Surviving Through The Holy Spirit Series

SURVIVOR SERIES

#4 – SURVIVING THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Today, we are continuing our sermon series on the subject of SURVIVOR

And what we’ve been doing is talking over the last few weeks about how to be A SURVIVOR in the times we live in

And you know how it is in the Reality TV show – a bunch of people are thrown into some remote place or island, and they have to learn how to survive off the bare essentials, and the last one gets the prize

Well, in a lot of ways, this world we’re living in is getting tougher and tougher all the time

And to be quite honest with you, God wants us to do more than SURVIVE, He wants us to THRIVE

However, if you at first don’t SURVIVE, then you’ll never THRIVE

You’ve got to get the first things first

And so far over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about…

--the Assurance of Salvation

--Surviving Motherhood

--Surviving Through Prayer (last week)

And today, we’re going to be talking about SURVIVING THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

For today is PENTECOST SUNDAY – it’s the day that we celebrate when the Holy Spirit came down in the book of Acts and birthed the church

Let’s read…

•Acts 2:1-4 ( KJV ) 1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

•Acts 2:37-39 ( KJV ) 37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

INTRODUCTION

As I start this message, I want to read a couple of quotes from one of the most powerful men who ever lived – and my all-time favorite author, A.W. Tozer

He said…

We may be sure of one thing, that for our deep trouble there is no cure apart from a visitation, yes, an invasion of power from above. Only the Spirit Himself can show us what is wrong with us and only the Spirit can prescribe the cure. Only the Spirit can save us from the numbing unreality of Spirit-less Christianity. Only the Spirit can show us the Father and the Son. Only the in- working of the Spirit’s power can discover to us the solemn majesty and the heart ravishing mystery of the Triune God.

Wow!

Here’s my favorite and perhaps his most powerful statement yet about the Holy Spirit…

If the Holy Spirit were taken away from the New Testament church, ninety percent of what they did would come to a halt. But if the Holy Spirit were taken away from today’s church, only ten percent of what it does would cease.

And oh, how true this is

What do you think it took for those in the early church?

They had…

--no educational skills

--no political clout

--no property

--no TV, radio, internet

In fact, just a few weeks before the day of PENTECOST, they all forsook the Lord in His hour of crucifixion

But before it was all over with – all of Western Civilization was Christianized

How did it happen?

How did they SURVIVE? Through the power of the Holy Spirit

And I tell you that if West Road is going to…

--kick back the gates of Hell

--reclaim lost territory

--fulfill its God-given vision and purpose

Then we’re going to need that INVASION from Heaven

But NOT ONLY as a church COLLECTIVELY, but also each of us INDIVIDUALLY cannot survive without the HOLY SPIRIT

As…

--an individual believer

--a parent

--person who lives in the ebb and flow of life

You and I MUST…

--embrace

--have an encounter with

--understand as best we can

How vitally, vitally important it is that we have the reality of the Holy Spirit working in our lives if we are going TO BE A SURVIVOR!

And in order for you to understand this, let me give you 3 things…

--the PERSON of the Holy Spirit

--the POWER of the Holy Spirit