The Basics of Life - Session 2
The New Spirit
Roman 8 / John 16
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed
the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of
Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of
sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him
who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in
you. Romans 8:9-11
1.
If our church were a community that lived on a
remote island, and were ignorant of spiritual things, we’d never heard the
gospel.
a.
And say a missionary airplane flew over, and
dropped bibles to us, and we read them and became Christians, what would our
lives be like?
b.
I believe, based on reading our bibles, we would
expect that the Holy Spirit of God would be an integral and powerful part of
our lives!
c.
We would expect our lives to be radically
different from how we were before we became Christians
2.
If we look at God’s word, there are very clear
declarations regarding the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit
a.
So the question is "I have new life, but
does my life reflect the new life of Christ that is now in me?”
3.
Early in my Christianity life I was fairly
ignorant of the ministry of the Holy Spirit,
a.
Partly because of the doctrinal position of the
denomination we were part of, and the culture of that church.
b.
But mostly because I never read my bible!
c.
I knew there was a Holy Spirit, as once in a
while the pastor would mention “the Holy Ghost” in a sermon, but that was about
the extent of it.
d.
I didn’t realize I was missing anything at all.
4.
Until some friends and I started a bible study
(a dangerous thing, I know), and we started by picking a book, and studying it.
a.
We started in Romans, and the deeper we went,
the more we began to read about the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s
life.
b.
We got to chapter 12 and there was a list of
gifts…
Romans 12:4-8
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the
members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in
Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace
that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy,
let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
5.
Then after we finished Romans, we went to 1
Corinthians, where we found:
1 Cor 12:4-11
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are
diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the
manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same
Spirit, to another faith by the same
Spirit, to another gifts of healings
by the same Spirit, to another the
working of miracles, to another prophecy,
to another discerning of spirits, to
another different kinds of tongues,
to another the interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one
individually as He wills.
a.
We read these verses and thought “wow, this
looks like something that we should be experiencing in our lives today.”
6.
And so began a journey learning about the person
and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
a.
…and it caused a bit of a stir in our church!
“You guys are going all charismatic! No,
we’re just reading the bible and trying to follow it!”
7.
A funny thing happens when you read your bible,
it changes you, and it challenges you!
a.
It challenged me: Am I walking in the fullness and power of the
Holy Spirit every day?
8.
And that’s my objective this morning, to open
your eyes to what God’s word has to say about the Holy Spirit, and provoke you
to a quest to study for yourselves.
a.
REALITY CHECK:
If we have been truly indwelt with the Spirit of the living God, our
lives should reflect that reality in a way that reflects the attributes that
are described in His Word!
b.
So what does His word say? First an introduction to the person...
#1 The Holy Spirit
is a Person
9.
The Holy Spirit is not a “power”, such as “The
Force” in Star Wars.
a.
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:
(13-14)… 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.
John 16:7-8, 13-14
10. Jesus
is describing a Person with a male gender, with phrases like…
a.
He will come… He will convict… He will guide…
b.
He will hear – He will speak – He will tell
11. These
are not descriptions of a benign power source; Jesus is describing the actions
of a sentient being.
a.
A being that was sent by God the Father to
minister here on this earth
b.
A being that has the ability to touch the hearts
of men and women
c.
A being that hears directly from the Father and
the Son
d.
A being that filled with truth
e.
A being that has been given the mission to
declare that truth to us
12. So
it’s very clear that the Holy Spirit is not some power that we tap into, but
rather a clearly defined individual that has a clearly defined ministry here on
this earth.
#2 The Holy Spirit is God
13. 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.
Go back to the beginning:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of
the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Gen 1:1-2
b.
The Angel told Mary:
“The Holy
Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you;
therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:35
c.
The Holy Spirit has the all of the attributes as
God...
Like the Father, the Holy Spirit is Eternal
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you
another Helper, that He may abide with you forever… John 14:16
Like the Father, the Holy Spirit is Omnipotent (all Powerful)
"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not
by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' - Zech 4:6
Like the Father, the Holy Spirit is Omnipresent (Present Everywhere)
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee
from Your presence? - Ps 139:7
Like the Father, the Holy Spirit is Omniscient (All Knowing)
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep
things of God. 1 Cor 2:10
d.
Same attributes of God the Father, and Jesus
Christ the Son
#3 The Holy Spirit has His own distinct mind and
will
But one and the same Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each one individually as He wills. – 1 Cor 12:11
e.
In other words, the Holy Spirit, who has His own
mind and will, is given the authority to to distribute spiritual gifts to
believers for the work of the Kingdom.
#4 The Holy Spirit has a home
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
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if
indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit
of Christ, he is not His. Romans 8:9
14. Based
on these passages, we can say the Holy Spirit is of the same essence as the
Father and the Son.
a.
He is ascribed with the attributes of God,
b.
He is equated with God and
c.
Does work that only God does
d.
We also see that it is God’s intention – His
blessing upon His people and the church – for us to be filled with, and
empowered by his Holy Spirit.
15. The
obvious question we might ask is: Why is
He often left on the sidelines?
a.
Great question, a few reasons…
Fear of Man
16. It’s
very easy to become fearful of what man thinks, and the culture in many
Christian circles could frankly be said to be prohibitive to the work of the
Holy Spirit.
a.
If you mention the Holy Spirit, you risk being
labeled a “charismatic” or Holy Roller.
Fear of God NOT
showing up…
17. What
if I ask the Holy Spirit for a word of wisdom, or guidance, or a healing, and
nothing happens?
a.
Much safer to never ask!
Fear of God
showing up!
18. I
mean, if I ask the Holy Spirit to speak to me about a situation, or a direction
for my life, He might just show up and do it!
a.
Then I’ll have to obey what He tells me to do!
b.
Much safer to just do nothing… remain aloof to
the Spirit
Lack of
understanding
19. Often
we miss things because we simply did not know.
a.
My case...
b.
(example - not reading the contract, miss
something)
20. I
believe God would want us to not worry about what man might think, and not
place Him in a box based on our own presumptions, or biases,
a.
and rather pursue a relationship with His Spirit
based on what His word says!
The Ministry of the Holy
Spirit
1 - The Holy
Spirit will convict us of sin
And when He has come, He will convict the world of
sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. John 16:8
21. There
are 3 different Greek prepositions that describes our relationship with the
Holy Spirit, first two found in John 14:
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you
another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom
the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you
know Him, for He dwells with (para)
you and will be in (en)
you. John 14:16-17
22. The
Holy Spirit was already "with"(para) them, the Holy Spirit had been
"with" human beings since the beginning of creation!
a.
So, part of His ministry is to the person that
does not know Christ,
b.
The Holy Spirit will to come alongside (para) that person and convict them of their
sin, and reveal to them their need for a Savior.
23. Then
Jesus goes on to say that later, the Holy Spirit would be "in" (en)
them.
a.
Read about this in the 20th chapter of John when
Jesus "breathed" on the disciples, and they received the Holy Spirit!
He "came into them"
b.
When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior,
the Holy Spirit came "into" our lives! (Indwelt)
24. Part
of His ministry is to convict our hearts when we’re straying away from the Lord
a.
It’s that sense in your heart when you’re about
to, or have already done something wrong.
b.
That’s the Spirit of God urging you to
godliness, urging you to repent.
25. But
He also gives you...
2 The Holy Spirit
will give us power over sin
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to
your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Rom 8:11
26. This
is how addicts are set free, - all the people I knew, those in Christ are still
free
27. But
not just power over sin...
3 The Holy Spirit
will give us power to be witnesses
"But you shall receive power (dunamis)
when the Holy Spirit has come upon
(epi) 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
28. This
is the 3rd Greek preposition that describes our relationship, when the Holy
Spirit comes 'upon' (epi) your life to empower you to be a witness for Christ.
a.
This "Epi" is what transpired at
Pentecost, Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came upon (epi) the disciples, at which
point they were catapulted into ministry.
b.
The power - dunamis - filled them and they blew
up the world!
c.
Turned men who prior were afraid, into bold
witnesses!
d.
This is the event that opens the door to the
receiving of the gifts of the Spirit
4 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
1 Cor 12: 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…
Rom 11:
ministry… teaching… exhortation… giving… leading…mercy
29. Basically
God has imparted to the you and I a set of “gifts,” you could even call them
“tools,” for us to use for His glory
a.
Haven’t you ever been in a situation where you
thought “I have no idea what to do here”
b.
or “there is nothing I have in my ability that
can change this situation”
30. Wouldn't
it be great if I could just turn and ask Jesus what to do? Wouldn’t that be helpful?
a.
That is why Jesus promised to send His Spirit!
b.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, God has given
us supernatural abilities that enable us to accomplish His will here on this
earth.
31. Maybe
you’ve been in a situation where you have no idea what to say....
5 The Holy Spirit
will speak for us
But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not
worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you
in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy
Spirit. Mark 13:11
6 The Holy Spirit
will teach us and remind us of things
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
He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine
and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I
said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. John 16:14
a.
Ministering to someone, need a verse, the Spirit
will bring it to your mind...
7 The Holy Spirit
will guide us…
Now in the church that was at Antioch there were
certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of
Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As
they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to
Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having
fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. Acts 13:1-3
32. Think
about it, this is what should be guiding us as believers as we carry out the
mission of the church - if we're not operating in the leading of the Spirit
then basically we're unorganized!
8 The Holy Spirit
will pray for us
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 with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who
searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes
intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Rom 8:26-27
9 The Holy Spirit
will give us love, peace, and joy
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Gal
5:22-23
33. The
difference of trying to “be good” - we’ll fail!
a.
Fruit is what naturally grows from a plant -
what naturally comes from the spirit-filled believer are “love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8:6
10 The Holy Spirit
will give us hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as
you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit. Rom 15:13
34. If
I feel I have to accomplish what God has called me to in my own ability, the
thing that comes to my mind is doubt!
a.
But when I am filled with His Spirit, I am
filled with hope, because I know He will accomplish the thing He has started!
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt 28:19-20
35. Notice
Jesus didn’t say “I’ll check back with you in a few thousand years…
a.
He said “I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS” - How is that?
b.
His Spirit
36. There
is a troubling trend in the church today, where the culture is to become aware
of God, and add God to our lives.
a.
In other words “I want to do what I want, go in
my own direction, pursue my own goals and dreams, and God, you can come along
for the ride.”
b.
The bible doesn’t teach us to “add God to our
lives,”
37. No!
God wants to assume full control over our lives, and He wants to do this
through the leading and empowerment of His Holy Spirit.
38. Let
me be clear: I am teaching these things
with an agenda, in that I want to challenge each and every one of you to be
open to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit in your life.
a.
Why? Because you and I cannot accomplish the
things God is calling us to on our own!
b.
We can't be the husband, wives, moms and dads we
need to be without the Holy Spirit
c.
(Teens - wow I need so much!)
"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
39. Challenge
you to pray - "Speak, lead, guide,
show me what to do, and I'll do it"
40. BUT
- I need to be honest with you: If you make the decision to surrender to the
leading of the Holy Spirit in your life,
a.
#1 - You will be seen as a little “different” by
people, even by other Christians.
b.
#2 - It is a virtual certainty that God will
lead you into something that will be outside of your comfort zone.
41. God
may ask you to do something that, in your own strength, is completely
impossible. Something that you do not
possess the facilities, nor the abilities, to accomplish on your own.
a.
God may ask you to do something that doesn’t
make any sense at all.
b.
God told Ezekiel
to lay siege to a miniature replica of Jerusalem by lying on his side
and besieging it, and cook his bread over human poop. (Ezek 4)
c.
He told Isaiah to walk around naked and barefoot
for three years (Is 20)
d.
(Oh Lord, please don’t call me to be a prophet!)
42. God
may ask you to stop doing something you want to do, or start doing something
you don’t want to do.
43. Now,
that might sound unappealing, but in reality if God is really God, then His
plan and direction for our life, or even the next hour,
a.
…will be the most rewarding and fulfilling thing
we could choose to do.
b.
Why? Because
God prepared the works that we would do before we were even born…
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Eph
2:10
and gave us the
specific gifts so we could do those works…
But to each one of us grace was given according to the
measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led
captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. Eph 4:7-8
c.
So… if we’re NOT being led by the Spirit, then
we’re not doing the things He’s called us to do. It’s that simple!
"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!" Luke 11:9-13
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