God's Treasure -The Gift Of The Holy Spirit Series

Children have a way of controlling our life do they not – I heard about a young boy who received a harmonica for Christmas from his uncle. After the first of the year he saw his uncle for the first time since receiving the harmonica. With a large smile he said, “Thanks for the harmonica you gave me for Christmas," "It’s the best present I ever got."

"That’s great," replied his uncle. "Do you know how to play it?"

"Oh, I don’t play it," the little fellow replied. "My mom gives me a dollar a day not to play it during the day and my dad gives me five dollars a week not to play it at night!"

Now that is a boy who has control of the situation.

Question who controls you? Everyone is controlled by something. Is it your spouse, your children, your job, your wealth, your health? Is it your possessions, your collections, your habits? What is it that controls you?

As Christians we are to be spirit controlled. The Holy Spirit is to be alive in our life and evident by our words and deeds.

This morning I want us to observe the second treasure we have from God – The Holy Spirit.

I want us discover how he relates to the believer, his importance in our life and what the results are of the Holy Spirit in our life.

THE TOPIC OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A FRONT-LINE ISSUE FOR CHRISTIANS TODAY The Holy Spirit is to a believer what God the Creator is to the physical world. Without God, the physical world would not exist. It has been created and is continually sustained by the omnipotent power of God. So the Holy Spirit - is to the Christian. The Holy Spirit is the divine agent who creates, sustains, and preserves spiritual life in those who place their trust in Jesus Christ.

To understand the Holy Spirit this Morning let’s look at What God’s Word has to say on the subject.

READ TEXT ROMANS 8:9-17

1. We need to understand the one who controls us.

Paul says you are either controlled by the Spirit or by the sinful nature – it is one or the other. There is no straddling the fence, no 50/50 arrangement – you are either in or you are out.

As Christians we are controlled by the Holy Spirit - Misconceptions

Spirit has to be felt

Spirit is present only when there is emotion

John MacArthur shared the following thoughts about the Spirit – I thought it was a god way to define who is the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not merely an influence or an impersonal power from God. He is a person, the third member of the Godhead, equal in every way to God the Father and God the Son.

Among the many characteristics of personhood that the Holy Spirit possesses and displays are: He functions with mind, emotion, and will; He loves the saints,

He communicates with them, teaches, guides, comforts, and chastises them;

He can be grieved, quenched, lied to, tested, resisted, and blasphemed.

The Bible speaks of His omniscience, His omnipotence, His omnipresence, and His divine glory and holiness.

He is called God, Lord, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Yahweh (or Jehovah), the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of Jesus, and the Comforter and Advocate for believers.

Scripture reveals that the Holy Spirit was fully active with the Father and Son in the creation and that He has been with all believers and enabled and empowered them even before Pentecost. He has always been convicting men of sin, giving salvation to those who truly believed, and teaching them to worship, obey, and serve God rightly.

The Holy Spirit has been the divine agent who uniquely came upon God’s servants and inspired God’s sovereignly chosen men to pen God’s Word.

True believers have always served God not by human might or power but by the Holy Spirit (cf. Zech. 4:6).

The Spirit was involved in Jesus’ conception as a human being and in Jesus’ baptism, anointing, temptation, teaching, miracles, death, and resurrection.

Since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has, in His fullness, indwelt all believers, illuminating their understanding and application of God’s Word as well as empowering them for sanctification in a greater way than had every occurred before.

He fills them, seals them, communes with them, fellowships with them, intercedes for them, comforts them, admonishes them, sanctifies them, and enables them to resist sin and to serve God.

THAT MY FRIEND IS THE HOLY SPIRIT!

As Christians every one of us is to be controlled by him.

Rom 8:9, You, (CHRISTIAN) however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.