Study Notes

FOUNDATION STATEMENT:  Every believer has access to the power of God, but not every believer qualifies to walk in that power.  There are qualifications to walking in the power of God the way there are qualifications to being able to drive an automobile.  The qualification to walk in the power of God has been, is, and will always be the love of God.  Until you come to grips with that and commit to the commandment of love you will see no power in your life.  No power = No results. - Acts 19:13-16

 

I.      We’ve been given a power and authority through the name of Jesus

A.    Name represents power and authority (Acts 4:7: Who gave you the authority to do this)

1.      In the name of Jesus the anointed one and the anointing

2.      When u come in the name of a person u come w/ the power & authority that person carries ; It’s as if that person was standing here before u today b/c I’m here in their name

B.     We’ve been given a name that is above every name that name is Jesus (Phili 2:10-11)

1.      That name carries authority and power from the throne of God to the pit of hell

a.    That name is above every name, that power is above all power

1)       That name has authority over sickness, disease, lack, , debt, defeat, and death

b.    Jesus defeated Satan, stripped him of all his authority, and tore hell into a million pieces (Hebrews 2:14,15, Colossians 2:14)

2.      The power of the name of Jesus (Acts 3:1-16)

a.    This was lame his whole life – more than forty years (Acts 4:22

b.    The name and faith in the name is what healed this guy

II.     The love of God qualifies you to walk in the authority of God and in the power of God

A.    You can’t walk in the power of that name without first of qualifying yourself with the type of character that name carries

1.      There’s more to coming in the name than just coming in the power of that name, you’re also coming in that character that name demonstrates  (John 5:43)

a.    Jesus didn’t just come in the power of God, he came in the character of God 

2.      When you violate the character of the name you’re coming in, you disqualify yourself for the power that name carries

a.    Example: Comp Rounds – If I send somebody to the golf course in my name, my name carries power out there and could get then on for free.  As long as they operate under the character that my name carries they walk in the power that my name carries.  If they start violating character and acting a way that I wouldn’t act then the power of my name is deactivated because I won’t back somebody with my power, when they don’t walk in my character because I can’t trust them to do what’s right with the power of that name.

3.      They tried to use the name of Jesus, but because they lacked the character of love, the power of that name didn’t work (Acts 19:13-16)

a.    They must have had faith in the name otherwise they would’ve never said it; Faith in the name w/o the character of love didn’t produce b/c faith works by love

b.    The demons said, “Jesus we know and Paul we know, but we don’t know you.” --- Why?  Because they didn’t look like Jesus or Paul in character

4.      There’s principles to using the name of Jesus that are protective in their make up (Mark 9:38-40)

a.    They protect that name from being used to do something that Jesus wouldn’t do

b.    If you can have the name of Jesus but the law that makes that name work says that if you don’t have the character that name carries, then you can’t walk in the power that name represents (Can God trust you with the power of that name?)

5.      The power of that name hangs on the commandment of love

a.    When you don’t exercise the kind of character that the name of Jesus carries you can’t walk in the power that the name carries

1)       You have no power --- When you violate character the power is cut off

2)       Standing in the character of Love and in the name of Jesus

b.    Revelation 19:13 – His name is the Word of God

1)       The power of the Word can’t work without the character of love and the power of that name can’t work without the character of love

6.      The Key to Power: Represent God in character & that name will represent u in power

III.   Committing to the character of love qualifies you to walk in the power of God-Eph 3:14-17

A.    When I commit to develop the character of God, He will work through me in power

1.      We’ve desired the power, but refuse submit to the character

a.    You work through God’s character and he’ll work through you in power

2.      1 Corinthians 16:13 – Do everything in love

3.      Love is the defining mark of a believer (John 13:35)

a.    I’m talking about an all out commitment that if nothing else I’m going to talk, live, act, and walk like Jesus.

4.      Where’s the character? (Ephesians 5:1); Imitate the character by walking in love

B.     Character says I’ll swear to my own hurt before I change (Psalm 15:4)

1.      No matter how uncomfortable it makes my flesh I’m keeping this commandment

a.    If it’s between my flesh being comfortable and me keeping the commandment of love then I pick my keeping the commandment of love

2.      He that makes this commitment to the character of love will never slip, fall, fail, or be toppled because he’ll always be backed by the power of God

a.    Daniel 3 -They wouldn’t violate character & b/c if of it they got backed w/ power

b.    There’s something about a person who walks in Character that will constantly see the power show up in their life

3.      The character of Love is saying what God says, thinking what God thinks, and doing what God does no matter how bad the pressure gets.

C.    Every temptation you go through is to get you out of the love of God because Satan knows that your power and your anointing is in love and if he can get you out of love then he can defeat you

1.      If Satan can disrupt you in character, he can disrupt you in power and keep you from living a successful life

IV.   The anointing is God working in you, God working on you, God working through you, so if the character of Love is not working in you, and if the character of Love is not working on you, and if love is not working through you, God can’t work through in your power

A.    John 14:10-Jesus said it’s the Father, who is love, that is doing the works

1.      We are able to do that work that he does because he goes to the Father

a.    John 16:7 -When He went to the Father the Holy Spirit came inside of us

2.      Rom 5:5 -The Holy Spirit poured the love of God/the God of love in our hearts and now the same Father who was in Jesus doing all of those works is now in me

B.     God is love-1 Jn 4:8,16-His only way out of me is through my walk in the love

1.      If love is not working in me, God is not working in me, if love is not working through me, God is not working through me,

2.      God can only work through you in power to the degree that He/Love is working through in Character

C.    Ephesians 3:14 – God/The power of God is only able to do in your life according to the power called love that is working in you

1.      Is it possible that God has only done in your life, what you’ve allowed him to do?  And maybe the reason that the power of God hasn’t done what you’ve wanted it to do is because you trapped it by trapping love. 

2.      Is it possible that the power couldn’t do exceeding because the love in you wasn’t exceedingly working?  Is it possible that the power couldn’t do abundantly because the love in wasn’t doing abundantly? 

3.      To the degree love is working in you determines the amount of power that’s working in you and the amount of power that’s working in you will determine the amount of results you see in your life