Does the Spirit Have You - Clover Sites



Does the Spirit Have You?

Acts 2:1-6

Intro

Dr. Jerry Vines (former Pres. of the Southern Baptist Convention) wrote an interesting article on the Holy Spirit and Pentecost. This is what he said, “The average Christian and the average Church are somewhere bogged down between Calvary and Pentecost. They have been to Calvary for Pardon, but they have not been to Pentecost for power. Bethlehem means God with us. Calvary means God for us. But Pentecost means God in us.”

Dr. Vines continued to say, “Those statements transformed my understanding of the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. I believe that the average Christian is much like the Ephesian believers when the Apostle Paul came to them in Acts 19:2 and said to them – “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied that they didn’t even know that there was a Holy Spirit. Many Christians do not understand the role of the Holy Spirit and they have not appropriated the power of the Holy Spirit in their own personal life.”

J. B. Phillips, who gave us the familiar paraphrase of the New Testament, wrote something like this some years ago. He said that, “The churches today are fat and out of breath through prosperity. They are muscle-bound through over-organization. What we need today is again the wind and the flame of Pentecost.”

Billy Graham wrote some years ago, “The situation in the organized and institutional church today is desperate. We are losing the battle for the minds and hearts of people through materialism and secularism; and unless the trend is radically reversed, the institutional church may well go into an eclipse.”

Graham also said, “We cannot escape the tremendous emphasis of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the early believers. The church today has all the tools for conquest, money, organization, education and methods. But today we lack the God-given spark to ignite these things into a spiritual fire that could sweep our society and community. That spark is the infilling of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer, without which the church has no spiritual power.”

I think all of us would agree that this is true. We need the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

A. W. Tozer said, “Every Christian has the Holy Spirit but the Holy Spirit doesn’t have every Christian.”

D. L. Moody (evangelist of 1800’s) was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, “Why do we need this 'Mr. Moody'? He's uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody.”

The Infilling of the Holy Spirit

Dr. R.A. Torrey said, “The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a definite and distinct experience. A Christian will know whether he has received the Spirit or not. Jesus commanded His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high. If this were not a definite and distinct experience, the disciples would not know whether they had complied with Christ’s command.”

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The endowment of power of the Holy Spirit for the believer is absolutely crucial. We need the Holy Spirit’s infilling. In Zech. 4:6 the Lord says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.”

In Eph. 5:18-20 it teaches:

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Quenching and Grieving the Spirit

The voice of the Spirit of God is gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship and oneness with God, you will never hear it. The sense of warning and restraint that the Spirit gives comes to us in the most amazingly gentle ways. And if you are not sensitive enough to detect His voice, you will quench it. Also deliberately living in sin is another way of stifling the Holy Spirit and in the end your spiritual life will be impaired and you will live in defeat.

We read in Eph. 4:30-31, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”

All sin is painful to God, but sin in His children breaks His heart. When believers refuse to change the ways of the old sinful life for the ways of the new, the Holy Spirit grieves.

Grieving can lead to quenching and to lose out on the power and blessing.

This is picked up in 1 Thess. 5:19 where says, “Do not quench the Spirit.” That word quench literally means not to extinguish or stifle the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t smother the Holy Spirit’s work within you.

Reasons Not to Grieve & Quench the Holy Spirit

No. 1 The Holy Spirit empowers us to overcome temptation, lust and sin.

Gal. 5:16 teaches, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

No. 2 The Holy Spirit brings us into intimacy with God.

Gal. 4:6-7 explains, “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” Abba means Daddy, a term of intimacy and endearment.

No. 3 The Holy Spirit helps us in our prayer life with intercessory power.

Rom. 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

A prayer language is available to Spirit-filled believers and is intended to be ongoing.

No. 4 The Holy Spirit helps us know God’s will and agenda for our lives.

In Eph. 5:17, the verse before verse 18 which speaks of being filled with the Spirit says, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

A Problem with Christians

I have heard Christians express more of their weaknesses than their strengths.

They say, “I can't do this or that.” “I can't witness to others.” “I don't feel comfortable doing that.”

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All such expressions are denying the power of God which has been given to each of us who have received Christ and His Spirit.

Do you remember what Paul wrote to the Philippians 4:13? “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Also 1 John 4:4, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

This is true for each and every one of us. The Holy Spirit’s power is in us, and it flows in us and through us. But it's our attitude and disobedience, more than anything else, that determines whether or not this power infills us.

Our “can't do” attitude closes the door.

Our “can do” attitude opens the door.

The Promise Fulfilled

Ten days after Jesus ascended into Heaven He sent the Blessed Promise of the Father and the believers who had obeyed and waited in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter’s sermon declared, “This is it!!!” This is the Fulfillment of the promise! “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39).

The Biblical Record in the Book of Acts indicates that the disciples, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other women and believers received this Promise of the Father. And this promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.

What about you? Have you appropriated the Promise?

Peter said, “The promise is for you”

Have you experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit?

Let us not be satisfied until we allow the Spirit to have absolute sway and control of our lives.

Let us reach out with hearts open wide in faith, and say, ‘Lord, I want more of your Spirit’s control over my life, I want to live everyday in the infilling of the Holy Spirit!’

Does the Holy Spirit Have You?

There are those who desire to see the Holy Spirit move in a powerful way in their lives and in the life of the church.

The Spirit will never infringe; He will never intrude; He operates when He is invited. Any believer that wants to see the work of the Spirit with power has to be bathed in prayer. Prayer prepares that atmosphere and prepares the hearts of God’s people for that to happen.

Jesus said to the early Christians, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49). Let the Spirit prepare the heart and the soil. There are no shortcuts.

The Glove Illustration

The believer who is filled with the Spirit can be compared to a glove. Until it is filled by the hand, a glove is powerless and useless. It is designed to do work, but it cannot do work by itself. It works only as the hand controls and uses it. The glove’s only work is the hand’s work. It does not ask the hand to give it a task and then try to complete the task without the hand. Nor does it brag about what it is used to do, because it knows the hand deserves all the credit.

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A believer can accomplish no more without being filled with the Spirit than a glove can accomplish without being filled with the hand.

Pay the Cost

You may say, “I want to be filled. I need the power in order to live a pleasing life for God. I want to shine for Christ.”

Do you? Do you really want it? Do you really mean it? If you really want to change and to be filled with the Spirit you can, but it costs something. There is a price. Are you willing to pay the cost for an abundant life, for an exciting adventure?

D.L Moody said, "I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God's will, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled."

1) What is the first step?

It is repentance from sin. We need to confess the sin of lack of love for God, neglect of the Word, unbelief, neglect of prayer, refusal to deny self and take up the cross.

The sin of worldliness, pride, envy, a bitter spirit, holding a grudge, slander, gossiping, lying, cheating and hypocrisy.

2) The next step is yielding all to God, consecrate your life to Him. Let the Spirit have His way with you in every area of your life. If we try to keep some secret sin, never yield it or surrender it, we cannot be in-filled with the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

Some want the benefits and the work of the Spirit, but they do not want to pay the price.

I want to say something dangerous. Did you know that it is possible to work for God and lead an exemplary life without being filled with the Holy Spirit?

What could take place in our homes, community if Christians could know something of the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit? Are you willing to pay the price? Renewal will come when God’s people are ready to pay the price!

Does the Holy Spirit have you?

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