The Year of Promise: The Promise of the Spirit

Introduction:

Before we open the word this morning. I want to declare over this church and over every believer here or listening online. This declaration I believe is a word from God so take this, believe this and accept this. We are going to stand on this

This is not just another year. This is a year marked by God.

A year where we refuse to live by circumstances and choose instead to live by promise.

A year where we stop shrinking back, stop settling, and start stepping into everything God has already spoken over us.

We’re calling this yeat “The Year of Promise” because we believe God is awakening something in His people — a fresh hunger, a renewed expectation, a holy boldness.

Not because life suddenly got easier, but because God is faithful and His promises are sure.

I believe this year is going to look different for our church.

Not because the calendar changed, but because God is calling us into His promises.

This is the year where we stop living spiritually motionless and start living spiritually awakened.

The year where we stop watching from the sidelines and start walking in the fullness of what God has for us.

Paul tells us

1 Thessalonians 5:24 “24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”

And the first promise we’re stepping into is the promise Jesus said was so important that He told His disciples,

“It’s better for you if I go.”

Illustration

There was a sign next to the expressionless man that read:

“The Motionless Man: Make Him Laugh. Win $100.”

People lined up for hours.

They twisted their faces into the strangest shapes.

They told their best jokes.

They danced, acted silly, even mocked him.

But nothing worked. Not a smile. Not a twitch. Not even a raised eyebrow.

Bill Fuqua — The Motionless Man — holds the Guinness World Record for doing absolutely nothing. He stands so still in malls and amusement parks that people mistake him for a mannequin.

When I first heard about him, I couldn’t help but think of some church folks I’ve met over the years. They’ve mastered the art of feeling nothing and doing nothing. Somewhere along the way, someone convinced them that you can be emotional about sports, about your kids, about your job — but not about God.

So you never really know what’s happening inside.

And the only time you see an expression is when they frown because someone clapped or said “Amen.”

But here’s the truth:

God never intended His people to be motionless, emotionless, or powerless.

He promised us something — Someone — who would awaken us, fill us, move us, empower us, and make us alive.

And that promise is the Holy Spirit.

John 16:7 NIV

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Acts 2:1–13 NIV

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

The Promise enables us to encounter God

John 16:7 NIV

7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Imagine the disciples hearing that.

“How could it be good for Jesus to leave?”

But Jesus knew something they didn’t:

The Spirit inside you is better than Jesus beside you.

The Spirit makes God real — not distant, not historical.

He awakens our hearts.

He stirs our affections.

He breaks the “motionless man” spirit off of us.

He lets us experience God, not just learn about Him.

Pentecost wasn’t a service. It was an encounter.

The Promise empowers us to live for God

When the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2, He didn’t just give the disciples a moment —

He gave them power.

Power to stand.

Power to speak.

Power to witness.

Power to live differently.

Before Pentecost, the disciples were hiding behind locked doors.

After Pentecost, they were standing in the streets declaring the wonders of God.

That’s what the Spirit does:

He turns fear into boldness.

He turns weakness into strength.

He turns followers into witnesses.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t just help us feel God —

He empowers us to live for God.

Without the Spirit, Christianity becomes a struggle.

With the Spirit, Christianity becomes a supernatural lif

He gives power to:

• overcome sin

• walk in obedience

• witness with boldness

• love people deeply

• endure trials faithfully

• live a life that looks like Jesus

Without the Spirit, Christianity becomes a performance.

With the Spirit, it becomes a transformation.

Pentecost wasn’t a seminar.

It wasn’t a Bible study.

It wasn’t a quiet moment of reflection.

It was a divine encounter — a moment where heaven touched earth and ordinary people met an extraordinary God.

The Spirit awakens what has grown numb.

He softens what has become hardened.

He stirs what has been still.

He breaks the “motionless man” spirit off of us and brings us into a living, breathing, vibrant relationship with God.

The Promise makes us part of the kingdom

Romans 14:17 NIV

17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

At Pentecost, people from every nation under heaven heard the wonders of God in their own language.

The Spirit didn’t just empower individuals —

He formed a new community. A new family. A new kingdom.

He makes us:

• one family

• one body

• one people

• one kingdom

The Spirit tears down walls:

• cultural walls

• racial walls

• generational walls

• social walls

He gathers us into one body, one mission, one kingdom.

Pentecost wasn’t just a moment —

it was the birth of a movement.

Pentecost wasn’t the birth of a church service.

It was the birth of a kingdom movement.

A movement where everyone has a place.

Everyone has a purpose.

Everyone has a voice.

Everyone has a role in what God is doing.

Conclusion

This year — The Year of Promise — is not about wishful thinking or positive vibes.

It’s about stepping into what God has already promised:

• A God we can experience

• A power we can live in

• A kingdom we belong to

The Spirit is not optional.

He is essential.

He is the Promise.

And this year, we’re going to walk in everything He has for us.

Awakened by the Spirit. Anchored in the Promise