Holy Ghost's Stories Part 4

Holy Ghost’s Stories Part 4 (What the Holy Ghost means to me)

"I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I'm not worthy even to be His slave and carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

INTRODUCTION

Good morning Southpointe, we are on the final sermon in this series (The Holy Ghost’s Stories).

So I hope you have receive something from God during these past several weeks.

So today I going to tell you What the Holy Ghost means to me!

The Holy Ghost to the Christian is set forth in the Bible as air, fire, water and oil.

Each symbol describes some particular work of the Holy Ghost. So I want to examine them this morning.

So let’s coming to an agreement this morning that when you give your life, your heart, and your mind over to the Lord Jesus Christ then the Spirit of God, that Holy Ghost that we have been talking about come to live in you.

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

1. The symbol of air.

Look at:

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

I can never be a living soul apart from this breath of life. I am absolutely dependent upon the moving of the Holy Spirit.

Anything apart is dead, lifeless formality ritual.

Whenever and wherever the Scriptures set forth the Holy Spirit as wind then He is set forth as the generator of life.

The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Have you had an experience like that? You were dead and the Spirit of God begin a work in you to make you and He breath on you to bring life back into your body, your mind, your heart, your world, your plans, your future.

That life changes experience:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

If your walk with God is base on shaking the preacher’s hand or filling out a piece of paper and being put on the membership roll, or pledge a certain amount of money and fulfilling that pledge or attending a membership class.

Then you are not saved.

There is no spiritual life apart from the Spirit.

Listen again:

The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Salvation is something more than signing up or giving a pledge, or conforming to a pattern.

Salvation is a miracle of divine life that has been given to you by the Holy Spirit.

That is why we need something more than just a meeting or a service in our churches. That is why the pastors, evangelists, apostles, prophets, teachers needs something more than a clever and entertaining program.

The Holy Spirit is needed!!

Then He said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.'"

In Ezekiel’s picture of a valley filled with dry bones the command is heard, Say to the wind breathe upon these dead bodies so they may live again.

Breath on those dead bodies so they can live again, it is The Spirit of God alone that can restore life. The Spirit of God alone can turn something that is dead into something that is living.

Listen to this Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, one of the best church member who had ever lived.

The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."

Unless you been born of the Spirit then you have never been born again.

Almost three-quarters of Americans (73%) say they are a Christian, and they classified themselves as Christians because they attend church service at least once a month.

It is not just the works you do, but it is the life that is change by the Holy Spirit.

2. The Symbol of Fire

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Due to man’s sin they were put out of the garden of Eden and this flaming sword which in another version it called a revolving flame.

another version it calls it a revolving flame.

One that is constantly moving and guard that which is holy from sin.

Now listen to this: It corresponds with the sacred Shekinah flame which was located between the cherubim on the mercy seat that covered the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle.

And we also see the mercy of God, being lit up by the Holy Spirit.

This is again the picture of the Holy Spirit.

When we look in the Old Testament, the people would bring a sin offering to be consumed by fire. This was their way of cleansing.

Cleanse is a big word in the Bible. The child of God must be cleansed from all unrighteousness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Holy Spirit can take the works of Calvary and apply them to our life. In other words, I can not save myself and I can not keep myself.

Every day there must be a divine power cleansing me and purifying my life. Something must burn within me.

A flame of desire must be lit and sustained.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

The child of God is engaged in a battle. The world, the flesh, and the devil battle us every day.

Isaiah describes the Christian conflict like this:

For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

John the Baptist said that Jesus would touch our lives with fire.

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

The Holy Ghost’s ministry to me is a ministry of burning and fuel of fire.

The fire and flame of another world keep me hot for God.

It keep me warm in my desire to serve Jesus.

It keep my fever pitch in my excitement to build His church.

Let that fire die out and I become an easy prey for every sinful appetite and hurtful lust that this old world has to offer.

Never forget there are two kinds of burning: burning for the devil or burning for God.

You see, when you look at the day of Pentecost there was tongues like as of fire and it sat upon each of them.

And in the book of Acts it is record of men and women on fire for God, that they turn the world upside down for God.

3. The symbol of water.

The Holy Spirit is so often compare to dew, rain, shower, river or a bubbling well.

For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your children.

They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.

This is dealing with the riverbank and how the water flow around and over it and thru it and the trees flourish there.

Isaiah is making an comparison of how the Spirit of God flow like the water around and over and thru our souls, and the trees of grace and righteousness flourish there.

We grow where the water is flowing that which was dry and dying is flourish because of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s the Holy Spirit flowing within your life, is operating in the Spirit but many people operate in the law or the flesh.

Too many there whole salvation thing is based on a system of do and don’t and Christianity is based on Do.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

The Holy Spirit is this symbol of water because it represent life more abundant life.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

4. The Symbol of oil

In , we have an account of the making of the holy anointing oil. There was a special command that no oil should be make like it.

The Holy Spirit can never be counterfeited by any.

One of the most read verses in the Bible has this one in it:

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

My cup runneth over, the overflow of the Spirit of God in your life.

I believe there’s so much more of God, we serve and unlimited God, His power and presence in our life in comparsion to Him. So much more!

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

The Spirit of God awakes gifts within us and He brings to our attention the unlimited power and resources that our God has and how He will take a sinner like me and use me for His glory.

You can not live the Christ life without the works of the Holy Spirit in you.

We live in a material world. We are encompassed with material senses.

God wants us to know that without the ministry of His Holy Spirit we are helpless. It is the Spirit which quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing.

Human effort is no match for sin. It takes the divine, the supernatural, the power of God and God wants to make that power real in you and thru you today.