The Key to Experiencing Closeness with God

Have you ever had an overwhelming desire to draw close to God and really sense His presence?

I think most of us have if we're Christians.

Last Sunday night's storms may have had that effect on you.

When the phone rings in the middle of the night with tragic news,

one of the first things that we will do as Christians is call out to the Lord.

We desperately want to sense His presence then, don't we?

Sometimes we have to make major life-changing decisions.

And so we pray.

And we really want to have a sense of God's, not just His presence, but His guidance.

His giving us direction concerning this decision we've got to make.

You know, all of us, no matter what your walk in life,

all of us have times when we're just stressed out, when we're afraid, when we're uncertain.

And we want to experience God's presence and have Him to assure us that He's with us,

that He's for us, that He cares, and that He is in control.

Those are some things that we as Christians, children of God, desire, want.

And hopefully we do experience that.

That's the Lord's will.

The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to have that kind of relationship with Himself and our Heavenly Father.

In fact, both Jesus and our Heavenly Father have already acted to make it possible

for us to experience every day His presence, the Lord's presence, the Father's presence.

What they've done in providing this for us, they've sent the Holy Spirit to live within us.

Last Sunday, Easter Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection of the Lord.

And I called attention to some of the major points of the Gospel.

I pointed out how Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

How He arose from the grave by the power of God

and appeared to over 500 people over a period of 40 days.

The Lord's ascension was something we also looked at last week

when the Father seated Jesus following the resurrection at His right hand,

the place of power and authority.

But you know, there is one vitally important part of the Gospel missing from what I just said.

God the Father and the Lord Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell every person who believes the Gospel.

Every person who trusts in Jesus as their Lord and Savior receives the Holy Spirit within them.

Think about this.

Jesus saves us not just so we can be forgiven and miss hell,

but to bring us into a new relationship with Himself and our Heavenly Father.

This is not just a new relationship.

It's a right one.

It's a healthy one.

It's close and personal.

And the way we experience that kind of fellowship with our Heavenly Father and the Lord

is through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

I want us to look at several passages this morning about how this is possible.

We're going to look first.

We have the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.

All of us as Christians.

This message is to believers.

People who have a real relationship with Jesus.

If that's you, you need to understand the presence of the Holy Spirit is with you.

He is with you.

Jesus promised that He and the Father would send the Holy Spirit to live in us after He returned to heaven.

During His last night with His disciples, Jesus had an extended teaching time with them.

John records this.

John chapters 13 through 16.

John 13 · chapter mention

In those verses, specifically chapters 14, 15, and 16, Jesus refers to sending the Holy Spirit four times.

Here's one example that emphasizes how Jesus is going to send the Holy Spirit to live in us.

Look at the scripture from John 14.

Jesus said,

Jesus is promising, comforting His disciples.

That after He leaves them, He is going to send His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, to be with them and in them.

Now, the book of Acts describes how Jesus and the Father originally fulfilled that promise.

And they did it in a very powerful and unique way.

In Acts chapter 2, verses 1 through 13, we read how the Holy Spirit came upon those first disciples on the day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:1–13

I encourage you to open your Bibles and read that sometime later today.

As you read that, I want you to notice all those believers were Jews.

But the Christian faith is not just for Jews, obviously, if you just look at us.

The Christian faith is for all people.

Paul said it very clearly in Romans 10, 13,

For all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

The book of Acts intentionally shows that salvation is for all people.

And it describes how all believers, not just Jews, received the Holy Spirit.

If you move on in Acts chapter 8, verses 14 through 17,

Acts 8:14–17

We read how the Holy Spirit came upon the Samaritans,

the group that the Jews hated, despised.

Yet when God saved those people,

the Holy Spirit came upon them just like He had the Jews.

And then later on in Acts chapter 10,

Acts 10 · chapter mention

we read this entire chapter tells us this story,

how the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentiles who believed in Jesus,

just as He had originally on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

The book of Acts shows us how the Lord got His church started

by sending the Holy Spirit in a unique way

to all who believed in Jesus.

Now, the normal, or what you might call the regular way

God intends for His people to receive the Holy Spirit

is at conversion.

When we trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior,

the Holy Spirit comes to live within us at that time.

I want you to note how Peter explains

this is to be the norm in his first sermon.

In Acts chapter 2, look with me beginning at verse 7.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Now, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart

and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,

Brothers, what shall we do?

Peter had presented the gospel.

Jesus Christ died for their sins.

He had risen.

He had ascended.

Verse 38,

And Peter said to them,

Repent and be baptized, every one of you,

in the name of Jesus Christ,

for the forgiveness of your sins,

and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is for you and for your children,

for all who are far off,

everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.

Now, I want you to note how Peter told those people

who were under conviction how to respond to the gospel.

He said, First, repent.

And then he said,

Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness of your sins.

Then it says,

The result would be they would receive the gift of the Spirit.

Now, let's pause here for a moment.

I want to make sure that no one misunderstands

what Peter meant

when he said,

Repent and be baptized.

Peter was not talking about

baptism taking the place of faith,

baptism being a requirement for salvation.

I think the English Standard Version Study Bible

explains this very clearly and concisely.

Look at it with me.

It says,

This does not imply that people can be saved

without having faith in Christ

as Savior because the need to believe

is implied both in the command to repent

and also in the command to be baptized

in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness of your sins.

The willingness to submit to baptism

is an outward expression

of inward faith in Christ.

baptism is a sign,

not a substitute for faith.

When Jesus was dying on the cross,

there was a man on another cross beside him.

And at some point during the crucifixion,

that man looked to Jesus in faith.

And Jesus responded to him immediately,

Today, you will be with me in paradise.

Now think about that.

That man looked to Jesus in faith

and Jesus assured him,

Today, as we die here today,

you're going to open your eyes with me in paradise.

That man did not have a chance

to be baptized, did he?

But it didn't matter

because baptism is not essential for salvation.

Salvation is by the grace of God,

through faith in Jesus Christ, period.

Nothing else.

Today, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

the moment we put our faith in Jesus

as Lord and Savior.

Every Christian,

every Christian

is indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6.

Do you not know that your bodies

are temples of the Holy Spirit

who is in you,

whom you have received from God?

Think about it.

Look at yourself.

Your body,

if you're a Christian,

is the temple,

the residence of the Holy Spirit right now.

Every Christian is indwelled by the Spirit.

Look also,

if the Holy Spirit does not live in us,

we're not Christians.

Paul made that plain in Romans 8.

anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ

does not belong to Him.

Think with me.

If you are a Christian,

the Holy Spirit,

sometimes called the Spirit of God,

sometimes called the Spirit of Christ,

lives within you.

He lives within you right now,

and He has since the day you put your faith in Jesus.

Now, the question I want to ask you is,

are you experiencing His power?

That's the next thing I want us to look at.

We have the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

After Jesus' resurrection,

He clearly told His disciples

that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit

for their mission,

but He also told them,

don't start until you receive the Holy Spirit.

I want you to note two statements

Jesus gave His disciples

in which He made it clear,

you cannot do what I've called you to do

on your own power.

So wait for this special power that I will send.

Look at it.

First from Luke's Gospel.

And behold,

I am sending the promise of my Father upon you,

but stay in the city

until you are clothed with power from on high.

And then a very well-known verse in Acts 1.8,

Jesus said,

but you will receive power

when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem

and in all Judea and Samaria

and to the end of the earth.

The Holy Spirit lives in us today

to empower us to live the Christian life

as the Lord intends

and as we really desire

if we are the Lord's people.

John Stott gives us a good summary

of the comprehensive work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

I want you to look with me

at how Stott describes,

really summarizes

what all the Spirit does

in every one of us as Christians.

Look at it.

His ministry is both to reveal Christ to us

and to form Christ in us

so that we grow steadily in our knowledge of Christ

and in our likeness to Christ.

He goes on,

It is by the power of the indwelling Spirit

that the evil desires of our fallen nature

are restrained

and the good fruit of Christian character

is produced.

He also unites us to the body of Christ, the church.

He reaches out through us to others,

prompting us to witness to Christ

and equipping us with gifts

for the service to which He summons us.

That's just a general statement

of all that the Holy Spirit does

in us and through us

throughout our lives as Christians.

He helps us to know the Lord better.

He helps us to grow in Christ's likeness.

He helps us to overcome sinful habits,

to say no to temptation.

He enables us to truly develop

Christ-like character qualities.

The Holy Spirit works in a way

to really help us love and enjoy one another

as Christians, as brothers and sisters.

And the Holy Spirit,

when He is working in our lives

and we're being sensitive to His presence,

He will compel us

to share the gospel,

to live out our faith,

to try to reach people who don't know Christ

with this good news

that will change them from the inside out.

The Holy Spirit is at work

in your life and in mine

right now in these ways.

And He will be.

He'll continue to work

as long as we're alive.

We need to be sensitive to His presence

and obedient to His leadership

in each of these ways.

Now, R.C. Sproul gives an example

of one specific way the Holy Spirit works

to help us to understand and apply Scripture.

As Christians, we read the Bible.

It's a part of,

it's one of the ways,

one of the means of grace

that God has given us along with prayer

to grow in our knowledge of Him,

to grow in our knowledge of His will,

to know how to please Him,

to know how to live life the way

that He designed it to be lived.

Well, Sproul explains how the Holy Spirit works

to help us to understand

what God is saying in His Word.

He begins by quoting a passage of Scripture

that ends with this verse in 1 Corinthians 2.

He says,

These things God has revealed to us

through the Spirit.

For the Spirit searches everything,

even the depths of God.

Now, Sproul explains what Paul's talking about there,

how the Spirit searches everything,

even the depths of God.

He says,

Paul is telling us here

that the Holy Spirit

acts as a searchlight

and shines on the text of Scripture

when we read it,

giving us the capacity

to understand the meaning of it.

When this happens,

we see the truth of God

intensely and sharply.

Every one of us who is a Christian

has had this experience

sometime in his or her life.

We are reading from the Scriptures,

and suddenly a particular truth

seems to jump off the page

and pierce our souls.

That's the work of the Holy Spirit.

I want to give you a personal example.

A personal example that I had,

I experienced a few days ago

in my devotional Bible reading.

I was reading through Luke chapter 6.

Luke 6 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 6 has 49 verses.

Luke 6 · chapter mention

As I just read through that chapter,

three verses just stood out to me.

It's as if the Holy Spirit

directed my mind,

my eyes and my mind

to three verses,

not back to back,

and said something to me.

I want you to look at the verses first.

Verse 31 of Luke 6.

And as you wish

that others would do to you,

do so to them.

Verse 36.

That was verse 31.

This is verse 36.

Be merciful,

even as your Father is merciful.

Then verse 38,

the last sentence.

For with the measure you use,

it will be measured back to you.

Now when I was reading that,

I underlined those three verses.

And I just thought,

I need to show more grace and mercy

to the people who are in my life.

I thought about how God has been gracious

and merciful to me.

He's not giving me what I deserve.

He has been so gracious and loving

and giving me things I in no way deserve.

And so as I was just thinking about those verses,

I thought,

why would I not be gracious

and merciful to other people?

That's what I want them to do to me.

That's the way God has set the example

in the way He treats me.

This is just an example

of how the Holy Spirit

can take the Word of God

and just make it come alive to us.

It may not happen.

It won't happen every time you read the Bible.

But if we're going to read God's Word

prayerfully,

expectantly,

willing to be taught,

God will work through His Spirit

to open our eyes

and to apply His Word

in ways that we need to change,

in ways that we need to mature,

I encourage you,

listen to the Lord,

listen to His Spirit

as you read the Bible.

I want to ask you,

can you see signs

of the Holy Spirit's presence

and power

in your life

the way that you're living right now?

Just think about this past week.

How have you experienced,

how could you describe

the Holy Spirit's presence

and power

in your life?

Are you growing

in your knowledge of Christ?

Are you growing

and becoming more like Him?

Slowly but surely,

all of us.

But are you?

Think about it more specifically.

Are you developing

a real hatred

for sin?

That's something

the Holy Spirit will do

within us

as He changes us.

Are you developing

a real hatred

for your personal

habits

of sin?

Are you making progress

in your efforts

to overcome the sin,

to resist the temptations?

Do you have a real desire

to develop

Christ-like character?

Do you really want to

become more loving,

joyful,

peaceful,

patient,

kind,

good,

faithful,

gentle,

self-controlled?

That's what Paul calls

the fruit of the Spirit.

And I heard it a long time ago

and it stuck with me.

That's some of the character

qualities that Jesus

demonstrated.

And it's some of the

character qualities

we will demonstrate

as we are obedient

to the Holy Spirit's leadership,

as we develop

Christ-like character.

It's not going to happen

overnight.

It's a lifetime process.

But it should be

a process

whereas we can look back

and see

we're moving forward.

We're moving forward.

You know,

one of the most obvious

signs of the Holy Spirit's

working in our lives

is that He gives us

a true desire

and then the ability

to please God.

Paul describes this

in Philippians chapter 2

Philippians 2:13

verse 13.

He says,

For it is God

who works in you

both to will

and to work

for His good pleasure.

Think about it.

Do you have a real desire

to please God?

I mean,

do you think about it?

Do you think about

as you read the Bible

learning what pleases God,

what doesn't please Him?

Do you have a desire

to please God?

Do you have a real

heartfelt desire

to put forth the effort

to please God?

It's one thing

to think sometime

that I really would like

to please my spouse.

but it's totally

different

just to have that thought

and then to put forth

the effort

to please your spouse

by what you do

and see a smile

come over his or her face

as a result of you doing it.

You know,

the way that you answer

those two questions,

do I have a desire

to please God?

Do I have a desire

to put forth

the effort

to please God?

That will show you

if the Holy Spirit

is really at work

in your life.

If you don't see

clear signs

of the presence

and power

of the Holy Spirit,

something is terribly wrong

in your life.

Two possibilities mainly.

You may not be a Christian.

If there's absolutely

never been

and is not today

any signs

of the Holy Spirit's presence

or power in your life,

there's no reason

for you to think

you're a Christian.

And if that's the case

and that bothers you,

I want to encourage you

right now.

Turn from your sin.

Repent.

Put your trust in Jesus

as your Savior and Lord.

Call upon Him

to save you.

Call upon Him

to come into your life

right now.

Surrender control

of your life

to Him.

But it could be

that you are a Christian.

You know,

you've experienced

the presence

and power

of the Lord

at various times

and various degrees

throughout your Christian life.

But right now,

you see very little evidence

of the Holy Spirit's presence

and the Holy Spirit's power.

And if that's the case,

it may be that you've done

as Paul describes it,

you've grieved the Spirit

by your sin.

You've quenched the Spirit

by your refusal

to obey Him,

to do what you know

you should do

when it comes to pleasing God.

If that's true,

if you've grieved

or quenched the Spirit,

if you're not sensing

His presence

and His power,

if you're a Christian,

you're miserable,

aren't you?

We can't,

as Christians,

grieve and quench

the Spirit,

just ignore Him,

disobey Him,

and be at peace

with God.

we're going to be miserable

until we wake up spiritually,

confess our sin,

turn from it,

come back close to the Lord,

renew our faith,

our confidence,

our commitment to Him.

And if that's you

as a Christian,

I want to encourage you

to not wait

another hour,

but admit to God

where you are.

Tell Him how much

you hate it

and how miserable

you are

and ask Him

to work in you,

to change you,

to help you

willingly turn

from whatever it is

that's gotten in the way

between you

and the right relationship

with Him.

Ask Him to help you

to draw close to Him.

And the Scripture says

when we draw close

to God,

He will draw close

to us.

All Christians,

every Christian,

you and me,

we can live

a Spirit-filled,

Spirit-controlled,

Spirit-empowered life

if that's the kind

of life we want

to live.

If we'll be obedient

to Him,

sensitive to Him,

do what He's calling us

to do.

If that's what you want

right now,

I encourage you

to just draw close

to the Lord.

Listen to Him.

Obey Him.

On a daily basis,

to maintain this presence

and power of the Holy Spirit,

spend time with the Lord

and confess your sin.

Don't let it build up

in your life.

Make it a daily practice.

Commit yourself

and you in afresh

every day

to walking with the Lord

in fellowship,

in obedience.

Spend time

every day

talking to the Lord,

listening to the Lord,

in prayer,

in Bible reading.

That's the only way

we're going to develop

a real,

close relationship

with Him.

And you can ask God,

and I encourage you

to do this,

ask God to fill you

with His Spirit

and you in afresh

every day.

You know,

what we're talking about

this morning,

this is not wishful thinking.

We're talking about

absolute fact

based on the Word of God.

we can experience

closeness with God,

but we'll only experience

by the presence

and power

of the Holy Spirit.

And one more thing,

I want you to think

about something

we looked at

for just a moment

last week

and I want to close

with this.

We can experience

closeness with God

by the presence

and power

of the Holy Spirit

and also

by the powerful

prayers

of our Lord Jesus

who is right now

at the right hand

of the Father.

R.C. Sproul

points this out

as a way

to encourage

us as Christians.

Look at what he says.

One of the chief ways

in which God

preserves His people

is through the priestly

intercession

of Jesus.

We see an example

from this

from the night

when Jesus was betrayed.

Jesus knew that Peter

was going to deny Him

later that night

so He told Peter,

Simon, Simon,

behold,

Satan demanded

to have you

that he might

sift you

like wheat

but I have prayed

for you

that your faith

may not fail

and when you have

turned again

strengthen your brothers.

Peter's denial,

Sproul says,

was a ghastly

and heinous crime

but Jesus

had prayed for him

and He commanded Peter

to strengthen

his brothers

when He returned

not if He returned

but when.

So the prayer

of Jesus

for Peter

was effective.

Today,

Jesus is in heaven

interceding

for you and me

if indeed

we belong to Him

and His prayers

for us

are equally

effective.

We can

live

faithful Christian

lives

in this world

because the Spirit

of God

indwells us

and the Son

of God

is praying

for us.

It is our

responsibility

to stay

sensitive

to the Holy Spirit's

presence

and obedient

and obedient

to His leadership.

And I pray

we're all

going to pray

in a moment

but I pray

that you will

respond to what

the Lord is calling

you to do

right now

and that you

will respond

to Him

every day

in such a way

that you will

make

experiencing

the Holy Spirit's

presence

and His

power

your

normal

way of life.

Let's pray

together.

Father,

thank You

so much

for not

leaving us

alone

in this world.

Thank You

Father.

Thank You

Lord Jesus

for sending

Your Spirit

to indwell

us,

to teach

us,

to convict

us,

to comfort

us,

to encourage

us,

and to

enable

us

to live

our lives

in a way

that will

glorify You,

make a

difference in

other people's

lives,

and bring

joy and

satisfaction

to us.

Lord,

we pray

right now

that You

will so

work

in the

life of

whoever is

listening to

this message

and show

them how

they need

to respond.

If they're

not Christians,

Father,

we pray that

You will

draw them

to faith

in Jesus

now.

And Lord,

for any

Christian who

is

disobedient,

indifferent,

rebellious,

wake them

up,

overwhelm

them

with

conviction

and

brokenness.

Call them

to be truly

repentant

and to run

back to You

in total

commitment,

love,

trust.

rest.

And I

pray,

Father,

that You

will so

respond

that that

person will

experience

closeness

with You,

that they

will enjoy

a growing,

loving

relationship

with You

by the

power and

presence

of Your

Spirit.

Father,

we pray

this in

Jesus'

name.

Amen.

and

Dan

will

be

ση

on

of

my

fear

and

atra