Memory Verse
"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Hebrews 1:9
BIBLE PASSAGE: 2 Timothy 2: 15-22
INTRODUCTION
It is a popular saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is why power can be a dangerous thing if it is in wrong hands. This why the All Powerful God is at the same time the thrice holy God -Isaiah 6:1-3. The Omnipotent God is at the same time the one whose name is Love and Light. It is only reasonable that purity should precede power.
OUTLINES
1. WHY PURITY MUST PRECEDE POWER
2. HEAVEN IS THE GOAL
WHY PURITY MUST PRECEDE POWER
Everyone wants power of one kind or the other. There is a natural joy common to man in being the number one, the head or the one in control. God wishes His children to be powerful. He wishes them to be the head and not the tail, to be the first and not the last. In fact, to be above always - Deut.28:13. This may be why God is very strict about the purity of His children. Wanting them to be powerful, He at the same time insists that they must be holy and perfectly so - Matthew 5:48. He even said that the precondition for obtaining power is total obedience to His will - Deut.28:2. This is probably because the more powerful a Christian is, the more severe will be the attacks from forces of darkness on him or her. It will, therefore, require the purity as of light to “constantly frustrate the enemy - John 1:5. A good example of how a powerful child of God will face severe attacks for no other reason than being number one is found in the case of Daniel - Daniel 6: 1-4. Hence, to be a vessel unto honour, a Christian must purify himself - 2 Timothy 2:20-21 .In any case, power of the divine type is a holy thing and holy things are not for dogs - Matthew 7:6.
HEAVEN IS THE GOAL
The goal of every Christian should be making it to Heaven at last. It will be unfortunate to have used divine powers to heal, deliver and bless others and still fail to make it to Heaven. Hence, purity is crucial at all cost - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. The Lord Jesus Christ warned of the possibility of a miracle worker being excluded from Heaven because of lack of holiness - Matthew 7:22-23. The Bible did not say, "Without power no man shall see God" but "Without holiness no man shall see God" (Hebi"ews12:14).
CONCLUSION
Power can be sweet and dangerous in the wrong hands but it can be sweet and useful in the right hands. In the hands of pure, holy, compassionate, Christ-like children of God, power can be very useful. If you desire power, do not forget your ultimate goal, which is Heaven.
QUESTIONS
1. In what ways can power be dangerous?
2. Why do you think God insists that His children must be pure?
3. How can power prevent a child of God from reaching Heaven?
BLESSED WEEK WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
MONDAY: Jeremiah 15:19-21 - Remain pure and God will always defend you.
TUESDAY: Leviticus 10:8-10 - Put a difference between holy and unholy things.
WEDNESDAY: Matthew 7:21 - It is the will of God to be pure.
THURSDAY: Acts 9:18-23 - God will purify you before using you.
FRIDAY: Matthe-7:22 - You risk being excluded from Heaven if you are not holy.
SATURDAY: Matthew 7:6 -Do not be a dog. Be pure.
SUNDAY: Matthew 5:48 - Like Father, like son. Be holy as your Father is holy.
