Spirit-filled People

Prayer

Marked with a Seal, the Promised Holy Spirit

We’re continuing our look at what it means to be Good News People, people who have heard the good news, the gospel, received it, trusted it for our lives. We hear it as an invitation - an invitation to be saved, to be forgiven of our sins and enter into eternal life AND an invitation to enter into a whole new way of life, by which I mean following Jesus Christ.

We started with the very basics of the gospel, which is that God sent his one and only son to die for us, for our sins, and then raised him to life on the third day.

Then we talked about some of the essential elements of the gospel, including grace - that all Jesus did for us is a gift, we didn’t earn it or deserve it - and the gospel includes the gift of righteousness, we are made righteous by faith in Jesus (that is, made truly good), and then last week, we looked at how the gospel is the of God’s love, it is the demonstration of God’s love for us, his sending his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

And again, it’s not just these wonderful gifts of grace, righteousness, and love - it’s that these are invitations to become people of grace. To be good toward others as a gift, not whether they deserve it. To be people of righteousness. People who seek to be truly good, to be like Jesus. To be people of love. Those who love God with all that we are, and our neighbors as well.

Today we’re going to examine another element of the gospel, one I think we often shy away from, largely because it’s harder to get a grasp of, don’t always know what it means. And what am I talking about? The Holy Spirit. A central element of the gospel is that we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, the power and presence of God in us, coming on us as we entrust our lives to Jesus.

Holy Spirit has at times been described as the shy member of the Trinity - and you can see why, he’s hidden, harder to detect. I’m hoping this morning we can coax him out some - discover that it means for us as Good News People, to be people who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and live as Spirit-filled people.

We’re going to be in book of Acts, chapter 10. This is the story of the Gospel coming to the Gentiles, to non-Jews. Now that may not seem like a big deal to us today (as most Jesus followers are Gentiles), but it was huge at the time, in fact it was transformational. A seismic shift in the church, and who would be included as God’s people, his holy nation, his royal priesthood.

This is a long chapter, so we’ll start with a summary of the first part, Acts 10:1-33. Story starts with a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius who lives by the Mediterranean Sea in the city of Caesarea. He is described as a God-fearer, a non-Jew who worshipped the God of Israel, Yahweh - and he is described as being faithful, generous and pious.

Cornelius has a vision, he is visited by an angel who tells him to send men to a nearby town, Joppa, to retrieve the apostle Peter. Cornelius obeys sending two of his servants accompanied by a devout soldier, who make their way to Joppa.

As the men are making the trip to Joppa, Peter goes up to the roof of the house he is staying at in order to pray - there he, too, has a vision. Heaven opens up before him and what looks like a large sheet containing all sorts of animals and reptiles and birds appears before him, along with a command from God to get up, kill and eat.

As a faithful Jew, Peter can’t imagine eating some of these animals, as some of them were unclean, forbidden to eat by Jewish law. But the command is repeated along with this - “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” It happens a third time and while Peter is pondering what the vision was all about, Cornelius’ men arrive.

The men explain the vision God had given Cornelius to come get Peter. So Peter accompanies them back to Caesarea, where he is greeted not just by Cornelius, but a household full of people he had invited, relatives and close friends. Normally, as a Jew who consider Gentiles to be unclean, and therefore would not closely associate with them, he would never have entered their home. But remember the vision - it was all about not calling things unclean that God has made clean. So Peter enters and begins interacting with Cornelius and his family and friends.

And I just want to point out here that it’s clear to them that God is at work here, he’s doing something (and in this case, something big, monumental). But they are doing what all of us as followers of Jesus should do - being attentive to what God is doing, and then joining in on that work. Respond in obedience to God’s leading. That’s when amazing things happen.

And one of the things to point out is that for both men, the vision comes to them as they are engaged in prayer. We learn that the angel came to Cornelius at three in the afternoon, which was a daily time of prayer for the Jews (he was a God-worshipper, engaged in Jewish practices), and of course, Peter had gone to the rooftop to pray. God speaks to them in prayer - God speaks to us in prayer. When we take the time to stop and listen and pay attention.

Back to the story, we’re going to read now from the text, Acts 10:34-43, Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

What’s fascinating here is that we are seeing Peter’s heart and mind being changed in real time, he’s being transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit in him - “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.” Peter is beginning to realize God’s vision for the good news of Jesus is far bigger and bolder than he ever could have imagined - it includes the Gentiles as well!

So Peter shares the gospel with them. Note that he assumes they at least are familiar with the events, that they know about Jesus of Nazareth, they’ve heard stories of the healings and exorcisms he performed. Know about his crucifixion and possibly even the rumors of his resurrection. People have been talking about these things.

Peter does this because at this point, they know about the God of Israel, of Yahweh, but they haven’t made the connection that God had a bigger plan that includes them - to send his Son, to die on the cross, to rise to new life. And that this Jesus is Lord - of all. He is the one who will judge the living and the dead. He is the one through whom they can experience the forgiveness of their sins.

Peter makes clear - we were eyewitnesses, we saw all this happen. We ate and drank with him after he was risen from the dead! So the group there hear the message of the good news of Jesus and and they respond in faith. They receive the invitation, the gift of life that comes through Jesus.

Acts 10:44-48, While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

It’s a mini-Pentecost happening here. The Holy Spirit comes in power on all those present, all those who heard the message and believed it. And just like it happened at Pentecost to the Jewish believers gathered in that upper room, the received the gift of speaking in tongues and they broke out in praise of God.

And the Jewish believers are astonished - even the Gentiles are receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit! But that was Jesus’ promise, that his Spirit, his power and presence with us, in us, would come on all who believe the good news. You cannot fully understand or appreciate what it means to be Good News People without knowing and appreciating that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is in us.

This is how Paul writes about it in Ephesians 1:13-14, And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Paul was telling those Ephesians: when you heard the gospel and believed, you were included in Christ, you were in. And God sealed the deal, he marked you by giving you the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s seal on us, saying - you belong to me, I’m putting down a deposit that guarantees you will receive all that I want to bless you with. That deposit is the Holy Spirit. And just like those first Jewish believers, and those Gentiles gathered at Cornelius’ house, it’s God’s way of saying to us, “you are mine, forever.” I’m putting on my stamp on it, the Holy Spirit.

Good News People - People Filled with the Holy Spirit

So, here’s the question we’ve been asking throughout the season of Lent - what does it mean for us to be Good News People, people who have heard and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ? Today, what does it mean that we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit? That Spirit of God lives in us?

And we ought to start there because I suspect for many of us, there’s doubt about that. As we mentioned before, the Spirit is the shy member of the Trinity. For many of us, it may not feel as if we have ever received the gift of the Holy Spirit. We’ve never spoken in tongues. No flame ever appeared over our heads, or dove descended upon us. We’re not sure we’ve ever experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in us. We think perhaps we got skipped over.

Here’s the thing that’s critical to remember here. What is true of us is not based on how we feel about it. It’s rooted on Jesus, and his promises to us. We could say the same thing about forgiveness - or even God’s love. You may not feel forgiven, you may not feel loved. But that doesn’t make it so. When we trust Jesus’ dying on the cross for our sins, we are forgiven. Our sins removed from us as far as the east is from the west. No matter how we feel about it. You may feel unlovable, but as we looked at last week, the proof of God’s love is not in how you feel about it, it was demonstrated by Jesus’ willingly laying down his life for us, while we were yet sinners. He absolutely loves you, whether you want to receive that or not.

As you have believed the good news, you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. And to be a Good News Person means that you live trusting that is true. It’s trusting that I am a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is in me, I’m a marked man, God’s seal of ownership - stamped on me - and on you. Which really is an amazing gift. God really is good and faithful towards us, he’s so for us. In fact that’s one title for the Holy Spirit - Advocate, an advocate is someone who acts on your behalf.

And Jesus gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit as a comforter, God’s presence with us. Spirit guides us into truth, always leading us toward Jesus. Spirit gives us power - Jesus’ resurrection power in us, transforming us - it’s why we don’t have to work to make ourselves good, by our sheer effort, rather, we open ourselves to the power of the Spirit working in us. Why would we ever close ourselves off to that power, trying to do it all on our own. It’s like having a house completely wired yet never plugging anything in to access the power! We just looked at the power of Spirit at work in Peter’s life, in Cornelius’ life, and with all his family and friends gathered. Transformational power at work.

And this should be central to how we live as followers of Jesus, that we come from that basis, I am a person filled with the Spirit of Christ in me, leading me. Paul, in several of his New Testament letters, contrasts that with walking in flesh - meaning our own sinful desires, those sinful impulses in us. That we’re either walking in one or the other - either we walk in our own power, led by our impulses, habits, the flesh (sinful nature) - OR - we walk in step with the Holy Spirit, surrendering ourselves to his guiding, his leading, letting his power work in us. Let me just say a few things about what it means to walk in step with the Spirit - I don’t have to say anything about being in the flesh, we do that often enough on our own.

For one, it means that when I come to pray, or when I come to reading the Bible, I want to do so trusting that I’m not coming on my own, but with the Holy Spirit in me, leading me, guiding me, teaching me - all towards Jesus and becoming like him. I hope this will sound familiar to you, we do this in worship as we move into worship. Likewise, when we come to the time of teaching. But I want to encourage you to do it on your own, before you start praying or reading your Bible (as I hope you’re doing daily) So before you begin, stop, quiet yourself. Come with an openness, a readiness to hear, to listen. Take a moment to remember that Jesus is present with you - thank him for being present with you. Invite the Holy Spirit to come, to guide you as you come to be with Jesus, to hear what he has to say to you through his word.

To be led by the Spirit requires having an attentiveness to what is spurring your actions and your reactions. This takes time and attention - the Spirit is shy, and his nudges are quiet - but they are there. That twinge of guilt, that unsettled feeling. Lord, are you showing me something? Because what we want to be attentive to is whether we are acting out of the flesh or by the spirit?

Paul tells us in Galatians 5 what the acts of the flesh are - sexual immorality, selfish ambition, hatred, discord, jealousy - list goes on. If I find myself angry - is that pride in me? Am I acting out of resentment? Am I lingering on provocative images too long? Am I enjoying too much talking negatively about others? This is us living in the flesh.

I want to finish with what Paul writes in Galatians about where walking in step with the Spirit leads us, the fruits of the Spirit, becoming like Jesus, Galatians 5:22-25- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Spiritual Disciplines - Let’s live by the Spirit. Let’s be Good News People, people who live have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and live as Spirit-filled people, walking in step with the Spirit.

I want to encourage you to do what I mentioned before, trusting it’s true that you have the Spirit in you, acting out of that, as you prayer, read the Scriptures, come to worship, as you live out your day with others. Invite the Spirit into your life, open yourself to his leading in you.

Prayer - time of reflection