TOPIC: Purity Before Power [RCCG Sunday School STUDENT Manual 7 June 2020]
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MEMORY VERSE: “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” – Hebrews 1:9
BIBLE PASSAGE: Acts 19:13-17 KJV (RCCG Sunday School STUDENT Manual 7 June 2020)
13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
INTRODUCTION
It is popular saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is why power can be a dangerous thing if it is in wrong hands. God is Omnipotent, that is, “All powerful” and you cannot separate His power from purity. Isaiah 6:1-3. Purity is freedom from anything that contaminates. It is the quality of being faultless, uncompromised or unadulterated. Purity is often used in Scripture as a means to communicate holiness or perfection (1Peter 1:15-16; Matt. 5:8, 48). Like in electricity, power can only flow through a pure conductor. It is therefore reasonable that purity must precede power.
OUTLINES
- WHY PURITY MUST PRECEDE POWER
- HEAVEN IS THE GOAL
1. WHY PURITY MUST PRECEDE POWER
Everyone wants power of one kind or the other. There is a natural joy common to man in being the number one, the head or the one in control. God wishes His children to be above always and be powerful (Deut. 28:13). This is why God is very strict about the purity of His children in total obedience to His will (Deut. 28:1). This is because the more powerful a Christian is, the more severe will be the attacks from forces of darkness on him or her (Dan. 6:3-5). It will, therefore, require the purity, as of light, to constantly frustrate the enemy (John 1:5). In any case, power of the divine type is the holy thing and holy things are the not for dogs (Matthew 7:6; Acts 19:13-17). Purity must precede power because God will only anoint (for divine Exploit) those the love righteousness and hate iniquity (Psalm 45:7; Acts 10:38; Mark 16:15-18). Demons will only submit to the authority of Christ through a believer that is pure (Acts 19:13-17). Hence, to be a vessel unto honour, a Christian must purify himself (2Tim. 2:20-21).
2. HEAVEN IS THE GOAL
The goal of every Christian should be making it to heaven at last. It will be unfortunate to have used divine power to heal, deliver and bless other and still fail to make it to heaven. Hence, purity is crucial at all cost (1Corinthians 9:24-27). The Lord Jesus Christ warned of the possibility of a miracle workers being excluding from Heaven because of lack of holiness (Matthew 7:22-23). The bible did not say, “Without power no man shall see God” but “Without holiness no man shall see God” (Hebrews 12:14). Purity should define our thought-life, words and actions. Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).
CONCLUSION:
In the hands of pure, holy, compassionate, Christ-like children of God, power can be very useful. If you desire power, do not forget your ultimate goal which is heaven. (Matthew 6:33)
QUESTIONS:
- Mention four reasons purity should precede power.
- What is ultimate goal for living a life of purity?
ASSIGNMENT:
Differentiate between carriers of holy power and evil power in five points.
RCCG Sunday School HYMN
- O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
O how I love Thee well,
I am happy, it makes me glad
To rejoice at Thy birth. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Thy friendship suits me well,
Both young and old will sing Thy song,
We long for Sunday School. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Christ was Thy first teacher,
The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
Does manifest in thee. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
This testimony is sure,
That God, the Father Almighty,
Poured His blessing on Thee. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Though the sun be so bright,
Or if the clouds black with rain,
I’ll be in Sunday School. - O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
I rejoice to see Thee,
Will thou pass over me today?
Without my being blest?