The Power of God That It Is

Notes: Valor - The Power of God That It Is

Pastor Jason Powell

November 17, 2015

Ephesians 1

Harvest OC

Having something is a lot different than knowing how to use it.

When we have something and know how to use it makes a profound difference.

The Bible tells us that God provides us all that we need.

As believers we have an endlessness of riches that God has given us that we don't typically use to its full advantage.

The Ephesians are a growing healthy church that Paul is writing to. He helps open their eyes to see the riches they have been given in Christ.

There are a lot of affirming truths as we read the book of Ephesians.

Ephesians is all about us as believers. Paul wrote this while he was in prison.

Ephesians 3:1 NKJV

[1] For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles-

The earliest manuscripts did not have the name of Ephesians on it. Ephesians was added later, it was more like a circular that went around in the area when Paul wrote it.

Ephesians 1:15-16 NKJV

[15] Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, [16] do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

Paul is thinking, thanking and praying for them.

Ephesians 1:17-18 NKJV

[17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, [18] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Paul is praying that they will get supernatural wisdom from God.

2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV

[6] For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jason thinks of...

2 Kings 6:17 NKJV

[17] And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

This is the kind of enlightening that Paul wants us to see in our view of God.

1. The Hope that we have

2. The holiness we are given.

3. The heavenly power we are given.

Ephesians 1:18 NKJV

[18] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

God has brought us from death to life.

Ephesians 1:14 NKJV

[14] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

God chose you before the world started.

Revelation 17:8 NKJV

[8] The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Ephesians 1:6 NKJV

[6] to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:7-11 NKJV

[7] In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace [8] which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, [9] having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, [10] that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-in Him. [11] In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Ephesians 1:12 NKJV

[12] that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV

[13] In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, [14] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

When you understand what God has done for you, it brings hope.

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

[6] being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

We have hope in knowing that God has called us. God is with me.

2. The Holiness that I am called to.

Ephesians 1:18 NKJV

[18] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

God is bringing you into glory. We are the inheritance that God gets.

Why are we called to holiness? Don't you understand the amount of love that God has for you?

Ephesians 1:4 NKJV

[4] just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

When we understand that we get God at the end, it should change us completely.

3. The Heavenly power that belongs to me.

Ephesians 1:19 NKJV

[19] and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

We can rely on the power that God provides.

Ephesians 1:20-23 NKJV

[20] which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. [22] And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, [23] which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

The power of the Holy Spirit is working in you right now. You need to accept it as the power of God that it is.

Valor: Grace Above the Law

Notes: Valor: Grace Above the Law

October 6, 2015

Pastor Jason Powell

Harvest OC

What is the wire we are balancing on in our Christian walk, the thing we need to have laser beam focus on?  Justification

Galatians 2:16 NKJV

[16] knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Justification is the truth of the gospel.

Justification is a legal word borrowed from the court system. To be justified is to be declared legally righteous.

God delivers righteousness to us. God takes it from Jesus and hands it to us.

Romans 5:9 NKJV

[9] Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Colossians 3:3 NKJV

[3] For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Justification is what gives us joy because we are right with God.

One of the greatest mysteries in life is that a righteous God in Heaven has handed justification to me.

When we learned that we are justified we all tend to work harder for the Lord, not because we have to but because we want too.

In Galatians 2 Paul is calling out the distorters of the Gospel. Then Paul calls the people back to the Gospel.

Acts 14 and 15 appear to be written in parallel to Galatians 1 and 2.

In Acts 14 and 15 Paul is a new believer. Galatians 1 and 2 are referencing that time.

What does it take to be saved? Faith in Jesus.

Galatians 2:1-4 NKJV

[1] Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. [2] And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. [3] Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. [4] And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),

Galatians 2:5-10 NKJV

[5] to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. [6] But from those who seemed to be something-whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man-for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. [7] But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter [8] (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), [9] and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. [10] They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.

The world around us today is trying to do the same things as the false brethren were doing here.

The world is very ardent in trying to tear away at our foundation as believers.

We need to confront the distorters of the Gospel with the truth of the Gospel.

The church needs to hear the gospel just as much as everyone else.

Galatians 2:11-16 NKJV

[11] Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; [12] for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. [13] And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. [14] But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? [15] We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, [16] knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

In Acts 10, Peter clearly knew that he was no longer under the law. Yet, even Peter returns to the law.

Proverbs 29:25 NKJV

[25] The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.

I am counted right in front of God because of Jesus, not because of me.

Galatians 2:17-21 NKJV

[17] "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! [18] For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. [19] For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. [21] I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

Again...

Galatians 2:21 NKJV

[21] I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

Nothing can justify us in front of God except the blood of Jesus Christ.

Symptoms of drifting away...

1. Pride for what you have been doing, going to work, the way you act etc.

2. Feel like you act different at church then at home?

3. Feeling a little conviction for your actions?

We are to focus on the gospel. We will never be justified by our acts.

We all need to be called back on a daily basis to justification by faith alone.

Uprising

Notes: Uprising

Harvest OC

Pastor Jason Powell

August 20, 2015

Uprising: an act of resistance or rebellion; a revolt.

We have seen uprisings around the world in the last several years.

We are praying that there will be a Gospel Uprising in the Christian church.

There has only been a few Christian uprisings in America. We need to pray there is another one.

Why is the Gospel our cause?

Romans 1:16 NKJV

[16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

The world is in a bad place because of sin. We all deserve to be in hell for eternity because of our debt of sin. The good news is that Jesus has paid that debt for us.

We are all drowning in our sins...the good news is that our life guard is Jesus Christ. He has already rescued us.

We are given the hope of Heaven. Hell is not in our future because of Jesus.

Jesus does the supernatural; He goes against all of history. He defeated our two greatest enemies, sin and death.

Romans 1:16 NKJV

[16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

He is not ashamed, when we are not ashamed we will tell others. Are you ashamed of the Gospel?

Have you been moved to tell others?

God commands and commissions us to share the Gospel. Are you excited about telling others?

Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun. One bolt has enough power to power a home for 60 days. All that power is too powerful for our current technology to harness it.

We know that lightning is brewing over Angels Stadium. We need all the people we can to help try to harness that power of the Gospel.

Act Like a Real Man

Notes: Valor - Act Like a Real Man
Pastor Jason Powell
11-18-2014
Harvest OC
Acts 7

He is talking about what we think what a real man is. He was quoting what the commercials say about "The Most Interesting Man in the World."

Stephen is who this chapter Acts 7 speaks of. Stephen is a real man of faith and his story is now in the Bible for all of history.

He is telling us about Stephen in Acts 6 and what the accusations are that they were accusing him of. They were accusing him of blasphemy.

In Acts 7, Stephen responds to these accusations before he is killed.

Acts 6:11-15 NLT
[11] So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, "We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God." [12] This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. [13] The lying witnesses said, "This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. [14] We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us." [15] At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel's.

1. God doesn't live in a box.

He is not restricted by anything, especially not just a temple.

Acts 7:1-4 NLT
[1] Then the high priest asked Stephen, "Are these accusations true?" [2] This was Stephen's reply: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. [3] God told him, 'Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.' [4] So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.


Acts 7:9-10 NLT
[9] "These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him [10] and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.


Acts 7:30-34 NLT
[30] "Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. [31] When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord called out to him, [32] 'I am the God of your ancestors-the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look. [33] "Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. [34] I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.'

God was with Moses more intimately then He was with anyone in the Temple.

Acts 7:45-50 NLT
[45] Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory. And it stayed there until the time of King David. [46] "David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. [47] But it was Solomon who actually built it. [48] However, the Most High doesn't live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says, [49] 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?' asks the Lord. 'Could you build me such a resting place? [50] Didn't my hands make both heaven and earth?'

God is bigger than the Temple, God is huge, God is everywhere. Technically the heart can become a temple if God is in residence.

Stephen is saying basically that he is not the person that rejects God or turning in Moses. He is saying they are the ones that actually resist them.

Acts 7:39-41 NLT
[39] "But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt. [40] They told Aaron, 'Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don't know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.' [41] So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made.

Acts 7:51-53 NLT
[51] "You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you! [52] Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One-the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. [53] You deliberately disobeyed God's law, even though you received it from the hands of angels."

He is saying they are the ones that hate the law, not Stephen.

They could not refute what Stephen said, so his defense ended up being his death sentence.

Acts 7:54-60 NLT
[54] The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen's accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. [55] But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand. [56] And he told them, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!" [57] Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him [58] and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. [59] As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." [60] He fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!" And with that, he died.

Death revealed who Stephen was.

Stephen was a R.E.A.L. Man.

R - resolute, he was bold and declared God's word.

When you know what you are talking about it is easier to be resolute in your statements and decisions. Standing in God's word gives us the confidence.

A - authentic, he had the word and the lifestyle to match. The Gospel took hold of Stephen's heart. We know this because eminent death reveals the inner makings of a man.

Acts 7:54,57,59-60 NLT
[54] The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen's accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. [57] Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him [59] As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." [60] He fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!" And with that, he died.

He is telling us about when he got into an accident before he was a true Christian and he discovered that he wasn't right with God. That was something he learned about himself the split second before he thought he might of died.

He is now talking about a guy named Tokichi Ishii that says that the truth of Jesus Christ was revealed on the cross, that Jesus would have been mad or scared, not asking God to forgive the people killing Him.

Acts 7:58 NLT
[58] and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Acts 22:19-20 NLT
[19] "'But Lord,' I argued, 'they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. [20] And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.'

Without Stephen we wouldn't of had Paul.

Acts 8:1,3 NLT
[1] Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. [3] But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.

God used the legacy of a man, Stephen, to further the church.

Stephen in following the footsteps of Jesus Christ modeled for us the image of a real man.