The Character Of Love & The Power Of God
FOUNDATION STATEMENT: If the church is going to
walk in the power of God and fulfill its mandate in the Earth, then it must
qualify itself for the power God by developing in the character of love
I.
The church has a mandate
and an assignment in the Earth (Genesis 1:28, Psalm 8:6-8, Matthew 5:13)
A. If the church doesn’t
know how to walk in the true power of God who’s going to preserve and protect
the Earth?
B. The Earth is in the shape
it’s in because of the church
II. The foundation of love must be in place if the church is
going to have any real impact in the Earth
A. The word of God is
dependent on the love of God to work (Matthew 22:36-40)
1. All the law and the prophets
a. The plan of redemption
and everything that came as a result of it was prophesied in the Old Testament
2. God is the Word and God
is Love (John 1:1-5, 1 John 4:16)
a. If Love is not working in
your life, then the Word (which is Love Himself) isn’t working either
3. This commandment of love
is like a curtain rod upon which every promise in this Bible hangs and if that
rod of love falls and fails, then every promise in this Bible will fall and
fail with it
a. Every other scripture is
hanging and dependent on this one
4. The word will only work
in your life to the degree that your love walk will allow it to
B. Love is the principle
upon which all other principles hang and without THE principle in place none of
the other principles will work (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
1. Your giving will not
profit you if love is not working in your life (Matthew 5:23-24)
2. Your faith will not work
if love is not working in your life (Galatians 5:6, Mark 11:22-25)
3. The armor of God will not
work if love is not working in your life (Ephesians 6:10)
4. If the foundation of love
is not in place, nothing works the way it’s supposed to work
a. Matthew 22:38 –
First or beginning
b. EX: You have to start
with the foundation of the house if the walls are going to work the way they
are supposed to work and the roof is going to work the way it’s supposed to
work. The walls and the roof and
every other part of that house are depending on the foundation so that they can
work properly.
c. The promises and
principles of God don’t work independent and a part from the love of God
C. If the foundation of love
is not in place what can the church do (Psalm 11:3)
1. We can have a lot of
services, we can preach a lot of messages, we can sing a lot of songs, and we
do a lot of churchy things, but what real impact can we have in the Earth if
the foundation of love is not in place?
III. A call for character
A. Name represents power
(Acts 4:7)
1. When you come in the name
of a person you come with the power and authority that person carries and it’s
as if that person were standing before you today
2. We’ve been given the name
of Jesus (Philippians 2:9-11)
3. We have been sent into
the Earth from Heaven and we are here in the name of Jesus (Mt 28:18, Mk 16:25)
a. Jesus tells us to go in
his name, in his authority, and in his power which is all authority and all
power
B. You can’t walk in the
power of that name without first of all qualifying
yourself to do so, by walking in the character that name carries
1. There’s more to coming in
the name of Jesus than just coming in the power of that name. When you come in the name of Jesus
you’re also coming in the character that name demonstrates.
a. EX: People going to the
golf course in my name
2. Jesus came in the
Father’s name, but he came in the character of that name and that’s what
qualified him to walk in the power of that name (John 5:43, John 5:19, 8:28-29)
a. He didn’t just walk in
the power of God because he was the son of God. He walked in the power of God because he
qualified himself by walking in the character of God.
1) Resisting the temptation
of missing the resurrection; that’s character.
b. Because Jesus walked in
the character of the Father’s name, he qualified himself to walk in the power
of the Father’s name and with that power we saw him heal the sick, raise the
dead, and calm storms.
3. We’ve talked so much about
the power of the name of Jesus and neglected to talk about the character of
that name
C. When you violate the
character of the name you’re coming in, you disqualify yourself for the power
that name carries
1. 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 didn’t qualify
themselves with character
2. You can be born-again and
called, but the system is set up that if you don’t walk in character, then you
don’t walk in power (Mark 9:38-39)
D. We’ve desired the power,
but refused to submit to the character
1. Let this year be the year
of character development and qualification
a. In 2009 if you’ll develop
in the Character of mine, in 2010 you’ll win. You’ll win in politics, you’ll win in
education, and you’ll win in media.
You’ll win like you’ve never won before and you’ll win in areas that
you’ve never won before.
2. If we’ll get busy
developing in the character of love, we’ll abound in the power of God
IV. The character of love that’s required
A. Ephesians 4:1-3
1. Lowliness –
Humility – Submitting to God and His Word whether you feel like it or not
2. Meekness – Gentle,
mild, ready to hit the pause button, not quick on the trigger
3. Longsuffering –
Patient, consistent, never-changing, endurance, constancy, steadfastness,
perseverance
4. Forbearing – Making
allowances, giving the benefit of the doubt, constantly forgiving, put up with,
not easily offended
B. Do everything in the name
of Jesus. Not just in the power of
that name, but in the character of that name (Colossians 3:17)
1. If you can’t put “in the
name of Jesus” before what you’re going to do or say, then don’t do it or say
it
2. 1 Corinthians 16:14 (AMP)
– Let everything you do be done in love
3. Philippians 2:3 (KJ)
– Let nothing be done through strife
4. Hebrews 13:1 – Let
love for your fellow believers continue and be a fixed practice with you [never
let it fail]
5. 1 Corinthians 14:1(AMP)
– Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire this love [make it your aim, your
great quest]
C. 1 Peter 2:17 –
Honor – Value, respect, as of great price, precious, esteemed, especially
dear
1. Jesus died for that guy,
therefore he must be valuable to Jesus, he must be precious to Jesus
2. Jesus gave his life for
that person and when you don’t value the person, you’re not valuing the one who
gave his life for him
D. Character is swearing to
your own hurt and changing not (Psalm 15:4)
1. No matter how
uncomfortable it is for me to keep this commandment I’m going to keep it
a. Blood came out of Jesus’
pores and he wouldn’t change
2. A person who walks in the
character of love, will see the power of God show up in their life (Daniel 3)
a. When somebody showed up
in character, God showed up in power
1) What if the church would
show up in character
V. Form, but no power
A. Because the church has
neglected the character of love, we haven’t walked in the power of God and
we’ve had a lot of form, but we haven’t seen a lot of genuine results (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
1. Power is what’s necessary
to see change and character is what’s necessary to see power
a. EX: Where’s the cities
being changed and nations being changed
b. We left the power of God at
the altar when we refused to marry the character of love
2. Before there’s ever going
to be a release and operation of power, There’s first of all going to be a call
for character
a. Who’s going to love God
with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (resources)?
b. Who’s going to extend the
same love towards others that the Father has extend towards them (John 13:34)?
c. Satan has gotten us to
neglect this commandment in our deception that we got “it” and most believers
don’t even know what “it” is
B. God’s has to work through
the church if we’re going to see the kind of results that the church is capable
of producing
1. John 14:10 – The
Father (who is Love) who was in Jesus was doing the works
2. John 16:7, Romans 5:5
– The same father that was in him is in us
3. If love is not working in
me and through me, then God is not working in me and through me
a. God can only work through
you (the church) in power to the degree that he works through the church in the
character of love (Ephesians 3:14-20)
C. Every temptation in life
is a temptation to get you out of the character of love because Satan knows if
he can disrupt you in character, he can disrupt you in power and keep you from
being victorious on the Earth