First Corinthians chapter four,
I want to remind you about the picnic we'll be having next Saturday. That's always a very enjoyable
time. And just get out of here, I guess we'll eat somewhere around
twelve or one or twelve. Let's say twelve. Get here earlier.
Good time. First Corinthians four, I'd like
to read verses 18 through 21. I've entitled this message Not
in Word, But in power. Now, let's read this passage
of scripture together. Paul says, now, some are puffed
up. As though I would not come to
you now, why does he say that? The Corinthians had been criticizing
Paul, quite a number of them had questioning his apostolic
authority, questioning whether God had really sent him. And
they said his bodily presence is weak and his speech is contemptible. Who wants to hear what he has
to say? They've been criticizing him. And I guess they thought,
well, he probably doesn't have the nerve to come here. Paul
says, yes, I do. Yes, I do. Some of you are puffed
up as though I would not come to you, but I will come to you
shortly. If the Lord will, isn't that
what we ought to say before everything? If the Lord will. And we'll know
not the speech of them which are puffed up. But the power. For the kingdom of God is not
in word. But in. Power. Now, what do you want? Shall
I come unto you with a rod? And he's speaking of his apostolic
authority. You know, Paul had God-given
power to strike people blind. He did that when someone was
opposing him. It was one of the early gifts in the early church,
and he had what's called apostolic authority. I thought about this,
I wonder, what if I had that power? You'd be scared to death,
wouldn't you? I get you. But Paul had that
power. And he said, what do you want?
Do you want me to come with a rod or in love? And in the spirit. Of meekness. Some of you are puffed up, he
said. Swollen. Filled with. Overly inflated views of yourself
now, that's a common problem among the sons of Adam and Eve. Some of you are swollen. You think I won't be coming to
you, but I will come to you shortly. If the Lord will. And I'm going
to know I'm going to recognize not the speech of them that are
puffed up, you see, puffed up people have a lot to say. And
he says, I'm not going to pay attention to what they say, even
if the words are supposedly right. I'm not so much interested in
what they say. I'm not going to know the speech
of them that are puffed up, but the power. The power. For the kingdom of
God is not in word, but in power. Paul lets us know that talk can
be so meaningless. He says, I'm not even interested
in what they have to say. I'm not going to know the speech,
but the power of them that are puffed up. You know, what you
say has meaning dependent upon what the actions behind it are. That's what determines whether
there's any meaning to it, the actions behind it. He says, now,
I'm interested in the actions behind what is said, not just
what is said, For the kingdom of God is not in word. It's not just in what somebody
says. It's not in verbiage. The kingdom of God is in power. And the first thing that comes
to my mind is what is meant by the kingdom of God. You know
this phrase, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom
of Christ, is mentioned over 150 times in the New Testament. We just read, opening this service,
seek ye the kingdom of God. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God. Everything else needs to be put
on the back burner. This is what is all important. It's not what's
most important. It's the only thing that is important.
Do you believe that? It's not first priority. It's
the only priority. And until it's the only priority,
it's no priority at all to you. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God. Now, what is meant by the kingdom
of God or the kingdom of Christ or the kingdom of heaven. We
read it over and over in the New Testament. Well, the word
kingdom has a look this up in the dictionary by the Greek dictionary,
and it gives both a general or abstract meaning and a specific
or concrete meaning. First, it's general meaning.
Kingdom denotes Sovereignty. Royal power. Dominion. That's its general meaning. Sovereignty. Power. And then its specific
meaning, or its concrete meaning, a kingdom is the territory or
people over which a king rules. Now, in the kingdom of heaven,
we have the king. He's the king of kings. He's the Lord of Lords. He truly
is the King. It's not an empty title with
Him. He is the King. That means He rules. That means
He reigns. That means He is in control. You know, there are control breaks.
Every one of us has a little bit of that in us. Control breaks. But you know how much you can
control? Nothing. You and I don't have control
over anything. You know what? He has control over everything. He's the king. Now, where there's
a kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, there's the king and there's
the subjects of that king. We read in Revelation 17, 14
that he is the king of kings and Lord of lords and they who
are with him. That's talking about his subjects.
They're called and chosen and faithful. Now, wherever you have
a king, you have the subjects of that king. The Lord Jesus
Christ. Is my king. Lord knows whether I'm telling
the truth, but he is my king, he is the Lord of my life. So the kingdom of heaven is the
king and his subjects. Let me read a scripture that
tells you the territory over which he reigns. This is found
in Daniel chapter four, verses 34 and 35. We read whose dominion
is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation
to generation, and the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he doeth according to his
will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth, and none can stay his hand. None can stop him from
doing what he's going to do. We're saying to him, what doeth
thou? He giveth not account to any of his matters. You know,
the Lord doesn't answer to you. He doesn't answer to me. Whatever
he does is right because he's the king. That's his kingdom. Now, the kingdom of God, the
king and his subjects, the territory over which he reigns, which is
everywhere, the kingdom of God is not in word. It's not simply
in speech. I'm talking about the kingdom
of God. What I'm saying is true. But you know, I can say the right
stuff. And that doesn't mean I know anything truly about the
Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not in
word, it's not in speech, but it is in power. Well, what's power mean? The Kingdom of God is not in
word, it's not just in speech, but it's in power. What's power
mean? Well, the word power means the ability to produce results. That's all power means. The ability
to produce results. His kingdom is the place where
He exerts His omnipotence, His almighty power. Here's the way
to say it. With God, nothing shall be impossible. That's what the power of God
means. With God, nothing shall be Impossible. His power knows
no limitations. It knows no boundaries. He is infinite in power. He is under no law. You know, we're governed by laws,
aren't we? Physical laws. You know something that's impossible
to take place? for an axe head to float in the water. Isn't
that impossible? I mean, physically it's impossible
for an axe head to float in the water. But when God wills it
to happen, you remember how Elisha had the axe head float in the
water? When God wills it to happen, it takes place. No laws of physics
restrain him. I love what the disciples said
once concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. What manner of man is
this that even the winds and the sea obey him? God is all
powerful. Christ is all powerful. It's
essential to his being. What would any of his attributes
be without omnipotence, his power? For instance, his wrath. Would
there be any reason to even fear his wrath if he didn't have the
power to execute his wrath? What about his sovereignty? What
would his sovereign will mean if he didn't have the power to
make sure his will comes to pass? What about his love? What would
his love be if he didn't have the power to save the objects
of his love? All of his attributes are meaningless
without this thing of almighty power. The kingdom of God is
not in word, but in power. And this power of God is seen
essentially in these three areas. First, his power is manifested
in creation. You know what he did when he
created the universe? He created something from nothing. There
was nothing there. How do you even define nothing? There was a time when all there
was was God. There wasn't anything else. I can't conceive of that.
That concept goes beyond this puny little mind of mine. But
there was a time when there was nothing but God. God said, let
there be life. There was life. He created something
from nothing. He brought the universe into
existence. merely as an act of his own will. Now, is that power or what? Listen
to this scripture, Romans chapter one, verse 20 says the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen
being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and God him so that they are without excuse. He created
something from nothing and only omnipotence can do that. Now
God's power is seen in creation. Secondly, God's power is seen
in providence. Now what is providence? Providence
is everything that takes place in time. That's what providence
is. It's everything that takes place
in time. It's what God ordained in eternity. There's nothing
that happens by chance or luck or happenstance. Everything is
under his sovereign control and will. Everything. The lot, the
wise man said, is cast into the lap. But the whole disposing
thereof is of the Lord. There's nothing that happens
by chance. Did God know you'd be here this morning? Well, of
course He did. Of course He did. It didn't take
me by surprise. Now, if He knew you would be
here, was there any way you wouldn't be here? No, it's because it's
all His purpose and blessing. Nothing happens without Him. He upholds all things, the scripture
says. It's talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, Hebrews 1-3.
He upholds all things by the word of His power. And by Him, all things consist. You know, I said this recently,
I guess I ought to say again, we talk about providence. I think
it's interesting how when something good happens, we say, well, that's
a providential. That's a providential. You know when we say that, we
actually, I said it, you said it, something good happened,
oh boy, that was unprovidential. When we say stuff like that,
we deny the meaning of providence in the first place. Everything
is providential. Everything, the good stuff, yeah,
the stuff where everything just worked out, yeah, but the bad
stuff is too, so to speak, the stuff we consider bad, it's all
providential. And He controls everything. The Kingdom of God is not in
word, not just in wishful thinking, but it's in power, and it's most
especially seen, the power of God is most especially seen in
salvation. Now, remember, power is God's
ability to produce results, and His power is most clearly displayed
in salvation. Now, when we talk about salvation,
where do we begin? Well, you begin with God. You
begin with His eternal purpose. You have to begin with divine
election and divine reformation. God choosing who would be saved
and passing by the rest. That's what we got to begin when
we talk about God's salvation. Turn with me for a moment to
Romans 9. Now, this is a demonstration
of the power of God. Paul, in this passage of Scripture,
is talking about election, God's choice of His people. Did you
know God chose who would be saved? And if you're saved, it's because
He chose you to be saved. And the only hope you have is
His sovereign choice. Look in verse 11. For the children,
talking about the two twins, Jacob and Esau, being not yet
born, Neither having done any good or evil that the purpose
of God, according to election, might stand. Not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger. As it's written, Jacob have I loved,
God says, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Is God unfair to love Jacob and
hate Esau? God forbid. For he saith to Moses,
I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I'll have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the Scripture saith to Pharaoh,
this is somebody he didn't choose, he passed by. For the Scripture
saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised
thee up, that I might show my, what? Power in thee. And that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore, Hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will? He hardens. Now that will say to me, why
does he yet find fault for who has resisted his will? How can
he hold me responsible if he has ordained everything, and
if he raises up one and sets down another? How can he hold
me responsible? Paul says, But nay, but, O man, who are you
to reply against God? Since when do you have the authority
to sit in judgment over what God does? Shall the thing form,
say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? And we
just had Paul read this. Hath not the potter power over
the clay? Power over the clay? Of the same
lump to make one vessel into honor and another into dishonor,
what if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power
known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath, fitted
to destruction, that he might make known the riches of his
glory on the vessels of mercy? Now that's God's power. That's
what we begin with. When we think of God's salvation,
okay, we think of the power that was manifested when God became
flesh. Now, God is, God is. I don't even know what else to,
God is. I mean, whatever it is, God is. He is. He said, I am that I am. And
the universe can't even contain Him. He holds the winds in His
fist, the Scripture says. Oh, the awesome glory of the
infinite sovereign God. And yet the Scripture says, in
Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in a body like
mine. And you want to talk about power. became flesh. What about the
power of the virgin birth? Do you believe in the virgin
birth? Oh, of course I do. He didn't contract Adam's sin,
but he was born of a virgin. The Scripture says, the power
of the highest shall overshadow thee, and that holy thing which
is born of thee shall be called the Son of God. What power is
displayed in His incarnation, in His virgin birth? Power is
seen in the obedience of his life. You know, when I think
of the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm certainly impressed with his
miracles, aren't you? When he brought bread into existence
that was not there, that's impressive, isn't it? When he gave stock
to the blind, when he healed lepers, when he raised the dead,
those miracles show his mighty power. But you know something
that shows his mighty power even more? The obedience of his life.
This man never He obeyed God perfectly. Paul put it this way in Romans
1-4. He's declared to be the Son of
God with power by the Spirit of holiness. Not just because
of the miracles that he performed, that you could see his almighty
power, but the Spirit of holiness, the obedience of his life is
a manifestation of the power of God. What power is seen in
his death? Now, is it any wonder if I die,
Or you die. There's really nothing impressive
about that. We're just getting what we got coming. We're weak,
sinful flesh. And there's nothing impressive
at all about our death. But the fact that Jesus Christ
died, He's God. He's the God-Man and He did die. You know, there's such darkness
that surrounds that. There's so much we don't understand
about that. How did the God-Man die? I don't know, but He did.
They took him down from the cross, a lifeless corpse, cold and dead. And that is amazing to me that
the son of life could die. And what about the accomplishments
of his death? You want to talk about power.
You know what he accomplished by his death? When he said, The
salvation of everybody he died for was signed, sealed, and delivered. My sin was actually put away
to where, and this is true of every believer, because of his
death, I do not have any sin. Do you believe that? Do you believe that his death
actually accomplished that? That's why I don't believe for
a second that he died for every single individual, because if
he did, every single individual would be saved. Everybody he
died for must be saved because of the power of his blood. If he paid your sins, they're
paid for. That's the power. What about
the power of his resurrection? Think of the power God exerted
in raising him from the dead. He was dead. There he is laying
in that tomb, dead and lifeless. Really? And all of a sudden,
he lives. He gave himself life from the
dead. What am I talking about? Power. What about the power of
his ascension? When he ascended to Scripture,
it says he led captivity. Captive. Oh, the power of that.
Oh, the power of his ascension. The power of his intercession. Right now, there is a man in glory who is
God. Jesus Christ the righteous. And He intercedes for me. He represents me. He owns my worthless name before
the Father. And you know, when He owns my
worthless name before the Father, my name ain't worthless anymore.
It's just as precious to the Father as the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself. Now, that's how powerful His
intercession is. If He represents me, God sees
me. As he sees his son. What about the power of the glory
of his return when he returns with the clouds with power and
great glory? Oh, we're going to understand
something about power at that time, aren't we? Oh, the power
of the Lord Jesus Christ and what power there is in the gospel.
Paul said in Romans 1.16, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believes it. Now, I want you to think about
this. Talk about the power of the gospel. The gospel does not need gimmicks. It does not need our special
methods and our special ways of trying to enhance it. It doesn't
need our special ability to present it. All we do is preach God's
gospel, preach the Word, and in that message there is the
very power of God in salvation. I don't need to do anything.
All I need to do is preach the Word. It's up to God to take
care of the results. You're in God's hands. He's the
potter. You're the clay. He has power,
and He takes His gospel. And oh, what power is in the
gospel. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it's the power of God and salvation. Paul said
in 1 Corinthians 1, 17 and 18, Christ sent me not to baptize.
He didn't send me to gain converts or gain a follower or build a
church. He didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,
not with wisdom of words, trying to dress it up or make it more
palatable to the flesh. He sent me to preach the gospel,
not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be
made manifest. For the preaching of the cross is to them to perish
foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is what? The power of God. We preach Christ crucified. That's our message. Salvation
through a crucified Savior. We preach Christ crucified. Now
to the Jews it's a stumbling block. Why do I lead people to
sin if you think You're saved simply by what somebody else
does. And to the Greeks, the intellectuals, it's foolishness,
but unto us which are saved, Christ the power of God. Now, when Paul makes this statement
in our text, the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power,
he is speaking specifically of the power of the kingdom of God
in the heart of a sinner. He said, I'm not interested in
what folks have to say. I'm interested in the power.
And he's talking about the power of God in the heart of a sinner. That's what he's talking about
specifically. Would you turn with me for a
moment to the book of Titus? Second Timothy, I'm sorry. Second
Timothy. Now, Paul warns us of those in
Second Timothy, chapter three, verse five, who have a form of
godliness. Now, a form is a form. I mean, you pour something into
a mold, it looks that way. It seems to pass the test. It's a form of godliness. It's
a form of our religion. So it seems the same. It's a lookalike. It's a cast. It's a lookalike. They have a
form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof. Now, how do
you go about denying the power of godliness? Well, there's three
ways you can deny the power of godliness. First, you can deny
the source of godliness. What's the source of godliness?
Who's the source of godliness? You can answer that question.
God is the source of godliness. You deny the source of godliness,
When you deny God, you deny God the Father in election, you deny
God the Son in perfect redemption, or if you deny God the Holy Spirit
in his irresistible, invincible grace, if you deny in any way
those things, the work of the tribe and God and salvation,
you deny the power of Godliness. Now you can deny the power of
Godliness by denying God. You deny the power of Godliness
when you deny the means of that power. What's the means of that
power? The gospel. The Gospel. Well, you don't need to hear
the Gospel to be saved. Well, if God says you need to, it's
the Gospel that's the power of God, understand? Or you can deny
the results of that power, and that's the power of God in the
heart. When He creates life, He puts
something there that was not there before. That's the mighty
power of God. His power in The hearts of those
who believe that those who believe the same power that was exerted
in raising Christ from the dead is exerted in the believer. Turn
with me to Ephesians chapter one. Verse 18. The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened. that you may know what is the
hope of his calling. And what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the Saints and what listen to this, what
is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe according
to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ
when he raised him from the dead and set him in his own right
hand in heavenly places. Now, what do you think about
this? The same power that was exerting in raising Christ from
the dead. That's power. We're there in
Ephesians 2, look what it says, you happy quickened. You happy
quickened who are dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in times past
you walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in
the children of disobedience, above whom also We all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and the mind. And we were by nature
the children of wrath, just like everybody else. But God, who
is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.
Now is that power? Uh-oh. When God gives a dead sinner
life, and this is what he's talking about, he's talking about the
power of the kingdom of God in the heart. That individual is
made to do what he absolutely had no strength or power or ability
or even will to do. He's made to believe. had no idea of what it even means
to believe, but he does now. He's made to love God every time
when he had no love for God. He had no love for the gospel.
He does now because it's the working of the mighty power of
God. He is enabled by divine grace
to deny himself, that person who's so precious to him. He's
enabled to deny himself, to take up his cross daily and follow
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that's what the power of
God does. It's not a weak thing. It's a
powerful thing. It causes you to do what is completely
beyond your ability to do. That's the power of God. And
if that's absent, God's power is absent. Isn't that so? The mighty power of God, the
kingdom of God in the heart. Paul said to the Thessalonians,
knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God, for our gospel
came not to you in word only, but in power, and in the Holy
Ghost, and in much assurance. That's not even talking about
assurance of personal salvation, but you are assured that this
is God's gospel. This is the truth. Now, that's
the power of God. Now, I'm going to close by asking
you a question. Do you believe the gospel? Let me make that as clear as
I can. Do you believe that Christ Jesus
is able to save you with no contribution from you at all? Do you believe that? You know, faith is essentially
believing his powers. As a matter of fact, the word
able is the verb form of the noun power. Remember Abraham? He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God, being fully persuaded that what God had promised, he
was able also to perform. Do you have that same faith? Do you believe that what God
has promised, he's able also to perform? What about those
two blind fellows that came up to the Lord? The Lord said, Do
you believe I'm able to do this? Do you believe that I have power,
is what he's saying, to do this? They said, Yeah, Lord. Do you
believe he's able? In 2 Timothy 1, 12, Paul said,
I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded that he's able.
to keep what I've committed to Him against that day. And I,
the only way I know how to try to describe this thing of what
He's committed to Him is that I believe He's able to keep what
I've committed to Him. All my eggs are in one basket. If what Jesus Christ did is not
enough to save me, I won't be saved. All my eggs are in that basket. And Paul said, I am persuaded
that all my eggs being in that basket, he is able to keep that
which I've committed against that day. Now, do you believe
that? Let me tell you something. You
know what caused you to believe that? The same power that raised
Jesus Christ from the dead. You are an object of omnipotence. The reason you actually believe
that is because of the almighty power of God. I turn to 2 Corinthians
chapter 8, and this is going to illustrate the power of God. Verse one, moreover, brethren.
We do you the wit, we want you to know about the grace of God
bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, how that in a great trial of
affliction. The abundance of their joy and
their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality,
their generosity, even in their deep poverty and trial. For to
their power now. Notice the word there is in italics,
it is their power, but whose power is it? It's God's power.
It's power. To their power, I bear record,
yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves
without coercion, without restraint, without being pushed along the
path. They were willing of themselves.
I think of Psalm 110.3, Thy people shall be willing. in the day
of thy power. For to their power I bear them
record, beyond their power they were willing of themselves, praying
us with much entreaty that we should receive the gift, and
take upon us the fellowship of the ministering of the saints.
And this they did not, as we hope, but they gave their own
selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God." Now there's
the power of God. They gave themselves to the Lord,
and unto us by the will of God. that we desired Titus, that as
he had begun, so he would finish in you the same grace also. Therefore,
as you abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and
knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that
you abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but
by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity
of your love. For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ. That though he was rich, rich
in possession, rich in righteousness, rich in praise, rich in all things,
though he was rich, yet, for your sakes, he became poor. For your sakes. He became poor in praise. He
became poor in possessions. Most essentially, He became poor
in righteousness. On the cross, He was made to
be sin. How come, or what comes out of
this? That you, through His poverty,
might be rich. Now to every believer, that by
itself has the power to cause them to say, love so
amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. Now that's the power of God. The kingdom of God It's not in
word. It's not just in what people
say. It is in power. Let's pray.