As Neil's outlined, God calls us on a big mission to share the good news of the gospel to all people,
our friends, family, colleagues, neighbors.
But in order for us to do this, to live on the gospel and to honor God's mission for evangelism,
we must be wholly dependent on Him.
Dan and Simon will speak about faith and prayer in a moment,
but I will first talk about the Holy Spirit.
And over the next 20 or so minutes, I'll try to address the two questions that we have just discussed,
plus a third question as well.
First, let's take a walk down memory lane.
Let's remind ourselves, who is the Holy Spirit?
What do we know about the Holy Spirit?
There's a saying in some Christian circles that the Holy Spirit is the forgotten member of the Trinity.
We believe in and we pray to Father God.
We love, trust, and receive the grace of Jesus Christ.
But maybe we don't acknowledge or understand the person of the Holy Spirit as much.
Well, let's go back to basics.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Number one, the Holy Spirit is a person of the Trinity,
equal in stature, in glory, in sovereignty, in honor,
as the Father, God the Father, as Jesus Christ, God the Son.
And the Holy Spirit's fingerprints are seen throughout Scripture.
Genesis 1, verse 2.
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep,
and the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, was hovering over the face of the waters.
At creation, the Holy Spirit was there, was present, creating order out of chaos.
And throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit empowered many imperfect men and women
to do supernatural, powerful things for God.
In the New Testament, Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit.
At His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on Christ like a dove.
And throughout His ministry, the Holy Spirit was there with Jesus,
empowering Him as His helper and companion to heal the sick,
to preach with boldness, to cast out demons, and even raise the dead.
The Spirit was there when Christ went to the cross.
And it was the power of the Holy Spirit which raised Christ from the dead
and seated Him in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1.20.
And in the early church, in Acts chapter 2, which Kevin spoke about last Sunday,
the followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in different tongues.
This is the point.
Throughout Scripture, the Holy Spirit was there, creating order out of chaos,
filling God's people with superhuman, unimaginable power.
And the Spirit was there as the helper of Jesus Christ.
And when Jesus went into heaven, when He ascended into heaven,
Jesus gave the church, that's us, that includes Watermark,
the Holy Spirit as our helper to be with us always.
So today, if you are a follower of Jesus,
and the Holy Spirit dwells or lives in you,
Romans 8.9,
You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.
If in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you,
anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.
Ephesians 1.13,
When you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation,
and believed in Him,
you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
Let me say it again.
If you are a Christian, if you are a follower of Christ,
the Holy Spirit lives in you,
and therefore, His power
is available to you.
Ephesians 3.16,
According to the riches of His glory,
may He grant you to be strengthened with power
in your inner being.
The Holy Spirit lives in you,
and His power is available to you.
So, going to our first question,
which we've been discussing,
why do we need to depend on the Holy Spirit
and His power to live life as a Christian?
Can't we just read the Bible,
go to CG,
go to Sunday service?
Why do we need to be strengthened with the Spirit's power?
Well, at Watermark,
we often say that we need the gospel
to go from our heads into our hearts.
Of course, this doesn't mean that we switch off our brains
and we only care about feelings and emotions.
Far from it.
One hundred percent,
we need to study the Word of God,
understand sound doctrine,
and put it into practice.
But maybe you can relate to this.
Do you sometimes feel
that your relationship with God
is a bit dry or lifeless?
You read God's Word,
you go to church,
but God's love is not really real in your life,
in your heart.
Or do you struggle to apply the gospel
in everyday life,
especially when life throws you a curveball?
A relationship breaks down,
your career takes a hit.
You know God's Word says trust Him,
but in that moment,
you find yourself doubting.
Or do you find yourself
unable to tackle the sin in your life?
You know that sin destroys,
that's what God's Word says,
but you can't control your thoughts
or your actions.
You know Christ's calling is higher,
but on the scoreboard,
sin is winning.
Can anyone relate to this?
Or is it just me
that experiences these things?
See, on our own strength,
the day-to-day Christian life
can be difficult,
perhaps even impossible.
It's difficult to live out the gospel
in everyday life.
But the wonderful news,
dear brothers and sisters,
in Christ,
is that by His grace and kindness,
God has given all of us
a helper,
the Holy Spirit.
He's been given to you
to be with you forever,
John 14.
And by His power,
the Holy Spirit enlightens
the eyes of our hearts
to see the beauty of Christ.
It makes the gospel come alive.
The Holy Spirit opens the eyes
of our hearts
to see the beauty of Christ.
the Holy Spirit causes us
to be rooted and grounded
in the love of Christ
and to understand
the breadth and length
and height and depth
of Christ's undying love.
In short,
the Holy Spirit glorifies
and magnifies Christ
in our hearts.
John 16, 14.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
the Holy Spirit,
He will guide you
into all truth,
for He will not speak
on His own authority,
but whatever He hears,
He will speak.
He will glorify me.
This is not just
knowledge of Christ.
It's not just theology.
It's also a revelation
in our hearts.
It's doctrine
and it's power.
The Spirit magnifies
Jesus up here
and also down here
in our hearts.
And so we need the Spirit
to live the gospel
in everyday life.
Here's the second reason
which means
was speaking of us
why we need the Spirit
in our lives,
why we depend on the Spirit.
As Neil mentioned,
it's a really difficult mission
that we have
to evangelize,
to share the gospel
with people.
It's mission impossible,
you could say.
In our own strength,
with our own words.
How are we supposed
to convince someone
to follow Jesus?
We need to depend
on the Spirit's power.
It is a person
of the Holy Spirit
who strengthens us
with power
to have the courage
to even approach someone.
It's the Spirit
of Christ
who gives us
the words to say
to our friend
when we're sharing
the gospel.
And it's the Holy Spirit
who's the one
who actually transforms
someone's heart,
opens the eyes
of that person's heart
to have saving faith
in Christ.
And so we desperately
need to depend
on the Holy Spirit
to empower us
to live out the gospel
with joy and fullness
and also
to live out the calling
for mission.
So now our second question.
What are the markers
of a Spirit-dependent life?
Kev described
what a Spirit-filled church
looks like last Sunday.
If you missed his sermon,
go back online
and listen to it.
But today I'll try
to give a few examples
and illustrations
of what a Spirit-dependent person
or life looks like.
Four things.
Number one,
it looks like someone
who has an active prayer life.
Simon will talk about prayer
in a moment,
but just briefly,
someone who is dependent
on the Holy Spirit,
whenever they face a challenge,
their first reaction
is not,
how do I fix this
or what should I do?
Their first reaction
is prayer.
Seek God.
Seek God's discernment.
Seek God's guidance
and seek His healing.
I think Sherman Wong
is someone
who lives by this.
Sherman,
where are you?
Sherman Wong?
Learn about prayer?
Go to Sherman Wong.
Whatever challenge
comes her way,
a family matter
or a church administrative matter,
i.e. the venue search,
Sherman's first reaction
isn't,
let's strategize,
let's do this,
let's do this.
Her first reaction is,
prayer,
prayer, prayer.
Let's seek God in prayer.
Speaking of prayer,
through prayer,
the Holy Spirit heals
in supernatural ways.
I'll share my own testimony
about this.
When I was 14 years old,
I had a really terrible
tennis injury
in my right arm.
And one day,
I was home with my mother
and brother
and they both prayed for me.
My brother was nine years old
at the time.
The prayer was simple,
one minute.
But as all our eyes were closed
and we said amen,
my arm shook.
And then we're all wondering,
what was that?
Oscar,
was that you?
Was that you, Justin?
Was that you, Mom?
Who shook Oscar's arm?
It wasn't any of us.
The Holy Spirit healed my arm.
I am a thousand percent
positive about that.
By His grace and mercy,
I don't even know why.
The Holy Spirit healed me that day.
Being home with me
dependent means having
an active prayer life
in everything and anything,
big and small,
because God's Spirit works
powerfully through prayer.
Number two,
looks like someone who is growing
in the fruits of the Spirit.
CK mentioned this just now.
Good job, CK.
Well done.
The fruits of the Spirit,
love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control.
These are collective
baskets of fruit.
They're not just,
we don't just have
one of these fruits.
God calls us to have
all of them.
And so someone who is
dependent on the Spirit
is growing in the fruits
of the Spirit
in all of them.
And this is very apparent
in how we relate
to each other.
When relational tension
comes our way,
which it always does,
and we are,
naturally,
we want to
fight back.
Instead of defensiveness
and aggression,
we think the best
of others.
Instead of biting back,
we show grace.
Where's my wife, Celeste?
I want to talk about her
right now.
Nice.
Don't try to hide.
I'm talking about you
right now.
If you know my wife, Celeste,
you know that she's
naturally very intelligent,
but also very...
What's the word?
Forthright?
Blunt?
CK knows.
You can ask CK.
If you ask her
her view on something,
she'll tell you as it is.
She doesn't mince words.
Celeste and I have been
married for 10 plus years.
Sorry, 9 plus years.
Almost 10.
Did I write?
And I dare say
I have the best marriage
of anyone I know.
But we still fight.
We still have conflict.
But over the years,
as I've seen
God's spirit work
in Celeste's heart,
as her love of Christ
has grown,
I've seen a softening
of her heart.
When we have conflict,
which we do often,
instead of her
holding bitterness
and resentment towards me,
when I have hurt her
with my words or actions,
I see a softening,
I see a kindness,
I see a grace,
I see forgiveness.
You see,
those who are growing
in Christ
and growing by the Spirit
are marked by
healthy relationships
that are not
conflict-free,
but conflicts
are resolved quickly
through the Spirit's fruit,
patience,
kindness,
gentleness,
among others.
Let's be a people of God
that depend on the Spirit
to grow in the fruits
of the Spirit.
Number three,
looks like someone
who regularly confesses,
repents,
and turns away from sin.
John 16, 8,
when He,
the Holy Spirit,
comes,
He will convict the world
of sin,
righteousness,
and judgment.
The Holy Spirit
is the one
who causes us
to be acutely aware
of our sin
and depravity,
who convicts us
and causes us
to turn away
from sin.
And so,
if we're living
by the Spirit
and dependent on the Spirit,
confession and repentance
doesn't just happen
once every six months.
It's a regular occurrence.
It happens all the time.
And the Holy Spirit
doesn't just convict us
of sin.
He reorients our hearts
to love Christ more
and to hate that sin.
And even those secret,
shameful sins
are no longer there,
no longer there
in our hearts anymore.
Some of you know
that I used to play
high-stakes poker.
I used to play
in underground clubs.
This is many,
many years ago.
Not recently.
Underground clubs.
I used to play
in Macau, etc.
I was addicted to poker.
It wasn't just
a pastime.
It was an addiction
and it was sin.
But in my own life,
as I have,
I guess,
followed Christ more
and loved Him more
and the Spirit
worked in me,
you probably know this as well,
I don't have any interest
in that anymore at all.
I don't have any desire even
or interest
in high-stakes poker.
Desire is gone.
Being dependent
on the Holy Spirit
means we actively
repent and turn away
from sin.
And fourth and final,
it looks like someone
who actively shares
their faith
with those
that don't yet know Jesus.
As Neal discussed,
it's difficult
to share the gospel.
No question about it.
The outcome
is highly uncertain.
Maybe our friend
will think
that we're wacky.
Maybe we'll have
that discussion
and share our faith
and our friend
will disagree
and we'll be disappointed
or embarrassed.
But if we are a people
who are dependent
on the Holy Spirit,
we can be free
and bold
in sharing our faith
because it's the Spirit
who gives us
the courage.
It's the Spirit
who gives us
the very words to say.
And it's the Holy Spirit
who is the one
who controls
that outcome
and impacts
and illuminates
that person's heart.
I think Jeremy Power
is someone
who depends on the Spirit
to share his faith.
Sorry, Jeremy,
I'm going to embarrass you
wherever you are.
Jeremy has been asking
God and His Spirit
to give him more opportunities
to share his faith
in Jesus.
And guess what happened?
Jeremy was with his friend.
I won't mention him,
but Jeremy was with his friend
who he sort of works with
and Jeremy was hanging out
with his friend
and they were, I think,
in a taxi on the way home
and Jeremy felt the Spirit
prompting him
to invite his friend
to church
for his baptism.
And guess what?
That friend came to church.
That friend still comes
to Watermark.
Even now, let's pray
for Jeremy's friend
to know the saving love
of Christ.
So what does it look like
to be dependent
on the Holy Spirit?
It looks like someone
who is active in prayer.
It looks like someone
who is growing
in the fruits
of the Spirit.
It's someone
who continually repents
and turns away from sin.
And number four,
it looks like someone
who is actively
sharing the gospel.
Don't we want to be
a people like this?
Do we?
Don't we want to depend
on the Spirit's power
to do all these things
for God's glory?
Haven't we read
of so many heroes
of the faith
who are regular people,
ordinary people,
empowered by an extraordinary,
supernatural God
and Holy Spirit?
So how do we become?
Third question.
How do we become
a people that depend
on the Holy Spirit?
I'm sure there are
many, many ways.
Here are three suggestions.
Number one,
surrender,
surrender.
We all hate uncertainty.
We all hate losing control.
We're hardwired
to reach for control
and grab onto it.
But we cannot
hold onto control
and still say
that we want to depend
on the Holy Spirit.
It doesn't work.
If we are to be a people
who truly depend
on God's Spirit,
we need to surrender
everything.
Not just one little
inch of our heart.
We need to give God
our whole heart.
Especially,
we have to lose
our grip
on those things
that we love most.
Our money,
our relationships,
our kids' future,
our comfort,
our pleasure.
May our prayer be,
Lord,
not my will,
but yours be done.
And may our prayer be,
if it is your will,
Lord,
I will follow you.
I will do this or that.
Surrender, surrender, surrender.
Number two,
pray for the Spirit's power.
How can the gospel
get into our hearts
if we don't pray for it?
Get on our knees.
Let's petition God
and His Spirit
to open the eyes
of our hearts
to see our sin
and see the beauty
of Christ.
Let's also pray
with faith
every day
in daily life
and daily circumstances
for the Spirit's power.
When someone hurts you
and you're tempted
to bite back
in that moment,
Holy Spirit,
please,
help me to hold my tongue.
When your kids
are driving you crazy
and you want to just explode,
anyone been there?
Just me,
okay,
just me.
Spirit,
please give me the patience
and gentleness
to love my children
well right now.
When you're with
a non-Christian friend
and you're thinking,
maybe God is calling me
to share my faith,
but I really don't want to
because I'm freaked out.
Pray,
God,
please,
by your Spirit,
give me the courage,
give me the boldness,
give me the faith,
give me the words
to say,
to share your love
to my friend
because they desperately
need to know
who you are.
You see,
the Spirit works
in supernatural physical ways
as I have shared
with my arm,
but the Spirit equally works
in supernatural heart ways,
transforming the human heart
to become more like Christ
as we depend on Him.
And third,
be sensitive
to the Spirit's leading.
The Holy Spirit
is our helper,
John 14.
He gives us
godly discernment,
He speaks to us,
sometimes in a clear voice,
sometimes in a prompting
or a sense.
Many of you know
that I left
the corporate finance world
about a year ago
where I was there
for 20 plus years.
At first,
I was pushed out,
but then when I actually
got another job
to go back,
I rejected that job.
You may wonder,
how does someone
in high finance
suddenly leave
his career behind
at such a young age?
I am young.
I'm too young
to retire.
I'll never retire.
It's been a journey
of walking with God
for me.
Daily praying
of prayer,
of surrender
for my career,
for my work,
Lord.
I want to give it to you.
Please, God,
how do I honor you
with my work?
Whatever that means.
If you want me
to stay in finance,
I'll stay.
If you want me to go
and do something else,
Lord,
I will follow you.
Make your plan
known to me, Lord.
Spirit, guide me.
These have been my prayers
over actually many years.
And so the time came
to make that decision.
as I continued
to pray,
I felt the Spirit
leading me
not to go back.
I wanted to honor God
and I wanted to obey
the Spirit
and it was very clear
to me.
I lost the desire
to go back
into that field.
Okay.
So,
how do we become
a people dependent
on the Holy Spirit?
I have three suggestions.
Surrender,
surrender,
surrender.
pray for the Spirit's power
and be sensitive
to the Spirit's leading.
So,
to close,
if we are to truly
be a people
who experience
the love of Christ,
if we are to be
a people
who truly love
Christ deeply
and if we are
to honor God
in His mission
to share
the gospel,
we must,
we must
be wholly dependent
on God's Spirit
for His power
so that we can do
all things
for the glory of God.
There's one
personal reflection there
that I wrote
in your sheet.
How can we grow?
How can you,
in particular,
grow in dependence
on the Holy Spirit?
What specific action
do you think God
is calling you to do
to grow in your dependence
on the Spirit?
Let's just spend
the next five or so minutes
individually
doing some personal
reflection,
perhaps prayer
as well
and then
I'll pass it on
to,
I think,
Cyberdem
to speak on
faithness.
Thank you.