Shaped By

Intro

Part two of By my Spirit.

A look at the Holy spirit and his work in and through us.

last week we talked about being filled with his spirit.

Zechariah 4:6

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

There is a lot for you to do, a lot I’m wanting to do through you, but you have to understand it’s not through your might and strength is by my Spirit.

This Hebrew word for spirit is ruach.

The greek word Pneuma.

Both mean wind or breath.

His Spirit will come inside up, empower us, and become the wind in our sails and the breathe in our lungs.

It’s not just about what we can do in the natural, but his super coming alongside up and being the power and life in us.

But it’s not just power that He wants to bring into our lives.

Anyone ever seen one of these??

A jello mold there was a time in our American history that making your food into jello molds was like a sign of social status.

Now hopefully you aren’t still on the jello mold trend.

but jello is the odd substance that will take and hold the shape of any container that it’s in.

Sometimes we can actually approach God like this and think that God just comes to empower and equip me to do all of the things that I want to do in life. That he will just make everything I want to do and be… easier..

But that not how the Holy Spirit works.

It’s actually opposite.

He doesn’t come and just take the shape of whatever he fills, He begins to transform and reshape who he fills to look like him.

A spirit filled life, is a spirit shaped life.

2 Corinthians 3:16–18 (NLT)

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

He comes in and begins a transforming work of making us not more into our own image, but more into his image.

We see this clearly with the disciples and the early church. They are marked by this spirit transformation.

when the disciples walked with Jesus they were a part of some incredible moments.

Walking on water, healings, and so much more.

But we also see they struggled deeply with jealousy, infighting, doubt, anger, insecurity and more.

But after the Holy Spirit came and fell on them in Acts chapter 2, this group of people who couldn’t seem to figure it out and constantly struggling began to have boldness, passion, they begin to live together in community with generosity, and unity and had a red hot vision to go and spread the message of Jesus around the world.

They were marked by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

They were more like themselves, they were being made to be more life God.

and it wasn’t through their own effort, strength and power… it was by HIS Spirit.

As the church grows so does this work of the Spirit in them.

Acts 11:26

...The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

The disciples developed a reputation and began to be called this word Christians by others.

Christian literally mean little Christs.

They just look and acts and behave so much like him, we’re going to call them christians.

Today that term has almost become more of a brand, but before the brand this was simply the identity.

That is still what God wants to do in us today.

Christianity in’t about a brand, it’s about others seeing Christ in us!

Now we have to know, this is not by our own effort and might.

sometimes we can confuse being spirit empowered with religion.

Religion is our own efforts to look like Christ, but it happens through HIs Spirit.

Problem with religion is we can do all of the things, and never really connect.

I remember early in church.

Sister Betsy had her pew saved, It was important to sit close to the back to get out early and beat the other churches to the restaurant.

I was on the drama team. Oh yeah. All of the skits. It was great. (anyone remember Carmen)

But somewhere all of the things weren’t connecting, not because they were wrong, but it wasn’t real transformation for me.

I remember doubting and insecurity and trying to find my identity in other things.

But something changed in me and I saw some people that had something real. A fire in them.

Something I knew I wanted.

I had a friend in High School that was so on fire for Jesus that it was different. Something connected differently than just doing things for God, there was a passion to serve him.

Sometimes we can love God and want to serve him, but just be exhausted trying to do all of the things.

Trying to stay motivated to read the bible, not yell at someone etc.

And then there can be so much guilt and condemnation when we miss it and mess up.

But you see, becoming like Jesus isn’t something that’s done in my own effort.

God has a better way!

No matter where you are in yoru faith, God wants to do a great work in your life, a transforming work.

Galatians 3:2–3 (NLT)

...Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

HOW CAN WE LIVE A SPIRIT-SHAPED LIFE?

ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SHOW YOU.

John 16:8 (NLT)

And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.

We can say this word convict and think it means the same thing as condemnation.

Condemnation is the enemies word.

It’s about guilt and judgment.

Pointing a finger at you. look at you, you’re not good enough.

Convict is God’s word.

it means to reveal and to bring to light.

In latin it’s made up of 2 words, WITH VICTORY.

God’s not just wanting to bring up things to condemn you,

But the holy spirit wants to reveal things to bring victory over them!

The reason Jesus went to the cross to set us from.

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!

He’ll reveal the areas of sin

He’ll reveal our path

Our intimate friend, the Holy Spirit, will come along side and reveal the wrong path, but also show us and guide us on the right one.

Isaiah 30:21

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

This is counter to the way of culture.

No one wants what they are doing wrong revealed to them.

Instead the world has adopted a term that we need to be careful of, I just have my truth.

This is my truth.

Truth is only truth if its his!

The truth sets us free!

It’s not longer about us living our path but following his.

He is worthy, he knows the way, and only his way leads to life.

(Debate the fastest way. With others and gps…)

He wants to keep us from the destructive path and put our feet on the right one.

The Holy Spirit wants to reveal that!

Psalm 139:23–24 (NLT)

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Prayer: Holy Spirit show me.

ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO REFINE YOU.

Acts 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

So often we focus on the on part, they spoke in tongues. And please come back next week as we discuss the gifts of the that he wants to enable us with.

But look at the phrase “tongues of fire”

The Holy Spirit in the bible is often attached with the image of fire.

Because fire is a tool used to refine.

It takes precious metals, removes all of the impurities and leaves behind what is pure.

That’s exactly what God wants to do in us.

Our job is to stay commited to God’s process.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NIV)

Do not quench the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 (God’s word Translation)

Do Not put out the Spirit’s fire

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NLT)

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

Holiness still matters. Holiness is becoming more and more like him.

Sometimes this idea of holiness can scare us. How could I be holy, more like God.

“We live in a day where we are more afraid of holiness than of sinfulness.”

Leonard Ravenhill

It’s not crushing weight to live up to.

It’s a lifting opportunity to be more like Him.

“Dozens of people go to Him to be cured of some one particular sin which they are ashamed…or which is obviously spoiling daily life. (like a bad temper) Well, He will cure it all right: but He will not stop there. That may be all you asked; but if once you call Him in, He will give you the full treatment.... Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of— throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

CS Lewis, Mere Christianity

Galatians 5 gives a list of of things that our lives look like if we stay just living in our own efforts and flesh.

Pride, adultery, idolatry and more.

But he gives us another list...

A list of how we begin to look when submitted to His processes through the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT)

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

This is a much better list!

I am definitely not there all of the way all of the time yet.

But I’m not where I used to be. i’m in process.

We have a whole lot of next steps for your faith here.

Life Groups, Serve Team.

But don’t misunderstand, Its never about just getting you to do those things, but coming together and allowing God to work in and through us with these things.

21 Days of Prayer, not to just check a box - that the religion.

We are a part of these things so the holy spirit can refine our lives in a way that can only be God.

Prayer: Holy Spirit change me.

ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO REDEEM YOU.

I think about the story of Paul in the bible.

Before he encountered Christ he had a life of ambition. Climb the ladder. Do all he could.

He was very religious. He was enraged by the spread of Christianity and actually helped in the imprisonment and deaths of Christ followers.

But then he encountered Jesus and was radically changed.

here is a message for Paul that I know if for us as well.

Acts 9:15 (NIV)

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.

He was tearing down the church, running 100mph the wrong way, but God said he is a chosen instrument to be used for him.

That’s what we are too!

Chosen by God to be used for him.

God redeemed Pauls story.

From killer to chosen.

You and I as well. No matter our past, you are a chosen instrument by God.

What the enemy meant for harm and destruction, God designs for the good.

To redeem is to buy back for a purpose.

He has bought you back from the power of sin and hell through Jesus and now he has purposed you with His holy spirit to go and make a difference for his kingdom.

You are an instrument of God.

I am here today because I saw people who were used by God.

This is what our Serve Team is all about.

God using a bunch of people together to further his kingdom.

Not because of us or through him but all for Him.

The greatest testimony of Jesus to this world, is a life shaped and changed by him.

God has redemption for your story.

Not in your own effort but by His Spirit.

You are a chosen instrument.

Prayer: Holy Spirit use me.

What if we prayed this everyday.

Holy Spirit show me.

Holy Spirit change me.

Holy Spirit use me.

And here is the promise we read earlier

And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

RESPONSE

Salvation - you know that God is speaking to you, he’s knocking on your heart.

He want’s a relationship.

Not your strength or might.

Next step in allowing the spirit.

Not in your effort.