Neto GregórioNeto Gregório

Power for what?

Sermon Outlines
Strong wind over the grass of a hill facing an ancient city
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses (...). Acts 1:8

Introduction:

  • Everybody wants power. The question is not whether you want it; it is why and what for.
  • Power is authority. And the authority is not ours: "Power, O God, belongs to you" (Ps 62:11).
  • Two questions: why power? Power for what?

1. Jesus and power. He received power, lived in power and shared power (Luke 4:14).

  • "Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit's power" (Luke 4:14).
  • "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth" (Matt 28:18).
  • "Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19).

2. Why do we want power? The problem is not power; it is the motive (Acts 8:19).

  • Simon the sorcerer wanted power to make money: "Let me have this power, too" (Acts 8:19). God's gift cannot be bought (Acts 8:20).
  • Samson used power for his own pleasure: "Get her for me! She looks good to me" (Judg 14:3).
  • The enemies of the cross of Christ want power for fame: "they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth" (Phil 3:19).

3. Power for what? To be a witness (Acts 1:8).

  • Power comes with a purpose: "And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere" (Acts 1:8).
  • A witness is someone able to declare something he knows perfectly well. You don't witness what you heard about; you witness what you lived.
  • "And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry" (John 15:27). Whoever walks with Jesus has something to tell.

4. The witness and power. Power doesn't make the witness; character does (Rev 2:10).

  • A witness is faithful: "if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life" (Rev 2:10).
  • A witness is true: "And we know that his account of these things is accurate" (John 21:24).
  • A witness knows the resurrection: "The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 4:33).
  • A witness is ready: "if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it" (1 Pet 3:15).

Conclusion:

The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all. Acts 4:33
  • Power without purpose becomes a stage. Power with purpose becomes a testimony.
  • Power belongs to God. He doesn't lend power to your vanity; He gives power for the mission.
  • Do you want power to be a witness or to boast?