An Instrument for God to Use
To please God, a person must be just an instrument for God to use, dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish His work.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that to truly please God, one must be an instrument for His use, much like household appliances that require an external power source to function. He illustrates that without the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, even the most talented individuals in the church are ineffective in their roles. Tozer calls for a reliance not on natural gifts but on the dynamic power of God to energize and bless the work being done. He urges believers to seek effectiveness through surrendering to the Spirit's leading, rather than depending solely on their abilities. The sermon concludes with a prayer for deliverance from reliance on human gifts and a desire for God's power to flow through His people.
Text
If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. --1 Peter 4:11
To please God, a person must be just an instrument for God to use. For a few seconds, picture in your mind the variety of wonderful and useful appliances we have in our homes. They have been engineered and built to perform tasks of all kinds. But without the inflow of electrical power they are just lumps of metal and plastic, unable to function and serve. They cannot do their work until power is applied from a dynamic outside source.
So it is in the work of God in the church. Many people preach and teach. Many take part in the music. Certain ones try to administer God's work. But if the power of God's Spirit does not have freedom to energize all they do, these workers might just as well stay home.
Natural gifts are not enough in God's work. The mighty Spirit of God must have freedom to animate and quicken with His overtones of creativity and blessing. Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts, 5-6.
"Lord, deliver us from our dependency on natural gifts. We hunger for effectiveness in Your work, but too seldom turn loose to let Your power flow through us. Amen."
Sermon Outline
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I
- The Importance of Being an Instrument for God
- The Power of God's Spirit in the Church
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II
- The Limitations of Natural Gifts
- The Need for God's Power to Energize
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III
- The Tragedy of the Church: Missing the Gifts of the Spirit
- The Call to Dependency on God's Power
Key Quotes
“For a few seconds, picture in your mind the variety of wonderful and useful appliances we have in our homes. They have been engineered and built to perform tasks of all kinds. But without the inflow of electrical power they are just lumps of metal and plastic, unable to function and serve.” — A.W. Tozer
“Natural gifts are not enough in God's work. The mighty Spirit of God must have freedom to animate and quicken with His overtones of creativity and blessing.” — A.W. Tozer
“Lord, deliver us from our dependency on natural gifts. We hunger for effectiveness in Your work, but too seldom turn loose to let Your power flow through us.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must recognize our limitations and dependence on God's power to accomplish His work.
- We must seek the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit to be effective in God's work.
- We must surrender to God and turn loose to let His power flow through us.