Series: Holy Spirit Rising
Quote: Samuel Chadwick “Christianity is hopeless without the Holy Spirit!” Jim Cymbala’s quote from Spirit Rising.
Sermon: Who is the Holy Spirit?
Thesis: The Holy Spirit is the 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 world.
Introduction:
Opening thoughts for us to think about this morning as we dive into our study of the Holy Spirit.
The premise which I lay down before you this morning is this: The Holy Spirit is waiting for you to believe in Him, for you to choose to receive Him into your spiritual life and for your willingness to allow His power to come and immerse you. It’s your decision if you want the Holy Spirit to Baptize you and in the process transform you spiritually.
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.
This power is the power we need in our lives:
This power is the power which transformed the Roman Empire. This power is the power which raised Jesus from the dead. This power is the power which has shaken the nation of China bringing revival to it over the last 20 years. This power is the power which enabled this land to experience the first and second Great Awakenings which transformed the culture of the day. This power is the power which birthed this nation and called it One Nation Under God. This power is the power which can transform the city of Chicago and its mayor.This power is the power which transformed the nation of Uganda. This power is the power which healed a brown robe priest in India and 1,000 got saved about 2 years ago with Heart of The Father Ministries. This power is the power which has almost reached the whole world with the Good News of Jesus in our time frame. This power is the power which healed a women in Costa Rica with an injury to an arm just a few weeks ago. This power is the power which has caused the church to grow and grow through the millenniums even while being persecuted. This power is the power which enabled Polycarp to stand in a coliseum and refuse to deny Christ over 1.700 years ago. This power is the power which has raised up a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, 11 year prayer and worship vigil in Kansas City called IHOP which continues on this very moment. This power is the power which showed Lenin that godless communism would not rule the world but Jesus would. This power is the power which drew you to Jesus and is now saying to you “Invite me in so I can empower you to be a dynamic witness for Jesus!” This power is the power which has delivered men and women who have been held in bondage by Meth who I saw set free in Amery over 6-7 years ago. This power is the power which has restored 1,000 of marriages in our land in which I got to be a part of some of these restorations. This power is the power which is raising up an army of young people who are sold out to the cross and are going to take back what the Devil has stolen from their generation. This power is the power which is able to deliver people from porn addictions. This power is the power which raises up certain churches and allows other churches to die. This power is the power which leads peoples lives to their divine destinies. This power is the power which takes the Bible and makes it a living breathing book of life. This power is the power which will stop abortions in the near future. This power is the power which sends out missionaries across this world to transform peoples lives. This power is the power which creates financial miracles and I have seen some of them. This power is the power which transformed a city in Guatemala because they repented of sin and turned to Jesus and now is one of the most prosperous cities in Central America. This power is the power which told my friend Ed's wife to rebuke death and that Ed would not die but live with new focus and purpose. This power is the power which is calling His church to be a house of prayer and a house of healing. This power is the power which has sustained the Nation of Israel against insurmountable odds. This power is the power which caused miracles to happen in the 6 Day War with Israel and the Arabs to bring and reestablish the Nation of Israel. This power is the power which is sweeping across the former Soviet Union states with spiritual revival. This power is the power which caused a revival among the young people of Thessaloniki to break out at a Pastor Ted’s church. This power is the power which can transform your marriage and your family. This power is the power which can heal your baby or your child we have seen God do this. This power is the power which can illuminate you mind to know the will of God for your life. This power is the power which can take a church and bring it back to life when others say it’s dead. This power is the power which causes a nation to turn to God in a crisis like 911. This power is the power which told people to get out of the twin towers before they fell. This power is the power which gives life to dry bones. This power is the power which can reveal Jesus to you right now. This power is the power which enabled David to slay Goliath. This power is the power which caused the walls of Jericho to fall. This power is the power which enabled Moses to stand up to Pharoah. This power is the power that birthed this church over 80 years ago. This power is the power that saved me and empowered me over 34 years ago to become a pastor and your lead pastor today. This power is the power which empowers you with your spiritual gifts. This power is the power which is calling you today to embrace Him and not quench Him. This power is the power which touches your heart during worship. This power is the power Jesus spoke about in Acts 1:8 and its available for you today.
Video Clip: Jim Cymbala – Why we need the Holy Spirit! Intro to session 1 – dead church in Brooklyn New York and what happens to a church that quenches the move of the Holy Spirit and grieves the Holy Spirit causing the Spirit to depart the church. The church loses the blessing and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and therefore dies.
We all today need the infilling, or the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or the immersion of the Holy Spirit into our lives! It is what gives us the power to be the effective dynamic witness that Jesus called us to be. It's the only power which can bring transformation to a life, to a community or a nation.
Illustration of a famous person being filled and empowered with the Holy Spirit from Evangelist John Rice's book called, How Great Soul Winners Were Filled with the Holy Spirit published in 1949.
He wrote this book to show how its the Holy Spirit's power which empowered the great men of faith of the past to bring revival to people, to cities and to nations.
D. L. Moody's enduement or filling of the Holy Spirit experience:
In the book - The Life of D. L. Moody, written by his son, there is a very simple but striking account of the secret of D. L. Moody's power. Here is the story of Mr. Moody's enduement of power, as given on pages 146, 147, and 149.
The year 1871 was a critical one in Mr. Moody's career. He realized more and more how little he was fired up by the personal acquirements for his work. An intense hunger and thirst for spiritual power was aroused in him by two women who used to attend the meetings and sit on the front seat. He could see by the expression on their faces that they were praying. At the close of services they would say to him:
"We have been praying for you."
"Why don't you pray for the people?" Mr. Moody would ask.
"Because you need the power of the Spirit," they would say.
"I need the power! Why," said Mr. Moody, in relating the incident years after, "I thought I had power. I had the largest congregations in Chicago, and there were many conversions. I was in a sense satisfied. But right along those two godly women kept praying for me, and their earnest talk about anointing for special service set me to thinking. I asked them to come and talk with me, and they poured out their hearts in prayer that I might receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. There came a great hunger into my soul. I did not know what it was. I began to cry out as I never did before. I really felt that I did not want to live if I could not have this power for service."
Then the book tells of the great Chicago fire, of D. L. Moody's relief work, the building of the north side tabernacle, and of his visiting in the East to secure funds for his work. Then the narrative continues:
During this Eastern visit the hunger for more spiritual power was still upon Mr. Moody.
"My heart was not in the work of begging," he said. "I could not appeal. I was crying all the time that God would fill me with His Spirit. Well, one day, in the city of New York -- oh, what a day! -- I cannot describe it, I seldom refer to it; it is almost too sacred an experience to name. Paul had an experience of which he never spoke for fourteen years. I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand. I went to preaching again. The sermons were not different; I did not present any new truths, and yet hundreds were converted. I would not now be placed back where I was before that blessed experience if you should give me all the world -- it would be as the small dust of the balance."
Notice in the above account, in the words of D. L. Moody himself, that while he had great joy in the coming of the Holy Spirit upon him in power, yet the principal result was:. "The sermons were not different: I did not present any new truths, and yet hundreds were converted."
D. L. Moody himself made much of this doctrine that Christians should be filled with the Holy Spirit, or baptized with the Holy Spirit, as he himself often put it.
In the book, Moody, His Words, Work, and Workers, edited by Rev. W, H. Daniels, are given representative doctrinal messages by D. L. Moody. I want to quote here from one message, beginning on page 396 of that book, to show Moody's clear doctrine on this matter of an enduement of power from on high.
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR SERVICE by Moody
In some sense, and to some extent, the Holy Spirit dwells with every believer; but there is another gift, which may be called the gift of the Holy Spirit for service. This gift, it strikes me, is entirely distinct and separate from conversion and assurance. God has a great many children that have no power, and the reason is, they have not the gift of the Holy Ghost for service. God doesn't seem to work with them, and I believe it is because they have not sought this gift.
In the opening of the eleventh chapter of Luke we find the disciples asking Christ to teach them how to pray. After doing so he goes on to explain it, and in the ninth, tenth, and thirteenth verses says: "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth .... If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him!"
Now the lesson to be learned from this is, that we must pray for the Holy Spirit for service; pray that we may be anointed and qualified to do the work that God has for us to do. I believe that Elisha was a child of God before Elijah met him; but he was not qualified for the work of a prophet until the spirit of Elijah came upon him. We have to ask for this blessing, to knock for it, to seek for it, and find out why it does not come. If we regard iniquity in our hearts, if we have some hidden sin, God is not going to give us the baptism of power. We are not as "an empty vessel"; we are not ready to receive the blessing, and so it doesn't come.
In the third chapter of Luke we find that Christ was baptized by the Holy Ghost before he entered upon his ministry. This should teach us to get anointed before starting out to do the Lord's work. Christ was the Son of God just as much before his baptism as afterward, but even he needed this power; and if the Son of God, who never had sinned, needed it, how much more do we need it, and how hopeless it will be if we attempt to work before we get it.
Again you will notice Mr. Moody's teaching that the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Christians, what Moody and Torrey and most other great soul winners have called "the baptism of the Holy Spirit," is simply an enduement of power for soul-winning service; that Christians should pray for this enduement of power from on high.
The above from: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Books,%20Tracts%20&%20Preaching/Printed%20Books/Dr%20John%20Rice/soul_winning_and_holy_spirit_power.htm
I could list others who spoke about and wrote about this distinct experience separate from salvation:
R. A. Torrey
Charles Finney
Billy Sunday
Charles Spurgeon
John Wesley
David Braham
Church Smith
John Wimber
Joel Olsteen
Dr. James Robinson
Dr. Joyce Meyer
Dr. Dave Nichols
Pastor George Thomas
I could list 100’s of other pastor’s friends and non pastoral friends who have shared their experience with me about this infilling of power.
We can also look in Acts and see it:
The Disciples of Jesus – Peter and Paul and the others being filled with the power of The Holy Spirit.
This power which these men of faith were immersed in is the same power which can immerse your life today if you choose to let Him come and fill you today. This power is the same power available to you today! But you have to want it!
Christian 's you should know if you have been filled and empowered with the Holy Spirit! You will know this has occurred in your life! You will have His power and this expereince! Listen, it's about a spiritual empowerment specifically for us to be a dynamic witness’ for Jesus Christ? So have you picked up and embraced what Jesus promised you before He died - which is the Holy Spirit! Have you invited Him to fill you, to baptize you, or to immerse you in His presence and power in your life? Have you opened up your heart and said Jesus I want more, I want your Spirit to empower me to be all I can be for you? Have you cried out for this in your life?
The apostle Paul asked this question in Acts 19:1-7:
1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
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 nations problems.
Please here this message:
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. How do I know this to be true – watch the news - look at our value system - and also because George Barna makes it clear that Christians are not being lead into truth or living in accordance with Biblical values. His recent surveys prove it – he warns the American Christian's that they are missing truth and truth only comes from the infilling, and from the guidance of the Holy Spirit:
In his book Maximum Faith the book and its statistics (prove this crisis point in America):
Survey: What Christians Think, Believe, and Feel
10% have a biblical worldview
14% say their faith in God is their highest priority in life
15% say every moral choice they make is consistent with the Bible
16% believe that absolute moral truth exists and it is defined by the Bible
17% say the Bible is the medium or resource that has the greatest influence on their decisions
30% have heard of the ‘spiritual gifts’ and are able to identify one that they say they possess
41% believe that when Jesus Christ was on earth He sinned
58% believe that the Holy Spirit is a symbol of God’s presence, power or purity but is not a living entity or impactful entity
59% believe that Satan, or the devil, is a symbol of evil but is not a living or impactful entity
If these statistics don't make my point then listen to the results of another survey:
The Spiritual Side of American Christians
18% claim they are totally committed to investing themselves in spiritual development
20% say the most important decision they have ever made was asking God for forgiveness and inviting Jesus to be their Lord and Savior
20% indicate they are making a full commitment to their spiritual development
23% claim the most important relationship in their life is with Jesus Christ or God
As you hear these statistics which represent the beliefs and actions of American Christians it points to an obvious problem in America. The problem is too many churches are without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Too many proclaiming Christians are not listening to the Holy Spirit or allowing the Holy Spirit to fill them, guide them, lead them or even empower them with truth? Therefore without the Holy Spirit they are lead into deception about what is Truth, what is right or wrong. Many are calling evil good and good evil and some of them are professing 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.
Here are some basic facts about the Holy Spirit:
He possesses a divine personality and personally chooses people for ministry assignments (Acts 13: 2).
He communicates with us (Rev. 2: 7)
He searches out the deep things of God to make them known to believers (1 Cor. 2: 9– 12).
He is the one who makes Christ a living reality to the believer (Eph. 3: 16– 17).
He is called the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8: 9).
He is coequal with both the Father and Son as part of the mystery of the triune God.
Cymbala, Jim (2012-02-21). Spirit Rising: Tapping into the Power of the Holy Spirit (Kindle Locations 200-204). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
The truth is if Christians were filled, guided, or empowered with the Holy Spirit then they would have answered the questionnaires differently. 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 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 its all about control! We want to stay in control - we really do not want the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us.
3. 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 influnce 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. - Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be our private tutor - to help us understand His teachings and to lead us onto Gods agenda.
II. 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.
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.
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?
5. The Holy Spirit.
iii. 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.
T.S. – The Holy Spirit was sent to us to be our personal tutor in the spiritual things of God and we need to understand that you can grieve, quench and drive out the Holy Spirit’s presence from your life or even your church.
III. 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.
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 to much He will leave.
iii. The forsaking of the Word of God.
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.
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 our 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.
v. The disappearance of prayer in the church and in Christians lives.
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!
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 or you are not allowing Him to have full reign in your life.
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!
