[0:00] I don't know if any of you came to Christ through a college ministry. I believe Ty and Rebecca were about that age when they came to know Christ. But you probably are familiar with the ministry of Campus Crusade.
[0:11] And Bill Bright, when asked the question, if he had a choice between sharing the gospel with a massive group of people who weren't yet Christians, or having the opportunity to teach the concept of a spirit-filled life to a small group of people, he says that he would choose to teach the small group of Christians because the impact or influence of that group of Christians filled with the Spirit would be far greater than his sharing with one large group.
[0:37] That's a strong statement to a person who probably had the opportunity in most days to do both. I find that most Christians, in my life and through my experience, we fall into one or two different categories in this regard.
[0:50] Some pursue some experience in the Spirit apart from the Word. We listen to our hearts and we seek for signs, and we want to know what it means. I've been by the graveside of family members as they've lost somebody, or as they lost a family member, and they ask me, what does the rainbow mean that they see that happened after the funeral?
[1:11] And I tell them, we already know what the rainbow means, and it's wonderful. The Bible teaches us. But I understand that desire to have some type of indication, some type of sign or symbol to say that God is present in your life.
[1:27] Because what a scary thought. Jesus was leaving, that he wasn't going to be there. I could see that desire for a sign that is there. So that's one extreme. And I would not want to speak lightheartedly of our believing people that would have an understanding that I don't believe that is as far developed as it should be in regards to the Holy Spirit, that people would have misunderstandings about him, not a mature understanding of what it teaches, as I'd also want people to be patient with those of us who have a tendency to ignore him in our lives, and the interaction, or have a real dependency.
[2:01] And that would be the other side in which we often see. We are Christians who might know that the Holy Spirit is real, but he kind of seems to just float around in our hearts somewhere.
[2:11] In Acts chapter number 19, verse 2, Paul is teaching about the Christian life to a group of new disciples at Ephesus, and he mentions the Holy Spirit, and he says, He said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since he believed?
[2:26] And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. Acts 19, 2. That question which says, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
[2:41] I don't know where they were coming from. Hope they weren't coming from this church. Hope they weren't coming from another Baptist church. But they say, We haven't even heard of this teaching. Is it not amazing the promise that's given from God?
[2:53] Nevertheless, I'll tell you the truth, It's expedient for you that I will go away, and if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you. I've never traveled Israel. I hope to do so someday.
[3:05] And the people always say, Walk where Jesus walked. I'm really interested in the ride the golf cart where Jesus walked. Because what I can tell is that people do a lot of walking on these trips to Israel.
[3:16] And I would love to do that. Walk where Jesus walked. But you know, walking where Jesus walks isn't going to help me feel the presence of God any more than what's available to me right here and right now because of the Holy Spirit.
[3:32] Are we as excited that we have the Holy Spirit as we would be about walking with Jesus? If not, doesn't that show you that we are far removed from grasping the reality of what Jesus has offered to us?
[3:46] That ending of Luke. Do not move forward. Do not pass gold like $200. Do not move forward on your mission. But Terry, wait in Jerusalem until the promise, until the Holy Spirit comes.
[4:01] And in power, it was so important that the world that was waiting for the gospel message in which they had that they were told that they should wait. We don't have a picture in the Bible of what it looks like for a group of people to move forward without waiting.
[4:16] But I have it in my own life. I have it in experience of knowing what it's like and running out and believing that you're responsible for everything. A powerless, unguided type of confusion.
[4:27] And all throughout the New Testament, we see here the repeated command of being filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5, 18, other places. But John 14 through 16, Jesus' final words to the disciples in these three short chapters, the Holy Spirit is mentioned on 20 different occasions.
[4:49] As Jesus was preparing a last message and speaking to His disciples in those three short chapters on 20 occasions. That's what I want to look at today.
[4:59] So the first thing that I made mention of is that the Holy Spirit makes the presence of God real to us. John 14, 18. First promise here. The Holy Spirit makes the presence of God real to us.
[5:13] I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. I will not leave you without a comforter. I will not leave you as orphans. But I will send the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father, to you.
[5:28] Throughout the Bible, we see that God wants to be present with His people. From the first pages, in the garden, He came down in the evening and walked with them. In Exodus, He came down to lead them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
[5:42] He didn't have to do that, but He wanted His presence to be with them. Eventually, He'll have them construct the temple. And the people said, Our God dwells in the midst of us. The Israelites even had a name, Jehovah Shama, which means the God who is here.
[5:57] When the Messiah is born and the angels saying, it is a manual, God is with us. And now Jesus is going to say that by the Holy Spirit, He will be closer than ever.
[6:09] God in you, He will not leave you without comfort, without a comforter. So we should stop and think for a moment. His presence in us would be real and present as Jesus who walked with His disciples.
[6:23] I'd ask you, is your experience in Christianity as a follower of Jesus an experience with the presence of a real person communing with you and moving in you and speaking to you?
[6:37] Because living in the presence of a personal God is absolutely essential to a thriving Christian life. It's not found in knowing a bunch of stuff or manufacturing all this good feeling but abiding in the presence of God.
[6:52] And what the Spirit of God does is He magnifies the love of God and He makes it personal to us. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones says it's like a father who is walking with his son by picture of justice walking with Gideon and he reaches down and he picks up his son and he says, you are my son and I love you.
[7:12] In that moment, that boy is no more his son, legally speaking, than he was the moment before but caught up in his father's arms he fills his sonship more intimately.
[7:24] That's what we find in the work of the Holy Spirit in shedding abroad in our hearts and letting us know and understand the Father here and pointing us to Christ.
[7:35] My defense of that is in Exodus chapter number 34. When Moses asked God to show him his glory, God puts Moses in the cleft of a rock and he passes in front of him declaring who he is and his love for him in the same way the Holy Spirit does that.
[7:51] He puts us into Christ and he magnifies the name of God to us and he makes our sonship come alive. The ministry of the Spirit flooding our hearts with the love of God.
[8:03] Romans 5.5 And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. It is shed here for us.
[8:16] It's a flooding of our hearts. How would your relationship with God change if you saw his presence as a real person? If you understood that that feeling of conviction that you feel when you're about to sin is actually his voice.
[8:31] If you saw the sin that was not so much breaking a law but grieving a person. How would our Christian life change if we understood that when we walked through the valley of darkness he was the one who was bringing the promise of scripture to our minds and comforting us.
[8:46] That these weren't just merely truths you're remembering but it was a person speaking to you. Many times we have as a church spoken about how much we must confront the lies of this world and this culture with truth.
[9:02] But I want to remind you that we have more than right information as our companion in this world but we have a power that comes with the person of the Holy Spirit and the Comforter. So first of all the Holy Spirit makes the presence of God real in our lives as we walk with him as we help other people find and follow Jesus the Holy Spirit comes in and dwells at the time of salvation in our lives and we should recognize his presence in our lives.
[9:28] The Holy Spirit makes that power available to us as well. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones also said I spent half of my time telling Christians to study doctrine and the other half telling them that doctrine is not enough.
[9:43] That's what we need to hear often. Now we need to study the doctrines of the Bible but we must know that it's not enough. It's the Holy Spirit that's empowering us and giving us understanding. In the Old Testament said about David it says that the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.
[9:58] Always the Spirit he did not permanently dwell in God's people in the Old Testament he worked through them and gave them power to achieve things that they would not be able to accomplish on their own and so when we get to the book of Acts and it says but ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you that ought to be a wonderful encouragement and promise that is there.
[10:20] And in the Scripture we find that the Word of God and the power of the Spirit they always come together. They are not an odd pair as some of you may think about the avocado and sauerkraut is the Word of God and the power of the Spirit always go together.
[10:36] This Word that we've been given here it tells us that it's profitable for what? It's for correction for reproof instruction for training and in righteousness it's sufficient to thoroughly furnish to give us all that we need for good works.
[10:49] But Jesus also says that it's through the ministry of the Spirit that we come to understand or obey His Word. That when that Comforter will come He will send the Father and He will testify of Christ.
[11:01] He will glorify Him that He will show us Christ. John 14, 26 The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send out my name He will teach us all things and bring all things to remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you.
[11:17] John 16, 8 And when He has come He, the Holy Spirit He will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. The Apostle Paul is teaching doctrine first three chapters of the book of Ephesians.
[11:33] He gets to a place in his teaching and he stops and prays and he says this in Ephesians 3, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.
[11:54] That it passes knowledge in knowing Him. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. As we study the Word of God that the Holy Spirit would teach us something that passes passes a basic understanding that would be available to anyone but something that's available to us as believers.
[12:13] It's necessary in living a victorious Christian life. The Word of God memorized and known factually but not empowered by the Spirit.
[12:25] The secret of our Christian life John 15, 5 a few verses after that promise I will not leave you comfortless I will not leave you without a comforter. He goes on to teach us Jesus says I am the vine you are the branches and he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing that abiding in him that one word of abiding the prescription he gave which is to abide.
[12:50] Colossians 1.27 says it like this to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of his mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of glory.
[13:00] Christ in you not in us most Christians consider Christian life as something that we are doing for God not the Holy Spirit working in and through us.
[13:12] This is the danger of modeling your Christian life after reading some book about some Navy SEAL who wants to climb Mount Everest and he tells you that you can just do it if you try hard enough.
[13:25] That's a really good book to read when you want to climb Mount Everest and you need to try harder but that doesn't always apply to what you need to do in your Christian life which is you need to surrender and you need to yield and you need to recognize that unless you are empty you will not be filled.
[13:42] So it's not Christ and me or me and myself but it is Christ in you which is the hope of glory. Apostle Paul in Romans 8 22 times when speaking about the victorious Christian life is going to refer him to the Holy Spirit and it is clear if you want victory over our sinful flesh we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.
[14:05] And so how do we abide? That one word prescription abide. First of all I would tell you that you must believe the gospel. Saturate your mind and heart with how high and wide and deep and how wonderful and the Spirit of God works in you as you are saturated with the love of God for you.
[14:25] In Galatians Paul will teach them in the same way which you started your life by faith in the gospel that is the same way that sanctification growth is going to continue.
[14:35] And if you treasure the glory of Christ the gospel referred to as the glory of Christ then you're going to love the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life and seeing him do something.
[14:48] Last week after I ended the morning service a young man sat down with me and we were talking and he would be comfortable with me sharing this story with you and he told me about how he was away from the things of God and he had went went into the world and was living but the Holy Spirit got a hold of his heart and turned him around and he has been faithfully serving around here with us and attending and God has done such a wonderful work and in that moment I just stood there just astonished because living in a world where you just want to balance everything and you want to juggle all the plates that reminder that the most important work that ever is going to be done the thing that God is most pleased in is the work in which the Holy Spirit does in and through us.
[15:39] The Holy Spirit is active in the world in which we live today and so we rejoice in him. We rejoice when we hear the testimony of somebody being saved. I rejoice when 10 years ago I was in Chile and I was around a table with a small group of people and they said we want to share the gospel and they went out and this one man went up to the northern part of Chile and as they had started a church and a little storefront a couple woke up one morning and they said we need our lives must change we must find something that we're not finding in this world and as they were walking down the street they said we're going to go to the first church we find and they walk into that church and Rodolfo accepts Christ and on Thursday night last week I preached with this man as he had come to Christ went to seminary and was now a pastor that is not the story of a Chilean ministry that is the story of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of people he worked in the hearts of a believer in Santiago who said
[16:39] I want to go plant a church and he went he was working and convicting them and bringing them down the road and saving that man and moving them forward and what an incredible ministry and as I hear the gospel I rejoice in knowing that God is doing a work among us that none of us could take credit for it's the work of the Spirit also confess your need of Him if you want to abide in Him the main enemy of the Spirit's power in our lives is a confidence in our own flesh God will only fill empty hands David the boy traveled with me last Thursday night we were at a church in Columbus Georgia and I was sitting on stage about to come preach and an older gentleman stood up to pray and he stood up and he said something like this he said Father we are about to hear your word and we are ready we are going to joyfully submit to the Spirit's leading in our lives and I looked up at David and David looked up at me and we were like that was just that was wonderful right if you can't preach after that you're just really in trouble right and I said
[17:44] I brought David with me I told the church I said I brought David with me to make sure that I don't preach better when I'm away at home so the church knows they're getting their money's worth alright and so and we went there but what a wonderful prayer right and we locked eyes you're not supposed to look around unless you're a pastor's kid and apparently you're allowed to if you're a pastor's kid look around in a prayer and so we looked around we saw that and I was just so excited because that's all that can happen I mean all we can do is ask that the word of God would meet the hearts of his people and that they would yield to what the Holy Spirit is doing and that's the last one if you're going to abide you're going to believe the gospel saturate yourself with an understanding of it always growing in it you're going to confess your need of him setting down your own ability setting your own power down and asking for him and then yield are you right now fully surrendered to the work of the Holy Spirit you can know a lot but not be fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit surrendering is getting out of God's way so that he can do in us what he wants us to do through us so the Holy Spirit makes the presence of God real in us it's just as important to us today as it was those disciples many years ago we need his presence in our lives the Holy Spirit makes the power of God come alive to us makes the power of God available to us and without him we have no guidance we have no power in this world and then lastly here the Holy Spirit makes the mission of God personal to us
[19:16] John 14 12 verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my Father just like I had questions before where saying really is the spirit inside of me more expedient than having Jesus beside me now Jesus says that the works we will do will be greater than these it's another thing to consider another staggering promise greater works than he had anyone in here heal the sick raise the dead feed thousands does anybody else see this as an audacious promise so greater in two ways what makes the works we do greater is that they're done after the final accomplishment of redemption and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit Jesus says about John the Baptist that notwithstanding the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he the time in which we live the opportunities that we have the point to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ that is a great and wonderful work it's also greater in its range when Jesus was on earth the Holy Spirit focused this ministry on one individual now God has been working through so many of you and so many stories this week one of the great things about a trip like going to Chile with the intention of seeing how God's working in the churches is that you're mindful of it you're looking to see how God has been working when I left Chile
[20:47] I said God I don't want to stop seeing that I don't believe that you're limited in your range that you only work here and in this country I believe that you are working and coming back in the few days I've been back since Tuesday I have just been grateful for so many things that I've seen being lived out in our church that are only possible because the Holy Spirit is moving in people's lives one of my favorite sayings favorite truths is this God is always doing 10,000 things in your life and you may be aware of three of them I pray and say God let me see four or five alright God let me see more than what the rest of that I've ever seen before I want to see you moving because in you being moving I feel your presence I recognize your power that is here in our lives and that's what Christian service is what your ministry is it's about learning what Jesus wants to do through you it's about learning what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through you because you see not everything that comes from heaven has your name on it the whole mission is too much for any one of you not everything that comes down has your name on it the mission is too much for any one of us so it's our responsibility it is your responsibility to learn what the Holy Spirit has put your name on and let him do that through you to understand what the Holy Spirit wants to lead you and guide you in the doing so our service to Jesus is not about doing just a bunch of stuff for God but it's yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit to continue his work in and through us and that's where it makes it personal and that's what we should be asking at the end of a sermon or at the end of a time of a Bible study
[22:35] Jesus wants to work in and through us as he continues his ministry through the work of the Holy Spirit that has now come in your lives and so we ask him to make application to each one of you we ask God to give us our assignments for this week for this month in our lives whom is it that we are to be sharing the gospel with what is the ministries that you would have us to be involved in so just in a review before I encourage you to spend some time praying and asking God to lead and guide you as we leave this morning the Holy Spirit makes the presence real to us when we meet with God every day realize that you're dealing with a person like Samuel said in 1 Samuel 3 say speak Lord your servant hears that hearing as you read the Bible that understanding is coming from God Jesus has left the earth and we want him to come back but he has left us someone who said was to our advantage that was expedient to us it is the presence of the Holy Spirit also here it is the power of God that is made available to us it's time that we stop complaining that Jesus has left us alone and start looking to and rejoicing and walking with the
[23:51] Spirit that he puts into our life and we surrender to his gracious guidance in our lives you know parents that's one of the great responsibilities and the great challenges that we have that when our kids are just moved to and fro by maybe their friends or by their emotions is that they get to a place in their lives where they're able to recognize as believers the Holy Spirit living and guiding them and some of us live often like children and the fact that we're not sensitive to that leading and we ought to help them in that to recognize what is available to us the Holy Spirit makes the mission of God personal we should rejoice in this promise we certainly should never feel alone in the work of the Lord it's your responsibility and my responsibility to learn what the Holy Spirit has set for us to do and to live out so I want to encourage you in here as believers that are meeting on the first day of the week rejoice in what
[24:54] God is doing I want to encourage you to respond in the same way that I have in this regard and that is to pray for forgiveness and ignoring the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life of always running and moving and thanking your gnome and ignoring and replacing a person in my life with a set of truths or rules or information I'll just grab the manual and I'll go and I'll have it but I'm walking with him I encourage you to acknowledge that he is the one that is doing the work that will make a lasting and internal difference in this world and without him we are just left the empty business and ask God for clarity in your life ask him what and whom are your God given assignments in this world and look to him to empower you to accomplish his will Heavenly Father I thank you for the promise I thank you for the clear command to wait upon the promise to the disciples and so Father I pray that that is what we will do individually and as a church as you're praying there in your seat and Kristen begins to play and believer
[26:04] I'd ask that you would speak to the Lord and recognize his presence in your life and empty your hands and ask for the power in your life and to know what it is that he would have for you pray for clarity ask God to let you know what it is that he has assigned for you in this world and as you're praying I'd like to encourage you in here if you've never put your faith and trust in Jesus the work of the Holy Spirit in your life is to convict you of sin it's to draw you to Christ it's to let you know of your great need and maybe that's what you're experiencing today or before you even came in here today is you're acknowledging like that man in Chile that there's something that is missing in life and God has drawn you to this place today so that you could hear about how Jesus Christ went to a cross and he paid for your sins and that you can receive forgiveness of those sins so I'd encourage you to cry out to the Lord today and to pray ask for forgiveness of sins acknowledge your need of a Savior and receive him and we'd love to give you a book in the back next steps table give you some resources let you know how you can grow and celebrate with you
[27:14] I'd encourage you to let us be aware of that Heavenly Father I thank you for your word Lord I pray that it's found its place in the hearts of all of us as believers may we leave here today Lord acknowledging that you are very real in our lives and there is a power Lord that is available to us as we live out the mission in which you have given us in Jesus name I pray Amen