Jesus: Spirit-Sender (Vogel)

Jesus said to His followers (we are included!) in John 16:7–15 (NASB95) “… I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

So many today are afraid of the Holy Spirit.

I guess they are afraid He will make them speak in tongues or something equally disturbing or embarrassing.

They minimize Him, ignore Him, pretend He doesn’t exist.

But I am here this morning to remind us that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit.

He told His followers and He tells us this morning that the Holy Spirit is an advantage to us.

More than an advantage He is an absolute necessity.

He is the One who makes it possible to turn to Jesus and experience the fullness of His salvation.

1 Corinthians 12:3 (NLT) So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus said, the Holy Spirit is the One who

“… will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

He is the One who tells us in our heart of hearts that God is a righteous God — a holy God

As Isaiah said in Isaiah: Isaiah 6:5 (NKJV) … “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.”

The Holy Spirit is the One who speaks to our hearts as we stand in the presence of a Holy God, telling us of our sin — that if we continue in obstinate rebellion we WILL face the judgment of a righteous God.

The Holy Spirit put an urgency in me when I finally listened to Him — I need to turn to God NOW, or I am doomed!

And then, when I turned to Jesus, it was the Holy Spirit who worked in me.

I couldn’t bear what God wanted to tell me at the beginning — so the Holy Spirit spoke to me of many things over the years — as I was able to receive them.

He guided me into all truth — even uncomfortable truth, inconvenient truth.

He showed me the direction, the fate of this world in ways that I can understand.

He showed me NOT to go that way!

The Holy Spirit leads me into the glory of God — the presence of God.

I’m not interested in religious rituals.

I want to worship in Spirit and in truth.

I want to be in God’s presence and the Holy Spirit leads me there.

I have been a pastor for over 34 years.

When I have been attentive and patient, it has been amazing what the Holy Spirit has done through me — it is NOT me — it is ALL Him.

For 34 years of ministry and 16 years before that, the Holy Spirit has been revealing the things of the Father to me.

Jesus said: “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

And yes, I am unapologetically Pentecostal.

I believe what John the Baptist prophesied in:

Matthew 3:11 (NASB95) “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

I have received what Jesus gives — a baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire.

There is an anointing in my life — it’s not all that it can be because of ME — my flesh can hinder the anointing — but it is still there.

There is a fiery passion that the Holy Spirit ignited in me and it has been burning for 51 years.

All because Jesus is still pouring out His Spirit in 2022 like He did 33 AD.

Jesus is the Holy Spirit Sender

He is the Holy Spirit Baptizer

And what He has done for me, He will do for you.

I beg of you — don’t quench, don’t put a wet blanket on that work that the Holy Spirit wants to do in you.

But it starts with a relationship with Jesus.

Are you where you should be with Jesus today?