Living Between Promise and Power — Carter Conlon

Living Between Promise and Power

I wanna talk to you today from Luke chapter three and Luke chapter four, if you'll go to, we'll start with Luke chapter three. I wanna talk about living between promise and power. Living between promise and power.

How many of you feel that you're there this morning? I have this great promise from God for my life, but I have not yet found the power to perform it. I'm gonna talk to you about what goes on in between promise and power.

Now, Father, I thank you, Lord, with all my heart. I thank you, God. Oh, Jesus, with everything in my heart, I thank you, Lord, for your presence here. I thank you for your word, which is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.

I thank you for the anointing of your Holy Spirit to deliver your word so that it finds a resting place in each of our hearts. God, change us. Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done in us as it is in heaven.

Help us to change, Lord. We're not capable in ourselves, Lord. Without your Holy Spirit, all we will do is accumulate knowledge, but it won't lead us to the power of the truth. So God, help us, Lord. Help me today to deliver this, Lord.

I know in my heart that without you, I can't do anything, Lord. But I do believe that with God, all things are possible. So Lord, God, anoint me to speak and anoint all of us to hear, and move us forward in the understanding of your kingdom, and move us forward in the appreciating and laying hold of your power.

Jesus' Baptism and the Promise of the Spirit

We thank you for it, in Jesus' name. Living between promise and power started Luke chapter three, verses 21 and 22, part of 23. When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized, and while he prayed, the heaven was opened.

And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven which said, you are my beloved son. In you, I am well pleased. Now Jesus himself began his ministry at about 30 years of age.

Now go to chapter four in verse 14. Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and the news of him went out throughout all the surrounding region, and he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

Now he was baptized in Luke chapter three, and he returned in power in Luke chapter four, but there's a significant event between those two points of the life and testimony of Jesus Christ, and that's what this message is about.

The Wilderness Between Calling and Power

It's about the season in every Christian life. That season that exists in between the time where you were set apart by God for a divine purpose, and you know you were. In your heart, you felt God expressing his pleasure over you, and the promise that your life would one day count for his glory.

He spoke it to you, maybe at an altar somewhere in the church. He spoke it to you in a time of prayer. Maybe you were just reading the word of God, and suddenly, you were strangely lifted out of yourself, and you were, in a sense, baptized into this new life that God promises through his son, Jesus Christ, and God began speaking to your heart about something he was going to do through you in the future, something he had set you apart for.

It's a whisper sometimes. It's something only you know, and God knows other times, and it's also about that time, and then the moment that you began to walk in divine power for that purpose, so there's a space between the two.

God speaks. We are set apart for his purpose, and then one day, we walk out of the wilderness in the power of everything he's promised that we're going to be. Now, in Jesus' case, this moment is referred to as the wilderness.

Chapter four, verse one says, then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan, where he was baptized, of course, and led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Now, what is the wilderness?

It's simply a place where nothing is happening. Nothing. You ever been there? Yeah. Nothing is happening. Like, God, where are you? I mean, I went to an altar somewhere, and your Holy Spirit came on me, and I heard your voice.

I heard you tell me that my life was going to count for your glory, but now, I'm in this place, and there's nothing. There's nothing around me happening. It's a place where there's no tangible, outward evidence of what you once thought God promised your life would be.

There's no evidence of it, and it can get to the point where you begin to doubt that you actually heard from God. Was that really you, Lord? Was that really your power that came on me? Was that your voice I heard?

I felt like you were saying, this is my son, my daughter, in whom I'm well-pleased. I felt like I was on the right track, and now, I'm in this place where I don't see anything of what you promised my life was going to be.

You can be tempted to think that nothing is going on there, but I wanna suggest to you that much more is happening in this place than you realize. It's in this place that you're making decisions that are going to affect the rest of your life.

Your character is going to be settled in this place. It will determine how you handle the power of God when your life calling finally comes into view. If you're going to be known in heaven, if you're gonna have an impact against hell, there is no escaping the wilderness.

There's no escaping this place. Moses didn't escape it. He tried. He tried when he got, he knew what his calling was. He tried to take it up in his own strength, and he ended up in a very extended wilderness experience.

Joseph and the Testing of God's Word

Think about Joseph. I wanna read it to you in Psalm 105. It says, moreover, this is God. He called for a famine in the land, and he destroyed all the provision of bread. I happen to believe that we are going into a very hard time in our society, and God is preparing a people to meet the need, the spiritual need, in the people of this generation that's gonna be presented before many of us.

He sent a man before them. In other words, before the fullness of this difficult time in the earth hit, he sent a man who was going to have a supply to give to people who are going to be finding themselves in a very, very difficult place.

His name was Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters. He was laid in irons. And verse 19 says, until the time that his word came to pass the word of the Lord tested him. Until the time that the promise, do you think Joseph might have been tempted at some point in the 13 years of hell he had to endure from the moment that God promised him that his life was going to be a life of prominence, authority, it's going to be a life that brought honor to God and supply to others?

And suddenly there's 13 years of betrayal, 13 years of imprisonment, 13 years of false accusation, 13 years of living in a wilderness. You think that Joseph might have wondered, is it really you God that I heard?

Or should I be looking for somebody else like John the Baptist when he found himself in prison? It just fell prey to that natural thought that I really hear from God? Is this really the plan of God for my life?

The Devil's Three Wilderness Temptations

Or should I be looking somewhere else for what God has for me? Now, in the case of Jesus, in between promise and power came a time where another voice came to test him. He had already heard the voice of God, his father, but another voice was allowed to test him.

It was the voice of the enemy himself. And in Luke chapter four, verses two and three, it says, beginning of verse one, then Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for 40 days by the devil.

And in those days he ate nothing. And afterwards when they had ended, he was hungry. And the devil said to him, if you are the son of God, command this stone to become bread. Now, here's the temptation.

On this pathway you have agreed to, there will be no provision. I remember when I first felt God calling me into something deeper. I didn't know what it was. I couldn't fully explain it. I just felt God speaking clearly to my heart.

I have something more for your life than what you think your life is going to be. Just follow me. Just go through the doors that I call you through. And I remember when I followed him in simple faith out of my former career to pastor a little group of people in the middle of nowhere that were hardly tithing anything and there was not much there for a wage.

I remember my own father said to me, you are a fool going in this direction. There will be no provision for you there. And he told me, he says, when you don't have money to buy milk for your children, don't come to me because I won't give you a nickel to help you.

He was so offended by the decision I had made. Now, my dad, I would not dishonor him and he wouldn't mind me sharing this because he's in heaven today. He gave his life to Jesus Christ, not too many years after that.

But that's the temptation of the devil that comes and says, if you follow this path that God's calling you on, you won't have any provision there. You're gonna have to reach out and you're gonna have to make things happen in your own strength.

You're gonna have to provide for yourself. God's not gonna provide for you. Well, folks, I have proven that to be a lie. We have walked with God, Pastor Therese and I, for almost 40 years and we have the same testimony that the children of Israel had when they walked through that dry place, the wilderness that came to them.

We have, God has provided. God has miraculously provided. It has been amazing, this walk with God. I remember the day a farmer knocked on my door and said, the Lord has told me to fill your freezer with beef and not just ordinary beef, but filet to fill your freezer from bottom to top.

And he says, as soon as it goes down, you call me and I'll fill it again. And he was true to that promise. I've seen it. I've watched God provide. When our house burnt down to the ground, we lost everything in the middle of ministry.

I remember coming home and we were homeless for a season. We were staying at the house of another pastor and his wife with our three children. We had no home, we had no money, we had no clothes for our children, didn't have a toothbrush, we had nothing.

Everything was lost in the fire. Everything caved into the foundation of our home. I remember going for a jog one day and I said this, I said, Lord, I have sought you and your kingdom and your righteousness.

I know that's true. And you said that all these things would be added unto me. So I rest in that promise that you've made to me. I'm not gonna stretch out my hand for my own provision. I'm not gonna walk around whining about my needs.

I'm gonna be quiet and I'm gonna let you be the one who supplies everything. And folks, it was truly amazing. God just opened the windows of heaven to us. It was absolutely amazing. Churches, I didn't even know the people.

They didn't know me. They just heard the report. They took offerings. People started sending checks in the mail. It was absolutely amazing. When it was all over, we bought a brand new house. We bought brand new furniture.

Authority and Glory Without Shortcuts

We bought brand new clothes. We bought brand new appliances. And I bought a $200 pair of skates that I'd always wanted all my life. Thank God, he's faithful. Again, in Luke chapter four, verses five to seven says, then the devil taking him up on a high mountain showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And the devil said to him, all this authority I will give you and their glory for this has been delivered to me and I give it to whomsoever I wish. Therefore, if you will worship before me, all will be yours.

Here's the second temptation. There will be no spiritual authority nor anything that brings glory to God on this road that you're traveling. Look around you. Look how empty your journey is. If it's authority and glory to God that you seek, then just take a shortcut.

Bend your knee before my ways and not God's and it will all be yours. Leave this path of faith alone. Grab what you can and grab it where you can grab it. That's the second temptation. There'll be no authority.

Your life will be a waste. There'll be no power. There'll be no glory brought to God. Who do you think you are anyway? Traveling on this road, thinking that somehow God's going to honor his own name through your life.

That's when Jesus said, get behind me, Satan. It's written, you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. In other words, I'm trusting that through my life and through what he's called me to do that there will be spiritual authority and that glory will be brought to the name of God.

Trusting God's Protection in the Wilderness

Not the devil's way but God's way. Luke chapter four. Luke chapter four verses nine to 11. It says, then he brought him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, if you are the son of God, throw yourself down from here.

For it is written he will give his angels charge over you to keep you. And in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone. And I think here's the most insidious temptation of all.

It's when the devil comes in this wilderness place and says there will be no protection for you on this journey. If I throw you down, do you really believe that God will catch you and lift you up again?

You have to understand, the devil fully didn't know what the plan of redemption was. For in the book of Hebrews says if the princes of this world had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But he knew that Jesus had come to reclaim humanity that was lost in the garden of Eden. And he was basically saying if I incite the crowd, if I incite them against you to destroy you, do you really believe that God will catch you?

If I throw you off a cliff, do you really believe that they'll catch you before you hit the bottom and lift you back up again? In other words, the temptation in the wilderness that every one of us has to face is that if you follow this journey, there will be no provision, there'll be no authority, there'll be no glory brought to God and there will be no protection for your life.

And that's what every one of us have to fight. We've got to get through that gauntlet of accusation against actually the faithfulness of God. It's not against us, it's against God himself. That God won't provide for you, that God won't give you spiritual authority, that your ministry or your life will amount to nothing.

It will bring no glory whatsoever to God. And there'll be no protection for you. If I incite people against you, who's going to catch you? Who's going to keep you? But Jesus said, you will not tempt the Lord your God.

In other words, you will not put God to a foolish test. I believe what he has said. I believe his words to me. I believe that his purposes through my life are going to be accomplished. I will have all the provision I need to finish it.

Jesus' Public Ministry and Mission

I will have the authority over the powers of darkness that will try to stop it. My life will bring glory to God. And I am until God says, I am not. I believe that with all of my heart. Now then Jesus, verse 14 of Luke chapter four, returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee.

And news of him went out throughout all the surrounding region. And he taught in the synagogues being glorified of all. So he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.

And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he'd opened the book, he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Then he closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

Now I want you to look at something. In the wilderness, the devil was trying to test him and tempt him to live for himself. Use your relationship with God to make your own bread. Step out and seek glory for yourself and authority for yourself.

Protect yourself because you can't really trust in the fact that if you follow this calling to the fullness that God will actually protect you. See, the whole temptation was about the preservation of self.

Live for yourself. Serve yourself. It's all about yourself. Protect yourself. Glorify yourself. Get glory, get power, get position for yourself. Can't help but wonder how many people in our generation have actually fallen in the wilderness to that temptation.

But Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit for one particular reason. Because when he came out of that wilderness, it was set, it is hard forever that I am not here to live for myself. I'm not here for my own provision.

I'm trusting my Father. I'm here to bring glory to my Father. I'm here not to protect my life, but to lay it down as a living sacrifice for the sake of those who are poor, those who are brokenhearted, those who are captive, those who are blind, those who are oppressed.

That's why I've come. I've come to live for the benefit of others, not for myself. That's what happens when you come out of the wilderness. You finally have cast yourself on the mercy of God and say, Lord, it's not about me.

It's not about preserving myself, the call of God in my life. It's not about being always protected the way I think I should or provided for the way I feel that it should be. But I'm gonna trust you, God, that as I seek your kingdom first and your righteousness, you are going to provide for me.

There's going to be spiritual authority. My life will bring glory to God, and I will be protected until the day that you have decreed from before the foundation of this world that my life is to end. My life is in your hands, not in the hands of man.

A Church Emerging from the Wilderness

And I choose to live my life for the sake of those who still need to know there is a God who loves them. In our generation, in this nation in particular, we have completely inverted, and the church is in the wilderness because the church is living for herself.

It has left the church powerless. It has left the church focused on her own provision. And sadly, it has left the church without protection. But I tell you, there's a church coming out of the wilderness.

There's a people who say, I'm not staying here, I'm not living here. I'm gonna trust God, I'm gonna believe God. I would rather die on the side of faith than live on the side of unbelief. I'm going to walk with God.

Now look what happens. In chapter four, verse 28. So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, they were filled with wrath. And they rose up and thrust him out of the city and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built that they might throw him down over the cliff.

Then passing through the midst of them, he went on his way. Remember what the devil said. It's written he'll give his angels charge over you to keep you, and in their hands they'll bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone.

The absolute scripture that from the mouth of God that Satan had tried to use to tempt him. He was protected. It was not his time to be thrown down yet. It was not his time to be crucified. And I happen to believe with all my heart, as I said earlier, that I am until God says I am not.

My life cannot be taken by any random act. If it is taken, God has allowed it for a divine purpose. I trust that. There's something about trusting God in the heart that says, Lord, I don't have to see it.

I don't have to understand it. I don't have to know it all. I just know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. I will be protected until God decrees that my days on earth have come to an end.

Authority, Healing, and Provision for Others

In Luke chapter four, verses 32 to 37, it says, remember the devil said you'll have no authority and you'll bring no glory to God. They were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority.

Now in the synagogue, there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out with a loud voice saying, let us alone. What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us?

I know who you are, the Holy One of God. The devil himself is giving glory to God. But Jesus rebuked him saying, be quiet and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.

And they were all amazed and spoke among themselves saying, what a word this is. For with authority and power, he commands the unclean spirits and they come out. And the report of him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

I'll tell you there's power when you've made right choices in the wilderness. There's power when your life is set apart for the sake of others. There's power when it's all about winning the lost and teaching them how to walk with God.

There's power when we're not living to keep ourselves and protect ourselves and provide for ourselves. There's power when it's about others. There's power and there's reputation that's brought to the name of God.

And again, in Luke chapter four, verse 38, it says, now he arose from the synagogue and entered into Simon's house. But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever and they made request of him concerning her.

And so he stood over her and rebuked the fever and it left her and immediately she arose and served them. Remember the devil was saying, there's gonna be no provision for you on this path. But when the power of God starts to flow through your life and it's all about others, the provision of God starts to flow as well in ways that you and I never thought it would.

It's truly amazing. I love to tell the story. I hope I get it right. But years ago, back in the old farmhouse when we first started pastoring, we had about 17 people living with us, our family included in that one winter.

People in difficult situations. And one particular Sunday after church, people just started showing up at our house. I remember my brother showed up and he had a friend. They were doing a cross country motorcycle trip and they stopped and we didn't even know they were coming.

And then somebody else showed up with some kids and then another man and his wife with five kids that we knew that they were really down and out. They had nowhere to go and they looked very, very hungry and it was lunchtime.

And Pastor Teresa had one pound of hamburger, one pound of hamburger, a little bit of tomato sauce. My brother felt bad for us. He went out and got two more small cans of spaghetti sauce. He put it all in the pot.

Now you got about, I don't know how many people we had. Do you remember how many? 30, I don't know, 25. It was a lot of people anyway. And she put it in the pot, stirred it up, threw a few things in with it.

And the Lord spoke to her and said, just keep serving it, don't look in the pot. Just keep serving it. And don't be stingy. So she just refused to look in the pot, just kept ladling the sauce out. Folks, everybody ate and there was leftovers.

When it's all about others, God will provide. That's my point. When it's all about us, we fall in the wilderness. When it's all about me, I fail of the calling of God because ultimately I am called to take up my cross and follow Christ.

I am called to give my life as a living sacrifice for the purposes of God on the earth, which scripture tells us in Romans chapter 12, verse one, is my reasonable service. It's not unreasonable, it's just reasonable.

And when it's all about others, the strength will come that you need to do the work that you're called to do. When it's all about others, the strength will come to endure the scorn, the persecution that will come your way.

When it's all about others, there'll be a song inside your heart that nothing of hell can take away from you. There'll be strength that can't be beaten out of you. When it's all about others, there'll be a spiritual authority to speak into people's lives and suddenly the tears begin to flow on their faces.

They don't even know why. There's an authority that comes from God because we're not preaching to others so they will like us. We're preaching to them because it's all about them and we want them to know God.

There is a provision. There's authority. Ultimately, glory will be brought to the name of Jesus Christ and there's protection. I've been in difficult places over the years, places that were dangerous.

I've watched the protection of God. I know that God keeps those that are his until the day that he allows us to be taken into glory. I know that and I thank God for that and I intend to live life to the fullest.

I intend to do it God's way. I intend to walk through every door he opens before me and I'm asking him for the strength to not focus on myself because that's where the trap is. That's where weakness starts to come in.

That's where doctrinal shallowness starts to come into the church and into our lives. That's where people start to gather, sing songs but there's no power in it. There's no testimony in it. There's no witness in it.

There's no transformation of society in it. You see, if you're living in that place today between promise and power, you've got to learn to trust that God's word to you will be fulfilled. God's word to you will be fulfilled.

Every promise he made, he will keep. Not your way, his way. The devil will come and try to take that promise out of your heart. The devil will do everything in his power to convince you that that journey is not a pleasant one.

It's not one you want to take. The devil will do everything in his power to convince you that God will not be faithful to you. But I want to remind you again this day, as we face a difficult hour in our society, the devil is a liar.

He can't speak the truth. He's a liar. He's the father of all lies. He's a murderer. He was such from the beginning. There's no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he's just speaking from what he actually is.

Character Formed Through Waiting

If you're living in that place between promise and power, believe that all things in your life are working together for good. You're not on hold. You're in a place where you're being formed. Your character is being formed.

Your basis of your relationship with God is being formed. You are not out of the will of God. You're in the absolute center of God's will. You don't have to do anything. Just learn to trust him right where you are and believe that all things work together for good.

Believe that if your house burns down, somehow there's a plan of God in it. Believe God, no matter what you have to go through, don't let the devil take your faith in this wilderness place. Rest in his promises to you.

There are no shortcuts. Shortcuts lead to the devil's playground. There are no shortcuts. Moses had to endure multiples of years in the wilderness before he was ready. He thought he was ready over here.

The calling was in his life, but the wilderness was necessary to produce the man that God needed to do what needed to be done in that generation. Esther had a season in her life where she felt like the king no longer desired her.

It was a wilderness moment for her, only to realize that she was about to come out through prayer and fasting out of that wilderness into the actual divine purpose for her life was going to be accomplished.

And it came at a moment when she didn't feel desired anymore. She was in a wilderness. Go through all scripture and you'll see Joseph in a wilderness. God, I thought you told me that my life had this incredible promise.

And all I see now is betrayal, false accusation and imprisonment. Bible says the word of the Lord tried him to find out what was really in his heart because coming out the other side, he was gonna have to be a man who was a Christ type.

He would have to be kind to those that had bruised him. He'd have to be forgiving to those that had wounded him. He'd have to be a provider to those that in the natural didn't deserve it. But only out of the abundance of the heart of God could he ever do what God had called him to do.

See, there is no escaping this place. I remember David Wilkerson told me one time, he said, if God's gonna use your life, there are three classrooms you're never going to escape. Isolation, confusion and despair.

Those are three classes that every man of God is gonna have to go through. And if you're not willing to go through them, then don't take the journey. Because outside, coming out of the wilderness. You know, I love that scripture that says, who's this coming out of the wilderness leaning on her beloved?

Who's this coming out saying, I don't know it all, but I trust in God. I don't have all the answers, but I trust in God. I don't know where this pathway's gonna lead, but I trust in God. I don't know how much of a difference my life is gonna make, but I trust in God.

I am leaning on the promises of God for my life. And I know that everything he's whispered to my heart he's going to do. If you're living in that place between promise and power, learn the word of God so you can fight the lies with truth.

You know, Jesus knew the word of God. Obviously, it was the word of God. But he fought with the word of God. And you have to learn in this place. Learn, take time in the word of God. Learn the word of God, study the word of God, and get ready because very soon your life is going to become a public declaration in a very dark time of all that God has been doing in you between promise and power.

Coming Out of the Wilderness in Power

I happen to believe that God has been preparing a people for a while now. They're hidden. Nobody sees them. And suddenly, when all hell breaks out in this society and perhaps around the world, these people that nobody knew anything about are coming out of the wilderness.

And just as Jesus did, they're coming out in power because they found the place where it was written. They found the place where it was written. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.

He sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to tell them that this is the acceptable time.

This is the moment of their freedom and their redemption. They're coming out of the wilderness not looking for themselves, not thinking about themselves. They've dealt with that over there. They're coming out trusting in God that somehow he will provide, somehow he will be glorified.

Somehow they will have authority. Somehow his purposes will be fulfilled through their lives. And so my friend, my brother, my sister, get ready. Get ready. The stock market is collapsing and the church is rising.

That would have been a good title for this. This whole world is gonna go into a tailspin. Everything that God has promised you is going to start to happen. One day, just one day in a day, Joseph, the king called for Joseph.

Can you imagine the jailer comes in and Joseph's been 13 years in this personal hell, this wilderness place of not understanding the ways of God. And suddenly the jailer comes in and says, Joseph, change your clothes and take a bath and shave.

The king has called for you. That's the way it works, folks. Moses is just out doing what he always does. And suddenly there's a burning bush calling him to do something that was so far out of his reach only faith in God could accomplish.