Rev Dr Edgar Mayer;
For more sermons and other writings
check the following homepage: www.livinggracetoowoomba.org
The
Word Key
What is the number one key that
determines whether you receive anything from God? What according to the Scriptures is to be at the core of your life? What determines the depth of your
relationship with God and whether you will make it long-term as a Christian? We
have one last look at Cornelius. He experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit
a complete submersion into the presence of God that is promised to all of us. I read from the Bible Acts
I give you another example of one such
experience which is promised to every Christian even though the precise details
of our experiences vary. Charles Finney writes in his memoirs: As I went in and shut the door after me it
seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face
to face
He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me
right down at His feet
I fell down
and poured out my soul to Him. I wept
aloud like a child, and made such confessions as I could with my choked
utterance. It seemed to me as if I bathed His feet with my tears
I returned to the front office and found that the fire
was nearly
burned out. But as I returned and was about to take a seat by the fire. I
received a mighty baptism of the Holy
Ghost. Without expecting it, without every having the thought in my mind
that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that I had ever
heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, at a moment entirely
unexpected by me, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could
feel the impression, like a wave of
electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves, and waves of liquid love for I could not express it in any other way.
And yet it did not seem like water, but rather as the breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me like immense wings; and it seemed
to me, as these waves passed over me, that they literally moved my hair like a passing breeze.
No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my
heart. It seemed to me that I should burst. I wept aloud with joy and love, and
I do not know but I should say I literally bellowed
out the unutterable gushings of my heart. These waves came over me, and
over me, and over me one after the other, until I recollect I cried out, I
shall die if these waves continue to
pass over me. I said to the Lord, Lord, I cannot bear any more. Yet I had no fear of death (Charles Finney: The Origianl Memoirs Of Charles G.
Finney, Grand Rapids: Zondervan 1989, p16).
(Short of spending eternity in heaven) there is
nothing better available from God than variations of what Finney experienced
but now you have to understand the number one key for this to happen again and
again. How can you make sure that after the initial baptism in the Holy Spirit,
you will receive further outpourings further drenchings and soakings in
the Spirit of God?
The answer is contained in the first
Bible verse which I read to you before. Hear the same verse again Acts 10:44: While Peter was still speaking these
words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. This is how it happened. A sermon was
preached Peter took his position and spoke the words and the congregation
was listening to him which then bore
the result that the spoken words released the presence of God. Without
question it was the sermon of Peter
while he was still speaking that bore
the fruit of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
This is the key for you to receive even
more from God: Get into his word. Hear from him. At first we may have looked at
the Cornelius story and wondered why God took such great trouble in setting up
a simple preaching engagement. Remember: God had sent an angel to Cornelius who
told Cornelius that he was to send messengers after Peter who resided in
another city a few hours journey along
the coast. Then while the angel
was busy with Cornelius God let Peter
fall into trance and gave him a vision which included hearing a voice from heaven.
The whole point of the exercise was that Peter would agree to go to Cornelius and
not look down upon him because he did not belong to the people of God. The
whole point of the exercise was to set up a preaching engagement. God pulled
out all stops (so it seems) to make
it happen Acts 10:19-20 I read from the actual account: While Peter
was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, Simon, three men
are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with
them, for I have sent them.
Finally, the preacher and his
congregation came together and by
that time they all knew the importance
of this. Cornelius spelled it out clearly Acts 10:33:
Now we are
all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded
you to tell us. Then the sermon was
preached and the Spirit released. The key was the message which Peter
acknowledged again in his subsequent report to his home congregation. He said to
the church in
Here I may add that Cornelius also had
the faith to receive the word. The angel prepared him well. He was not like
those about whom the Bible says
Hebrews 4:2:
the message they heard was of no value to them, because
those who heard did not combine it with faith.
At first Cornelius made the common
mistake sometimes even our mistake
of thinking that the key to Gods blessings
was not so much the message but the messenger the person of Peter. Therefore, we read in the Bible Acts
10:25-26: As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his
feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. Stand up, he said, I am only a
man myself. Peter was not the key.
He was an instrument of God commissioned by God filled with the Holy
Spirit as we all can be but he was
not brilliant. He was like the rest of us. When God commanded him in the vision
Acts
On the one hand the Bible does admonish
us to honour 1 Timothy 5:17: especially those who labour in the word and
doctrine but on the other hand the messengers are never the key the word of God is. Now what is the word of God? What precisely is the core content of the message which
releases the anointing? We can easily go wrong here because God is speaking to
us all of the time and he produced a lot of excitement in our Bible account. He
sent a messenger angel to Cornelius who at first stared at the angel in fear but then conversed with him. Peter
experienced a trance, a vision, a voice from heaven, a Holy Spirit impression
so much was going on and all for the purpose of letting people hear from God
what he wanted them to do. And for us it is the same. We also expect to hear
from God words of direction, guidance,
Even today messenger angels are visiting Christians and people fall
into trances. There are some that receive visions from heaven and this
may have already happened to you or will happen to you but these words of God as exciting as they are they are not the main word of God. They are
part and parcel of an alive relationship with God but not the core content of
salvation.
All of these prophetic communications
only served to set up Peters sermon
the preaching of the main point which
Peter himself specified as the following Acts 10:36: You know the word which God [original: he] sent
to the people of Israel telling the
good news of peace through Jesus Christ who is Lord of all. What is the
word? Peace with God through Jesus Christ. With this word Peter began his
sermon and then later also concluded
his sermon, confirming the same at the end Acts 10:42-43: Jesus
commanded us to preach to the people
and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and
the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes
in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
everyone who
believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. This is becoming crystal clear. The word of
God is peace through Jesus Christ forgiveness of sins through him for
everyone who believes in him. It was
this message that released the Spirit on Cornelius and his family.
This is very practical. Whatever you do
in life, keep this word central in your heart never fail to meditate on the magnitude of Jesus
sacrifice on the cross what it means that the holy one poured out his blood
for you. Keep this word alive in your
estimation dont become bored with what you think that you know. This is deeper than we will ever appreciate
and this is more powerful than we will ever know Acts 10:44: While
Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the
message. [Revelations 5:2-14: And I
saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, Who is worthy to break the
seals and open the scroll? But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one
was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the
elders said to me, Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root
of David has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.
Then I saw a lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of
the throne
And when he had taken the scroll
they sang a new song: You are
worthy
because you were slain and with your blood you purchased people for
God from every tribe and language and people and nation
Then I looked and
heard the voice of many angels
Worthy is the lamb, who was slain, to receive
power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise! Then
every creature
To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and
honour and glory and power for ever and ever!
]
In like manner another preacher
in the Bible said 1 Corinthians 2:1-5: When I came to you
I
resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him
crucified
but [and now notice what he adds]
my preaching came with a
demonstration of the Spirits power
Here again the resolve to preach nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified
the singular focus on the main message released
the power of the Holy Spirit. Can we understand now why the Bible can strike such
a note of celebration, saying Romans
All right what have we said so far?
The key for you to receive from God is the word of God and the word is not so much what angels may tell you
or what you may receive in visions but always the main message of salvation: Jesus Christ and him crucified. Through
this word the power comes. Through the name of Jesus and him crucified you can operate in power. For instance, this
is how the disciples healed a man with crippled legs. They said Acts 3:6:
In the name of Jesus
walk. In the name of Jesus and what he did on the cross for us
walk. [Cf. Philippians 2:9-11.]
[Maybe here I make another reference to
the faith component which is necessary to wield the word of power. The
disciples who healed the man with crippled legs also made reference to the
importance of faith. They told the crowd Acts
Now I want to expand on this and draw
your attention to another detail in Peters sermon. He explained to Cornelius
that Acts
The is again practical for us. We read
our Bibles and as we read, we discover that so much of the Bible points to
Jesus Christ and him crucified and therefore the more we read, the more the word of God releases power into our
lives. Peter preached the Bible to Cornelius and therefore as we keep reading
the Bible for ourselves the same can happen as happened through the preaching
of Peter power is released. The
Holy Spirit comes on us. This is the key: Come under the word of God. Read the
Bible. Treasure the Bible. [And let
this be the culture of our church Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom
]
This is also the key for long-term success.
We love to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be filled again and again but
everything that is to come a long-term relationship with God is determined by what we do with the word
of salvation. Jesus told this parable I read from the Bible Luke 8:5-8:
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell
along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some
fell on rock and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no
moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the
plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a
hundred times more than was sown. The
disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying and therefore Jesus explained
the parable to them, saying Luke 8:11-15: This is the meaning of the
parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who
hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so
that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who
receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They
believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that
fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they
are choked by lifes worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But
the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear
the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
This is a most sobering parable. Lots of
people get attracted to God when they see him do miracles and experience his
love and joy. It is a good day when you can leave the old life behind and put
your trust in God. But unless you nurture the word of salvation let it grow in you this will not last. Consider again this one verse: Those on the
rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they
have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall
away. You cannot sustain the initial
joy, if you do not let the word put down roots in your life. A life with God is
not about being zapped with wonderful experiences which you think are going to
sustain you. A life with God is determined by what you do with his word and
this will require from you discipline, study, perseverance, standing against
the devil and temptations, and saying no to what chokes your relationship with
God the worries of life, riches and pleasures (endless distractions). You hold on and retain the word in all circumstances
even when you feel flat and then
and only then will you
experience that power is released through the word again and again in
your life to the effect that
according to the parable the word in
you the one seed produces a hundred-fold increase in others.
In the Bible you can read about others
who have let the word of God grow in them. A mentor gave the following advice
to a young church leader the advice
is recorded in the Bible itself 2 Timothy 3:14-17 he said:
continue in what you have learned
you know those
from whom you learned it
from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting
and training in righteousness
Therefore
according to this advice and the experience of many if we want an ongoing life in the Spirit of
God, we treasure the Bible.
And just in case that we think that this
is not exciting enough, there is this testimony from a man with a strong
prophetic gift. He writes: I
remember the lady in my . church setting, who, although very proper and very
nice, upset me by continually asking me to give her a word from the Lord. One
day she came up and said, Mr Cain, do you have a word from the Lord for me?
This time she pushed me over the edge. Holding up a Bible, I said, Oh, yes,
dear lady. Here is a whole book of them! Take this and read it for yourself.
Well, as dramatic as that was, she thought I was under the anointing, and she
took the Bible, read it, and became a walking Bible. I saw her a year later
and she was aflame, aglow. She was the head of the Womens Aglow [a Bible
study organization]! It was wonderful
(Paul Cain: The Role Of The Word,
in: Paul Cain R.T. Kendall, The Word And The Spirit, Lake Mary: Creation
House 1998, p24). The Bible can satisfy
any craving for a word from God for you. There is a whole book of them.
[And still another point the more we
master the book, the more God can make use of what we have studied. For
instance, when Peter was wondering about the Spirit on Cornelius, the Bible
records that Acts
How are you feeling right now? Do we
gain an appreciation for the word of God the number one key that determines whether we receive anything from
him? Are you ready now to get into the
word with eagerness and enthusiasm? Let me ask you a practical question: What
are your plans? Will you read the Bible tonight before you go to sleep or
tomorrow before you go to work? When Peter preached his sermon to Cornelius,
the Spirit was released. There is power in the word of God. It determines
whether you make it long-term with God.
Maybe in this last segment of my sermon
I spend some more time hammering how powerful the word of God is. According
to the Bible God spoke the world into existence 2 Peter 3:5:
by Gods word the heavens
existed and the earth was formed
and
even now the Son Jesus Christ is Hebrews 1:3:
sustaining all
things [that is: the universe] by his powerful word
Further Hebrews
Then, there are further references how
the word of God brings us into salvation 1 Peter 1:23-25: . you have been born
through the living and
enduring word of God
James
This goes further still. God made an
absolute commitment to confirm his word with power the release of Spirit power in the form of visible
demonstrations. Hebrews 2:3-4:
This salvation, which was first announced
by the Lord
God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles,
and gifts of the Holy Spirit
Jesus
invited people to trust him, saying John 10:38:
even though you do
not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the
Father is in me, and I in the Father. John 14:11:
believe on the
evidence of the miracles
Peter
issued the same invitation in his first sermon after Jesus ascended to heaven
Acts 2:22:
listen to this: Jesus
was a man accredited by God to you by
miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you
yourselves know. [Cf. Mark 16:20.]
Whenever the word of God is proclaimed salvation in the name of Jesus Christ we can expect power demonstrations. Think
about what this means for us as a church. What the apostle Paul wrote, will be
our testimony 1 Corinthians 2:4-5: My message and my preaching were
not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirits
power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on Gods power
(cf. 1 Corinthians
How is our excitement level now? This is
the key. With God words are not mere words. They are power and
power confirms them. His word sustains the universe, cuts like a double-edged
sword always accomplishes what it declares. And what is most amazing (I
have made mention of it already) people
like Peter who was preaching to Cornelius and people like you and I we speak his word with the same power. When
the disciples returned to Jesus with joy, saying Luke 10:17:
Lord,
even the demons submit to us in your name, Jesus let them know Luke
Therefore, what remains for us to do now
is to speak the word and use the very key that releases the Holy Spirit. Where
do we begin? What are we to say? Preaching the same sermon that Peter preached
to Cornelius would be a good start. But then the Bible lets us peek into the
depth of our salvation the incomparable
richness of Gods grace and the sermon
becomes rather long because Ephesians 1:3:
the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ . has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in
Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:20: For no matter how many promises God has
made, they are Yes in Christ
Imagine!
Whatever promise we find the Bible, it is our to declare to speak all of
them into existence. What a fun way to
read the Scriptures.
After decades of doing healing ministry
an evangelist (Bill Johnson) discovered that whenever he announced in a
church meeting that it is the most normal thing for tumors to disappear in the
presence of Lord, in eighty per cent of church meetings they would disappear in
numerous people. When he did not make the declaration, they could have ten days
of meetings with an overwhelming sense of the presence of God but no healing of
tumors. The speaking out of Gods truth his promise would release the healing.
My own experience over the last two
years has been that whenever I preach that Jesus Christ defeated Satan on the
cross whenever I speak out the
truth that demons need to leave in Jesus name they would stir and people would be set free. When I dont preach on
this topic, we dont experience the same kind of confrontation with the kingdom
of darkness. [Cf. Luke 4:39; 8:24.]
The word of God is the key for everything. How
well do you know your Bible? What further promises can we declare? I give you
three Romans 8:28:
in all things God works for the good of those
who love him
1 Corinthians 10:13:
God is faithful; he will not
let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you
can stand up under it. James 4:7:
Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.
Now are we ready to release the power?
Then lets speak in agreement: On
account of Jesus Christ and him crucified no matter what is happening in your
life right now, God works for the good of you. This temptation will
not get the better of you. The devil will flee from you.
As Christians we use the word key to
Spirit power every day. In closing I want to mention two more of Gods best words
that is: (water) baptism and Holy
Communion which from ancient times
have been called visible words (Augustine). There is much power in both of them as in their case the core content of salvation is acted out in
words and deeds not only heard with our ears but also experienced in
water, bread and wine. As soon as a
person repents and becomes a Christian, he is invited to be baptized in Jesus
name which makes him experience the power of salvation as Jesus declares to him
in this act: I have washed you clean from sin. Your old life has died
in the water and you are now raised up with me. [Cf. Romans 6:2-7;
Galatians 3:27.] The Bible explains
1 Peter 3:21:
baptism . now saves you
by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ
The other visible word Holy Communion is spoken out many times throughout our lives. Jesus commanded us to
Luke 22:19:
do this in remembrance of him [original: me]. One day before he died Jesus conveyed the
message of salvation in a meal. He was sitting together with his disciples when
he took the bread and declared over it Luke 22:10: This is my body
given for you
and he spoke over
the wine Luke 22:20: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which
is poured out for you. Then the
further explanation is given that 1 Corinthians 11:26:
whenever
you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death until he
comes.
This is a visible word of power because
we not only hear about the death of Jesus and salvation through his broken body
and blood. We act it out by his
command and experience the taste of
his sacrifice in bread and wine. Every time we have Holy Communion we remember
and reenact and bring into the present the words which Jesus himself spoke:
This is my body for you. This is my blood for you a new covenant of
forgiveness. Receive it now. [Cf. prophetic actions.]
I finish here. If you want God, love his
word. It was when Peter preached his sermon to Cornelius that the Spirit was
released. Amen.