Title: If We Have Three Powers
Luke 24 tells the story of two disciples who were going down to Emmaus. However, by the grace of God, Jesus came to them and expound the Bible to them; thus, they turned around and went back to Jerusalem to be with the people of faith and to serve with their lives (Luk 24:27-29).
They decided to go down to Emmaus because they were disappointment greatly by the fact that Jesus died and He is gone leaving them alone in the world. Although they heard the news that Jesus is risen but they were not in the condition to believe what they heard. So, we can say that their emotion and spiritual state became dark. Verse 29 expresses their condition as “it is getting toward evening.” After a long journey, it came to evening, but it also alludes that their state is dark, and they were surrounded by darkness.
We ought to urge Jesus Christ to stay with us to overcome the darkness that came into our life and our heart. We ought to hold on to our Father God.
The three powers or strengths that every Christian must have is faith, hope and love (1 Cor 13:13). When we have these three powers, there will be no spiritual ignorant and no spiritual separation from God.
- We must have the power of Faith
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Those who cannot please God fall into nihilism. Because they cannot live in true peace and hope that God gives, they become pessimistic about everything.
In Luke 23:39, the criminal on the left, although he was in extreme pain, he opened his mouth to mock Jesus.
On the other hand, the criminal on the right, while he was in inexpressible pain, he advocated and defended for Jesus. Who would do such thing, if it is not by faith? Our Jesus is with us today and forevermore. Rev 1:8 says that God is the Alpha and the Omega, it means that God is there in the past and will be there in the future to protect and take care of us. Jhn 8:29 says that the One who sent us is with us. Please have faith that God is with us and will be with us no matter what.
- We must have the power of Eternal Hope
God created eyes for us because there are things we must see. God gave us the heart of eternal hope that longs for eternal world. This desire cannot be satisfied with the things of the word but with the things above, unseen and eternal (2 Cor 4:18; Rom 8:24).
Desiring for a success of your business is needed but it is something we don’t have to have it but desiring for the kingdom of God is mandatory. To desire to enter New Jerusalem is something we must have. At times our hope become weaken or being shaken because we don’t have the Love of God (Rom 5:5). If we have received the love of God, hope doesn’t disappoint us.
- We must have the power of Perfect Love, Agape
For the one who doesn’t have the love of Jesus, love will be changed to hatred eventually. Hatred will turn into loathe, and loathe creates enemy. If you have enemy, you will feel unsafe and anxiety all the time. It will lead to depression and darkness eventually. This is what is written in the book of Jude.
1 Cor 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked,
does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Such love can only be performed by the one who have the absolute faith in Jesus. This love is more powerful than any hatred, any loathe, any depression, any enemy, and any revenge.
In this moment of difficulty, we didn’t forget the house of God. We come to serve God, and give our worship to Him. Out of love of God, we came to church to serve by faith and hope for eternal kingdom of God to be present today. God will remember us today and He will pour out His great blessing upon us, upon The Lord’s Covenant Church and upon Malaysia.
Conclusion:
We must have the Word of God
Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Cor 1:5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel,
1 Jn 2:5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him
Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, Eternal hope is the Word of Truth, and keeping the Word of God perfects our Love. Therefore, we should hold on to the Word of God, read the Bible and get close to the Word of God daily. Through this, we may have the powers of true faith, hope and love to overcome the darkness.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 