According to the Power at work within you

Ephesians 3:20–21 NIV

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

We have been working through this passage over the weekend..

Recap

And for those who were not at the retreat

I want to recap where we have come from breifly..

because I think its important that we understand the breadth of what god is speaking through paul today..

“Now to him”

Friday we started by talking about the first portion of this verse..

Paul writes..

“Now to him who is able..”

And we talked about how GOD is the one.. not us.. who does and wants to do imeassurably more in our lives..

David

we looked at the story of david in 2 samuel 7 and talked about how David had the desire to build the temple of god..

but that god had a different plan..

and instead redirected david to stand on a new promise that God was giving..

one david could never have even imagined..

God promised that he would build a house from davids kingdom that would never vanish..

and would bring forth an eternal kingdom and throne..

Ultimatly it would be Jesus who would fufill this promise as he came through davids liniage..

Process.

and friday we talked about the need to be humble before the lord..

to embrace the will of god instead of our own..

and to praise god through the process and joyfully walk out the will of god..

because it is HIM who has brought us this far..

and him who will take us to the end and bring forth the imeasurable..

“Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”

saturday we spoke about the second portion of this verse..

that god desires to do impossible and unimagonable things in our lives..

things that we cann not understand of even dream..

but if we are going to see these things come to pass we have to put our faith in god..

faith

we talked about how if we are going to have faith..

we must believe god is who he says he is..

and then trust and act according to that belief in him..

And as we do.. We will begin to see god do things we could not even dream of..

Today..

I want us to finish today with the how..

The how does GOD.. do IMEASURABLE things through us?

Well paul tells us the how..

He says.. “According to his power that is at work within us..”

What power?

you might be asking?

well what is that power?

paul tells us in romans

Romans 8:10–11 NIV

But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

and Jesus tells us

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

What is the power at work within us?

It is the holy spirit..

He is the power of god operating in and through the believer..

He is the one who makes the impossible possible within us..

and so today

I want us to talk for a few minuites about the holy spirit.

acts

in the opeing chapters in the book of acts

we find a powerful story about the disicples of christ..

Jesus has just assended to heaven again..

He had died,

was buried,

and rose again..

and for 40 day he walked with them..

and on his assention

he tells them..

listen its not over..

go and wait in jerusalem..

and I will send the helper..

He will be your guide

your power..

he wil continue on this jounry with you

and help you be my disicples..

and so they go..

Day

And the bibles tells us in chapter 2 that after 10 days in this upper room

they are all in one mind and one accord

and they are worshiping and praying

and suddenly..

there is a sound of a rushing wind..

and toungues of fire fall on their heads..

and they begin to speak in other toungues..

and they are filled with the holy spirit..

Peter..

But I want us to notice something in this story..

there a man we know very well named peter.

and we know from the story of the gospel

Peter had a moment of failure..

When Jesus was being taken to be tried..

He was approached three times and asked if he was with Jesus..

and we know that PEter denied Jesus three times..

in one of his biggest moments of witness..

He failed..

BUT NOW..

but now acts tells a new story for peter..

because the bible says when the disipcles are filled..

a crowd gathers outside..

and peter..

now filled with the holy spirit..

steps out onto the balcony..

and begins to declare the gospel of Jesus

and 3000 people get saved that day..

What changed

whats changed?

peter goes from being a coward..

not even being able to confess to the servant girl he knows Jesus..

to standing in front of a large group of peopel..

boldy declaring the gospel..

and gathering a harvest he could not comprehend or ask for..

It was the baptism and the power of the holy spirit..

Who is the Holy Spirt?

who is the holy spirit?

He is the spirit of God.

He is the third member of the trinity, but is no less God and no less important than the father or son..

He was there from the beginning in genesis 1.. as the Bible says he was hovering over the waters..

He is the promised helper of Christ

John 14:16 ESV

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,

He is as real as any person on this earth..

He has a mind and will (romans 8:27)

The spirit carries the will and mind of god.

he is constantly carrying out this will in those who allow him to do so..

He has emotions (Ephesians 4:30)

the Bible speaks about how we can grieve the spirit..

But he is also joyous at other times..

He can be interacted with

HE speaks..

We can speak to him..

He can be felt…

We can walk with him..

We can talk with him..

HE IS AS REAL AS ANY PERSON ON THIS EARTH AND CAN BE INTERACTED WITH AS SUCH..

What does the Holy Spirit do?

1. He gives us power..

What is this power for?

So we can be witnesses for christ in the earth.

That means so we can live in such a way that other people see the Jesus inside of us..

its not power so we can act crazy and do magic tricks..

First He gives power so we can live a holy life like christ.

He gives us the power to execute the authority Christ has given us.. Luke 10

He gives us the power to do the greater works Jesus said we would do.. John 14

He gives us the power to See the signs and wonders that the bible so vividly recorded in Jesus life..

To pray with power and authority..

Galatians 5:16 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

some of you are wondering how your going to live the way god has called you to live…

You’ve been cleansed and set free.. but there is something in the back of your mind telling you that this won’t last..

That this is no different than any other time..

but that’s just the enemy trying to steal the break through god has given you..

The Holy Spirit is the power of God operating inside of you so you can live a clean and holy life!

This is why Paul would say where I am weak you are strong!

And why the Old Testament would say its not by power nor by might but by my spirit.

HE IS THE POWER THAT HELPS YOU LIFE AS YOU SHOULD!

toungues

most christians think you need the Holy Spirit just to speak in tongues..

but if you speak in tongue and act like hell then you don’t have the right Holy Spirit in you.

because he is the cleansing power that helps you act and be like christ!

This power is so that the ministry of Jesus will continue to work in the earth through us..

Secondly, He gives us power to do the things Jesus said we would do

He wants to do greater things in you than Jesus even did..

He wants to do signs and wonders..

To see people healed and delivered..

Witness and see people saved..

This is all through the power of the spirit..

2. He is our guide

John 16:13 ESV

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

He leads us in paths of righteousness and through the valleys of life.. Psalms 23He leads us into truth John 16

He will even set up divine appointments in your life for you to be the light of Christ..

He will guide you day if you will allow him..

He will prevent you from being in places you shouldn’t be..

He guides us in the will of God for our lives..

3. He is our teacher

He reveals the scriptures to us so that we can understand

He teaches us to live the way Jesus has called us to live..

He teaches us to love and to walk as we are instructed to in the scripture..

4. He is our helper

John 15:26 ESV

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

the holy spirit helps us in our everyday life..

He is our guide

The bible says he helps us to pray when we dont know what to pray..

He helps us to share when we dont know what to share with others..

He helps us..

5. He is our intercessor

Romans 8:26 ESV

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

That term interceeds means to stand between and plead for somone..

So he helps us to pray the prayers we need to pray to god through toungues and growns..

Thats why you can pray for someone in toungues even when you dont know what to say..

BEcause God is praying through you..

Toungues

What are toungues..

what does it mean to speak in toungues..

and the anwser to that is simple really..

Its you fully submiting yourself.. or yeilding yourself.. to the spirit..

and the holy spirit praying in a heavenly lanquage through you?

Why is that important ?

Because of the way God set up the divine laws of creation..

we have free will..

so we have to invite god into the situation for him to move..

and someone times we dont know how to do that..

or what to say..

or even what we need to say..

BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT KNOWS WHAT AND HOW..

SO HE PRAYS THROUGH US.

IN PERFECT PRAYERS TO GOD..

AS AN INTERCESSOR..

Example

This is why your grandma.. or momma..

could pray in toungues for you even when she didnt know you were out in the woods smoking dope..

and God could work in your life..

because the holy spirit knew..

all grandma needed to do was yeild to him..

6. He gives us gifts or god given abilities..

1 Corinthians 12:4–11 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

If you were hear last week you saw the gift of toungues and interpretation in operation..

but these are not the only gifts god gives..

He gives gifts of encouragment..

he gives the gift of helps..

He gifts many gifts..

but they are all for the edification and encouragement of the believer and the body..

7. He produces Fruit in us

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

He helps us to act like Christ..

and embody the charactors of christ..

THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES MANY THINGS IN OUR LIVES..

AND HE WANTS TO COME AND FILL YOU TODAY..

He is still being poured out today

There are many in the body of christ that would say that the dispensation of the Holy Spirit ended with the apostles

But I can promise you this is not the case.

Modern history has proven that he is still alive and well..

Barney Creek Meeting House

in august of 1886 a group of people began meeting in the barney creek meeting house in Monroe country TN.

They were hungry for more of god..

Soon fire broke out in them and they were baptized and the CHURCH OF GOD was founded..

Azzuza

On April 9th 1906 in los angelus cal.. under the leadership of a man names William j Seymour revival broke our on asura street..

it continued until 1915 and sparked nationwide awakening and revival..

A small group of people had been waiting on the lord and praying when they were filled with the Holy Spirit..

It was the power of God dwelling in them.

Brownsville

On fathers day June 18 1995 at the Brownsville Assemblies of god in Pensacola Florida revival broke out

Over the next 5 years 4 million people would come and experience the power of the Holy Spirit.

Signs and wonders and repentance..

Asbury..

last year in college campuses all over the country..

pray and worship sessions began to spring up all over..

and the spirit of the lord came down in mulitple places and fueled fresh fire again..

HE IS STILL BEING POURED OUT..

Now

Just like he poured himself out in acts chapter two.

Just like he did at barney creek

Jut like azzuza

And just like Brownsville..

JUST LIKE ASBURY!

God wants to pour his spirit out on this body and fulfill the prophecy of Joel

Joel 2:28 ESV

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

GOD WANTS TO POUR HIS SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH!

What is the baptism of the holy spirit?

Salvation Everyone receives a portion at salvation..

he is the convector of sin (John 16:8)

The Holy Spirit is the one who showed you that you were separated from god…

But he is also

The revealer of truth (John 16:13)

He revealed the truth of your true nature..

But he also revealed the truth of the gospel to you..

He testified about Jesus (John 15:26)

And as the executor of gods will

He raises us from death to life just like Jesus (Romans 8:11)

And the sealer of the believer.. (Ephesians 1:13)

SALVATION IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH JESUS AND APPLIED BY THE Holy Spirit..

When you receive Jesus into you heart, it is the Holy Spirit who carries him in and applies him to you..

So everyone receives a small portion of the Holy Spirit at salvation..

But it is not gods desire to stop their..

look whats acts 1:5 says

Acts 1:5 ESV

for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

He wants to Baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

Baptize

That word in the greek here is bapto

and it means too dip..

But not just a little dip.

It describes the process of complete immersion and is the same word used to describe a sunken ship..

Where the water is not just around you.. but is in every nook and cranny..

God wants to overflow you.. to submerse you in his spirit..

So that there is not a single part of you that is not covered inside or out..

HE wants to immerse you..

Salvation is like stepping into the water at ankle Deep..

Baptism is like going so deep that you a swept away..

He wants to baptize you

He wants to fill you!

How do I receive baptism

Know Jesus

Holy Spirit baptism is for the believer.

For the one who knows Christ as lord and savior and calls him his own.

There are no examples of Holy Spirit baptism in the Bible price to regeneration through salvation through christ.

The people who were baptized knew Christ as lord and savior..

In fact..

Simon the sourcer tried to buy the spirit and it didn’t turn out for him..

You must know Jesus..

Ask..

James 4:2 ESV

You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

Jesus said in matthew 7:7

Matthew 7:7 ESV

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

You have to ask..

Receive

Many people get caught up in what the Holy Spirit will make you do and won’t make you do..

He won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do..

But after he comes your gonna wanna do something you never wanted to do before.

You must receive

you have to let down the wall.. and let go.. and let him in..

Dont worry about what its gonna sound like.

DOnt worry about what it going to look like..

Just receive.

Let down your guard.

Let down you wall

And let him come in and fill you.. .

Speak

Speak it in faith..

Toungues is the intial evidence of baptism..

in every filling in the new testament those who were filled spoke with new toungues..

you wont understnad it..

its not like going to spanish class..

Just speak it..

if it sounds like jiberish.. and it probably will..

Speak it in faith..

God wants to fill you..