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Amazing Facts

Power of God

Joe Crews

Power of God Part 1

That's literally true of scores of Americans who do not realize they are missing heirs.

I'll return in a moment to talk about possessing your possessions.

Hello, This is Joe Cruz and the Amazing Facts broadcast, Facts Which Affect You.

It seems very appropriate that the word dynamite is a transliteration of the Greek word dunamis, which means power.

Now the word is not a stranger to those who are students of the scriptures.

It is 1 of the colorful adjectives used in the Bible to describe the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote this in Romans 1, 16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God, or the dunamis of God, unto salvation to every 1 that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Now how few Christians there are, friends, who have a true understanding of the explosive power of the gospel that they lightly profess.

If Paul's words are true, Then everyone who possesses the gospel should also be filled with tremendous power.

Unfortunately, the lives of countless Church members are flaccid, bland, and miserably compromised.

Instead of vibrant power, there seems to be discouragement and defeat.

Do these people really believe the gospel or not?

And why is the dynamite so obviously missing in their lives?

The answer must be that many do not truly believe what they profess, or else they have been taught a counterfeit gospel.

Some of the greatest spiritual problems of today are rooted in a misunderstanding of the gospel.

The sad fact is that millions have no true comprehension of what is afforded through the gospel and what it is supposed to do for them.

Unaware of its full provisions, They stumble along, claiming only what their weak faith is able to encompass.

Instead of feasting at the banquet table of the Lord, these people gather crumbs from under the table, which barely provides enough strength to survive.

They are very much like the missing heirs we have heard so much about.

All across America millions of dollars are stacked up in banks waiting for the true owners to take possession of the money.

In most cases the heirs are unaware of the wealth which rightfully belongs to them and which only waits their demand and reception.

But these millions are nothing compared to the spiritual riches which still lie untapped by those Christians who fail to recognize their own unlimited affluence.

For no reason except their own abysmal failure to claim their true possessions, most professed Christians are living in wretched poverty and weakness.

Do you know why these millionaires are living like paupers?

Because they have allowed the devil to intimidate them.

He has lied to them about 1 of their most basic privileges, and we need to unmask the evil 1 and expose the false claims he makes concerning his authority.

And Satan would like for us to believe that he has unlimited control over this world and all its people, but that is simply not true.

He is not the master of God's children and has no power at all over the saints.

Where Christ lives and reigns, Satan trembles and flees for his life.

This glorious truth must fill our minds with constant assurance.

We have all seen the incredible enslaving influence that he exercises in the life of a sinner.

But when Christ banishes the devil from that sinner and controls his life, the power for good is far greater than the evil.

If there is more power in Christ than there is in Satan, then there is more power in grace than there is in sin.

Jesus is not just as strong as the devil, else the warfare between them might end in a draw or a standoff.

But thank God Christ has already won the battle, and Satan is a defeated foe right now.

Now this leads us to the joyful conclusion that the Christian has somebody stronger helping him to follow Jesus than the sinner has helping him to follow Satan.

Therefore we must also conclude that it is easier to be saved than it is to be lost.

Now perhaps that is a shocking thought to some who have been taught the opposite from childhood.

The common view is that the Christian life is a hard road of trouble and sacrifice.

The old song, you know, Oh, It's Not an Easy Road, expresses the popular sentiment of millions who struggle to do what is right.

Dare we challenge the accepted traditional view, friends?

We dare not do otherwise in the light of Christ's clear teaching on the subject.

How could so many overlook the words of Jesus in Matthew 11, 28, 28, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 56, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 58, 59, 60, 60, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 82, 83, 84, 84, 85, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 94, 95, 96, 100, 111, 122, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 1 give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Now Jesus specifically declared that it was easy to follow Him.

He didn't suggest that people would be unhappy because of the heavy load of restrictions connected with the Christian life.

On the contrary, he promised that the way would be easy and light.

When Jesus met Saul on the road to Damascus, He said, It is hard for thee, Saul, to kick against the pricks." And the meaning of these words is obvious.

He was telling Saul that it was hard to resist the Holy Spirit.

The misery and struggle lay in the path of disobedience.

The way of the transgressor is hard, not the way of the obedient.

Friends, we must stop allowing Satan to brainwash us with the exaggerated claims of his authority.

It is true that under the reign of sin it is easier to do wrong than it is to do right, but it is also true that under the reign of grace it is easier to do right than it is to do wrong.

Now why should we not assert the prerogatives that belong to us as the children of God?

The Bible writers did not hesitate to challenge the limited authority of Satan, and neither should we.

Paul wrote, Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound.

But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5, 20, 21.

Now notice the expression, As sin hath reigned.

Driving back every spiritual impulse, the carnal nature overpowered all the efforts of grace to enter the heart.

But notice that grace abounds much more than sin, and as sin hath reigned, even so might grace reign.

Obviously grace will also be a controlling power which can overcome all the efforts of sin to enter the life.

The devil has no dynamite that compares with the shattering dynamite of the gospel in a surrendered life.

So we are brought back to the question again.

It is undeniable that we have access to more good power than bad.

Of course he wants you to be lost, but God wants you to be saved.

You can win every time by being on the side of the stronger.

Jesus referred to his mastery of devils in these words, he said, When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace.

But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

The strong man referred to here, of course, is Satan.

He is stronger than the wisest man who ever lived, that was Solomon, and the strongest man who ever lived, Samson, and the most perfect man who ever lived, Adam.

Jesus Christ is that stronger 1 who overcame him and delivers the captives out of his hands.

He that is for us is greater than he which is against us.

Now not only does God have the power to save us, but He has the desire to do it.

It's His will that all should come to repentance and be saved.

What produces this repentance in the life, friends?

Paul assures us that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance, Romans 2.4.

And how many does He lead toward repentance?

Well, everyone, of course, since it is His will to save everybody.

Jesus said, I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

His love does not appeal to a select few only, but to all men.

His goodness leads every soul to repent, and His love draws all men to the cross.

If this is true, then, why are not all men saved?

Well, because they fight and struggle against being saved, of course.

Power of God Part 2

I'll return in a moment with the amazing facts about joyful submission.

Hello, this is Joe Cruz on the Amazing Facts Broadcast, Facts which affect you.

In our last broadcast we started studying a special subject concerning whether it is easier to be saved or to be lost.

We found out that many Christians do not really understand or appreciate that they are spiritual millionaires, that they have access to all of the unlimited power of God to really help them be Christians.

And so a lot of people are really not possessing their possessions.

They are not operating in the Spirit because they don't allow the Spirit to do the work in them that He would like to do.

I would like for us to continue that study today.

You know, really, God's Spirit-filled children must learn to be more confident, more aggressive and bold in their assertion of truth in the name of the mighty, conquering Creator God.

We are not operating in the strength of the flesh, friends, but in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Praise be to God for such an assurance as that.

But now let's consider the question, Why is it not hard to serve Christ when you are a Christian?

Now please don't mistake the language of this question, friends.

We are talking about a born-again Christian following Jesus.

There is no contention that anyone else will find it easy to live the Christian life.

In fact, there is probably no more difficult task in the world than trying to live for Christ in the strength of the flesh.

In fact, it is quite impossible for anybody to do that.

As I look back on it, I think, maybe, that many of the great degenerative diseases and weaknesses of the body have been produced by generations of struggle to please God by human effort.

People are wearied and worn out by such futile activity.

But for the committed Christian, the way of obedience is a joy and delight.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous.

The great disciple of love declares that it is not hard to obey God's law when it is the fruitage of a love relationship.

And the psalmist wrote, I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is within my heart.

There are 2 strong reasons, then, why it is not grievous for the true Christian to serve the Lord.

First, he is absolutely confident that God loves Him and will do only what is good for Him.

And second, he loves Christ supremely and chooses to run no risk of displeasing Him.

Now somebody may raise a question about the demands laid down in the Bible and the penalties attached for the transgression of God's law.

Do these requirements and threatened penalties make obedience a hardship?

Let me answer that question with 2 imaginary interviews.

Suppose I have just submitted to a complete medical examination and the doctor is giving me a report of his findings.

And he says, Joe, I have bad, bad news for you.

Your tests indicate that you are going to die unless you follow my orders exactly.

To save your life, you must obey what I am going to tell you, and you must continue to follow my orders every day for the rest of your life.

I found that you will be required to eat 2 or 3 times a day in order to save your life, and you must force yourself to do it day after day as long as you live." Now friends, think about that for a moment.

Those are strict rules with some mighty heavy penalties attached.

I can lose my life by violating the law laid down by that doctor.

He has found a condition in my body that requires me to eat 3 times a day.

But now will it be difficult for me to follow those orders?

Simply because there is a higher law leading me to eat every day anyway.

The physical laws of my being demand that I eat regularly, and I enjoy doing it.

It is for my own good to eat, and I do not have to force myself to comply with the doctor's rigid requirements.

Now in the same way there is a law of love operating in every Christian life, which is the natural extension of a personal relation with Jesus.

The commandments and penalties of the Bible are no threat whatsoever, because the Christian recognizes the higher law, leading him to do these things that are for his best good.

He doesn't obey for fear of the penalty, but because he is happiest obeying the 1 that he loves.

Now let's imagine another conversation that will never actually take place, of course, but I'm preparing to leave home for a month of evangelism.

My wife tells me goodbye and then solemnly holds a paper before my face.

Joe, she says, you will be gone for a month, and your check will be mailed out before you return.

I just want you to read this paper very carefully.

392, and it states that you can be put in jail if you don't send me money to operate this home, if you don't support your family, and it's not very pleasant in that county jail, so I'll be expecting you to send that money as soon as you get your check." Well, what she says is true, friends, but do I need the threat of that law to make me support my family?

No, there is a higher law of love that makes me want to take care of my loved ones.

I remember walking 10 miles in the pouring rain to keep a date with a girl that I loved.

We can make anything a burden by the attitude we have toward it and by the way we relate to it.

It is a burden to serve Jesus if the relationship is wrong.

I have heard people say, but Christianity is so restrictive, you have to give up so much.

Yes, it is true, but marriage is even more restrictive than religion.

Do brides and grooms complain about the narrow promises that they make to each other?

Now, I have performed many marriages, friends, and I have never seen newlyweds unhappy about their commitments.

They are always radiant, even though they have just promised their lives away.

Imagine someone approaching the new bride with these discouraging words.

Oh my, you really are in a bad situation now.

Just think, you've got to cook for this guy every day of your life.

You'll be required to clean the house and mend his clothes and put up with his untidy habits.

Do you know how that new wife would respond to that kind of a statement, friends?

Why, she'd say, It's wonderful, I love it.

Now suppose someone should try to discourage a newly baptized Christian who has just been married to Jesus, and they say, Oh, you have got yourself into a miserable mess.

Just think, you can't go to the bars and dances anymore.

You can't go to the ball games on Sabbath.

You won't be able to eat that unclean food anymore.

Without question, my friends, that beaming newborn Christian would answer, Wonderful, I love every moment of it.

The explanation for this response is made in 2 Corinthians 5, 14, For the love of Christ constraineth us.

Love propels and compels people to do anything and everything to please the 1 they love the most.

No burdensome yoke binds such disciples to the path of service.

Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Revelation 22, 14.

Now that word blessed really means happy.

The commandments may be restricted, but it is a joy to be restricted by love.

These thoughts are alien and contradictory, I am sure.

People who are not in love cannot appreciate the selfless involvement of those who are happily married.

Some married couples have destroyed their love for each other, and they look upon marriage as a galling bondage.

But listen, the fault is not with marriage, but with the attitude.

When Christians fall away and lose their relationship with Jesus, they also begin to complain about the burden of religion.

But the fault lies not in the religion, but in the loveless heart of the complainer.

Does all of this stand in opposition to the teaching of Christ concerning self-denial?

Jesus did say, If any man will come unto me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Luke 9, 23.

Did he mean that the way of obedience would be hard and unhappy?

He was simply picturing the reality of competing attractions in the life of a Christian.

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