Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001425A
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00:02 [ominous music ] [explosion sound]
00:07 They call them nature's mightiest forces. 00:12 Powerful, violent, beautiful. [loud rushing wind sound] 00:19 From Vesuvius to Krakatoa, from Mt. Pelee in Martinique 00:26 in the Caribbean to Mt. St. Helens, 00:30 these maverick mountains have altered the shape 00:33 of the earth. They have made a mockery 00:36 of human achievement and they have disrupted, 00:39 without warning, the predictable patterns of normal life. 00:44 [Ominous Music] Perhaps the 1883 eruption 00:52 of Krakatoa, a small, volcanic island in Indonesia, 00:56 between Java and Sumatra, is the most famous 01:00 of them all. Or perhaps that's Mt. Vesuvius 01:03 and its destruction of the roman city of Pompeii in 01:07 the year 79 AD. The force of Krakatoa's eruption 01:12 is estimated to have equaled that of 30 hydrogen bombs. 01:17 The explosion was heard 3,000 miles away 01:21 in Madagascar. Tidal waves over 100 feet tall 01:24 devastated nearby islands and raced thousands of miles 01:28 across neighboring oceans. Islands more than 100 miles away 01:33 were hit by fiery boulders weighing 50 pounds or more. 01:39 The cloud of ash deposited by the eruption in the earth's 01:42 atmosphere was seen in cities throughout the world 01:46 and did not disappear for many months. 01:53 [Ominous Music] Human devices of various sorts 01:59 have at times been found capable of stopping or at least slowing 02:04 the forces of nature. Man-made levies can at times 02:08 stall or mitigate the impact of floods. 02:11 Sea walls can blunt the impact of a Tsunami. 02:15 Storm shelters can offer a measure of protection from 02:18 hurricanes or tornadoes. But nothing has ever been found 02:22 capable of stopping a lava flow or impeding an ash cloud 02:27 from a volcano. In places like Hawaii, 02:31 even military bombs have been used to halt 02:34 or redirect the flow of magma during a volcanic eruption, 02:38 but to no avail. I am in Costa Rica, 02:43 a Central American country with a population of more 02:45 than 4 million, wedged between Nicaragua and Panama. 02:50 Costa Rica is beautiful. It is known for its rain forests 02:54 and its amazing biodiversity. Costa Rica draws bird watchers 02:58 from all over the world. Even though Costa Rica 03:01 is smaller than West Virginia, it has more bird species 03:05 than the United States and Canada combined. 03:09 But Costa Rica sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire. 03:13 The area circling the Pacific Ocean characterized by seismic 03:17 activity and volcanoes. If you start in New Zealand 03:22 and work your way up, you will see that there is 03:25 a continuous ring of volcanoes that goes up from New Zealand 03:28 to Papua New Guinea, then on to Indonesia 03:31 through the Philippines to Japan, on to Russia 03:36 and down from Alaska through the West Coast 03:38 of both Canada and the United States 03:40 and into Central America. And the Volcano Express makes 03:45 a stop right here in Costa Rica. There are six volcanoes 03:49 in Costa Rica which have erupted in the last 70 years. 03:54 Poas Volcano National Park is only 30 miles from San Jose, 03:59 Costa Rica's capital. It erupted just a few years ago 04:03 and still gives evidence that it can't be entirely trusted 04:08 and anyone who has seen a volcano erupt knows just how 04:12 powerful these things can be. The eruption of Mt. St. Helens 04:16 in Washington State in 1981 was 1600 times more powerful 04:22 than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in WWII. 04:27 Fifty-seven people were killed. Hundreds of square miles of land 04:31 were devastated and the mountain lost 1300 feet in height. 04:35 Now that's powerful. But it isn't the most powerful 04:41 force you'll ever have to deal with. 04:44 There is something much more powerful than a volcano. 04:48 Perhaps there's no better illustration than a volcano 04:51 [volcano breathing and huffing] of the agenda-altering, 04:54 life-transforming impact [volcano spitting] 04:57 of the power of God's Holy Spirit. 05:01 Today we are going to consider the extent and the potential 05:06 of Holy Spirit power. 05:11 [Intro Music] It has stood the test of time, 05:22 God's book, the Bible, 05:27 still relevant in today's complex world. 05:32 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 05:48 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 05:50 I'm John Bradshaw and I am at the Aranal volcano, 05:54 one of Costa Rica's many volcanoes 05:55 and until recently, a very active volcano. 05:59 Very early in the Bible we read about the power 06:02 of the Holy Spirit. In the creation story, 06:05 Genesis 1:2, the Bible says, "And the Spirit 06:08 of the Lord moved upon the face of the waters." 06:12 The Old Testament narrative talks often about 06:15 the Holy Spirit. Samson, the strongest man 06:18 who ever lived. King Saul, Israel's first King. 06:21 Both of these men received the power of the Holy Spirit 06:25 at pivotal times in their lives. David, who was rent with anguish 06:32 over his sin with Bathsheba, plead with God in Psalm 51. 06:36 This is what he said: "Cast me not away from thy presence 06:40 and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." 06:43 And here is what Isaiah quoted by Jesus of Nazareth in Luke 4: 06:48 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me 06:52 to preach good tidings unto the meek. 06:54 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim 06:57 liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison 07:00 to them that are bound." The Old Testament speaks not 07:04 only about the existence of the Holy Spirit, but also 07:07 about the power of the Holy Spirit. 07:10 So, it is rather remarkable that when we get over 07:12 to the New Testament, and we find Paul speaking 07:15 to certain believers at Ephesus, that he had this exchange. 07:19 He asked them whether they had received the Holy Spirit 07:23 and they responded to him in Acts 19:2 by saying, 07:27 "We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 07:32 Incredibly, they had somehow missed this very important 07:35 biblical teaching. Now when we look through 07:38 the Bible, we discover that the work of the Holy Spirit 07:41 has at least four distinct functions. 07:45 One is guiding into truth. Jesus spoke of this 07:49 in John 16:13, when he said "howbeit when He, the Spirit 07:54 of Truth is coming, He will guide you into all truth." 07:59 This means that in order for the Holy Spirit to change 08:02 us we must first see our true condition 08:06 and the Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit helps us 08:10 to understand our true condition through the law of God. 08:13 Paul said in Romans 3:20, "By the law 08:17 is the knowledge of sin." And Galatians 3:24 says, 08:21 "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ that we 08:26 might be justified by faith. The Spirit of God helps us to 08:30 see what we are really like in relation to the holiness 08:34 of God. Another work of the Holy Spirit 08:37 is to bring conviction of sin and righteousness. 08:42 Jesus was speaking in John 16:8 when he said that the Holy 08:46 Spirit would reprove the world of sin and of righteousness 08:51 and of judgment. You see, it's not enough for us 08:55 just to be convinced of what is truth. 08:57 What God wants is for his people to be convicted of their 09:01 need to grow in the grace of God and that too 09:05 is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit provide us 09:09 with power for obedience. Once we have accepted 09:14 the conviction brought by the Holy Spirit regarding 09:17 the need for change in our lives, the Holy Spirit 09:21 gives us the ability to obey God. 09:24 Now, the man with a drinking problem probably knows that he 09:27 has a drinking problem. Knowledge is not his problem. 09:30 But, his problem is: Where does he find the strength, 09:34 the ability to be able to put down the bottle. 09:37 Most people who lose their temper know they 09:39 shouldn't lose their temper. This is not a question 09:42 of knowledge. The question is how does one 09:45 find the power to break that cycle of frustration 09:49 and eruption? This is where the Holy Spirit's 09:52 power comes in. Now this is Paul, writing to 09:55 the church in Rome, "For what the law could not do in that it 09:59 was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own son in 10:03 the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin 10:07 in the flesh, that the righteousness 10:10 of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk 10:13 not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." 10:16 Romans 8:3, 4. Paul says this later 10:19 in the same chapter. "For if ye live after the flesh, 10:22 ye shall die. But if ye through the Spirit do 10:25 mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Romans 8:13. 10:30 I want you to notice this. The Bible promises you that you 10:35 don't need to stay stuck in the sin that breaks your heart 10:39 and causes guilt and shame and causes pain to others. 10:44 God promises you the Holy Spirit so that the righteousness 10:48 of God can be fulfilled in your life. 10:52 It's through the Holy Spirit's power that the works 10:55 of the flesh are set aside. Tragically, a lot of people go 11:00 their entire lives without learning this profound 11:04 spiritual truth and that is the Holy Spirit has the ability 11:08 to give a person the power over themselves. 11:12 I never how clear this came to me one day when a friend 11:15 of mine said, "John, I have learned that the Holy Spirit 11:19 is more powerful than self." That realization absolutely 11:24 changed that man's life. You see, a person with a dirty 11:27 mind might not realize but the Holy Spirit has 11:30 the ability to take that life and remake that mind so that 11:35 from this moment on, it's habitually pure and clean. 11:40 Another work of the Holy Spirit is to give us power 11:43 for witnessing. It is important for us 11:46 to understand. In fact, it is vital for us 11:49 to understand that the ability to share Jesus 11:51 with others comes to us through the Holy Spirit. 11:56 Now, this is what the Bible says in Acts 2:1. 11:59 It's the Jewish feast of Pentecost. 12:02 The Bible says, "And when the Day of Pentecost 12:05 was fully come, they (that's the believers) were all 12:08 with one accord in one place. Jesus had prayed for this kind 12:14 of unity among his followers prior to his suffering 12:17 and death. In John 17, we read these words: 12:21 "That they all may be one as Thou Father art in me 12:27 and I in Thee. That they also may 12:30 be one in us. That the world may believe 12:34 that Thou has sent me." But notice something. 12:38 Before Jesus had prayed for unity, he said this. 12:43 "Sanctify them through thy truth. 12:46 Thy word is truth. And for their sakes, I sanctify 12:50 myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 12:55 In other words, sanctification through God's word of truth 12:59 is necessary before true Christian unity 13:03 can take place. You see, Jesus did not die 13:06 simply so that we could be forgiven of our sins, 13:09 as important as that is. In addition to forgiveness, 13:13 Jesus died so that we could be changed. 13:17 He didn't die so we could stay stuck in our sins, but so we 13:20 could experience transformation through the power 13:24 of the Holy Spirit. Now that's power. 13:26 It's a kind of a power that many people have never experienced. 13:31 It's the sort of power that far too many people 13:34 can't even imagine. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit 13:38 accomplishes this work in the lives of those 13:41 who believe in him and when this work is done, 13:44 we'll see the type of mass conversion that was experienced 13:48 at Pentecost. Peter made it clear in the Book 13:51 of Acts that powerful witnessing is given to those who have 13:55 received the Holy Spirit for obedience and we are 13:59 his witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Ghost whom 14:03 God hath given to them that obey him. 14:06 It's a liberating Biblical truth that when God gives 14:10 the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God brings 14:13 transformational power into the life of a believer. 14:18 I'll be back with more in just a moment. 14:21 The disciples grew up learning about their Father, 14:24 God. One day, they met His Son, 14:27 Jesus, and their lives were changed forever. 14:31 After Jesus' death and resurrection, He instructed them 14:33 to wait for a gift--the gift of the Holy Spirit. 14:37 They did! And history was forever altered. 14:41 Now you and I need this gift too, today! 14:45 But how do we take hold of it? To learn more, request your FREE 14:49 copy of the booklet, "The Gift of the Spirit." 14:52 Simply call is (800) 253-3000. If the line is busy, please try 14:57 again, or write to: It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, 15:02 Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401. 15:06 We'll mail a free copy to your home in North America. 15:08 That toll-free number again is, (800) 253-3000, and our website 15:14 address is ItIsWritten.com. 15:20 [Music] Every Word is a one minute 15:22 Bible-based daily devotional presented by pastor 15:24 John Bradshaw and designed especially for busy people 15:27 like you. Look for Every Word on selected 15:30 networks or watch it on-line everyday on our website, 15:33 itiswritten.com. [Music] 15:44 In the 1960s the Rolling Stones sang that "you can't always get 15:48 what you want". Perhaps they should have sang 15:50 that you shouldn't always get what you want. 15:53 Israel wanted to be like the other nations and have a king. 15:56 1 Samuel 8:22, "The Lord said to Samuel, "Heed their voice, and 16:00 make them a king." Sometimes God allows us to have 16:04 what we want even when it isn't in our best interest. 16:06 Which means that getting what you want is not necessarily 16:09 evidence of the blessing of God. For Israel a monarchy turned out 16:12 to be an absolute curse - such was the succession of 16:16 corrupt kings. It's right to ask God for what 16:19 you want, but what do you do? Be sure you pray for God's 16:23 will to be done. If you listen when you pray, 16:25 you'll hear God telling you what He thinks is best. 16:28 And if you pray for THAT - you can't possibly go wrong. 16:31 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 16:34 Let's live today by Every Word. 16:39 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 16:41 Today, the power of the Holy Spirit. 16:44 I'd like to take a moment to consider with you 16:46 what the Holy Spirit did in the lives of Jesus' 16:50 disciples. It's a remarkable story. 16:53 This once motley band of tax collectors and fishermen 16:58 and malcontents, many of them from less than savory 17:02 backgrounds, they gather together in a small room 17:05 up above Jerusalem's crowded streets. 17:08 Just a few days have passed since their Lord 17:11 was taken to heaven. Just a few weeks have passed 17:14 since they were in that same place eating with Jesus 17:18 just before he died. But what a difference those few 17:22 weeks have made. What a difference between those 17:25 who are leaders now and those who wanted to be leaders then. 17:30 Now 11 of the 12 looked just the same as they looked those 17:33 few weeks ago but their joy and their tone and their spirit 17:40 are radically different. The strife for position, 17:44 the craving for authority and revenge and the suspicion 17:47 of each other's motives are all gone. 17:51 In the place of discontent and power grabbing, 17:54 there is heartfelt confession of sin. 17:57 Songs of praise and testimonies of deliverance are now heard. 18:02 You see, the prayer of their master for their 18:04 sanctification has been answered and what could have done this? 18:09 What could have brought about this kind of change 18:12 in transformation of the disciples lives? 18:14 Just one thing: The power of the Holy Spirit. 18:18 Acts 2:2 says, "and suddenly there came a sound from heaven 18:23 as of a rushing, mighty wind and it filled all the house 18:27 where they were sitting. And we know the rest 18:30 of the story. Apart from the bodily 18:32 resurrection of Jesus, what happens next is the most 18:35 glorious narrative in the history of the Christian church. 18:39 Thousands were converted in a day. 18:42 Miracles were wrought. Generous gifts were brought 18:44 into the treasury. The needs of the less fortunate 18:47 were met. And the world has never been 18:51 the same since. [Music] 19:17 The Holy Spirit brings a revival into a person's life 19:21 that produces dramatic, radical change in that person's 19:26 thinking and even lifestyle. Yes, it can be difficult 19:30 for a human heart to give up or let go of long, 19:34 cherished sins and ideas. Old habits really do die hard. 19:38 But this is what the Holy Spirit can do in a person's life. 19:42 Now, it's good, very good, that the Holy Spirit produces 19:46 passionate worship and growing churches. 19:48 But even better is that the Holy Spirit focuses 19:53 the attention of a believer in Jesus onto the Word of God. 19:57 It brings conviction and victory and that is real power, 20:03 more powerful than the volcanoes of Costa Rica. 20:11 The Holy Spirit of the Bible takes robber, like John Bunyan, 20:15 and turns him into a passionate communicator 20:18 of the Redemption Story. The Holy Spirit takes a cruel 20:21 slave trader like John Newton and transforms him into 20:25 an advocate for human justice and the abolition 20:27 of the slave trade. Whenever a smoker is given 20:31 the power by God to break that habit, whenever an addict 20:35 is set free from whatever it is that binds him or her, 20:38 whenever a racist is given love for those he or she 20:43 used to despise, it's then that we see the power 20:47 of the Holy Spirit at work. The Bible isn't like so many 20:51 other ancient historical accounts. 20:53 The Bible tells us about the faults of some of 20:57 the heroes of the Bible. In fact, it tells us about some 21:00 of their most grievous mistakes. It talks about Moses and how 21:04 Moses, raised in privilege under the blessing of God, flew 21:09 into a rage and murdered a man. But then it talks about how God 21:14 lead Moses into Midian and how Moses submitted to the gentle 21:17 discipline of the Holy Spirit. God was then able to use this 21:20 great man of God to lead his people out of Egypt and on 21:25 towards the promised land. The Bible talks to us about 21:28 King David once called a man after God's own heart. 21:32 But this same David committed adultery and then murder. 21:35 But then, David was transformed by the Holy Spirit of God 21:41 and became the sort of man that God could use again. 21:45 And we read about the disciples of Jesus. 21:47 These men, with their faults, their tempers, their jealousy, 21:50 their rivalry, their desire for greatness. 21:54 But about how they were transformed by the Holy Spirit 21:58 and became champions for their master. 22:02 Most people associate volcanoes with the power to destroy. 22:06 But inherent in that destructive power is the power 22:10 to create anew. If you've seen volcanic soil, 22:15 they you know that volcanic soil is some of the richest soil 22:18 that you can possibly find. A lava flow devastates 22:23 everything in its path but out of that devastation 22:26 ultimately springs new life that grows lush and rich. 22:31 It's a great metaphor for the work of the Holy Spirit. 22:35 Just like a volcano consumes everything in its path, 22:39 just like a volcano will take the hardest rocks and turn 22:42 them into liquid, the Holy Spirit is able 22:44 to take our heart of stone and melt it and make it into 22:48 something that we could never make it ourselves. 22:52 And when the work of the volcano is done, 22:54 vegetation appears. When the work of the Holy Spirit 22:58 is done, where once it seemed bleak and devastated, 23:01 now there is new life. Now there is a new person made 23:06 through the power of the Holy Spirit. 23:09 You know, so many people come to the place in their lives 23:12 where they say, "after all I've done, after all of the mistakes 23:15 I've made, after all of the mess ups, how can God 23:19 even have any use for me now? 23:22 People look at their sins, very real sins. 23:24 They look at their mistakes, their egregious errors, the way 23:29 they have treated other people and the way they have let down 23:32 not only God, but those that they love. 23:36 And they say surely now, there is no hope for me. 23:40 Well, I want to tell you something. 23:42 There is hope because the Holy Spirit gives hope. 23:46 The Holy Spirit is the answer. What a sinner needs is power, 23:52 forgiving power and cleansing power. 23:55 And we receive that through the Holy Spirit. 23:58 And we receive the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. 24:02 In fact, Jesus said in Luke 11:12 - 24:04 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts 24:08 to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father 24:12 give the Holy Spirit to them that ask. 24:16 So all we need to do is ask. And elsewhere, Jesus said 24:21 "Ask and you shall receive. When we ask for the Holy Spirit 24:27 of God, we know the Holy Spirit is given. 24:29 And when the Spirit of God comes into our life, we become 24:33 the recipients of or the channels of the same 24:37 power that brought the world into existence. 24:40 Remember in the Psalms, "for He spake and it was done. 24:43 He commanded and it stood fast." The Holy Spirit brings into 24:47 your life creation power. In fact, in the case of a 24:51 sinner, re-creation power. You can experience 24:56 that power now. You can claim the promise 24:58 of the Holy Spirit of God as yours. 25:01 And know that because he has promised, God will give you 25:05 the Holy Spirit of God. Just like volcanoes around 25:11 the world, when they are unleashed, 25:13 they are unstoppable. The Holy Spirit brings 25:17 that same power but in an infinitely 25:19 greater measure. When the Holy Spirit 25:21 is unleashed in your life, you will experience truly 25:26 the power of God. 25:30 [Music] The gift of the Holy Spirit. 25:32 How do we take hold of it? To learn more, request your FREE 25:36 copy of the booklet, "The Gift of the Spirit." 25:40 Simply call (800) 253-3000. If the line is busy, 25:44 please try again, or write to: It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, 25:49 Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401, 25:53 and we'll mail a free copy to your home in North America. 25:56 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry and your support 25:59 makes it possible for us to share God's good news 26:02 with the world. Your tax-deductible gift can be 26:05 sent to the address on your screen, or through our website, 26:08 ItIsWritten.com. Thank you for your continued 26:11 prayerful support. Again our toll-free number is 26:15 1 (800) 253-3000 , and our web address is 26:19 ItIsWritten.com. 26:23 [music] I'd like to pray with you right 26:25 now and rather than asking God to give us his Holy Spirit, 26:29 let's thank him because he has given us the greatest 26:32 of all gifts. Let's pray. 26:35 Our father in heaven, I thank you today that you gave us 26:40 Jesus who lived, and died, and resurrected and is now in 26:46 heaven interceding in our behalf. 26:48 And I thank you that he is represented in this world by 26:51 the Holy Spirit. The transforming powerful, 26:56 enabling gracious Holy Spirit of God. 27:01 Thank you for giving us this gift, for forgiving us, 27:04 cleansing us and keeping us through the great power 27:10 of the Holy Spirit of God. We thank you today. 27:14 We claim that promise you have promised to give so we claim 27:18 that promise. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 27:42 From the Aranal volcano in Costa Rica, thanks for joining 27:46 me today. I look forward to seeing you 27:48 again next time. Until then, 27:50 remember it is written, man shall not live by bread 27:54 alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 27:58 of God. |
Revised 2016-10-23