Unwrapping the Spirit
{Audio File: https://mega.nz/#!bAF0VKCJ!amMotRapmZcowigfBkMXtqRJKDMrNsGU2rpY5Pb4CNE}
After excitedly opening up all her presents on Christmas morning, a little girl sat back a little dejected and sad. Her mother, noticing the change asked, “Didn’t you get everything you wanted for Christmas?”
The little girl sat there for a second and said, “No, but then its not my birthday.”
At Christmas very few of us truly get what we really want.
• We dream of a brand new car, but only end up getting a plaid tie
• We dream of something beautiful from Tiffanies, only to get a General Electric can opener
• Or we ask for a new tool, or 5” platform shoes only to get a package of underwear instead.
We never really get everything we want. In this life we are constantly searching for significance, satisfaction, and happiness, and it seems that we’re always moving but never arriving.
But there is a gift given to us by our heavenly Father on that first Christmas that when we unwrap it, we will truly find what our souls so desperately long for, and that is the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.
When we unwrap this unbelievable gift, and invite Jesus Christ into our hearts to be our Savior and our Lord, then we will find that significance, satisfaction, and happiness, along with that sense of arriving where we were always meant to be.
There is also another gift that has been given once this decision for Jesus Christ is made, one that is given to every believer in Jesus Christ, but for many, it unfortunately remains wrapped up and unopened.
It’s the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now, my hope is that by the end of our time together, most of us will be able to see just how far we’ve come in this unwrapping process.
But I also know that there are some who have already started to tune me out saying, “I’ve already ben baptized in the Holy Spirit, even got my gifts and spiritual language.”
But if I could, let me say that there still remains some of this precious gift that remains wrapped up, or in some cases, has become re-wrapped.
This is why we will be having the upcoming seminar on discovering our spiritual gifts on January 10th and 11th, and it is my hope that everyone signs up, because then we’ll begin to see God move in our lives and in the midst of our church.
Let me share some questions that will help determine if and how much the Holy Spirit is wrapped up in our lives.
• How much have we changed over the past year, and is our transformation evident to everyone around us?
• Do we come to a worship service genuinely expecting to hear from God, or has it become something routine, or has it just become a Sunday morning ritual?
We may be 100% saved, but less than 50% effective in our walk with God. And that’s because we’ve left unwrapped the gift of the Holy Spirit.
I’d like to begin our study by looking at that point when Jesus gave to us this gift. It was on the evening we celebrate as Easter, that is, the day of Jesus’s resurrection.
“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:19-20 NKJV)
“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John 20:21-22 NKJV)
Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” after He showed them the crucifixion marks on His hands and side and they came to belief in Him. We know this because later when Jesus showed Thomas, whom we know as doubting Thomas, saying, “‘Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:27-28)
It’s like when God blew His breath into Adam at the beginning of creation making Him a living soul, so Jesus breathes into us, and makes us alive in Him through the Holy Spirit, at the beginning of our becoming a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).
And so the gift of the Holy Spirit is given when we come into the saving knowledge of what Jesus Christ did for us upon the cross, as He died for our sins. And it is then by grace through faith as we, like Thomas, proclaim Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
And while the Holy Spirit was a gift freely given to the disciples, as it is to us, Jesus knew it still remained mostly unwrapped and unopened, which is why He told them later on, prior to is accession into heaven, to remain in Jerusalem until the power of the Holy Spirit was released upon and within them.
“John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now … Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Acts 1:5; Luke 24:49 NKJV)
Once this happened in the disciple’s life, the world began to change. And so once again I need to ask, “How changed are we and the world around us that we influence with our lives?”
Let’s therefore take this time we have together and begin to unwrap this precious gift. Let’s see the type of relationship it represents, and the type of relationship that we should be experiencing.
First, the Gift of the Holy Spirit is …
1. A Personal Gift
“I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17 NKJV)
The first thing that we need to understand about the Holy Spirit is that it is not an impersonal force that acts upon our lives, like the force in Star Wars.
We need to understand is that the Holy Spirit is none other than the Lord God Himself, which is seen in the designation, “The Third Person of the Godhead.”
{This will be part of what we’ll be exploring as we enter into our series next year on the Holy Spirit. But for now, we are looking at the person of the Holy Spirit as we explore Him as that personal gift given by both the Father and Jesus.}
We see the personhood of the Holy Spirit in the way the Holy Spirit is referred to throughout the Scriptures in the masculine pronoun, as is seen in how Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as “He,” and “Him.”
We also see the personhood of the Holy Spirit as we see other aspects of His personality within the Scriptures. Here are a few, and again we’ll explore this further in our new series.
He knows what we need and possesses a mind.
“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:27 NKJV)
The Holy Spirit also possesses a will and desires to give us special gifts.
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:11 NKJV)
The Holy Spirit also has emotions as we are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30 NKJV)
But what really makes this relationship with the Holy Spirit personal is what Jesus said in John 14:17 saying, “But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:17b NKJV)
What makes this relationship so personal? Notice it not only is that He dwells with us, but within us as well. The Apostle Paul makes this same observation in 1 Corinthians 6:19.
“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NKJV)
The other question we need to ask. “How personal is the Holy Spirit in our lives? Do we have that personal intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit or is He merely an acquaintance we meet every so often?”
Now, this relationship and indwelling hinges upon our obedience to God’s word, because it was the Holy Spirit who inspired these writers to write these words. How else can we explain when we read quotes from God, where it says, “The Lord said?”
Like when Jeremiah wrote, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)
Jeremiah could write these words from the Lord because they were inspired and breathed out into Him by the Holy Spirit.
“For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21 NKJV)
Therefore, since the Holy Spirit inspired these words, our disobedience to them may be the reason why we’re not living in the fullness of what the Holy Spirit has for our lives. This may be the reason why He and His gifts remain mostly unwrapped and unopened.
However, when we begin to repent from our sins and from our disobedience, and when we stop making up our own standards of right and wrong, and start turning away from them and turn toward God and Jesus Christ, which is the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst, then we’ll begin to unwrap and open up this unbelievable relationship that is available.
And I believe when we do so, that is when we’ll start to see revival in our lives, in our families, in our church, in our community, and in the world.
Second, the Gift of the Holy Spirit is …
2. A Consuming Gift
“John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:5 NKJV)
Of the coming of Jesus, John the Baptist said, “I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8 NKJV)
The Greek word “baptize,” means, “to immerse in.” It was used to describe the process of dying garments. It is when the garment would be completely dipped into a vat of color, and when it was removed it would be that new color.
And it is this word that both John the Baptist and Jesus use to describe how we are to experience the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is where we are immersed into the Holy Spirit, consumed and controlled by Him.
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesian Church further explains this process of being consumed and controlled by the Holy Spirit.
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18 NIV)
Here Paul is comparing being filled with the Holy Spirit to being filled with alcohol and getting drunk. In other words, Paul is saying there is a correlation.
When someone gets drunk, they are no longer in control of their capacities or facilities. Literally the alcohol takes over and is in control. When this happens we say they are “Under the Influence.”
In the same way, we need to be “Under the Influence,” not from artificial stimulants or psyched up feelings, but under the influence of the Holy Spirit. It is where He is in control, influencing our decisions, emboldening us to do God’s will, and to respond to situations in the right way.
This is also the idea behind the word to be filled, that is, overflowing our lives where there is nothing left of ourselves. It is where the Holy Spirit should be continually in control.
Therefore, the gift of the Holy Spirit is a consuming gift. But if we’re not being wholly consumed by the things of God, wholly controlled by the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit remains wrapped up.
So we get to another set of questions. “How controlled are we by the Holy Spirit? How consumed are we with God and the things of God, that is, His thoughts, His ways, and His desires?”
Finally, the Gift of the Holy Spirit is …
3. An Empowering Gift
This is seen in what Jesus said.
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49 NKJV)
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NKJV)
The Greek word Jesus uses for “power,” is “dunamis.” Its primary meaning is that of “might, strength, or force.” It is where we get our English word for “dynamite.”
It is the explosive power of God. And it is in this power, this dynamic power of God, the the Lord wants to completely cover us in. This is seen in the word Jesus uses, “endued.” In the Greek it literally means, “to clothe oneself in.” And so, God wants to clothe us with His power, but the power to do what?
This is seen in the Acts passage, and it is the power to be His witnesses. It is a power given where we can be those witnesses of the gospel message, the good news of Jesus Christ.
When the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples at Pentecost, and they began to speak in the various languages of those who gathered to witness this event, Peter gave the very first evangelical message, and about three thousand people were saved. And from that time on, the disciples and the church impacted the entire world for God.
How far we’ve unwrapped the power of the Holy Spirit can basically be seen in how much of an impact we have on the world around us, that is, those within our sphere of influence.
If most of the people we know are unaffected, it’s probably a good indicator that Jesus Christ, though the power of the Holy Spirit, has not significantly effected our lives. This is usually because of compromise, apathy, or disobedience.
Conclusion
The gift of Christmas is God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ; that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). And then those who believe in Jesus Christ, making Him both Savior and Lord will be given the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This may sound a little corny, but it is true, that the gift of Jesus is the gift that keeps on forgiving, and the gift of the Holy Spirit is then the gift that keeps on giving.
The unwrapped gift of the Holy Spirit is a personal, consuming, and empowering relationship.
And so as we look to this season of giving, know that the Lord wants to give to us, not only the gift of salvation and eternal life through belief in Jesus Christ, but He also wants to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who ask.
Look now at these last two verses and ask, “Have I asked and have I unwrapped God’s precious gifts.”
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13 NKJV)
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV)
And that power that works in us is the power of Jesus, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit, whose temple we become.
