"Does the Spirit Live in You?"

Introduction:

Brothers and Sisters, we are living in an hour where many of the indivudals that are operating in our churches… I am afraid are not spirit filled.

They are singing in our choirs…

They are playing our instruments

They are operating on the usher board

They are even preaching in our pulpits

However, I am afraid that they are not all spirit filled.

Church quite honestly, I began the wrestle back and forth in my spirit when the Lord gave me this message because I couldn’t understand how people could be able to operate in the house of God, without having His spirit?

The Lord began to speak to me and he said “The reason that so many are operating in the church without having my spirit. Becuase the message of Salvation being preached is at an all time LOW.”

He also said that many of his preachers have allowed the enemy to give them a “new revelation”

Those who have taken on this new revelation has started to believe that Salvation is of no neccesity anymore...

So, this is the reason why many are sitting in church sunday after sunday have not filled with God spirit. Why? Because it is not being preached as in times past

I am reminded of the words of Apostle Paul in Romans 10:14 KJV

[14] .... and how shall they hear without a preacher?

[15] And how shall they preach, except they be sent?

The problem is when the preacher is sent what are we preaching?

As I continued to prepare this message, I asked God..

“Lord, now I understand that the reason why many are not being filled. Simply because the message of salvation is not being preached anymore in many churches. But how is that those same invidudals are opearting amongst Saints without the Saints knowing they have not been filled?”

The Lord revealed the reason why is because…

#1 These same invidudals “Have a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof...” 2 Tim 3:5 KJV

So, by them taking on a form of godliness it has caused many to believe they were saved.

#2 The disernment of the Saints has diminshed…

What makes it worse is that this 21st century church, we are the most gifted yet UNSAVED people there is.

We can DANCE with the best of them...

We can PREACH with the best of them...

We can SING with the best of them to the point when you sing you bring tears to a persons eyes…

And the first thing the saints say “OHHHHHH THEY ARE ANOINTED”

But it wasn’t the anointing it was just a GIFT…

We would be able to know the difference if our disernement was sharp...

I remeber growing up as a little boy in church and an old mother or preacher would see someone come around someone that was in sin and they would say “I SMELL SIN” or “Baby you need to give all to the Master”

They were able to look past all of the gifts and look at the state of that persons soul.

But us on the other hand we hear someone speaking in tongues and we automatically assume that they are saved.

When in reality “tongues” does not mean that you have his spirit…

The tongues are the evidence ( Acts 2:4) but have you been filled with His spirit?

Because you have to remeber we are a gifted church and if you been in church any amount of time you can practice tongues…

You have many today who will hear other speaking in tongues and practice those same tongues and begin to speak those same tongues but they do not have His spirit.

That is why I have got to the place where I don’t look at tongues only anymore.. Why?

Because many will go speaking in tongues in one breath and will cuss you out in the next!

That is why it so important that we are able to disern rather than assuming.

Tap yourself and say “LORD SHARPEN MY DISERNEMENT!!!”

So you must know just because they are in the church (building) does not guarntee that they are SAVED.

How? Because when one has been filled with God’s spirit it changes that indivduals entire life… 2 Corinthians 5:17

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

POINT 1: The Spirit of God, will CHANGE you.

When you have become spirit filled, God will began to do a work in every area of your life. (Mentally, Emotionally, Naturally)

Which leads us to the text Romans 8:9 “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.”

Paul is letting the Saints who were apart of the church in Rome know that once you become spirit filled you should no longer operate under the influence of the SIN NATURE and the corrupt desires and passions that you once had prior to being filled with the Holy Ghost.

But instead, in the spirit… Which means that you have put to death the CARNAL mind and have become SPIRITUALLY minded.

That is how I know when one has received the baptsim of the Holy Ghost - the spirit of God will change your way of thinking…

Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

But the problem I have with many of us today is that it is impossible for us to be IN the spirit and spirtitually minded without reciveing the spirit of God.

You have no other choice but to be in the flesh without His spirit.

That is why you have so many that have left the church because there was no REAL change.

I know many have become confused to even say things like..

They went to church just as much as I did…

They went to pray just as much as I did…

“So, how could they just up and leave the church??? I thought they were one of us?”

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”

When one has not being filled with God’s spirit and no change has occured. The person can only continue in the “form of change” until the sin nature resurrects itself and they become overtaken because they have no power to obtain from it.

Tap yourself and say “Lord, fill me with your spirit!”

POINT 2: The Spirit of God, will show you, YOU!

So, Apostle Paul is letting them know that if you be in the spirit, the spirit of God will dwell in you.

Which leads me to my second point… Once you have recieved God’s spirit, the Spirit of God will show you YOURSELF!

He will show you “Your too mean, you need to show more love”

He will redirect you “When you want to go LEFT, He will tell you go RIGHT!”

But without His spirit you cannot do and say the words of Apostle Paul when he said in 1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

In other translations, it says “I beat my flesh and bring it into subjection.”

The problem with many of us today instead of our flesh being subject to US. We have become subject to our FLESH.

We should be able to tell our flesh NO!” when the sin nature tries to resurrect itself and begin to operate in the flesh.

But it takes power to bring our bodies into subjection and that power can ONLY come through the power of the Holy Ghost!

Clap your hands and tell my savior “Thank you!”

Point 3: You need the spirit to dwell in you

In closing, Apostle Paul tells them that “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

Now I know you may be confused and your saying how is that so when in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

While this is true God love the world enough that He sent His son Jesus manifested in the flesh to die for our sins…

But it is conditional if one will have everlasting life...

How?

As I close, I want to tell a little story… and their was a man who had a question regarding a matter and so he went to the man who was involved.

Out of this conversation birthed a dialogue…

The one man by the name of Nicedemous went and asked the other man named Jesus a question…

Nicedemous question was simply this…

John 3:1 “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:”

John 3:2 “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:4 “Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

What I’m saying is you NEED the Holy Ghost to dwell in you..

The Holy Ghost will CHANGE you...

The Holy Ghost will MOLD you…

The Holy Ghost will CORRECT you…

The Holy Ghost will SUSTAIN…