FOUNDATION STATEMENT:Every believer has access to the power of God, but not every believer qualifies
to walk in that power.There are
qualifications to walking in the power of God the way there are qualifications
to being able to drive an automobile.The
qualification to walk in the power of God has been, is, and will always be the
love of God.Until you come to grips
with that and commit to the commandment of love you will see no power in your
life.
I. We’ve been given a power and authority through the
name of Jesus
A. Name
represents power and authority (Acts 4:7)
1. When
you come in the name of a person you come with the power and authority that
person carries
a. It’s
as if that person was standing here before you today because I’m here in their
name
B. We’ve
been given a name that is above every name that name is Jesus (Philippians
2:10-11)
1. That
name carries authority and power from the throne of God to the pit of hell
a. That
name has authority over sickness, disease, lack, poverty, debt, defeat, and
death
2. The
power of the name of Jesus (Acts 3:1-16)
a. This
was lame his whole life – more than forty years (Acts 4:22
b. The
name and faith in the name is what healed this guy
II. The love of God qualifies you to walk in the power of
God
A. You
can’t walk in the power of that name without first of qualifying yourself with
the type of character that name carries
1. There’s
more to coming in the name than just coming in the power of that name, you’re
also coming in that character that name demonstrates(John 5:43)
a. Jesus
didn’t just come in the power of God, he also came in the character of God
2. When
you violate the character of the name you’re coming in, you disqualify yourself
for the power that name carries
3. They
tried to use the name of Jesus, but because they lacked the character of love, the
power of that name didn’t work (Acts 19:13-16)
a. They
must have had faith in the name otherwise they would have never said it – Faith
in the name without the character of love didn’t produce because faith works by
love
b. The
demons said, “Jesus we know and Paul we know, but we don’t know you.” ---
Why?Because they didn’t look like Jesus
or Paul in character
4. There’s
principles to using the name of Jesus that are protective in their make up
(Mark 9:38-40)
a. They
protect that name from being used to do something that Jesus wouldn’t do
b. If
you can have the name of Jesus but the law that makes that name work says that
if you don’t have the character that name carries, then you can’t walk in the
power that name represents
c. Can
God trust you with the power of that name?
d. You
have no power when you violate the character of love --- When you violate
character the power is cut off
i. Standing
in the character of Love and in the name of Jesus
e. Revelation
19:13 – His name is the Word of God
i. The
power of the Word can’t work without the character of love and the power of
that name can’t work without the character of love
5. The
Key to Power is this: Represent God in character and that name will represent
you in power
III. Committing to the character of love qualifies you to
walk in the power of God (Ephesians 3:14-17)
A. You
work through God’s character and he’ll work through you in power
1. We’ve
desired the power, but refuse submit to the character
2. 1
Corinthians 16:13 – Do everything in love
3. Love
is the defining mark of a believer (John 13:35)
4. We
need to make an all-out commitment that if nothing else we’re going to talk,
live, act, and walk like Jesus. (Ephesians 5:1)
B. Character
says I’ll swear to my own hurt before I change (Psalm 15:4)
1. No
matter how uncomfortable it makes my flesh I’m keeping this commandment of love
a. If
it’s between my flesh being comfortable and me keeping the commandment of love
then I pick my keeping the commandment of love
2. Psalm
15:5-He that makes this commitment to the character of love will never slip,
fall, fail, or be toppled because he’ll always be backed by the power of God
a. Daniel
3 – They wouldn’t violate character and because if of it they got backed with
power
i. They
said, “We’ll smell our own flesh burn before we bow down and serve your God’s.”
b. There’s
something about a person who walks in Character that will constantly see the
power show up in their life
3. The
character of Love is saying what God says, thinking what God thinks, and doing
what God does no matter how bad the pressure gets.
C. Every
temptation you go through is to get you out of the love of God because, if
Satan can disrupt you in character, he can disrupt you in power and keep you
from living a successful life
IV. The anointing is God working in you, on you, and
through you.God is love.If the character of Love is not working in
you, on you, and through you, God can’t work in you, on you, and through you in
power
A. Jesus
said it’s the Father, who is love, that is working in me and through that is
doing the works (John 14:10)
1. We
are able to do that work that he does because he goes to the Father
a. John
16:7 – When He went to the Father the Holy Spirit came and lived on the inside
of us
2. Romans
5:5 – The Holy Spirit poured the love of God/the God of love in our hearts
B. God
is love (1 John 4:8,16)
1. His
only way out of me is through me walking in the character of love
2. If
love is not working through me, God is not working through me
a. God
can only work through you in power to the degree that He/Love is working
through in Character
C. Ephesians
3:14 –The power of God is only able to do in your life according to the power
called love that is working in you
1. Is
it possible that God has only done in your life, what you’ve allowed him to
do?And maybe the reason that the power
of God hasn’t done what you’ve wanted it to do is because you trapped it by
trapping love.
2. Is
it possible that the power couldn’t do exceeding because the love in you wasn’t
exceedingly working?Is it possible that
the power couldn’t do abundantly because the love in wasn’t doing
abundantly?
3. To
the degree love is working in you determines the amount of power that’s working
in you and the amount of power that’s working in you will determine the amount
of results you see in your life
