Good morning, everybody.
Good morning.
Okay, that's better.
If you don't know me, I'm Bernard,
and I'm one of the members at Watermark.
I'm not on the staff,
so you are unfortunately having amateur night,
attending amateur night.
What we're going to talk about today, though,
is we're rounding out,
we've been going through for the last month,
we're rounding out a series on the Holy Spirit.
Okay.
And today we're going to talk about
the empowering Holy Spirit.
Okay.
So what does it mean to be filled,
and what does it mean to be empowered by the Holy Spirit?
Okay.
So we're going to look at this topic,
we're going to tackle it under three headings.
The need for the Holy Spirit in 2017.
Right?
Why do we need the Holy Spirit?
The signs of what a Spirit-filled life looks like in 2017.
And how.
The last is the application.
How can you be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Okay.
So let's start with the beginning.
The need for the Holy Spirit in 2017.
Why do we even need the Holy Spirit in 2017?
Right?
We can meet everybody we want on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Right?
We can get all our answers that we ever want to ask on Google.
And we can buy anything we want on Amazon or Taobao.
Right?
So why do we need the Holy Spirit?
At no time in history are we more connected to one another
through messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat and Snapchat.
Right?
Last, just three days ago on Friday in the New York Times,
David Brooks, one of the journalists in the New York Times,
had an article called,
Just How Evil Is Tech?
Okay?
Just How Evil Is Tech?
By the way, I'm in the technology industry,
so this could be a little contrarian when you listen to me.
But he said in it,
we have more control over our social interactions,
but it leads to thinner interactions.
Okay?
Technology.
We have more control over our social interaction,
but it leads to thinner interactions.
And he gave some scary statistics,
and I want to share those with you.
He said,
A study shows that 13-year-olds
who spend 10 hours plus a week,
a week, okay?
Not a day.
10 hours plus a week on social media
increase their risk of depression by 27%.
Okay?
10 hours is actually not that much a week on social media.
This is for 13-year-olds.
Teens who spend three or more hours a day
on electronic devices,
smartphones,
you know, tablets,
are 35% more likely to have risk of suicide-like making plans
on how to do it.
Girls especially are hard hit
and have experienced a 50% increase in depression symptoms
since the advent of mobile technology.
These statistics
are showing us one thing,
that you know what?
Our technology is not the solution to loneliness,
but on the contrary,
it's actually,
it amplifies our loneliness.
Okay?
So on the knowledge front,
and I talked about,
you know,
we can get all our answers from Google, right?
I mean,
well,
there's probably one of you out there using Bing,
so using Yahoo,
diehards,
but most of us are probably Google people.
So you can get everything you want to know on Google,
and then if you want to know a little bit more on Wikipedia,
and if you're challenging,
you know,
you're reading challenge,
you probably use YouTube,
right?
But are we better informed?
You know,
as a society,
as a group,
as an individual,
are we better informed?
Are we more educated?
Or are we just more confused?
And,
and is,
you know,
there's,
there's a lot of talk recently
that hack is actually
emphasizing our bias,
and there's a lot of talk about
this echo chamber effect.
You know,
you only Google the things that agree with you.
So,
I think one of the keys,
the other,
the other thing that's just come up recently
is,
is what is fake and what is real,
right?
I mean,
you saw in the US elections,
you know,
there's a lot of talk about fake news and all that,
and,
and I'll just spend a little bit of talk about that.
But,
you know,
Paul,
funny enough,
Paul,
writing to the Ephesians,
had some advice for us.
Okay?
Now,
the city of Ephesus
in,
in the first century,
is actually not that different to Hong Kong.
It was a kind of a commerce hub for the Roman Empire.
It was a trading center.
Not so different to Hong Kong being,
you know,
a commerce and trading center for China,
right?
Right?
So,
the Christians at Ephesus was also being overwhelmed by their,
the demands on their modern world,
their first century modern world,
right?
So,
what,
and,
and they too wanted to find a way to get back a bit of control into their lives.
They feel like they're,
they're,
you know,
Ephesians are feeling like,
you know what,
my life is kind of spinning out of control.
And,
and,
and Paul's,
Paul's writing a letter to say,
hey,
here's a way you get a bit of control into your life.
Okay?
And,
what he said is,
do not get drunk with wine,
for that is the poetry,
but to be filled by the Spirit.
So,
Paul's advice to the Ephesians on how to cope with the challenges they have in their lives
is to be filled with the Spirit.
And he,
and he explains what this filling of the Spirit is.
what it means by contrasting it with,
with the experience of being drunk on wine.
Okay?
I know none of you have ever been drunk in your life.
None of you have had one too many.
So,
you just got to stick with me and think through this in a purely theoretical sense.
Okay?
Because experientially,
it is all foreign to you.
Okay?
So,
what he said is,
you know,
one,
one of the reasons people drink a bit too much is they're having challenges in their lives.
Okay?
If you're having challenges,
you've got a horrible boss,
and you've got a horrible lecturer,
or something like that.
Well,
maybe not,
you know,
you want to,
like,
have extra bear.
Why?
Because you want to kind of forget about the challenges that you're facing.
Right?
So,
what alcohol does,
physiologically,
is it's a depressant.
Okay?
It kind of lowers,
it lowers the tempo in your life.
It reduces your ability to tell what is real and what is not.
Okay?
It lowers your inhibitions.
So,
you know,
people who are drunk love,
believe that they all should be on America's Got Talent.
Right?
They love to sing,
and,
you know,
and they have this perception that they can do anything they want.
Like,
jump,
you know,
a thousand,
you know,
jump up a building like Superman.
And you see when people are drunk,
they are,
they're very bold.
Okay?
But they have no perception of what is real,
and their own abilities.
So,
but the opposite of that is spirit-filled,
Paul said.
So,
what a spirit-filled gives you?
Being spirit-filled,
what Paul is saying is,
it gives you clarity.
It gives you a higher perception of reality.
And it enhances your control.
Okay?
So,
what it means to be spirit-filled is you see more of reality.
Okay?
Not just the reality before your eyes.
Okay?
I'm a little bit older than a lot of you.
So,
one thing you learn as you get older is,
reality is not just what is before your eyes,
but the context of what is happening.
Okay?
The context of what is happening.
So,
context is as important to tell what is reality
than exactly just what you see.
So,
I'll talk a little bit more about that.
And then,
to get,
you have more control over your life.
I don't know,
can I ask a show of hands,
who has more to do?
Wait,
I have a problem finishing off my to-do list.
Okay?
Both at work and at home.
By the end of the day,
I always have things left in my to-do list.
Can I just have a show of hands?
Who has a problem,
who has more to do in a day
than they can get done?
Anybody?
Okay.
That's pretty,
pretty good,
right?
I mean,
that's,
it's a common problem.
We all have more to do in a day
than we have time to do.
Here's the problem.
If you believe God,
it's all-loving,
all-powerful,
and all-knowing God,
He would not give you more things to do in a day
than you can do.
Agree with that?
If God is all-powerful,
so He can control everything,
all-knowing,
and all-loving,
He would not give you more to do in a day
than you can get done.
He would not set you up to fail,
in other words,
right?
Because He's all-loving.
So just,
I'm just,
just logic here,
okay?
So,
but the fact is,
all of us have more to do in a day
than we can deal with.
So what does that mean?
So,
logically speaking,
what it's saying is,
there are things that we are trying to do
and we're striving for in a day
that God did not put in our day
and are not good for us.
But we are working really hard
to try to get those things done,
and it's causing stress in all our lives,
okay?
Wouldn't you like the wisdom
and the discernment
to tell the difference
of what are the things
that are good for you
that God wants you to do
and what are the things
that are just urgent
but not important?
You know,
we've got to separate
the urgent but not important.
So,
what Paul is saying
to Ephesians is,
guys,
I've got some advice for you.
The key to discerning
what is the difference
between urgent and important
is actually to be spirit-filled.
Now,
all of us
feel overwhelmed.
I don't know.
I'm feeling more overwhelmed
this year
than I did last year
than I did the year before that.
And there's a,
there was a really good book
early on this year
written by
another New York Times journalist,
Thomas Freeman,
okay?
Thomas Freeman,
long-time New York Times journalist,
writes about big issues
and the book is called
Thank You for Being Late,
okay?
And the whole reason for,
it's a strange name,
Thank You for Being Late.
Why is it called
Thank You for Being Late?
Well,
the third song
we just sang before
said,
God is in the waiting.
You know,
if I had a postscript
to that book,
it'll be,
Thank You for Being Late,
God is in the waiting.
We all need,
what he's arguing is
we need to take some time
to push pause
on our lives
and hear
what,
hear the voice
in our waiting.
Now,
he's not a Christian writer.
So,
what he's saying is
the reason why
we're all so frazzled
is the rate of change
caused by three things,
technology,
globalization,
and environmental impact
is accelerating,
okay,
exponentially.
the changes in our lives
to the point that
this is the first time
in human history
that the change
that we're experiencing,
it's outpacing
our ability
to adapt to the change,
okay?
So,
the change
that is happening
around us
caused by globalization,
technology,
and environmental changes
is outpacing
our ability,
our human ability
to adapt to the change.
So,
that's why we're frazzled.
This kind of change
kind of happened,
started to happen,
he argued,
in the 70s,
okay?
Now,
in the 80s and 90s,
we had,
our solution
to adapting to change
was this concept
of time management.
There were all sorts of,
you know,
some of you are nodding your head,
some of you are like,
I wasn't even born yet.
Anyway,
there were all sorts
of companies
that sprung up
that gave,
that made all these
specialized,
patented diaries,
you know,
like,
like Franklin Covey
and Philofax,
and you pay
hundreds of dollars
for these diaries
for a very specialized
patented process
of how to do
your to-do list better,
and how do you
check off your to-do list.
So,
our solution
in the 80s and 90s
to this
faster pace of change
was to write
better to-do lists.
That didn't really work,
okay?
So,
in the late 90s,
technology started creeping in,
and companies like,
you know,
Palm,
Palm Pilot,
you know,
most of you are like,
what's Palm Pilot,
okay?
And BlackBerry,
you know,
most,
some of you may have heard
of BlackBerry,
but,
you know,
what was kind of created
in the late 90s,
and that wasn't going
to solve our problems,
okay?
I can see a lot
of blank faces out there,
especially when I mention
Palm Pilot.
Half of you don't know
what it is,
the other half is nodding,
it's like having flashbacks
of holding your palm trio,
and listening to
Britney Spears,
you know,
oops,
I did it again.
But that's the error,
okay?
But,
anyway,
they're kind of like
early poor versions
of iPhone,
if you can imagine that.
2007,
Steve Jobs made the iPhone,
right?
And then he said,
this is a revolutionary device
that's going to change everything.
I think he was right,
okay?
But it's actually changed
a lot of things
he didn't intend to change.
So,
and we also,
at that same time,
we had the advent
of cloud computing,
okay?
I won't go too techy
into this,
but the fact is,
social media was birthed
from cloud computing,
okay?
So,
2007,
this is my life
in 2007.
Well,
you know,
does it look like
a little bit of your life
as well?
Social media,
okay,
was meant to help us connect.
Instagram,
Facebook,
and LinkedIn,
and later Snapchat,
was helped to connect
with one another.
But,
the problem,
as David Brooks said,
it created thinner relationships,
okay?
He said,
online,
it's great,
it's a great place
for human contact,
but not internet.
intimacy.
Online,
it's a great place
for information,
but not reflection,
okay?
So,
you know,
you can't,
most of our messaging,
we may be messaging
tens of people,
I don't know,
some of you may be messaging
hundreds of people
per day,
but you're not having
deep relationships.
I mean,
how deep can
your relationship be
if there's no words,
but just emoji,
or selfies
with dog filters,
okay?
So,
I'm not,
giving you a hard time
with the selfie
with the dog filter,
but I'm saying,
that is not
a relationship.
That is something,
I don't know what it is,
but it's actually
not a relationship,
okay?
So,
cut down on the
selfie with the dog filter.
A couple weeks ago,
I was in Hongxiao,
visiting my youngest daughter,
Lizzie,
and,
you know,
Hongxiao is the home
for Alibaba,
and I just happened
to be there
on November 11th.
You know,
anybody know,
Singles Day,
right?
1-1-1-1,
right?
I don't know.
Who made this thing up?
Okay?
Singles Day,
biggest shopping day
in China.
And we were there
on Saturday morning,
and we drove out
to look at some sites,
and there was no traffic
on the road.
And the tour guide said,
the reason there's no traffic
on the road is
everybody was up all night
from midnight
to 4 a.m.
trying to get
the best bargains.
So,
everybody's sleeping
in this morning,
right?
So,
and there was
this sense of pride.
By the end of that day,
you know,
China had bought
$25 billion
worth of stuff.
I don't know,
stocked up on toilet paper
for three years,
or something.
$25 billion
right?
Which is like twice
Black Friday,
Cyber Monday,
whatever it is.
But the fact is,
there was a national pride
in how much we have spent
on buying stuff
that we don't need.
Okay?
It was like
China won the World Cup
when it crossed
the $25 billion mark.
So,
there's something
going on there,
and we're spending,
you know,
Taobao and Amazon
was meant to save us time.
But we're actually
spending a lot of time,
I don't know about you,
you know,
I get hooked.
I'm spending a lot of time
going on these online shots,
buying stuff
that you don't need.
Okay?
You're not actually,
if you're honest with us,
not really saving us
a lot of time.
So,
and here's the
dirty little secret,
okay?
I work in the technology industry.
Tech companies
are not interested
at all
in saving you time.
They have zero interest,
okay,
of all saving you time.
what they want
is for you
to spend more time
on their platforms.
It could be
on their devices,
on their social media platform.
Why?
The more time you spend there,
the more value there is
for advertisers
who advertise to you
for you to buy more stuff,
which can be delivered
from the SF
tomorrow,
right?
So,
the fact here is
technology,
you know,
we say,
well,
technology is going to
save so much time.
Tech companies
are not interested,
okay?
And you say,
wow,
that's very evil,
very conspiracy theory,
okay?
Give you a couple examples.
Snapchat.
Who uses Snapchat?
Okay,
you don't have to be ashamed of it.
I didn't say,
who uses Snapchat
only using dog filters?
Okay.
Snapchat.
Okay.
Snapchat has latest,
latest,
not the latest,
the big thing,
Snapchat is Snapstreak,
right?
For those of you
who don't know
what Snapstreak is,
you know,
it's basically,
you're Snapchatting a friend
and you need to Snapchat
each other every day
to keep that streak going.
And people have
one year,
two year,
really long streaks,
hundreds of days,
right?
And you feel a lot of pressure
on,
I got to snap something
to my friend,
and otherwise,
I'm going to break
the streak.
Okay?
That,
in marketing,
is called
a compulsive loop.
Okay?
Or hijacking technology.
So,
what is happening
is technologies,
tech companies
are building
systems
into,
to keep you on
the system.
Okay?
Newsfeeds.
If you look at how
newsfeeds are read,
you go into
CNN,
BBC,
see,
it doesn't matter,
any,
having,
whatever,
the news stories
actually go down
in a spiral.
It's a bottomless bowl
and it leads you
to a next story,
next story,
next story.
Okay?
Because there's always
a different colour
click-through
to go to the next story.
Okay?
And,
that's to keep you
on the news site
for longer.
Okay?
Online gaming,
if you're a gamer,
there are incentives
for you.
In fact,
there are penalties.
If you don't play
every day,
there are penalties.
You drop down
the league table
and so forth.
Right?
I mean,
for those of you
who spend a lot of time
on the platform,
you know this.
And worse than,
well,
I wouldn't say worse.
Most of all,
social media platforms
are very,
very smart
and they give
irregular time rewards
because then
you have to check it,
check your Facebook
and check Instagram
all the time
to get this burst
of social affirmation.
What is social affirmation?
Your likes,
your followers.
Okay?
Trust me,
those likes
don't appear immediately.
Okay?
There's timing involved.
So,
social affirmation
is a dangerous thing
and most of you know
you can actually go
on certain sites
to buy likes
which is,
you know,
kind of weird
but anyway,
you can buy likes
so suddenly
your post has got
more likes
than actually there was
people who liked it.
But what social affirmation
is leading to?
You know,
a month ago
I had to do
a little study
on a subject
I have no knowledge of
and that's cosmetics
because I was talking
to a client
who makes cosmetics
and I was trying
to talk to him
about technology
so I thought
I better learn
about cosmetics
otherwise I'm going
to look like
a right Philistine
in the cosmetic industry.
So,
I studied
the cosmetic industry
for a few days
and one thing
I found was
cosmetic industry
has been going
through a boom
in the last five years.
Exponential boom.
Selling more
than ever.
Okay?
And the boom
was driven
by this one concept
social beauty.
Okay?
And what is
social beauty?
You can probably guess
right?
It's look good
on your selfies
on your Instagram
or on your
whatever you're posting
you're doing.
Okay?
Social beauty
is driving a boom
in the cosmetic industry
especially with foundation
and lipstick
and eyeliner
less so with nail products
because I figured
if you can see
nail products
in your selfie
that means your fingers
actually covering
the camera
so this
just around the face.
Okay?
That's the boom.
Do not
this is not booming.
So
but on top of that
I also found out
about this app
Me Too.
Now
there's a lot of people
in denial
out there saying
I don't know
what Me Too is.
I never used it
before in my life.
It's the number one
selfie filter app
in China.
Okay?
I see some nodding heads.
So you take a picture
you don't have to do
your makeup.
Okay?
You take a picture
and then you put in
these filters
and basically
by the time you post it
you can't even
recognize yourself.
You look so good.
Right?
The problem
and by the way
this is not like
50,000 downloads.
There's over
a billion downloads
of Me Too.
Okay?
It's a multi-billion dollar company.
I say a billion downloads.
That's a lot of downloads.
Okay?
Of the app.
So
you know
if I
confiscate everybody's
smartphone right now
and see who has
the Me Too app
you know
there will be
a good bunch of people here
with the Me Too app.
Okay?
I'm just saying
so
one of the problems is
we are blurring
the line between reality
and
and what is fake.
And we got a lot of pressure.
We as a society
have put a lot of pressure
on people
and put on
on ourselves
on this
social affirmation
and this
social beauty.
technology
ain't the solve
for our
razzled
out of control life.
Okay?
And
last and certainly
not least
a lot of
news articles
out
and Economist
Front cover
two weeks ago
said
the social
the quote was
social media's
threat to democracy
and basically
it was the story
about
Facebook
and
and Russian
fake news
and dissemination
of that.
so
we live in a more
complex society
with this technology.
We have a lot more
new pressure
that the Ephesians
didn't have
but you know
but
but also
the problem
that solution
is still the same.
Paul's
advice to the Ephesians
works for us today.
What
Paul is saying is
only
if you have
the spirit
active in your life
that you're going
to see more
of reality
and you're going
to have more
control
in your life.
Okay.
The recognition
that actually
2,000 years ago
on a hill
in Calvary
that Christ
died on the cross
for us
have given us
that victory
frees us
from that
social
affirmation
seeking
tendency.
Frees us
from that
social beauty
seeking
tendency.
We won't
feel so
enslaved
by that.
So
does that
mean
the challenges
that we face
before us
are all
not real?
No.
It doesn't.
We all face
real challenges
in our lives
but what
having a spirit
filled life
means
is that
we will not
be crushed
by those
challenges.
We will see
a reality
that is
deeper
and that is
more
real.
Now I'll give you
an example.
In the Old Testament
do you remember
that there's a story
of Elisha?
Elisha was
in a place
called Dothran
and he was
there with his
servant
and the king
of Syria
wanted to
kill Elisha
so what he did
is sent an army
with chariots
and soldiers
and in the
morning
Elisha and
the servant
woke up
and he looks
over the wall
and he sees
oh we're
surrounded by
thousands of
Syrian soldiers
okay with
their chariots
and the servant
runs down
and says
to Elisha
we're in
trouble
we are
dead
the Syrian
king
has sent
an army
and we're
going to
capture
and we're
going to
get killed
and Elisha
said
let's get
drunk
no he didn't
of course he
didn't get
to say that
he said
the contract
he said
let us
pray
and what
did Elisha
pray about
Elisha
prayed that
God will
open the
servant's
eyes
Elisha
didn't say
send down
lightning bolt
and destroy
the Syrian
army
he said
God will
open the
servant's
eyes
and when
the servant
went back
up on the
wall
all the
Syrian
army was
still there
if you
remember
but what
he saw
behind them
were the
chariots of
fire
okay
so you
know
so I'm
not saying
by having
a spirit
filled life
that you
know
all your
problems
are going
to go
away
but what
you will
have
is a
perspective
that you
can see
more of
reality
you get
able to
see
past
the
problems
that is
right in
front of
you
you know
one of
the
one of
the challenges
we have
you know
we live
in a
spiritual
battle
okay
in Ephesians
where we're
told our
battle is not
just in flesh
and blood
but our
battle is
in the
cosmic
realms
and one
of the
things the
enemy want
us and
want all
of us to
be focused
on is
the problems
in our
lives
and he
wants those
problems to
amplify
and you know
we're all
pessimists
when it comes
to problems
we think
oh this is
just going to
turn into
this this
is going to
turn into
this
you know
my kid
did not
get into
that play
group
therefore
he is not
going to get
into that
kindergarten
therefore he's
not going to
get into
that primary
school
and that
high school
and that
university
and he's
going to
sleep under
a bridge
it's a
big leap
you know
but you know
what we all
do this
because when
we see a
problem in
our life
we focus
on that
and the
enemy want
us to be
overwhelmed
by that
problem
okay
and what
the Holy
Spirit does
it clarifies
that for you
and it's
say look
at this
in the
perspective
of what
Christ has
already done
for us
you have
the victory
you don't
need to be
crushed by
this problem
okay
so that's
I think
you know
the essence
of that
clarity
of what
the Holy
Spirit can
give us
the other
thing
within that
verse
in Ephesians
5
is it
talks about
what are
some of
the other
signs
of being
a
spirit-filled
life
and you know
this
this I
really like
firstly
it clearly
talks about
it
maybe go
back up
one slide
to the
previous slide
it clearly
talks about
addressing
one another
in psalms
and hymns
and spiritual
songs
okay
not all of
us can
hold a tune
I can't
hold a tune
I'm terrible
music wise
but when
you're spirit
filled
you want
to sing
praise to
God
not in
tune
always
but the
fact that
you want
to be able
to praise
God
why
music
and songs
allows us
to express
things that
are in our
heart
that prose
and words
cannot
okay
there's
something
magic
that happens
when we
sing
even out
of tune
okay
that we
can express
a praise
and a
gratitude
that words
when you're
just reading
and writing
doesn't happen
okay
so that's
that's one
second thing
of signs
of a spirit
filled life
is somebody
you can see
it back here
giving thanks
always
somebody
who lives
a life of
gratitude
okay
we
we've all
known
what's the
opposite
of gratitude
complaining
and
C.S. Lewis
used the word
grumbling
that's probably
a more
old English
word
but
complaining
right
things are
never right
it's always
somebody else's
fault
this is no
good
you know
so and so
doesn't
my boss
doesn't
understand
my
talents
and my
desires
and how
great
I'm going
to make
this company
and he
keeps on
asking me
to do
these things
where I
should be
doing
strategy
you know
that's
you know
the fact
here is
grumbling
is a sign
that you
don't have
spiritual life
C.S. Lewis
wrote about
this in
his book
The Great
Divorce
and he
said
in it
he said
in all
of us
he said
hell begins
with a
grumbling
mood
always complaining
and always
blaming others
if you
and what
he's saying
is if you
don't deal
with it
soon
you have
nothing
but a
grumble
and finally
he said
but in
each of
us
there's
something
growing
which
will be
hell
unless
we nip
it in
the bud
that sense
of grumbling
that sense
of ingratitude
to God
is
growing
in all
of us
we always
want to
look around
and see
hey
you know
what
so and so
doesn't
really
understand
and you
know
so and so
is not
really
recognizing
me
but the
fact is
if you're
spirit filled
you don't
need that
maybe the
opposite of
gratitude
is neediness
you know
we all know
people that are
super needy
okay
I call them
emotional vampires
okay
and you can
have a coffee
with them
next minute
turns into
four hours
of why
life is not
good for me
and why
it's not
my fault
and it
is draining
that's why
it's an
emotional vampire
right
so
but the
fact here
is if
you're
spirit filled
you're not
going to
be an
emotional
vampire
okay
if you
want to
break out
of your
emotional
vampire-ness
spirit filled
is the
answer
we've
also known
people that
are always
full of joy
despite their
circumstances
right
they have
this sense
of optimism
about them
they're poised
that you
know
probably not
a word we
use a lot
nowadays
they're poised
and they're
in control
and when
bad things
happen in
their life
they have
emotional
ballast
you know
what a
ballast is
is things
that in a
boat that
keeps you
afloat
right
so they
have this
emotional
ballast
that they
can stay
afloat
in stormy
situations
okay
so don't
we all
want that
don't we all
want kind of
poised
emotional
ballast
and a
joy
that is
absent
from
that
you're
independent
I mean
from
our
circumstances
so the
last and
certainly
key piece
is how
do we get
to be
spirit filled
okay
so here's the
application
how do we
and
we're told
there are three
things we've got to do
okay
as I search the
scripture
one is
to do
and two
is things
to watch
out for
the first
thing is
Romans
8 13
said
if you live
according to the
flesh you will
die
but if the
spirit
but by the
spirit you put
to death
the deeds
of the body
what this is
saying is
put to death
sin
that
sounds like
a seriously
difficult
task
what does
put to death
sin in our
lives mean
okay
now I'm going
to give you
a step by
step
it's actually
it's not
one big
thing
it's a
journey
and it's a
constant
small things
that we do
okay
so
put to death
is more
than repentance
it's more
than just
asking for
forgiveness
so normally
you know
we do
something
we know
sin
we come
to God
and say
God
we're really
sorry
I shouldn't
have done
that
I'm facing
the consequence
now
but you know
what
I'm asking
for forgiveness
and we are
assured
of forgiveness
because of
what Christ
has done
on the cross
for us
and then
we move
on
and then
we sin
again
and then
we go
into repentance
stage two
right
and we move
on
what put to
death means
here
and the
King James
version
used an old
word called
mortification
but put to
death as being
proactive in
dealing with
our sins
how do we
proactively deal
with our sins
okay
firstly
the first thing
you have to do
is I highly
recommend a
journal
I highly
recommend you
get a book
a notebook
and write
this down
something happens
magically
when you write
something down
it becomes
much more real
and you process
it in a different
way
okay
don't even use
notes in your
iPhone or your
Samsung and type
it
get a piece of
paper and write
this thing down
identify the sin
that you're trying
to deal with
not all the sins
in your life
okay
just pick one
I'm angry
with so and
so
so and so
said something
and I feel
slighted
or I'm angry
with so and
so for not
replying to
my what happened
messages within
the designated
you know
three minute
period
okay
or something
like that
whatever is
the sin
you're trying
to deal with
write that
down
okay
you're struggling
with
second thing
is try
to answer
what is the
motivation
why do I
feel angry
what is the
motivation
behind that
okay
a lot of
time that
could be pride
it could be
other things
write that
down
and then
answer the
question
why would
Christ be
saddened
why would
Christ be
saddened
by me
being stuck
in this
sin
also journal
this
write this
down
so you know
start off
with identify
the sin
what's the
motivation
behind it
why would
Christ
be saddened
by it
okay
and then
why doesn't
Christ want
me to be
stuck in
this cycle
of sin
you know
and then
why is it
bad for me
simple
why is this
sin bad
for me
you say
well
it's not
you know
I quite
enjoy it
at the
moment
but
for the
long
and for
the medium
and longer
term
why would
this sin
have an
impact
on me
and those
around me
okay
so
it's
simple
just
five
points
but
write this
down
this
is
the
process
of
putting
to death
sin
and
then
search
and read
the scripture
and look
at the
Bible
and
the
answers
of all
those
questions
are in
the Bible
and you
can search
and ask
the Holy
Spirit
to speak
to you
and reveal
to you
why is
Christ
saddened
by this
sin
who
am I
impacting
around me
with this
sin
apart from
myself
you're
certainly
impacting
yourself
okay
and then
journal that
I would
just say
take time
and this
is not a
one off
I'm gonna
get it
done
and then
boom
I'm done
this is a
daily
process
what we are
told in the
scripture
is put
to death
sin in our
lives
daily
okay
so take
time
and just
do it
maybe you
can't do it
every day
maybe you
just do it
twice a week
schedule
twice a
week
just five
minutes
in your
journal
just do
look at
what are
the sins
this last
week
that has
been bothering
me
and how
can I
get ahead
of it
how can
I deal
with it
before it
overwhelms
me
okay
now because
I think
the key
thing here
is understanding
how that
sin grieves
God
okay
what does
that mean
make saddens
God
okay
so I'm
gonna
one thing
we do
two things
we gotta
watch out
for
the key
of overcoming
sin
is understanding
how that
sin
grieves
the one
who died
on the cross
for us
okay
so
there's some
parents out
here
okay
if you're
not a
parent
you have
parents
okay
so
I'm just
gonna use a
parenting
example
okay
maybe you
are the
cause of
this parenting
dilemma
but here
if you're
a parent
you've
spent time
in sacrificing
and nurturing
your child
with a
hope of
this child
achieve
his or her
potential
and this
child have
joy in
their life
and so
forth
right
now
you may
not have
experienced
this
but if
you have
a three
year old
you probably
have
from now
at some
point
the child
whatever
advice you
give them
they're just
gonna do
the opposite
okay
not only
will they
do the
opposite
they will
stop
at a
moment
turn around
and look
at you
and say
dad
the reason
you don't
want me
to stay
out
to three
in the
morning
is you
just do
not want
me to
be happy
I'm
five years
old
come on
okay
you just
don't want
me to
be happy
you want
me to
live a
miserable
life
my
sister's
two
I can
understand
for her
she should
not be
out to
three
but I
am
five
okay
you just
maybe
you haven't
heard that
maybe
you've
said
that
okay
now
take
that
it's
an
imperfect
example
because
parents
are
flawed
human
parents
are
flawed
and
we
have
flawed
motives
and we
don't
have full
knowledge
but when
God
wants us
to do
something
gives us
advice
to do
something
and we
turn around
and say
God
I'm not
going to
do that
because
you just
don't want
me to
be happy
okay
and we
do that
every day
the sad
thing is
we do
that
every day
and not
only did
they
you know
give up
a little
something
for us
God
gave up
his son
paid
that price
and we
turn around
and we
lift our
nose
and we
wave our
finger
at him
and say
you don't
want me
to do
this
thing
it's
cramping
my
lifestyle
you just
don't
love me
and you
don't
want me
to be
happy
and that's
what we
do
every day
and you
got to
take that
and put
it on top
of when
you're trying
to put
to death
the sin
and think
through it
in that
context
and it
will give
you a
whole new
perspective
of the
sin
we all
know
the sin
is wrong
we all
know
it's not
good for
us
so it's
you know
we've
known that
and we
haven't been
able to
stop
right
it hasn't
really helped
us
it's not
the lack
of knowledge
it's actually
the thing
the most
powerful
thing that's
going to
help us
overcome
sin
is actually
understanding
how it
grieves
us
okay
so I'm
just going
to kind
of wrap
up soon
here
the last
thing is
in 1
Thessalonians
5.19
it says
do not
quench
the spirit
what is
quench
the spirit
mean
okay
last week
I think
BJ
shared
in here
to talk
about
prophecy
one of the
things
we talked
about
is the
Holy Spirit
speaks into
our lives
if you look
at that third
song
in the
waiting
the spirit
is speaking
to us
in our
waiting
okay
the spirit
speaks into
us
through
personal
revelations
it could
be
through
scripture
it could
be
through
prayer
it could
be
in times
of worship
okay
at that
time
when the
spirit
speaks
to you
and
asks you
to join
him
in
something
you have
a choice
you have
a choice
to either
say
yes
you know
what
I'm going
to step
out
I'm going
to do
it
or
most of
the time
we're saying
you know
what I'm
kind of
busy
this week
maybe I'll
get back
to it
next week
okay
so
by saying
we're busy
this week
I'll get
back to it
next week
that's
quenching
the spirit
okay
so I'm
not talking
about sin
now
I'm talking
about
the Holy
Spirit
is calling
you
and want
to hang
out
okay
want to
hang out
with you
and you're
saying
you know
what
I'm kind
of busy
take a
rain check
lots of
nice
excuses
dog ate
my homework
you know
and you
know
I can't
and after
a while
you know
after those
27,000
whatsapp messages
to say
hey let's
go and hang
out and get
a coffee
and spend
some time
with me
you're going
to stop
hearing those
it's not
because God
stopped sending
them
you will
not notice
those
anymore
okay
so God
continued to
call out
to us
but we
continue
when we
ignore him
and we
say
you know
I'm too
busy
it's going
to be hard
for us
to keep
hearing
that
okay
in Luke
418
we talked
about
the spirit
of the
Lord
is upon
me
because
we have
been
because he
has anointed
me
to proclaim
the good
news
to the poor
and sent
me to
proclaim
liberty
to the
captives
and recover
sights
to the blind
now
that is God
calling us
God is calling
us to join
him in his
work
he doesn't need
us by the way
I mean just
in case you're
thinking
God really
needs me to
go and save
the world
he doesn't
okay
he can do it
without you
he's sending
an invitation
to say
hey
do you want
to come and
join me
and hang
out
and while
we maybe
do this
thing
together
you'll get
to know
me a little
better
okay
that is
what is
happening
okay
so
we've
heard
basically
what he's
saying
is
I want
you know
I want
to check
up on
so and
so
I want
to like
you know
so and
so has
been off
your radar
I want
to check
up on
so and
so
and I
want
you to
be my
instrument
to do
that
I want
to share
the gospel
with this
person
and I want
you to
be my
voice
I want
to lift
this
person
out
of
the
situation
that
they're
in
and I
want
us
to do
it
together
that's
when
the
spirit
is
calling
you
we've
heard
some
things
this
morning
with
sons
and
daughters
you know
going
to the
dinner
as well
as donating
next week
we have
the walk
a thon
with
Ebenezer
God
is
calling
us
to join
him
in
these
things
okay
you don't
have to
join
everyone
but
if
you're
hearing
God
asking
you
to
join
and
you
are
ignoring
that
and
saying
I'm
busy
you're
quenching
the
spirit
I mean
I don't
know
any other
way to
put it
that's
that is
what's
happening
okay
so he
wants to
hang out
with you
and he
wants to
hang out
in these
activities
with you
and
he
is
keep
on
calling
you
okay
we're
not
calling
him
he
is
calling
us
so
in
summary
the
answers
to the
problems
we have
in 2007
is not
going to
come from
AI
it ain't
going to
come from
blockchain
and it
ain't
going to
come from
your next
killer
iPhone
okay
if you
want to
have
better
control
of
your
life
if
you
want
to
have
a
better
discernment
on
what
is
real
and
what's
fake
and
you
want
to
have
joy
that
transcends
all the
circumstances
and difficult
circumstances
in your
life
then invite
the spirit
into your
life
okay
take
time
and start
on this
journey
of putting
to death
our sins
one at a
time
slowly
and it's
going to
be up
and down
rocky
journey
but start
doing that
focus
on
be careful
not to
grieve the
spirit
understand
how by
sinning
we're
grieving
God
and
focus
and
respond
when God
is calling
you and
saying hey
let's go
and hang
out
step out
in faith
maybe
I've never
been to
that place
before
I'm not
sure I'm
going to
be really
good at
hanging out
at that
place
God is
just
saying
just
come
out
you'll
be
surprised
okay
and just
come and
hang out
with me
so
with that
I just
want to
kind of
close it
off
with a
prayer
for us
and
ask the
spirit
to come
into our
lives
let us
bow our
heads
Lord
we just
want to
give you
thanks
we give
you thanks
that you've
brought us
here today
you've
given us
a spirit
at the
highest cost
that is
possible
Lord
that you
have
put your
son on
that cross
so that
we may
receive the
spirit
and that
spirit
is here
to guide
us through
the journey
of life
in this
world
and Lord
that there's
so many
things that
you have
installed for
us but
yet we fill
our day
with so
many things
that are
not good
for us
Lord
help us
discern
what is
intended
for you
what you
intend
for our
day
and let us
put aside
those things
that we may
be striving
for that we
may think
will make us
happy but
ultimately
they will
come out
empty
we just ask
you that
we can step
out in faith
when you come
calling when
you're messaging
us that we
can take our
faith and just
walk in one
step out to
say you know
what I'm
going to spend
a little bit
time with you
and serving
the needs
around us
Lord we just
want to lift
us up to
you in the
name of our
Lord Jesus
Amen