Archive for the ‘The Power Of The Holy Spirit’ Tag
Our Father’s Hope For All: In God The Holy Spirit! Part 7
Part 7A:
Part 7B:
Full Message:
Main Bible Verses: Luke 24: 44-49 Acts 1: 1-11
Introduction:
“Meantime in all its waiting and expectation the church is commanded by its Lord to lift up its head in thanksgiving and joy, for its ‘redemption is drawing near’. The church of the risen Lord has no right to be a prophet of gloom or despair, for this world has been redeemed and sanctified by Christ and he will not let it go. The corruptible clay of our poor earth has been taken up in Jesus, is consecrated through his sacrifice and resurrection, and he will not allow it to sink back into corruption. Hence the whole creation groans and travails waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, looking forward with eager expectation to the hour of final liberation and renewal in the advent of its risen savior. The church must learn to take into its mouth the good news of the resurrection and new creation, for that must be its primary note, one of limitless joy and thanksgiving. That is how the church began its mission at Pentecost where the dominant emphasis in all its preaching was the resurrection of the crucified Christ and the astounding fact that because of Christ the Spirit of God himself was poured out upon men and women. They knew that the last times had overtaken them and that they were caught up in the onward and outward thrust of the resurrection of Christ toward the new creation in which all nations and peoples and all times would be brought to share. The involvement of the church in the suffering of mankind must never be allowed to stifle that supreme note of resurrection triumph or to smother the eschatological joy at the astounding events that have broken into history and pledged for mankind the final day of regeneration.” – Thomas Torrance
Theological Theme:
‘Truly our fellowship (koinonia) is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.’ The early church fathers expressed this by saying that he who was the eternal Son of God by nature became Son of Man, our brother, that we ‘sons (children) of men’ might become ‘sons of God’ by grace–in him and through union with him. Thus, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, ‘through Christ Jesus, we both have access by one Spirit to the Father’ (Eph. 2:18).” –James B. Torrance
Christ Connection:
Our consolation is that God has become man in Jesus, and has taken up our Fallen Human nature that we might share in his healed human nature! And Jesus making it through His human life and having the victory means your making it through and having the victory IN HIM! In the very birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and final appearing of Jesus we see that God has not allowed anything that He cannot redeem, perfect and make it work out for His good purposes! Therefore Jesus ascends to the right hand of the Father and sends us His Spirit that He might return in the Spirit with Whom He is One. In and through the Spirit Jesus remains here with us till he returns bodily to transform these mortal bodies into glorious and immortal bodies, strengthening us to participate with him in hope.
Missional Application:
“On the basis of the eternal will of God we have to think of every human being, even the oddest, most villainous or miserable, as one to whom Jesus Christ is Brother and God is Father; and we have to deal with him on this assumption. If the other person knows that already, then we have to strengthen him in that knowledge. If he does not know it yet, or no longer knows it, our business is to transmit this knowledge to him. On the basis of the knowledge of the humanity of God no other attitude to any kind of fellow man is possible. It is identical with the practical acknowledgement of his human rights and his human dignity. To deny it to him would be for us to renounce having Jesus Christ as Brother and God as Father.” – Karl Barth, The Humanity of God, p. 53. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982.
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The Messenger – Converted and Called!
Audio – Part A: 25 min
Audio – Part B: 24 min
Audio – Full message:
Bible Verses: Acts 9: 1-25
Introduction:
“The most meaningful changes in life are the ones that move us closer to fulfilling our God-given purpose—starting with being converted as new followers of Christ. We don’t change and grow to be better people with better lives with the goal of feeling better about who we are. We grow to become faithful Christ-followers sent by the God who sends.
Saul, later known as Paul, collided with God on the road to Damascus. More precisely, it was “the God who sends” who collided with Paul, and this Pharisee’s life was never the same. Paul’s story reminds us how God can transform even the hardest of hearts and what it looks like to become a converted, called messenger of the God who sends us on mission with His Son.”
Theological Theme:
Conversion to Christ comes with a calling to ministry with God [Father, Son and Holy Spirit]
Christ Connection:
The conversion and calling of Saul, later Paul, is a demonstration of God’s power to save. Through an encounter with the crucified and risen Jesus, this once-hardened persecutor of God’s people began his journey to becoming the greatest missionary the world has ever known. Only the gospel can transform a public opponent of Christ into a fervent witness to His salvation.
Missional Application:
God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to pray with full confidence that God can transform even the hardest heart.
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On Mission With Jesus Wherever You Are!
Audio – Part A: 29min
Audio – Part B: 33min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verses: 1Peter 4:1-11 Matthew 28:18-20 Acts 18 Acts 20 Ephesians 4: 23 and 24 Romans 12: 2 Philippians 2: 5-9 Romans 10: 13 -14 John 6: 63
INTRODUCTION:
“What does life in the Holy Spirit look like? In the most comprehensive sense, it looks like conformity to Christ—mirroring in our lives the kind of relationships he had with the Father, the Spirit, and with others. That life is often summarized in Scripture as receptivity of and positive response to the revelation and reconciliation achieved by Jesus Christ. Those responses are often summed up by the biblical words repentance and belief (or faith). It can also be summarized as having faith, hope, and love for God because of and through Jesus Christ.
Most particularly, life in the Spirit of Christ looks like a joyful, free “obedience of faith” in God through Christ that works itself out in following the many commands, imperatives, and exhortations and correctives addressed to the church found throughout the New Testament. It involves a deliberate and purposeful participation in ministry as worship and witness that follows the patterns and priorities set out in the New Testament as enabled and gifted by the Holy Spirit. We can summarize all this under the heading of the Great Commandments of love for God (with all we are and have) and love for our neighbors (as God’s representatives).” – Clarifying Our Theological Vision, by Gary Deddo
“Only in living with Jesus by The Spirit that we are able to go and make and teach. That is the only way we can do the work that Jesus has called us to do.
The only way we can fulfill the mission that Jesus Christ has called us to is to live that life with Jesus, by The Spirit so that His purposes and His plans can be made known to those who don’t know Him.
As we live in The Spirit, on mission with Jesus Christ:
- We are called to recognize the pre-eminence of Jesus as our source for everything and emulate Him.
- We have to live a transformed life by putting off the old.
- We put on a NEW LIFE that is found in Jesus Christ. “
-Pastor Richard Andrews
THEOLOGICAL THEME:
All the Father-Son-and-Spirit-God’s people are called to live on mission wherever He has placed them.
CHRIST CONNECTION:
On his second and third missionary journeys, the apostle Paul saw whatever situation he was in as an opportunity for spreading the gospel and strengthening the church. His way of life reflected the selflessness and grace of Jesus, who taught us to tell the truth, help the weak, and give generously as an act of worship. Paul’s endurance was a testimony to the supreme worth of Jesus Christ, the One who called him.
MISSIONAL APPLICATION:
God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to see our earthly circumstances as opportunities to spread the gospel and strengthen the church.
CONCLUSION:
“Your primary calling is not your career, occupation, or family. You have the same primary calling as the missionary who is leading people to Christ in central China, the janitor in your neighborhood school who walks the halls and prays for the students, the pastor in rural Kentucky who is preparing a sermon, and the investment banker on Wall Street who is struggling to figure out how his faith meshes with his morals. If you are a follower of Christ, your primary calling is to be on God’s mission proclaiming the gospel to those far from God and strengthening those around you. Let us answer that call in faith and share the good news about Jesus, our Savior, and Lord.”
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The Converts: All Kinds of People!
Audio – Full Message: 37min
Bible Verses: Acts 16
Romans 3: 23 John 10: 10 John 3: 16 -17 1Cor 15: 22 Matt 18: 14 1Tim 1: 15 Romans 3: 9
“It’s important that we be ready and willing to share the gospel with anyone around us at anytime. The gospel crosses over all divisions and barriers that man has established—culture, ethnicity, socio-economics, politics, and more—and so should our love and compassion. So build relationships with your lost neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family. Live out the gospel before them. Embody the gospel sent to them. And pray for an opportunity to share the gospel with them—to preach the same message that Paul preached and that we all need: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
THEOLOGICAL THEME:
God [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] uses different methods to reach different
kinds of people.
“The Lord is the one who graciously opens hearts to repent and believe the gospel. Because God is powerful and does this, it encourages us to pray for those who do not
yet believe.” –Justin S. Holcomb
CHRIST CONNECTION:
The gospel reaches different people in different ways. In Philippi, Paul and Silas saw converts from different social and economic backgrounds come to faith through their witness and testimony. Their message was the same for all: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
“When a person places faith in Christ, that person undergoes a fundamental change of identity. He or she goes from being an enemy under God’s wrath (Eph. 2:1-3) tbeing welcomed into God’s family as a beloved child (Eph. 2:19). The believer in Christ is declared righteous on account of Christ’s perfect life and substitutionary death and resurrection. No longer is the person a slave to sin, defined by past failures or present struggles. The person has been delivered from the realm of darkness and now belongs to the kingdom of light (Col.1:13). Anyone who is in Christ is a “new creation” in whom the old, sinful self is passed away and the new, redeemed self is alive and progressing, becoming more and more like Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).”
MISSIONAL APPLICATION:
God. through His Holy Spirit, calls us to be faithful to deliver His message to all kinds of people, using a variety of methods.
“God often works through adversity and closed doors…..He may have a plan and a purpose for you to reach somebody and all of a sudden you may find your life taking a different direction.” – Pastor Tony Marra
Photo Compliments: https://twitter.com/csbible/ – The Gospel Project
Receive The Spirit Of The Father And Son! Part 4
Audio – Part 4A: 33min
Audio – Part 4B: 30min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verses: Romans 8 Romans 8: 26 Acts 13:2 John 15: 26
Introduction:
This Good News Message is about Our Receiving the Holy Spirit of the Father and Son, Received by Jesus first, and then given as a Gracious Gift to Humanity. He Gives Himself and is given All of Grace and not of Works, Being Himself God!
Theological Theme:
We are called to a life of submission to God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in participation with Jesus, and that submission begins to work as He reveals Himself to us, and often in surprising and ordinary ways, described often as as “Suddenly” in the scriptures. The Holy Spirit is One Who speaks (intercedes, leads). He IS the dynamic and relational power of God, and we are to respond when He speaks even when it counteracts that which seems “normal” or “right” to us. True Godly Action means acting however the Holy Spirit wants to act in you – NOT what you have in your minds.
” The Holy Spirit works actively among us—both as a body and as individuals. Let me suggest that a primary aspect of this ministry of the Spirit among us is to enable us to make a full and proper response to the truth and reality of who God is and what he has done, is doing and will do in our church, our world and within us. Enabling us to make that response is the key.
..The Holy Spirit unbinds our wills and unscrambles our minds and refashions our affections so we can more fully respond with all that we are to all that God is. The Spirit frees us to be receptive at every level of who we are. ” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo
Christ Connection:
The Holy Spirit brings conviction of the truth and that truth is that God wants to glorify Himself in you. God wants to give you the ACTUAL life of Jesus Christ and it is The Holy Spirit’s job to pull that off. As The Holy Spirit points us to Christ, we learn to trust only Christ. As James Torrance has spoken, “More important than our experience of Christ is the Christ of our experience.”
“Jesus lives his fully human life in and by the Spirit…….So, when the Spirit of Jesus comes upon us, he enables us to respond fully to the truth and reality of who God is and who we are in relationship to him with all we are and have. If there’s part of us not yet responding, whether the body, mind or heart, the Holy Spirit will work to bring us to the point that we do. The Holy Spirit doesn’t divide us, but heals and makes us whole, giving us human integrity before our Lord and God.
..The Holy Spirit correlates with [Jesus’] ministry to make us whole in body, soul and spirit. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to make us more fully human, like Jesus, the one in whose image we were created and are being renewed or transformed (Colossians 3:10; 2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit shares with us the sanctified humanity of Jesus, which makes us fully human, more completely human, more personal, filling us up with the fruit of the Spirit. True spirituality is mature humanity in full and right relationship with God.
..So we can say the Holy Spirit humanizes us by making us share in the glorified humanity of Christ. In the process, he brings us to have humility before God.” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo
Missional Application:
All humanity is called to submit to The Holy Spirit and, for the most part, what that looks like for us is going where we know not! It involves His laying out His strategy for your life (Jesus!) so that you can stop trying to guess where you are in God’s plan. It involves submitting in trust that the Holy Spirit does know where you are and therefore you can walk with Him day by day trusting Him.
“The Holy Spirit objects to our false, resistant, self-justifying subjective orientations. The Holy Spirit is not the subjective aspect of human beings that can be shaped and formed anyway we like, made to say what we want, made to reflect our own preferences, prejudices, biases and desires. The Holy Spirit has a particular character, mind, will, purpose, desire and heart, which is identical to that of Jesus Christ. We have no power over the Holy Spirit to recreate him in our own image. The Holy Spirit has his own objective reality, which works within our subjectivity to open our eyes, minds and hearts to God.
..The Holy Spirit, then, is a healer who brings the whole of human being together from the inside out. He does not split us up.
..The Holy Spirit does not divide up human being into compartments, but harmonizes the internal with the external, sharing with us the reestablished integrity of Jesus’ sanctified humanity.” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo
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Receive The Spirit Of The Father And Son! Part 3
Audio – Part 3A: 30min
Audio – Part 2B: 26min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verse: Romans 8
This Good News Message is about Receiving the Holy Spirit of the Father and Son, given as a Gracious Gift to Humanity. He is given All of Grace and not of Works, Being Himself God!
It is NOT about what you need to do to apply The Holy Spirit to your life but rather what The Holy Spirit is doing to apply JESUS CHRIST to your life.
Theological Theme:
From the Father, through the Son, we are sent the Holy Spirit that we may participate with the Son in His Relationship with the Father. The Holy Spirit is the Fellowship between The Father and The Son; The Spirit of communion between The Father and Son.
The Holy Spirit is: God of God – The Spirit’s work is to take what God the Father has done to us in Jesus (the Grace of God) and live it out in and through us. He doesn’t speak on his own but only what he hears from the Father and Son, meaning He must be God as the Father and Son are God.
“The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people.” – A. W. Tozer
Christ Connection:
Jesus sends the Spirit from the Father! Not much is revealed about the Holy Spirit as we may think because He is invisible and more akin to being the “shyness of God” and “the hiddenness of God” whose central purpose is to point us to the Father-Son relationship. The Holy Spirit gives us limited understanding about himself in His Person. He has come rather to mediate Jesus Christ to us and conform us to His image, and where and how he does this is like trying to observe what the wind is up to!
The Holy Spirit is the confirmation of Christ’s victory over all of our faults and all of our issues. He is the guarantee that our sins have been overcome and there is complete and total victory for us to have in Christ. We were sent the Holy Spirit so we can share in the victory of Christ.
“Just as the right relationship with Christ generates a Christian, so the proper relationship with the Holy Spirit breeds a spiritual man.” – Watchman Nee
Missional Application:
The Holy Spirit is the Bond of Love. Love is a concrete relationship – the relationship of the Father, Son, and Spirit. If the Father cannot know The Son apart from the Holy Spirit, you can’t know the person next to you apart from the Holy Spirit and you can’t know God The Father apart from the Holy Spirit, nor can you receive the Son apart from The Holy Spirit. That is how crucial it is to know The Holy Spirit and to have Him. He is the unique one of a kind Spirit, the Pure Spirit who mediates and shares Christ with us that we might repent and believe the Good News of the Father’s Love for us!
We are called into mission with Jesus Christ. That mission is primarily the Father seeking to give humanity a share in His relationship with His Son – Jesus Christ – through the Person of The Holy Spirit!
“The Spirit is one with the Father and one with the Son. Jesus is conceived by the Spirit, he has the Spirit for us and he ministers in and by the Spirit even in his atoning work on the cross. Jesus and the Father send the Spirit to us. The Spirit takes us to the Father through the Son. By the Spirit we are united to Christ so that we share in his life, life in fellowship and communion with the Father. And we share, by the Spirit, in Jesus’ ongoing ministry in the church and in the world.” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo
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A Spirit-Empowered Evangelist!
Audio – Full Message: 35min
Bible Verses: Acts 8:26-40
“The church is a sign and instrument of the kingdom of God, a people united by faith in the gospel announcement of the crucified and risen King Jesus. The mission of the church is to go into the world in the power of the Spirit and make disciples by proclaiming this gospel, calling people to respond in ongoing repentance and faith, and demonstrating the truth and power of the gospel by living under the lordship of Christ for the glory of God and the good of the world.”
THEOLOGICAL THEME:
God [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’s] miracle of regeneration takes place when a willing Christian shares the gospel with a Spirit-prepared listener.
CHRIST CONNECTION:
The Ethiopian eunuch was familiar with the Old Testament prophets but was unable to understand how their message was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to help the eunuch understand how Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was
raised from the dead, in accordance with the ancient prophecies.
MISSIONAL APPLICATION:
God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to be available and obedient to the Spirit’s prompting, able and willing to show Christ in all the Scriptures.
“As part of the Spirit’s work through us for the ‘common good,’ He empowers us to be His witnesses…It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But it’s absolutely vital to grasp that He didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live out your life in comfort and superficial peace. His purposes are not random or arbitrary. If you are still alive on this planet, it’s because He has something for you to do. He placed us on this earth for purposes that He orchestrated long before we were born (Eph. 2:8-10).” –Francis Chan
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Receive The Spirit Of The Father And Son! Part 2
Audio – Part 2A: 25min
Audio – Part 2B: 29min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verses: John 20:19-22 Luke 11: 5-13 2 Cor 13: 13
This Good News Message is about Receiving the Holy Spirit of the Father and Son, given as a Gracious Gift to Humanity. As usual, He is given All of Grace and not of Works Being God Himself!
Theological Theme:
A: God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are ONE in Being! When you see and hear about the Holy Spirit you are hearing about the work of The Father and you’re hearing about the grace of The Lord Jesus Christ!
B: God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are DISTINCT in Person! This distinction is what allows God to be in Relationship with The Other.
C: God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are EQUAL! So The Holy Spirit is exactly God of GOD, like The Father is and like The Son is. So The Holy Spirit is to be worshiped!
Christ Connection:
From the Father, through the Son, we are sent the Holy Spirit that we may participate with the Son in His Relationship with the Father. The Holy Spirit is the Fellowship between The Father and The Son; The Spirit of communion in the relation between The Father and Son.
The Holy Spirit is the Bond of Love. Love is a concrete relationship – the relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit. If the Father cannot know The Son apart from the Holy Spirit, you can’t know the person next to you apart from the Holy Spirit and you can’t know God The Father apart from the Holy Spirit, nor can you receive the Son apart from The Holy Spirit. That is how crucial it is to know The Holy Spirit and to have Him. He is the unique one of a kind Spirit, the Pure Spirit who mediates and shares Christ with us that we might repent and believe the Good News of the Father’s Love for us!
“Just as the right relationship with Christ generates a Christian, so the proper relationship with the Holy Spirit breeds a spiritual man.” – Watchman Nee
Missional Application:
We are called into mission with Jesus Christ. That mission is primarily the Father seeking to give humanity a share in His relationship with His Son – Jesus Christ – through the Person of The Holy Spirit!
“The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people.” – A. W. Tozer
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