Sensitive and Submitted To The Holy Spirit

Intro:

Good Morning Parkside!!!! I am absolutely stoked about the series we are in. Today is the halfway point. Don’t grow weary the best is yet to come. We’ve been discussing what a disciple is, more specifically 10 core qualities of a disciple. We’ve talked about passionately pursuing Jesus, having Extraordinary Love for Others, having a Servant’s Heart, and just last week being Governed by God’s Word. If we could just get the first two perfected we would be a force the world has never seen, loving God(pursuing Jesus) and loving people(Extraordinary Love for Others). Please turn in your Bibles to John 16:7.

Matthew 28:19–20 NIV

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This scripture is the engine driving our series, this scripture is what makes up our mission and vision: Cultivating Disciples.

Me

I remember a time when I was younger, when I wasn’t sensitive and I wasn’t submitted. As a teenager I did things I thought were really cool: Going to teen dance clubs, can you imagine, I can’t even clap to a beat let alone dance, cruising the loop in Alma, can you imagine the ridiculousness of my life as a teenager. Remember the only reason I even went to youth group is because there would be girls there. Everything revolved around me trying to have a relationship with a girl. In all actuality I was sensitive and submitted, I was sensitive and submitted to my flesh.

You

Most everyone can relate to being sensitive and submitted to their flesh, maybe you didn’t do the same foolish things I did, teen dance clubs cruising the loop. But you allowed feelings, emotions, and pride to dictate how you lived your life.

The Problem(WE)

The reality is, it’s not that we are insensitive or un-submitted people, the reality is we as people are very sensitive and submitted people. We just have a problem of who or what we submit to and where we decide to locate our sensitivity, I believe we all can agree with that. We are people that struggle with what we’re sensitive to and who and what we submit to.

Therein lies the problem: I, we, struggle with being sensitive and submitted to the right thing, as followers of Jesus we would say we struggle we being submitted and sensitive to Him. And then as human beings, we struggle to stay in the fight when it gets tough. Don’t believe me or don’t want to agree with that statement? I get it, I don’t want to be labeled a quitter either. Think about it, if staying in the fight were common Hollywood wouldn’t make movies like Rocky or Remember the Titans. When it gets tough people in general have a tendency to resort back to what they know. For most of us we resort back to what’s comfortable, and to tell you the truth being sensitive and submitted to Jesus isn’t comfortable, it never will be.

You might be thinking, or hopefully remembering last weeks message, didn’t we learn last week that in order to be an effective disciple we need to be submitted to the Authority of God’s Word and maybe you’re thinking that today seems to be a repetition. Being submitted to the Authority of God’s Word is part of us becoming an effective disciple, however there is always more. That’s the awesome thing about God, there’s always more, there’s always more joy, there’s always more peace, there’s always more love, there’s always more adventure, there’s always more fight, simply put there’s always more. If you and I want to be effective disciples who take part in making disciples then we can’t just settle with being submitted to God’s Word and call it good enough. A disciple is always looking for more of God in their lives.

Today I’m talking about where we are going to place our sensitivity and submission and what we are going to do. Today we are going to discuss being sensitive and submitted to the Holy Spirit.

God’s Perspective/God’s Answer (GOD)

If you read your Bible then you know that God’s Word isn’t silent about the Holy Spirit. When Jesus walked the earth He was the power of God on earth in the flesh. But Jesus kept reminding the disciples that it was best for Him to go so He could send the Helper/Holy Spirit.

John 14:16–17 NIV

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

John 15:26 NIV

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

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.

In my experience whenever Jesus talked about anything more than once I have come to know that I should not only pay attention but I should learn how to apply it. Jesus says it is for our good for the Holy Spirit to come.

Now that Jesus has resurrected the Power of God comes to us through the Holy Spirit.

For some us we keep going around the same mountains, struggling with same things over and over again. God has provided us with a gift, a gift that will help keep us in the fight and a gift that will give us the power of God so that we can be effective disciples. I don’t know about you but I know I need the power of God to be able to survive let alone be an effective disciple.

See for you and I something always is a dominant, controlling power in our lives. That may be money, alcohol, drugs, approval, success, possessions, or fame, the list can go on and on. The world tells us and sometimes we even tell ourselves that these things will fill our lives with joy and meaning, but they always fail to satisfy us.

God tells us different. Listen to what Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 5:17–18 NIV

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

In order to be filled with the Spirit we must be willing to submit ourselves to the Spirit and be sensitive to the Spirit.

The Problem One More Time(WE)

What do you think keeps folks from submitting to the Holy Spirit? I believe it’s the unknown. Remember as humans we have a strong tendency to resort back to what we know. The things we know are things we can put our hands on, fleshly things: Fame, money, Sex, drugs, and success to name a few.

Not being able to see the Holy Spirit and not knowing the Spirit can keep us from submitting also all the different belief about the Holy Spirit detour us from submitting to the Holy Spirit.

To be honest, for some folks speaking in tongues keeps them from submitting to the Holy Spirit.

James 3:2–8 NIV

We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

James says that the tongue corrupts the whole body. In our doctrine, one of the fundamental truths is that the initial physical evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. This fundamental truth seems to be the most controversial of the other 15 fundamental truths. But if our tongue corrupts the whole body doesn’t it seem logical that we should submit our tongues to the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is a step of faith and when we take a step of faith we are submitting, another way it can be said is we are trusting and acting in faith therefore submitting. I understand, I too felt like I was fabricating a new language because I had to speak the Holy Spirit didn’t do it for me. The bible says the Spirit is subject to the prophet. God will not force your body or any part of you for that matter with out your permission and without you having part.

Let me challenge all of us. Let’s be a people that take Jesus at His Word.

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.

According to Jesus the Holy Spirit is good for us.

YOU

Can you imagine if you submitted to the Holy Spirit? Think about it you would have the power of God working in you and through. And Jesus said it’s good for you. How would your life change? You would be evangelizing, praying, speaking, loving, helping, serving. You might say I do those things how does submitting to the Holy Spirit change anything? Apart from Jesus said so, you would be doing all those things with the power of God. Look folks I’ve seen God heal someone physically, I’ve seen the power of God change lives, lives that most would have said were completely lost unable to be salvaged, I’ve been a part of a prayer meeting that changed the outcome in an election of a native tribe. Submitting to the Holy Spirit brings about the power of God in your life to a whole new level, and it’s good for you.

We

Now what if this whole body submitted to the Holy Spirit? We would be a force to be reckoned with. I know this, if all of us will commit to submitting and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we will see a revival, we will see salvations, we will see healings, we will see unity, we will see miracles, we will see the world change. I’m asking each person here to submit to the Holy Spirit. If thats you today, you say yes I am willing to commit to submitting to the Holy Spirit would you please stand. Let’s pray.