The Spirit – Part 1
1.
Imagine you and I are going to play golf, and on
our way to the course I informed you that the Spirit of God had entered into
me, and given me supernatural ability to play golf. What would your reaction /
expectation be?
a.
Other than being a bit weirded out, after
hearing that claim, wouldn’t you expect to see a significant improvement in my
game?
b.
You would expect to see 300+ drives, right down
the middle of the fairway; pinpoint approach shots (the ones that land behind
the hole, then backup to right beside the cup!); drain every putt, walk off
under par every time! (A reasonable
expectation)
2.
But if we teed off, and I was driving into the
next fairway, hitting into the water, missing greens, three-putting;
a.
Wouldn’t you question the reality of my
experience? Yes, for there is a huge gap between my claim of empowerment, and
my performance,
3.
And so it is in the lives of many Christians
today, claiming that the Spirit of the Living God lives in them, yet their
lives do not reflect that reality.
a.
Most all Christians “know” about the Holy
Spirit, but there is often a wide gap between what they know and how they live.
b.
If we were honest, we would admit that the
Spirit is mostly absent from many churches – perhaps we're too distracted by
pursuit of comfort and wealth – not hungry, not desperate, not submitted.
4.
Why?
Ignorance? Fear? Unwillingness to submit?
5.
What I hope to accomplish today, through the
leading and power of the Holy Spirit, is to reveal this Third Person of the
Trinity to you,
a.
and to hopefully spark a desire for each of you
to know Him more, to be filled and empowered by Him, and to submit to His
leading in your life.
b.
In order to get started, we need to understand
the basics of The Holy Spirit – we need some Holy Spirit theology.
Holy Spirit 101
Part of the
Trinity
6.
The Trinity; Father, Son, Spirit, is referenced
in Genesis, when God said “Let us make man in Our image…”
a.
Many have described the trinity, the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, as a three stranded cord; three but one. Or a three leaf clover, or even an Oreo
cookie...
b.
Truth is, God is none of these: God is in reality unfathomable to human
beings, His ways and existence more expansive and all inclusive than we could
ever grasp with our limited physical minds.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to
face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. - 1
Cor 13:12
c.
Scripture simply reveals that there is a Father,
there is a Son, and there is a Spirit.
They are separate, yet they are also one, and they have existed for all
eternity.
#1 The Holy Spirit
is a Person
7.
The Holy Spirit is not a “power”, such as “The
Force” in Star Wars.
a.
He is a person who has a personal relationship
with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and with the believer.
b.
Listen to how Jesus describes Him:
John 16:7-8, 13-14 Nevertheless I tell you the truth.
It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper
will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
… when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will
guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but
whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what
is Mine and declare it to you. -
8.
Jesus is describing a Person with a male gender.
Jesus uses phrases like…
a.
He will come…
b.
He will convict…
c.
He will guide…
d.
He will hear – He will speak – He will tell
9.
These are not descriptions of a benign power
source; Jesus is describing the actions of a sentient being.
#2 The Holy Spirit is God
10. The
Holy Spirit is not an angel, or a lesser being than God, but is a distinct part
of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Spirit.
a.
One example:
When Peter challenged Ananias about lying to God, Peter exclaimed:
"Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie
to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in
your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not
lied to men but to God." Acts 5:3-4
b.
Lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God, one
and the same.
#3 The Holy Spirit is Eternal
11. The
person of the Holy Spirit is not a temporary being that only appeared after
Jesus, and will fade out once we are all in heaven; He is eternal, just as God
is eternal…
...how much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God? - Hebrews 9:14
#4 The Holy Spirit is omnipotent, omnipresent,
and omniscient
12. Just
as God is omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present everywhere), and
omniscient (all knowing), so also is the Holy Spirit
All Powerful…
"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not
by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' - Zech 4:6
Present Everywhere…
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee
from Your presence? - Ps 139:7
All Knowing…
For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and
there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient
times things that are not yet done, Isaiah 46:9-10
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep
things of God. - 1 Cor 2:10
#5 The Holy Spirit has His own distinct mind and
will
13. In
1 Corinthians Paul is describing the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to
believers, and Paul states:
But one and the same Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each one individually as He wills. – 1 Cor 12:11
a.
In other words, the Holy Spirit, who has His own
mind and will, chooses what gifts will be given to believers for the work of
the Kingdom.
#6 The Holy Spirit has a home
14. This
being that Jesus describes is not physical – He is a spiritual being that has a
specific dwelling place: in the
believer…
but you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in
you. - John 14:16-17
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the
Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? -
1 Cor 6:19
15. Based
on these attributes…it seems that it might be important for us as believers to
have a relationship with the Holy Spirit… but why is He often left on the
sidelines?
The Basis of our
beliefs
16. Last
year when my daughter went to Africa, she was blown away by the supernatural
experiences that happened there.
a.
People that they prayed for were healed, right
on the spot!
b.
Needs that they had were filled, almost
immediately!
c.
It was a life-changing "God is so
real" experience
d.
When she returned she posed a question: Why does God move in such a mighty and
supernatural way in Africa, but I don't see it here? Great question.
17. I
believe the answer to that question is not that God likes African’s over us,
but that in Africa there is usually no other option to resolve a need other
than to seek God.
a.
See here in America, we have so much available
to us:
b.
Technology, tools, abundance of food, low-cost
standard of living, doctors, clinics,
c.
We can get most of our needs filled without even
bothering God.
d.
Give our educational and economic opportunities;
most of us are quite capable of living pretty good lives without any help at
all from the Holy Spirit.
18. Even
churches can grow without Him: Combine a
charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, some hip marketing, exciting
events, and people will attend a church!
a.
Yet that is not an indicator that the Holy
Spirit of God is at work in the lives of the people that are attending.
We may as well face it; the whole level of
spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the
incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is gone. We have
imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute
for the level of joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to
substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost.
– A. W. Tozer
b.
See, we often get our perspective of the role of
the Holy Spirit from our church, instead of actually reading Gods word and
seeking the truth.
19. My
experience: Last week I told you about
what happened when several of my friends and I started getting together and
reading our bibles.
a.
Didn’t tell you the entire story: When we got to 1 Cor 12 we realized,
"Hey, I’ve never heard that taught..."
b.
There were all of these spiritual gifts that
Paul described that were intended to be used in the context of our Christian
lives.
c.
We thought, “if
all of this stuff is in the bible, it must be important!”
d.
It is important, it just wasn’t quite in line
with the doctrinal position of the denomination we were a part of, so it was
never emphasized.
20. So
we embarked on a mission to learn about this Holy Spirit, not from what our
denomination said, but what the word of God said.
a.
You'd be amazed at what will happen when you do
that!
21. Truth
is, if you were stranded on a remote island, and someone air dropped a bible to
you, and you read it and became a Christian,
a.
Based on the simple reading of that bible you
would expect that the Holy Spirit would be an integral and powerful part of
your daily life!
b.
You would expect your life to be radically
different!
c.
You would have radical and significant
expectations of the working of the Spirit of God in your life
One of our Values
– “We expect the miraculous”
22. One
of our values at CCW is that we expect the miraculous: We expect marriages to be restored,
addictions to be broken, the sick to be healed, and for God to do the
unexplainable. When no one else expects it to happen, we do.
a.
You see, in the same way that God the Father
gave His Spirit to the His Son for a reason and a purpose,
23. God
also gives His Spirit to us believers for a reason and a purpose: What are some of the reasons? Why do we need
Him?
#1 The Holy Spirit
will teach us and remind us of things
24. In
order to fully walk in obedience to God, we need to be taught the ways of God;
this bible is a big book, and there is a lot of truth contained in it, so we
need a helper…
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance
all things that I said to you. - John 14:26
a.
The Holy Spirit helps us grow! He helps me read
and understand, helps me with my messages (I can't take credit - if it was
good, it was God; if it was bad, it was me!)
#2 The Holy Spirit
will lead us into a intimate relationship with our Father
25. Not
only do we need to learn and grow, we need to build a relationship with our
Heavenly Father, but since God is Spirit (John 4:24), we need a spiritual
connection to be able to have that relationship:
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to
fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,"Abba,
Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God, and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified
together. - Rom 8:15-17
As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among
them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” - 2 Cor 6:16
#3 The Holy Spirit
will guide us
26. Traversing
this life on our own can be confusing, we need help, and the Spirit of God is
given to guide us through the curves and turns of life:
…when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide
you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He
hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. - John 16:13
#4 The Holy Spirit
will speak for us
27. There
are times in our lives when we know we need to speak, but we just don’t know
what to say.
a.
A situation that might be delicate, the wrong
word could affect another person’s life, and we don’t want to say the wrong
thing:
But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that;
for it is not you who speaks, but the Holy Spirit. - Mark 13:11
#5 The Holy Spirit
will pray for us
28. Sometimes
we don’t know how to pray:
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For
we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself
makes intercession for us... - Rom 8:26
#6 The Holy Spirit
will convict us of sin
29. Conviction
is that feeling you get when you’ve done something wrong:
He will convict the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment. - John 16:8
a.
Being convicted is of no value if we can't do
something about it, so
#7 The Holy Spirit
will give us power over sin
a.
I know what it's like to struggle with a sin, to
feel trapped, to feel like you don’t have a choice.
b.
but I also have experienced the power of the
Spirit of God to overcome that sin and walk in victory!
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has
made me free from the law of sin and death.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die;
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will
live. - Rom 8:2, 13
“Without the Spirit we can neither love God nor keep
His commandments.” - Augustine
#8 The Holy Spirit
will bring us freedom
30. When
the Spirit of God gives you victory, the prison door has been opened, you've
been set free!
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is freedom. - 2 Cor
3:17
#9 The Holy Spirit
will change our attitude:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. - Gal
5:22-23
#10 The Holy
Spirit will give us power to be witnesses
31. It
is not easy to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ, it is not for the feint
of heart, that is why we need the power of God to accomplish it:
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. - Acts 1:8
And my speech and my preaching were not with
persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of
power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of
God. – 1 Cor 2:4-5
32. I
want you to recognize something – I have just given a list of significant
things that the Holy Spirit of God will bring into your lives…. and
I have not even mentioned the charismatic gifts…
#11 The Holy
Spirit will equip us to minister…
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each
one for the profit of all. - 1 Cor 12:7
33. Then
Paul goes on to list all these gifts: ... Word of wisdom… word of knowledge…
faith… gifts of healings… working of miracles… prophecy… discerning of spirits…
different kinds of tongues… interpretation of tongues….helps… administrations…
a.
Rom 12:
ministry… teaching… exhortation… giving… leading…mercy
b.
(I will go
into more detail next week)
34. But
what I want you to grasp is that God has imparted to the Christian a set of
“gifts”
a.
He has equipped us with these supernatural
abilities to be able to accomplish His will here on this earth.
b.
He gave us the tools to get the job done!
35. This
is a list of abilities that we could all say “wow, I have been in situations where I could have really used that
ability.”
a.
Think about it, if you could have Jesus Christ
with you all the time, every time you needed to make a decision, or needed to
give some counsel, you could just ask Jesus what to do!
b.
Or if there was a need, someone was sick, or
oppressed, You could just turn to Jesus and say “would you pray for them?”
c.
Well that is EXACTLY what we have in the Holy
Spirit! By the power of the Holy Spirit,
that ability is YOURS.
36. We’re
not alone - Jesus needed the Spirit
a.
From His baptism, when the Spirit of God
descended on Him, and the Father said “This is my Son, in whom I am well
pleased...” - and Jesus hadn’t done
anything yet!
b.
To when He began His ministry, by the power of
the Spirit:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the
Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal
the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to those who are bound… - Isaiah 61:1-2
37. Jesus
was our EXAMPE – and if the Son of God needed the Spirit to fulfill His call,
how much more do we as sinful man need His Spirit to fulfill our call?
Pentecost
38. If
you look at the event at Pentecost, in Acts chapter 2 (go read it!)
a.
Jesus had poured into those men for three years,
taught them everything they needed, walked as an example before them,
b.
But He told them: Wait, don’t start your ministry, don’t go
anywhere or try anything until the Holy Spirit comes…
c.
Why?
Because what they were bring called to do was way bigger than they could
ever think of accomplishing in their own strength – it just couldn't be done…
d.
Jesus knew what was ahead, and He knew they
needed the power of the Holy Spirit!
39. Sure
enough, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, suddenly they were empowered,
everything changed!
a.
Peter stood up and taught a message and 3,000
people came to Christ!
b.
Here was a guy that in his own strength could
only do a few things: Fish, cut off
people’s ears (a fail!), and put his foot in his mouth…
c.
Yet after the Holy Spirit of God came upon him,
he became Peter the Great: world
changer!
40. FACT: If we have been truly indwelt with the Spirit
of the living God, empowered with the gifts of the Spirit, our lives should
reflect that reality!
a.
People who spend time with us will experience
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control (the fruit of the Spirit Gal 5)
b.
Our engagement in the kingdom will reflect a
tangible manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit:
c.
Supernatural wisdom, knowledge, faith, healings
& miracles, prophecy, discernment, different kinds of tongues, to another
the interpretation of tongues (1 Cor 12)
d.
Supernatural ministry, teaches, exhorts
(encourage), in exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy (Rom 12)
41. Leads
us to the QUESTION: is that the reality
of our lives? Is that what my life looks like?
Is that what your life looks like?
a.
Has there been a time in the last day, the last
week, the last month, that you can say with certainty “the Holy Spirit of God
was working in my life?”
b.
Please know my heart; I’m not trying to point
out the negative; I am trying to point out the natural.
c.
Because if not then something is missing.
(Ex: My golf game!)
42. Ignorance
fear or submission?
a.
Ignorance:
We just addressed that one!
b.
Fear: This one’s a little more difficult: There is a fear that if I ask God to fill and
empower me, He just might show up, and who knows what that could mean:
i. God
might do something in my life, upset the apple cart, ask me to change
something; He might ask me to step out into a calling,
c.
Surrender: Goes even deeper, because if I ask
God to fill and empower me, then I will be accountable to follow Him, and He
might send me to Africa!
43. Guess
what: It is true:
a.
If you fully surrender to the leading of the
Holy Spirit in your life, it is a virtual certainty that God will lead you into
something that you normally would not do, that will be bigger than you can
accomplish on your own.
b.
He may ask you to do something that, in your own
strength, is completely impossible.
c.
Something that you do not possess the
facilities, nor the abilities, to accomplish on your own.
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit”
44. Now
I realize that not everyone will be keen on idea of surrendering to whatever
God might call you to, but you have to consider:
a.
If God is really God, then His plan and
direction for your life, will be the most rewarding and fulfilling thing you
could ever choose to do.
b.
Because He specifically designed you and gifted
you for that purpose, and by His Spirit He will empower you to accomplish it!
45. It
boils down to this: Do we trust God?
Because if we do, we’ll trust that He will lead us, by His Holy Spirit,
on a journey into a supernatural life, a supernatural ministry, with
supernatural results.
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into
the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. - 1
Cor 2:9
a.
Next week, gifts, but now, challenge:
Luke 11:9-13 "So I say to you, ask, and it will
be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to
you. For everyone who asks receives, and
he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among
you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a
serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks
for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
Him!"
Copyright © 2013 Clay Ritter. This data file is the sole property of Clay Ritter. It may be copied in its entirety or in part for personal use, or teaching, freely without charge. Please include a citation to this website. This data file may not be copied in part, edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of Clay Ritter. Requests for permission should be made in writing and addressed to Pastor Clay Ritter, c/o Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, 2831 Carolina Beach Rd, Wilmington NC, 28412, or via email to office@calvaryofwilmington.org.
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