So I'm not able to open up the file for a PowerPoint presentation. So we'll just get going without it and see where we go. And in the meantime, if the problem is resolved, then you'll get to see some pictures. Okay? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you brought us to your church so that we may study your word. We pray that your Holy Spirit will awaken us and convict us so that we may be transformed in conformity to the image of your Son. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. So today my topic is loving God with all your might. So this is the last in our series of loving God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might. I have a nephew. who is very short and he had to spend his teenage years in Texas where being large I think is often equated with being good or being great. But he would say that even though he's very small, he would say, I am smarter than all of the rest of the kids. And actually he's very smart and he, graduated from UCLA last year in like two and a half years. He's very smart. So the point of that story is that we all have something that we hold on to for our self-pride. And the same can be seen in a story that's recorded in 1 Kings chapter 20, where we read about the invasion of the Syrian army. King Ben-Hadad and his army came to invade Israel, and they were soundly defeated. And what did the king say? The king said, their gods are gods of the hills. We lost the war because we fought on a hill. Maybe if we fight on a plain, then we might beat the Israelites. So in this case, the plains represented the self-pride that the Syrian army held onto as dear to them. But God does not delight in our self-pride or our own strengths. In Psalm 147.10, it says, His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man. And 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and chapter 3 repeatedly state that the wisdom of this world is following with God. God doesn't really care for the wisdom of man or his strength. And why does he not care for man's strength? Because God does not share his glory with any other. And you may remember how Gideon had to select his army when he was going out to fight the Midianites. At the time of the initial calling, about 32,000 people gathered to fight alongside Gideon. And God said to Gideon, oh, that's way too many. The Israelites might tell themselves, oh, we won because we had our number. So God told Gideon, whoever has any fear should go back home. And out of the 32,000, 22,000 left. So 10,000 were still remaining. And God said, that's still way too many. So God told Gideon to take the 10,000 men to a water stream and watch them drink water. Oops, I'm sorry. I should not move my arms. Watch them drink water from the stream. And depending on how they did it, if they put their hands into the water to drink, they were disqualified. If they knelt by the stream and... I'm sorry. Knelt by the stream and gathered water in their palms and then drank, then they were qualified to go out to the war. And only 300 remained. And God decided to fight the Midianites of an innumerable number, which is 300 men, because he didn't want to share his glory with any other. The victory had to be because of God's power, not because of man's power or man's number. And if you remember, the last few times I was here, I introduced you to a Greek word, and that word was ex. With all your strength, or with all your might, in Greek, is exoleis testudo meios sou. And the first word there, X, the preposition, actually means away from or out from, rather than with. But in the English Bible, it's translated as with, with all your strength. So what the Bible is actually saying is away from all your strength. Love your God away from all your strength. And the recurring theme in the last few weeks has been that when we love God with all our hearts, with all our soul, and all our might, we are to do away with anything and everything that may be considered ours. And we need to be first transformed to the heart of Jesus Christ, the soul or the life that God actually values, and the power or the might of God himself in order to love him properly. So remember that. That's our theme. And our own strongholds must be destroyed. Second Corinthians chapter 10, verses 4 to 6, it says that, The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. And what are the strongholds? The strongholds are our arguments, our lofty opinions, our reasoning, et cetera, et cetera, our own ideas. They must be destroyed with the double-edged sword of God, the word of God. If you have an abscess in your body, as our doctor here would confirm, no amount of antibiotics will treat the abscess. There must be a knife that is applied to the abscess to incise it and drain the abscess. And likewise, our own ideas and our own lofty opinions are like an abscess. And they require the knife, the double-edged sword of God, to be treated. So that which we hold so dear as the pride of our lives must be incised and drained like an abscess. And our own strengths must be replaced with God's power, God's power. So how do we derive God's power or God's strength? Our God is a triune God. So we appeal to our triune God by calling on the name of God in the name of Jesus Christ. And what we ask for is the Spirit, Holy Spirit. We call on the name of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the Holy Spirit. Because when we receive the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, then we will receive power, the power of God. And Jesus said, whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Jesus is telling us, ask in my name. And what do we, or what are we supposed to ask for? In Luke chapter 11, verses nine through 13, in telling us that which among you would give a serpent if your son or daughter is asking for a fish? And if you know how to give good gifts to your own children, wouldn't your Father in Heaven know even better to give you the best gifts? And what are the best gifts that the Heavenly Father can give us? It's the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the best gift that our Father wants to give to us, and that's what we need to ask for in the name of Jesus Christ. to receive the power, the power of God. Now, in the Gospels, Jesus is described as the one who gives the living water. In John 7, verses 37 and 39, Jesus said that, whoever believes in me, As the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. And there's a commentary that follows that immediately, and it says that this he said about the spirit. Rivers of living water refer to the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is the one who gives us the rivers of living water, which is the spirit. And Jesus is also described as the one who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire. And that's how he's contrasted to John the Baptist. John the Baptist baptized with water, but there is one greater than he who comes shortly after, who will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. And that's the distinction between Jesus and John the Baptist. And I ask you, is that distinction no longer true? Is Jesus no longer the one who gives us a living water? And for some reason, it's my impression that in the modern church, many seem to be in apparent denier. of the works of the Holy Spirit. And when Jesus said that, I'm going to give you rivers of living water to whomever believes in me, he didn't set any time limits. He didn't say this is effective only up to AD 30, AD 40, AD 50. Whoever believes in me, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Those are the words of Jesus Christ. And why don't we tap into these rivers of living water? And we need empowerment by the Spirit in order to do just about anything. Other than Jesus Christ, we might say that the greatest figure in Christian history, in the first 2,000 years of Christian history, may be Apostle Paul. Some may have a different idea, but he wrote about half the New Testament. He was instrumental in building the church. But even Paul, he said in 1 Corinthians 2, verses three and four, that he trembles at the thought that when he's preaching the gospel, he may do it with the plausible words of his own wisdom. He trembled because there may not be the workings of the Holy Spirit. He wanted the gospel to be delivered with the power of the Holy Spirit. So that's what he trembled about. But it's not just the preaching that can be done or can only be done with empowerment by the Spirit. Just about anything else that we do as Christians can be done properly only with the power that comes with the Holy Spirit. Now at this point, if we had a PowerPoint, we'd be really good. I was going to show you two pictures of before and after. The picture that depicts before was a picture of a tent church. The largest congregation in the world is actually in Korea. and it's called Yeouido Full Gospel Church. And it's a church that started in 1958 as a tent church. So, you know, small tent, maybe five, six people gather as the initial gathering. Fast forward 20 years, in 1978, It was a church, at least the building, the church building, what was like a huge stadium that was constructed right next to the parliamentary building in the heart of the city of Seoul. And the membership as of 2019 was 830,000. And the minister who started the church, his name is David Cho. And in the 1970s and 80s, he actually appeared on even American TVs oftentimes to preach in English. Anyhow, so someone asked him, how was it possible? for your church to grow so explosively, so rapidly, from just a little tent church to a huge congregation that may be the largest in the world, 800,000 plus. And what he said was this. One day he looked at his own worship service and he asked the question, where is the spirit in our worship? And he realized that he even mentioned the spirit only at the very beginning and at the end of the service. He would call the congregation to worship in the name of the Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. And then they would all sing the doxology. And with the doxology, I mean, you do mention the spirit along with the father and the son. And then no more of the spirit until the very end when you do the benediction. So he realized that he wasn't doing something right. Why am I excluding the works of the Holy Spirit in our service, in our worship service? And he said, it was not until I began to preach about the Holy Spirit and ask for his empowerment and gifts that the church began to grow explosively. And I think the same applies to, I'm sorry, the same applies to our own individual faith life. Jesus said in John 14, 12, truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because I'm going to the Father. I'm sure all of you have read this verse many times. This is Jesus speaking, even emphasizing, truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do also. But the main question is, the verse should not be taken as just a statement spoken by Jesus many, many years ago, And if we understand what he says as a matter of intellectual understanding, then the words have no power with us. The words have power if we indeed believe what he said. So I ask you and I ask myself, do we believe these words? And if not, something is not right. And to whom does that apply? To whom does the verse apply? It applies to whoever believes in Jesus. Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do and greater works than these will he do. Now, what may be some of the characteristics of the power that we may receive with the Holy Spirit? The first is, as you may imagine, the power is basically all-powerful. It makes everything possible. Jesus said in Mark 9.23, all things are possible for one who believes. And Paul confessed in Philippians 4.13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. All things are possible with the power that God has. The second characteristic is that even though we may receive the power, the power is not our own. It's just a power that works through us. It's a received power that remains God's, not ours. So in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9, Paul says, God told him that, quote, my grace is sufficient for you. for my power is made perfect in weakness. And then Paul goes on to confess, therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Even though Paul received the power of the Holy Spirit, he remained weak so that the power may stay. So even if we receive the power of the Holy Spirit, it's not us who actually own the power. We are to remain weak so that that power can stay with us. And the third characteristic of the power is that it must be used to accomplish God's will. Just because all things are possible with the power of the Holy Spirit, We don't use it in any which way our whim may direct us. It's not like the Aladdin's lamp. You rub on the lamp. I'm sorry. The genie appears and you ask for whatever you want and then the genie does it for you. That's not how it works. The power of God must be used to accomplish God's will. So if you remember Jesus Christ praying at Gethsemane, he said, Abba Father, all things are possible for you, but yet not what I will, but what you will. Do what you will, not what I will. So the power that we receive from God must be used to accomplish God's will. So that's the limitation. It's very different from Aladdin's lamp. Now, what are the contents of the power that we receive from the Holy Spirit? And the contents are threefold as well. In the Old Testament days, There were three classes of people who were anointed. Anointing representing, I think, the Holy Spirit. And as you know, the three classes were kings, prophets, and priests. So I say that the power that we receive from the Holy Spirit are powers as kings, prophets, and priests. The first question then should be, are we kings, prophets, and priests? And what do you say? How many say yes? Not that many. And why not? 1 Peter 2, verse 9, you are a chosen race. Mark the next word, a royal priesthood. A holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So if you are royal, aren't you royal? Aren't you kings? And you were called to be priests. And you were called to proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness. In other words, to proclaim the gospel. Yes, you and I are kings, priests, and prophets. Now, power as a king. No one would question here that Jesus is a king, king of kings. The Bible says that every knee shall bow at his name. He sits at the right hand of the throne in heaven above. And his kingdom will last forever and ever and will never end. And with those statements, I think there is no dispute, at least in this room. Now, what is remarkable is that With Jesus as a King of kings, we reign alongside Him. Ephesians 2, verses 4 through 6, God raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So we are actually, in a way, sitting alongside Jesus in the heavenly throne. So our power as kings, if you're a king, you should have three things. You must have a dominion, you must have people, and you must have authority. So do we have those? The authority that we have is over the enemy, over the evil spirits. It's recorded in the Bible that Jesus gave that authority initially to his disciples in Matthew chapter 10, verse 1. And then to 72 people as he sent them out to preach the gospel, to proclaim the kingdom of God. Luke chapter 10. And then in Revelations 2, it says that that authority is being given to all those who conquer, who overcome. And are we conquerors? And Jesus said, I have already overcome the world. And just come along and enjoy the victory that I have already gained for you. So on account of Jesus Christ, we are conquerors and we are victors. So we have authority over the enemy, over the evil spirits. Now, what about the people? The people that God gives us to give us the power as the king, I think are the core laborers in our individual ministry for Christ. In 1 Chronicles 12, we read about David in the days that he was fleeing from King Saul. So he was in a very difficult situation. He was in a plight. He was running away for his life. Yet, many people from all 12 tribes of Israel came to him, and they told him, We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse. And even people from the tribe of Benjamin came to him and confessed likewise. So if you have the power as kings, then I think God will give you the people, core laborers, to accomplish the work that God wants us to accomplish. And what is a dominion? What is a domain that we'll have as kings? I think that is the domain of your individual ministry. We, of course, have our pastor who ministers us. But it's not just the minister who ministers. We are all servants of God. And we each have our domain where we are supposed to labor. So we do have our domain. And in Romans Chapter 15, you may remember Paul saying that he doesn't want to build a house on someone else's foundation, because that someone else has his domain of ministry, and I have my own domain of ministry. So we each have our own, I'm sorry, That's a wake-up call, I guess. Our own domain. Next, we also have power as a prophet. And again, there would be no dispute that Jesus is a prophet, the greatest prophet. He came as fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies. And he came as the prophet to preach the good news, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and to proclaim the ear of the Lord's favor and his vengeance. According to Isaiah, and again quoted in Luke. And God even said directly that we are to listen to him. at the time that Jesus was being baptized. Likewise, we, when we receive the Holy Spirit, we are prophets as well. In Joel chapter 2 and Acts chapter 2, what does it say? In the last days, God would pour out his spirit upon us so that we may prophesy see visions, and dream dreams. So if we are prophets, and then we have power as prophets, what are the powers that we can have as prophets? We can discern the deep things of God. Who can know the deep things of a man other than himself? Who can know the deep things of God other than his spirit? 1 Corinthians 2.10. And we get to proclaim the good news. And furthermore, we get to confirm the preached word with the signs that accompany it. Mark 16.20. And when we are indeed acting as prophets, Other people will recognize that we indeed are speaking for God. In 1 Thessalonians 1.5, Paul said, Our gospel came to you, not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. The gospel is to be preached not only in word, but also in power. Power meaning the signs that accompany the word. In the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. Now what is the full conviction that a prophet is to have? And I think the answer lies in the prayer of Elijah that he had on Mount Carmel. On that mountain, he was fighting against 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah. And Elijah prayed, O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. and that I have done all these things at your word. The firm conviction that we'll have as prophets are basically twofold. Our God is indeed the God. And secondly, with the words that we proclaim, we are God's servants. So unless you have those two convictions, you cannot be proclaiming God's word. Our God is the true God, and when I speak or when we speak on his behalf, we are acting as his servants. Elijah had that conviction, and that's what he prayed for. And thirdly, power as a priest. Jesus, no one will dispute, is the high priest. He is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. He sacrificed himself for our atonement once and for all to make us holy. In the old days, the high priest would enter the most holy place only once a year with the blood of an animal. When Jesus ascended to heaven, he entered the most holy place not with the blood of an animal, but with the blood of himself, and for good. Not just once a year. He's there permanently in the most holy place. And he always lives to intercede for us in the most holy place. The Old Testament high priest would enter the most holy place to pray for his people. But he got to do it only once a year. But Jesus is in the most holy place all the time and forever. to intercede on our behalf. And if we are priests, then we can act likewise. Hebrews 10 verses 19 and 20 says that we have the confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus. So we get to enter the most holy place at any time. You may remember from the story of Esther. At that time, in order for anyone to approach the king, he or she would do that at the peril of his or her life. Because if the king did not extend his scepter, then you'd be instantly executed. But with our God, it's as if he's always extending his scepter to us so that we can approach him without fear. We have the confidence to approach him at any time because when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. that he created a passageway for us to enter the most holy place in his name. So we have direct access to God, the King of Kings, not just access to Artaxerxes. We have access to God, the King of Kings. And if just the same as Jesus interceding for us at any time and all the time, we have the power to intercede for all people. And it's a shame that, I mean, personally myself also, that we don't get to exercise this power more often. we have the power to intercede, entering the most holy place, to the presence of God. Now, all that I have told you today should not just be an intellectual exercise. It's not enough that you understand what I said and just stored away someplace in the back of your brain. It must be something that is applicable and used. You may remember Elisha, who succeeded Elijah. He followed Elijah all the way up until the time that Elijah was taken up to heaven. in a chariot of fire. As Elijah ascended, he cast down his cloak. And Elisha picked up the cloak. And on his way back, he had to cross the river Jordan. And he struck the water with that cloak. And Elisha said, Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? If God acted with Elijah and empowered him, I want the same God to empower me. Elijah is the one who said, I want a double portion of the spirit that was with Elijah. Who is our God? Our God is one who was and is and is to come. Meaning that our God of the past is still the God of the present and of the future. If God was able to empower Elijah and Elisha and Paul, Peter, et cetera, et cetera, why can he not also empower us in the present day? Why are we limiting our God by not praying for the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Why are we not praying for the double portion of the Spirit just as Elisha did? Okay, again, it might have been nice if I had the PowerPoint. I was going to show you a couple of photos, One photo was from the time of Billy Graham crusade that took place in Korea back in the early 1970s. So he came to Korea to preach the good news. And there were hundreds of thousands of people. And sitting in one of the front rows was a high school student. And as he participated in the crusade, he heard a voice from within. And the voice said, I'll make you like him. Look at the podium where Billy Graham is standing. I'm going to make you like him. He wasn't sure what it meant. So he told his aunt, I'm hearing a voice. He says, I'm going to make you like him. So the aunt wasn't sure. So she took him to their local pastor. And the local pastor, I guess, did not have the discernment or whatever. And he told the high school student, you must be crazy. Or maybe you're possessed by an evil spirit. Forget about this. Go on attending your high school and study hard. That's your job. Don't dream too widely. That was in the 1970s, early 1970s. Fast forward about 50 years to 2019, that high school student was actually preaching in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Actually, I wanted to show you the evidence of that with a picture, but unfortunately, that's not possible right now. So he did preach, and he's still preaching before hundreds of thousands of people. Now, the main point of that story is that, again, our God is still alive, still powerful, and still can empower us to do wonderful things that we, on our own, cannot possibly imagine doing. And I ask you, are you envious of the high school student who heard the spirit? I say, no need to. The Holy Spirit is not just saying, I'm going to make you like him. What did Jesus say? Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do. Jesus is saying, I'm going to make you like me. Not just like Billy Graham. How are we going to respond? So I'm going to leave you with those words and questions. And it's up to you to respond in your individual way. And we'll pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so much that in Christ you made us your children. And you have given us the gift of faith. We do believe in all the words of promise that you have recorded in the Bible. We pray that you will empower us through the Holy Spirit so that in each of our ministry domains, we may serve you with empowerment, with firm conviction, so that only you may be glorified. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.