Happy Birthday (Seven Ways The Holy Spirit Produces In Us God‘s Perfection) - Acts 1 & 2

Seven Ways The Holy Spirit Produces In Us God's Perfection Sermon by Mel Dahlgren - South Bay Christian Church - May 22, 2021 1. By Applying the Perfect Works of Jesus Christ to Us! When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God saves us by his grace alone. Jesus died on the cross, was buried for three days, rose from the grave, and then ascended on high to intercede for us at the Father's right hand. But when he left earth, he sent the Holy Spirit to enter into people at the moment of their conversion. The Holy Spirit changes us by applying the works of Christ to our lives. Titus 3:4-7, "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (1 Corinthians 6:11, Acts 2:38, Ephesians 1:13, Romans 8:9, John 3:8) 2. By Providing Intimacy With God The Holy Spirit not only transforms us by entering into us, He also changes us by bringing us into an intimate relationship with God. Through the Holy Spirit, we can literally experience the presence of God in our lives. Because the Holy Spirit helps us, we can communicate with God in prayer. The Spirit helps us apply God's Word to our situations, helping us to walk with God as he teaches us how to please him. Ephesians 3:14-19, "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (1 Corinthians 6:19, John 14:15-17,Romans 5:5, Galatians 4:6) 3. By Producing Spiritual Fruit in Us. The Holy Spirit not only gives us access to the gifts of God (Ephesians 1:3), he also helps us apply the fruits of the Spirit all day long. This is called sanctification, which is the process by which we learn to live more and more like Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (Galatians 5:22-23, Acts 1:8, Ezekiel 36:26-27, John 20:21-23, Matthew 10:20, Hebrews 9:14) 4. By Giving Us Power Over Sin and Satan Before conversion, we were free to sin and did not feel God's conviction because we lacked the Holy Spirit in us. But when someone becomes a Christian through putting their faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters us and begins to convict us of sin. The Holy Spirit grieves when we only seek to please ourselves, which is why we feel guilty when we sin. Then He helps us repent and ask for forgiveness. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can exercise self-control and say "No!" to sin. 2 Timothy 2:7, 14, ". . . for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. . . . By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us." (2 Corinthians 3:17, John 16:7-8, Ephesians 4:30, Romans 8:1-2) 5. By Revealing Biblical Truth To Us. One of the most important ways the Holy Spirit changes us is by giving us the ability to see, know, and understand God's truth. Without the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of God seems like foolishness. But with the Holy Spirit, we see what we could never have noticed before. The Holy Spirit literally opens our eyes to God's word, Jesus, the eternal truth. John 16:12-15, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." (John 14:26, John 15:26, 1 Corinthians 12:3, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 1 Corinthians 2:13-14) 6. By Transforming Our Prayers One of the most important things the Holy Spirit teaches us is how to pray. He opens our minds to Scriptures about prayer so we can better understand what God wants. The Holy Spirit also works through our prayers and even intercedes for us with spiritual language that our human words could never express to God. Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." (Ephesians 6:18) 7. By Giving Us His Spiritual Desires The Holy Spirit changes us by giving us new desires. Before we had the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we had no desire to open the word of God, to kneel in prayer, or attend church. But the Holy Spirit changes this. Yes, we still battle the flesh. But before we had the Holy Spirit, there was no battle at all. There were no competing desires because we did not have spiritual desires yet. We not only have changed desires, but we also have changed motives and behavior. Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 5:18-21, Philippians 2:13)