1 Corinthians 4:20 Life of Power

TL.2.17.013 1 Corinthians 4:20 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 2 Corinthians 1:1-7 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise to the God of All Comfort 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. Last week we looked at the Word in 1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. Power we said is the ability to do work and we went over different kinds of power that were shown in the Bible. I want us to think about and remember the kinds of work that the children of God are capable of accomplishing as members of His kingdom. What can one accomplish as a Christian? What is it? What are the things that the children of God are capable of doing? As you ponder this let us see how it relates to what Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 1:1-7. The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. The world gives is much pain, suffering, worry, anxiety, and many other things that try to take us down, but power is the ability to overcome these things. It is not victory through means of this world but through the strength given to us by God. The one who can overcome is the child of God. Each of us are in difficult circumstances that are are own. Where does the strength to overcome our circumstance come from? It comes from the Holy Spirit who gives us power to be victorious. Should our lives not be like this? So that we may live this life, the servants of God give us His Word and tell us to always be joyful and give thanks in all circumstances. We have the Word but how do we apply this into our daily lives? The Christian life is an example of how to take the impossibilities of this world, the things that conflict with knowledge, and the things that are hard to understand and live in faith. Let us take a look at an example. What does the word “diet” mean? What you do not eat. What you limit yourself to eat. The things you are careful of eating. Diet refers to the food that you do eat. When we say diet we think about starving, losing weight, not eating. We think that an overweight person is trying to lose weight, but it is defined as the food that one eats and or the daily eating habits of an individual which is a diet. Also, the manner in which one eats is also called diet. Eating is your diet. But we think diet means to not eat and lose weight. We misunderstand the meaning. If we think that diet means to go hungry and lose weight then it means that we are mistaken. In another dictionary it is defined as the limited amount of food one consumes for health reasons. Though it is limited it is still the food that one eats that is a diet. Do you understand? This is something that we can easily understand by changing our thoughts. With the Scripture that I have introduced to you today, the question I want to ask to you is, is it possible that we have been misunderstanding what it means to believe in Jesus? What do we say when we go out to witness? Believe in Jesus and be blessed. Believe in Jesus and go to Heaven. Believe in Jesus and go to Heaven, do not believe in Jesus and go to Hell. These are some of the messages that are being used in effort to convey the message. Does the Bible teach us to witness in this manner? Is that what is written in the Bible? For sure, it is not. Nowhere in the Bible is it written that if you put your faith in Jesus today and pray to Him that He will heal your sicknesses, fix your children's problems, fix your family problems, and take care of all your problems, as long as you pray, believe in Jesus and go to church. We have changed the Gospel, and give personal testimony of the blessings we have received while trusting in Jesus, but if we take out the circumstances and witness the situation becomes serious. The most fundamental point of believing in Jesus is confessing that I am a sinner and need to repent of sin. It is to show that we are sinners. To say that Jesus is our Savior is to first understand that I am a sinner who was dead, and for that reason Jesus came to save us. To be saved from this world, and to live the life of salvation, which is to be freed from the bondages of this world, the old life as the children of the devil, is difficult and hard and it is a spiritual war that becomes your life. This is the life of following Jesus that is the path of suffering and hardships that we are to reveal and share as part of the Gospel. We leave this part out and only witness by saying "believe in Jesus and be blessed." Before Paul wrote his second letter to the church in Corinth, in other parts of the Bible we find verses that teach us that when we decide to follow Jesus and believe in Him, that there are certain expectations one must consider before doing so. Romans 8:17 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Do you want to share in God's glory? Then share in the suffering. But when we suffer we assume that it is not God's will then is it possible that we are living our lives of faith in error and praying the wrong prayers? Philippians 1:29 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, Because you have received grace you are to also receive suffering. It comes together. Why? Grace is given to us by God from above, and suffering is part of the flesh as we struggle to be free from the conflict that arises from the bondages that try to keep us down. The Scriptures tell us that this struggle is real. 2 Thessalonians 1:5 KJV 5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: To be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, then you will suffer for His kingdom. It is difficult to be counted worthy for the kingdom of God without suffering. More than difficult it is impossible. The Bible tells us that in order to enter into the Kingdom of God, the life we live in the body will face suffering and hardships. 2 Timothy 1:8 KJV 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; You do not only receive power but also suffering along with the gospel. Be partakers of the affliction of the gospel according to the power of God. What did Jesus say? He told us that the world persecutes Him because it did not accept Him, and if we choose to follow Him, then the world will also persecute us. We water down the gospel by removing the persecution that comes with it. The gospel preached without persecution is the wrong gospel. We will either preach a gospel that is changed that the world will like or preach a gospel that will cause the world to change. We see with our eyes that the world is becoming more evil, but if there is no resistance to the gospel being preached then there must be a problem somewhere. The Bible is showing us the problem. It is not Biblical to think that because you believe in Jesus everything will be well. A changed gospel, like the one that promises you everything will be well by believing in Jesus, is missing the command that tells us to suffer. As a child of God, to be worthy of His kingdom, we are told that we will suffer. True prosperity comes after suffering, but to remove the suffering and only speak of the result and to not overcome the hardships you face in life, you will only end up having a greater difficulty when you decide to truly follow Jesus. People worship their gods of this world because they expect their god to protect and bless them for following them. This is obvious and therefore people go and worship and follow their gods. God desires to bless us, to save us from death, by sending His one and only Son for us, and He has done so with a price that can never be repaid. God has suffered incredibly for us which we refuse to acknowledge, and try to receive the blessings without living in obedience, and if we come before God trying to receive the blessings that are promised in a manner as we would the gods of this world, then have we brought God down to a lower level by the manner in which we worship Him? If the purpose for our faith is to receive blessings then we can compare that with the Bible and see that something does not match. Which is truth? I have said this a few times, starting with me and all those who preach from the pulpit, if you could be blessed just by having me speak words of blessings upon you, then I would speak only words of blessings to you. It is good to hear. But the blessings cannot be attained without having gone through the trials of suffering and hardship as the Bible clearly states. What I am saying is for you to not lose out on the blessings that come after the trials of suffering by which you must overcome through perseverance in pursuit of living like Jesus. In today's passage in chapter one let us look at the kind of suffering that Paul suffered for Jesus. Everything that he suffered for the gospel, the comfort he receives from God for the gospel, why are these things necessary for me, and why must I suffer? Both the suffering and the comfort that a believer goes through and receives becomes a life of example for those who follow in the faith. Those of you here today in your own families, when you are faced with hardships and if without losing faith, you persevere in God's grace, and God seeing your perseverance resolves your situation with grace and comfort, then your children who are sharing in your hardship, will learn from your life how to persevere and overcome. You are showing the example. Paul writes that his distress is for their comfort. His comfort is for their comfort. Everything he suffers is for them. As the parent, the one who leads, the one who is older, the one to believe first, all that one suffers in trials and the comfort that they receive through it is to be an example to others which is the life of a Christian. To what extent is it possible to suffer as a follower of Jesus? It is to the death. Though you may be alive, it will be a point near death. Paul was stoned and thrown out of a city as people thought he was dead. Getting beaten for sharing the gospel of Jesus was common. Being imprisoned was common. In that kind of circumstance he never gave up hope, being always joyful and giving thanks using the comfort that God gave him, to overcome this life and be an example for us. This is why he was able to give us this message today. How are we to live our lives today in faith and be an example for my children and my neighbors? We need to look at ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 KJV 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. In chapter one the Paul speaks of the abundant suffering but here in chapter 2 it is described as light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. He says that it works for us. Paul is describing the suffering that leads to death as a light affliction. Where does faith like this come from? Where does this strength come from? It does not happen from knowing in your head and simply saying you believe. But like Paul, we must confess that we who have been raised from the dead, and are suffering in accordance to the will of God, whether we live or die, then we will be comforted from above and be given strength as we live for the glory of God. Ultimately this cannot happen if I am alive. I must die before God that The Lord whom I serve in my heart will reveal himself through power, so that the suffering we endure will be light. Why will it be light? It is because God's will is far more exceeding and eternal. We can say that the suffering we suffer in the flesh will is light. To live this life is to live this life as a person of His kingdom. To confess this is to be able to live the life of power. If we have received the calling as Paul and Timothy have, then today having been called by God, and come before God truly believing Him to be our Father, and God having called us for His purpose and His glory, and we confess that this is our life, then what are we to do with all circumstances in our life? Did God save us and Jesus die on the cross so that we can live for our own pleasure? No He did not. Jesus died for me that I may become a child of God through the blood He shed, then as Paul confessed, whether I live or die, Christ will be glorified by living the life that God has called us to. You are to live your lives in a manner that pleases God. Should we not be the ones as Christians to confess that God has called me for this life? Philippians 4:4 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! When Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians we know that he did so from prison. Does it make sense that someone in prison would write these words? If someone is in prison we should be the ones to go and comfort them, but it is the one who sits in prison who comforts us. Rejoice! I will say it again: Rejoice! Does this make sense? He was beaten for sharing the gospel and put in prison. What did he do in the middle of the night? He praised and worshipped God and the doors to the prison opened. Is this life possible? He is showing us by example that it is possible in God. Though we may say that it is impossible to follow in the footsteps of Jesus because He is the Son of God, then as Paul lived in the footsteps of Jesus we can follow the example of Paul. How? It is not by living by our own strength, but by the Holy Spirit whom our Lord promised us. By receiving power, we can live a life that reflects Jesus but only if I die to myself. I do not live because I am alive. But through my death, The Lord whom I serve, is able to reveal Himself through me which makes this life possible. The words given to us in Philippians to always "Rejoice" and also the words given to us in 1 Thessalonians "Be joyful always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God though Christ Jesus our Lord." There are people of this world who have changed some of the words to this. One person states that you do not laugh because you are happy, but when you laugh you become happy. He continues to say that the problems you have will be resolved and you will find happiness. This was quoted by William James in a lecture that I heard someone give. I do not know who William James is but if I were to give you a message based on his words, though you may not understand the Bible when it tells you to "always rejoice, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances," but like this person says, you do not laugh because you are happy, but because you laugh you become happy. He has made it clear. He then says that your problems will be resolved and you will be happy. He is saying that by applying this to his life he had these results. What is there to complain about in you life? Though we may feel as though we are about to be killed like Paul, we are nowhere near that circumstance. It is only in our thoughts that we may think so, but if we lay down our standards and surrender ourselves to God and die, what greed will you have? What dreams will you have? You are dead. If you are hungry you have no reason to satisfy it. Why? You have died. You do not have to get up and go do something because you are already dead. But we always need to go do something. Why? Because we have yet to die. This is the problem. When I am still alive our Lord is unable to reveal Himself through us. The Bible teaches us that this is why we are unable to live as Christians. If we compare all our problems with the eternal power of God then everything is light. If I do not eat a meal then so be it. If I bear a burden then so be it. If I am stoned then so be it. Though in the flesh all these things seem difficult and unbearable, the moment we lift our eyes up to The Lord, these things are light. They are nothing. When we are able to confess this will we not be living the life of a Christian? Recently in Korea a professor who speaks on laughing gave a lecture about the medical benefits of it and I wrote down a few things. He says that your face does not belong to you. I have said before that when you look in a mirror you are only seeing a reflection. It is not your real face. You may see parts of your body as it is, but your face only can see a reflection of itself. You cannot see your own face. Then why is your face important? Your face is not for you , but it is for the one who sees you. That is why you take care of it. But we take care of our face for ourselves. We make a fuss over an image and in some cases we even make changes to it. But he says that it is not for me but for others. Medically the face changes every 4 years. Though they say every 4 years but in reality it is then changing everyday. Everyday as time is changing so is your face. As it changes everyday in 4 years it will change to your making. To make it into a happy face or an angry face is done by who? I do it. When I see a problem and I complain, argue, get angry then as time passes the poison inside of me will change my face to one that is angry in which others will see. We may look at the mirror and say that it is not but when others see me they will know what is going on inside of me. Be joyful always, give thanks in all circumstances, try laughing in all situations, then when people see my laughing face, they will embrace me and honor me and desire to see my face one more time, so that when I go apply for a job I will have offers lined up for me. Why? Because I have a face that others want to see. Who makes it this kind of face? I do by the words I speak today, by my actions I do today, by all my thoughts I have today I am to change my face into that of a Christian. This has been shown by science. Science supports what the Scripture says as to why we should always be joyful and give thanks in all circumstances. When we live in this manner, the face which I have that is to be seen by others, becomes a face that others will delight to see. Is this not the life that shines the light and the aroma of Christ? But we have become rigid. We think that we should not smile at others, or do anything and are tense and boiling on the inside. Where does all that go? It has nowhere to go and shows up in the face. If we are living our lives in a manner in which people find it difficult to accept us as people of peace, then are we living as Christians? Bones become new every 2 years, muscles become new every 1 year, and blood becomes new every 4 months. You entire body is becoming new every day. I used to think that your bones were what you had as a child and as you grew you maintained for your entire life. But the cells in your bones are constantly being changed. Everything in your body is changing and becoming new over and over again. Then, as we compare this to the Word of God, as I consume the Word of God everyday so that it creates in me new blood, and transforms me, then as I live my life everyday, the muscles that have wasted away or is damaged will become new. The bones will become new. Everything will become new and science proves it. Then if I live my life in joy in God, everything will change. God has created me in this manner that I may live to give Him glory. But if I live everyday bound to the worries of this world of what I will eat, drink, take pleasure in, worries and anxiety, then my blood, muscles, bones, face, everything about me will change according to the manner of the stresses of this world. But if I eat the Word of God and live in joy and and always give thanks, then as a Christian everything will change. Completely. What kind of life do you desire to live? What kind of life should you live? God has given you form according to the purpose He has for you. Even twins are different. Meaning that though you may have multiple children at the same time, they do not have the same purpose. We must see that the purpose given to them by God is different. If we believe that we have been sent here by God to fulfill His purpose, then in order to fulfill His purpose, we must we must listen to His voice and live to fulfill that purpose, by surrendering ourselves. If I die and truly serve The Lord in my heart, then in my life The Lord will reveal Himself, and give me the strength to overcome the world. When I live my life in obedience to the Word, my blood, muscles, bones, and face in 4 years will completely change. Why did God allow you to live this life? It is so that you can live a life of power and become children of His kingdom, and for this reason He has created us in this manner. If you believe this, then what will God do to the one who lives their life in this manner? He will bless you. What will He do to the one who lives this life? He will give them power. The one who lives this life, they will have the power to overcome all struggles in their life. This is the life of one who is blessed. This is the life of power. May you live this life of power, and through your life reap the fruit of living a life that gives glory to God as True Light Church members. Sermon by Pastor Howard Park Translation by Miguel Park