Songs of Worship
(A) My Glorious
(A) Freedom Reigns
(F) All who are Thirsty
(Dm) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
(G) You are Holy/Oh Holy Night
Welcome and Announcements
Advent Candle lighting
VANTAGE POINT—GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT
Vantage Point Christmas—Part 3
Roll Video “Four Words”
THE HOLY SPIRIT LONGS FOR US TO EXPERIENCE GOD AT CHRISTMAS
Jesus is “God is with us.” The Holy Spirit is “God is in us.”
THE HOLY SPIRIT LONGS TO BE UNLEASHED UPON THE WORLD
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. [29] Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. Joel 2:28-29 (NIV)
THE HOLY SPIRIT ENABLED THE CHRISTMAS PIONEERS TO EXPERIENCE THEIR DIVINE DESTINY.
Just prior to the coming of the Messiah and in connection with his birth and infancy, several people in the New Testament are depicted as being enabled by the Holy Spirit to fulfill various roles and missions.
1. John the Baptist
he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. [16] Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. [17] And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:15-17 (NIV)
John was a climactic representative of the Old Testament prophets—going before the Lord, preparing the way. But in terms of the Holy Spirit John stands out above any OT figures, for he was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth.
2. Mary
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35 (NIV)
Mary is the supreme human example of the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. No human father was to be involved in the birth of Jesus; it was to be the work of the Holy Spirit.
3. Elizabeth
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:41 (NIV)
In the sixth month of her pregnancy the mother-to-be of John the Baptist was visited by Mary. When Mary greeted her Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s significant that the occasion of Elizabeth being filled was Mary’s arrival, for Mary carried in her own womb the promised Son of God.
4. Zechariah
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: Luke 1:67 (NIV)
Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth and father-to-be of John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit who enabled him to prophesy concerning both the coming Messiah and the role of his own son. The background of Zechariah’s prophecy is significant. There was a deep struggle between faith and doubt. It is against the background of revived faith and fresh obedience that Zechariah is filled with the Spirit.
5. Simeon
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. [26] It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. [27] Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. Luke 2:25-27 (NIV)
Simeon was prepared by the Spirit for the imminent arrival of Joseph and Mary with the infant child. He then took the child Jesus in to his arms, blessed God and rejoiced “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." When the Spirit came upon Simeon there was this extraordinary disclosure of God’s salvation which would include both Gentile and Jew.
Following this, Simeon blessed both parents and then proclaimed that Jesus in his role as Savior would be “ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, [35] so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." Luke 2:34-35. Thus Simeon by the Spirit was enabled to discern both the joy and the pain that was soon to come.
THE HOLY SPIRIT DESIRES TO GUIDE YOU TO GOD’S TRUTH
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. John 16:13 (NIV)
I need wisdom, but wisdom is not enough. I need revelation. I need to hear from God and be led by God every day that I’m in a combat zone. God will often speak to us in counter-intuitive ways. Sometimes what he says is decidedly UNWISE from a human perspective. The Bible is chock full of stories where God’s Spirit guides God’s people to do something that seems unwise. When’s the last time you saw a RAVEN sharing. These creatures are voracious and they are unclean according to Jewish law. WIDOW????? A woman without a husband was the worst place to go for charity!
HOW CAN I FINE TUNE MY RECEPTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S GUIDANCE?
1. Contemplative Prayer Quiets The Static In My Mind
The ability to sit and quietly observe your life, God’s movement, God’s attributes, God’s word, the person of Christ, his life, his death, his resurrection and most of all, learn to just listen.
It’s contemplation of this sort that begins to get you in touch with how God is acting and moving. As a result, your relationship takes on a variety of dimensions.
2. Biblical Immersion Positions Me On The Correct Frequency
The only way to begin identifying how God may want to move in your life is to become intimately familiar with how he has moved in the lives of others. This requires reading God’s word in broad enough sweeps to get the big picture on what God is up to in various situations. Most of us do not read broad brushstrokes of biblical material and as a result only see details and miss the picture.
3. Theological Study Filters Out Harmful Signals
The word theology scares people off. But the fact is every single one of you here today has a theology. Theology is how you think about God and his activity. So the real question is will you have an informed and growing thought formation or will you be uninformed, private and potentially see God and his ways wrongly?
Friends, how we think God operates is what we think about his love. All of our practice is informed by our theology. We must grow here.
4. Community Connection Amplifies The Holy Spirit’s Signal
What do relationships have to do with hearing God? We learn how God speaks to others and as a result open ourselves to new activity and listening levels with God.
Every new thing we learn open us to some new ways God may work or speak in our life. When all these are moving and pulsing together we can learn more and more about the tone of God’s voice.
HOW CAN I PRACTICE RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT’S GUIDANCE
1. I Must Quiet My Soul
“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts:” Habakkuk 2:1. Habakkuk knew that in order to hear God’s quiet, inner, spontaneous thoughts, he had to first go to a quiet place and still his own thoughts and emotions. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. There is a deep inner knowing (spontaneous flow) in our spirit that each of us can experience when we quiet our flesh and our minds.
I have found several simple ways to quiet myself so that I can more readily pick up God’s spontaneous flow. Loving God through a quiet worship song is a most effective means for me. It is as I become still (thoughts, will, and emotions) and am poised before God that the divine flow is realized. Therefore, after I worship quietly and then become still, I open myself for that spontaneous flow. If thoughts come to me of things I have forgotten to do, I write them down and then dismiss them. If thoughts of guilt or unworthiness come to my mind, I repent thoroughly.
As I fix my gaze upon Jesus, becoming quiet in His presence, and sharing with Him what is on my heart, I find that two-way dialogue begins to flow.
2. I Usually Receive The Holy Spirit’s Guidance As A Flow of Spontaneous Thoughts
The Bible says “Then The Lord replied...” Habakkuk. 2:2. Habakkuk knew the sound of God’s voice. Elijah described it as a still, small voice. I had always listened for an inner audible voice, and surely God can and does speak that way at times. However, I have found that for most of us, most of the time, God’s inner voice comes to us as spontaneous thoughts, visions, feelings, or impressions. For example, haven’t each of us had the experience of driving down the road and having a thought come to us to pray for a certain person? We generally acknowledge this to be the voice of God call us to pray for that individual. My question to you is, "What did God’s voice sound like as you drove in your car? Was it an inner, audible voice, or was it a spontaneous thought that lit upon your mind?" Most of you would say that God’s voice came to you as a spontaneous thought.
So I thought to myself, "Maybe when I listen for God’s voice, I should be listening for a flow of spontaneous thoughts. Maybe spirit-level communication is received as spontaneous thoughts, impressions, feelings, and visions." Through experimentation and feedback from others, I am now convinced that this is so.
I must learn to still my own thoughts and emotions, so that I can sense God’s flow of thoughts and emotions within me.
2. Writing Out My Prayers and The Holy Spirit’s Answers Provides Clarity
“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets…”Habakkuk 2:2. If you begin to search Scripture for this idea, you will find hundreds of chapters demonstrating it (Psalms, many of the prophets, Revelation). Why then hadn’t I ever thought of it?
Some people call the process "journaling."
You will be amazed when you attempt journaling. Doubt may hinder you at first, but throw it off, reminding yourself that it is a biblical concept, and that God is present, speaking to His people.
Don’t take yourself too seriously. When you do, you become tense and get in the way of the Holy Spirit’s movement. It is when we cease our labors and enter His rest that God is free to flow (Heb. 4:10). Therefore, put a smile on your face, sit back comfortably, get out your pen and paper, and turn your attention toward God in praise and worship, seeking His face. As you write out your question to God and become still, fixing your gaze on Jesus, who is present with you, you will suddenly have a very good thought in response to your question. Don’t doubt it, simply write it down. Later, as you read your journaling, you, too, will be amazed to discover that you are indeed dialoguing with God.
Time of Prayer and Meditation—(Video Team: As this time of prayer and meditation begins please display on the screens a calming, peaceful scene from your collection. Maybe one that has a cross as part of the setting.)
What is the next step in my relationship with you?
What is the next step in my relationship with my family?
What is the next step in the development of my character?
THE HOLY SPIRIT EAGERLY ANTICIPATES POURING OUT GOD’S POWER
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NIV)
Roll Video “Power”
THE HOLY SPIRIT SAVORS THE MISSION OF CERTIFYING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. [8] God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. [9] He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Acts 15:7-9 (NIV)
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15-16 (NIV)
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians. 4:30 (NIV)
Invitation To Receive Christ
