Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME231104S
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00:15 ♪ 00:25 ♪ 00:35 ♪ 00:44 ♪ 00:54 ♪ 01:04 ♪ 01:14 ♪ 01:24 ♪ 01:34 ♪ 01:44 ♪ 01:54 ♪ 02:04 ♪ 02:14 ♪ 02:24 ♪ 02:34 ♪ 02:44 ♪ 02:54 ♪ 03:04 ♪ 03:14 ♪ 03:24 ♪ 03:34 ♪ 03:44 ♪ 03:54 ♪ 04:04 ♪ 04:14 ♪ 04:23 ♪ 04:33 ♪ 04:43 ♪ 04:53 ♪ 05:03 ♪ 05:13 ♪ 05:23 ♪ 05:33 ♪ 05:43 ♪ 05:53 ♪ 06:03 ♪ 06:13 ♪ 06:23 ♪ 06:33 ♪ 06:43 ♪ 06:53 ♪ 07:03 ♪ 07:13 ♪ 07:23 ♪ 07:33 ♪ 07:43 ♪ 07:52 ♪ 08:03 ♪ 08:12 ♪ 08:22 ♪ 08:32 ♪ 08:43 >> Our scripture reading today 08:44 is found in John 20:19 08:46 through 22. 08:48 "On the evening of that 08:49 first day of the week 08:50 when the disciples were together 08:52 with the doors locked 08:53 for fear of the Jewish leaders, 08:56 Jesus came and stood among them 08:57 and said, 'Peace be with you.' 09:00 After he said this, he showed 09:01 them his hands and his side. 09:03 The disciples were overjoyed 09:05 when they saw the Lord. 09:06 Again Jesus said, 09:07 'Peace be with you. 09:09 As the father has sent me, 09:10 I am sending you.' 09:12 And with that, he breathed 09:13 on them and said, 09:14 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" 09:16 ♪ 09:25 ♪ 09:34 ♪ 09:43 ♪ 09:53 ♪ 10:02 ♪ 10:11 ♪ 10:20 ♪ 10:29 ♪ 10:39 ♪ 10:48 ♪ 10:57 ♪ 11:06 ♪ 11:15 ♪ 11:25 ♪ 11:34 ♪ 11:43 ♪ 11:52 ♪ 12:01 ♪ 12:11 ♪ 12:20 ♪ 12:29 ♪ 12:38 ♪ 12:47 ♪ 12:57 ♪ 13:06 ♪ 13:15 ♪ 13:24 ♪ 13:33 ♪ 13:43 ♪ 13:52 ♪ 14:01 ♪ 14:10 ♪ 14:23 >> Pray with me, please. 14:28 Father God, in particular today, 14:30 on this particular topic, 14:32 we need your blessing. 14:34 We pray that your presence 14:37 would rest in this place 14:40 in powerful, overflowing, 14:42 abundant, transforming measure. 14:46 This is our prayer 14:47 and we ask it in your name. 14:49 Amen. 14:54 I'd like you to ponder 14:55 a question just in the quietness 14:57 of your own cranium 14:58 as we begin this morning. 15:00 And the question is this -- 15:03 What will God's people be like 15:05 at the very end of time? 15:10 The Bible makes clear 15:10 that we have been living 15:11 in the time of the end 15:14 for quite some time now, 15:15 at least by human perspectives. 15:16 In the grand scope 15:17 of human history. 15:17 it's but a tiny, 15:18 tiny portion here, 15:19 but I'm speaking here 15:20 of the very end, 15:22 the time just prior, 15:23 just immediately prior 15:25 to the Second Coming of Jesus. 15:26 Now, I choose this time 15:29 because the Bible actually does 15:30 give us some detail 15:31 about what circumstances 15:33 externally will be at that time. 15:36 If you want to join me, 15:36 take a look at Revelation 15:37 chapter 13. 15:39 Begin with verse 15. 15:41 Revelation, the 13th chapter, 15:43 beginning with verse 15. 15:44 It's on page 1,002 15:46 in your pew Bible. 15:48 1,002. 15:49 Revelation 13, 15:50 begin with verse 15. 15:51 Let me just paint the picture 15:52 here. 15:53 In this particular portion 15:55 of the Book of Revelation, 15:56 it is indeed describing 15:58 the very end of time. 16:00 There is this unholy trinity. 16:01 There's the devil represented 16:02 as a dragon. 16:03 There's a beast 16:04 that comes up out of the sea, 16:05 this religious political power. 16:06 There's a beast 16:07 that comes up out of the land. 16:08 Another 16:10 All three of these are working 16:11 together 16:13 to desecrate God's temple, 16:15 both in heaven and on earth, 16:17 to lead the earth astray 16:18 into false worship, 16:20 and as part of that, 16:21 the beast out of the earth 16:23 makes an image 16:24 of the beast out of the sea, 16:26 and this is what happens. 16:26 Verse 15 -- 16:27 "He was given power --" 16:29 This is the beast 16:29 out of the earth. 16:30 "...was given power 16:31 to give breath 16:32 to the image of the first beast, 16:33 the sea beast, 16:34 so that it could speak and cause 16:36 all that refused to worship 16:38 the image to be killed. 16:41 He also forced everyone, 16:42 small and great, rich and poor, 16:43 free and slave, to receive 16:45 a mark on his right hand 16:47 or on his forehead, 16:48 so that no one could buy or sell 16:49 unless he had the mark, 16:51 which is the name of the beast 16:53 or the number of his name." 16:56 Now, we do not have time 16:57 to go into the particulars 16:58 this morning 16:59 about what it all means, 17:00 what I just read there, 17:01 but suffice it to say, here's 17:03 the "Reader's Digest" version. 17:05 At the very end of time, 17:06 in seeking to bring 17:07 worship to himself, 17:08 Satan works out this mark, 17:11 and if you do not abide 17:12 by this mark, if you do not 17:13 worship the beast in his way, 17:16 then you can't buy or sell, 17:17 can't buy gas, 17:18 you can't buy groceries, 17:19 you can't buy clothes, 17:20 you can't pay the mortgage. 17:21 None of these things 17:21 that we take 17:23 and if that doesn't work, then 17:26 there comes this death decree. 17:27 "If you do not do what we say 17:29 and worship in the way that we 17:30 say, 17:31 give your allegiance as we say 17:32 you should, we will kill you." 17:34 And so, I ask again, 17:36 what will God's people be like 17:40 at the very end of time? 17:46 Scared? 17:49 Nervous? 17:52 Fearful? 17:56 Perhaps. 17:59 But I think there is one word 18:03 that will describe them 18:04 quite well. 18:04 In fact, I think there's 18:06 one word that may just 18:07 describe them best of all. 18:09 That one word is passionate. 18:14 Passionate. 18:15 Do you know 18:16 what this word means? 18:17 It has as its root here. 18:19 The word "passion" comes from 18:20 the Greek word "pathos". 18:21 There's other history to it, 18:23 and essentially, what it means 18:24 is this -- if you are 18:25 passionate about something, 18:26 you will not give up. 18:28 For the sake of whatever that 18:29 is, you will not quit. 18:31 You are going to go through, 18:32 you will keep moving. 18:33 Nothing will stop you. 18:35 If you are passionate about 18:36 something, you are willing 18:37 to suffer for it. 18:38 You know, some people said, 18:40 "Well, I'm passionate 18:41 about exercise." 18:42 If you're not sore the next day, 18:44 you are not passionate about 18:45 exercise, okay? 18:47 Because if you're passionate 18:48 about something, you give it,= 18:49 your all in there, 18:51 and there will be some suffering 18:52 to go with that, 18:53 either in the physical realm 18:55 or in the spiritual realm, 18:56 and notice this -- passion 18:58 is not always outwardly 19:00 expressed all the time. 19:01 You know, sometimes when 19:03 of flailing arms and legs 19:04 and spilling emotion, et cetera, 19:06 and certainly, that can be one 19:07 expression of passion, 19:09 but introverts can be 19:10 passionate too, 19:12 and sometimes, it's not until 19:13 certain conditions are met 19:14 that you discover just 19:16 how passionate someone is. 19:21 Thus it will be, I believe, 19:22 at the end of time 19:24 with God's people, 19:25 for just prior to the mark 19:26 of the beast scenario, 19:27 this group of God's people 19:29 persistently, relentlessly, yes, 19:30 passionately stands for God, 19:32 for His love, for His truth, 19:33 for His word, 19:35 and they will not budge, 19:36 even though the world 19:37 will tell them, 19:37 "If you don't budge, 19:38 we will kill you." 19:39 Such will be the state of those 19:41 who passionately follow Jesus. 19:43 And I'll tell you what. 19:44 I want to 19:45 be among that group of people. 19:47 I want to be there. 19:49 I don't relish the difficulties 19:51 that will come with that stage, 19:53 but make no mistake, 19:53 I want to see 19:56 prior to death, and I want 19:57 to be part of that last group 19:59 of people that will not flinch, 20:00 that will not budge, 20:01 that will follow 20:02 Jesus Christ no matter what. 20:06 And my guess is most, if not 20:09 all of you want to be there too. 20:14 So, knowing that, 20:18 come back to the present 20:21 and let me ask you 20:22 another question. 20:24 Again, just for consumption 20:25 and dealing with 20:26 in the privateness 20:27 of your own thoughts. 20:29 What words describe 20:30 your relationship with Jesus 20:31 right now? 20:36 You can probably see why 20:37 I asked the question, huh? 20:40 You know, if we want to be like 20:41 God's people, 20:41 we're told they will be 20:43 at the end of time standing firm 20:44 for him no matter what, right? 20:46 Then we probably ought to start 20:49 now. 20:52 So what words would describe 20:53 your relationship with Jesus 20:54 right now? 20:57 Strong? 20:58 Vibrant? 20:59 Passionate, maybe? 21:01 Growing? 21:03 In need of some help? 21:06 Flat? 21:08 Sick? 21:10 Dying? 21:13 Dead? 21:16 Would you like the word 21:18 "passionate" 21:21 to describe your relationship 21:22 with Jesus? 21:25 If so, let me tell you how. 21:32 Jesus's disciples knew a thing 21:33 or two about how passion 21:36 was supposed to work. 21:37 If we were to read in Acts -- 21:39 the Book of Acts, chapters 2 21:40 through chapters 5, 21:41 we would find the disciples 21:43 doing numerous things. 21:43 We would find them, 21:44 for instance, preaching to 21:45 thousands of people at once. 21:47 We would see them 21:48 baptizing thousands, 21:49 sometimes just in a single day. 21:52 The disciples healed people, 21:53 sometimes relatively privately, 21:55 sometimes very publicly. 21:56 We would see the disciples 21:58 disputing boldly with the 21:59 religious leaders of the day 22:00 that stood opposed to them 22:01 and to Jesus. 22:02 The disciples -- 22:04 we would see them in that book 22:05 generally being 22:06 an uncompromising, unflinching, 22:08 unstoppable band of witnesses, 22:11 relentlessly proclaiming and 22:12 living out the kingdom of God. 22:14 In fact, if all you read was 22:17 Acts chapter 2 through 5, 22:18 it would appear that 22:19 the disciples are just being 22:20 their normal, 22:22 passionate, faithful selves, 22:28 but anyone who has studied this 22:29 part of the church's history 22:30 know that that cannot be, 22:32 because that kind of passion 22:34 for these guys 22:36 is not normal at all. 22:39 In fact, let me just show you 22:40 what had happened here 22:41 just a few weeks earlier. 22:42 Let me read it here. 22:43 Matthew chapter 26, verses 55 22:45 and 56. 22:45 Scene here 22:47 is in the garden of Gethsemane. 22:48 It's at nighttime. 22:49 Jesus's crucifixion 22:50 is just hours away. 22:51 They've come to arrest him. 22:52 "In that hour, 22:53 Jesus said to the crowd, 22:54 'Am I leading a rebellion that 22:56 you have come out with swords 22:57 and clubs to capture me? 22:59 Every day I sat in the 23:00 temple courts teaching 23:01 and you did not arrest me. 23:03 But this has all taken place 23:05 that the writings of the 23:05 prophets might be fulfilled.'" 23:07 And get this. 23:08 "Then all the disciples 23:09 deserted him and fled." 23:14 Like rats from a sinking ship. 23:17 The only thing these guys 23:18 are passionate 23:19 about at this point is saving 23:20 their own skins, right? 23:23 So what happened here? 23:24 I mean, 23:26 what made the difference? 23:27 How do we go 23:28 from deserting Jesus and seeking 23:30 only your personal safety -- 23:31 How do you go from that 23:33 to literally just weeks later, 23:35 being willing to die for Jesus 23:38 and happily so? 23:42 If you have your Bible, 23:43 take a look, please, 23:44 at Acts chapter 1, verse 4. 23:47 Acts chapter 1, verse 4. 23:50 It's on page 884 23:51 in your pew Bible. 23:52 884. 23:53 Acts chapter 1, verse 4. 23:57 What was it that made 23:58 the difference in the disciples? 24:00 Some people have said, "Well, 24:01 it must have been the news that 24:02 Jesus had risen from the grave." 24:05 You know, the sheer information, 24:06 the power of that story, that 24:08 Jesus had died for the world 24:09 since he had lain in the grave, 24:11 but death could not hold him. 24:12 He's been raised back to life. 24:13 It must have been -- 24:14 Many people say this was 24:15 the inspiration that transformed 24:18 the disciples from, you know, 24:19 from whiners into winners 24:21 and from slackers 24:22 into superheroes. 24:23 That must have been it. 24:26 No. 24:27 The devil knows 24:29 all that information and more, 24:30 but when Jesus comes back, 24:31 the devil will burn. 24:34 There's something more 24:34 at work here. 24:35 Acts chapter 1 -- 24:37 Or excuse me, Acts chapter 1, 24:38 beginning with verse 4. 24:39 The scene is this -- 24:40 Jesus has died. 24:41 He's been laying in the grave. 24:42 He's been resurrected. 24:43 He's been 24:43 walking for several weeks now, 24:45 visiting various people, 24:46 including his disciples. 24:47 On one of those occasions, 24:48 here's what happens. 24:49 Verse 4. 24:49 "On one occasion, while he, 24:51 Jesus, was eating 24:52 with them, the disciples, 24:53 he gave them this command -- 24:55 'Do not leave Jerusalem, 24:57 but wait." 24:58 What did he say? 25:00 Wait. 25:01 "Wait for the gift 25:03 my father promised, 25:04 which you have 25:06 for John baptized with water, 25:08 but in a few days, you will be 25:10 baptized with the --" what? 25:13 "...with the Holy Spirit." 25:14 So verse 6. 25:15 "When they met together, 25:16 they asked him, 'Lord, 25:17 are you at this time going to 25:18 restore the kingdom to Israel?'" 25:19 Still didn't quite get it, 25:21 what was going on here. 25:21 Verse 7. 25:22 "He said to them, 25:24 'It is not for you to know 25:25 the times or dates the Father 25:26 has set by his own authority, 25:28 but you will receive power 25:32 when the Holy Spirit 25:35 comes on you, 25:36 and you will be 25:37 my witnesses in Jerusalem, 25:39 and in all Judea and Samaria, 25:40 and to the ends of the earth.'" 25:41 Chapter 2, verse 1. 25:43 "When the day of Pentecost came, 25:45 they were all together 25:46 in one place. 25:47 Suddenly, a sound like 25:49 the blowing of a violent wind 25:52 came from heaven 25:53 and filled the whole house 25:54 where they were sitting. 25:55 They saw what seemed 25:56 to be tongues of fire 25:58 that separated and came 26:00 to rest on each of them. 26:01 All of them were filled 26:03 with the Holy Spirit 26:06 and began to speak 26:07 in other tongues 26:08 as the spirit enabled them." 26:12 Behold, the holy hurricane 26:16 had come. 26:20 As incredibly important 26:22 as information about 26:23 the cross of Christ 26:24 is, telling that story, 26:25 et cetera, 26:26 as incredibly important 26:27 as information 26:28 about the forgiveness of sins, 26:29 the life, the death, 26:30 the resurrection of Jesus, 26:32 as important as information is 26:33 about the end of time, prophecy, 26:35 the mark of the beast, final 26:36 deceptions, et cetera, et 26:37 cetera, 26:37 as important as all of that is, 26:41 it alone cannot change us from 26:43 couch potatoes into passionate 26:45 zealots that never give up. 26:46 That can only be done 26:48 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 26:56 Now what does that look like? 26:58 How will the Holy Spirit 26:59 bring this astonishing 27:01 power into our lives 27:02 and into the life of His church? 27:04 I want to be clear about 27:05 something here. 27:06 We are dealing with a mystery 27:07 ultimately. 27:08 This is God, 27:09 the third member of the Godhead, 27:11 and so we cannot pin down 27:13 exactly all that there is 27:14 to know about the Holy Spirit. 27:16 Praise the Lord. 27:16 Who needs to serve a God that 27:17 you can completely understand? 27:20 But we do get some hints. 27:21 We do get some clarity 27:22 from the Bible as to how it is 27:24 that the Holy Spirit wishes 27:26 to be in our lives. 27:28 Let me put some things 27:28 on the screen here for you. 27:30 Luke chapter 1, verse 15. 27:33 "For he -- "meaning John the 27:34 Baptist. 27:35 In fact, by the way, 27:36 if you see something in yellow, 27:38 would you say it nice and loud, 27:39 okay, when we get to those 27:40 yellow words, right? 27:41 Ready? 27:41 "For he [John the Baptist] 27:43 will be great 27:44 in the sight of the Lord. 27:45 He is never to take wine 27:46 or other fermented drink, 27:47 and he will be --" 27:48 >> Filled. 27:49 >> "...with the Holy Spirit even 27:50 from birth." 27:51 Luke chapter 4, 27:52 verse 1. 27:52 "Jesus --" 27:53 >> Full. 27:54 >> "...of the Holy Spirit 27:55 returned 27:56 from the Jordan and was led 27:57 by the Spirit into the desert." 27:59 Acts chapter 2, verse 4. 28:00 "All of [the disciples 28:01 in the upper room] 28:02 were --" 28:02 >> Filled. 28:03 >> "...with the Holy Spirit, 28:04 and began to speak 28:05 in other tongues 28:06 as the spirit enabled them." 28:07 Acts chapter 4, verse 8. 28:09 "Then Peter..." 28:09 >> Filled. 28:10 >> "...with 28:11 the Holy Spirit said to them..." 28:12 Acts chapter 4, verse 31. 28:14 "After [the believers] prayed, 28:15 the place where they were 28:16 meeting was shaken. 28:17 And they were all --" 28:18 >> Filled. 28:19 >> "...with the Holy Spirit and 28:20 spoke the Word of God boldly." 28:21 Acts chapter 6, verse 3. 28:23 "Brothers, choose seven men 28:24 from among you who are known 28:25 to be --" 28:26 >> Full. 28:26 >> "...of the Spirit and 28:27 wisdom. 28:28 We will turn this responsibility 28:30 over to them." 28:31 Acts chapter 6, verse 5. 28:32 "This proposal 28:33 pleased the whole group. 28:34 They chose Stephen, a man --" 28:35 >> Full. 28:36 >> "...of faith and of the Holy 28:37 Spirit..." 28:38 Acts chapter 9, verse 17. 28:40 "Then Ananias went to the house 28:41 and entered it. 28:42 Placing his hands on Saul, 28:43 he said, 'Brother Saul, 28:45 the Lord -- Jesus, 28:47 who appeared to you on the road 28:48 as you were coming here -- 28:49 has sent me 28:50 so that you may see again 28:51 and be --" 28:52 >> Filled. 28:53 >> "...with the Holy Spirit." 28:54 And finally here, 28:55 Ephesians 5, verse 18. 28:57 "Do not get drunk on wine, 28:58 which leads to debauchery. 28:59 Instead, be --" 29:00 >> Filled. 29:01 >> "...with the Spirit." 29:03 The Holy Spirit of God. 29:05 I hope 29:07 the message is crystal clear. 29:08 If repetition is the mother 29:10 of learning, you should not 29:11 forget this particular point. 29:12 We are to be filled 29:14 with the Holy Spirit of God. 29:17 Not half, not three quarters, 29:20 not 99%. 29:22 The Bible says we are to be 29:23 filled with the Spirit of God. 29:25 Nothing more, 29:25 nothing less. 29:26 Filled. 29:27 This is God's will for us. 29:31 If you are looking for 29:33 a little bit of the Holy Spirit, 29:37 you have come to the wrong God. 29:41 God apparently has no interest 29:43 in a little filling, 29:44 a little tiny bit. 29:45 He wants it to be full, 29:48 which to me, raises 29:50 a very important question. 29:52 Why? 29:53 What is it that needs to be done 29:54 inside of us or through us 29:57 that is so important that only 29:58 a brimming over relationship 30:00 with God's Holy Spirit will do? 30:02 Well, glad you asked. 30:04 Let's do a little digging here. 30:05 John chapter 16, verse 6. 30:07 Jesus is speaking here. 30:08 This is prior to his crucifixion 30:09 and arrest. 30:11 He says to his disciples 30:12 that he is going to leave them 30:13 and follows it up with this. 30:15 "Because I have said 30:16 these things, 30:17 you are filled with grief. 30:18 But I tell you the truth -- 30:20 it is for your good 30:22 that I am going away." 30:26 If I did not know the context of 30:28 what Jesus has just said here, 30:29 I would say this is the most 30:30 ludicrous, ridiculous verse 30:32 in the entire Bible. 30:35 How could it possibly be true 30:37 that it's better 30:38 that Jesus Christ leave you? 30:41 I mean, if Jesus Christ 30:42 were preaching on this campus 30:43 this morning, 30:45 you wouldn't be sitting here 30:46 right now and I wouldn't 30:47 be speaking to you. 30:49 We would all exit out the doors 30:50 like a great fire drill, 30:51 and we would find 30:52 where Jesus was 30:53 and we would sit at his feet. 30:54 Why? Because he's Jesus. 30:57 And if Jesus were physically 30:58 present, why would you 30:59 want to be any other place? 31:02 And yet Jesus himself says, 31:04 "Oh, actually, it's better 31:05 if I go. 31:07 It's better if I leave." 31:10 We ask, "How come?" 31:12 Jesus answered, 31:14 because "Unless I go away, 31:16 the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, 31:18 will not come to you; 31:20 but if I go, 31:22 I will send him to you." 31:25 In other words, if Jesus 31:28 had stayed on the planet, 31:30 the only people that could be 31:30 close to him 31:31 were those that were in close 31:32 physical proximity to him. 31:35 Now, praise the Lord. 31:36 Good on them, right? 31:37 But what about the other 7 or 8 31:38 billion people on the planet? 31:40 And so, Jesus does something 31:41 better 31:43 He says, 31:44 and through my Holy Spirit 31:46 I can not only be with you, 31:47 I can be in you. 31:48 I can feel you. 31:49 I can be closer to you 31:50 than the air that you breathe, 31:51 because the Holy Spirit 31:52 lives within the mind. 31:54 He fills -- He lives in our 31:55 heart." 31:56 And thus, we can be closer 31:57 to Jesus in this way than 31:59 if he were physically present 32:00 on this planet. 32:01 And not just me, not just you. 32:03 Every single 32:04 person on the planet, 32:05 whether they are physically 32:06 close to Jesus or not, 32:07 can be filled with 32:08 His Holy Spirit. 32:10 Now, this is an astonishing 32:12 privilege on our part, 32:13 but notice carefully -- why does 32:15 the spirit wish to come in? 32:17 What is the spirit 32:18 looking to do? 32:19 Well, Jesus continues. 32:20 John 16, 32:21 verses 8 to 11. 32:23 "When he, the Holy Spirit, 32:23 comes, 32:24 he will convict the world 32:25 of guilt in regard 32:27 to sin and righteousness 32:28 and judgment: in regard to sin, 32:31 because people do not believe in 32:32 me; in regard to righteousness, 32:33 because I am going to the 32:34 Father, 32:35 where you can see me no longer; 32:36 and in regard to judgment, 32:38 because the prince of this world 32:39 now stands condemned." 32:42 Now, a whole bunch we could say 32:42 about that. 32:43 Only going to say a little bit. 32:45 One of the first things that 32:46 the Holy Spirit does is that 32:48 it convicts us of our sins. 32:50 >> Amen. 32:52 Whoever said, "Amen", 32:53 I just want to say thank you, 32:53 because in first service, 32:54 not a single person said "Amen" 32:55 when I said that. 32:57 I mean, 32:58 Not a soul said a word 32:59 about that, okay? 33:00 So I'm going 33:01 to give you one more chance. 33:02 The Holy Spirit convicts us 33:03 of our sins. 33:04 >> Amen. 33:05 >> You know, 33:06 that was very good of you. 33:07 I appreciate you playing ball 33:08 with me on that one. 33:09 I'm not sure if you mean it, 33:09 though. 33:11 Imagine 33:13 if a person were doing this, 33:15 a person were assigned to be 33:16 the one to find and point 33:17 out your sins, right? 33:18 "Oh, you did it again. 33:20 Oh, ah, that's the same thing 33:21 you did yesterday. 33:22 Why are you doing that --" 33:23 What would we do with a person 33:24 like that? 33:27 Send them packing, right? 33:28 They should not be here. 33:29 One of the first things 33:30 Jesus says the Holy Spirit does 33:31 is that he convicts 33:32 us of our sin. 33:34 Here's the thing -- God is for 33:38 us. 33:40 The Holy Spirit is for us. 33:43 The Holy Spirit is not here 33:44 to bring harm to us. 33:46 He is here to help save us. 33:49 So if the Holy Spirit says 33:50 that there is sin in my life 33:52 or in your life, if the 33:53 Holy Spirit convicts us of that, 33:54 this is not a bad thing. 33:55 This is a blessed gift. 33:58 The surgeon that comes -- 34:00 If we're not feeling good, 34:01 and the surgeon comes 34:02 and tells us, "Oh, you know 34:02 what? 34:03 Here's what the problem is." 34:04 We don't slap the surgeon 34:05 when he tells us. 34:06 "How dare you tell me that?" 34:07 Right? 34:08 Because we want to hear, 34:10 we want to get better, 34:11 and this is a crucial step. 34:13 The Holy Spirit tells us 34:14 what is right and what is wrong. 34:16 You know, people speak 34:17 of the unaided conscience. 34:19 There is no such thing. 34:21 My Bible tells me 34:22 that the heart of mankind 34:23 is desperately wicked. 34:24 Who can understand it? 34:27 You cannot tell right from wrong 34:28 without the blessing 34:29 of the Holy Spirit somehow. 34:30 This is why, at the end of time, 34:31 things go so swiftly. 34:33 Because when you pull 34:34 the Holy Spirit out of there, 34:35 the mitigating factor that 34:36 would tell even some people 34:37 that have no trust in God 34:38 whatsoever what is right 34:39 and wrong, that's gone. 34:42 Well, unmixed evil 34:43 has a very short half life. 34:46 Praise the Lord 34:47 for the Holy Spirit's role 34:48 in convicting us of our sins. 34:49 But the spirit doesn't 34:50 stop there. 34:51 Praise the Lord. 34:52 He not only points out our sins, 34:54 but notice this also. 34:56 A second thing he does is 34:56 he takes Christ's death 34:58 and resurrection power 35:00 and applies it to our lives. 35:03 He's not merely content 35:04 to accuse. 35:05 Far from it. 35:05 No, no, no, no, no. 35:06 In fact, if that's all he did 35:07 was point out our sins, 35:08 this would be terrible news, 35:11 but he follows it up with the 35:12 application of Christ's death 35:13 and resurrection 35:14 power to our lives. 35:15 Now, how do I know this? 35:16 Take your Bible, please. 35:17 Romans chapter 8, verse 1. 35:21 Exceedingly cool passage 35:22 of scripture we're 35:23 going to look at right here. 35:24 Romans chapter 8, 35:25 beginning with verse 1. 35:26 Paul is going to talk here 35:28 about what the spirit 35:29 does inside of us here. 35:31 Romans chapter 8. 35:32 This is page 918 35:34 in your pew Bible. 35:36 Romans chapter 8, verse 1. 35:37 Here's what it says. 35:38 "Therefore, there is now 35:40 no condemnation for those 35:42 who are in Christ Jesus." 35:44 And all God's people said... 35:45 >> Amen. 35:45 >> Amen. 35:46 Verse 2. 35:47 "Because --" here's why. 35:49 "Because through Christ 35:50 Jesus, the law of the spirit --" 35:52 this is the Holy Spirit -- 35:54 "...the law of the spirit of 35:55 life set me free 35:57 from the law of sin and death." 35:59 Down to verse 5, please. 36:01 Those who live according to the 36:02 sinful nature have their minds 36:04 set on what that nature desires, 36:06 but those who live in accordance 36:07 with the spirit have their minds 36:09 set on what the spirit desires. 36:11 The mind of sinful man is death, 36:13 but the mind controlled 36:14 by the spirit is life and peace. 36:16 The sinful mind 36:17 is hostile to God. 36:18 It does not submit to God's law, 36:19 nor can it do so. 36:21 Those controlled by the sinful 36:22 nature cannot please God." 36:24 Verse 9. 36:26 "You, however, are controlled 36:28 not by the sinful nature, 36:29 but by the spirit. 36:31 If the Spirit of God 36:32 lives in you, 36:33 and if anyone does not have 36:34 the Spirit of Christ, 36:35 he does not belong to Christ, 36:36 but if Christ is in you, 36:38 your body is dead 36:39 because of sin, 36:40 yet your spirit is alive 36:41 because of righteousness. 36:43 And if the Spirit of him 36:44 who raised Jesus from the dead 36:45 is living in you, 36:46 He who raised Christ 36:47 from the dead will also 36:49 give life to your mortal bodies 36:50 through His Spirit 36:51 who lives in you." 36:55 Ladies and gentlemen, 36:56 this is powerful, 36:57 powerful, powerful stuff. 36:58 The Holy Spirit, the most 37:00 powerful force in the universe, 37:01 consents to come 37:02 and live inside of me, 37:03 live inside of you, 37:05 and he takes what Jesus did 37:07 on the cross and he powers it. 37:09 He empowers it to be effective 37:11 in our lives. 37:12 If you are stuck in sin, 37:14 if you've got a habit 37:15 you cannot break, 37:16 if there are things that are 37:17 going wrong in your life 37:18 and you cannot stop, this is 37:19 what the Holy Spirit does. 37:22 Jesus said on the cross, "It is 37:23 finished," 37:24 meaning the power of sin 37:26 had been broken. 37:28 The curtain in the temple 37:28 was torn in two. 37:30 No more sacrifice necessary 37:32 because The Lamb, capital T, 37:34 capital L, had been sacrificed 37:35 on the cross. 37:37 All the power was available, 37:38 but it was not yet applied 37:41 to the human heart until the 37:43 Holy Spirit makes it so. 37:47 This is how we are saved. 37:51 The Holy Spirit had to hover 37:52 over the waters of the deep, 37:53 the chaos back before creation. 37:56 That's how creation happened. 37:58 Salvation is an act of creation. 38:01 The Holy Spirit cannot remodel 38:03 the sinner, 38:04 so he gives him a new heart. 38:09 A story. 38:12 Many years ago, 38:13 in the last millennium, 38:14 I was a student missionary 38:15 on the island of Ponape. 38:18 You can kind of tell which era 38:19 student missionaries 38:20 were on Ponape, 38:21 because there are those that say 38:22 "Pohnpei" and there are those 38:23 that say "Ponape". 38:25 If you say "Ponape", 38:26 you're just an English person 38:28 who doesn't know about it. 38:29 Okay? 38:29 On Ponape, 38:31 I was a teacher there, 38:32 and on one particular day, 38:34 the principal came to us 38:36 and said, 38:37 "A hurricane is headed this 38:40 way." 38:41 Now, of course, 38:42 in the South Pacific, 38:43 hurricanes are called 38:45 typhoons, right? 38:47 But, you know, 38:48 being an American, I thought, 38:49 "Well, typhoon. 38:50 A hurri-- Okay, that I get." 38:51 Now, 38:53 before in the United States. 38:55 I lived in California, 38:56 and the ground kind of shakes 38:56 there a bit. 38:57 I've been to other places. 38:58 You get snow and rain 38:59 and that kind of stuff, 39:00 maybe a few floods, 39:01 but the idea of having 39:02 a hurricane, a hurricane -- 39:04 I'd never been in that. 39:06 So, we asked, 39:08 "Well, what should we do?" 39:09 And they said, "Well, 39:11 make everything on campus 39:12 as secure as you can." 39:14 Huh. 39:16 All right. What does that mean? 39:17 I mean, do I tie the lawnmower 39:17 down? 39:18 Do I find a palm tree? 39:19 Do I lash things? 39:20 What do I do? 39:21 I really wasn't sure, 39:22 and the other SMs 39:23 weren't sure either, 39:24 and then the principal 39:25 had to leave. 39:27 Principal had to go. 39:28 Some other part of the island 39:29 he had to be on, 39:30 I don't know, 39:30 to help prepare for the hurr-- 39:32 I have no idea what it was, 39:32 but he left, 39:35 leaving the student missionaries 39:37 in charge. 39:41 This was exciting. 39:43 Now again, not 39:44 having ever been in something 39:45 like this, I was like, 39:45 "Okay, what do we do?" 39:46 And so, you know, 39:48 "Well, we probably 39:49 And someone said, 39:50 windows 39:51 so you don't create high 39:52 pressure places in buildings 39:53 and whatnot like this." 39:55 All the cars, we parked, 39:56 you know, 39:57 put them all together, huddled 39:58 so that no tree would fall 39:59 on this kind of a thing. 40:01 And now the winds are starting 40:02 to pick up. 40:04 And those of you that have been 40:05 in a hurricane before, 40:07 you know that there 40:08 is a sound 40:10 that comes with these things. 40:12 Before I was in one, 40:14 people would tell me, "Well, 40:17 but constant." 40:18 You know, just -- [imitates 40:19 train] -- kind of thing. 40:21 And it does. 40:22 It does. 40:22 Apparently 40:23 it doesn't matter 40:23 whether it's fir trees 40:24 in Washington State or wherever, 40:25 but palm trees sound the same. 40:27 [ Imitates blowing ] 40:28 And it just got louder 40:30 and louder, and the wind -- 40:31 the palm trees are starting to 40:32 lean a little bit. 40:33 There's no more birds. 40:34 You can't see any wildlife. 40:36 Things are starting to get 40:36 rather serious 40:39 when I remembered 40:42 that I had left something 40:43 in my bedroom 40:44 upstairs in the apartment 40:47 where me and two 40:48 other SMs lived. 40:51 Now, to this day, 40:51 I cannot recall what was 40:54 so important that I thought 40:56 I ought to go back outside 40:58 and upstairs 40:59 to the top floor of a building 41:01 to retrieve something. 41:03 We were student missionaries. 41:04 We had no money. 41:05 We had nothing of value. 41:07 But for some reason, I thought, 41:08 "Oh, I forgot that." 41:11 And my roommate said, 41:12 "Oh, you know what? 41:13 I forgot something too." 41:16 And so, like ignorant Americans, 41:18 we walked across campus. 41:19 There'd be places -- 41:20 You know, 41:21 things are flying sideways now 41:22 and going like this, 41:23 you know, charging our way 41:24 through across campus. 41:25 We are men, after all. 41:26 And we go upstairs. 41:27 Here we go, up top. 41:28 We go to the top floor and we're 41:30 getting our things here. 41:31 We're looking around 41:33 and there comes this sound. 41:36 It wasn't just the 41:37 freight train. 41:39 It was now -- 41:40 It almost sounded as though 41:42 some giant were taking 41:44 a large piece of sheet metal 41:46 and ripping it in two. 41:49 And we both looked up 41:51 at the same time, 41:52 and the roof was gone. 41:56 It was a giant ripping a large 41:58 piece of metal in two, right 42:00 And immediately, there was water 42:02 coming in the top there, 42:03 and I looked at my roommate 42:04 and I said, 42:05 "I think we should leave now." 42:08 He said, "I think we should 42:08 too." 42:09 And we went down and across 42:10 to find a place, 42:11 at least someplace down low 42:13 that was covered with concrete 42:14 on all sides there. 42:17 It took off most of that part 42:18 of the building. 42:21 It took off most of the roofs 42:22 of many of the other 42:23 structures nearby. 42:26 But on a place called Sokehs, 42:28 it decimated it, 42:30 because on Sokehs, 42:32 all they had were shanties, 42:33 especially. 42:34 They were made of, 42:35 you know, maybe some bamboo, 42:36 you know, rigging, 42:37 and then sheet metal. 42:40 That's all they had. 42:42 And when the wind 42:44 power was off on the island, 42:46 water was hard to come by. 42:47 It was a mess. 42:49 When we went out there 42:50 on our way, 42:52 it looked just, I mean, 42:56 decimated. 42:57 Completely destroyed. 43:00 Some places were just bare. 43:04 No wreckage left. 43:08 That's what a hurricane can do. 43:18 And some of you might 43:19 be thinking, 43:20 "Well, why, Pastor Shane, 43:22 would you compare the work 43:25 of the Holy Spirit 43:27 to a hurricane?" 43:34 I compare the work of the 43:36 Holy Spirit to a hurricane 43:40 precisely because of its 43:43 destructive power. 43:46 Not destroying 43:48 that which is good, 43:51 but its power to destroy that 43:53 which is bad. 43:57 You see, in my heart, 43:59 in your heart can be 44:00 strongholds of Satan, 44:04 shantytowns built up over years. 44:07 They may not seem to have much 44:09 substance to them, but boy, 44:10 they sure can last, can't they? 44:12 Until finally, we get 44:14 to the place where we say, 44:15 "I need something better. 44:16 There has to be freedom. 44:17 God, set me free. 44:19 Send your Holy Spirit 44:20 to set me free." 44:21 And then the holy hurricane 44:23 comes blowing into your life. 44:26 And when the Holy Spirit 44:27 gets a hold of those 44:28 bastions of Satan, 44:30 he begins to rip the roof 44:31 right off the top. 44:33 He takes the doors out 44:34 and chucks them away. 44:35 He crashes through the windows 44:36 with his fist. 44:37 He breaks those walls down until 44:39 many times, if we are willing, 44:40 he will scrape that rock clean, 44:43 that there be nothing left 44:45 behind to tempt us. 44:48 Holy Hurricane. 44:50 Praise the Lord. 44:52 If you're listening to me 44:53 right now 44:55 and you know 44:55 that you are caught, 44:58 that there are chains on you 45:00 that Satan has you wrapped in, 45:02 that there are strongholds 45:03 of Satan in your life, 45:04 shantytowns, but boy, 45:05 they sure have been staying, 45:08 you need the holy hurricane. 45:12 Ask him to come in. 45:14 He longs to set you free. 45:16 We're going to talk more 45:18 about this later on, 45:19 but suffice it to say, 45:21 the Holy Spirit is 45:22 in the business not merely of 45:23 pointing out where our sin is, 45:25 but of taking Christ's death 45:26 and resurrection power 45:28 and applying it to our lives 45:31 and decimating the strongholds 45:32 the devil has. 45:35 Even with all this, 45:37 the Holy Spirit is not finished. 45:38 There is more. 45:39 Very quickly here. 45:40 John 14, verses 25 45:41 and 26. 45:42 Jesus says this. 45:43 "All this I have spoken 45:44 while still with you. 45:45 But the Counselor, 45:46 the Holy Spirit, whom the Father 45:47 will send in my name, 45:49 he will teach you all things, 45:50 and will remind you of 45:51 everything I have said to you." 45:53 Hmm. 45:53 Two more things the Holy 45:54 Spirit does. 45:55 Teaches us all things. 45:56 Reminds us of Christ's words. 45:59 You know, if a student is taking 46:00 an exam that they did 46:02 not study for, 46:03 they would love at that moment 46:04 to have somebody teach them 46:05 all things, okay? 46:07 They crave this knowledge. 46:09 You know, "Help me to 46:09 understand." 46:10 If we do that 46:11 for academic things, 46:12 how much more do we crave it -- 46:13 should we crave it 46:14 for spiritual things? 46:16 No spiritual lesson is to be 46:18 lost in the kingdom of God 46:19 if we are filled with 46:20 the Holy Spirit. 46:21 And reminding 46:22 us of Christ's words -- 46:23 Now notice it says, "Reminds 46:24 us." 46:25 You have to put the Word of God 46:26 into your mind first, 46:28 and then the Holy Spirit 46:29 can remind you 46:30 when it is most needed. 46:31 Many of you have 46:32 at just the right time 46:33 and just the right place. 46:34 When you needed it most, 46:35 there came to your mind a text 46:37 from scripture that exactly 46:38 fit your circumstances. 46:40 That's the Holy Spirit. 46:42 Even with this, 46:43 the Holy Spirit is not done. 46:44 Jesus continued -- John 16, 46:46 verses 12 and 13. 46:47 He says, 46:49 more than you can now bear. 46:50 But when he, 46:50 the Spirit of truth, comes, 46:52 he will guide you 46:52 into all truth. 46:54 He will not speak on his own; 46:55 he will speak 46:56 only what he hears, 46:57 and he will tell you 46:58 what is to come." 47:01 Two more things here, 47:01 a fifth and a sixth 47:02 that the Holy Spirit does. 47:04 The Holy Spirit guides us 47:05 into all truth, and he tells us 47:07 what is to come in the future. 47:09 Now Jesus said, 47:09 "You shall know the truth, 47:10 and the truth shall... 47:12 set you free." 47:13 He is speaking here 47:15 of the power of the Holy Spirit, 47:16 the work of the Holy Spirit, 47:17 taking God's truth in His Word 47:19 and applying it to our lives, 47:21 and the Holy Spirit also tells 47:22 us what's coming in the future. 47:24 I can hardly sometimes 47:25 tell what's going to happen 47:26 in the next five minutes. 47:27 Praise the Lord that we have 47:29 the gift of prophecy. 47:31 By the power of the Holy Spirit, 47:32 we can properly understand it. 47:33 But even with all of this, 47:36 the Holy Spirit is not done. 47:38 There is a seventh thing that 47:39 the Holy Spirit wishes to do, 47:41 and if we give him enough time, 47:42 he will do so. 47:43 I want to show you a text here. 47:44 This is in the book of Acts. 47:46 The scene is this. 47:48 The disciples, Peter and John, 47:49 have gone to the temple to pray. 47:51 They met a lame man on the way. 47:53 Perhaps you've heard 47:53 the song. 47:54 They heal this man, who has been 47:55 lame, and lame 47:56 for quite some time. 47:57 The Sanhedrin, the rulers 47:58 get wind of this. 47:59 They're not happy. 48:00 They don't like it at all. 48:01 Jesus seems to be coming back 48:02 from the grave in their minds. 48:04 They call Peter and John 48:05 to stand before them, 48:06 and this is what happens. 48:07 Acts chapter 4, verse 8. 48:09 "Then Peter, 48:10 filled with the Holy Spirit, 48:11 said to them -- 48:12 "Rulers and elders of the 48:14 people! 48:14 If we are being called 48:15 to account today for an act 48:17 of kindness shown to a cripple, 48:18 and are asked how he was healed, 48:19 then know this, you 48:21 and all the people of Israel -- 48:22 It is by the name 48:23 of Jesus of Nazareth, 48:25 whom you have crucified 48:26 but whom God raised 48:28 from the dead, that this man 48:29 stands before you healed. 48:31 He is --" Jesus is -- "the stone 48:32 the builders rejected, 48:33 which has become the capstone." 48:35 Psalm 118. 48:36 "Salvation 48:37 is found in no one else, 48:38 for there is no other name 48:40 under heaven given to men 48:41 by which they must be saved." 48:43 Now get this. 48:44 "When they saw 48:45 the courage of Peter and 48:46 John --" 48:47 this is the Sanhedrin -- 48:48 "and realized that they were 48:49 unschooled, ordinary men, 48:51 they were astonished, 48:53 and they took note that 48:54 these men had been with Jesus." 48:58 A seventh thing that 49:01 the Holy Spirit will do for us, 49:02 if we are willing, 49:03 is that he will utterly 49:05 transform us into courageous, 49:07 faithful, powerful, and, yes, 49:08 passionate followers 49:09 of Jesus Christ. 49:12 This is his goal. 49:13 He is not 49:14 content to leave you half baked. 49:15 He wants to bring you 49:16 to maturity in Christ. 49:20 And I hope by now, the question 49:21 is practically burning 49:22 its way through your skull. 49:23 If this is what Jesus can do 49:25 for us through the ministry 49:26 of His Holy Spirit, 49:28 how are we to be filled? 49:33 Luke chapter 11, please. 49:35 Verse 11. 49:37 Final text for you this morning, 49:38 Luke chapter 11, verse 11. 49:40 Page 845 in your pew Bible. 49:43 845. 49:44 Luke chapter 11, verse 11. 49:45 Jesus here is speaking with 49:46 his disciples. 49:47 There's also 49:48 a large crowd around him, 49:49 some of them friendly, 49:50 some of them not, 49:52 and Jesus has this to say. 49:53 Chapter 11 of Luke, verse 11. 49:55 "Which of you fathers, 49:57 if your son asks for a fish, 50:00 will give him a snake instead, 50:02 or if he asks for an egg, 50:03 will give him a scorpion? 50:04 If you then, 50:04 though you are evil, 50:06 know how to give good gifts 50:06 to your children, 50:08 how much more will your father 50:09 in heaven give the Holy Spirit 50:11 to those who --" 50:12 What's that word? 50:14 "...who ask him?" 50:16 If you want to receive 50:17 the filling of the Holy Spirit, 50:19 we must ask for it. 50:22 And here, in my experience, 50:24 is where so many Christians 50:25 make a fatal mistake. 50:26 I know I have made it 50:27 in my spiritual life before. 50:28 Maybe you have too. 50:29 The mistake is this. 50:31 We figure 50:33 that because the first part 50:34 of the Holy Spirit's work 50:36 was automatic, which it was -- 50:38 Do you understand what I mean 50:39 by that? 50:40 The first part of the Holy 50:41 Spirit's work? 50:42 Some of you may recall the time 50:43 when you were far from God, 50:46 but there was a sense in you 50:47 that you wanted 50:48 something better. 50:49 You didn't know what it was. 50:50 You couldn't really put a name 50:51 on it. 50:51 "Ah, you know, 50:52 this doesn't feel right." 50:53 Maybe you were not as far away 50:54 from God, 50:55 but you were doing something 50:55 that you knew was not right 50:56 and you felt this convicting -- 50:58 "Ah, you know, there's got to 50:58 be -- 51:00 There's got to be a better way 51:00 to live life than this." 51:02 That's the Holy Spirit, 51:03 and you didn't ask for it. 51:05 The Holy Spirit, in some 51:07 fashion, 51:08 strives with every person 51:09 on the planet. 51:10 No one asked for that. 51:11 That's just the way God has 51:11 arranged things. 51:12 At this time, 51:14 and we sometimes figure that 51:15 because the first part 51:17 of the Holy Spirit's work 51:17 was automatic, 51:18 that therefore all of the Holy 51:20 Spirit's work is automatic, 51:22 including being filled, 51:23 but this is not so. 51:27 Because you see, 51:30 God is a gentleman. 51:33 He will not come in 51:36 where He is not wanted. 51:39 And our asking for Him to come 51:42 in gives Him permission 51:44 to do so. 51:47 And furthermore -- 51:48 notice this carefully -- we ask 51:50 for that which we think we need. 51:52 We do not ask for that 51:54 which we think we do not need. 51:57 And if we ask for this blessing, 52:00 it gives God permission to do 52:02 in us what he wishes to do. 52:04 So we must ask for this feeling, 52:05 and notice again carefully, 52:06 we must keep asking for it 52:09 regularly, 52:10 because when it comes to 52:11 the filling of the Holy Spirit, 52:13 we leak. 52:16 We are leaky vessels. 52:19 Whether it's because 52:20 there's, you know, 52:21 a new round of spiritual growth 52:23 or of overcoming sin, 52:24 et cetera, et cetera, 52:25 we do not automatically 52:26 retain the filling 52:27 of the Spirit of God. 52:28 So we need to ask regularly 52:29 for a top up. 52:30 We regularly need to ask for 52:31 that filling on a daily basis. 52:33 And some of 52:35 Why couldn't it just be 52:36 fill it and forget it? 52:39 I mean, why not just, you know, 52:41 flip a switch and boom, 52:41 I'm done. 52:42 I'm filled with the spirit. 52:43 All this stuff is finished. 52:44 We march into the kingdom, 52:45 que sera, sera. 52:46 I mean, why not?" 52:52 As it turns out, 52:55 the fact that we need 52:56 to regularly ask for the filling 52:58 of the Holy Spirit is actually 53:01 a great compliment to us 53:05 paid to us by God Himself, 53:07 because the daily 53:09 need for a daily 53:10 filling of the Spirit of God, 53:12 the need to ask for us, 53:14 tells us clearly that God 53:15 is not looking for robots. 53:20 Your God is powerful enough. 53:21 If he wanted to, he could force 53:23 every person to be filled 53:24 with the Holy Spirit of God. 53:25 He could do that. 53:26 But He respects us 53:27 too much to do that. 53:28 God is not looking for robots. 53:30 He's looking for friends. 53:33 He is looking for partners. 53:34 He is looking for willing, 53:35 intelligent coworkers 53:36 for His kingdom, 53:36 coworkers who freely choose 53:38 each day to grow in Him, 53:40 and when we give Him permission, 53:42 oh, He longs to be there. 53:44 And by asking regularly for 53:46 the filling of His Holy Spirit, 53:48 there is a meeting of the minds, 53:51 our feeble mind with His 53:53 almighty and perfect mind, 53:55 and this meeting shows us, 53:56 shows Him, that He 53:57 has full permission to work 53:58 inside of us and through us, 54:00 and when that happens, great, 54:01 great things can come to pass in 54:03 and through our lives. 54:06 Now, ladies and gentlemen, how 54:08 many of us are seeking to coast 54:10 on a blessing we receive from 54:11 the Holy Spirit ten years ago? 54:15 We leak. 54:17 There may be nothing left from 54:19 that blessing of the Holy Spirit 54:21 that you received in the past. 54:23 We need a fresh filling. 54:26 There is no salvation 54:27 without the Holy Spirit, 54:28 but with the Holy Spirit, 54:29 anyone can be saved. 54:31 Without the Spirit, 54:32 life can seem impossible, 54:34 but with the Spirit, all things 54:35 are possible. 54:36 In the Spirit, 54:37 that's where the joy 54:38 of Christianity is. 54:39 That's where victory over sins 54:40 that have so long held us back 54:41 is, the triumph 54:43 over Satan's attacks that 54:44 we've longed for for so long. 54:45 The Spirit is the secret 54:46 to the powerful, 54:48 passionate Christian life, 54:50 and being filled with 54:51 the Holy Spirit is fellowship 54:53 with Jesus Christ every day. 54:55 And listen closely here. 54:56 Consequently, it is 54:58 the only possible preparations 55:02 for one of the greatest events 55:03 the world will ever see 55:05 this side of the Second 55:06 Coming of Christ. 55:07 For you see, there is still 55:08 something more that the Spirit 55:10 wants to do. 55:12 The Spirit is not content 55:14 merely to do the seven things 55:15 that we talked about, 55:16 to bring victory over sin, 55:17 or teach us all things, 55:18 or remind us of Christ's words, 55:19 et cetera, et cetera. 55:20 No, there is still something 55:22 more that the Spirit longs to do 55:23 in and through each one of us, 55:25 and here it is. 55:27 What the Holy Spirit longs 55:29 to do in 55:30 and with and through each of 55:32 us... 55:38 ...is what I'm going to tell you 55:39 about in part two next week. 55:43 So, you need to be here. 55:47 I can guarantee, for almost all 55:48 of you you, will not regret it. 55:51 But until then, 55:53 please remember this. 55:56 Information about Christ, 55:58 studying the Bible, 56:00 learning its words 56:02 is all indispensable. 56:03 We must learn about it 56:05 and share them, et cetera, 56:06 but without the Spirit of God 56:08 filling us, 56:09 it'll just be words on a page. 56:13 It's high time that we be filled 56:14 with the wind that works, 56:16 the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ, 56:17 and if we are willing 56:19 to let that holy hurricane 56:20 come in on a daily, 56:22 regular basis, to ask for that 56:23 filling each day, that holy 56:25 hurricane of the Holy Spirit 56:26 will build up in us a life 56:28 so strong that no matter 56:29 what comes our way today 56:31 and in the very end of time, 56:34 we will stand loving, powerful, 56:38 passionate witnesses 56:40 for Jesus Christ. 56:43 May each one of us be filled 56:45 with the Holy Spirit of God. 56:54 Hi, I'm Shane Anderson, 56:56 lead pastor at Pioneer 56:57 Memorial Church. 56:59 It's no newsflash to say 57:00 that social media 57:01 has become an integral part 57:02 of our daily lives, 57:04 and here at Pioneer, 57:05 we want to use it 57:07 to enrich our lives. 57:09 I invite you to connect with us 57:10 online by visiting the links 57:11 that are shown on the screen. 57:13 We are constantly sharing 57:15 inspiring content 57:17 that we believe can make a real 57:18 and positive difference 57:19 in your life. 57:21 So, if you haven't already, 57:22 I encourage you to follow 57:23 and subscribe 57:24 to our social media platforms. 57:26 Not only will you stay up 57:27 to date 57:30 but you will also be able to 57:31 engage with an online community 57:33 that shares a common belief, 57:34 experience and care 57:36 for your well-being, 57:38 and by sharing our content, 57:40 you can help us reach even more 57:41 people with our message of hope 57:43 and love in Jesus. 57:45 Join us by creating a positive 57:47 impact online and making 57:48 a difference in the world. 57:51 Thank you, and we look forward 57:52 to connecting with you online. 57:59 ♪ 58:06 ♪ 58:14 ♪ 58:21 ♪ |
Revised 2023-11-14