NJ - Working on this - LIVING A VICTORIOUS LIFE!
Holy Spirit • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Good morning and welcome to Oasis Church, welcome to our online family, it is great to have you join with us today. If you are visiting with us, we welcome you.
I have titled my message today:
Prayer:
Father I thank you for the Holy Spirit and that He leads us. Thank you that through His power we can overcome by Your word and live victorious. Amen
Introduction:
This morning I would like to start by reading a short story.
There was an Italian man who decided to sell everything he had to immigrate to the United States during the turn of the 20th century. He barely had enough money to buy a ticket to sail on a ship to the U.S. Because he didn't have much money left, he went and bought some cheese and crackers to eat during the journey. So every day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, he ate his cheese and crackers. While he was eating this, everybody else was in the ship's dining hall. He could smell the aroma of lobster, steak and other delicious food. He was getting sick and tired of eating just cheese and crackers.
On the 6th day of the journey, he went to the captain and said, "I'll do anything you want. I'll do the dishes. Clean the bathroom. Sweep the floor. Anything! Just let me have one meal in the dining room." Then, the captain looking perplexed, said to him, "But sir, the meals are included with the ticket."
God did not call us to live cheese and cracker lives. Meals are included with the ticket. In the same way God has given us the Holy Spirit and we don’t have to live cheese and cracker lives.
As I share with you this morning, we will be taking a look at some of the ways for us to live a victorious life, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Some of these ways are as follows.
1. Being led by the Holy Spirit.
2. Having the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. And overcoming by the word of God.
Let us take a closer look at these, starting with being led by the Holy Spirit.
1. Being lead by the Holy Spirit.
Let us turn in our bibles to:
1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
Just previous to this scripture we see that Jesus was baptized in water and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. John’s recount of this in John 1:32 is as follows.
32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him.
Being lead by the Holy Spirit is not always going in the direction that we want to go in; there will be times when we are lead in a direction that will cause us to rely on God to sustain us and make us grow. We have to submit to this leading, for this growth to take place in our lives, Jesus also had to submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, to go into the wilderness. Throughout the time that Jesus was in the wilderness He went forty days without food. The presence and the power of the Holy Spirit in Him sustained through this.
When we submit ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we find that there are seasons that he leads us into the wilderness for a time of testing. It is in our submission to Him that we are sustained through Him. Have you ever been in a situation where God has taken you to a place that seems like a barren waste land, where all your support seems like it has been removed, you don’t feel God speaking to you and you are wondering when this season will end. But today I would like to remind you that this is just a season and the Holy Spirit is with you He is leading you, teaching you and He is testing your faith.
Frank Damazio in his book the making of a leader talks about the test of ministry preparation. And before you say to yourself I am not in ministry so this does not apply to me. If you truly desire to serve the Lord, in whatever capacity He assigns you then these tests are for every individual. These tests are to: prepare, purify, check your motivations, produce faith and to equip you with the spiritual understanding that is need to successfully help others.
Personally When the Holy Spirit has led me through these times of testing. The keys that have got me through are remembering that it is a season, that submitting to God allows the Holy Spirit to minister, sustain and grow me.
2. Having the power of the Holy Spirit.
Smith Wigglesworth in his book “On the Holy Spirit” states that Jesus, after the trials, after all the temptations, and everything else, He came out full of God, more clothed with the Spirit, and more ready for the fight. Let’s look at Luke 4:14-15:
14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
It is the same for us when we come out the other side of these seasons of testing, we are better prepared for the fight and we are full of God and more clothed with the Holy Spirit. The bible tells us in Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
When Jesus returned the people flocked to Him. When we learn, grow, understand and come out the other side passing the test it is God that is manifested in our lives and people will be drawn to Him because of this.
Peter and John under stood the power that they had through the Holy Spirit that when the lame man asked for help in Acts 3 their reply was “Silver and gold we do not have but what we do have we will give you, in the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk”. We too need to understand the power that we have through the Holy Spirit and have confidence to walk in it.
3. Overcoming by the word of God.
It is the word of God that the Holy Spirit uses in our lives to overcome the works of the enemy. When Jesus was on the mountain being tempted by Satan, it was the Holy Spirit inspired word of God that slew Satan every time.
3 Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’” 5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” 8 Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” 9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. 11 And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ” 12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” 13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
This is the importance of the word of God in our lives.
As we encounter situations in our lives, it is the word of God buried deep in our hearts that the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance to overcome them.
Rachel’s grandmother would often use an analogy of a carpenter to explain the importance of knowing Gods word.
You see if you where a carpenter you would have a tool belt around your waist, and you would equip yourself with tools to fill it, hammer, chisel and screwdriver etc.
So it is with the word of God that at the right time the Holy Spirit will reach down to the tool belt and hand you the right tool for the situation.
The bible tells us in John 14:26
26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
When we get a revelation of the power of the word and the Holy Spirit in our lives, victory over the enemy and his devices is ours!
Conclusion
It is the Holy Spirit that will lead you if you are willing to surrender and follow. He will instruct you about the Father and give you the keys to victorious living. This morning we have looked at some of the ways to live a victorious life, through the Holy Spirit
1. Being led by the Holy Spirit.
Where He leads us we need to submit and follow and allow the test to grow and mature our lives.
2. Having the power of the Holy Spirit.
Knowing the power that is within you, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit.
3. And overcoming by the word of God.
It is the word of God buried deep in our hearts that the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance to overcome situations.
The more we seek God the more we know Him and the power that resides in us by the Holy Spirit. This morning if you are not baptized in the Holy Spirit I encourage you to seek God and allow Him to fill you with His spirit.