WE ARE NOT POWERLESS NOR HELPLESS

IN THE DAYS OF HIS POWER SERIES.

TOPIC: WE ARE NOT POWERLESS NOR HELPLESS

SERMON BY-:
Rev. Innocent Chukwudi Peace-Udochukwu President Living Fountain Ministries Int’l LIFOM

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”
(2 Timothy 1:7).

Storms are real. We will feel Overwhelmed at times. But Jesus is our Source and nothing is too great for Him.

Sometimes life makes us feel as though we are just on our own, we feel powerless to help ourselves and feel as though others are too far away to help.

The Disciples of Jesus had such an experience.
“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”
Mathew 8:23-27,

Maybe you’re going through a storm of your own. We all do from time to time, it’s part of being human. From being served with divorce papers, to being homeless or under-resourced, to losing a job, or facing a big health challenge, personal storms are real. What we know to be true and see in this story from Jesus’ life is that storms:
Can be sudden and unexpected.
Can make us feel helpless, hopeless, and powerless.
Can affect us and others around us.

It’s awful to feel powerless. Yet that’s the way many people do feel when they face violence, financial crisis, oppressive working conditions, menacing addiction, disease, pain. But the good news of the Bible is that we are not powerless. That we shouldn’t feel this way.

“Power belongeth unto God,”
(Psalm. 62:11). Power to rescue: “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save”
(Zephaniah 3:17).
Power to heal:
“O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me”
(Psalm. 30:2). And power to be unafraid:
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”
(2 Timothy 1:7).

What does it mean to be helpless?
To be helpless is to not have the ability to save yourself.

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.”
Romans 5:6

This portion of Scripture comes from a letter that Paul is writing to christians in Rome, in order to encourage them.

With God being a God of love and compassion we all would still be helpless
Paul writes, “for while we were still helpless…”

We live in a helpless world, that sees the effects of Sin. The more we try to make things better the more tainted and corrupt they become, because “all have fallen”

We can have hope in God, because of the nature of His love- He didn’t wait for us to be perfect, because we never could be.

It was in the face of our powerlessness, that God was completely in control and had a plan to redeem us.- “At the right Time.”

No matter where you are at in this very moment, God loves you and has a plan to redeem your live, and that is through Jesus Christ.

God’s sovereignty assures us that when doctors can’t help, life’s dreams have turned into nightmares, and we are out of control—God is still in control and hears when you call out to Him.

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:2 NIV

The ultimate key to survival is your power source.
The disciples were hanging on for their dear lives and they turned to Jesus. This third point is the most important. Sometimes we turn to ourselves, our finances, our wisdom, our abilities as the ultimate source of power. But only Jesus is all-powerful and can meet our every need. Our church is full of incredible electricians and electrical engineers who could tell you some great stories about power and what happens when you use the wrong power source vs. the right power source; probably some frightening stories too. In the end, the disciples got it right.

Turn to Him; trust Him; be amazed. Never stop being amazed. Don’t ever let God’s presence and love and power be commonplace and unmoving. Always be stirred by the fact that He came for you, to you, and to be with you. Never stop being amazed that He came to die for you, save you, and purchase Heaven for you. Never stop being amazed by the virgin birth, resurrection, healing of the blind/sick/crippled/leper/raising of the dead. This same Jesus is with you. He is all-powerful, and through Him you are never powerless.

In the context of studying the book of Revelation, I found that my view of Wrestle Mania and the study of Revelation, have some parallels—similarities: both have spectacular scenes, suspense, and are somewhat entertaining, but there’s a major similarity that’s even more important—​the predetermined outcome! No matter how much suspense and drama we go through, no matter how many spectacular scenes we experience, no matter how many trials we wrestle with in this life, listen Church, we know how it all ends—it’s
predetermined by God. We win in the end!

“He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:5 NIV

In a materialistic and instant society, it’s difficult to put your hope in the unseen future; but you must have the courage, strength, and perseverance to move through your (temporary) helpless times. To overcome the helplessness in your lives you must have hope in God’s future redemption. Job persevered because his redeemer is God. God’s redemption is enough for us!

The book of Ruth tells the story of three women: Naomi and her two widowed daughters-in-law. Naomi told the women that she’s going back to her homeland in Bethlehem and that they should go back to their own families, too. In that culture, it was tough being a widow and the only way to survive was to go back to their families. Orpah reluctantly does so, but Ruth has no family and clings to Naomi and in Ruth 1:16 NIV says: “But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.” Ruth is a symbol of loyalty and devotion, and she eventually marries Boaz—Naomi’s wealthy relative!

In times when you feel absolutely helpless, your hope is God—Jesus is all you need!

SHALOM!

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