Unstoppable - Learning to Walk in the Power of God, Part 2

How do you know when you're walking in your power and your strength more in the super natural power of the Holy Spirit today are Living on the Edge and I'll give you three characteristics of the know for sure when you're walking in the power of God stay with thanks for joining us for this edition of living will be with your finger tips are vital for this international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like wrist with a little chip series unstoppable. God's agenda for planet Earth less time to explain how we can share our faith without fear in a minute to impact how courage and wisdom were instrumental in one how we can apply those same virtues in our daily walk today before we get started if you're new to Living on the Edge missed any part of this series can always catch up on the trip from your nose chip part two of his message. Learning to walk in the power of God. The second lesson from ask for his fear not, the Holy Spirit will protect you can see what you say will that's that's coming out my mouth when you get a bad reputation or might just limit my job or you know WHAT works I could get really scary might have been on a missions trip or or so. Pretty soon we have this fear of what might happen. Notice what happens as we pick up the story in verse 13 when I saw the courage of Peter and John. They realize they were unschooled, ordinary men, that's good, that's who.

Most of us are, they were astonished and they took note of these men that they been with Jesus. But since they could see the man had been healed standing there with them. There was nothing they could say.

So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then they conferred together, what are we going to do with these men ask everybody living in Jerusalem knows that they've done an outstanding miracle, and we can't deny it but to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people.

We must warn these men to speak no longer any more in his name. Then they call them back again and commanded them to speak or teach no longer in the name of Jesus, but Peter and John reply Judge for yourselves whether it's right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we can not help speaking about what we have seen and heard and they had further threatened them than they let them go and I couldn't decide how to punish them because all the people were praising God for all that it happened for the minute man who was miraculously healed was over 40 years old.

We underline this one verse. We could not stop or help ourselves from thinking is unstoppable, but notice what he says he doesn't say we couldn't stop speaking about these intellectual arguments. We couldn't stop thinking about this obligation and duty.

He says we couldn't stop speaking about what we personally have seen and what we personally have heard you and I when I hear some of us as pastors tell people about what they need to do in terms of being more active and caring and sharing for their faith. I think we pushed the wrong end of the stick think it's a mixed metaphor, but you get the idea right so I think was telling people what they ought to do to do out of you to do. Here's the deal.

When you are experiencing the love of Jesus in your experiencing his power. When you see him working in you when you hear his voice, you won't be able to stop telling people about what's going on is what happened over time as you start caring way less about what people think of you and way more about how much God thinks of them and it's free. Notice the promise that Jesus gave. He says the Holy Spirit will protect you, fear not, and then noticed the very last night. I mean, he knew that these were people that lived with Jesus for three years night and they knew him and on the very last night.

He said I've told you these things so that in me you may have peace in this world you have trouble. But take heart.

I've overcome the world. He protected Peter and John doesn't mean you not have a hard time they had a night in jail will see later they go through some difficult times, but got a protect you protect your heart protect your children protect you, your fears, you need understand when you boldly step out and allow him, not just to your life but your words to speak. He'll take care of you kill protect you coming. He's God. He spoke in the world came into existence, and he loves you and he loves those people that you care about so many times right you get right there and the words are stuck right here and you just can't get amount.

There is no other name given to manager heaven, by which we must be saved.

You are the conduits you are the greatest Christian some people know some people may never hear unless they hear through you and me. The third lesson is fear not, the Holy Spirit will empower you. Some of us feel like you and I just I don't have what it takes not just that I don't know what to say. I just I just don't have what it takes.

Notice how the story continues on verse 23 and where and how they experience God's power on their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and they reported all that the chief priests and elders and said to them when they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. Listen to this prayer, sovereign Lord, they said you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them you spoke by the Holy Spirit to the mouth of your servant, our father David, and then they quote Psalm chapter 2 why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain. The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his anointed one to see what they're doing.

They were just taking baby steps. I mean the morning just it was just less than 48 hours ago Peter sits on his way to prayer meeting. He doesn't know anything anymore than you and I on the way to the prayer meeting this happens in the miracle happens and he ends up in jail. That is, in front of all these really smart powerful people and stuff starts coming out of his mouth when he got done with that I but John will men where that come from home member. He said he would speak truth without happen and then they leave and they go back and they tell the people this is what happened when they realize what a second.

This is exactly what David prophesied. He said the nations would rage they would come against his Messiah in the notice what the text says, and it is as a pray to the God who created everything who's in charge you sovereign what what is he say indeed gives examples Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles with the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and your will had decided beforehand should happen now, Lord, consider their threats and notice his request. Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness, stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And then, in response, like God saying you boys you're on the right track.

Verse 31 after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God boldly not notice one line that made Kaci was verse 29 verse 28 right above it. They did what your power and your will had decided beforehand should happen. God wasn't caught off guard by Judas.

He wasn't caught off guard by Herod. It wasn't caught off guard by the religious leaders or by the Gentiles need understand there's a sovereign God over his story that we call history and he's absolutely in control. However, he gave us as individual beings. The freedom to make choices that were responsible for Judas the Gentiles, Herod, Pontius Pilate, they freely made those choices that God was aware of.

He is absolutely sovereign in their absolutely responsible free moral agents. Any time you pushed either of those things to an extreme.

You get in trouble.

God's ship of history will arrive exactly where he determines it to be, but inside of that ship of history on the journey we all make very individual decisions that we have the freedom to make and are held responsible for that do make a very real, legitimate difference, but Peter was saying from the big picture God, knowing his love for us. Knowing the human heart. He would bring his son and allow these people to rage against him and knows what the issue here is he empowers them notice they didn't pray for protection they prayed for more power see something is happened is a real subtle thing on paradigm shift in the happen will sully what happens is you don't even seem happen and pretty soon you're overhearing you're using all the same words in your in your heart of hearts as far as you know, doing exactly what you think is right, but the paradigm is shifted.

This group of people actually believe that they were on mission and their mission was to fulfill what Jesus told him who raised from the dead, they felt like their number one priority was to take this message of life, the people's eternity was hanging in the balance and the creator of heaven and earth and all that there is actually empower them to express his love the people they were trying to figure out how Jesus could make their life easier.

They didn't pray all God change of circumstances, oh God, stop the persecution. What I pray give us power, God will you enable us to do even more. What just happened in a couple chapters, it gets worse in the persecution and instead of whining and complaining.

They thank God for the unspeakable privilege of being counted worthy to suffer for him. That's a little different than Christianity today is see what's happened the subtle shift is our consumer a stick mindset. Oh God, make my world work out little by little by little has drifted into the church and so the depths of our hearts, our prayers go something like this God make my life work out, God give me a nice home. God help everyone I know and love not to get sick get that God help me find that right person. So really be happy. God wants to find that right person you give us a couple kids 2.8 would be great and then would you please protect them, allow them to get really good schools and and God.

You know I do have to be in this and this and this and this because I want them to be the king of the world because I need to be the best in music, the best and that in tutoring for the SAT schools and and really what I want to do is I want to be the king of my world.

I want my world to totally work out Jesus will you please help me make my workout so I can be super happy and fulfilled. Because the center of the universe, and I'm the king and that's how we view God what's wrong why did you allow this cancer happen. Why lose my job let my house go upside down as though God's purpose is to be his.

Your self-help genie year on his team on your team here on mission.

They don't pray for God to quell the pain give us power in a fallen world, so that when I lose my house, I see something different when I get cancer. They see something different. God, life is so short and so temporal. Would you enable and empower me and give me all that I need to fulfill your divine plan for my life is what you get, understand when you do that out of his overflowing mercy. He will often bring a wonderful person in your life will often give you, usually three or 2.2.8 kids.

He will often bless your kids with talent and allow them to get into nice universities or be gifted in sports or music, and if properly understood the realize, what do they have that they haven't received and obese stewards of that for the glory of God not asking Jesus to make your life work out to make them quote fulfilled and happy see the paradigm shift changes everything. This group was trying to figure out how to fulfill the agenda. God gave us not, how do we get God to fulfill the agenda. We think will make us happy and so he answers a prayer I couldn't help but but see this, you know they go through this and soon as get out of jail. They came together corporately and they prayed. That's like before God.

And then there prayer was that they could be on mission and then what we find is they gather in community you will need understand when I try to figure out how many people we can get inside this building and count that number and be happy with that.

Trying to figure out how we can just sorta up everyone's moral quotient 15 or 20 or 30% in give her one little nice, I'm a Christian. We're trying to become Romans 12 Christians were trying to be authentic followers who are surrendered to God. Live separate from the world's values have a sober self-assessment who love each other, serving in love passionately and supernaturally respond to evil with good.

And the pathway of God old and New Testament, is that individual people who say I will discipline my life and arrange it to come before God. I'm going to get connected from the heart and get in community were the real me shows up and meets real needs for the right reason, the right way and I'm gonna do all that because I have a purpose and destiny by the God who created me.

I'm can be on mission 24 seven that be I owe the life brings about transformation in your home with your roommate at your work in your neighborhood.

That's the game plan and so it starts with baby steps.

But after the baby steps God is looking for a church and a group of people that do what walk in the power of God. We can do this.

Everything I've described the vision of this church, it's laughable in our strength God's looking for some people, little walk in his power is what happens in the spirit of God is working inside of you is doing supernatural things because your thought God lives inside of you. If you're an authentic follower of Christ may think of it, your expectations out to be pretty high.

The father the son. The Holy Spirit lives inside of you not you notice we talked about fears and did you notice each time there's a promise. Notice what Jesus promise in John 1516 you didn't choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit in your fruit will last or remain. Then the father will give you whatever you ask in my name. So what are they asked asked for more power. This is the very last night again. John 15 what's Jesus saying you're on mission. I chose you here on my team.

This something to do and you should produce fruit is first and foremost in character, quality, love, joy, peace, patients goodness, general self-control, you become like Christ and the new fulfill that mission.

Final lesson. Lesson number four sphere, not the Holy Spirit will provide all your needs someone of our fears is you start getting generous with your time you start taking it you get vulnerable with people you help circuit generous with your money in a down deep, all of us are like woo hoo what about me right now I'm all for being like Jesus but think of. I do this. What about me. What about my needs.

What about my spiritual needs by motioning my financial needs. My social needs and so what we do is we create this little box and say God I want you to know I'm really all in.

As long as it's inside that box right we don't take me too much on my comfort zone whether that's financially or socially or geographically, but got I really and as you grow oh I made a bigger box and hears of the Holy Spirit. Once you know he went to know what stop thinking with the small pie mentality, the small pie mentality means it's people who think like the world is filled with limited resources in the God who spoke the world into existence what you need.

He can't give you need some money give us money you some thank you gifts and faith need a friend to give your friend, but he gives those things to what to people that are on mission notice will how does he do that, we pick up the story in verse 33. All the believers were one in heart and mind unity. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything that they had with great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and much grace was upon them all.

There was no needy person among them for from time to time. This isn't socialism. It wasn't communism. It was voluntary, but there was his love for one another and so from time to time. I mean you got remember it's a start up right startup needs an infusion of capital, it's a start up group with startup leadership that's gonna change the world and so they were sharing and helping one another is a continual basis, but was voluntary didn't have to do it and then from time to time some of the people with significant resources said you really get this thing off the ground and we really care about one another in a minute to homes.

I don't need to I got for these. I don't need for and so they would sell some of their property and notice what they do they bring to the apostles feet, and they distributed to anyone as they might have need hears Jesus promise Jesus said to you and me. When you fear, what about my needs. But seek first his kingdom there is a paradigm shift. His rule is agenda. His mission and then his righteousness being like him being loving like him being kind like him being pure like him being holy like him. Seek first God's agenda. God's kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. See if if you had one of those highlighters. I had a yellow highlighter and we were like a second grade class I would say okay everyone put your notes down please. And then out to go yellow highlighter and then in big bold words across sort of horizontal those notes that you have a right F a I T HC could still read all the notes for you to realize at the end of the day what God is saying is Jesus made promises you're on mission. It's faith every one of the world is either you live by fear or by faith you fear rejection. You fear the future. You fear the stock market. Other people think all your fears are what dysfunctions grow out of, or you step back either fear stuff are you fear God, everybody fears something, but if you fear God, then you live by faith and you say, I'm afraid to live any other way than the way you want me to. And yes, it is reverential. All but it's also he's the all-knowing, all-powerful, consuming fire whose put me on mission. It's not like I hear people pray like it's negotiations. I know you created everything there is. And you know what I think the top three look pretty good to me but I'm really not interested in numbers four and five, like who you talking to you know God's commandments are like a salad bar that.

But what happens is if you could just understand how deeply your loved he that spared not his own son. How would he not freely give you anything and everything you need. He's so for you, but you need to be positioned to be blessed and out instead of the sort. A guilt route.

What I've learned when God helps me begin to see other people casino it says when you're walking in the power the spirit. What's the evidence here are unified right there bold in their generous God spirit is working in an individual and a group's heart.

You will find a group of people that are bold there unified and very generous, and what I learned over the years is trying to muster that up doesn't work when I can see through the lens of others needs. God does something in my heart I want to extend the money he gave me time he gave to me for the gifts you gave to me to really care about education. This message, learning to walk in the power of God, listening to Living on the Edge and were in the middle of chip series unstoppable. God's agenda for planet Earth, including you of your thinking how I'm a part of God's agenda. The series is for you because the fact is, the disciples were regular people to have their struggles, hardships and pain just like everyone else, but they remained faithful to God and that's the heart of the series when ordinary people like you and me continually depend on God, he will use us in extraordinary ways to help you make time to join us for each part of the series as we explore what it means to depend on God and stay focused on his mission for this world. For more information about our unstoppable resources visit LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 83336003 Apple listeners Special offers will chip several years ago I remember you made a strategic decision with the board and rather than simply being teaching ministry Living on the Edge would become a discipleship ministry and to do that, you begin creating small group resources.

Could you tell us a little bit about why you did that and what the impact spent will Dave. It's really true you know with the rise of the Internet. What we discovered was, you know, people can get great Bible teaching from lots of resources for free and we thought to ourselves why does God have a song on radio and podcast an app and what I know is that people hear God's word and that's a great first step, but unless you do life in community unless you sit around a living room or kitchen table or get on zoom with five or six other people and dig into God's word for yourself. Very little life change happens and so we started creating small group resources and literally at least once a year basically say hey we will give you this entire resource hears that here's the workbook you can stream it. Do it for free if you'll just launch a group and to our thrill.

I think we lunch somewhere between 300 and 350,000 small groups, but what I really want to say is that God has caused life transformation to occur in discipleship to occur because we been able to create these resources and we create them.

So Christians lived like Christians and we create them because that's the heart of God is to go into all the world and make disciples, but they're very expensive to film, to create and I just want to remind our listeners that every time you give to Living on the Edge you creating a broadcast that goes here and across the world, but you're also creating small group resources, and since then a number of other resources that get into the hands of people to help them go from I heard God's word to.

I believe God's word to I'm living God's word and that's when life change happens and that's when Christians impact the world like never before.

That's our dream and I want to invite those listening to my voice right now. Would you join us financially. Will you help us help Christians lived like Christians. If you believe God is calling you to join that future with us. We be honored to have you on our team, and while were in our midyear match every gift we received will be doubled.

Thanks to some very generous friends of the ministry.

So now is a great time to become a financial partner to send a gift or to become a monthly partner. Just give us a call at AAA 83336003, or if you prefer to donate online or web address is LivingontheEdge.org Apple listeners just Donate for all of us here. Thank you in advance for your support will now here's chip with a final thought as we close today's program.

I ended the teaching time with the characteristics of people that are walking in the power of God people that walk in the power of God. There is unity there is just they're not at odds with one another, that by the power of God's grace. They look over things, a kind of bug them and they love each other. Second, there bold I may mean the Holy Spirit gives them words and gives them the courage to step out and boldly shared that they love Christ, and that they love people and they take steps of action. They don't just have good intentions and third, that there there generous that they really recognize since the spirits and control that what they have isn't their own. If God wants to tap them on the shoulder and their supposed to give away some time or some treasures and talent, they just do it. See the common denominator in this entire message of walking the power of God is fear not, and then each point starts with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will protect the Holy Spirit will provide the Holy Spirit will empower anyone that all boils down to it boils down to the very last night when Jesus was empowering and preparing his disciples for when he would leave and he said I am the vine, and my father is the vine dresser and you are the branches. And basically what he says is it's not trying harder and harder to be a good Christian. It's not your religion is not your morality. What's he say if you abide in me and my word abides in you, you can ask whatever you wish, and then he gets in the purpose there in John 15 for then because these things are spoken to you about just abiding and loving and staying connected to me why that my joy might be in you and that your joy might be made full. You know, often people hear a message like this that you've heard today and they just go to. I feel guilty I should be sharing my faith more to do more of this I don't do more that I'm gonna try harder. I'm not so sure that's the application at all. You need to experience God's love more. You need to realize he cares for you. You can't muster it up. You need to get connected deeply to him, and you need to look at other people to his eyes of compassion and when you do the early disciples were trying hard to follow Jesus. What did they say we can't stop speaking about what we have seen and heard they were experiencing him.

That's my prayer for you is my prayer for the church is my prayer that Christians will live like Christians, not because we try harder and we have an external morality, but that we will experience him more and have supernatural power and concern. Are you ready let God love you, and then share it with one person today. You know a couple of the points chip just made our right off his message notes there are a great resource to help you get the most out of his teaching chips. Notes provide his outline all of the Scripture references. Lots of fillings to help you remember what your learning chips message notes are a quick download@livingontheedge.org under the broadcasts tab app listeners just Fill in notes your set will be sure to join us next time. Until then, this is the thing. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge