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Romans 8:9-11 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
I am usually behind the guitar, and it's kind of a security blanket for me, so I hope that you'll be in prayer for me, even as I speak.
0:10
I appreciate Alex's encouragement, that song, words of power that can never fail. Let their truth prevail over unbelief.
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My prayer is that that's exactly what would happen today prevail over my unbelief and yours.
0:27
Our text is Romans chapter 8, verses 9 through 11.
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Now, a couple of weeks ago, John said he felt like the varsity was winning, so now the JV team was stepping in.
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That was two weeks ago, so I don't know what that says about me exactly.
0:46
But I am really excited to get to talk with you about this text.
0:53
Even this morning, I was trying to find things that I could take out of my sermon, because I don't want to take all of your whole afternoon.
1:01
There's just, as we begin to talk about the Spirit, there's more than we could possibly cover in a morning or a week.
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So I hope that this will be a foundation and a catalyst, and that you'll want to get more acquainted with the Spirit in your own personal studies as a result of this.
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So let's read together Romans chapter 8, verses 9 through 11.
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You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.
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Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
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But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
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If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
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So there are three things that I want you to see, one from each verse.
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Paul is making some pretty strong claims here, and he uses this big if a couple of times.
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He's basically making logical assertions.
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He says, if this is true, then this also is true.
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And those three things, I'll go ahead and give them to you, and then I'm going to fill in the blanks.
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In verse 9, he says, if the Spirit of God is within us, then we belong to Christ.
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Verse 10, he says, if the Spirit is in you, then you have life because of righteousness.
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So there's a spiritual life that's in us if the Spirit of God is in us.
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And then finally, if the Spirit is in us, then we will be resurrected from the dead one day.
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We're going to spend most of our time on that second point,
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because Clay and John have done a great job of building us up into verse 9.
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Paul certainly is not presenting a new idea here when he says that we belong to Christ,
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if the Spirit of God is in us.
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Verse 7, he said, the mind set on the flesh is hostile towards God.
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But now he's made this case that our minds are not set on the flesh, they're set on the Spirit.
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We're no longer enemies of God, but we're actually his children.
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We belong to him because we're not in the flesh any longer.
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Second Corinthians 6.16 says, we are the temple of the living God.
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As God said, I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
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and I will be their God and they shall be my people.
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So did you catch that?
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God said, I will make my dwelling among them.
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I will be their God and they shall be my people.
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So when the Spirit of God comes into us, we become his.
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He then owns us.
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Now the inverse, which is what Paul actually highlights in this verse,
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certainly true, if we don't have the Spirit of Christ, we don't belong to Christ.
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You see that?
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You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.
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In fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you.
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Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
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So let that resound with you.
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If you fall into that category, then all of the good things I'm about to describe are not yours.
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Not yet.
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So the inverse is true.
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And then the final way to look at this verse, okay, if the Spirit dwells in us, then we belong to Christ.
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If we don't have the Spirit, we don't belong to Christ.
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And then finally, if we belong to Christ, we have the Spirit of Christ.
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It's inseparable from the idea.
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You couldn't be his and not have the Spirit any more than you could have the Spirit and not be his.
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And that's the foundation, kind of the springboard that we're moving into this next idea from,
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is that if we are Christ, if we call ourselves Christians, and we are,
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then we do have the Spirit of God dwelling within us.
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Okay?
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So the next verse, verse 10, if we read that together, it says,
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But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
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And that's an interesting word.
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Is life.
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It's not the Spirit brings life or gives you life, but is life.
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Okay?
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The Spirit is within us.
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So what I want us to see, and we're going to spend a great deal of energy sort of wrapping our minds around it,
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is that we have abundant spiritual life in Christ.
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In spite of death, which is brought on by sin, when the Spirit of God comes into us, he brings abundant spiritual life.
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2 Corinthians 5.17 says,
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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
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The old has passed away.
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Behold, the new has come.
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A couple of verses later in 2 Corinthians 5.21,
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Paul says,
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For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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So look what happens there.
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There's an exchange.
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Martin Luther is famous for saying, talking about this great exchange of our sin for Christ's righteousness in this exchange.
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What Paul is here highlighting in verse 10 is that while we retain physical death, we retain our sinful desires,
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we also receive spiritual life.
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When we receive new righteous desires, there's not only an exchange of our sin for his righteousness,
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but there's a turning over of desires, a displacement of desires.
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So we gain his desires and we do away with our desires.
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Now, the major difference is that when we receive his righteousness for our sin, that happens instantly.
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But the process of gaining his desires happens over the course of our life as we're sanctified.
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Our desires decrease and his increase within us.
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And the key is that whereas we once were dead and we could do no righteous act whatsoever by nature of being dead,
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we now are truly and fully alive and we can do what he wants.
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And in fact, we will find the longer we spend time with God and we live according to the spirit,
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we'll be able to do more and more works according to his desires.
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We will want more and more what he wants as we as we walk with him.
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So what I want to do then is to step back from this verse just a little bit and talk about the spirit,
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kind of lay a foundation because we throw this phrase around the Holy Spirit a lot.
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And I think that we all have a pretty decent theological understanding of it.
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But our practical understanding of the Holy Spirit is very weak.
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Mine is the same.
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I've grown up in the same types of churches that you have.
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Well-meaning churches that use the phrase Holy Spirit,
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but don't get down to the meat of what that means and how it actually impacts our living.
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So I want to ask the question first, what is spirit?
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And then more specifically, what is the Holy Spirit?
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So that we can get into a discussion of who the Holy Spirit is.
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So what is spirit?
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Just generally, it's a specific, identifiable substance, but it's non-material.
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I think we all are like, okay, Wes, I'm there with you.
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We can't define spirit in the sense that we can't box it into anything.
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It's non-material.
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It is, however, describable.
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It's just as real as matter.
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It just exists in another mode of being.
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Does that make sense?
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You can see me, touch me.
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You can't see and touch spirit because it's in a different mode of existence altogether.
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As such, it has the ability to penetrate.
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It can penetrate matter and spirit.
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Spirit can penetrate spirit.
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Spirit can penetrate personality.
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And so there are all types of spirits in the world, which we're sometimes aware of and sometimes not.
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And they have the ability to penetrate things like our thoughts.
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People who are lost, we've heard of spiritual demon possessions.
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Demons are spirits.
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And they have penetrated the minds and the bodies of people who are under their possession.
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So spirit can penetrate.
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And that's going to be really key as we move forward.
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And we talked about the Holy Spirit because we're going to be talking about things that we can't quite touch.
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But they're just as real.
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The spirit is just as real as matter.
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So what is the Holy Spirit?
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How is that qualified from just spirit in general?
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First, and it should be the most obvious, is that the Holy Spirit is God.
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And Psalm 139.7 ascribes omnipresence to the Holy Spirit.
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In Hebrews 9.14, it's said that the Holy Spirit is eternal.
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Just like any other spirit, the Holy Spirit is a being which dwells in another mode of existence.
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But he is a person, not a human person, but he has qualities and powers of personality.
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He's not matter, but he's substance, is the way to think of that.
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He has a will and intelligence.
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He has feeling and knowledge and sympathy.
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He can love and see and think.
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He can hear and speak.
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He can desire.
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Okay?
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So we have to start thinking about the Holy Spirit as a being with personality
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and not as some vague, ghostly figure like you would see in a movie.
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Everything that Jesus is, the Holy Spirit is.
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Everything that the Father is, the Holy Spirit is.
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They all are one in the Trinity.
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The churches always believe that.
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We just, I don't know, we just don't think about it, I guess.
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If we look at the ancient creeds, the Nicene Creed from 381 A.D.
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It says,
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We believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life,
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who proceedeth from the Father,
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who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified.
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And then the Athanasian Creed from the early 5th century
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says,
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But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one.
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The glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.
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Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.
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So when we talk about the characteristics of the Holy Spirit,
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the characteristics of Christ are the characteristics of the Holy Spirit.
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The personality of the Father is the personality of the Holy Spirit,
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because they're one.
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Okay?
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And that's,
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it's really foundational and maybe even a bit academic,
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but it's essential to our understanding of what the Spirit does.
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So, as we're thinking about what the Spirit does,
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we have to remember that He's a person
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who dwells within us,
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because He's in another mode of existence.
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Turn to Acts chapter 2.
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I want to shift
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to talking about
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what the Spirit
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has done,
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and then to talk about what the Spirit does.
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Okay?
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Because when the Spirit
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initially came
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and
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came into Christians,
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was at Pentecost,
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after Christ's resurrection
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and His ascension,
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the disciples are all basically
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just hanging out together.
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Jesus had told them,
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be still,
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don't do anything
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until you receive power
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from the Holy Spirit.
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Okay?
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So that's what they're doing,
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and the Bible tells us
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that they were all of one accord
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or of one mind.
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So there was unity
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among the disciples,
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and there was waiting
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and expectation for the Spirit,
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but other than that,
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they're just kind of
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hanging out and waiting.
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All right?
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And then the Spirit comes
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and a bunch of
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really crazy stuff happens,
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which we're going to discuss,
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but I want to read together
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Acts 2,
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starting in verse 1.
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When the day of Pentecost
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arrived,
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they were all together
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in one place,
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and suddenly
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there came from heaven
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a sound like a mighty
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rushing wind,
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and it filled the entire house
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where they were sitting,
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and divided tongues
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as a fire appeared to them
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and rested on each one of them,
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and they were all filled
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with the Holy Spirit
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and began to speak
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in other tongues
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as the Spirit gave the mutterings.
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Now there were dwelling
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in Jerusalem Jews,
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devout men from every nation
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under heaven,
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and at this sound
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the multitude came together,
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and they were bewildered
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because each one
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was hearing them
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speak in his own language.
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And they were amazed
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and astonished,
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saying,
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Are not all these
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who are speaking Galileans?
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And how is it
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that we hear,
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each of us
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in his own native language,
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Parthians and Medes
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and Elamites
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and residents
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of Mesopotamia,
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Judea,
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Cappadocia,
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Pontus in Asia,
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Pergia and Pamphylia,
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Egypt and the parts of Libya
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beyond belonging to Cyrene,
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and visitors from Rome,
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both Jews and proselytes,
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Cretans and Arabians,
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we hear them telling
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in our own tongues
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the mighty works of God.
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And all were amazed
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and perplexed,
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saying to one another,
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What does this mean?
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But others mocked,
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saying,
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They are filled with new wine.
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So,
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a few things
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that I want to see,
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three actually,
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that the Spirit
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brought at Pentecost.
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The first
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was a new kind of evidence.
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A new kind of evidence
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for the reality
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of their faith.
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See,
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Christ's evidences,
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these people already believed
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that Christ was the Messiah,
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but his evidences
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were all external.
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And he cites
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four different types of
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proof
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that he is who he says he is.
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Both the
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witness of John the Baptist
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and the testimony
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of the Father.
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Remember,
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when Jesus was baptized,
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a dove came down
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from heaven
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and there was a voice
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that said,
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This is my Son
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in whom I am well pleased.
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Jesus' works,
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he cites his miracles
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and his teaching
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and says,
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I am
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who I say I am.
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The Father has sent me.
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The works that I do
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are proof of that.
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And then finally,
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he references the Scriptures
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and says,
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Look,
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they say
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that I am
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who I say that I am.
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But these are all
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external proofs.
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They're external evidences.
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The Spirit comes in
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and we immediately
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have an inner
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evidence
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which supersedes
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logic even.
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We know that we've
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been made alive
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by the Spirit
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the same way
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that we know
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that we're physically
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alive right now.
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Nobody's sitting around
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thinking,
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Am I alive?
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Am I not alive?
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We just know it.
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We take a breath.
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That's external evidence.
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You don't have to take a breath
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to know that you're alive.
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I can hold my breath
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and still know that I'm alive
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because it's an internal
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proof.
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It supersedes me
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having to take in
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observe my surroundings
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and make an assessment
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of whether I'm alive or not.
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If I'm thinking,
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Rene Descartes said,
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I think,
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therefore I am.
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Okay?
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So,
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we know that we're
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physically alive
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and when the Spirit
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comes into us,
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we know that we're
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spiritually alive.
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We're instantly assured
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that our Savior
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is a real Savior
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when the Spirit
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enters us.
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Just as we're
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instantly aware
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that we're alive
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the moment we consider
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the question of our own
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existence.
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And the important thing
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here is that
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that changed everything.
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When,
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I feel like Steve Jobs
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on that.
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More than the iPhone,
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the Spirit
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changed everything.
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Christ
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completely changed
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the rules
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of religion
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altogether
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when the Spirit
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entered into the hearts
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of his saints.
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Okay?
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Religion
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used to be
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almost entirely
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external.
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There were
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internal facets
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to religion,
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but for the most part
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the way that we
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pleased God
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was by our actions.
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Now,
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religion,
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if you'll allow me
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the term,
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religion
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is as basic
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as life itself.
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Don't miss that.
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It is fundamental.
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It's a part
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of who we are.
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What had been
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about activity
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became about identity.
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God had said
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under the Old Covenant,
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live this way
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and you'll be
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my people,
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but he says to us
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in the New Covenant,
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you are mine,
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so you will
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live this way.
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Instead of
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a certain type
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of living
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getting us
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to God,
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God got to us
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and then he gets us
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to a certain type
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of living.
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And the Holy Spirit
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is his means
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to that end.
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So the Spirit
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inaugurated a new
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type of evidence
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for the reality
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of our faith.
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New evidence.
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The second thing
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is that he
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inaugurated a new
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kind of excitement.
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There's an emotion
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that's associated
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with what happens
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to the apostles.
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And you can see
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that people
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at the end
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of our text,
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people accuse
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these folks
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of being drunk.
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Paul later
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actually instructs
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Christians,
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don't be drunk
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with wine,
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but be filled
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with the Holy Spirit.
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Now,
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I don't know
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how many drunk
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people you've
18:03
been around,
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but usually
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there's
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either some
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excitement
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or fighting
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and yelling.
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Our neighbors,
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our neighbor
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just got a new
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roommate
18:16
and they party
18:17
a lot now.
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So when they're
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not fighting
18:21
and yelling,
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we can hear them
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making a big
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commotion,
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like last night
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about 1230,
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right outside
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of our bedroom.
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But when
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you're possessed
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by a substance
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such as alcohol,
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one of the effects
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can be
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excitement,
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albeit fading
18:42
and not satisfying.
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It is exciting.
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And people
18:46
were accusing
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these early Christians
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of being drunk
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because they didn't
18:49
know how to explain
18:50
what was going on.
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There was
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a new emotion.
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I mean,
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there wasn't
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fighting or yelling.
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We don't see that
18:57
in the text.
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So probably
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they were having
18:59
a pretty good time
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and that's why
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people ascribe
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drunkenness
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to them
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now they were
19:06
speaking in new
19:07
languages,
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which had to have
19:09
been pretty,
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pretty crazy,
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pretty exciting.
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It says that people
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were all filled
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with wonder.
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And then after that,
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Peter stands up
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and gives the sermon
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and 3000 people
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are saved.
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Now,
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you could,
19:21
you could cite
19:22
Jonathan Edwards
19:23
and say,
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look,
19:24
Jonathan Edwards
19:24
is the most boring
19:25
preacher.
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And look,
19:26
you had the great
19:27
American awakening.
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It is my firm
19:30
belief that God
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acted in spite
19:32
of Jonathan Edwards'
19:33
personality,
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personality,
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not,
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he didn't use
19:37
Jonathan Edwards'
19:37
personality to reach
19:38
those people.
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He acted in spite
19:39
of it.
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The spirit
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produces a kind
19:42
of vibrant
19:43
new emotion
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within us
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and it's
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contagious
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and it's
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exciting
19:49
and we see
19:49
that happening
19:50
at the time
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of Pentecost.
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We have got
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to stop trying
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as Baptists
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to dampen
19:57
that vibrance.
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At every turn
19:59
we do it,
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both in our
20:00
gatherings
20:01
and in our
20:01
own lives
20:02
we want
20:03
to lead
20:04
these quiet
20:05
and boring
20:06
lives.
20:07
And that's
20:08
just not
20:08
what the spirit
20:08
does for us.
20:10
It's exciting
20:10
when the eternal
20:12
and all-powerful
20:13
God invades
20:13
our hearts
20:14
and starts
20:14
doing things.
20:16
God's not a
20:17
boring God,
20:17
is he?
20:18
And he dwells
20:18
within us.
20:21
So there's
20:22
a new evidence
20:23
within us
20:24
of the reality
20:25
of our faith
20:25
and there's
20:26
a new
20:26
excitement
20:27
within us
20:28
which was
20:28
just not
20:28
possible
20:29
before
20:30
the ever-present
20:32
self-existent
20:34
one
20:34
entered into
20:35
our hearts.
20:36
And then
20:36
finally there's
20:37
a new energy,
20:39
a new evidence,
20:40
a new excitement,
20:41
and a new energy.
20:43
What happens
20:43
is that
20:44
these disciples
20:45
gained a
20:46
direct
20:47
spiritual
20:48
authority.
20:50
Their fears,
20:51
their questions,
20:52
their doubts,
20:52
these things
20:53
go away
20:53
because now
20:54
they have
20:54
an authority
20:55
within them
20:56
which is
20:56
founded on
20:57
life itself.
20:59
I mentioned
21:00
just a second
21:00
ago that
21:01
God
21:02
is self-existent.
21:04
Life emanates
21:05
from him
21:05
and now that
21:06
life-emanating
21:08
power resides
21:09
within us.
21:11
Acts 1.8
21:12
Jesus makes
21:12
a promise
21:13
before Pentecost.
21:14
He says,
21:14
but you will
21:14
receive power
21:15
when the Holy
21:16
Spirit comes
21:17
upon you.
21:19
So there's
21:20
a new evidence,
21:21
a new excitement,
21:22
and a new
21:23
energy
21:23
which
21:24
were
21:25
completely
21:26
foreign,
21:27
at least
21:27
in this
21:28
degree.
21:32
We're
21:32
completely
21:32
foreign
21:33
to religion,
21:34
to the people
21:35
of God
21:35
until this
21:36
point.
21:37
And then
21:37
everything
21:38
changes.
21:39
Now if we
21:39
believe in
21:40
Christ,
21:41
then we
21:42
know that
21:43
we have
21:44
the Spirit
21:44
of God
21:44
within us.
21:46
That's a
21:46
whole other
21:47
discussion.
21:48
I think
21:48
that we've
21:48
covered
21:51
we've
21:51
covered
21:52
that pretty
21:52
well here
21:52
before.
21:53
That in
21:54
order for
21:54
you to
21:55
believe in
21:55
Christ and
21:56
to be
21:56
saved,
21:57
the Spirit
21:57
of God
21:58
has to do
21:58
something to
21:59
you,
21:59
has to
21:59
make you
22:00
alive and
22:00
come into
22:01
your heart.
22:02
But if we
22:03
believe in
22:03
Christ,
22:03
we already
22:04
have all
22:05
of the
22:06
Spirit.
22:06
And there's
22:06
not anything
22:07
more to be
22:07
gained as
22:08
far as the
22:09
Holy Spirit
22:09
is concerned.
22:10
He doesn't
22:11
parse out a
22:11
little part of
22:12
himself.
22:12
He's a
22:13
person.
22:14
If I said,
22:15
hey, I'm
22:15
going to come
22:16
give you a
22:17
hand doing
22:17
your lawn,
22:19
I'm not going to
22:19
cut my hand
22:20
off and
22:20
give it
22:20
to you.
22:21
I'm going
22:21
to come
22:21
help you
22:21
do your
22:22
lawn.
22:24
And the
22:24
Spirit is a
22:25
person.
22:26
He's not
22:26
matter, but
22:27
he's a
22:28
whole,
22:28
complete
22:29
package.
22:31
So if
22:31
there's no
22:32
more Spirit
22:32
to be
22:33
gained within
22:33
us, then
22:34
what's
22:34
lacking is
22:35
a realization
22:36
of his
22:37
fullness.
22:39
Some
22:40
pastors
22:40
have
22:41
cited
22:42
Ephesians
22:43
5.18,
22:44
which is
22:44
where Paul
22:44
says,
22:45
don't be
22:45
drunk with
22:45
wine,
22:46
but be
22:47
filled with
22:47
the Spirit.
22:47
They use
22:49
that phrase,
22:50
be filled
22:50
with the
22:50
Spirit,
22:51
to talk
22:51
about this
22:52
idea that
22:52
they've
22:52
called
22:52
leaking
22:53
the
22:53
Spirit,
22:53
which is
22:55
a really
22:55
ridiculous
22:56
idea,
22:56
but it's
22:56
the idea
22:57
that when
22:57
we're
22:57
saved,
22:58
we're
22:58
filled
22:58
with
22:58
the
22:58
Spirit,
22:59
but then
22:59
as we
22:59
live,
23:00
we get
23:00
less and
23:00
less of
23:01
the Spirit
23:01
within us,
23:02
so we
23:02
have to
23:02
do
23:02
things
23:03
to
23:03
fill
23:03
ourselves
23:04
back
23:04
up.
23:05
Well,
23:05
that's
23:05
only
23:05
true
23:06
in our
23:06
experience.
23:07
The
23:07
Spirit
23:07
of God
23:08
is not
23:08
literally
23:08
draining
23:09
out
23:09
of
23:09
Christians.
23:09
We
23:11
have
23:11
all
23:12
of
23:12
Him.
23:13
We
23:13
just
23:13
neglect
23:14
to
23:15
realize
23:16
that the
23:16
Spirit
23:17
is
23:17
within
23:17
us,
23:17
and we
23:17
neglect
23:17
to
23:18
live
23:18
according
23:18
to
23:19
it.
23:20
We
23:21
miss
23:22
a great
23:22
many
23:22
opportunities
23:23
for joy
23:24
and for
23:24
fullness
23:24
when we
23:25
fail to
23:26
see the
23:26
Spirit's
23:26
action
23:27
in us
23:27
and
23:27
through
23:28
us
23:28
and
23:29
around
23:29
us
23:29
and
23:29
even
23:30
for
23:30
us.
23:32
So
23:33
how is
23:33
it that
23:33
we
23:34
learn
23:35
to
23:35
see
23:35
Him?
23:37
It's
23:38
by
23:38
learning
23:38
what
23:39
He
23:39
is
23:39
like,
23:40
learning
23:41
what
23:41
He
23:41
desires,
23:42
what
23:42
He
23:42
does.
23:44
We're
23:45
going to
23:45
talk more
23:45
about that
23:46
in just
23:46
a second,
23:46
but just
23:48
as a
23:48
final,
23:49
covering
23:50
my
23:50
logical
23:51
basis
23:52
here,
23:53
the
23:53
fullness
23:53
of the
23:54
Spirit
23:54
in the
23:55
disciples
23:55
at
23:55
Pentecost
23:56
was
23:57
not
23:57
a
23:58
one-time
23:58
occurrence.
24:00
It
24:00
was the
24:01
first-time
24:01
occurrence.
24:02
He
24:03
filled
24:04
up those
24:05
Christians
24:05
the same
24:06
way that
24:06
He
24:06
fills
24:06
us.
24:07
We
24:07
have
24:07
the
24:07
same
24:08
Spirit
24:08
who
24:08
never
24:09
changes.
24:09
So
24:10
people
24:10
want to
24:10
make
24:10
the
24:10
argument
24:11
that
24:11
what
24:11
happened
24:12
at
24:12
Pentecost
24:12
was
24:13
a
24:14
special
24:15
event.
24:15
And that
24:15
doesn't
24:15
happen in
24:16
Christians
24:16
anymore.
24:17
But I
24:17
would
24:18
submit to
24:18
you that
24:18
if the
24:19
same
24:19
Spirit
24:19
resides in
24:20
us
24:20
and never
24:21
changes
24:21
who
24:22
resided
24:22
in them,
24:23
then those
24:23
same
24:24
types of
24:24
things will
24:24
still be
24:25
happening
24:25
because God
24:26
cannot
24:27
change.
24:29
So it's
24:29
not that
24:30
He's
24:30
failed us,
24:30
it's that
24:31
we have
24:31
failed to
24:32
recognize
24:32
His
24:33
presence.
24:34
Listen to
24:34
what A.W.
24:35
Tozer said
24:35
about that
24:36
point.
24:37
And by
24:37
the way,
24:37
A.W.
24:39
Tozer's
24:40
Life by the
24:40
Spirit is
24:41
an incredible
24:41
book.
24:42
I would
24:42
really
24:42
commend it
24:43
to you
24:43
if you
24:44
want to
24:44
learn more
24:44
about this
24:45
as well as
24:46
Henry Blackaby's
24:47
Experiencing God.
24:49
Great resources.
24:50
But listen to what
24:51
Tozer says.
24:51
Our Father
24:52
who is in
24:53
heaven raised
24:53
certain high
24:54
expectations of
24:55
what He was
24:55
going to do
24:56
for His
24:57
redeemed
24:57
people.
24:58
He's referring
24:58
to prophecies.
25:00
When His
25:00
Son came to
25:01
redeem those
25:02
people, He
25:02
heightened those
25:03
expectations,
25:04
raised them,
25:04
clarified them,
25:05
extended them,
25:07
enlarged them,
25:07
and emphasized
25:08
them.
25:09
He raised an
25:09
expectation that
25:11
was simply beyond
25:12
words, too
25:12
wonderful and
25:13
beautiful and
25:14
thrilling to
25:14
imagine.
25:15
I want to
25:16
ask you,
25:17
is this level of
25:18
Christianity which
25:18
we fundamentalists
25:19
in this city now
25:20
enjoy, what He
25:21
meant by what
25:22
He said?
25:23
So did you
25:24
catch that?
25:24
He said,
25:25
God, for all of
25:26
redemptive history,
25:27
has been raising
25:27
expectations of
25:28
what it would be
25:29
like when the
25:29
Spirit came.
25:30
And then Jesus
25:31
comes onto the
25:31
scene and He
25:32
raises those
25:32
expectations even
25:33
more.
25:34
And then Tozer
25:34
says, so is the
25:35
Christianity that
25:36
you're living out
25:37
today, does it
25:37
meet those
25:38
expectations?
25:40
He says, no,
25:41
there certainly
25:42
has been a
25:42
vast breakdown
25:43
somewhere between
25:45
promise and
25:45
fulfillment.
25:46
That breakdown
25:47
is not with
25:48
our Heavenly
25:48
Father.
25:49
So if we're
25:51
asking ourselves
25:52
then, okay,
25:53
Wes, I'll
25:54
concede that
25:56
there is a
25:57
deeper level of
25:58
spiritual living
25:59
that we're just
26:00
not reaching
26:02
to.
26:03
The question
26:03
should be,
26:04
how do I
26:05
get there?
26:06
How can I be
26:08
filled with the
26:08
Spirit?
26:09
And I want to
26:09
give you some
26:10
advice, but
26:11
please hear me
26:12
say this is not
26:13
a how-to guide.
26:14
If you do
26:15
everything that I'm
26:16
about to say,
26:16
you will have
26:17
just taken
26:18
half of your
26:19
first step
26:20
towards living
26:22
a Spirit-filled
26:23
abundant life.
26:25
It is going
26:26
to be for us
26:27
just as C.S.
26:28
Lewis wrote
26:28
in the last
26:29
battle, we
26:31
will be
26:31
continually drawn
26:32
higher up and
26:33
further in,
26:34
higher up and
26:34
further in.
26:36
There's an
26:37
infinite God
26:38
who wants to
26:39
know us for
26:41
eternity, and
26:42
we're going to
26:43
continually get to
26:44
know Him
26:44
better and
26:46
get to live
26:47
better according
26:48
to His
26:50
promises and
26:51
the fullness
26:51
that's in
26:51
Him.
26:53
So, with
26:54
that said
26:54
then, go
26:58
ahead and
26:58
turn to
26:59
Romans 12.
26:59
We're not
27:00
going to get
27:01
there just
27:01
yet, but
27:02
you can have
27:03
your finger
27:03
there.
27:05
A few
27:05
things that
27:06
we have to
27:07
accept before
27:08
we can begin
27:09
to do
27:10
anything.
27:11
Okay, so
27:11
we've got to
27:12
make some
27:13
mental ascent
27:14
to some
27:15
truths before
27:16
we can do
27:17
anything in
27:17
order to be
27:18
filled with
27:18
the Spirit.
27:19
The first, we
27:20
have to
27:21
accept or
27:23
believe that
27:24
there is
27:24
fullness in
27:25
the Spirit,
27:25
and we all
27:25
seem to
27:26
kind of
27:26
believe this,
27:27
but so few
27:27
of us
27:28
experience it
27:28
that I
27:29
throw it in
27:30
here because
27:30
I'm inclined
27:31
to wonder
27:32
whether we
27:32
really do
27:32
believe it
27:33
or not.
27:34
But we
27:35
have to
27:35
believe that
27:36
there is a
27:37
fullness of
27:37
the Spirit,
27:38
that there's
27:38
a level of
27:39
living according
27:42
to the power
27:43
of the Spirit
27:43
that we
27:44
haven't yet
27:44
reached.
27:46
And then we
27:47
have to
27:47
accept, and
27:48
this is the
27:48
one that
27:49
hurts, but
27:50
we have to
27:50
accept that
27:51
Spirit-filled
27:52
living as a
27:53
Christian is
27:54
normal Christian
27:54
living.
27:56
It's not the
27:58
deluxe edition
27:59
of Christianity,
28:00
but living by
28:00
the power of the
28:01
Spirit is
28:02
Christianity 1.0.
28:05
They're not
28:05
going to roll
28:06
out any
28:07
updates to
28:08
that app.
28:09
It's done.
28:10
It's the
28:12
original, it's
28:13
the one and
28:13
the only, if
28:15
we want to
28:15
follow that
28:16
analogy.
28:16
We have
28:17
been neglecting
28:18
some special
28:18
features, but
28:19
they were
28:19
already there.
28:22
In John
28:22
15.5, Jesus
28:23
says, if you
28:24
abide in me
28:25
and I in
28:26
you, you
28:26
will bear
28:27
much fruit.
28:28
So if we
28:29
want to bear
28:30
much fruit,
28:31
it's by
28:32
abiding in
28:33
Christ, it's
28:34
by dwelling
28:36
with, remaining
28:37
with the
28:37
Spirit.
28:38
and then
28:39
he's going
28:40
to produce
28:40
that fruit
28:41
through us,
28:41
just like
28:42
fruit grows
28:44
on the
28:44
branches, but
28:45
the energy
28:46
for that
28:46
fruit is
28:46
supplied by
28:47
the vine.
28:51
Before you
28:52
can be filled
28:52
with the
28:53
Spirit, you
28:53
have to
28:53
desire it.
28:56
So that's
28:57
a tough one.
28:57
If you've
28:57
thought about
28:58
desires and
28:59
actions,
28:59
any, you're
28:59
going to
28:59
go, well,
29:00
how can I
29:00
make myself
29:01
desire anything?
29:02
I would
29:03
just beg you
29:04
to not follow
29:06
me down that
29:06
path.
29:06
If you
29:08
are asking
29:08
yourself that
29:09
question, it's
29:09
proof that you
29:10
already desire
29:10
it at least a
29:11
little bit, so
29:12
act on that
29:12
desire.
29:14
But you do
29:14
have to desire
29:15
to be filled
29:16
with the
29:17
Spirit, and
29:17
you have to
29:17
let yourself
29:18
want that,
29:19
and then
29:20
acknowledge that
29:21
if the Spirit
29:22
possesses you,
29:23
he's going to
29:24
have all of
29:24
you.
29:25
He will be
29:26
Lord.
29:26
He's the
29:27
Lord of the
29:27
universe.
29:28
We cannot
29:28
expect him
29:28
to come into
29:29
our hearts
29:30
and not be
29:31
Lord of us
29:31
as well.
29:33
It's not his
29:33
nature to
29:34
share authority
29:35
or glory
29:36
furthermore, he's
29:39
not going to
29:39
tolerate our
29:40
sin, especially
29:42
those, what
29:43
toes are called
29:44
self-sins,
29:45
self-love or
29:47
self-pity.
29:49
God is not
29:50
concerned with
29:52
us in that
29:52
regard.
29:53
He's concerned
29:53
with him.
29:54
We should
29:55
love him.
29:56
We should
29:57
pity those
29:57
without him.
30:00
So if we're
30:01
going to have
30:01
the Spirit
30:02
fill us, we're
30:02
going to have
30:02
to get very
30:03
serious about
30:04
our sin.
30:04
extremely
30:07
serious.
30:08
How on
30:09
earth could
30:10
a holy
30:10
God indwell
30:12
with people
30:12
who want
30:13
both holiness
30:14
and sin?
30:15
They're
30:15
opposite.
30:17
You can't
30:18
be hot and
30:18
cold.
30:20
A cannot
30:21
be non-A.
30:22
So if we
30:24
want the
30:25
Spirit to
30:26
fill us
30:26
up, then
30:27
we're going
30:27
to have to
30:28
get really
30:28
serious about
30:29
our sin.
30:29
and if
30:31
we're
30:31
finding
30:32
ourselves
30:32
continually
30:33
in the
30:34
same
30:34
sins,
30:34
then it's
30:35
proof that
30:35
we're not
30:35
serious about
30:37
our sins.
30:38
Proof that
30:38
we're not
30:39
taking as
30:40
drastic a
30:41
measure as
30:41
we can
30:41
to root it
30:43
out.
30:44
And then
30:44
finally, we
30:45
have to
30:45
accept and
30:45
acknowledge that
30:46
if the
30:47
Spirit indwells
30:48
us, he's
30:49
also going to
30:49
bring us into
30:50
opposition with
30:51
the world.
30:52
The world
30:53
hates the
30:53
Spirit just
30:54
as much as
30:54
they ever
30:55
hated Jesus.
30:56
They're one
30:56
and the same.
30:57
I will
30:59
submit to
31:00
you, though,
31:00
that the
31:00
rewards of
31:02
being filled
31:02
with the
31:02
Spirit far
31:03
outweigh the
31:04
costs.
31:06
So if we
31:07
can accept
31:07
all those
31:08
things together,
31:09
then what are
31:10
we going to
31:10
do?
31:11
And the
31:11
first is
31:11
found in
31:11
Romans 12,
31:12
verses 1 and
31:13
2.
31:17
Paul writes,
31:18
I appeal to
31:19
you, therefore,
31:19
brothers, by the
31:20
mercies of God,
31:21
to present your
31:22
bodies as a
31:22
living sacrifice,
31:23
holy and
31:24
acceptable to
31:25
God, which
31:25
is your
31:26
spiritual
31:26
worship.
31:27
Do not be
31:28
conformed to
31:28
this world, but
31:29
be transformed
31:29
by the renewal
31:30
of your mind,
31:31
that by testing
31:32
you may discern
31:33
what is the
31:33
will of God,
31:34
what is good
31:35
and acceptable
31:36
and perfect.
31:39
Right?
31:40
So, we're
31:42
to present our
31:43
bodies as the
31:44
first step to
31:46
being filled
31:47
with the
31:47
Spirit.
31:47
And what
31:48
does that
31:49
mean?
31:49
Because I
31:50
don't believe
31:51
that Paul is
31:52
here saying
31:53
wherever your
31:55
body goes,
31:56
let that be
31:57
where God
31:57
wants you
31:57
to go,
31:58
because God
31:58
considers
31:59
ourselves to
32:00
be much more
32:01
than just our
32:01
flesh and our
32:02
blood, but
32:03
things are a
32:03
part of us,
32:04
such as our
32:04
thoughts, our
32:05
mind, our
32:06
personality.
32:08
Man, that's a
32:09
huge one,
32:10
personality.
32:11
We've got to
32:11
stop hiding
32:12
behind this
32:13
idea that our
32:14
personality can't
32:15
be changed,
32:16
that the Spirit
32:17
of God can't
32:17
invade our
32:18
personality.
32:20
It does and
32:21
probably is the
32:22
central facet of
32:24
who we are.
32:24
But listen,
32:25
apart from the
32:25
Spirit of God,
32:27
who we are is
32:28
sinful.
32:30
We're his
32:31
enemies apart
32:31
from him.
32:32
So we want him
32:33
to change who
32:34
we are.
32:35
We want to
32:35
give up our
32:36
personality for
32:37
the sake of
32:37
his personality
32:38
being infused
32:40
into ours.
32:42
We can't keep
32:43
using this
32:44
excuse of,
32:45
well, yeah,
32:45
I like to love
32:46
people from a
32:47
distance because
32:47
it's not my
32:48
personality to be
32:49
a people person.
32:50
Well, it's
32:50
baloney.
32:51
Because if the
32:52
Holy Spirit is
32:53
within us,
32:53
that's the
32:54
Spirit of
32:54
Christ.
32:55
And he got
32:55
to know
32:55
people.
32:58
And there's
32:58
so much more
32:59
we could say
32:59
about that
33:00
point.
33:01
But if you
33:01
ever find
33:02
yourselves
33:02
hiding behind
33:03
the lie
33:04
that your
33:05
personality
33:06
somehow hinders
33:07
you from
33:08
being obedient
33:09
to God,
33:12
strike it
33:12
as sin.
33:17
Other things
33:18
that are a
33:19
part of our
33:19
bodies are
33:20
ambitions.
33:21
our desires.
33:26
Everything
33:27
that makes
33:28
us who we
33:29
are will
33:32
have to be
33:32
literally
33:33
sacrificed,
33:34
killed,
33:35
in order
33:36
that we
33:37
might make
33:38
more of
33:38
him and
33:40
be made
33:40
more like
33:41
him.
33:43
So the
33:43
first thing
33:44
is to
33:44
present our
33:44
bodies to
33:45
him.
33:45
The second,
33:46
and I'd like
33:46
you to turn
33:46
here, is
33:47
Luke 11,
33:48
9-13.
33:51
we have
34:00
to present
34:00
our bodies
34:01
to the
34:02
spirit.
34:03
We also
34:04
have to
34:05
ask him.
34:07
Jesus says,
34:08
I tell you,
34:08
ask and it
34:09
will be given
34:09
to you.
34:10
Seek and you
34:10
will find.
34:11
Knock and it
34:12
will be open
34:12
to you.
34:13
For everyone
34:13
who asks
34:14
receives.
34:15
And the
34:16
one who
34:16
seeks finds.
34:17
And to
34:18
the one
34:18
who knocks
34:18
it will
34:19
be open.
34:20
What
34:20
father among
34:20
you, if
34:21
his son
34:22
asks for
34:22
a fish,
34:23
will instead
34:23
of a fish
34:24
give him
34:24
a serpent?
34:24
If he
34:25
asks for
34:25
an egg,
34:26
will give
34:26
him a
34:27
scorpion?
34:28
If you
34:28
then, who
34:29
are evil,
34:30
know how
34:30
to give
34:31
good gifts
34:31
to your
34:31
children,
34:32
how much
34:33
more will
34:34
the heavenly
34:34
father give
34:35
the Holy
34:35
Spirit to
34:36
those who
34:36
ask him?
34:36
So, it
34:40
just seems
34:40
that God
34:41
operates this
34:42
way, that
34:42
he invades
34:45
our hearts
34:46
with the
34:46
Holy Spirit
34:47
and we
34:47
believe in
34:49
him and
34:50
we're saved.
34:51
But if we
34:51
want to be
34:52
filled with
34:52
the Spirit
34:53
and we
34:53
want to
34:53
live according
34:54
to the
34:54
infinite power
34:55
of the
34:56
Holy Spirit
34:56
within us,
34:56
we have to
34:57
ask him
34:57
for it.
34:58
And we
34:59
can come
34:59
up with
34:59
all kinds
35:00
of theological
35:00
objections to
35:02
that point,
35:02
but it's
35:02
right there
35:03
in the
35:03
word.
35:04
If we
35:05
ask, we
35:05
receive it.
35:06
He even
35:06
goes so
35:07
far as
35:07
to say,
35:09
how much
35:09
more will
35:10
the heavenly
35:10
father give
35:11
the Holy
35:11
Spirit to
35:12
those who
35:12
ask him?
35:13
There's no
35:13
way to
35:13
wiggle around
35:14
that.
35:14
So, you
35:15
guys know
35:15
what I
35:15
believe
35:16
soteriologically
35:17
and I'm
35:17
not a very
35:18
good Calvinist
35:18
when I say
35:19
this, but
35:19
if you want
35:20
the Holy
35:20
Spirit to
35:20
fill you
35:21
up, you
35:21
have to
35:22
ask him
35:22
to do
35:22
it.
35:24
I'd
35:24
rather be
35:25
a good
35:25
Christian
35:25
than a
35:25
good
35:26
Calvinist
35:26
any day.
35:27
If we
35:27
want the
35:28
Spirit of
35:28
God to
35:29
fill us,
35:29
not just
35:30
be in
35:30
us, but
35:31
to fill
35:31
us up,
35:32
then we
35:33
have to
35:33
ask for
35:34
it.
35:34
And then
35:34
we can
35:36
thank God
35:36
afterward for
35:37
putting the
35:37
desire in
35:38
us to
35:38
ask if
35:39
that helps
35:39
us sleep
35:39
better.
35:41
So, we
35:42
have to
35:42
ask.
35:44
Next, in
35:45
Acts 5.32,
35:47
we read,
35:49
and we are
35:49
witnesses to
35:50
these things,
35:51
and so is
35:51
the Holy
35:52
Spirit whom
35:53
God has
35:54
given to
35:55
those who
35:55
obey him.
35:57
So, God
35:58
has given
35:59
the Holy
35:59
Spirit to
35:59
those who
36:00
obey him.
36:00
the next
36:03
point is,
36:04
if we want
36:04
the Holy
36:04
Spirit to
36:05
fill us,
36:05
we have to
36:06
be obedient
36:06
to him.
36:07
We have
36:07
to obey
36:07
God.
36:08
That's a
36:08
simple but
36:09
revolutionary
36:10
idea, that
36:11
we would
36:11
do what
36:12
God says.
36:15
We ask
36:16
God to
36:16
be filled
36:16
with the
36:17
Spirit, and
36:17
then we
36:17
get up,
36:19
and we
36:19
follow him.
36:21
We say,
36:21
God, give
36:22
me the
36:23
ability to
36:24
be obedient
36:24
to you,
36:25
and then
36:25
we get
36:26
up, and
36:26
we obey
36:27
him.
36:29
The Spirit
36:30
will find
36:31
the Spirit
36:31
enables us
36:32
to be
36:32
obedient, to
36:33
be successful
36:35
in following
36:36
God, in
36:37
new and
36:37
deeper ways,
36:39
but we
36:40
ask, and
36:41
we obey.
36:42
And there's
36:42
an idea that's
36:43
connected with
36:43
obedience, which
36:46
is found in
36:46
Galatians 3.2.
36:47
I'd love for you
36:48
to turn there.
36:49
And that's to
36:49
have faith.
36:50
Faith and
36:51
obedience always
36:52
work hand in
36:53
hand.
36:55
Paul strongly
36:57
here, writing to
36:58
the Galatians,
36:58
he says,
36:59
O foolish
37:00
Galatians,
37:00
who has
37:01
bewitched
37:01
you?
37:02
It was
37:02
before your
37:03
eyes that
37:04
Jesus Christ
37:04
was publicly
37:05
portrayed as
37:06
crucified.
37:07
Let me ask
37:08
you only
37:09
this.
37:10
Did you
37:10
receive the
37:11
Spirit by
37:11
works of
37:12
the law,
37:12
or by
37:13
hearing with
37:13
faith?
37:15
So you
37:15
see here,
37:15
he's establishing
37:16
where they
37:17
were saved,
37:18
and they
37:18
received the
37:18
Spirit by
37:19
faith.
37:20
And then
37:20
in verse
37:21
3, he
37:21
says,
37:21
Are you so
37:22
foolish,
37:22
having begun
37:23
by the
37:23
Spirit,
37:23
are you now
37:24
being perfected
37:24
by the
37:25
flesh?
37:26
Did you
37:26
suffer so
37:27
many things
37:27
in vain,
37:28
if indeed
37:28
it was
37:29
in vain?
37:30
Does he
37:30
who supplies
37:31
the Spirit
37:31
to you
37:32
and works
37:32
miracles
37:33
among you
37:34
do so
37:34
by works
37:35
of the
37:35
law,
37:36
or by
37:36
hearing
37:36
with
37:37
faith?
37:38
We
37:38
receive
37:38
salvation
37:39
and
37:39
fullness
37:40
of the
37:40
Spirit
37:40
by the
37:41
same
37:42
means,
37:42
and that's
37:43
by faith.
37:44
Paul highlights
37:45
that in
37:45
verses 2
37:46
and in
37:47
3.
37:47
In
37:47
verse 3,
37:48
he says,
37:49
having begun
37:50
by the
37:50
Spirit,
37:51
salvation,
37:52
are you now
37:52
being perfected
37:53
by the
37:53
flesh?
37:54
Sanctification,
37:55
the work
37:55
of the
37:55
Spirit,
37:56
as we live
37:56
out life.
37:57
So we
37:58
are saved
37:59
and sanctified
38:00
by faith.
38:03
Fullness,
38:04
the Spirit
38:05
of God,
38:06
the Holy
38:06
Spirit,
38:07
living in
38:08
us and
38:09
filling our
38:09
living,
38:10
is, in
38:11
this case,
38:11
an advance
38:12
on our
38:13
initial
38:14
rebirth,
38:14
because,
38:15
for whatever
38:16
reason,
38:16
we're able
38:17
to savingly
38:19
believe and
38:19
then sit on
38:20
our hands,
38:21
but living
38:22
according to
38:23
the Spirit
38:23
Spirit,
38:24
is getting
38:25
up and
38:25
doing
38:25
something
38:26
with that.
38:27
I'm so
38:27
glad that
38:28
Jerry Rainer
38:28
is here
38:29
this morning.
38:29
He has
38:30
a great
38:31
analogy
38:31
for this.
38:32
He says,
38:32
if a young
38:33
couple were
38:33
to get
38:34
married,
38:34
and we
38:35
as a
38:35
church
38:35
decided to
38:36
give them
38:36
a gift
38:37
and fill
38:37
their cupboards
38:38
!
38:38
with food,
38:39
so they
38:40
get married
38:40
and we
38:41
say,
38:41
hey,
38:41
when you
38:41
get home,
38:42
your cabinets
38:42
are full of
38:43
food,
38:44
it's yours,
38:44
it's a
38:45
gift,
38:45
and they
38:46
went home
38:46
and they
38:47
never opened
38:47
the cabinets,
38:48
!
38:53
So,
38:55
according to
38:56
the analogy,
38:56
then the
38:56
Spirit is
38:57
within us.
38:58
It's there,
38:59
we're full
39:00
of it,
39:01
but we're
39:02
not doing
39:02
anything with
39:03
it unless
39:04
we're living
39:05
according to
39:05
it.
39:05
We have to
39:06
open up the
39:07
cabinets and
39:07
partake of
39:08
the food.
39:13
So,
39:14
if we
39:15
have begun
39:17
on this
39:17
path of
39:18
living
39:18
according to
39:19
the Spirit,
39:20
we have
39:20
faith and
39:21
obedience
39:21
working together
39:22
and the
39:22
Spirit is
39:23
empowering us
39:24
to be
39:24
obedient,
39:26
then how
39:29
is it that
39:29
we're going
39:30
to cultivate
39:31
this relationship?
39:32
How are we
39:33
going to get
39:33
to know
39:33
Him?
39:34
We talk a
39:34
lot about
39:34
a personal
39:35
relationship
39:36
with Jesus
39:36
Christ,
39:37
and that's
39:37
all fine and
39:38
good because
39:38
the Spirit
39:38
and Christ
39:39
are one
39:41
in the
39:41
Trinity,
39:42
but really
39:42
we ought to
39:43
talk about
39:43
a personal
39:44
relationship
39:44
with the
39:45
Holy Spirit
39:45
because He's
39:46
the one
39:46
that's with
39:46
us.
39:47
Jesus is
39:47
in heaven
39:48
at the right
39:49
hand of the
39:49
Father,
39:49
interceding on
39:50
our behalf.
39:51
So,
39:52
how is it that
39:52
we're going to
39:52
cultivate this
39:53
relationship
39:54
with the
39:55
Holy Spirit?
39:57
Remember we
39:58
said He's a
39:58
living person?
39:59
So,
40:00
we want to
40:00
get to know
40:01
Him.
40:02
I really
40:03
like coffee,
40:05
okay?
40:06
But I didn't
40:06
always like
40:07
coffee.
40:08
In fact,
40:08
I liked a
40:08
girl who
40:09
liked coffee
40:10
before I
40:10
liked coffee.
40:10
coffee.
40:12
And now
40:13
she's my
40:13
wife.
40:15
the more
40:17
that I
40:17
experienced
40:18
of coffee
40:19
though,
40:19
the more
40:20
I began
40:20
to appreciate
40:21
the subtleties.
40:22
So,
40:22
now I
40:22
can drink
40:22
coffee black
40:23
and enjoy
40:24
it.
40:24
Now,
40:24
at first,
40:25
what I
40:26
drank was
40:26
very little
40:27
coffee and
40:27
very much
40:28
sugar.
40:30
But now,
40:31
I can drink a
40:31
black cup of
40:32
coffee and go,
40:32
oh yeah,
40:33
I can tell
40:33
that that was
40:34
dried by
40:35
people in
40:36
Africa throwing
40:37
it out in
40:37
the dirt
40:38
rather than
40:39
running it
40:40
through a
40:40
machine.
40:41
Because I've
40:41
tasted different
40:43
types of coffee
40:44
that have been
40:44
treated that
40:45
way and I
40:45
have learned
40:46
to realize
40:48
what those
40:49
subtleties are.
40:51
The same thing
40:52
is true of a
40:52
friend.
40:52
You want to
40:53
get to know
40:53
a friend,
40:54
you find out
40:54
what they
40:54
like and
40:55
what they
40:56
don't like
40:56
and what
40:57
types of
40:57
things they
40:58
do and
40:58
what types
40:58
of things
40:59
they never
40:59
do.
41:00
You hang
41:01
out with
41:02
them.
41:03
So,
41:03
how do we
41:03
get to know
41:04
then the
41:04
Holy Spirit,
41:05
the living
41:06
person of
41:06
the Holy
41:07
Spirit?
41:08
The first
41:09
is that we
41:09
seek to
41:10
get to
41:10
know him
41:10
in the
41:11
word.
41:13
Psalm 1
41:13
says,
41:15
Blessed is
41:15
the man
41:16
who does
41:16
not walk
41:16
in the
41:17
way of
41:17
the wicked
41:17
or sit
41:18
in the
41:18
way of
41:18
sinners
41:18
or stand
41:19
in the
41:19
way of
41:20
scoffers,
41:20
but his
41:20
delight is
41:21
on the
41:21
law of
41:22
the Lord
41:22
and on
41:23
his
41:23
law he
41:23
meditates
41:24
both day
41:25
and night.
41:26
He's like
41:26
a tree
41:26
planted by
41:27
streams
41:27
of water
41:28
and
41:28
everything
41:29
he
41:29
does
41:29
prospers.
41:31
So,
41:31
we seek
41:32
to immerse
41:33
ourselves,
41:33
to meditate
41:34
on the
41:34
word.
41:35
Joshua 1.8
41:36
says,
41:36
Do not
41:37
let this
41:37
book of
41:37
the law
41:38
depart from
41:38
your mouth,
41:39
but meditate
41:40
on it
41:40
both day
41:41
and night,
41:41
so that you
41:42
may be
41:42
careful to
41:43
do all
41:43
that's
41:43
written
41:43
within it.
41:44
So,
41:44
if we
41:44
want to
41:45
let the
41:45
word
41:46
affect us,
41:46
we have
41:47
to meditate
41:47
on it.
41:47
We have
41:48
to roll
41:48
it around
41:48
in our
41:49
minds
41:49
and let
41:50
it affect
41:50
our
41:50
living.
41:52
We have
41:53
to seek
41:53
to know
41:54
who God
41:54
is in
41:56
the book
41:56
that he's
41:56
given us
41:57
that tells
41:57
us all
41:57
about him.
42:00
Second,
42:01
we have
42:01
to spend
42:01
time paying
42:02
attention to
42:04
him.
42:04
What is he
42:05
doing?
42:05
Where is
42:06
he going?
42:07
Amos 3,
42:07
3 says,
42:08
Can two
42:08
walk together
42:09
except they
42:09
be agreed?
42:11
And that
42:11
seems like a
42:12
silly proverb
42:12
almost.
42:13
Of course,
42:13
I can't
42:13
walk with
42:14
you unless
42:14
I agree
42:15
to walk
42:15
beside you.
42:16
If I
42:16
decide not
42:17
to walk
42:17
with you,
42:18
I'll turn
42:18
and go
42:18
another
42:18
direction
42:19
and we're
42:19
no longer
42:19
walking
42:20
together.
42:21
But when
42:22
we begin
42:22
to apply
42:23
that to
42:23
the spirit,
42:25
we see
42:26
how fundamental
42:27
it is that
42:28
we walk
42:29
where he's
42:29
walking.
42:30
We go
42:31
towards the
42:31
same goal.
42:34
So we need
42:35
to spend
42:35
time paying
42:35
attention to
42:36
where he's
42:36
walking in
42:37
order that
42:37
we can
42:37
stay with
42:38
him.
42:42
The next
42:43
thing is that
42:43
we need to
42:44
be engrossed
42:46
with glorifying
42:48
Jesus Christ.
42:49
We need to
42:49
let Christ
42:51
take all of
42:51
our attention.
42:52
Let that
42:53
activity of
42:53
bringing him
42:54
glory consume
42:56
us.
42:58
Because the
43:00
chief end of
43:01
God is to
43:01
glorify himself.
43:02
God is to
43:04
glorify God
43:07
and enjoy
43:08
him forever.
43:09
So we have
43:10
to make that
43:10
our singular
43:11
goal.
43:12
John 7
43:12
39 says,
43:13
Now this
43:14
he said about
43:14
the spirit,
43:15
Jesus said
43:15
this about
43:16
the spirit,
43:16
whom those
43:17
who believed
43:17
in him were
43:18
to receive,
43:19
for as the
43:19
spirit had not
43:20
been given,
43:21
because Jesus
43:22
was not yet
43:23
glorified.
43:24
So when
43:24
Jesus is
43:24
glorified,
43:25
the spirit
43:25
comes.
43:26
This is a
43:26
concept that
43:28
is constant.
43:29
It doesn't
43:30
happen this one
43:31
time.
43:31
When we
43:32
glorify God,
43:33
that's what
43:33
the spirit
43:34
wants to do
43:35
as well.
43:35
So we find
43:36
that we're
43:36
walking with
43:37
him.
43:39
We have to
43:40
devote ourselves
43:40
to the glory
43:41
of Jesus,
43:42
and then the
43:43
Holy Spirit
43:43
will become
43:44
the aggressor
43:45
in the
43:45
relationship.
43:46
We want to
43:46
talk about
43:47
getting to
43:47
know him.
43:48
Well,
43:48
if we're
43:48
glorifying
43:49
God,
43:49
he'll get
43:49
to know
43:50
us.
43:51
He'll
43:51
raise us
43:52
and illuminate
43:53
us and
43:53
fill us
43:54
and bless
43:55
us,
43:55
because that's
43:56
what he
43:56
wants to
43:57
happen.
43:57
when we
44:00
walk with
44:01
the spirit
44:01
when we're
44:02
doing the
44:02
same things
44:03
that he's
44:04
doing,
44:05
which brings
44:05
me to my
44:06
next point,
44:07
which is to
44:07
walk in
44:08
righteousness.
44:11
Get to
44:11
know the
44:12
person of
44:12
the spirit,
44:13
be engrossed
44:14
with glorifying
44:14
Christ,
44:15
and walk
44:16
in righteousness.
44:17
We cannot
44:17
be spiritual
44:18
and not do
44:19
good.
44:21
The Holy
44:21
Spirit implies
44:23
holy living
44:24
coming out of
44:25
us.
44:26
Do you see
44:26
that?
44:26
The Holy
44:27
Spirit is
44:27
in me,
44:27
and holy
44:28
living is
44:28
coming out
44:29
of me.
44:30
It doesn't
44:32
work any
44:32
other way.
44:33
If you
44:33
want to
44:34
cultivate a
44:34
relationship
44:35
with the
44:36
spirit of
44:36
God,
44:37
then be
44:38
holy as
44:38
he is
44:39
holy.
44:40
Make your
44:41
thoughts a
44:42
clean living
44:43
space.
44:45
I'm going to
44:45
talk about
44:46
walking in
44:46
righteousness.
44:47
Well,
44:47
we've already
44:48
mentioned that
44:49
the body is
44:50
the temple
44:51
of God.
44:53
Our
44:54
thoughts,
44:55
then,
44:55
are his
44:55
living room.
44:56
what we
44:58
think pretty
44:59
much determines
45:00
the temperature,
45:02
the climate
45:03
of our
45:03
heart.
45:06
Furthermore,
45:07
God considers
45:07
our thoughts
45:08
as a part
45:08
of us,
45:09
just as much
45:09
a part of
45:09
us as
45:10
our
45:10
personality
45:10
or our
45:11
hands and
45:12
our feet.
45:13
If our
45:13
bodies are
45:14
his tabernacle
45:15
and our
45:16
thoughts are
45:17
certainly included
45:18
in that deal,
45:19
then we
45:20
need to
45:20
have
45:20
clean
45:21
thoughts.
45:24
And it
45:25
doesn't
45:26
matter what
45:27
type of
45:28
unclean
45:28
thoughts
45:28
we're
45:29
having.
45:29
I guarantee
45:30
you they
45:31
are hindering
45:31
us from
45:32
knowing the
45:33
spirit in a
45:34
more intimate
45:35
and deeper
45:35
way.
45:36
Because he's
45:37
not going to
45:37
exist in a
45:39
space that's
45:40
filled with
45:41
his opposite.
45:42
it.
45:44
So,
45:45
finally,
45:46
how to
45:48
cultivate
45:48
the spirit's
45:49
companionship.
45:51
We should
45:51
cultivate the
45:52
art of
45:52
recognizing
45:53
the presence
45:54
of the
45:54
spirit
45:55
everywhere.
45:56
He is
45:57
not confined
45:58
to things
45:58
that happen
45:59
in this
45:59
room.
46:00
He's not
46:01
confined to
46:01
things that
46:01
happen just
46:03
when you're
46:03
on mission
46:04
trips or
46:05
at campus
46:07
outreach.
46:09
He's
46:09
everywhere.
46:10
He's
46:11
working.
46:11
We just
46:12
have to
46:12
learn to
46:12
recognize
46:13
when he's
46:13
working.
46:14
Martin
46:14
Luther said
46:15
a dairymaid
46:16
can milk
46:16
cows to
46:17
the glory
46:17
of God.
46:21
Tozer
46:21
gives an
46:22
encouragement
46:22
on this
46:23
point.
46:23
He says
46:23
if you
46:23
will thus
46:24
see it
46:24
and thus
46:25
believe it
46:25
and thus
46:25
surrender
46:26
to it,
46:26
there won't
46:27
be a
46:27
secular stone
46:28
in the
46:28
pavement.
46:29
There won't
46:30
be a
46:30
common
46:31
profane
46:31
deed that
46:32
you will
46:32
ever do.
46:33
The most
46:34
menial
46:34
task can
46:35
become a
46:35
priestly
46:36
!
46:36
When the
46:37
Holy Ghost
46:37
takes over
46:38
and Christ
46:39
becomes your
46:40
all in
46:41
all.
46:45
So in
46:46
closing, I
46:46
want to look
46:47
back at
46:47
our text.
46:49
Romans
46:49
chapter 8
46:50
verse 11.
46:50
Paul writes
46:59
that the
47:00
spirit of
47:00
him who
47:01
raised
47:01
Jesus from
47:01
the dead
47:02
dwells in
47:03
you.
47:03
He who
47:03
raised
47:03
Christ
47:04
Jesus from
47:04
the dead
47:05
will also
47:05
give life
47:06
to your
47:07
mortal bodies
47:07
through his
47:08
spirit who
47:08
dwells in
47:09
you.
47:13
So my
47:13
final point,
47:14
if you've
47:14
lost track,
47:15
our three
47:16
points this
47:17
morning are
47:17
that we
47:17
belong to
47:18
Christ,
47:18
we have
47:19
fulfilled
47:20
spiritual
47:21
life,
47:21
and finally
47:22
we will
47:22
one day
47:23
be
47:23
resurrected
47:24
with
47:25
Christ.
47:28
Ephesians
47:28
2,
47:28
4-7
47:29
says,
47:31
But God
47:31
being rich
47:32
in mercy
47:32
because of
47:32
the great
47:33
love with
47:33
which he
47:34
loved us,
47:35
even when
47:35
we were
47:35
dead in
47:36
our
47:36
trespasses,
47:37
made us
47:37
alive together
47:38
with Christ.
47:39
By grace
47:40
you have
47:40
been saved
47:40
and raised
47:41
us up
47:41
with him
47:42
and seated
47:42
us with
47:42
him in
47:43
the heavenly
47:43
places in
47:44
Christ Jesus,
47:44
so that in
47:45
the coming
47:45
ages he
47:46
might show
47:47
the immeasurable
47:47
riches of
47:48
his grace
47:48
and kindness
47:49
toward us
47:49
in Christ
47:50
Jesus.
47:52
So I
47:52
ask the
47:53
question,
47:53
so what?
47:54
I mean,
47:55
we're going
47:55
to be
47:55
resurrected,
47:56
you know,
47:57
hooray.
48:00
Why does
48:00
that matter
48:01
to us
48:01
now?
48:04
What it
48:05
means is
48:06
that on
48:06
the last
48:06
day it
48:07
doesn't
48:07
matter what
48:08
state or
48:08
condition our
48:09
bodies are
48:09
in,
48:09
whether we're
48:10
physically
48:11
living or
48:11
physically
48:12
dead or
48:13
whether we
48:13
couldn't find
48:14
a bit of
48:15
our flesh,
48:16
he's going
48:16
to raise
48:17
us,
48:17
he's going
48:17
to give
48:18
us a
48:18
perfect
48:19
spiritual
48:20
body
48:20
which will
48:21
live eternally
48:22
with him
48:23
in a new
48:23
heaven and
48:24
a new
48:24
earth.
48:25
The
48:25
knowledge of
48:26
the
48:26
resurrection
48:27
gives us
48:28
strength to
48:29
live and
48:29
to love,
48:30
even when we
48:31
don't experience
48:32
immediate
48:32
earthly rewards.
48:34
The spirit
48:35
gives us a
48:36
faith that
48:36
supersedes
48:37
reason and
48:38
also a
48:40
hope that
48:42
surpasses time
48:43
because it's
48:43
an eternal
48:44
hope,
48:44
it's a
48:44
hope of
48:45
glory,
48:46
eternal
48:47
reward and
48:48
that motivates
48:49
us to
48:49
love.
48:51
So we're
48:51
God's
48:52
people.
48:53
We have
48:53
spiritual life
48:54
for now that
48:55
brings joy
48:56
and excitement
48:57
and it
48:59
convinces us
49:00
from within
49:01
of the truth
49:01
of our
49:02
faith.
49:03
It empowers
49:04
us to do
49:04
amazing things
49:05
and it gives
49:07
us a hope
49:07
for eternity.
49:09
Pray with
49:10
me.
49:16
Thank you.