Breathing In The Spirit! Series

Breathing in the Spirit

1 John 5:1-5

February 17, 2024

Story about snorkeling off the Florida Keys

Coral Reef

Couldn’t see people / boat

only saw coral

Hard to breathe with a snorkel

(TELL YOUR OWN STORY ABOUT STRUGGLING TO BREATHE)

Has something like that ever happened to you? Maybe it was a panic attack, or the result of anxiety, or you received some devastating news and you couldn’t catch your breath. Possibly it was a medical situation which caused it.

You’re hyperventilating and it feels like there’s no recovery. You’re exhaling, more than you’re inhaling, you’re releasing more carbon dioxide than taking in oxygen. It’s scary when that’s happening.

Well, today I want to talk about this sense of anxiety we can go through when it comes to our faith.

But first, I want to give you a lesson on your body, your lungs imparticular. Each day we take 20,000 breaths, about 7.5 million breaths each year. On top of that, we have about 480 million alveoli in our lungs? This is all done by an organ that resembles a sponge, with a thin lacy structure, the alveoli, which is under constant stress from being in direct contact with pollutants, bacteria and viruses.

That silly word, ALVEOLI, are tiny sacks on the surface of your lungs, which absorb the oxygen you inhale. Just like a catcher’s mitt, they catch the oxygen. But here’s the challenge: alveoli can only bring in to the extent that they let go.

We receive O2 in proportion to releasing CO2. This is challenging because our lifestyles — — our busy schedules, stress, sitting all day, lifting heavy objects, with little exercise - - - - means we don’t exhale deeply. This means yesterday’s CO2 often sits in the bottom half of our lungs. This can be toxic. There’s a metaphor I’m hoping you’re going to see. I hope!!

Ultimately, we must learn to exhale.

We’ve been talking about getting serious about our relationship with God and as we continue our series, I want to cover 2 bases today. Since Lent started on Wednesday, I want to kind of combine a Lent thought, along with how we can free ourselves to be serious about God, without experiencing guilt.

As Augustine wrote - - - - We must empty ourselves of all that fills us so that we may be filled with what we are empty of.

For me this means, I need to empty myself of all the “stuff” that gets in the way of my relationship with God. It’s not that everything is bad. It’s not. There are some things in the world which are good, but it’s a matter of how much we let them in.

Do they become our focus? is that our driving force? Are we consumed by them?

As I’ve thought about this and our struggles at times to move forward in our relationship with God, sometimes our own self-condemnation, lack of self-esteem, abuse from others, just a sense of personal dysfunction . . . gets in our way. And what I believe we need is to allow the Holy Spirit to fill those holes in our hearts, spirits and minds.

It’s not from the world, it’s from God. Yet, the Holy Spirit, and that’s an entirely different sermon series, is not our enemy. Yes, the Spirit may convict you of your sinfulness. But I think that’s a good thing, because, if we’re willing, that helps us make course corrections.

The Spirit has been sent to us, so that we would not feel alone. The Spirit is our intercessor, our comforter, our counselor, our God. So, as opposed to Eastern mysticism which tells us to empty ourselves and wait to be filled, by whatever comes, which can be bad . . . . .

Instead, as a Christ - follower, I want to let go of what’s not good and at the same time fill myself with the power of the Holy Spirit.

As I’ve been reading and wrestling with growing in holiness and becoming more holy, I said last week, it’s not about following a bunch of rules in order to be obedient, it’s about a love relationship we have with God, which leads us to want to become more holy, more like God.

I want to read you a passage from 1 John 5. It jumped out at me as I was reading the Bible this year, and it’s about what we’ve been talking about. Listen to the words of John - - - -

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments.