Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000012
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00:19 You know, I have it on good
00:21 authority from the inspired word 00:24 that Bible study 00:25 among other things 00:27 helps build spiritual muscles. 00:30 It makes us stronger. 00:33 It helps us know and understand God's will for our lives. 00:37 It broadens our horizons. 00:40 It gives us an understanding of how we are to live in this world 00:44 as we prepare for the higher citizenship 00:47 in the world to come. 00:48 But not only does it do all of those things. 00:51 I've been told that Bible study, and here's the quote... 00:56 "increases the intellect. " 00:58 In other words, studying the Bible makes you smarter. 01:03 Amen! 01:04 So we can think of Bible study as medicine for the mind. 01:10 Hi, my name is C. A. Murray, 01:12 and it is my privilege and pleasure to welcome you 01:15 to Volume 3, Subject No. 2 - 01:18 night #2 - of this wonderful series that we have dubbed 01:22 Give Us The Bible. 01:24 And you can think of tonight's message 01:28 as a spiritual vaccination. 01:31 A spiritual inoculation against the cancer of sin. 01:35 And a little mind boost as we try to discern 01:40 and do God's will for our lives. 01:44 Our evangelist, our friend, our mentor, our teacher 01:47 is Evangelist Kenneth Cox. 01:49 And tonight's subject will deal with why many do not 01:52 receive benefit from the Holy Spirit. 01:55 This particular series deals with the Holy Spirit. 01:58 What He wants to do to, with, for, and through 02:03 each and every one of us. And we learned on last night 02:06 that the Holy Spirit is not a force... it's a He... 02:09 it's a personage. It can be wounded; it can be grieved. 02:12 It can work with us, through us, for us, in us. 02:15 And tonight we will learn so much more about the Holy Spirit 02:19 from Evangelist Kenneth Cox. 02:20 But before he does come to us, 02:23 we are very, very pleased to have David Tank with us. 02:28 And he's going to be doing a very beautiful song 02:30 This World Is Not My Home. 02:53 This world is not my home, 02:57 I'm just a passing through. 03:01 My treasures are laid up 03:06 somewhere beyond the blue. 03:11 The angels beckon me 03:14 from heaven's open door, 03:19 and I can't feel at home 03:23 in this world anymore. 03:30 Oh Lord, You know 03:34 I have no friend like You. 03:39 If heaven's not my home 03:43 then Lord what will I do? 03:47 The angels beckon me 03:51 from heaven's open door, 03:56 and I can't feel at home 04:00 in this world anymore. 04:25 Just up in Gloryland 04:28 we'll live eternally. 04:34 The saints on every hand 04:37 will shout the victory. 04:42 Their songs of sweetest praise 04:46 will ring from heaven's shore, 04:50 and I can't feel at home 04:55 in this world anymore. 05:02 Oh Lord, You know 05:06 I have no friend like You. 05:10 If heaven's not my home 05:14 then Lord what will I do? 05:19 The angels beckon me 05:23 from heaven's open door, 05:27 and I can't feel at home 05:32 in this world anymore. 05:39 Oh Lord, you know 05:43 I have no friend like You. 05:48 If heaven's not my home 05:52 then Lord what will I do? 05:56 The angels beckon me 06:00 from heaven's open door, 06:05 and I can't feel at home 06:09 in this world anymore. 06:16 No I can't feel at home 06:20 in this world 06:24 anymore. 06:37 Amen. 06:41 Thank you, thank you David. Appreciate it very much. 06:44 Wonderful song! 06:46 Good evening. 06:47 And welcome to Give MeThe Bible. 06:50 Appreciate you being here. 06:51 And all those that have been 06:53 joining us by television, 06:55 by radio, we welcome you 06:57 again tonight. This series that we are doing now 07:00 is on the Holy Spirit. 07:02 In other words we call this series that we are doing 07:05 all this year Give Me The Bible. 07:08 But each month we do a series within that. 07:12 And we have done one on conversion so far. 07:16 We have done one on the second coming of Christ. 07:18 And this one is on the Holy Spirit. 07:21 So we hope you will be blessed as we go along 07:25 and study God's Word together. 07:27 Tonight our subject is Why Many Do Not Receive 07:31 the Benefit of the Holy Spirit. 07:32 A lot of people that have prayed for it, sought it, 07:37 just don't seem to have any benefit from it. 07:41 Why not? 07:42 So that's what we're going to take a look at tonight. 07:45 Our next presentation will be entitled 07:48 The Fruits of the Spirit. 07:51 Fruits of the Spirit. 07:53 You see, as I mentioned last night, 07:57 the Holy Spirit does a work within us. 08:01 And what it does is it produces fruit. 08:04 And that's what we're going to look at in the next presentation 08:07 is the Fruits of the Spirit. 08:09 What fruits it produces. 08:11 So we hope it will help you understand what the Holy Spirit 08:15 will do for you in your life. 08:17 Tonight as I mentioned we are looking at 08:25 What are you looking for? 08:28 What are you... what do you need to be watching for 08:31 during the presentation? 08:33 Well, there's three reasons why people don't. 08:37 And so make sure you have those clear in your mind... 08:40 what those reasons are. 08:42 And you'll find that there are just some things that you and I 08:46 need to do in order for the Holy Spirit 08:49 to work in our lives. 08:51 So kind of watch for that as we go through. 08:54 It's very important. 08:56 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible? 08:59 This should my only question be. 09:02 God gives us His Spirit to lead and to guide us. 09:06 What says the Book of God to me? 09:09 That's what we want to find out. 09:10 And so we're glad you're here. 09:12 We hope you'll be blessed as we go through 09:14 this subject tonight. 09:17 Normally Dona Klein plays for us. 09:22 She's our keyboard artist, 09:24 but she also sings. 09:27 And she's going to sing for us tonight a beautiful song... 09:30 song entitled In Vain. 09:47 Lord, in my darkest days 09:55 when I have lost my way, 10:01 shine down Your light 10:05 on me again. 10:15 Through trials great and small 10:21 help me to face them all. 10:25 Then I will not have lived 10:31 my life in vain. 10:39 Lord, lay Your hand on me 10:46 and guide my destiny. 10:53 Just help me make it 10:57 day by day. 11:06 Then let Your Spirit breathe 11:13 eternal life in me. 11:17 Then I will not have lived 11:22 my life in vain. 11:31 Jesus, you laid the stone 11:39 for men to walk upon. 11:43 Now gently guide me 11:49 in Your way. 11:59 Then through this earthly pain 12:04 please help me praise Your name. 12:09 Then I will not have lived 12:14 my life in vain. 12:23 Lord, lay Your hand on me 12:31 and guide my destiny. 12:37 Just help me make it 12:41 day by day. 12:50 Then let Your Spirit breathe 12:57 eternal life in me. 13:01 Then I will not have lived 13:06 my life in vain. 13:33 Our Gracious Father, tonight 13:36 we ask for Your presence. 13:40 We ask Lord that we might be in tune with heaven. 13:44 That the Holy Spirit may quicken our intellect. 13:49 That we might see and understand 13:54 anything that would prevent us from receiving the blessing 13:59 that You have for us in the work of the Holy Spirit. 14:03 Bless us tonight we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 14:15 With the death of Jesus, 14:17 all the hopes, ambitions, 14:21 desires... 14:24 everything that those disciples had thought that they... 14:29 would happen, died. 14:32 I mean, how could this be? 14:35 One that they believed to be the Son of God, 14:39 One they believed to be the Messiah 14:41 lying there in the tomb... dead. 14:44 How was that possible? How could that be? 14:50 All their plans... all the things that they thought 14:54 was going to happen laying there in the tomb with Him. 15:01 And then Sunday morning word began to trickle 15:06 across Jerusalem that He had risen, 15:11 and Peter and John ran out to the tomb. 15:17 Got out there and looked inside, and He was gone. 15:23 Not there. And it says: 15:35 Looking in the tomb; He's not there, He's risen. 15:39 They don't know what's happened. 15:41 Mary thought somebody had robbed the grave. 15:45 They're wondering what happened when these two men 15:49 were standing beside them. 16:03 He's not here... He's risen. 16:05 And those angels told them to go on to Galilee 16:09 and there Christ would meet them in Galilee. 16:12 They couldn't understand what was happening. 16:18 Jesus spent 40 days with those disciples. 16:23 During those 40 days He gave them instructions 16:27 and He said this to them: 16:45 So God told them that with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 16:49 that they would receive power to be witnesses to all the earth. 16:55 And they went out and they preached the gospel. 16:59 And men and women accepted it and believed the gospel. 17:03 But through the work... through the work of the Holy Spirit 17:07 it took place. There's three reasons... 17:17 Three reasons why that takes place. 17:20 And I want you to follow carefully as we take a look at 17:23 those three reasons because it enters into our lives 17:26 in a special way. 17:27 Philip... Philip has gone down to Samaria and as we found 17:31 out last night. Remember the Holy Spirit was poured out 17:35 on the Jews there in Jerusalem at Pentecost. 17:38 A little while later it was poured out 17:40 on the people in Samaria through the preaching of Philip 17:44 and Peter and John going down and praying for them. 17:46 And it says: 18:02 So they went out. That's part of the gospel, folks. 18:05 That they go in - ministers do - and they preach 18:10 Jesus Christ, and men and women accept Him as their personal 18:14 Savior and follow Him in baptism. 18:17 That's part of the gospel story. 18:20 That's part of what needs to happen and take place. 18:24 So here in Samaria they've accepted Christ. 18:27 They've received water baptism. 18:29 Now watch: 18:38 They heard that through Philip's preaching 18:41 that these people had accepted Christ, 18:43 they had received water baptism, 18:44 and so they sent Peter and John down to help Philip 18:49 because something needed to happen. 18:58 Yeah, they went down and they hadn't received the Holy Spirit. 19:01 They prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 19:14 So the Holy Spirit had not been given. 19:16 But with Peter and John coming down and praying for them 19:20 it says the Holy Spirit was poured out. 19:23 Then they laid hands on them 19:24 and they received what? 19:26 The Holy Spirit was given to them. 19:29 They received the Holy Spirit. 19:31 Now, something begins to happen here, folks. 19:35 And you need to follow carefully because one reason 19:39 that people do not receive the benefit of the Holy Spirit 19:44 is because they are: 19:48 Now let me... let me define what I'm talking about. 19:52 I am not talking about when you stub your toe. 19:56 I'm not talking about when the devil breathes down your neck 20:00 and tempts you, and you do something wrong. 20:02 That's not what I'm talking about. 20:05 I'm talking about when the Holy Spirit has convicted you 20:09 concerning something that you are doing wrong 20:12 and you're refusing to give it up. 20:16 Those circumstances... 20:18 that will keep the Holy Spirit from working 20:21 in your life. 20:23 So I must be willing to give up known sin that is in my life, 20:29 and here in Samaria is an excellent example of that. 20:33 Because Peter and John have gone down. 20:36 They have prayed for these people. 20:37 They have received the Holy Spirit. 20:39 And among those people that received it 20:43 was a man by the name of Simon. 20:45 And Simon came to Peter, and he had this to say to him: 20:58 That's strange. 21:01 Some people think anything can be bought with money. 21:05 But there are some things, folks, 21:08 that cannot be bought with money. 21:11 Just can't be bought with money. Impossible. 21:17 This man thought if he'd give Peter this 21:19 well Peter would give him that ability. Listen to the words: 21:32 Said: "Give me this power that whoever I lay hands on 21:35 they will receive the Holy Spirit. " 21:48 Now folks, let's clarify something here. 21:50 What did Peter just call this... the Holy Spirit? 21:54 He said this was a "gift of God. " 22:01 Are you following me? 22:02 We talked about this last night. 22:04 This is a GIFT God gives. 22:06 This is NOT something that you work for. 22:10 This is not something that you pray through to get. 22:13 This is a GIFT that God gives to you. 22:17 It's a gift of God He gives to us, OK? 22:30 He said: "Simon, your heart's not right in the sight of God. " 22:34 Now watch as Peter comes right to the problem: 22:55 Peter said: "You're poisoned by bitterness. 22:59 You're in the bonds of iniquity. 23:00 This you can't receive. You can't have the benefit 23:03 of the Holy Spirit if you're going to be like that. " 23:14 So I must be willing to give up known sin. 23:20 I can't continually live in known sin. 23:24 Why not? Because the Holy Spirit can't use me, you see. 23:38 Great, great difference. 23:40 See, Simon was wanting to use the Holy Spirit. 23:43 No, you can't use the Holy Spirit. 23:45 The Holy Spirit... You must, you must be 23:49 in a position so the Holy Spirit can use you. 23:54 In fact, it talks about it in the scripture 23:57 about us being vessels. 23:59 And it says that we are vessels, and in order for the Holy Spirit 24:04 to use us as vessels, those vessels have to be clean. 24:08 They have to be empty. 24:10 They have to be something that the Holy Spirit 24:12 can come and use in a special way. 24:15 And it goes on and says here: 24:27 I don't know about you, but in the home I grew up in 24:31 we had vessels of honor and we had vessels of dishonor. 24:35 Do you have that in your home? 24:37 Sure, we have vessels of honor. 24:39 My mother had a china cabinet, and when we had company 24:43 she got the vessels out of the china cabinet of honor 24:47 and she set the table with those 24:49 and served us with the vessels of honor. 24:52 When the company left, she put them all back 24:55 in the china closet and we ate out of the vessels of dishonor 24:58 after that. OK? 25:05 So, yes, there's both kinds there. 25:07 Vessels of honor and dishonor. But it goes on and says here 25:10 that not only are there vessels of honor and dishonor... 25:21 That means cleanse himself from being a vessel of dishonor. 25:26 OK? 25:34 So if I will cleanse myself 25:38 then I will become a vessel of honor 25:42 to be used of the Holy Spirit. 25:45 All right? Now, let me just tell you this right up front. 25:50 It's not hard to get clean. 25:54 Now I just want to make that very clear. 25:57 It's not hard to get clean. 25:59 You don't have to beat your back. 26:01 You don't have to crawl down the aisle on your knees. 26:05 None of that is required to get clean. 26:08 The Bible tells you how you get clean, 26:10 and you get clean this way: 26:22 That is the way that you and I get clean. 26:25 So dear friend, if you have been convicted by the 26:31 Holy Spirit of a particular sin in your life 26:35 and you haven't been willing to give it up, 26:38 that will stand between you and receiving the benefits 26:43 the Holy Spirit will do for you. 26:45 Therefore, give it up. Just give it up! 26:50 Become a clean vessel that the Holy Spirit can use. 26:56 If you and I do that, the Holy Spirit will work 26:58 in our lives in a special way. 27:01 OK, another reason that many people do not receive 27:05 the baptism of the Holy Spirit 27:07 is because they grieve the Holy Spirit. 27:16 Says "Don't grieve the Holy Spirit. " 27:22 When it says don't grieve the Holy Spirit, 27:24 there's a very definite way that you grieve it. 27:27 Now I want you to look at something here. 27:29 This text is found where? 27:31 All right, it's found in Ephesians the 4th chapter 27:35 and verse 30. 27:37 You need to kind of put that down in your mind. 27:39 Ephesians 4 verse 30 is where it's found at. OK. 27:43 How do I go about grieving the Holy Spirit? 27:50 They grieve the Spirit. How do we grieve it? 27:54 Watch. We're back into Ephesians 4. 27:58 Look at the next text, Ephesians 4 verse 31: 28:13 You see I grieve the Holy Spirit 28:16 by being angry. 28:20 I cannot be used of God 28:25 if I'm an angry person. 28:29 If you're mad at your wife 28:33 and you stay that way, 28:36 you're not going to receive the Holy Spirit. 28:39 If you're mad at your husband, 28:42 you won't receive the Holy Spirit. 28:45 If you're mad at your children, 28:49 if you're angry with your parents, 28:51 that doesn't work, folks. 28:54 We cannot live in anger. 28:58 Impossible, you know? 29:01 If you went down and prepared breakfast with all the 29:04 tender loving care you know how, 29:06 and your husband came down and got up on the wrong side 29:09 of the bed and hateful and all, and you want to tell him 29:13 where to go and how to get there, 29:14 that isn't what you're supposed to be doing. 29:17 You see, I can't be an angry person. 29:21 I have to let the Holy Spirit work in my life. 29:24 And there's a lot of people that are angry people 29:28 and they don't receive any benefit from the Holy Spirit. 29:32 They just do not receive any benefit from the Holy Spirit. 29:36 Let me just say to begin with, folks, 29:39 it's not hard to be angry. 29:41 I want you to understand that. 29:43 You don't have to work at it. 29:45 You don't have to, you know, do any certain things 29:49 to be angry and to be mad and that kind of thing. 29:53 That all comes naturally. 29:56 Did you know that? 29:58 Yeah, that all comes naturally. 29:59 The scripture calls it "works of the flesh. " 30:04 See, you're born with those. 30:07 You're born with all these works of the flesh in your life. 30:11 Let's look at them. 30:52 So, I can't let the works of the flesh 30:55 control my life. 30:59 I can't be an angry person. 31:03 You know? And dear friend, you may have something 31:07 that happened in your life 31:09 and you may feel like you have reason to be angry. 31:13 I'm sorry. 31:15 The Holy Spirit's supposed to take that away. 31:19 That's the work of the Holy Spirit. 31:21 And you and I must surrender our lives and let the Holy Spirit 31:25 do its work in our lives. 31:27 We can't be angry people. 31:30 I find that people use this text for justification. 31:33 It says: 31:39 I have some people tell me "Well, it's OK to be angry 31:43 and mad at your wife just as long as you don't 31:45 let the sun go down on it. " 31:46 No, that's not what it's saying. 31:49 You see there are reasons to be angry. 31:54 It's never wrong to be angry over an abused child. 32:00 You know, there are certain things that are... 32:03 there's reason to be angry. 32:05 But the scripture says you're not even to let the sun go down 32:08 on that. That's what it's saying. 32:12 You and I are not to let the sun go down on that. 32:14 I'm not to let anger control my life. 32:18 Why not? 32:20 Well, when I was a teenager 32:23 a couple boys and I decided that we would go out and 32:26 climb a mountain there. 32:28 It wasn't a big mountain... 32:30 close to the house. 32:32 And we went out and started climbing up this mountain. 32:35 And as we were climbing up the mountain, we came to this 32:38 ledge... just a rock that went straight up. 32:43 And it was large, and we'd have to go a long way to 32:49 get around it. And it wasn't that tall, and we thought 32:54 that we could jump up and grab the edge of that rock 32:57 and pull ourselves up, over, so we could go on up the mountain. 33:02 I jumped several times. 33:04 I just couldn't jump high enough. 33:06 The other two fellows... they jumped. 33:08 They just couldn't get there, you know... 33:11 couldn't jump high enough. 33:13 And in the course of our jumping 33:15 we weren't paying much attention. 33:17 And we stopped after we had jumped several times 33:20 and we heard something. And we looked down 33:23 and right there at the bottom of that cliff 33:26 was a great big rattlesnake. 33:28 You know, all three of us made it up on top of that ledge. 33:34 Now, I'm just trying to illustrate something for you. 33:39 You see, when you're frightened, 33:42 when you're scared, 33:44 God made you so that the adrenaline comes up in your body 33:49 and you can actually do things 33:51 that you wouldn't do under normal circumstances 33:54 because of the rush of adrenaline. 33:56 But that comes up, and then that goes down. 34:00 Adrenaline drops, and that's the way it's supposed to be. 34:04 But when I am angry 34:07 and I stay angry, 34:10 that raises my adrenaline, and it doesn't let it drop. 34:15 It stays up, and that is 34:18 extremely unhealthful. 34:22 That's why the scripture says 34:23 "Don't let the sun 34:25 go down on your wrath. " 34:30 You and I must turn our lives over to the Holy Spirit 34:37 and let the Holy Spirit do its work. 34:39 Now I read to you Ephesians 4 verse 30. 34:42 And we read verse 31. 34:44 I want you to listen to what it says in verse 32. 35:02 You see, the Lord wants you and I to be kind, 35:07 gentle, forgiving, loving. 35:12 That's what the Holy Spirit is to do in your life. 35:16 That's the work of the Holy Spirit, folks. 35:19 So you can't be an angry individual and be mad. 35:24 If you are, you are grieving the Holy Spirit. 35:30 You're grieving the Holy Spirit. 35:32 OK, one more way. You see, 35:37 why... why does this make a difference? 35:41 When God made you, He gave you something. 35:46 He gave you a will. 35:48 OK? By giving you a will, 35:53 that gave you the opportunity to be on the throne. 35:59 In fact, you know, when we're born 36:04 we're born on the throne. Did you know that? 36:07 Yeah. If you don't know that these little babies aren't 36:10 on the throne, then you haven't been around very much. 36:13 You know, they're not only on their throne, 36:16 they'll get on your throne if you let them. 36:18 See? We're born that way. 36:21 We're born... and we even raise our children that way 36:24 and say: "Well you can handle this; you can do this. 36:27 You can do that. " You know? 36:29 "I can do that. " 36:31 And so we grow up thinking that we can handle anything. 36:36 That we're on the throne. 36:38 And we make decisions because God gave us a will. 36:42 I can say "yes. " I can say "no. " 36:46 I can make a definite decision. 36:58 Said we can make that decision, you know. 37:03 Do what we want to do and all. 37:05 Well, let's say... Let's say here this evening 37:08 that you're on the throne. 37:11 OK? 37:12 That you're running your life. 37:14 That you're handling this. 37:16 That you're in charge. 37:18 Now since you are on the throne 37:21 and you're running your life, 37:23 what's going to happen? 37:25 Do you have any idea? 37:28 Well, if you're on the throne 37:30 then the works of the flesh are going to operate. 37:36 Because you're on the throne... You're flesh, 37:39 and the works of the flesh are going to operate. 37:41 What are the works of the flesh? 37:42 Let's look at a few of them here, and we'll talk about them. 37:45 But God not only gave you a will 37:49 but He gave you a brain. 37:51 Now folks, the brain that God gave you 37:55 is a great big filing cabinet. 37:58 That's what it is. 38:00 And it files away everything that you see, 38:05 everything that you hear, 38:07 everything that you taste, 38:09 everything that you smell, 38:10 everything that you touch. 38:12 It files all that away perfectly, 38:17 and you can pull it up any time you want to. 38:22 You can pull it up and think about it. 38:24 See? Any time you want to. 38:27 All you have to do is just go back and access it. See? 38:29 Here, you... I'll show you what I mean. 38:34 Where were you? Where were you 38:39 when 9/11 took place? 38:42 Hmmm? When the twin towers were bombed, where were you? 38:46 Watch all of you... doodoodoo... 38:48 Oh, yeah. That's where I was. 38:50 See? It's all stored up there. 38:52 You know where it's at. 38:54 Those of you that are old enough 38:56 I could just ask you this: 38:57 where were you when you heard John Kennedy had been shot? 39:00 Watch it... doodoodoo. 39:02 It's all there... See, it's there. 39:04 God... that mind files all that away perfectly 39:09 so that we can pull it up any time we want to. 39:12 When you pull it up and you think about it, 39:17 the mind, if you're on the throne, 39:21 has a problem. 39:31 Therefore what's in your mind are going to be 39:34 works of the flesh. OK? 39:37 In fact, when I think on things, dwell on them, 39:42 the Bible refers to the heart. OK? 39:47 It says: "Give Me thine heart. " 39:51 What's the Bible talking about when it talks about 39:54 your heart? Giving your heart? 39:56 Well, it tells us this. 39:59 It says: 40:20 All those come out of man's heart. 40:23 Do you know what those are? 40:25 Those all are emotions. 40:29 And when the scripture talks about "give Me thine heart, " 40:33 it's talking about your emotions. 40:35 And when I take something out of my mind 40:39 and I think about that, that produces emotions. 40:44 Very, very important. 40:47 Once those emotions happen, 40:50 then you have actions. 40:55 See, that's what produces actions is the emotions 40:58 produce actions. 41:06 We have actions takes place. 41:08 Those are the processes, folks, that takes place in our lives. 41:12 OK. I have a mind, I have a will. 41:15 I can decide who's going to be on the throne, 41:18 who's going to run my life. 41:19 And when I do that, I can think about things 41:24 and it produces emotions in my life. 41:26 OK. Let's say that you're on the throne. 41:29 You're running your life. 41:31 And since you're on the throne running your life, 41:34 the works of the flesh are evident, which are... 41:39 What's the first one? 41:45 Have people come to me and say "Oh Brother Cox, I feel so bad. 41:49 I committed adultery. " 41:52 Now let me just tell you something, folks. 41:54 That's the first one that's listed 41:56 in the works of the flesh. 41:59 I mean, if you're going to let the works of the flesh 42:01 operate in your life, that happens. 42:04 I mean, that's kind of almost like falling off a log. 42:08 It's going to happen because it's part of the 42:11 works of the flesh. 42:12 OK. So, if I'm on the throne, 42:16 I'm in charge, 42:20 then I'm going to spend time sitting in front of the TV 42:23 watching all these programs 42:28 that 90% of them deal with sex and violence. 42:32 And I fill my mind with all that stuff. 42:37 My mind is filled with that because I sit in front of it 42:41 and watch it. 42:43 You know, I've never understood this. 42:45 Explain this to me. 42:47 I've been in homes where parents, you know, 42:52 were very, very careful about their children. 42:56 And they would let them... You know, they made them 43:01 have good manners and they made them be respectful. 43:05 And they made them have good morals and everything. 43:09 And those parents would not permit 43:15 some stranger to come into their home 43:19 and live in their home there 43:21 and use profanity and bad manners 43:25 and immorality and all that. 43:27 They wouldn't permit that. They'd kick 'em out. 43:29 And yet those same parents will sit right there 43:33 and let that television set do those very things: 43:38 teach them profanity, immorality, and all. 43:43 I've never understood that... 43:45 how we can do that. 43:48 But if you're on the throne, 43:51 you're going to watch that kind of stuff. 43:52 And if you watch that kind of stuff, 43:54 then you're going to think about it, and that produces... 44:00 See? That produces lust. 44:02 And if I think about it and that emotion of lust takes place 44:07 in my life, then you're going to wind up committing adultery. 44:12 Those are the simple steps that take place. 44:17 So, you see, I can't do that. 44:20 I have to make a decision 44:22 not to permit that to happen in my life. 44:25 OK. One other way that people 44:32 don't have the benefit of the Holy Spirit in their life 44:35 is because they quench the Spirit. 44:40 OK? Notice again, that's in I Thessalonians 5:19. 44:44 "Do not quench the Spirit. " 44:48 OK. How do I quench the Spirit? 44:50 How does that take place? 44:52 Well the scripture tells us that that takes place by fear. 44:57 If I live in fear, 45:00 I am quenching the Spirit of God. 45:02 I cannot live that way. 45:05 How am I as a Christian, 45:08 as a person who has received the Holy Spirit... 45:11 which you receive when you accept Christ, 45:13 what? How am I supposed to live? 45:15 Let's back up here in I Thessalonians 45:18 and take a look because it will tell us in the verses 45:21 how we're supposed to live. 45:22 I Thessalonians 5:16 through 18. 45:39 So it tells you and I that we are to rejoice? 45:43 That means I'm to be happy. 45:48 I'm not to go around defeated; I'm not to go around sad. 45:52 I'm not to go around feeling like everything's against me. 45:55 I'm to rejoice and be happy in Christ. 45:58 Secondly, I'm to pray without ceasing. 46:01 And then it says I am to give thanks in how much? 46:06 Everything. It says I am to give thanks in "everything. " 46:12 You mean if my son went out and wrecked the car 46:14 I'm to thank God for that? 46:17 Huh? 46:19 Yes! 46:21 Now let me understand what... 46:23 let me clarify what I'm saying. 46:26 You have to give God thanks for everything 46:32 because if you don't, you're on the throne. 46:37 You think it through. 46:39 If you don't give God thanks for everything, 46:42 then you are on the throne and you're running your own life. 46:47 But when I give God thanks for everything 46:51 then I'm letting God be in charge. 46:54 I'm letting Him do His work in my life, 46:56 which makes a great, great difference. 47:13 You see, you and I are not to live in fear. 47:17 We are to live in the joy and the happiness 47:21 that there is in Jesus Christ. 47:23 When it says "do not quench the Spirit, " 47:29 and it says we quench it through fear, 47:32 that word quench, folks, means like when you go and you - 47:36 how should I say? - 47:38 you quench the fire on a candle. 47:41 You go up and press it out. 47:43 That's quenching. That means if I live in fear 47:47 I can literally quench the Spirit. 47:51 I can get rid of it. 47:53 That's why David prayed, said: 48:00 I need it to work in my life in a special way. 48:05 Now, if you don't want that to happen in your life, 48:09 then you have to make a decision. 48:12 And you are in charge, you have a will, 48:15 you're the one that has to make the decision. 48:17 Nobody else can make it for you. 48:18 You have to make the decision to put Christ on the throne. 48:23 Put Him on the throne. 48:25 If I put Christ on the throne as Paul did... 48:30 He said: "For me to live is... " What? 48:32 "Christ. " He put Him on the throne in his life. 48:35 When I do that, then will Christ do anything with what's in my 48:39 mind? Absolutely! 48:42 He'll control what goes in my mind. 48:49 Will it affect my emotions? 48:52 OK? 49:00 Yes! It affects my emotions, what I do. 49:03 Will it affect my actions? 49:06 Absolutely! 49:08 If Christ is on the throne, if my mind is on God's Word, 49:13 if my emotions are doing what they should, 49:15 then the results will be actions that are good. 49:19 Or... the fruits of the Spirit 49:32 which we will talk about in our next presentation. 49:37 But my actions will be good actions 49:40 and I will do the work that God has for me to do. 49:45 But I have to be willing, folks, 49:48 to put Christ on the throne. 49:51 Now, out of all the books 49:56 that I have in my library 50:00 I have one in which, as far as I'm concerned, 50:03 is the greatest statement I have ever read 50:06 about the Holy Spirit and what it does in our lives. 50:09 I'd like to read that statement to you. 50:12 It comes from a book called Desire of Ages. 50:13 This is what it says: 51:08 They want to what? 51:10 They want to manage themselves. 51:14 That's why they don't receive the Holy Spirit. 51:16 Watch: 51:38 All other blessings come in its train - that of the Holy Spirit. 51:44 I have to be willing to put Christ on the throne. 51:49 Paul said: 52:05 Listen as David sings. 52:09 Come, Holy Spirit, 52:13 I need Thee. 52:19 Come, sweet Spirit, I pray. 52:28 Come in Thine own strength 52:33 and power, 52:37 Come in Thine own 52:41 gentle way. 52:46 Let us pray. 52:48 Heavenly Father, 52:50 we come to You tonight 52:53 asking Lord that You'll take away from us 52:57 any sin that is so easily besetting us. 53:03 Those sins that You've convicted us about. 53:08 We haven't been willing to give them up. 53:10 Lord, tonight we ask that our hearts might be surrendered. 53:14 That we might give them... 53:17 lay them at the foot of the cross and give them to You. 53:21 We also ask, Lord, that if we are angry... 53:24 mad... bitter... 53:28 that You'll cleanse our hearts. 53:30 Take those things away from us, Lord. 53:33 May the Holy Spirit do its work in our life. 53:37 We ask Lord that You will bless us. 53:41 Help us not to live in fear 53:43 but to live in the assurance of God's Spirit 53:47 and all that He does in our lives. 53:51 Bless each one here tonight. 53:53 May they be drawn close to You. 53:56 And Lord may we all, day by day, 53:59 walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. 54:03 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 54:10 Well God bless you. We... our next presentation 54:14 will be on The Fruits of the Spirit. 54:16 What the Holy Spirit will do for you and for me. 54:20 And so we hope that the subject 54:22 of the fruit of the Spirit 54:23 will give you an idea 54:25 of how much God loves you, 54:27 how much He wants to do for you, 54:29 and what He CAN do for you 54:31 if you and I will do just what we learned tonight. 54:34 If I'll surrender and give it to Him. 54:37 So God bless you in a special way. 54:39 We pray that you'll have a good day. 54:41 God bless you. 54:44 A coal miner of old 54:45 would leave his family every day 54:47 and descend into the depths of the earth 54:50 with the certain knowledge that the smallest mistake 54:53 could keep him and others from ever seeing daylight again. 54:57 Walking along in the dark, 54:58 he could only rely upon his feeble oil lamp 55:02 to keep him alive. 55:04 He faced many dangers down there. 55:06 Rockfalls, flooding, fires. 55:09 But perhaps the danger he feared the most 55:12 was the one that he could not see. 55:15 They called it chokedamp or blackdamp: 55:18 an unbreathable mixture of gases 55:21 that could quickly snuff out his life. 55:23 Imagine for a moment the terror he felt when he realized 55:27 he had hit a pocket of blackdamp. 55:30 The sudden drop in oxygen would put out his lamp 55:33 leaving him in terrifying darkness, fumbling in vain 55:37 to relight it before he lost consciousness. 55:41 Then in the late 1800's, 55:44 a bright new light began to shine in the dark world. 55:48 Using marble-sized pellets of calcium carbide 55:52 and a few drops of water, 55:54 this new lamp produced a gas which burned six times brighter. 55:58 Not only did it make his job a whole lot easier 56:01 but it also saved lives. 56:04 You can see this tiny reflector 56:06 could focus that beam of light 56:08 on the roof of a mine so that he could detect dangerous cracks. 56:13 The lamp was also easy to re-light. 56:15 And since it required far less oxygen, 56:18 it could illuminate the way out 56:20 should they encounter the chokedamp. 56:23 What an incredible illustration this is 56:26 of the condition of fallen man. 56:28 After struggling to survive the pitfalls of life, 56:32 he suddenly realizes the danger he could not see 56:35 had left him without hope and gasping for his last breath 56:40 in utter spiritual darkness. 56:42 For him there is no eternal life through Jesus. 56:46 In fact, he may not have ever heard about Him. 56:51 But friends, just as that bright light 56:54 of the carbide lamp saved lives, 56:57 so does the light of the Bible. 56:59 We need the light of God's Word to illuminate the dark corners 57:03 of our hearts. It focuses our attention on Jesus Christ... 57:07 our only hope for salvation. 57:09 And all who read and study it 57:12 are warned about the rockfalls of life. 57:15 That's why we call this series Give Me The Bible. 57:18 We're trying our best to bring the light of God's truth 57:22 to those who are living and dying in despair. 57:25 It's our mission. It's our passion. 57:27 Won't you join us? 57:31 Please consider what you can do 57:32 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:35 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:37 you may send your tax-deductible gifts to: 57:51 Thank you for helping us to bring the Blessed Hope 57:54 to millions all around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17