Power Surge!

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Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, most Christians don't realize the incredible power they already have. And in Ephesians chapter one, Paul is going to encourage us to be aware of not a power we still need, but a power we already have as believers in Jesus Christ. If you have your Bibles, turn to Ephesians chapter one, as we look at how to experience a power surge. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress.

Do you ever feel powerless against sin and temptation? Well, if you're in Christ, then God has already provided you with everything you need for victorious Christian living. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explains how to tap into the spiritual power that's available to every Christian. Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Dr. Jeffress? Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Sometimes our problems feel overwhelming. Whether it's an unwanted illness, a financial crisis, or even a setback we created on our own, these issues leave us feeling powerless. Well, I'm convinced that most Christians are completely unaware of the spiritual horsepower God has provided for facing life's challenges. And today we're going to look under the hood, if you will, to discover the spiritual energy that's available to every believer who knows how to access it. In addition to this teaching series, I've written a brand new book to help you access God's power in the face of insurmountable pressures. My new book is called Holy Living in an Unholy World. You see, God wants to unleash His power within you, but we need to understand how to engage this power on His terms. My book will help you do just that, and I'm prepared to send you a copy, along with my thanks, when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory.

I want to be sure that I mention another opportunity that's available to you right now. I'm inviting you to join us on an exclusively Christian vacation experience. It's the 12-day Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. The dates are May 5th through 16th, 2025. Before you dismiss this as something for other people to enjoy, I'm urging you to take a look at the fabulous itinerary that we've planned for you, including stops in Ephesus and several of the Greek islands. So, go to ptv.org and begin making your plans to join us.

Now, let's turn to the book of Ephesians as we continue our brand new teaching series, Holy Living in an Unholy World. I titled today's message Power Search. Although his name was Victor, he felt like a loser for the first part of his life. You can understand why. When he was 16, he was doing so poorly in high school that his high school guidance counselor actually suggested he drop out of school and take a job.

Can you imagine? He followed that advice. By the time he was 32, he had been fired from 76 different jobs. But his application for his 70th, 7th job changed his life forever. As part of the application process, he was required to take an IQ test, intelligence quotient test. And if you know anything about that test, you know a score of 116 is average. 130 is certainly above average. 132 is genius level and actually admits you into the Mensa group for highly intelligent human beings. Victor scored 161. Although he had been thought to be a dunce, the fact is he was a genius.

Victor Serenkos went on to become known for his innovations in laser technology, and eventually he became the president of the Mensa organization. Now, obviously, it wasn't the test itself that changed Victor Serenko. That test simply revealed what was already true about him and encouraged him to act accordingly. You know, the same thing is true for us as Christians. Most Christians don't realize the incredible power they already have. And in Ephesians chapter one, Paul is going to encourage us to be aware of not a power we still need, but a power we already have as believers in Jesus Christ and to act accordingly.

If you have your Bibles, turn to Ephesians chapter one as we look at how to experience a power surge. First of all, Paul talks about the existence of God's power. Look at verse 19. And I pray that you might know what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might. What Paul is saying is I pray that you might know what real power is already yours. Well, Paul, what do you mean God's power? Can you give us some examples of that power that is available to us right now?

Sure, Paul says. Let me give you three examples. Look at verses 20 to 22, which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. And he put all things in subjection under Christ's feet and gave Christ as head over all things to the church. There are three specific illustrations of God's supernatural power. First of all, you see it in the resurrection from the dead. Paul writes when he raised Christ from the dead and the Bible says the power that was available to do that, that same power is available to you.

For what purpose? What is the purpose of the resurrection power? Well, certainly it guarantees that one day we will escape death as well.

There is a future application. We're going to experience that resurrection power one day, but there is an application for us right now. The same power is available to live this life with. Once you are saved and have a power of the Holy Spirit, listen to this, sin has no more control of your life than you choose to allow it to have. You are no longer obligated to sin.

You've got spiritual power over sin. John Stott, the late theologian, said it this way, every Christian's biography is written in two volumes. Volume one is the story of my old nature, my old self before my conversion. Volume two is the story of my new self, my new nature that I received when I was saved. Volume one of my biography ended with the crucifixion of my old nature. I was a sinner. I deserved to die, and in a sense, I did die in Christ. I received my deserved punishment by being joined together with Jesus who suffered the wrath of God. Volume two of my biography opens with my resurrection. My old life is finished.

My new life has begun. That's what Paul is saying to us. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us right now to give us victory over sin. One example of God's supernatural, hyperkinetic power is Christ's resurrection from the dead. A second example, Paul says, is Christ's ascension into heaven.

Look at verse 20 again. He raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. This is a reference to the ascension of Jesus.

You know, we give so much attention to the resurrection, sometimes we glide over the ascension. Maybe we think God was exhausted after the resurrection. He didn't have any more power. No, he had a tremendous amount of power. I want you to think about the power that was involved in the ascension of Christ.

You remember the setting. Jesus got his brand new body, one like we're going to have one day after his resurrection. He spent 40 days teaching and fellowshipping with his disciples, but then came time for his departure and he and his disciples gathered on the Mount of Olives. And after some final marching orders, what happened to Jesus? The disciples watched as he was lifted up into heaven and they were gazing at the sky.

They couldn't believe what they were seeing. And remember the angel said, why are you gazing, gawking into the sky? The same Jesus who has been taken from you will return in the same way.

I want you just to think of the power that was involved in raising Christ into the air and into the heavenlies. I've become a little bit familiar with the Marvel superheroes because of my grandchildren. And one they like especially is called the Iron Man. Have you seen the Iron Man? He flies around.

He has a supernatural, highly developed suit that allows him to go anywhere. But as I looked at what he was wearing, it was really to me just a souped up version of the jet pack. Remember jet packs back in the sixties and seventies? James Bond had a jet pack, I remember, and he lifted up off the ground, flew around a little bit, but it gave out after about 20 or 30 seconds. Jet packs were very limited.

Think about Jesus. He had more than a jet pack. He had more than an Iron Man costume. He had the power of God that lifted him up, not just to take a quick tour of Jerusalem, but to lift him up into heaven itself. That is supernatural power.

The same kind of power that you and I have. And what did he do with Christ? He seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. The right seat, the seat at the right of a monarch was the power seat. Whoever sat in that right hand seat had all the power the king had.

In fact, he was thought to be equal to the king. That was Jesus Christ. He ascended into heaven. The third example of his resurrection power and the power that's available to us is seen in his rule over all things.

He seated him at the right hand of God. Look at this, verse 21, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. And Jesus put all things in subjection under his feet.

All things, the Bible said, were created by Christ and for Christ. Hebrews 1 says he upholds every part of this universe by the power of his word. This entire world, this entire universe and everything in it belongs to Christ. He rules over everything. And by the way, he rules over every one in this universe. Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, every king and queen and ruler, every luminary of Hollywood, every titan of business, everyone exists under the reign of Jesus Christ. You say, well, not everybody is obeying his reign and subjecting themselves to his reign. That's true, but one day they will.

One day they will. I had a vivid display of that that is burned into my memory forever. I will never forget six years ago attending the funeral service of Billy Graham. And at that service were different leaders of all kinds there.

I happened to be seated behind the president of the United States. And at a point in the service, every one of us stood together and we sang that song, all hail the power of Jesus' name. Let angels prostrate fall, bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all.

Ladies and gentlemen, it doesn't matter who you are. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God. That's the power of Jesus Christ as seen in his rule over all things. Don't forget Paul's thesis here, that same power that raised Christ from the dead, that has lifted him into heaven, that gives him authority over the universe, that same power is available to you and me. Well, how do we activate that power?

Let me give you three closing principles and truths to help you act in a way that is according to the power that you have. First of all, the source of God's power is Christ. The source of God's power is Christ. Look at this in verse 22. And God gave him his head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Circle that word church, because it's the first time this word is used in the book of Ephesians. But Paul's going to talk about the church often. That Greek word church here is ekklesia.

It means the called out ones. When the Bible refers to the church always, it refers to individuals, baptized believers, members of the church. Never does the word church refer to a building. Did you know for the first 300 years of the history of Christianity, there were no buildings? That's why the word never refers to buildings. There were no buildings. Buildings are fine.

They're great. They're a help to us in doing the great commission. But that's not what the church is. The church is not bricks and stones. It is lives.

In fact, it's interesting. The word for church kyriakos that was used in the time of Constantine, the Roman emperor, and ever since that time, kyriakos refers to buildings. But Paul refers to people. He said, you are the church. You are the church. In 1 Corinthians 12, and so many other passages, the church is referred to as the body of Christ. You see, Jesus, the head of the church is in heaven. Unbelievers can't see Jesus right now, but they see his body on earth.

You and me acting on his behalf and what the world thinks of the church largely determines what they think of Jesus Christ. We are the body of Christ. But for a body to have any life, guess what?

It has to be connected to the head. A body that is severed from the head has no power whatsoever. If we want God's power, we have to be connected to God's son. And that's why becoming a Christian is so important. Becoming a Christian does not only result in your pardon from sin, it results in your power over sin. There is a power, the power of the Holy Spirit who infuses your life when you trust in Christ as your savior. 1 Corinthians 12, 13 says, for with one spirit, we were all baptized, joined together in one body. Never forget that the source of God's power is Jesus Christ. Secondly, second principle, the channel of God's power is prayer. Do you remember in our study of the Holy Spirit, I liken the Holy Spirit to an electric generator at the base of a hydroelectric dam.

No, don't send me any emails. I know the Holy Spirit is a person, not an it. We refer to him as he, not it. He is the third person of the Godhead. But his activity can be compared to a generator at the base of a hydroelectric dam. What is it that makes those turbines begin to turn and generate electricity? It's that water that cascades over the dam.

Many times it flows through four or six or eight different conduits, but as it hits those turbines, the turbines begin to turn and the power is generated. And I said, there are four channels that activate the power of God's Holy Spirit in our life. Reading God's word, that activates God's power in our life. Obeying God's commands, that activates God's power in our life. Being connected to a body of believers, that connection with other Christians activates the Holy Spirit's power in our life.

But there's a fourth conduit and that is prayer. I think it's perhaps one of the most powerful of the different channels through which God's power flows into our life. And the reason I say that is because when we pray, we're acknowledging our lack of power on our own. When we pray to God, we're saying, God, I can't do this. I need your power. And God delights in showing himself strong when we're weakest.

That's how his power is made manifest. I've had that illustrated so many times as a pastor. I can't tell you the number of times I've walked into this pulpit on Sunday morning, tired because of a sleepless night, or distracted by some pressing concern, or feeling unprepared even though I studied all week.

I still didn't feel like I had a firm grasp on what the passage was really saying. I've come into this pulpit and I prayed silently, God, you've got to help me. I can't do it this morning.

I can't do it. You didn't know it, but that's how I felt. And that's what I was praying. And yet, almost every time that happens, people will come up to me and say, there was something different about your message today. Or your message spoke to me like none other has before. That's the power of the Holy Spirit. Second Corinthians 12, verse nine says, God's strength is perfected in our weakness, for when we are weak, God is made strong.

AC Dixon wrote, when we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do. When we rely upon education, we get what education can do. When we rely upon our eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. But when we rely on the Holy Spirit, we get what God can do. That's why I say the channel of God's power is prayer. And thirdly, the evidence of God's power is change, change in our lives. Never forget, never forget the purpose in activating God's power is not to change God. It's not to change our circumstances. It's not to change even other people.

The reason we pray is to change ourselves. And the evidence that God's power is in us is some very tangible, what the Bible refers to as spiritual fruit. Here's the evidence of God working in your life. Paul says in Galatians 5, 22 and 23, but the fruit, the evidence of God's Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such things, there is no law. The evidence of God's power is a changed life. There's an old fable, a Native American fable, about a young brave who came upon a nest of eagle eggs. And as a joke, he took one of the eagle eggs and placed it in the nest of prairie chickens. They all began to hatch together, and the young eagle thought it was a prairie chicken and acted like a prairie chicken.

It scratched in the dirt for worms and seeds. It plucked and cackled and never flew more than two feet off the ground. One day while they were out scratching in the dirt, they noticed the shadow looming over them, and they looked up and they saw a giant bird in the sky. And the little eagles asked his prairie chicken brothers, what in the world is that? They said, oh, that is a golden eagle. The king of the sky.

Nobody like him. But that shouldn't concern you. You'll never be like that eagle.

And so as the fable goes, that young eagle died as he lived, scratching in the dirt, never rising above the existence of a prairie chicken. How many Christians do you know who are just like that? They scratch around in the dirt of immorality or unrealized dreams. They scratch around in a mediocre relationship with God, never realizing who they really are in Christ and what Christ has given to them. Paul is saying, my prayer for you is that your heart will be flooded with light so that you may come to understand the surpassing greatness of God's power given to those who believe. When God saved you, he not only issued you a pardon from sin, he gave you power over sin.

Right now, you can tap into the spiritual energy that is already yours. As we wrap up today, I'd like to share an encouraging note I received from two of your fellow listeners to Pathway to Victory. Jean and Dan enjoy our program for today.

Jean and Dan enjoy our program from Indiana. They wrote, Pastor, thank you for standing strong for our faith in Jesus Christ and helping lead this nation to the Christian foundation on which it was born. We hope that with your help, our country can be turned around. God bless you and your ministry team and God bless America.

Well, I can hear listeners all across our nation agreeing with you, Jean and Dan. Most of us long to see our beloved country return to its Christian foundation. And thanks to faithful partners like you, we're able to broadcast God's truth across America and around the world. Remember, when you join with us in this mission by giving a generous gift, you're invited to request a brand new book I've written called Holy Living in an Unholy World.

Many Christians are feeling defeated these days. In my book, I'll equip you with the tools for surviving and even thriving in these days of spiritual darkness. A copy of my book based on the book of Ephesians, Holy Living in an Unholy World, is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.

Thank you so much. God is using our partnership to shine the beacon of God's hope into a nation and world in desperate need. David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. When you get in touch with Pathway to Victory and give a generous gift, you're invited to request Holy Living in an Unholy World. That's the brand new book by Dr. Robert Jeffress. Just call 866-999-2965 or visit our website, ptv.org. And as you give $75 or more, you'll also receive all 19 of the original, unabridged messages from this teaching series, Holy Living in an Unholy World.

They come on both DVD video and MP3 format audio discs, so maybe you could use them with your small group Bible study or listen in your car. And you'll also receive the companion study guide. Again, call 866-999-2965 or visit our website at ptv.org. Now, if you'd prefer to write, here's that mailing address, PO Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.

Again, that's PO Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Next time, Dr. Jeffress presents a sobering look at our human condition without Christ. Hear a message called The Way We Were, Tuesday on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway partner, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory.