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Sunday, November 30, 2008 TITLE: Precautions About The Spirit TEXT: Ephesians 4:29-5:2 Did you all have a good Thanksgiving? Did you eat well? Well, I decided I start today’s sermon with a story about food. Back in the 15th century, bakers would bake their rolls, buns and cakes etc. … …in 3 rows of four --- and then sold them batches of a dozen. These days we have machines that measure the dough and run it through ovens (standardized) … but back then, baked goods were all fashioned by hand,… … and some bakers found they could make them smaller (and make more money) …without the customer being any the wiser. After all - who could tell the difference? Well, enough people apparently could tell that…… lawmakers in London passed laws standardizing the weights of baked goods Any baker who violated those standards faced stiff fines and jail sentences …so bakers often took the precaution of throwing in an extra roll or cake... …to make sure their customers got the amount required by law Man shall not live
by bread alone Why do Cowboys wear High Heels? Jeff Rovin APPLY: Bread (in its various forms) has always been a kind of a foundation for civilization. That’s reflected by the fact that Jesus spoke of the idea that Man shall not… …our basic prayers of God should be: give us this day our daily bread. The society of the 15th century trusted their bakers with a special/ precious commodity But the bakers abused that trust. And as a result – laws were enacted that made it clear… … there was a penalty for anyone who misused that trust. The Bible tells me God has entrusted you & I w/ a very special gift/ a precious commodityWhen we became Christians – God placed His Holy Spirit inside of our hearts… … No one else has the honor of His presence in their lives like we do. And because His Holy Spirit is such a special gift… …God gets a little upset when people misuse that Spirit Here in Ephesian 4 we’re told that we must be careful not to “grieve the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” It’s a gift from God. He’s yours as a seal/guarantee of your salvation… Don’t grieve Him… don’t abuse Him. Apparently, this is pretty serious stuff. ILLUS: Back in the book of Acts, a couple of Christians (Ananias and Sapphira)… … saw how much praise others were receiving for selling their property … …and then giving the money to help poorer Christians. Sooo, they sold some property and gave a portion of the proceeds to the church for the poor. Now, the church didn’t require them to sell their land…And even then, they weren’t req’d to give all the money from the sale to the church But when they gave their gift, they lied and said they were giving the entire proceeds to the poor Well, the next day the Apostles called Ananias in to ask him about his gift Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Ac 5:3-5 The bakers of the 15th century - they only faced fines or jail time for their deception Ananias lies to the Holy Spirit – and he drops dead. That would make me think twice. This all leads me to believe that I want to be VERY careful not to grieve the Spirit of God. I may not drop dead because of grieving Him… ..but I’m pretty sure the consequences would be really uncomfortable. So, the question is… why was God so upset with Ananias and Sapphira?What was it about their actions that bro’t this harsh a punishment? They abused the God’s trust in them They’d tried to manipulate the church in order to get their way They tried to fool God’s people into believing they were more generous than they were… … so that they could receive honor they didn’t deserve. Whenever someone abuses the trust of God’s people… …or tries to manipulate the church to their own advantage… that’s real dangerous. Here in Ephesian 4, we find something slightly differentLook with me to Ephesians 4:30 – Here we are warned … And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. How do I avoid grieving God’s Spirit? Verse 31 & 32 continues: Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ILLUS: I once read of a church where there had been a split. But this wasn’t like some splits… nobody left Something had happened years before that got everybody mad at everybody else… … and folks literally chose up sides…. One group sat on one side of the sanctuary, and the other sat on the other. Can you imagine what it would have been like to worship in a setting like that?
What Ephesian 4 is saying is this: when we allow bitterness/rage/anger/etc. to dominate our lives … we create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the Spirit to live in… grieve Him In Galatians 5 we’re told to “live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other...” Galatians 5:16-17 So… how would I know if I’m not living by the Spirit? Well Galatians continues: The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: … (among other things) hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions…” Galatians 5:19-20 You see, this kind of mindset grieves the Spirit because it proves we’re ignoring Him We’ve been given this marvelous gift; this precious piece of God - called the Holy Spirit and… …when we allow hatred and bitterness and anger to crowd Him out… … it’s as if we’ve abused the trust God placed in us when He placed His Spirit in us ILLUS: I’m told about a college
age class where the teacher was known for elaborate object lessons. On one particular day, he’d placed a big target…
and on a nearby table were many darts. He told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who
had made them angry . . .and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture. Another drew a picture of his little brother. A third drew a picture of the teacher, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing. The class lined up and began throwing darts, with much laughter and hilarity. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. When everyone had had their turn… the teacher removed the target from the wall. Underneath the target
was a picture of Jesus.... holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced out. That’s how serious this issue of hatred and bitterness can for us. Now think for a minute… is there anybody’s picture that you’d like to throw darts at? (pause) It may n Now… a lot of people can get me angry. They’ve hurt me/ they’ve abused my trust/ they’ve done things I can’t stand And – what’s worse, they may never ever repent of the wrong they’ve done me. You mean I have to forgive them/ let go of my anger towards them? Yes. If I don’t want to grieve God’s Spirit within me. Yes. ILLUS: Voice of the Martyrs tells of a young slave boy named Damare. He had attended a church service in his country... and was caught by men who hated Christianity The men nailed his knees and feet to a board and was left to die. Miraculously he survived and told the Voice of the Martyrs that … he forgave his cruel tormenter because Jesus was nailed and forgave him. That young man deserves a special place in heaven… … because he’s a powerful reminder to me … … that most of the grievances I can have towards others are fairly petty That boy understood the power of Paul’s words: “… be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 So, I need to forgive people… how do I know if I’ve done that? Ephesians 4:26 tells me "Be angry, and do not sin do not let the sun go down on your wrath " I’ve got a right to get mad once in a while… it’s a natural emotion… Ephesians tells us “Go ahead, get angry once in while… but do not sin” And how do I know if I’m sinning in my anger? Answer: If I allow the sun to go down…and I’m still angry. I’ve sinned.
...and I want to tell people what a terrible person that individual is… (haven’t)
Now why should God be so concerned about that? Well… LOOK AGAIN to Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. You see… the Spirit was given to me so that I could be more like God When you & I learn to forgive others who sin against us… we are imitating God In a sense – every time we find a way to forgive others their sins against us… … we imitate what Jesus did for us… … and we are offering a sweet smelling aroma up to God But, this actually goes even further than this. You see, God tells us He want us be imitators of Him… … because He wants to use us as a tool God to use to reach others. When He wanted to reach mankind in order to change their lives… He sent Jesus. And when He wants reach into the lives of people around us & change them… He sends… US And the more we learn to emulate Jesus’ forgiveness of us to others… … the more powerful things we can do for God through our lives CLOSE: Melvin Newland tells of a missionary had served for many years in the jungles of New Guinea. Someone asked him "What was it like? Tell us what you found there." "What do you mean?" "The people there were so fierce and
degraded that they seemed utterly devoid of moral sense. If a mother were carrying her little baby and the child was crying
and wouldn’t stop, she would throw it into the ditch and let it die. If a man saw his own father break his leg, he would
just leave him to suffer by himself. They had no compassion whatever. They didn’t even know what the word meant." Did you preach to them?" "No, not at first. I thought it better to show them my faith by my works! When I saw a baby crying, I picked it up and consoled it. When I saw a man with a broken leg, I sought to mend it. When I found people distressed and hungry, I took them in,
comforted and fed them. Why are you doing this for us?’ Then I had my chance. I preached the Gospel, and many of them
came to know and love Jesus, too." Our objective - as Christians - is to do the unexpected. To show the love of Christ to people who don’t deserve it. Not in ways that are calculating and contrived… … but in a way that actually reflects to love God has shown us… So that those we forgive might actually ask “Why are you doing this for me?” That’s our objective and our goal To let God’s Spirit work inside of us so that He can work in the hearts of others too Sunday, November 23, 2008 TITLE: The Provision TEXT: John 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive...”Jn 7:37-39
It’s interesting that God would use water to symbolize His Spirit · In the beginning (when God created the Heaven’s and the earth) water’s @ all there was · It wasn’t until the 3rd day of creation God caused “dry ground” to appear (Gen. 1:9)
To this day - about 70 percent of the Earth is covered by water.
Water was one of the main elements God used in creation; For example: Water makes up 75 percent of your average trees… … and 75% of your average chicken and 80 percent of a common pineapple.
Then of course… there’s you· Water comprises more than 60 percent of your body, · 70 percent of your brain, · 80 percent of your blood · and nearly 90 percent of your lungs.
And water – on our earth - is seemingly everywhere. The total water supply of the planet is estimated at 326 million cubic miles. If all of the planet's water was poured onto the United States… …it would create an ocean 90 miles deep.
That’s a lot of water …. BUT NOT ALL OF IT is useful to us. Fully 97 percent of the Earth’s total water supply is salt water found in oceans and seas. Most of the remaining 3% of fresh water can be found frozen in glaciers & ice caps; Philipp Harper (pause…) We COULD NOT exist without water…And yet… most of the water on our planet is inaccessible to us. (pause…) Like I said … it’s interesting that God would use water to symbolize His Holy Spirit.
APPLY: The Bible tells me that God is omnipresent – Like water He’s everywhere. In fact, there’s no place that we could go to get away from His Spirit
David wrote: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:7-10
Like water = God’s Spirit is everywhere… And yet… that Spirit isn’t accessible to everyone. Jesus teaches us that ONLY those who believe in Him… … will have this fountain of living water within them.
Roman 8:9 tells us that “… if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9 God’s Spirit is everywhere… but Jesus tells us only we have access to it.
And just like water, God’s Spirit has been given to us so that our thirst can be satisfied.
In John 4:13-14 Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
In John 6:35 Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
And in our text this morning Jesus stood in the Temple courts and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” John 7:37 .
And at the very end of our Bibles, Revelation 22:17 declares: The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. So, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is given – in part – to satisfy our thirst. So, what kind of thirst does God’s Spirit satisfy?
ILLUS: Robert Louis Stevenson was one of the greatest authors of his age. He wrote numerous short stories and poems But he’s best known for his novels (Treasure Island; Kidnapped; Strange case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde) Many of writings are still required reading. But most people are not aware of the depth and strength of the faith he had in God.
As a child, he was raised in Scotland in a very strict Calvinist home. But once he began attending college, he rebelled against the teachings of the church. He called Christianity "the deadliest gag and wet blanket that can be laid on a man," … and adopted a thoroughly worldly lifestyle. He called himself a "youthful atheist." But, as he grew older, he began to have (as he described it) "doubts about his doubts." He came to see that for all its claim to wisdom… …the world had no satisfying answers to the deepest questions of life. And thus, because the world couldn’t satisfy the thirst in his life… he returned to God. Later Robert Louis Stevenson would write, "There is a God who is manifest for those who care to look for him." And he described his own religious outlook as a "cast iron faith." Now, notice…there was a thirst in Robert Louis Stevenson’s life that the world could not satisfy. And Jesus tells me - that His Spirit can satisfy that thirst. How does He do that?
1. The Spirit gives me assurance of my salvation. (Eph. 1:13-14; Acts 2:38) Eph 1:13b-14 “Having believed, you were marked IN HIM with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession— to the praise of his glory.” a. Because of this I have no doubt that God loves me He’s coming back for me/ I’m sealed/ I have a Guarantee
b. AND I am comforted by the fact that I don’t have to jump thru hoops to get this Ac 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
I receive the Spirit – NOT because of who I know Or how righteous I am or what preacher I listen to or what church I attend. I am assured by God, that if I believe in Jesus, repent of my sins… … and am baptized for the forgiveness of sins… …that’s
all I need to do to receive His Spirit in my life. 2. The Spirit connects me to God (I Corinthians 2:11&16) 1Co 2:11 & 16 “… who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. AND “… we have the mind of Christ. I have fellowship with God… because I’m tapped into God His Spirit inside me - means I’m accepted by God And it implies that I have a purpose in life.
ILLUS: Al Kaline, one of the great baseball players of all time…(Detroit Tigers) … was honored at a dinner attended by 2500 people. After he was introduced with a long litany of his accomplishments… … he came to the podium to a standing ovation. During the course of his remarks he said this: "There must be something more to life than this
-- chasing a lot of fly balls, getting a lot of base hits, making more money than you can spend." (Following Christ, Joseph Stowell pg. 28) And God tells us – yes there is. There is a lot more. The richest and most famous people in the world don’t have what you have. You are you connected to God. Thus, you have value, and purpose and reason to exist… that they can’t touch.
3. God’s Spirit has the ministry of making me righteous (II Corinthians 3:7-9/ Galatians 5) 2 Corinthians 3:9 tells me that the Holy Spirit has a “…ministry that brings righteousness!” Galatians 5 tells me that if I walk in the Spirit, I will bear the fruit of the Spirit “Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness…” and so on The Spirit’s ministry to me = is to make me righteous His job is to change me …To tinker with my mind … to work on soul … to soften my heart … so that I become more and more like God. Without the Spirit’s ministry inside me… I can still be a “nice” person… But I’d never be as nice as God could make me.
4. The Spirit of God is there to comfort me (John 14:26) In John 14:16 Jesus promised “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (the Holy Spirit), that he may abide with you for ever” KJV
One of the ways that He comforts me is in prayer life Romans 8:26 tells me that “… the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
Even when I can’t find the words to express my emotions… … God’s Spirit steps in and “intercedes” for me … He understands my sorrows and difficulties and communicates those directly to God
The Spirit of God supplies me with things that you couldn’t BUY with moneyYou can’t obtain these blessings by being famous or well-connected.
The high, the mighty, the rich, the powerful in this world… they have nothing on us. …because the Spirit of God satisfies our thirst… … and fills us to overflowing with the blessings of God. (pause…) Now… if that’s all true… then why don’t more Christians have those blessings in their lives? Well, here’s the deal. In order to enjoy the blessings of God’s Spirit… we need to let Him do His thing. Galatians 5:16 says that we should “… live by the Spirit…” Galatians 5:25 teaches us “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
In order to rec’ the blessings from God’s Spirit… we need to let Him work inside of us.
ILLUS: One man told of the time that he sat on the bank of a river. He said “I picked up a solid round stone from the water and broke it open. It was perfectly dry in spite of the fact that it had been immersed in water for centuries.” Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929)
In the same way… there are Christians that sit right in the middle of Spirit filled churches… … but they never let Him do anything in their lives. … they never open their lives up by living and walking in God’s Spirit.
So… how do I do that? You might even ask “How do I fill my life with the Spirit of God?” I’m glad you asked.
Turn with me to Ephesians 5:18-21 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
In other words, there are three things you can do to open your heart to the Spirit’s leading 1. Surround yourself with songs that glorify God. (S. Gospel/Contemporary/Heavy Metal) 2. Learn to give thanks for everything in your life 3. Find ways to serve/submit to others in your life
Now you don’t have to surround yourself with songs that glorify God You can entertain yourself in any way you wish… … but you will miss out on some of the blessings of God if you do it that way
And you can live your life moaning and groaning about all the things that you don’t have… … and all the things you believe you should have had … and all the troubles and challenges of your life You don’t have to be thankful for anything But w/o learning to be thankful… you’ll have one less reason to be happy Worldly people celebrate Thanksgiving only once a year… … but Spirit-filled Christians celebrate Thanksgiving every day of their lives.
And lastly, you don’t have to submit to anybody else in your life You don’t have to honor your parents/ love your wife/ respect your husband You don’t have to serve your boss as if you were working for Jesus You don’t have to pray for that politician you don’t like You don’t have to… well you get the idea.
My point is this – “walking in the Spirit” req’s me to think differently than others around me
CLOSE: After WWI - Lawrence of Arabia brought some of his Arab friends to Paris with, He showed them the sights of the city: the Arch of Triumph, the Louvre, Napoleon's tomb… … but none of these things impressed them as much as something they saw in their room. What really intrigued them was the faucet in the bathtub of the hotel room. They spent much of time in turning it on and off. They found it amazing that one could turn a handle and get all the water he wanted. Later, when they were ready to leave Paris and return to the East, Lawrence found them in the bathroom with wrenches trying to disconnect the faucet. "You see," they said, "it is very dry in Arabia. What we need are faucets. If we have them, we will have all the water we want." Sunday, November 2, 2008 TITLE: The Presence TEXT: Ephesians 1:13-14 A 4 year old boy was visiting his aunt’s home. "How does the baby get out of there?" She wanted to keep it simple so she said, "The doctor will help." His eyes widened in amazement as he exclaimed, "You've got a doctor in there, too?"
APPLY: Of course… she didn’t have a Doctor inside To get that kind of help she needed to get into her car… … drive down to the Hospital … wait in the ER Room … and then you have to wait until the BABY decides to come out
It would be so much easier for the mother… if the doctor WERE in there helping out.
The Bible tells us that God believed our lives as Christians would be so much easier… … if He were inside us helping us out. Over the next few weeks we’re going to be talking about God’s presence inside us
Galatians 4:6 tells us “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts..."
When we became Christians God placed His Spirit inside of our hearts You don’t have to go to a special building You don’t have to wait in line You don’t have to wait for… anything. You need God???… He’s there right inside you.
As 1 Corinthians 3:16 tells us “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
Now Ephesians - chapter one - tells us that this Spirit was “Promised”Way back in the Old Testament God promised that the day would come … …when God would put His Spirit INSIDE of His people
In Isaiah (for example) God said “I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.Is 44:3
And in Ezekiel God promised “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:26-27
But in Old Testament God only hinted at what this Spirit would do.
When Jesus came, He not only promised that He would send His Spirit … He even said what the Spirit was supposed to do.
He said: “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26
And again He said: “I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” John 16:7-8
This was the Holy Spirit that had been promised.
(pause…) Now, the reason the Holy Spirit was promised… …was because God hadn’t ever given His Spirit like this.
In John chapter 7 we’re told that Jesus said “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. John 7:38-39
You see… back in the Old Testament God would place His Spirit on and in people to
For example, when God wanted His tabernacle built… …He placed His Spirit inside a man named Bezalel so that… … he would know exactly how to construct it and put everything together
In the book of Judges, we’re told that there were times when the Holy Spirit came upon Samson.. … and when that happened… you better be in the next county… … cause somebody was going to get hurt
In I Samuel we’re told that the Holy Spirit came upon King Saul and his men… … and when that happened they were able to prophesy. (I Samuel 19)
BUT no matter how many times God’s Spirit came upon people/ or was in people (whatever) … nobody in the OT ever got what you and I have. … it had not yet been given as it HAS been to those who have become children of God.
Ephesians tells us that when we became Christians we “… were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession…”
No other people had ever had that privilegeBut YOU have been marked You have been sealed God has placed His Holy Spirit inside you to say – this man/woman belongs to ME
ILLUS: It’s kind of like when a couple gets married… … and they hold hands/ light a candle/ exchange vows… … and they exchange rings That ring declares to everyone else… this man/woman belongs to me They are my husband/wife… you leave them alone… cause they’re mine now.
God has placed His Spirit inside you - to say YOU belong to Him now And that Spirit declares to Satan better leave you alone… cause you’re His now.
His Spirit inside you is also His assurance that He’s coming back for you. Ephesians 1:14 says God’s Spirit “is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession— to the praise of his glory.
His Spirit is His Guarantee that – when He comes back… He’s coming for you.
ILLUS: I once read the story about a woman who suffered from polio as a child. She said, "When my mother left me in Sunday School I always asked to wear her locket. She thought I liked the locket, but that wasn't it at all. I knew I wasn't worth coming back for, but I knew she would come back for her locket."
By giving you His Spirit God is telling you – I’ll never leave/ never forsake you… you’re mine I will come back for you.
So obviously… this placing of His Spirit inside of us is a big deal to God. And I got to wondering… … why do it this way?
Why bother to put His Spirit inside of us. God could have marked us any way He wanted Why put Himself inside us?
Well… 1st – He wants us always to with Him. If our Faith isn’t on the inside of us… If our relationship with Jesus is something that is only on the outside… … it might just … rub off
ILLUS: about a year ago, there was a small controversy over the design of the new $1 coin. Apparently somebody had the idea that it would be a good design to more the motto: “In God we trust.” … from the front of the coin – to the outside edge… … thinking it would draw more attention there. But almost immediately, people began to complain. Coin experts had apparently realized that - if the motto were on the edge of the coin… …it would be more likely to rub off over time.
God doesn’t want our faith to “rub off” He wants His Spirit INSIDE of us … so that our bond with Him doesn’t become some casual thing . … He wants our relationship with Him to be intense and personal
2nd – He wants to be with us all the time… because He knows we need Him This is a hard world And too often we feel like we’re alone in the decisions and challenges we face God never want us to believe we’re alone and abandoned
ILLUS: A preacher once shared about the funeral he conducted for a man he’d baptized years before. The man had been a pilot and often took his daughters up flying with him. The preacher said: On hearing this, I asked them “did you father really take his hands off the wheel?” And they said no. A daughter was in the front seat flying the plane, but dad was in the back with his hand on the wheel. His daughters felt as if they were flying the plane… … but ultimately their father was in control.
That’s one of the comforts of God’s Spirit being within us… … He loves us enough to give us the freedom to fly our own course… … but because His Spirit is inside of us, we can have confidence… …because God is still there with His hands on the wheel as well. … He never leaves us or forsakes us… because He’s inside of us
3rd – He wanted to be inside us so that we’d realize our faith is more than a “religion” Christianity is more than a religion… it’s life empowering relationship.
You see all other religions are based on the idea… … that the more rules we follow the more righteous we become.
In other words: Rules change us. Rules make us better people
And to some degree that’s true. That does work… kind of But when God placed His Spirit within us He did so, so His Spirit could change us on the inside
As God promises us through Ezekiel “…I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:26b-27
ILLUS: One Sunday School teacher taught it to his class this way: He took a box of sand and mixed in metal shavings. Then he took a powerful magnet and began moving it around under the box. Almost like magic, the metal shavings were drawn to the power of the magnet… … and began to follow that magnet wherever it led them.
That’s what Galatians 5 is all about. It tells us that when we walk by the Spirit… … when we allow God’s Spirit to guide our lives… … then our lives change
It says, you know God’s Spirit is in control of your life when live a certain way: “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...” Galatians 5:22-23
So then… how then do I get this Spirit of God?Romans 8:9 tells me if I don’t have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in me – I’m not saved. And Ephesians 1 tells me that the Spirit is the mark/guarantee - of my salvation
So, it would seem that the Spirit is given to me when I first become a Christian
That’s what Acts 2:38 says: When the crowd at Pentecost heard the first Gospel message
Peter responded: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive… (WHAT?)
… the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 |
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