THE PRICE OF POWER

Acts 6:8

  1. Intro.
    1. power is the greatest need of all Christians everywhere
    2. despite the promises of God, most Christians are living powerless lives
    3. the importance of power in our lives cannot be over estimated
    4. what is the price of power
      1. it cannot be bought – Act 8:18-20
      2. like everything else we get it from God, and it is a gift
      3. it is a gift with condition attached (the price)
    5. with a willingness to pay the price, we will experience His sufficiency in all the demands of life
  2. there must be obedience to all that we know to be the will of God for our life
    1. power is always according to purity – Galatians 5:16-17, Ephesians 5:18
      1. praying for power is vain, if we willingly live in sin
      2. powerlessness is often the result of acts that are contrary to God’s Law
    2. if a person realizes that he lacks power, he should honestly pray, "search me , O God" Psalm 139:23-24
      1. God will neither delay nor be uncertain in His answer
      2. when He answers, surrender, for it is the price of power
    3. to have God’s power means living "in the Spirit" at all times – Galatians 5:16
      1. when unseen by others
      2. in our secular activities of life
      3. we cannot live partly in the flesh, and partly in the Spirit
      4. a clean vessel is necessary for the free flow of His power
      5. the free flow of His power will help, heal and bless souls
      6. a tiny sin is enough to render the whole life powerless
  3. there must be a complete surrender to the will of God
    1. God does not give power for any reason accept for the work of His kingdom Act 1:8
      1. politic, fine arts, and engineering are legitimate activities
      2. the power of God is not bestowed to make a person a leader in these areas, unless we are doing it for Him
    2. to be filled with the Spirit does not mean that we will not have any contact with the world
      1. we must come in contact with the world, if we are to influence it – Matthew 5:13
      2. all of our contact with the world is our God given opportunity to minister
      3. it is a misconception to think that we can bring men to Christ by ourselves
      4. our mission is to bring Christ to the people of this world
      5. this must be our goal, if the power of God is to be ours
  4. there must be time spent in secret communion with God
    1. those who do not take time to study the Word and pray, will never know the fullness of His power
    2. our public live is a reflection of our private life with God – Matthew 6:6
      1. much, little, or no prayer will result in much, little, or no power
      2. time spent in prayer is a part of the price of power
    3. we live in busy days, our lives are over full
      1. time in prayer may mean less social enjoyments
      2. time in prayer may mean less time for pleasure or business
      3. such sacrifices will be amply justified in the results – Acts 4:13
  5. we must be willing to suffer the consequences of a Spirit empowered life
    1. in Jesus’ life, the power of God involved suffering, rejection, hatred and death
      1. in so doing, He blessed man to the fullest with the salvation of God
      2. Paul and the apostles experience the same
      3. this is the meaning of a "living sacrifice" – Romans 12:1
    2. if we want a partnership in His power, we must be prepared for the fellowship of His sufferings – I Peter 4:12-14
    3. unpopularity is not our natural desire, and it is hard to bear
      1. since the worlds attitude toward Christ has not changed, we can expect the same treatment, for He lives in us – Matthew 10:24-25
      2. there is not an easier way, for those who seek the power of God
  6. conclusion
    1. do you desire to magnify Christ, the we need His power
    2. are you willing to pay the price for His power