by Denis Beausejour

Series: Kingdom Life

Message Outline

Series Message 10:
Kingdom Power

Text: 1 Corinthians 4:20 & others

Series theme verse: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here....Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 4:17b, 11:30, The Message)

Kingdom Life series goals:

• Learn to think, act and be like Jesus - Matthew 5:48
• Live His radical love for God and for people - Matthew 22:37-39
• Going beyond the elementary teachings about Jesus - Hebrews 6:1
• Be like The Rabbi - spread his “yoke”, live his rhythm - Matthew 11:28-30
• Moving to maturity, by His confidence & His power - Acts 1:8
• Becoming the chosen royal priesthood - 1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 3:20-21
• Ushering in the fullness of the Kingdom - Matthew 6:10
  Remember: Jesus believes we can become like him!

Remember: Jesus believes we can become like him!
 
Series Synopsis:

This series has been a time to explore Life in the Kingdom of God. We have been learning that this Kingdom Life is not something we access at death, but rather it is something that starts the moment we believe in and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is not a Sunday morning Kingdom, but rather a 24-7 Kingdom with God at work in every detail of our universe. It is a subversive Kingdom, spreading like a mustard plant through the nooks and cracks of society and in individual hearts through the radical love of Christ and His people.
 
If you are like me, you have felt very challenged and maybe even overwhelmed by the "stretch factor" of this series' content. We have heard from passionate people serving in various parts of the Kingdom: Leader development in China, the battle for purity in a sexualized culture, and the efforts to release the church into the city of Cincinnati. We have been memorizing Scripture, and meeting in small groups to discuss what we are learning. We have been carrying out Kingdom assignments - from doing jobs no one wants to do, to examining where our time and money go, and also in seeking and giving forgiveness to restore relationships.

Today's theme:

You may be wondering about how this Kingdom Life works when you experience sin and lack of focus in your journey with Christ. This may lead you to experience guilt and shame—perhaps even to compare yourself to others on the journey. You may have personal problems that rob your joy and growth. You may feel overwhelmed by work and family priorities and think that you are not really contributing to the Kingdom - or you may be feeling tired and discouraged or overextended.
 
Today's text reminds us that the Kingdom of God works on supernatural power. Today we will talk about that power and how we as Christ-followers access that power to experience the Kingdom Life that God designed us to experience. It is the power to evade sin, to hear God's voice, to pray, to set the right priorities, to make the right choices, and to know how best to use our time and our gifts. This power is administered through the Holy Spirit and the Spirit-filled life is one of the great joys and thrills of the Kingdom!

Today's Big Idea:

This life of power in the Spirit, resting in Christ's work for us, is the way to be connected to God and to abide or "keep company" with Him.....which is the key to living freely and lightly. This is the key to Kingdom Life!

Focus text: 1 Corinthians 4:20
 
Context:

In 1 Corinthians chapters 3 and 4, Paul is very concerned with the spiritual division and immaturity of the church in Corinth. He is reviewing a number of crucial principles this young church needs to apply, admonishing them to leave their worldly ways in favor of the true spiritual life—a life of power. He is asking them not to play with fire and to continue sinning—now is the time to be transformed by God's power!

1. Sin and the three primary lies of Satan:

Yes, we do continue to sin and Satan continues to try and get us to give up our salvation in Christ by seeking forms of self-salvation that are cruel counterfeits!

Lie #1: Your value is found in your performance. This leads to fear of failure. Jesus' performance is all you need. He has paid the full price already for all the gaps in your performance - past, present and future.

Lie #2: Your worth is based on what other people think of you. The truth is that your worth was set by Jesus when he died for you and Jesus is the only judge who matters.

Lie #3: When you fail, you deserve to be punished. The reality is that Jesus has an air-tight case and further punishment of you would be unjust.

The heart of the message is that we are no longer being valued or asked to find our value in our performance, since our value was set on the Cross. There is nothing Satan can do to a Christ-follower that will go beyond temporary trials—our value and future was secured forever on the Cross.

2. The plan of God and His Kingdom Power:

Kingdom Power is promised to the disciples in Acts 1:8. Paul admonishes believers to be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5:18. Jesus and the apostles refer to the power of the Kingdom more than 100 times. This power can refer to the Gospel, to the Cross, and sometimes to what raised Jesus from the grave.....but most often, it is the Holy Spirit.
 
The power of the Spirit is the subject at the heart of the book of Romans - chapter 6 shows us how this power has defeated sin, chapter 7 shows us how even the power of the law has been broken, and chapter 8 shows us the freedom that we have in Christ because we are now living by His Spirit, not our selfish desires. This "death-to-life swap" with Jesus is also well articulated in Galatians 2:20.
 
The fact is that every believer has been set free from sin, guilt, shame, and the law—we are free—nothing we can do can make God love us more, and nothing we can do can make God love us less. Now, that is Good News!!!!! We are no longer under the Law, but we are now governed by the Gospel of grace. Every situation is an opportunity to live out the Gospel—all we need to do is receive it from God—by growing in friendship with Jesus—seeking to be like Him—through the Word and prayer, the Spirit, and other disciples.

Today's Worship Response:

• Personal examination
• Confession
• Asking to make the "death-to-life swap" with Jesus
• Asking for the filling of the Holy Spirit
• Celebrating Holy Communion
• Prayer and seeking prayer with our prayer partners

Application questions for reflection and sharing in small groups:

1. What happens when you sin? How does it affect you and how do you process it with God? Do you feel stuck in repetitious sins of any kind?

2. How do you feel about your journey with God? What are the best moments? How about the worst? Please share with your group and ask them to encourage you in an area of growth you want to pursue.

3. How do you seek God for direction? How does that affect your priorities on a daily or weekly basis?

4. How do you plan to learn and experience the filling of the Holy Spirit and His leadership in your life? Perhaps you could share your learning to date and your plans with the group.  

For parents:

1. How would being filled with the Holy Spirit affect your parenting?

2. How might you teach this Kingdom power secret to your kids?

Memory Verse for this Week: 1 Corinthians 4:2

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. NIV

Resources for further study:
 
1.  Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, by Jack Deere
 
2.  Discovering the Spirit-filled Life (GreatCom.org)
 
3.  Holy Spirit personal Bible study, by Pastor Denis Beausejour 

Preview reading for next week:

Matthew 6: 5-18 (we will focus on prayer)
Matthew 16:19 (Memory verse)