Summary of the first 12 spiritual mile markers for this year:
January 2012 – 12 minutes of prayer: 12 meals, 12 minutes of prayer for our 21 day time of prayer and fasting.
February 2012 – 12 minutes of Bible reading a day and you can read the Bible through in a year.
March 2012 – 12 ways to invite: 12 people, 12 ways to invite someone to church. Re-highlight the pens and the cards to continue inviting people out to church.
April 2012 – 12 new connections for discipleship: 1 person - 1 time a month - 12 meetings this year for the purpose of discipleship and or make 12 new connections with unsaved people this year for the purpose of future discipleship.
May 2012 – 12 dollars - This month’s spiritual mile marker challenge is to be wise Stewards of the resources God has given us in our life – we do this financially by tithing, and by giving offerings. We also do it by using our gifts – our talents and our time for the Kingdom of Heaven. We took money that the church gave us and raised money for a scholarship’s in school and we raised close to $4,000 dollars for scholarships for school.
June 2012 – Church 12 – We talked about 12 reasons why we need the church.
July 2012 – Missions 12 – 12$ extra from us given to missions and with your giving we put a floor in for 60 boys in Burkina Faso and gave money to an inner city work in Chicago. We also highlighted a lot of our missionaries this last month that we support and understood why mission’s is so important.
August – Holy Spirit 12 – We will look at 12 truths about the Holy Spirit and why we need to be empowered, filled or baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Series: Holy Spirit Rising also aligns as one of our spiritual mile markers for this year!
Quote: Samuel Chadwick “Christianity is hopeless without the Holy Spirit!” Jim Cymbala’s quote from Spirit Rising.
Sermon: Who is the Holy Spirit? Pt 2
Thesis: The Holy Spirit is the most neglected part of the Trinity today and we need to allow the Holy Spirit to arise within us, to empower us to be God’s dynamic witnesses to this dying and deceived world.
Introduction:
The Holy Spirit is our biggest need in the church today, not money, not more people, not larger crowds, not more programs, not more Bible translations, not more study aids to the Bible, not more Christian books, not more Bible seminaries or Bible colleges, not more Degrees, not more tech stuff like lights, projectors, video illustrations or even better websites. No the biggest need of the church is the in filling of the Holy Spirit. This infilling brings empowerment to us as Christians and to the church. It transforms us into what God wants us to be and it points us to God’s agenda not ours.
Acts 1:8: “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.”
I want you to know that transformation will not happen in our country, state or city by the elephant or by the donkey but by the Lamb and His Holy Spirit. The White House nor Congress can bring transformation to this nation nor to your life, it can only come by the power of the Holy Spirit. So we have to open up our hearts to Holy Spirit to allow Him to come in and immerse us with his power.
This power is the power which can bring our nation back to God. This power is the power that wants to fill you and empower you to be one of the points of light to do this. This power is the power which is pointing at you today saying, "I want you to be my dynamic witness to this lost society around you." This power is the power which wants to immerse you in His supernatural power so His Spirit will infill you, then rise up in you and then flow out of you to transform this society. You as Spirit filled Christians are God's solution to this nation’s problems.
Please here this message Christian Hills Church:
The Holy Spirit is rising up today calling out to the Church to invite Him back into their lives! Why? Because the church needs His empowerment! We cannot have a life transforming church without the Holy Spirit. The reality check is our wit, intellect, slick marketing ideas and or business knowledge will not transform people’s lives or this society. Our so called creative programs and witty methodologies are not working like many think because they are not transforming people or transforming this current society. Instead America is becoming less and less Christian every day and the reason is those who call themselves Christians are not transformed by the infilling of the Holy Spirit! Many Christians are not filled with the Holy Spirit which means that they are not controlled by the Holy Spirit. This is the missing link in a lot of our churches today causing lifeless churches and lifeless Christians.
Quote: “Consider these honest questions: How many Christians suffer from a spiritual life that is dry and mechanical? How many serve a Jesus, whom they know about from the Bible, but who is not a living reality in their experience? And do we ever wonder why Holy Spirit interventions are so rare among our congregations? Could it be that we’re missing out on some wonderful blessings planned for our lives and churches because we’re not properly acquainted with the person and work of God the Holy Spirit?” Cymbala, Jim (2012-02-21). Spirit Rising: Tapping into the Power of the Holy Spirit (Kindle Locations 177-181). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
There seems to be a vacuum of spiritual truth which is the knowledge of God's Word among professing Christians in America today. Church this is a huge spiritual problem which must change if we want to see our Society transformed!
T.S. - So let’s take a few moments this morning to learn about who the Holy Spirit is.
I. The Holy Spirit is God’s Special Agent of transformation change which dwells in the earth and inside Spirit filled Christians (those who have invited Him in to fill them - to enhance their ability to be a powerful witness in this world):
a. Quote: The Holy Spirit is God's agent on earth, yet he is the least understood, least preached about, and the least discussed member of the Trinity. And that is sad, because without him, our spiritual lives will always become dry, and a mechanical struggle...But I promise you that when he does, (fill) your spiritual life you will cease to be dry and mechanical. Instead, you will be filled with awe at the power of the Spirit and the wonder of God's goodness"(Page 17, Spirit Rising- Jim Cymbala).
i. Quote: “The Holy Spirit is a real person-the third coequal member of the Trinity.”
1. So why would you not want Him to empower you and fill your Spirit?
2. Reason is it’s all about control! We want to stay in control - we really do not want the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us.
3. Jim Cymbala, “Many of us want more of God but not to the point of being ridiculed. Our Western minds think, I will serve the Lord, but I will remain in control as I do it” (Page 40).
b. A reality check about who it is that fills people with the Holy Spirit: I cannot fill you with the Holy Spirit! Only the Holy Spirit can fill you, you have to ask Him! You have to pray for Him to empower you! I cannot teach you into being filled or empowered - you have to ask Him to be filled with His Holy Spirit! Our church society is filled with teachings from intellectual men but this will not fill you with the transformational power of the Holy Spirit.
i. You do not get it by a man teaching it to you, or by mimicking another’s speech, and it’s not a certain magical formula that you do to get it. You ask for it with a sincere heart. So have you asked the Holy Spirit to fill you, to immerse you in His presence and give you spiritual insight and power?
ii. Quote: “But Jesus death on the cross, as wonderful as that was, wasn't the end of God's plan. Before he died, Jesus told his followers about who else would be coming” (Page 21)...the Son would send the Spirit. Although the disciples couldn't comprehend it at the time, it was better for them to have the invisible Holy Spirit in them than it was to have physical Jesus with them” (Page 22).
iii. God sent Jesus and Jesus sent us the church the Holy Spirit.
1. Acts 1:4, 8: 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about…8But 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.”
2. Acts 2:1-4:1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
iv. Quote from Cymbala: Suddenly they received something from Heaven, something that was far beyond their intelligence, talents, and training - the coming of the Holy Spirit in power. For the first time, they understood why it was good that Jesus went away. The Helper had come, and although Jesus was gone, the invisible Spirit had now taken residence in them and granted them power” (Page 22).
c. An example of how the Holy Spirit transforms a person's life – Peter
i. A coward is changed to a bold witness for Jesus, the fear is gone. A person who once did the wrong things in the presence of Jesus, the person who said the wrong things, who sought to be the greatest among the disciples now becomes an effective witness for Jesus. His words are no longer getting him into trouble but instead they are touching people's hearts. His words are penetrating and they are filled with wisdom, power (transforming power) and divine insight flow from his mouth and it causes thousands to give their hearts to Jesus.
1. Listen church something happened to Peter?
a. He did not attend a good leadership conference or read a book by Dale Carnegie on how to win friends and influence people.
b. No he prayed and cried out for the Holy Spirit like Jesus told him too and he got filled with the HS.
c. He became empowered with Spiritual power to do things beyond the natural realm.
ii. What was different? The infilling of the Holy Spirit! Do you have it? Have you invited Him to take full control of your life? Have you asked for His empowerment to be a dynamic witness for His Kingdom?
1. Quote from Jim Cymbala: “With three and a half years of excellent discipleship under his belt, Peter learned the harsh truth we all have confronted- it's one thing to know the Word, but it's quite another to obey it. Even the best discipleship training and spiritual accountability proved insufficient for Peter, because no outward teaching can compare to the inward power of the Holy Spirit. If you need proof, look at Peter on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out. Though the political climate hadn't changed from the time Jesus was arrested and crucified, Peter now preached boldly about the name of Jesus to massive crowds. This was a new Peter! He was filled with the Spirit. Jesus' promise about the Holy Spirits power was right there to see in Peter's life. Suddenly that failed disciple was preaching with such amazing effectiveness that thousands converted to Christ. Jesus had been with Peter, but now the Spirit was in him” (Page 23).
T.S. – We need to understand that you can grieve, quench and drive out the Holy Spirit’s presence from your life or even your church if you are not committed to allowing His presence in your life and church to guide you where God wants you to be.
II. The Holy Spirit can be grieved! He has feelings-He has a holy standard which He lives by called holiness.
a. He is an entity that can be offended and grieved. Church listen carefully to the following warnings from the Bible -He will not stay where He is not welcomed - He will not reside side by side with sin or rebellion against God or God’s agenda.
i. Ephesians 4:29-32: 29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
ii. 1 Thessalonians 5: 19-22: 19Do not put out the Spirit’s fire. 20Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22reject whatever is harmful.
iii. Too many Christians and churches are grieving the Holy Spirit and in the process driving out the Holy Spirit, driving out truth, driving out His power, driving out His blessings and creating an environment of death not life.
b. A few other ways He is grieved according to the Bible.
i. The continual presence of sin.
1. God will never bless sin – the Holy Spirit will never empower a person to keep sinning –he will convict them to stop so they can be blessed through repentance and forgiveness.
2. Romans 8:5-15: 5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. 7The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9You, however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but are in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. 12Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
3. You can also study the OT and see that when sin over runs a person or a nation or a the people of God then His Spirit departs. Just like He did the Temple of the OT and the nation of Israel.
ii. The breaking of fellowship – disunity –division will quench, grieve the Holy Spirit.
1. 1 Corinthians 3:1-23
a. Division, dissension and disunity will grieve the Holy Spirit!
b. It will cause the Holy Spirit to leave – if He grieves too much He will leave.
iii. The forsaking of the Word of God will quench, grieve and even cause the Holy Spirit to depart.
1. There are churches, denominations today who are forsaking the teaching of the Word of God to please people, to align with sin, to give the people what their itching ears want to hear. They are compromising with the world and discarding the teachings of the Bible.
a. These churches and so called enlightened lies are driving out the Holy Spirit from once vibrant places of worship.
b. These churches, and denominations are blind to what they are doing – in the process of forsaking the Word of God they are no longer blessed but cursed and will die.
2. Revelation 3:1-6: This church was warned not to forsake the Word of God
a. 1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5Those who are victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out their names from the book of life, but will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels. 6Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
i. This passage reminds the church that they can be blotted out of the Book of Life – they can with their sinful actions drive out the Spirit of God from their lives and their church.
b. Hebrews 2:1: 1We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
i. We are warned to be alert to see the deceptions which are invading some churches today, to see them for what they are destructive, hurtful and damaging to our Spirits.
ii. We cannot allow ourselves to drift away from what is truth.
c. Hebrews 6:4-8: 4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
i. Here is another firm warning against offending the Holy Spirit, allowing sin to force Him to leave to preserve His holy standard of holiness.
iv. The stopping or forbidding of the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit will also quench the Holy Spirit.
1. The warning:
a. 1Corinthians 12, 13, 14
b. 1 Corinthians 14:39: 39Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
i. Are there churches today doing this?
ii. Yes, there are churches with anti-charismatic statements on their websites and church statements.
v. The disappearance of prayer in the church and in Christians lives will quench the Holy Spirit.
1. A Spirit filled church is a praying church, its filled with Spirit filled praying people.
a. Acts reveals a praying church, a praying people!
i. They knew they needed the Holy Spirit!
1. They knew they had to communicate with the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus.
2. The number one reason people get divorced in America is “Lack of communication, communication break down!”
a. Do you think you can have a relationship with someone you do not talk too?
ii. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of prayer! Without Him you cannot pray! He leads you to pray – but you can ignore that leading!
1. Prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit are interconnected.
iii. A spiritless church will have a lame prayer emphasis because you need the Holy Spirit to be able to pray!
1. Romans 8:26-27: 26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
2. If you don’t continue to push forward in prayer –then your church and your spiritual life will drift and you will die.
a. If you do not pray you will not stay!
b. Money is no substitute for prayer.
c. Large crowds are no substitute for prayer.
d. Leadership classes are no substitute for prayer.
e. The Study of God’s Word is no substitute for prayer.
f. The teaching of God’s Word is no substitute for prayer.
g. Worship is no substitute for prayer – but worship with prayer intertwined into it is powerful and filled with the Holy Spirits power and presence.
h. Reading Christian books is not a substitute for prayer.
i. Going to seminars about prayer without praying is not a substitute for prayer.
3. Prayer, power, and spiritual insight are all intertwined with the presence of the Holy Spirit.
a. If you do not want to pray then the Holy Spirit is not a priority in your life and you are not allowing Him to have full reign in your life.
T.S. - Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be our private tutor - to help us understand His teachings and to lead us onto Gods agenda so we do not quench or grieve the Holy Spirit.
III. The Holy Spirit is our personal tutor!
a. The Holy Spirit is sent to us by Jesus to lead us into truth, to counsel us and encourage us – He is our personal tutor in the spiritual realm of life.
i. What is the definition of a tutor: from free dictionary:
1. A private instructor, one that gives additional, special, or remedial instruction.
2. To act as a tutor to; instruct or teach privately.
3. To have the guardianship, tutelage, or care of.
4. To be instructed by a tutor, study under a tutor.
a. Share some of your tutoring stories.
b. We would not have had this personal tutor if Jesus had not left this place. It was a good thing that Jesus died, rose from the grave, appeared to people over a 40 day period and then ascended into Heaven.
i. John 16:1-15: 1“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the hour is coming when those who kill you will think they are offering a service to God. 3They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4I have told you this, so that when their hour comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
1. It’s a good thing that Jesus died and left this earth so in return He could send you and I a personal guide, a personal teacher, His Spirit to live inside of us to protect us and revive us –to empower us to do things we could never do on our own.
ii. Quote from Jim Cymbala: “Through his physical body, Jesus could be a mentor, teacher, preacher, and friend to the disciples, but he couldn't produce change from the inside out. This would be for the Spirit to accomplish just as God had planned from all eternity” (Page 23).
c. The school of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of the Holy Spirit is real and a not a mystical spooky story, but a living life transforming experience.
i. My experience being enrolled in the school of the Holy Spirit.
1. My salvation and the coincidences.
ii. My personal stories:
1. The book study – Salem Kirban: “Satan’s Angels Exposed.”
2. The law suit scenario.
3. The Spirit’s confirmation when making key ministry decisions. The situation, the prayer, the decision, the prophetic word, the confirming words from others who knew nothing of my situation.
4. How did this all happen?
a. The Holy Spirit.
d. The school of the Holy Spirit is what takes the different practices of the Church and makes them alive and fresh every time we participate in them.
i. An example of this is communion – communion can be just a religious ritual that a person practices week after week or month after month.
1. We can twist its meaning like the Corinthian Church did in Paul’s day. This happens when we approach the spiritual practices and disciplines of the Spirit with a carnal mind that is not illuminated with the Holy Spirit.
ii. The Holy Spirit is God’s tutor for you and I in this world so that we can see and understand spiritual truths. Listen to the words of Paul to the Corinthian church that was having so many issues:
1. 1 Corinthians 2: 10-16: 10for God has revealed them to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who knows a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit within? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
a. Paul makes it clear to the Church in Corinth that without the Holy Spirit a person cannot grasp the spiritual dimensions of Christian life.
iii. Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would be our guide, our counselor, our teacher, our personal tutor and the empowering factor in our lives.
e. I Corinthians 11:17-34: The Message speaking about the practice of Communion
i. 17Regarding this next item, I’m not at all pleased. I am getting the picture that when you meet together it brings out your worst side instead of your best! 18First, I get this report on your divisiveness, competing with and criticizing each other. I’m reluctant to believe it, but there it is. 19The best that can be said for it is that the testing process will bring truth into the open and confirm it. 20And then I find that you bring your divisions to worship—you come together, and instead of eating the Lord’s Supper, 21you bring in a lot of food from the outside and make pigs of yourselves. Some are left out, and go home hungry. Others have to be carried out, too drunk to walk. I can’t believe it! 22Don’t you have your own homes to eat and drink in? Why would you stoop to desecrating God’s church? Why would you actually shame God’s poor? I never would have believed you would stoop to this. And I’m not going to stand by and say nothing.
23Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord’s Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. 24Having given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, broken for you. Do this to remember me. 25After supper, he did the same thing with the cup: This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you. Each time you drink this cup, remember me. 26What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt. 27Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? 28Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe. 29If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences.
30That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. 31If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later on. 32Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later. 33So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord’s Table, be reverent and courteous with one another. 34If you’re so hungry that you can’t wait to be served, go home and get a sandwich. But by no means risk turning this Meal into an eating and drinking binge or a family squabble. It is a spiritual meal—a love feast. The other things you asked about, I’ll respond to in person when I make my next visit.
ii. Communion instructions and challenges from the Holy Spirit:
1. When the church starts to reclaim a reverence for Communion then we are using another key to unlocking the power of the Holy Spirit.
a. Meaning of the word reverence and communion:
i. REVERENCE Respect or honor paid to a worthy object. In Scripture, reverence is paid: to father and mother (Lev. 19:3; Heb. 12:9); to God (1 Kings 18:3, 12; Heb. 12:28); to God’s sanctuary (Lev. 19:30; 26:2); and to God’s commandments (Ps. 119:48). The failure to revere God (Deut. 32:51) and the act of revering other gods (Judg. 6:10) have dire consequences. Reverence for Christ is expressed in mutual submission within the Christian community (Eph. 5:21). Christian persecution takes on new meaning as suffering becomes an opportunity for revering Christ (1 Pet. 3:14-15) (From Holman Bible Dictionary).
ii. COMMUNION Paul’s term describing the nature of the Lord’s Supper and thus the term used by many church groups to refer to their celebration of Jesus’ final, memorial supper with His disciples. Paul used the Greek term koinonia to express the basic meaning of the Christian faith, a sharing in the life and death of Christ which radically creates a relationship of Christ and the believer and of the believers with one another in a partnership or unity. See Fellowship; Lord’s Supper.
iii. Today I ask the same question I have been asking you over the last few weeks, “How many want revival?” If you raised your hand then here is what we need to do to use another key to unlock revival here at Christian Hills Church.
2. We need to make sure that we take serious the act of Communion, The Lord’s Supper and approach it with reverence!
a. 1 Corinthians 11:23-33 reference again.
i. So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord’s Table, be reverent and courteous with one another. The Corinthian church, and the church of the present, must get serious about the Lord’s Supper. We need to have reverence for Jesus when we partake of communion. We need to remember why we do it!
3. What are the reasons that we partake of the Lord’s Supper?
a. It is the one way that Jesus asked us to remember Him.
b. It teaches us that we are all saved the same way by grace.
c. We have salvation by Christ and His cross.
i. There are no exceptions to this divine plan.
d. This is the greatest memorial service every partaken of reminding us of the past, the present and the future.
i. It looks back as a reminder of what Christ has done. It reminds us of the supernatural birth of Jesus and the sacrifice he made on the cross for us.
ii. It’s about the reality and completeness of the cross- Max Lucado puts it well when he says, “And as the hands of Jesus opened for the nail, the doors of heaven opened for you”(35).
iii. He tells us that the message of Jesus on the cross is this, “I did it for you. I did it all for you” (151).
1. Hebrews 10:12, 14 “Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins’ and “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” (NRSV)
iv. It speaks to the present:
1. It is a symbol of our unity and reminds us who we are to be living for in this life.
2. It reminds us to keep our eyes on Him at all times.
3. It tells us that He is who he said He was and is. We can trust Him today with our lives.
v. It speaks to the future:
1. We proclaim His death until He comes again.
2. It points to our complete redemption and glorification in Heaven before the Great White Throne.
4. When we know the reasons for remembering then we should understand why we must not approach communion with the wrong attitudes in our hearts.
a. The Wrong Attitudes That Prevail at the Lord’s Supper (vv. 27-29).
i. The “unworthy manner” of partaking of the supper (v. 27).
1. We must not take the Lord’s Supper casually. We must think about the basic reasons for observing the Lord’s Supper. The reasons we just stated!
a. WE do not partake of it because everyone else is.
b. WE do not partake of it if we don’t understand its meaning.
c. WE do not partake of it because our parents want us too.
d. WE do not partake of it because we are thirsty or want a cracker.
e. We do not partake to look good to others.
f. WE do not partake if we know we are not right with the Lord.
g. We take the time to repent and get right with the Lord then we come!
h. It is a sin to take it in an irreverent manner.
ii. Many approach the Lord’s table without self-examination and this ought not be (v. 28).
1. This is a time for confession of sin—a time to thank God for His grace.
2. We need to approach the throne with integrity and honesty in our hearts about our present condition.
3. It is wrong not to think about our need of salvation and God’s provision for it and to check our hearts for the disease of sin.
4. If we find it cast it out and ask for forgiveness.
5. Fall to your knees and receive his gift of forgiveness.
iii. Many approach communion and fail to recognize the sacrifice of Christ’s body on the cross (v. 29).
1. This can refer to our salvation through His Death on the cross (Colossians 1:22, 23).
2. It’s not our goodness that earns our salvation it’s accepting the fact that we are sinners and lost without Christ’s ultimate sacrifice of himself on the cross.
3. We need to recognize our salvation comes only from His sacrifice.
iv. His sacrifice is mirrored in these two symbolic elements.
1. The cup – is the symbol of his blood that was spilled at the crucifixion.
a. “He did it for you and me!”
2. The cracker is the symbol of his body which was beaten and battered.
a. “He did it for you and me!”
f. Let’s remember His sacrifice: The world drew the first blood. They cried “Crucify Him!”, “Crucify Him!” They craved, desired, and sought to make him bleed. Why, because he healed them? Why, because he gave them hope and a future? Why, because he gave them the words of life and not death? Why, because he delivered them from demons? Why, because he feed them? Why, because he loved them? Why, because he represented everything they were not- sinless- holy- pure- so they became enraged and they beat him, spit on him, and whipped him. The legionnaires whip ripped every time it touched his flesh. The leather straps with lead balls struck with a sting and a tear. The strike and then the blood began to oouze out of the wound and it then started to flow out. The whip kept coming, “smack, rip, tear” 39 times of the lash with it’s painful blow. His back and side ripped open wider and wider. The blood flowed more and more. It was sprayed on the ground, on the whip, onto the soldier’s clothes and body. It flowed down Jesus’ back, thighs, legs, and feet. They drew first blood and He allowed it to flow – freely He allowed them to beat Him. He freely let the blood flow down his body and onto the ground. It let His blood flow down the streets and into people’s homes. He let it flow into people’s lives. He let it flow into the streams and the rivers and into the oceans. It flowed in to the regions of hell and set the captives free. It flowed into the hearts of the onlookers and the soldiers. It flowed into the eyes of the blind and they could see. It flowed from beneath to above right into the throne of Heaven. And when the Lamb appeared before the throne they cried, ‘Behold the Lion of the Tribe of Judah”, “The Lamb of God”, Then they all sang, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Yes, the blood flowed and Heaven sang and Hell screamed. Yes, His blood flowed for you and me! Yes, His blood flowed from the beating and from the crown of thorns they jammed into His head. The blood flowed from the crown of thorns. It flowed down his face and cheeks. It flowed down his shoulders and arms. It flowed to the cross beam of the cross as he carried it. Each time he fell to the ground there was blood there flowing. It was there for you and me. It flowed to the crowds for the sake of their souls. The world cried more blood and Jesus let it flow. They spat on him but it still continued to flow. The blood flowed all the way to the cross. So that people would be healed and delivered. So people could be set free. The blood flowed as they shoved the crown of thorns into his head. The blood flowed as they drove in the nails. When they hoisted him up it flowed down the cross and onto the ground of Golgotha. It has never stopped flowing. It still is flowing to people’s hearts and cleansing them, healing them, delivering them, giving them hope and a future, it’s giving light to a dark world, it’s bringing forgiveness, its bringing revival. The blood of Jesus Christ flows from sea to shining sea, from shore to shore, from the sky to the earth below it flows. It is flowing through Africa, Russia, Middle East, Japan, Europe, the Pacific, Australia, to South America and North America right here to Orland it flows. It’s final destination is to flow right into your heart today.
g. Partake of communion – but make sure your heart is in the right place before partaking.
i. Take the time this morning to get right!
ii. Search your heart before you partake.
iii. Listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit.
iv. Pray to be immersed in the Holy Spirit if you are not!
v. Highlight the symbolism of the crown and the nails.
1. When you partake remember the symbol’s on the tables and allow the Holy Spirit to teach and speak to you in this moment.
vi. We have prayer teams here to pray with people before or after communion.
vii. Altar is open for you to pray before you partake of communion or after taking.
1. Key to the this spiritual mile marker moment: Church let this be a holy reverent time and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and mind and even ask Him to immerse you in His power and presence.
Conclusion:
Jim’s thoughts: “Not only had the Holy Spirit been sent to earth, but he was also moving. He acted in and through his people— he demonstrated his power to glorify Christ. The early church experienced him moving in their hearts and in their lives. Because of the hostile environment around them, they were repeatedly driven back to God for a fresh supply of the Holy Spirit, and they were wise enough to yield to his direction. Is the Holy Spirit moving like that in our lives? And in our churches? Many people find it easy to relate to God the Father and Jesus the Son, but when it comes to the role of the Spirit in their lives, they don’t have a clear picture of who he is or what he does. Do you ever feel that way? What about your life and your church? When you read about the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of Peter and in the early church, did it remind you of your own experience of the Holy Spirit? Or did you find yourself longing for something more? I sometimes wonder, if the early Christians were around today, would they even recognize what we call Christianity? Our version is blander, almost totally intellectual in nature, and devoid of the Holy Spirit power the early church regularly experienced. How much loss do we suffer because we don’t expect the Spirit to show up as promised? Everything we read about the church in the New Testament centered on the power of the Holy Spirit…” Cymbala, Jim (2012-02-21). Spirit Rising: Tapping into the Power of the Holy Spirit (Kindle Locations 313-316). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Summary of the points on who is the Holy Spirit:
1. The Holy Spirit is God’s Agent of change and transformation on this earth sent by Jesus to us – the question is do you want Him to come into your life and transform you! To empower you to be a witness for Jesus in this hopeless world bringing hope and deliverance for those who need it.
2. The Holy Spirit is our personal tutor sent by Jesus to enlighten our hearts and minds to the teaching of the Word of God, to be able to understand and grasp the concepts of the Bible and the spiritual realm in which we all live. He instructs us in what is right and wrong. He leads us to truth –He instructs us and guides our decisions in life – He teaches us how to flow in His spiritual gifts!
3. The Holy Spirit can be grieved – can be offended and hurt. The Bible warns us not to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit in our lives or in our churches. We need to be cautious that we do not forsake the Word of God, or be rebellious, sinful and divisionary, we need to make sure we do not forbid the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and we need to make sure that prayer stays at the forefront of our spiritual lives – both independently and in the church.
This power is the power which births transformation and Jesus has promised it to you if you want it!
