Just HOW Supernatural is the Holy Spirit in the Life of a Christian?:
Ephesians 4:1-6
DATE:
5 May, 2002 PM
PLACE: BBC Blarney
I.
Introduction (1Jn 4:1)
A. There are many mistakes that people make about the Holy Spirit of God:
1. He is not the spirit of confusion.
a. The spirit of darkness confuses; the Spirit of God CLARIFIES.
b. Some churches who talk the most about the Spirit of God have the biggest amount of confusion in their services. (1Cor 14:33)
2. He is not the spirit of carnality. He doesn't lead you to follow the lusts of the flesh, but rather to FIGHT the lusts of the flesh.
a. Doesn’t promote drink
b. Doesn’t make a Christian feel good when living like the devil
c. Tries to guide us in living by faith and following God’s word
3. He is not the spirit of compromise. He doesn't lead you to cooperate with sin and Satan; He leads you to COMBAT sin and Satan.
a. Everybody wants to compromise on abortion
b. On legalising drugs
c. On safe sex
d. None of that came from the Holy Spirit!
4. He is not the spirit of cowardice.
a. When the Holy Ghost came on the day of Pentecost, Peter, who had denied Christ three times, became a fearless preacher, who confronted the multitudes with the word of God and had over three thousand converts in a single day!
b. When the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples in Acts 4 after they prayed for boldness, they were FILLED with courage – not afraid of anything
B. So, just WHO is the Holy Spirit, and WHAT does He do?
A. He Is The Supernatural Spirit Of Christ (Rom 8:9)
1. The Spirit of God was not known in the Old Testament as the Spirit of Christ.
a. According to 1 Pet. 1:11, He did His work in people in the Old Testament as only the spirit of God (cf Gwn 1:2)
b. But He is known in the NEW Testament as the Spirit of Christ.
c. Therefore, the Spirit if God is the same person as the Spirit of Christ – there is no “split-personality” with God
2. If someone knows Christ today, personally, and spiritually, it will not be a buffet-style of faith (anything you want to believe because “we are living in the New Testament” now) – it will be by knowing the Spirit of Christ that has come since Pentecost
a. Just as there was only ONE Jesus, and
b. Since Jesus is gone, it doesn’t mean any man’s guess is as good as another’s
c. There is just ONE Spirit of Christ that works in every believer
d. So, why all the diversity? Because of other “spirits” (1Jn 4:1)
3. Since Jesus ascended into heaven, the Spirit of God came in His place for three express purposes:
a. To exalt Jesus - Jesus said of the coming of the Spirit of God (Jn 16:14)
b. To express Jesus - We learn about the Lord Jesus Christ through the ministry of the Holy Ghost as we study God’s word
c. To represent Jesus – all that Jesus was except for the body is all that the Holy Spirit is as well! He is the stand-in!
4. If you are a Christian – a born-again child of God, you have within you the Holy Spirit of Christ that:
a. Exalts Jesus – do YOU exalt Jesus by your life and talk?
1) At any one time you are either suppressing His life in you
2) Or exalting it
3) Unless you are not even a Christian – then you can only fake it
b. Expresses Jesus – does your life teach anybody ANYTHING about holy living? Jesus lived a clean, honest life – how is YOURS?
c. Represents Jesus – does anybody see a living Jesus in and through your life? Attitude check, confidence check, joy check!
d. If NOT, then you are not a Christian!
e. If so, then not only would you know it, but it would be evident to everyone!
5. That’s how great the Holy Spirit is – it just can’t be hidden!
B. He Is The Supernatural Spirit Of Conviction (Jn 16:7,8) convincing us we are guilty before God when we sin like a criminal gets convicted for a crime
1. This inner "reproof" (guiltiness) that we felt before we were converted was the work of the Spirit of God in our hearts. In drawing us to Christ, God uses what we call "Holy Ghost conviction" to get a person saved
a. He exposes our depravity – just how wicked we really are before God
b. He emphasizes our damnation – just how real and eternal hell is
c. He explains our deliverance – makes it clear there is one way out – but only as we hear the Bible preached (Rom 10:17)
2. If it were not for God’s Holy Spirit SUPERNATURALLY working in our hearts, we would NEVER get saved!
a. It is not a natural conclusion – that we are all bad – we naturally think we are good
b. It is not a pleasant experience – being made guilty before God
c. So, when it is happening in your hearts, PRAISE GOD!
3. Thank God for the supernatural work of CONVICTION – without conviction, there can be NO conversion – you have to start from the BOTTOM!
C. He Is The Supernatural Spirit Of Conversion (2Thes 2:13; John 3:6,7)
1. He gives life - The new birth – where once there was only death
a. An unsaved person is dead in trespasses and sins – spiritually dead to God
b. The Holy Spirit of Christ reaches down into the life of a sinner, and transforms his or her life into a saint, washed in the cleansing blood of Christ! That’s why Jesus had to bleed so much – to wash us!
2. He gives liberty (2Cor 3:17) - He frees us from the chains of sin.
a. What a thought – FREE! No more debt – all paid off
b. To not just be able to go free, but be totally forgiven from any debt whatsoever
3. Do you all realise just what conversion really is? (Col 1:12-14)
a. God sees us no longer as sinners – but saints!
b. We are delivered – someone has delivered us from punishment we deserved, by taking the punishment Himself
c. We are translated – that’s the process that takes us to heaven – as far as God is concerned, a Christian is ALREADY Home!
4. It is SUPERNATURAL what the Holy Spirit does in a sinner’s life and heart – when a person lets Him!
D. He is the Supernatural Spirit of Cleanness – Purity (1Pet 1:22)
1. He is both HOLY, and able to MAKE HOLY
2. When the HOLY Spirit (not just “the new age Spirit”) comes into your life, He MAKES you holy
a. When you are filled with the HOLY Spirit, you are full of cleanness
b. When you are thin on the yielding side of the Holy Spirit, you by default are filthy.
3. Jesus died to pay for all my sins
4. The Holy Spirit applies the blood of Christ to my past, and my passions
5. I end up clean!
6. It takes a SUPERNATURAL Holy Spirit to make me clean!
E. He Is The Supernatural Spirit Of Communion (2Cor 13:14) – how does a person communicate with GOD?? Only supernaturally – no phones, e-mails
1. We both communicate with and perceive God through the presence of the Spirit of God – He is the medium/the connection during our Quiet time
a. Meditation and thinking (Isa 26:3)
b. Study of the scriptures – not just in passing, but searching things out
c. Prayer - We pray to God through the Spirit of God
1) As we ask, He relays the requests
2) When we pray, we are translated right to the throne of God (Heb 4:16)
2. How often do you use this link-up with heaven?
a. It costs nothing but time – EX: my phone call to Bolivia
b. It moves the very heart of God – that we would come to HIM with our burdens instead of to everyone else
c. It gets results – He is not a Genie, but a Sovereign King who can do anything if only He is invited to do what he thinks best!
3. What are the results of communing with Jesus this way?
a. Great rest – when was the last time you didn’t just “pray a prayer” but spent time “walking with Jesus” in your prayer?
b. Great answers – better than you could get anywhere else
c. Great success – such a great secret of success is found in walking with Jesus through the means of the Holy Spirit
d. EX: using a mobile phone and someone directing you through a maze
4. To communicate with God Almighty truly is supernatural! Travelling through billions of light-years at the speed of prayer!
5. One thought – God only answers knee-mail by-the-way!
F. He Is The Supernatural Spirit Of Comfort (John 15:26). There are so many times when NOBODY can bring comfort, but the Holy Spirit!
1. What was it that drove those first century Christians to stand in great trial?
a. Knowing great comfort in the MIDST of the trial! Not the promise that they would experience any troubles
b. He comforts by His presence. God is with us by His Spirit in tough times. Having a relationship with Jesus that was BIGGER than any conflict
c. He comforts by His promises - He reminds us of the promises of the word of God about: Security, Strength, Supply, and Second Coming of Christ (Mt 28:20)
2. THAT work of the Holy Spirit is already in EVERY believer – He just has to be leaned upon instead of rejected as not enough!
G. He Is The Supernatural Spirit Of Counsel (Jn 14:26) – God’s wisdom
1. He counsels ONLY through the scriptures
a. He inspired the scriptures – not people
b. He instructs through the scriptures
1) As you listen
2) As you read
3) As you study
4) As you pray
5) As you memorize
6) If you do none or little of that, you will have little experience with the Counselling function of the Holy Spirit – you will end up “on your own!”
2. He counsels through the shepherd – too many don’t want a shepherd
a. If you make a major decision without seeking the counsel of your pastor, you are cutting yourself off from some of the leadership of the Holy Ghost!
b. Consult your pastor about
1) A career change
2) A major purchase
3) A change of residence
4) A college for your child
5) Courtship and marriage
6) Courtship and marriage of your children
3. He counsels through the saints
a. Be sure that the saints who counsel you are GODLY saints.
b. The blessed man does not walk in the counsel of ungodly (Ps 1:1)
c. The saints to whom you should listen are
1) SEASONED -not brand new Christians
2) SERVANTS -workers in the church
3) SUBMISSIVE -they loyally follow their pastor
4) STEADFAST -they are faithful to every church service and have done so for years
5) SEPARATED -they abstain from worldly habits, including the appearance of evil
6) SOUL-WINNERS - they go into the homes of unsaved people and win them to Christ
7) STUDENTS -they study the scriptures and are sound in the faith
H. He Is The Supernatural Spirit Of Courage (Acts 1:8) – against overwhelming odds
1. He gives courage to witness for the Lord
2. He gives courage to work for the Lord
3. He gives courage to remain faithful for the Lord!
4. He gives courage to STAND for the Lord
a. For RIGHT things
b. Against WRONG things
c. Consistently – not just a dabble, but all out!