good news thought for all of us today. In just a moment better marriage. You don't need marketing you need more good news. Marriage is like people are changed by human effort or even principles change by the gospel of grace sessions and lead you and your spouse into a fresh encounter with God's grace. Sinful grayscale process that makes great communication discover the freedom of forgiveness celebration to learn how to pray for your last one another with ground when you're in the video series licensing company marriage is going through some special challenges when your marriage is powerful transformational tree is for your marriage. The grace of God. When you get right ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get to go. We look for special offer.

We are happy for Misty as I thanked him Alan Wright Ministries, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and got a work in your life.

Grayscale's free grace and encouragement is free. Pastor I got away but now with pastor now and in the beginning of the series higher power and is there something about that word power maybe some of the shy away from and say well that's that's not for me. I'm not a leader. I don't need power. What would you say is we introduce the series but there's not one shred of the Christian life that God intended for human beings to live a merely human power.

And there's not one shred of the Christian life that God has called us to live.

That can be lived by human power. If you think of Daniel all the things that we read about in the in the Bible and then we see that we are called to be doing, whether it is simple is love your neighbor and love your enemy, or if it is to speak to a mountain that it would be thrown into the sea. Whatever it might be even the things that seem smaller. We can't do that by her own power, but all of this God means for us to do by the power of his own spirit who is within us, so we as Christians everyone of us were clothed with power and we can learn more about walking and that, thanks for today.

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