The Promise of the Spirit

2/9/2002 and 2/10/2002

Galatians 3

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Introduction:

-On the inside of me, I sense God is saying, will you receive my promise? Will you receive my gift?

-God worked in history and is working in history for a purpose. He arranged things and Jesus took our sins so that the plan of God could be accomplished.

-Part of that plan is for each of us to receive the PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT.

-In our culture we have seen the denominational churches try to follow God with their minds and the backlash of people trying to be so spiritual that they don’t use their mind. We saw the liberals and the other side the purely emotional wild bunch.

-Before we pick sides, let us consider God’s purpose. Let’s let God give us the balance.

-We act as if the Holy Spirit is optional equipment like a CD player in a car.

-He isn’t an option, He is the engine!

-My dream isn’t to change people into the type of Christian we want them to be as much as to GET THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THEM WHERE THEY ARE.

-Today the Spirit-Filled part of the world is huge. It is second only to Roman Catholicism in the world and they are used population figures.

-You aren’t in the back of the bus. But some have still never got on the bus.

Acts 2

38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."

-You and your children and your grandchildren are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Why would you reject what God labored to get to you?

Testimonies:

Teen Challenge-Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Catholic prayer mtg. In Scotland

My life was changed. I was a Christian already…I needed to be filled!

(From audience?)

1. THE PROMISE

-The Old Testament symbolism is Noah in the ark. (Genesis 8)

-After the flood, Noah sent out a dove and it had place to abide. There was no place to remain. The Holy Spirit as a prophet, priest or king could use OLD TESTAMENT-men but He didn’t abide.

-Then Noah sent out the dove and He returned with an olive branch in his mouth. This is PEACE/judgments is over. This is Jesus coming in the gospels.

Genesis 49

10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him [shall be] the obedience of the peoples. (NASB) (Shiloh means peace-bringer)

-Then finally Noah sent out the dove and he remained on the earth. He came to abide. This is the New Testament. The Holy Spirit stayed.

-That is the picture. God made the sequence happen so He could send the Holy Spirit to abide on and in us.

-The Bible records many promises but the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is called the PROMISE OF THE FATHER.

Luke 24

49 "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (NASB)

Joel 2

28 ¶ "And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Acts 1

4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

5 For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit."

Acts 2

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 them speaking in his own language.

7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?

8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own 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."

14 ¶ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!

16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 "`In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

-The Holy Spirit has been given so that all men and women can receive Him.

-This may be the key to raising children who love God.

-Notice that the Holy Spirit is a promise.

-Jesus had to be glorified, die and raise from the dead before He could be poured out.

-This was a condition of the Holy Spirit being poured out on all flesh.

John 7

37 ¶ On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

-Notice that man wasn’t prepared to receive the Holy Spirit until Jesus ascended to heaven as our advocate.

2. THE FULFILLMENT

-The Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost and He hasn’t left since.

-He is here to be received.

-The promise is fulfilled and is available to all who ask.

-When you open up your heart and life to God, You can receive the Holy Spirit.

3. THE RESULTS OF THE SPIRIT’S COMING

-First of all, we are born of the Spirit.

-When you receive Jesus, the Holy Spirit does the recreation in you.

-In both Hebrew, ruah, and Greek, pneuma, the word for spirit means “breath” or “wind”.

John 3

6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

7 You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.'

8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

1 Corinthians 12

13 For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Romans 8:9, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”

-All Christians have the Holy Spirit but not all are filled with and yielding to the Spirit.

-When you receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, you don’t get a different Spirit. You get more of the same. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. Jesus doesn’t physically live inside you. His Spirit/essence or nature does.

-The working and anointing of the Holy Spirit is multi-faceted.

-We are born of/led by/comforted by/counseled by/helped by the Holy Spirit.

-One of the terms for the Holy Spirit is paraclete. This is one called to stand along side and help.

-One translation lists His function as COMFORTER/INTERCESSOR/HELPER/ADVOCATE/STANDBY/ COUNSELOR/STRENGTHENER/ STANDBY.

-The key is not possessing the Holy Spirit but being possessed by Him.

-He helps you witness effectively.

-He imparts the gifts to you.

-He leads you.

-God is omnipresent or all present. Yet there is a sense of dynamic presence.

EXAMPLE OF JESUS’ PRESENCE AT LAKEWOOD CHURCH.

-He brings healing.

-He is the administrator of all the promises of God accomplished in Jesus.

-Included in this is speaking or praying in tongues.

-The Bible pattern for the infilling of the Holy Spirit is to speak in tongues and have a prayer language.

Acts 19

1 ¶ While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples

2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied.

4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus."

5 On hearing this, they were baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

7 There were about twelve men in all.

-Paul was converted on the Damascus Road yet he didn’t receive the Holy Spirit until Ananias laid hands on him.

-He said to the Corinthian church, 1Co 14:18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

(NIV)

-You receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

4. WHAT SHALL WE DO?

Acts 2

31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.

32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.

33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "`The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand

35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."'

36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

37 ¶ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-This is a continuous tense which means “BE CONTINUOUSLY FILLED” OR “KEEP ON BEING FILLED”.

-The question isn’t were you but are you now?

-Are you born-again? Have you given your life to Jesus? Are you Spirit-Filled? Has He given His life to you?

-He is symbolized by:

fire/water/wind/oil/a dove

-He comes to:

fill/reveal/speak/teach/heal/intercede/comfort/counsel/seal etc.

-Let’s apologize to the Holy Spirit for grieving Him and being ignorant of Him.

1 Corinthians 12

1 ¶ Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

-Literally concerning “pneumatikon” spirituals/spiritual matters/spiritual people.

-We need to be aware of the Holy Spirit and His working among us.

-We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.