Indwelling Presence of the Spirit

PrWhat concerns you about your car? Some people care about the engine, some care about the size, some people care about the stereo system or as they call it today the infotainment center. Other’s care about the horsepower, the luggage room, does it have a sunroof, is it economical. But what about the security system. I have never heard anyone say. WOW you should see the air bags on my car. Did you know that my car is rated as the safest car. You should see my seat belts. Man this car has all the safety features you could want. I believe the Holy Spirit is like the safety features on your car. VERY Important, but often neglected. Jesus is like the engine, The Father is like exterior, prophecy is like the infotainment center. Theology is like the owner’s manual and specs. But the Holy Spirit is important.

Assemble for the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:4–5 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

You are in church, you have assembled with the body of believers. It is important that you do that. I am so glad that we have online services. So glad. But I am telling you, try to assemble in church. I know that some of you can’t. The New Testament stresses the importance of assembly and Jesus said that He wanted the believers to assemble for the coming Holy Spirit.

Let the Holy Spirit take precedence over prophecy.

Acts 1:6–8 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Remember when I compared a car to your Christian life. You ever seen someone that all they cared about was the infotainment unit. They would by a car if it has a big screen TV in it and blu tooth and big speakers. But they don’t care at all about the seat belts. When it matters most what is more important the infotainment or the seat belt. I am not saying prophecy is bad. The disciples want to talk prophecy. Which Jesus had done days early in great detail. But it wasn’t time to talk prophecy. The more important issue was the Spirit. A lot of people are interested in prophecy, but if you don’t have the Spirit it won’t matter when it really matters.

Pentecost changed everything.

Acts 2:1–4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

We are going to talk about being filled with the spirit later but today I want you to know that this moment changed everything. When the Holy Spirit arrived in miraculous fashion this world changed for the better.

Before Pentecost the Holy Spirit indwelling was temporary.

John 20:21–22 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

This is like a test drive of the Holy Spirit, they are with Jesus. He gives them the Holy Spirit. A couple of days later Jesus assembles them and they lack the Holy Spirit. When Jesus meets with and bestows on the a temporary gift of the Spirit. That was their test drive. It was amazing! It made them crave more. I question people’s salvation if they don’t have that progressive sanctification. Still it is between you and the Father. I don’t decide if you are a Christian.

The indwelling Holy Spirit is a free gift.

Acts 11:16–17 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?

Salvation is a free gift, included in the package you have an unseen safety feature. your Spiritual airbag. Not given enough attention. Should have more attention. That is the indwelling Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is given to all who believe.

John 7:37–39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The Holy Spirit is not an exclusive gift in that is offered to all who are obedient to salvation. It is very selective in that it is only given to those who are obedient to salvation. If you don’t have the Spirit indwelling you, you have a problem.

The Holy Spirit indwells you when you are obedient to salvation.

Acts 5:32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

This verse is confusing out of context. It makes it sound like the Holy Spirit is based on merit. The only condition of the Holy Spirit is based on obedience to salvation.

In context, obedience is believing in Jesus for salvation.

Acts 5:30–31 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Have you been obedient to salvation?

To not have the Holy Spirit illuminates your unsaved condition.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

Can I be a Christian, sin, and have the Holy Spirit inside of me?

Simple answer, yes. But it isn’t a simple answer....

Sin enters the church.

1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!

Sin shouldn’t enter the church, sin corrupts and spreads.

1 Corinthians 5:9 “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.”

Sin must be dealt with.

1 Corinthians 5:11–13 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

There is hope after sin.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

All believers have the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:18–20 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Church discipline s important. I have seen it done a few times. It probably should be done more often. It’s hard. How do I know if a person who comits sin and claims to be a Christian is genuine or not. I don’t God is the ultimate judge. Even though in this building God gives us that responsibility. But all Christians have the Holy Spirit inside us. Paul warns us to remember that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Keep it pure from sexual immorality. When you sit down at your computer and look at things you shouldn’t when you flirt with an affair. When you have sex outside of marriage as a Christian. It is like driving down the road intoxicated at 100 MPH. Sure you have a seat belt and air bags, but you are ignoring the safety warning playing with fire. Could your life be saved when the accident happens maybe. That’s up to God. But I am warning you. There will be collateral damage. The fall out is going to be catastrophic.

You are either unsaved or you have the Holy Spirit.

Jude 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

I wouldn’t want to drive a car without an air bag I wouldn’t want to live this life without the power of the Holy Spirit.

There is not one incidence of temporary indwelling of the Spirit after Pentecost.

We have many incidents before Pentecost.

Most of wear our seat belts everyday. We have cars with airbage. Every year more safety features are added to cars. We can’t imagine life before seat belts and airbags. But there was a time. Every month we hear about a terrible accident. We always hear the seat belt saved their lives. You wouldn’t want to go back to to the days before seat belts. I don’t want one person I love riding in a car without a seat belt. We wouldn’t want to go back. The same thing applies to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit indwells us permanently.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—