Introduction

Hello, dear friends, beloved family in Christ. It is such a joy to gather here today in the house of the Lord, bound together by our shared faith, our shared hope, and our shared love for our Savior. We are here, not because of our own merits, but because of the grace of God that has drawn us together. We are not perfect, but we are perfectly loved by a God who never fails, never changes, and never gives up on us.

Our focus today is on a passage from the book of Romans, a letter written by the apostle Paul to the believers in Rome. It's a passage that speaks to our hearts, challenges our minds, and invites us to a deeper understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Harnessing the Holy Spirit

We find ourselves in the realm of the Spirit, as Paul so eloquently puts it. This realm is not a physical location, but a state of being. It's a way of living, a way of moving, a way of existing. It's a realm that is marked by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. But what does it mean to live in this realm? How do we navigate this spiritual landscape?

The first thing we need to understand is that the Holy Spirit is not a force to be harnessed. The Spirit is not a tool in our hands, but the very breath of God in our lungs. The Spirit is not a resource to be exploited, but the very life of God within us. We do not control the Spirit; the Spirit controls us. We do not command the Spirit; the Spirit commands us. We do not use the Spirit; the Spirit uses us.

This submission to the Spirit is an active participation. It's a conscious decision to yield to the Spirit, to allow the Spirit to have His way in us, to let the Spirit lead us and guide us in all things. It's a willingness to be led by the Spirit, even when the path is unclear, even when the destination is unknown, even when the journey is uncomfortable.

This submission to the Spirit is also a matter of trust. We trust the Spirit because we know the Spirit. We know that the Spirit will not lead us astray, that the Spirit will not abandon us, that the Spirit will not fail us. We trust the Spirit because we trust God, and the Spirit is God.

But this trust in the Spirit is an informed faith. It's a faith that is based on the Word of God, a faith that is grounded in the truth of God, and a faith that is anchored in the promises of God. We trust the Spirit because we trust the Word, and the Spirit is the author of the Word.

This trust in the Spirit is also a matter of obedience. We obey the Spirit because we love the Spirit. We love the Spirit because we love God, and the Spirit is God. Our obedience to the Spirit is an expression of our love for God, a demonstration of our devotion to God, a manifestation of our commitment to God.

This obedience to the Spirit is a joyful privilege. It's a privilege to be led by the Spirit and used by Him. We obey the Spirit not out of fear, but out of love. We obey the Spirit not out of obligation, but out of gratitude.

This obedience to the Spirit is also a matter of surrender. We surrender to the Spirit because we recognize the authority of the Spirit. We recognize that the Spirit is God, that the Spirit is sovereign, that the Spirit is in control.

This surrender to the Spirit is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. It's a strength that comes from knowing that we are not alone, that we are not on our own, that we are not left to our own devices. We surrender to the Spirit not because we are weak, but because in our weakness, the Spirit is strong.

This surrender to the Spirit is also a matter of humility. We humble ourselves before the Spirit because we recognize our place in the grand scheme of things. We recognize that we are not the center of the universe, that we are not the be-all and end-all, that we are not the alpha and omega.

This humility before the Spirit is not a degrading self-abasement, but a liberating self-awareness. It's an awareness of our limitations, an awareness of our shortcomings, an awareness of our need for grace. We humble ourselves before the Spirit not to belittle ourselves, but to magnify God.

This humility before the Spirit is also a matter of reverence. We revere the Spirit because we recognize the holiness of the Spirit. We recognize that the Spirit is God, that the Spirit is holy, that the Spirit is worthy of our worship. We revere the Spirit because we acknowledge our unworthiness, our sinfulness, our need for forgiveness.

Humility, Patience, and Knowledge through the Spirit

As we continue to reflect on the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, let's consider the virtues of humility, patience, and knowledge ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO