DOES OUR CHURCH WELCOME THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Mt.3:16; Gen. 1:1-2; 8:8-11
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: THE KNOWLEDGE THEY LACKED
1. Three men, a Texan, a N. Korean, and a New Yorker were standing on a sidewalk when a reporter approached them and said, “Excuse me, could I get your opinion on the current grain shortage in Ukraine?”
2. The Texan said, “What’s a shortage?” The N. Korean said, “What is grain?” And the New Yorker said, “What’s ‘excuse me’?”
B. TEXTS
Gen. 1:1-2, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Gen. 8:8-11, “[Noah] also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot….10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf (new life) was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.
Matthew 3:16, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”
C. THESIS
1. Anyone who’s read the Bible knows the universal working of the Holy Spirit in both the Old Testament and the New. The Holy Spirit did the ‘hands-on’ work in Creation, He inspired & empowered the prophets & Judges (& N.T. Christians), He communicated to us the Word of God, He makes us new creations & sanctifies us, and He is the Administrator of the church until the Rapture.
2. Nothing lasting can be accomplished without His assistance. Therefore it behooves us to seek His favor and to accommodate His working among us. Think: should we ignore the One Jesus appointed to assist us in His absence? God forbid! Therefore we should seek Him out!
3. At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a Dove. This was not wholly a new concept, for the Holy Spirit’s “hovering” over creation (Gen. 1:2) used the same terminology as of a used in Deut. 32:11 of a mother bird hovering over her young. The Dove of Noah also symbolized the Holy Spirit in many ways.
4. The Lord spoke to my heart asking the question, “Does Your Church Welcome the Holy Spirit?” In other words, if the Holy Spirit is like a Dove, am I setting the right environment for the Holy Spirit to feel welcome to come and assist my efforts?
5. After reading literature about Doves, I’d like to observe 7 characteristics about doves that we should consider in preparing to welcome the Holy Spirit.
I. THEIR PURITY
A. CAN NO LONGER BE PART OF UNCLEAN THINGS
1. If you tried to get a Dove to land on anything unclean, like a carcass, it would plainly refuse! That’s why the dove returned to the Ark.
2. Contrast this with the raven, which is a carrion bird. It didn’t come back, because it didn’t have a natural revulsion to eating dead animals, Gen. 8:7-9.
3. That’s very similar to a person who becomes a Christian; they can no longer “feast” on the unclean, perverse entertainment, dirty jokes, sensual behavior, and unholy thoughts.
4. Once the Dove of God comes, we can no longer be part of that old world we left behind! Purity comes naturally to us
B. A CREATURE OF VOWS
1. Doves, say the avian scientists, are also strictly monogamous birds. Once a Dove chooses its mate…it’s till death do us part. Sacred vows comes into effect immediately.
2. Similarly, we must have hearts of faithfulness & fidelity in our vows with God, if we would please the Holy Spirit. Scripture says the righteous “keeps an oath even when it hurts!” Ps. 15:4.
3. We must be faithful to our vows to our spouses and to the Lord! HUMOR. Doyle Jones told me about the a wedding where the 2 antennas got married. The wedding wasn’t much but the reception was great!
II. GENTLENESS
A. THEIR SYSTEM HAS NO GALL
1. Anatomical studies of Doves reveal that its body does not produce gall. The gall, say acclaimed naturalists, is the source behind a contentious and a bitter attitude on the part of birds.
2. It follows that in the absence of gall, this bird is uniquely gentle. The Lord Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” Matt 10:16. Have you ever seen doves fighting over food, like crows do? NEVER!
B. THE GENTLEST OF BIRDS
1. People who have studied Doves in history say it was the first bird ever tamed by man. Records of it being domesticated go back to 4000 B.C. Why? Because it considered the “gentlest” of birds.
2. It’s not surprising, in light of that, that one of the fruit of the Spirit is “gentleness,” Gal 5:22. This implies that, if the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us, then Christians should be “gentle.”
3. Paul said, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves” 2 Tim. 2:24-25. We’re not to be harsh, pushing and shoving, but be gentle to ALL! Has God “tamed” you yet?
III. AGILITY
A. A CREATURE OF SPEED
1. David, facing many troubles, said, “So I said, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest’” Psalm 55:6. Avian scientists say that doves can touch a fantastic speed of 55 miles per hour in full flight (coincidence their speed equals the Psalm #: 55)!
B. THEIR SPEED & SKILL MAKE THEM ELUSIVE
1. Just as the Dove was elusive of enemy capture, so the Holy Spirit make Christians elusive to our enemies and the devil.
2. Think how the Holy Spirit made the early Christians so elusive. They could escape from jails, elude kings (Damascus, Paul) intent on their capture, not be killed by planned attacks(Acts 23:12-33; Paul and the 40 men who vowed not to eat until they killed Paul), and be “on the move” always under the direction of the ever agile Holy Spirit.
3. Philip the evangelist was “caught away by the Spirit” from Samaria to Azotus (Greek form for Ashdod, Acts 8:39,40), a 60 mile trip in the blink of an eye!
4. Are you being led by the Spirit of God in your daily life? He can show us ways out of trouble that the world won’t find. Let’s yield more to Him so we can speed in the Spirit and get a lot done for God!
IV. ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO REST
A. JOURNEY’S OF THE RAVEN & THE DOVE
1. In the account of Noah’s ark the releasing of the dove is certainly symbolic.
2. After Noah sent forth the Dove (type of the Holy Spirit and of Grace), it could find no resting place, no dwelling IN mankind, who were yet in their sins.
3. But once the judgment was passed -- because Christ had died for the sins of the world -- the Dove returned bearing the olive branch of peace and then was released to dwell among men.
B. PICTURE OF THE CHRISTIAN’S ATTITUDE
1. Like the Dove in Noah’s account, the Christian should be unable to rest, as long as there is not peace between sinners and their Savior.
2. "But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot..."! Gen. 8:9. We too should not be able to forget about the lost billions of souls. Too many Christians only think of their own life and problems and give no thought for those God’s heart goes out to.
3. May God give us the uneasiness of the Dove until all God’s children are gathered in!
V. HAS HOMING INSTINCT
A. HOMING INSTINCT OF THE DOVE/PIGEON
1. HUMOR. Dorothy Sayers tells of a Japanese convert struggling to grasp the doctrine of the Trinity Godhead. "Honorable Father, very good," he said to his missionary teacher. "Honorable Son, very good. But Honorable Bird, I do not understand at all." (Philip Yancey, forward of Robertson McQuilkin’s, Life in the Spirit.)
2. Pigeon’s are of the same family (Columbidae) as Doves and in the Scriptures the names are frequently used interchangably. In modern terminology, the “white dove” releases are “homing pigeons” and the place they return to is called the “Dovecote.”
B. HOMING INSTINCT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. Just like the Dove, the Holy Spirit also has a “homing instinct.” He always brings you or points you back to Jesus!
2. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” Jn. 14:26. “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you
from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me” Jn. 15:26.
3. We should have the same “homing instinct” of only finding our resting place when we’re with Jesus! We should daily be constantly drawn to Christ, if the Holy Spirit is in us!
VI. THE HOLY SPIRIT CREATES
A. THE SPIRIT HOVERING
1. Gen. 1:1-2 states that as the Holy Spirit created this world, He “hovered” over it like a “mother bird hovering or fluttering over her young in a vibrant, protective way” [Deut. 32:11, same word] (Stanley Horton, What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit, p. 19-20).
2. The Holy Spirit makes things NEW. Psalms says, “When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth” Ps. 104:30.
B. THE H.S. PROVIDES A NEW BEGINNING
1. In the same way, the Holy Spirit creates a new spiritual life when a sinner repents and believes. Regeneration – new birth – occurs. The Scripture says, "If any man is in Christ, He is a New Creation…"
2. The Spirit wants us to be flexible, to yield to Him, so that He can do a new work in our lives.
3. Let’s try as a church to be like new wine skins, that are flexible enough to adapt themselves to the new expanding life of the Spirit, and not be stuck in an old tradition/ form that’s inflexible and stifles growth!
VII. SANCTIFYING
A. THE DOVE MADE THEM HOLY IN DAILY LIFE
1. The Dove was a sacrificial animal. It was the only bird of the avian world permitted for sacrifice under the O.T. dispensation (Leviticus 1:14-17; 12:8).
2. These Doves could purify people from sins and make them holy, when used in sacrifices. How representative of
the Holy Spirit, Who’s work is to sanctify believers.
B. MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. Christ, of course, paid for our sins in one great act by His death on the cross. I’m saved, but I’m not yet perfected. We have to be perfected -- one sinful behavior or thought at a time. This is the work of sanctification and that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
2. “…so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit” Rom. 15:16. “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor. 6:11. “…because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” 2 Thess. 2:13. “through sanctification of the Spirit”1 Pet. 1:2.
3. The Holy Spirit accomplishes this by sharpening our consciences and letting us feel His approval or disapproval of our thoughts and actions. The outcome is that we feel grieved about our sins and exhilarated about our instances of obedience.
4. The end product is that we are cleansed from our uncleannesses and perfected in our character, thinking, and behavior. This process is called “sanctification,” and we couldn’t do it without the Holy Spirit!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: NOT OUTWARD, BUT INNER LIFE
1. When Lawrence of Arabia was in Paris after WWI with some of his Arab friends, he showed them the sights of the city: the Arch of Triumph, the Louvre, Napoleon’s tomb, the Champs Elysees, (shan za le za) but none of these things impressed them.
2. The thing that really interested them the most was the faucet in the bathtub of the hotel room. They turned it on and off, on and off. They found it amazing that one could turn a handle and get all the water he wanted.
3. Later, when they were ready to leave Paris and return to the East, Lawrence found them in the bathroom with wrenches trying to disconnect the faucet.
4. “You see,” they said, “it is very dry in Arabia. What we need are faucets. If we have them, we will have all the water we want.”
5. Lawrence had to explain that the effectiveness of the faucets didn’t lie in themselves, but in the immense reservoirs of water to which they were attached and beyond that to the rain and snowfalls of the Alps.
6. We Christians should be like the faucets, who pour out the Holy Spirit to thirsty souls, but are ourselves the recipients of that same life from the great reservoirs of God’s Holy Spirit!
B. THE CALL
1. I think all of us want to hear God’s voice, and there is no doubt that God sent the Holy Spirit to teach us about Jesus. We all need the gentle Spirit to alight on us, or hover over us and fill us with His presence and show us the way we should go.
2. Let’s take a few moments and pray that God would make our church a place that is welcoming to the Holy Spirit.
3. If you need Him to anoint you and work in your life, then come to the front and let’s have prayer!
