The Pervasive Power Of The Kingdom Of God

Power and the pursuit of power has always have filled fascination in our society and our culture. And as I looked around realize it's really there are basically three groups of people. There are those who are impressed with power and they really stand in awe of power and then there are those who are working all their lives to pursue power and trying to get power and the problem is the power is like a bar of wet soap every time you try to grab the goods away from and then there is 1/3 group of people who think that they have the power I heard about two American Indians who were communicating with each other in the state of Nevada. But there were communicating through smoke signals, and obviously they can do that will never understand how it works but they do. One was perched on top of a hill and the other one on the other hill in the valley between them and the one person would just send some smoke signals up and down the other one response to and once in some more smoke signal, the other one response to, and that went on for a while and thereby desert the US government was doing some nuclear testing and all of a sudden a huge blast of dust came up and then you looked over there and he said wow I wish I can talk like that. That's power. Power in the fascination with it has always been part of human nature. Calvin Coolidge the 30th President of the United States found himself one day on an Indian reservation speaking to an American Indian tribe and they were people who are really in the midst of suffering, they have not had rain in months. The negative medicine man. The rainmakers know they dance. They did their magic with nothing was happening. The skies were cloudless and the crops were going to ruin and Calvin Coolidge was looking at the faces of the first group of American Indians and he began to speak. Like most politicians, he said, don't think that in Washington have not been aware of your situation. Don't think that I haven't been wondering what I could do to help you don't think that I have not been praying to the Almighty God for guidance whereupon a veritable cloudburst literally descended upon the horrified surprised with the light of crowd and the president himself got drenched until they got him under shelter and as he watched the rain pouring.

He turned to one of his aides and said gosh I didn't know I had it in me. Well today I want to talk to you about the power that God has given to every believer but the believers somehow in this generation have not realized what the importance of that power is that power that the Scripture talks about that is working the life of believers. The Bible said is the same power that has raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Now think about the power of that power. For a moment, the parable of the leaven is all about power. It is about the transforming power of God is about the real, lasting power and not the temporary power that is glorified by secular society. This parable is about how God's power when it is working in the weakest among us and through the least among us can be a formidable power that no one can defeat. Now if you are fascinated by power. If you are intimidated by power wanted to listen very carefully to this message about the real power and how to get and how to use it and how to activate attend with me please to Matthew 13 verse 33 in verse 33 of Matthew 13 Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like 11 which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened. Jesus does not give us an explanation of this parable, like he does with other parables, but I can promise you that is not a single disciple, who was listening to him. They did not understand what he was talking about the not understand the things that he was describing because back then, there was not a single home in ancient Palestine that a woman did not bake the bread in the house.

They don't have these modern-day gizmos where you put all the ingredients in one hand and the good bread. On the other hand, women were constantly breaking bread in large quantities because bread was the major food.

In fact, in some incidents is the only food that they had in the way they made bread was this a woman with keep a little bit of the dough and reported in a nice warm spot and four or five days later when she is making a new batch after she mixes the flour with the water. She opens kind of in the middle a little gap and then puts that little small pleas that she had kept from the previous meeting and puts it in and then cover them. Leave it for a little while and then become so large, sometimes up to three times the original size of the go. That is the way the leaven or the yeast would ferment in that batch of dough in order to make bread. The smallest piece of 11 or yeast given enough time.

It pervades the entire batch. This small pleas of 11 would penetrate every particle of the dough is small quantity of 11 can have a transforming influence upon the entire batch. This small piece of 11 so Jesus works silently but it works persistently in impacting the entire though the other three measures as specifically as an ESA in the Old Testament that is the major thereby which most households used to make bread.

In fact, in the Old Testament is that info or equal to a bushel of flour is the amount of flour that is used in the meal offering and the meal offering always symbolize the fellowship with God. The meal offering always symbolize the dedication of one's life to serving the living God, the meal offering was always symbolizing of the welcoming heart and the hospitable heart that is open to the living God. In Genesis 18, six it was those three measures with a portion that Sarah had put together. When she was baking bread for the heavenly visitors in the book of Judges chapter 6 verse 19 Gideon put three measures of flour than baked bread for the angel of the Lord. So what is the point of this parable. The point of the story is this God's power working supernaturally and invisibly. And yet, by faith can do great and mighty thing.

The power of the kingdom of heaven is greater then its initial size, the power of the kingdom of heaven is greater then it's initial appearances. The smallest part of the kingdom. When it is placed in a conducive environment. It has influence beyond its size.

Why because it is the power of God's own spirit because God's power of the Spirit of God is symbolized here in the leaven the power of the kingdom is the power of the king.

That's really what it's all about to say it with me the power of the kingdom is the power of the king was that again the power of the kingdom is a part of the king and that same power is working in you. The Bible said that same power is available to you.

But the problem is in our culture and our secular society.

We think of all kinds of power we implement an important and bring into our lives and into our businesses and into our churches. The powers are described and used in the world that power of the king, plus the least among us equal a household of power, a powerhouse that cannot be defeated and that is why I want to tell you I love the clear to publicly. I do not understand those who say that God does not perform miracles anymore.

Those who think that God putting God in a box and say no this is the word God must work he works no other way. Those who rationalize their lack of faith by saying that denying the power of Jesus Christ that it is the Bible said yesterday today and forever.

It is not was at some point, but not now. Many people because of the fake healers and the false healers in them and miracle workers tend to deny God's miracle simply because somebody is fake and falls but does not want the is teaching here is what he is teaching us today that when the power of God comes upon the life of an obedient child that when the power of God comes upon the remnant that when the part of God comes to a surrendered life. The power of God comes to a broken life that when power of God comes upon a repentant life when the part of God is exercised in phases exercised when this power is poured upon those who love him than it is a great power and mighty power even in our cynical society today when his power is fermented in the lives of those who welcome him. Those who receive him. Those who walk with him and those who fear him when his power is penetrating every area of your life. I don't care what it is.

There is no private area that God is not allowed to get into when his power and the power of his Holy Spirit are not grieved and quenched by sin and by disobedience, it will transform all the particles of the dough. How does it work or please listen carefully, because there is an order here. God does everything in order. There is a first and there is a second.

First of all, the Lord Blevins asks.

And then we are able to live in society. I will never understand the never acceptable. Leave all those were trying to do good without the power of God.

It might be a limitation of the power of God, but I believe always, always, the power of God transforms an individual and then the individual is able to transform society. I believe that first the power of God is displayed in us and then we are able to display his power in the world. God first forgives us and then he gives us the power and the ability to be able to say to somebody I forgive you.

First, God comforts us as the apostle Paul, then we are able to go and comfort. Somebody else first.

He restores us and then we are able to restore others. This is how it works. Some people who love to put the cart ahead of the horse, but it doesn't work through this parable, the Lord brought a tremendous rebuke upon my life as most of you know I take time to be alone with God. And I pray/seek the Lord and I look at the text and study it and study it in and give us a Lord you what you want me to tell you people and not one time the Lord is ever failed me so graciously comes through again and again. There are times when the Lord says okay put your pencil down. I want to talk to you, who you don't want to do that very often because when he does he does rebuke me encourages me to tell young women take the risk of being vulnerable and share this with you. Praying that God will use it to bless your life.

The God will use it to speak your heart for a long time. I think since ever the days of my beginning of my ministry is always been a prayer in my heart and prayers were simple Lord, getting out of the way, Lord, give me out of the way or remove me in order that you might accomplish your purpose.

That's always been my prayer is my private pram or public prayer. It is the desire of my heart. But here's a rebuke, the Lord brought to me in my life from this parable looks as if you were going to be the dose you want to go and I believe I am denied most of the job praying and saying, Lord, give me out of the way. Maybe a nice humble way to privacy wrong way to pray as his 11 penetrates every area of this dove as he penetrates every area of my life. Then he can use me getting out of the way is not the answer. What the Lord taught me is this just as the lesson intermingled with the go until the distinction between the two has become imperceptible. Even so, that I must allow the 11 of the Holy Spirit in the power of the Holy Spirit in every part of my life if I am to serve this purpose. Look, you know, and I know that God can do his work without any of you invest me. He can do it. He will do better job most likely is not a secret but God chooses not to work this way he chooses to work through individuals. He chooses to use individuals. So it is not for the individuals to get out of the way but for the individuals to be consecrated for individuals to be filled of the leaven of the power of the Holy Spirit for the individuals to allow the 11th of penetrates every part of my life in order that our be able to show the way, and I believe this is consistent with Jesus saying in John 15 for abide in me and I in you without me you can do nothing. Now of course I can never deal with this parable without explaining to you the group of wonderful godly evangelical scholars who do not share this interpretation. I want to tell you what they say and you my like there is better than mine. That's all right. There are some scholars who say that since leaven in the Old Testament is always associated with evil and corruption. Therefore what the Lord Jesus Christ is referring to here in this parable is a corrupting evil that is going to invade his church. This going to come into this church is going to make the dough rise and swell with.

In reality, it's a bad it's a bad leaven well.

There is no doubt in my mind that the visible church is not really the real church. There are so many people in the church. We do not belong to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and that there is corruption in many ways in the church, but it is in my personal judgment that this is twisting the clear reference here, the Lord Jesus makes regarding the positive influence of the leaven. I want to give you an illustration to show you that sometimes a negative symbol can be used positively. We know that in the Scripture. The serpent is associated with evil but in the book of Numbers chapter 21 verses 809 people dying and God calls Moses, and he said Moses I want you to make a serpent that is made of bronze and I want you to lifted high up and everybody who would look at that serpent is going to be healed and Moses dead, and those who will buried the command of God will heal and the Lord Jesus Christ himself in John 314 said as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness show must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Therefore, the context always determine the symbolic meaning in here in this parable.

Clearly the leaven symbolizes the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom. When Jesus said in Luke 12 one. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. He was saying that leaven has power leaven and hypocrisy have powerful and pervasive influence in Galatians 59 Paul said that leaven has powerful and pervasive influence is what he said and little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough in first Corinthians chapter 5 verse six Paul said the same thing in Romans what is he saying that leaven has evil power. But good ungodly leaven has good ungodly power. In fact, Israel was asked for one week a year. Remove all the leaven out of their home in order that they might only eat unleavened bread.

Why in order to remember the misery in order to remember their sin in order to remember their deliverance and because of the pervasive power of the leaven. There were not allowed to bring it out of Egypt because that was bad.

Leaven, they construct new start afresh in order tell you that you will live in my life before Christ was filled with bad leaven, evil leaven, but I life after Christ has good ungodly leaven your lies before Christ in my life before Christ were influencing people for the wrong our lives after Christ is influencing people for righteousness were explained to another illustration from the practice of the Jewish people. When a Jewish girl gets married. Her mother gives her the most precious gift of all. She gives her a small of leavened bread dough that is just been mixed literally just before the wedding. Incidentally, I hear that young people today. Also when they get married they won't go but love the stuff of death of but back then. Leaven, though, was a very special gift that a mother can give her daughter and from that gift of leaven the bride would batch bread for her household weekend and we got year and a year out, and for the rest of her life and then she passes it on to the daughter the coast of the bride that precious gift of leaven that she got from her home reminder of the love and the blessedness and the joy of the household in which you grew up. I want to tell you and those of you who will identify with this will understand what I'm talking about the greatest joy for a committed believer for a committed follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The greatest joy in the world is to see how his leaven.

Her leaven is transformed into somebody else's life and produced a new life in Christ there is no greater joy is sheer delight to watch people who rent themselves of the leaven of malice and bitterness and hatred and become filled with the leaven of love and joy and peace. The greatest blessings that a father or a mother has is when they see their children receive the leaven of the kingdom of God into their lives and then they begin to live our lives over raised new dough in Christ there is no greater joy. There is no greater privilege. You can give the long education in the world even give them all the money in the world. But the greatest joy is when you give them the leaven of life that the Lord Jesus has placed in you. You know whether you know it or not I whether you agree with me or not and whether you accept this or not, your life is 11. It really is your life has a leavening influence and power, whether you know it or admit it or not, only sour leaven produces automatic celebrated but Christ centered personality, Christ anchored personality will produce Christ centered influence particular upon those who are closest to us, Christ centered life will produce Christ centered lives. This is the real power that God has given you, and has given me, and most times we don't know that we have it in us. The first train of thought, we have is what is logical what is acceptable and what people gonna say about this and all the other things instead of saying all God you promise. The apostle Paul that in my weakness. Your power is perfect what you do with the leaven that is placed in your life is up to you how to use the leaven that is been placed in your life. It's up to you.

Some of you may not have received the leaven yet you still living in the world is still carrying on the leaven of corruption on the leaven of malice and of hatred and hypocrisy today clean that out when I give you illustration from real life.

I pray to God that you will understand the point here is his most incredible story of ever read back in 1923, a group of six men have decided to gather together to celebrate the power. Between them they control the massive amount of money they have enormous control not only of wealth but of power and one day they agreed to meet in Chicago in order to celebrate this power to revel in the power to delight themselves in this power. One historian relays what happened to those men in the years that followed 1923.

When did they did meet in Chicago and celebrate the power and I'm going to tell you what happened number one Charles Schwab was the president of the largest independent steel company. He lived on borrowed money for the last five years of his life and died penniless.

Richard Whitney, the president of the New York Stock Exchange of the time served time at Sing Sing prison, Albert fall, a former member of the president's cabinet was pardoned so that he may go home and die in his house.

Jesse Livermore the grid bearing Wall Street committed suicide. Leon Fraser, who was the president of the Bank of International settlement committed suicide. Ivan Kruger, head of the world's largest monopoly committed suicide the power that they once celebrated proved to be in the Lujan Mirage is not power at all the power that you can lose is not really power because the power of the good leaven is the only power that no one, no one, no one can take away from it is God's gift to you.

I will ask you today, which power you pursue which power are you intrigued with which power do you possess and use God wants you to have his power because when you have God's power, you would have power with God and you don't have power with men and they have power with you that power you can never lose all the recessions and depressions of the world cannot deprive you of it world collapse to never take that away from you all.

The loss could never lose this one. The spirit of God has been speaking to you; I have found myself pursuing wrong kind of power going down the wrong alleys I got nothing but frustration to show forth with today. I'm glad to rediscover the real power power with God and the power of God. The greatest power that anyone can have the spirit of God has spoken to you the spirit God has convicted you. I don't want you to leave this room without making that commitment to Christ that you are not only going to discover rediscover that power, but use it and be used by him.

I will ask every heart. Everyone who is here because never committed a life to Jesus Christ sick Lord I did not understand this. I come to you in repentance and want you to forgive me my sins, I come to you and I thank you for receiving me. Now I receive you, I need the power of God, not my own power on the Mirage along the real thing. Father God. Your word never disappoints us.

My words can cause headache in my words can mean nothing without the power of the Holy Spirit in the power of your word father we can do nothing and father are list up to every individual who wanted rediscover the power of God working in the life that God will never disappoint us come up on the lives even now. Father God, I pray show them the way father use us in a mighty way that the world will sit and take notice and no that we speak of the heavenly power, not earthly, in Jesus name I pray, amen. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that LTW.Ward