Come Holy Spirit Part 3 | Do You Have Help? with Chris Schlotterbeck

If you're joining us from home, thank you for

welcoming us into your space. Hey, dads. Hey,

dads. Happy Father's Day. We appreciate you.

We love you. We got hot dogs for you and fresh

root beer from the keg. Just tapped this morning.

All natural goodness to just cheer up your day.

If you're near a dad, give him a high five and

tell him happy Father's Day. Oh, it's a beautiful

day. Thank you. It's a beautiful day. All right,

I don't know about you, but this week, as I was

reading the news, just kind of tracking everything

that's going on, not only in our country, in

the world, but it was kind of disheartening.

There wasn't very much positive happening. There's

a war started. There's division and separation

in our country. There's finger pointing and rocks

being thrown. Just everything happening that's

causing people to be upset. Because of the unknowns.

So let's just lay it all down and ask God to

intervene. Is it okay if we do that? Holy Spirit

come. God, we're just thankful for this country

that we live in, God. That you have provided

for us to just be a part of. We just ask your

hand to move through our country, God. Holy Spirit,

just blow through our country. And we just pray

that hearts would be drawn back to you. That,

God, through the midst of division and separation

and finger -pointing, God, that you would be

exalted. We just silence the attacks of the enemy

in Jesus' name, and we speak peace into our world,

God. We just speak peace and wisdom into world

leaders, God, that your Holy Spirit, we believe

your Spirit can speak to them and move in them

and give them the words to share, God. And we

just pray for peace, your peace, which passes

all understanding. And, God, I'm thankful. for

each and every father that's represented here.

We just ask that your hand would be upon them

today as they relax and just celebrate all that

it means to be a father. Raise them up, lift

them up, God. Let them be examples of you to

this community. In Jesus' name, Jesus' name,

amen. So this morning, we're continuing our series,

Come Holy Spirit, and I would like to have a

conversation with you on how to be holy. To be

holy. I mean just like I shared. We're currently

living in a country. In a world full of division.

Anger. And the unknowns. While at the same time.

Sunday after Sunday. We gather here at HCV. And

we see lots of people coming into a relationship

with Jesus. Lives being transformed. People wanting

to grow their faith. Lots and lots of people

desiring to be baptized. And through this series,

we're seeing people desiring more of the Holy

Spirit to be filled in new ways to make a difference

in their homes, while at work or at school, in

their communities, to be the person that God

has called them to be. It is so important that

amongst these good things, as we see them happening,

that we discuss the Holy Spirit. Because without

Him, none of it would be happening. We learned

who the Holy Spirit was in week one of our series,

and last Sunday we talked about being empowered

by the Holy Spirit, how God desires that we walk

in that life -giving power, giving it away, and

seeing other people's lives transformed. This

morning, in our passages that we'll be discussing,

Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a person.

A person that will never leave us. A person that

will come to us. A person that will remain in

us forever. See, we must remember that the Holy

Spirit is a person. The Holy Spirit is not an

it. The Holy Spirit changes the way we feel because

he is a person, not a being. The Holy Spirit

moves and blows wherever he desires and rests

on people today. I mean, some of you just even

this morning have already felt his presence as

we worshiped and glorified the name of Jesus.

Again, remember, the Holy Spirit is a person,

not a force. The Holy Spirit strengthens us,

helps us, guides us. He is a person, not a ghost.

And because the Holy Spirit is a person, we can

speak to him. We can listen to him. We can get

to know him intimately. Since the Holy Spirit

is a person, we can follow him and we can resist

him. We can welcome him or we can exclude him.

We can honor him or we can grieve him. In the

Bible, we read that no one can proclaim the name

of Jesus as Lord of their life without the Holy

Spirit. So when the Holy Spirit is present, we

know that Jesus is being lifted up. That people

will fall in love with who Jesus is. We are told

the Holy Spirit testifies to our hearts that

we are in fact children of God. So when the Holy

Spirit is present, people will feel secure in

their identity as sons and daughters of God.

We are told the Holy Spirit is the very presence

and power of God. So when the Holy Spirit is

present, anything is possible. So what would

it look like to encounter and be filled afresh

with the Holy Spirit this morning? How might

that change us? How might that make us more holy?

And this is important because in today's world,

we need the Holy Spirit every single day. And

I'm not just talking about in the big decisions

like buying a home or when we're in the middle

of a health or financial crisis. I'm talking

about needing the Holy Spirit every day, every

moment, all the time. He wants to be involved

in our lives. This community of faith is in existence

today because of the Holy Spirit. And for many

of us, we need to learn a simple vineyard prayer

that goes all the way back to John Wimber at

the beginning of our movement. And it's two simple

words. God, help. God, help. I'm in trouble.

God, help. I'm stressed out. God, help. I'm overwhelmed.

And since we're in this series, we can say it

a little differently. Holy Spirit, help. Holy

Spirit, help me make this decision. Holy Spirit,

break in and draw my children back to you. See,

through this simple prayer, we are inviting God

through the person of the Holy Spirit to work

in our lives, to make us more holy. And this

is very important because of today's first thought.

See, the Holy Spirit is holy. Jesus, in fact,

describes the Spirit of God as the Holy Spirit.

Names the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit. John

14, 15 through 17. If you love me, obey my commandments.

And I will ask the Father and he will give you

another advocate who will never leave you. He

is the Holy Spirit who leads you into all truth.

And when Jesus names a person the Holy Spirit.

He is referencing that he is holy. Now that word

advocate is defined as a person who pleads for

or supports a cause or individual. To speak in

favor of. Now John chapter 14 verse 15 to 16

John 14:15–16

in the New King James Version reads this way.

If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will

pray to the Father and he will give you another

helper. That he may abide with you. A helper.

And what does this helper do? Well, holiness

and the Holy Spirit are deeply connected because

God is holy. He's glorious. He's beautiful. He's

worthy of all praise. He's set apart. There is

no evil. There's no darkness. There's no sin

present with God. And since God is holy, the

Holy Spirit is holy and then releases holiness

inside of us. See, he is our helper in making

us holy. Let's go back into the Old Testament.

We read this in Leviticus 19 verse 2. The Lord

Leviticus 19:2

also said to Moses, give the following instructions

to the entire community of Israel. You must be

holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. See,

fast forward to the New Testament. We are now

filled and led by the Holy Spirit, shaped by

the Holy Spirit. Last week we learned that we're

empowered by the Holy Spirit, changed by the

Holy Spirit. And we are enabled to become more

and more holy each and every day. And in my personal

experience, when God wants to do something significant

in my life, in our community of faith, through

my family, through my relationships, he first

puts his finger on and challenges me in the area

of holiness. When God wants to do something significant

in a church or a city, he challenges the people

in that area to become more holy. Nearly every

major revival in the history of the Christian

church, has been preceded by a fresh hunger or

passion for holiness. And why is that? Well,

Peter writes this in 1 Peter 1, 14 through 16.

So you must live as God's obedient children.

Don't slip back into your old ways of living

to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know

any better then. But now you must be holy in

everything you do, just as God who chose you

is holy. For the scriptures say you must be holy

because I am holiness. Now, holiness, if we're

honest, is really out of fashion these days.

There's not too many people talking about that

word holiness. I mean, the world around us doesn't

understand it. And it's almost as if the church

doesn't really want to hear about it or receive

it. Holiness can be viewed as repressive. It

can be looked at as limiting to us. Like, why

would you limit yourself? Life is short. Be happy.

Have fun. Follow your desires. Don't deny yourself.

Do what you want. Holiness is old and outdated.

Why build habits that help you draw closer to

God? Why make sacrifices that cost you something?

Yet, it's kind of ironic, when the world sees

a truly holy life, a life of integrity and goodness

and compassion and beauty, it's captivated by

it. I mean, just think about Mother Teresa. There's

books written about her, constantly being referenced

and talked about. Why? Because they see the holiness.

Blaise Pascal says it this way, the serene beauty

of a holy life is the most powerful influence

in the world next to the power of God. But what

about a life that is powered by the power of

God? Think about those possibilities. I mean,

Jesus did tell us, if you love me, obey my...

commandments. And when Jesus tells us to follow

his commandments to be holy, he's pointing us

into an intimate relationship with our creator.

He's saying, no, become more holy, not out of

duty or obligation, but to gain a greater intimacy

with God. See, these practices are meant to help

us draw us closer to God. Why? Because he's holy.

And he desires that we become more holy, becoming

more like his Son. Holy simply means to be set

apart and completely devoted to God. When God

calls us to be holy, he's simply saying, be completely

mine. And this is possible because of our second

thought. See, the Holy Spirit lives inside of

you. He lives inside of you. Again, John 14,

17, he is the Holy Spirit. He leads you into

all truth. The world cannot receive him because

it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize

him. But you know him because he lives with you

now and later will be in you. Again, Jesus speaking

to his disciples, the Holy Spirit hasn't fallen

or filled them yet, but now we are living post

-filling or post -Pentecost, and we are now filled

with the Spirit. And sometimes we think, if I

just try harder, Chris. If I white knuckle it,

if I grit my teeth and push through, if I stay

out of trouble or temptation, I can become more

holy. And let me just say, how's that working

out for you? Because it simply isn't the case.

It's not going to work. We are broken, sinful

people living in a world full of sin and brokenness.

And see, in my time pastoring this church, time

and time again, I've seen people fall away, walk

away from God. They've become miserable and frustrated

and serving in our community of faith. Why? Because

they're trying to become holy in their own strength.

Oh, it's like another job. Oh, I don't want to

serve. Oh, I need to sleep in on Sunday. And

it's like, no, don't do it in your own strength.

Desire to be filled with the Spirit. It's impossible

to become holy by our own efforts. It's the Spirit

of God that changes us. But at the same time,

listen now, we have a part to play in the relationship.

We can't just place all the responsibility on

the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, it's all yours.

Change me. You know, we get out our folder or

our note taker. Jesus, I've been following you

for two years now. Holy Spirit, how have you

changed my life? Have you made me more patient?

Nah, nothing's changed. I'm still full of anger.

Have you made me more kinder? Nah, I'm still

aggravated with people. Can't stand them. You

must not be doing your job, Holy Spirit. I've

gone forward for prayer on Sunday. I've put post

-it notes on the crosses. Holy Spirit, why aren't

you working in my life? It doesn't work that

way. We can't just blame the Holy Spirit for

him not changing us. We work in partnership with

the Holy Spirit. He empowers us. He changes us.

See, when the Holy Spirit reveals areas of our

life that are not holy, address it. Change it.

Go the other way. Right? Maybe it's a bad habit

or an addiction that's caused you to fall or

stumble. Maybe it's how we're spending all of

our time binge -watching Netflix or scrolling

through social media. I mean, our culture spends

more time on screens, on phones and TVs and iPads

than they do with other people. And in the church,

they spend more time on their screens than they

do the Holy Spirit. I mean, we really have to

ask God through the Holy Spirit to reveal to

us those areas that are not lining up for his

desire for us to be holy. And listen, it's a

daily ask. Because daily we are tempted. Daily

we fall. Why? 1 Corinthians 6 .19. Don't you

realize, church, that your body is the temple

of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given

to you by God. You don't belong to yourself.

I mean, where do you think God lives? Have you

ever thought about that? Rome? Jerusalem? Some

people think he lives in this building so they

can stop by every Sunday and high -five God,

check in, what's up? But no, that scripture I

just read to you, the promise here is that the

Spirit of God lives in us. And it's so important

for us to understand that truth. Okay, we're

not perfect. I mean, think about your current

home. If it's anything like mine, it's far from

perfect. Right, there's always something that

needs fixed. Right, I was away two days in Richmond

at a baseball tournament with my son. I get back

last night. I look out the window. I said, Zoe,

the pool looks low. Sure enough, the water had

leaked out below the filter. Why? Because the

filter had a leak, and I had to go out, fill

the pool, fix the filter. I'm frustrated. Oh,

as soon as I get home, there's something else.

This, that, and you become frustrated, and it's

your home. But I fixed it because I care about

it and I enjoy living in it. God has chosen to

make his home in you. Even in imperfect people,

we're not perfect. And that changes everything

when we receive that truth. Because, our third

thought, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

Life is daily full of difficulties. Maybe it's

at your work or at school. Maybe it's a relationship

that you're dealing with. I mean, maybe you're

here this morning and you've been fighting with

your spouse all week, but you're sitting in your

chair like, yeah, everything's great. And now

you're getting nudged in your elbow. See, I told

you. Maybe you have to make a decision that will

impact the rest of your life. And in all of these

different situations, we have to learn to pray

that simple prayer. What was it again, church?

God help. Holy Spirit help. I mean, Paul writes

these words to the church in Galatia, a church

that he planted and started. But unfortunately,

that church began to slip back into the world.

They began walking in their old ways of thinking.

And we read this in Galatians 5, 13, 16 through

17. For you have been called to live in freedom,

my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom

to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, Use your

freedom to serve one another. So in the beginning

here, Paul is contrasting the difference between

walking in the power of the Spirit and walking

in our own strength. He's saying, here's the

two. And he continues. So I say, let the Holy

Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing

what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature

wants to do evil, which is just the opposite

of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives

us desires that are opposite of what the sinful

nature desires. These two forces are constantly

fighting each other so you're not free to carry

out your own good intentions. Now notice Paul

says that our flesh, right, our desires, our

selfish desires, are constantly fighting with

the life that God desires for us. There's this

battle raging within us because our self, our

sinful nature, doesn't want to walk in the abundance

that Jesus promises. Doesn't want us to be holy.

And you say, okay, Crystal, what's the difference?

Well, Paul goes on to say, if we're walking in

our own strength, in our flesh, this is what

it looks like. Are you ready? Now take a scorecard.

Keep a count of your life here. Galatians 5,

20 to 21. Chasing after things instead of God.

manipulating others, hatred of those who get

in your way, senseless arguments, resentment

when others are favored, temper tantrums, angry

quarrels, only thinking of yourself, being in

love with your own opinions, being envious of

the blessings of others, murder, uncontrolled

addictions, wild parties, and all other similar

behaviors. Haven't I already warned you that

those who use their freedom for these things

will not inherit the kingdom of God? Now, if

you're anything like me, most of us didn't score

very high on that list. Temper tantrums. Oh,

we never do that. Yeah, right. Every day, we

see examples in our own life of what Paul just

wrote down. But we must understand, when Paul

writes, we will not inherit the kingdom of God,

he doesn't mean that we're going to be separated

from God. We're not going to lose our salvation.

It means we won't be living or walking in the

fruits of the Spirit. That's all it means. And

in tune, if we choose our own selfish ways, you

know what we're going to be living in? Turmoil,

stress, and frustration. But Jesus died so that

we can free the ways of this world and live in

the kingdom right now. We are told to pray that

the kingdom of God comes from heaven to where?

Earth. That's the story of the Bible. We literally

get to live in the future right now. But when

we pursue our own strength or our own desires,

we limit the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit

inside of us. God wants to fill us with his fruit

so that we can Give it away rather than be living

with anger and stress. See, we will get ourselves

into trouble if we allow ourselves to control

it. But listen to the fruit that God produces,

Galatians 5, 22 to 23. But the Holy Spirit produces

this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,

and self -control. Now, how many of you believe

our world could use a little bit more of those

qualities? Right? They need it. Guess who was

supposed to have this fruit flowing out of them?

You and me. That's right. Look at your neighbor

and say, where's the fruit? Where's the fruit?

And please understand, this isn't a one -time

encounter, church. This isn't, oh, I was filled

with the Holy Spirit. This is an everyday filling

of the Spirit that produces this kind of fruit

in our lives. Now, what I want you to do is give

yourself a score. What areas is God calling you

to focus on and change today? Because they're

right there, evident, but there's good news leading

to our final thought. The Holy Spirit is co -creating

our lives. See, God, through the Holy Spirit,

is co -creating with you and me to become the

person he created us to be. Co -creating means

there's what? Two people involved. You and the

Holy Spirit. God wants to speak to us because

he has a plan for our lives every single day.

A plan to bring God's kingdom here to earth,

Galatians 5. Those who belong to Christ Jesus

have nailed the passions and desires of their

sinful nature to his cross and crucified them

there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let

us follow the Spirit's leading in every part

of our lives. Not the parts that we want him

to live in. Every part of our lives. Let us not

become conceited or provoke one another to be

jealous of one another. See, every day. Every

morning before our feet hit the floor, I believe

we need to pray, Holy Spirit, come upon me. Just

go ahead and give them that day right now. Because

if you don't, emails, text messages, work, school,

it's all going to bombard you. But if you pause

before your feet hit the floor and say, come

Holy Spirit. then we're handing that day over

to him in that simple way. Then we have to be

attentive to his answer, to his response that

comes in a number of ways. See, quite often,

God does not speak to us through an audible voice.

We're not going to hear this, Sam, Sam, please

turn right and go change a tire. Like, you're

not going to hear that. An audible voice of God.

You can hear it, but it's very rare. God typically

comes to us in practical ways. There's a great

story about this. There was a terrible storm

that came into a town, and local officials sent

out an emergency warning that the riverbanks

were going to overflow and flood the nearby homes.

They ordered everyone in the town, evacuate immediately.

But a very religious... Holy man heard the warning

and decided to stay, saying to himself, I'm going

to trust that God will save me from the danger.

He will give me a divine miracle. The neighbors

came by his house and said to the man, we're

leaving. Jump in the car. We have room for you.

Please come with us. But the man declined. I

have faith that God will save me. As the man

stood on the porch watching the water rise up

the steps. A man in a canoe paddled by and called

to him, hurry and come into my canoe. I have

room for you. The water is rising quickly. But

again, the man said, no thanks. God will save

me. The floodwaters rose higher, pouring water

into his living room. And the man had to retreat

to the second floor when a police motorboat came

by to rescue him. We're here to save you. Get

in the boat. But the man refused, waving them

off, saying, use your time to save someone else.

I have faith that God. Will save me. The floodwaters

rose higher and higher. And the man climbed to

the top of his rooftop. Where a helicopter flew

over. Spotted the man. Dropped the ladder. Said

climb up. We will save you. Quickly. This is

your last chance. I will grab your hand and pull

you to safety. No thank you. God will save me.

Shortly after the house broke up. The floodwaters

swept the man away. And he drowned. While he

was in heaven, the man stood before God and asked,

I put all my faith in you. Why didn't you come

and save me? God said, son, I sent you a warning.

I sent you a car. I sent you a canoe. I sent

you a motorboat. I sent you a helicopter. What

more were you looking for? You know, so often

I hear talk about. You know, people praying to

God and asking God to help them, to change them.

And they're wanting this miraculous sign, this

writing on the wall, this divine voice. When

in reality, God speaks to us in natural ways.

I mean, God even uses our wives. But we don't

like to pay attention to them. I mean, this simple

story. That's right. High five, wives. I believe

in you. But I'm guilty is all. What does this

story speak to? It speaks to our own stubbornness

and willingness at times to, well, no, I want

this answer to the prayer that I prayed. And

we ignore what God is telling us, Romans chapter

Romans 8 · chapter mention

8. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you

have no obligation to do what your sinful nature

urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates,

you will die. But if through the power of the

Spirit you will put to death the deeds of your

sinful nature, you will live for all who are

led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

See, Jesus died for us. And when we choose to

follow him, friends, we're called to die. We're

called to lay our life down, but we also must

remember that Jesus rose from the dead. As do

we. Jesus promises that through the Holy Spirit

we will rise to new life. That we will experience

abundance. As we are dearly led by the Spirit.

As we allow Him to guide and direct our lives.

Not just the parts we want Him to. Well, you

can have this part. It's Sunday. No, Jesus died

and rose so that He could send the Holy Spirit

to fill us with the very power of God. I mean,

think about it. It's kind of amazing. So many

of you feel like, well, I'm not unique. I'm not

different. I'm not set apart. Dude, if you're

in a relationship with Jesus, you have two dads.

Think about that. You're pretty unique. You've

got two fathers. You are set apart. You are radically

different. I mean, think about this. We're built

for a different home. Yes, we live here in the

tri -state area, but this isn't our home. I mean,

Peter says it this way. Listen to this. It's

amazing. Friends, this world is not your home,

so don't make yourself cozy in it. Don't indulge

your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an

exemplary life in your neighborhood so that your

actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll

be won over to God's side and be there to join

in the celebration when he arrives. God is co

-creating our lives with us. He's allowing us

to walk and live in abundance. Church, the Holy

Spirit is on your side. He's on our side. He

wants to give us the desires of our heart. He

loves us more than we love ourselves. He desires

that we prosper. How do I know that? Simple question.

If you're a parent here this morning, if you're

a parent, do you want your kids to prosper? Yes

or no? You're not right. I want my kids to prosper.

I want them to buy me dinner. Right? Shoot, I

want to live with one of them in 20 years so

I don't have to pay a mortgage. Of course I want

my kids to prosper. I desire my children to be

much better than me. And if we desire that for

our kids, think about how much God desires that

for us. God desires that his children experience

shalom. Now we hear that word shalom, we think,

all right, Chris, I have no idea what that means.

This is all shalom means. It means. You are good

in every area of your life. It's all Shalom means.

Physically, mentally, socially, relationally,

financially, spiritually, that you're living

the abundant life that Jesus promised. And God

wants us to live in Shalom throughout our life.

And we do that by partnering with the Spirit.

He's living inside of us. So that the world sees

what? This fruit flowing out of us and desires

to be in this relationship with God because of

how they see us living our lives, which leads

us to our action steps. Three simple steps of

partnering with the Spirit. Okay, and the first

one is very important. The first one is very

simple. Remember who you are. Remember who you

are. And who are you? You have not received a

spirit that makes you fearful slaves. You're

not a slave. No, you've received God's spirit

when he adopted you as his own children. Now

we call him Abba, Father, for his spirit joins

with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.

And since we are his children, we are his heirs,

heirs to the kingdom. In fact, together with

Christ, we are heirs to God's glory. But if we

are to share his glory, we will also share his

suffering. Think about that. We're children of

the king. God loved us so much that he sent Jesus

to die for us so that we can live in abundance.

And now we are filled with the Spirit. And it's

not something weird, right? It's not this force

of this. It's a person. We're filled with the

Spirit, and we are now righteous and holy, connecting

with the living God every single day. God is

now our Father, and we are his children. What

a perfect example for us to walk in here on Father's

Day. Remember who you are, church. You are a

son. You are a daughter of God. Which leads us

to our next step. Partner with the Spirit. Now

that you know that, have confidence in partnering

with the Spirit. He is the Holy Spirit. He leads

you into truth. Listen to Him. It's a bad choice.

Don't eat it. Don't smoke it. The world cannot

receive Him because it isn't looking for Him

and doesn't recognize Him. But you know Him,

church, because He lives with you now and later

will be in you. The Holy Spirit is God who lives

inside of us, empowers us to live fruitful lives.

When the Spirit is the source of our life, he

guides us, he directs us in all aspects. Galatians

5, what is the fruit? Love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,

self -control. See, I daily have to remind myself,

wait a minute. The Holy Spirit lives in me. Why

am I depressed? Why am I negative? Why am I angry?

The Holy Spirit lives in me. But we are selfish,

arrogant people that like to live life on our

own terms. How do I know that? Because I've risen

a lot. I've raised a lot of children. And I'm

raising one right now named Phoenix. And let

me tell you something. He wants to do things

the way he wants to do them. He doesn't want

any help. He doesn't want to be told what to

do. Even though I can help him, we can be successful

in a few minutes. No, he'll take hours doing

what he wants, however he wants it. And Jesus

says, no, you're children. You're just like that.

And the best way to learn to follow the Holy

Spirit is to read the Bible. So many of you,

you're not reading the Bible. You're not listening

to the Bible. You're not applying God's directions

to your life. I'm telling you, it transformed

my life these last five years of daily reading

through the Bible, having a plan where I'm reading

the Old Testament, the Psalms, the Proverbs,

the New Testament. I'm listening. I'm applying

it to my life every single day. It's the first

thing I do. I don't do anything else. I drink

30 ounces of water and I listen to the Bible.

I read the Bible and I apply it to my life. That's

the very first thing I do. And some of you say,

why are you drinking 30 ounces of water? Try

it. It will change your life. You want to get

healthy? Drink 30 ounces of water before you

have that cup of coffee. It will change your

life. But the point is, so many people in the

church aren't doing that. They're not desiring

to get closer to God. But we have to because

that's how we learn to partner with the Spirit.

Remember who you are. Partner with the Spirit.

Our final step, embrace change. Let's all say

those two words together. You ready? Embrace

change. Change is good, church. It's good to

change. You should be changing every single day,

1 % every day. Romans 8, therefore, dear brothers

and sisters, you have no obligation to do what

your sinful nature urges you to do. So don't

say, well, the devil made me do it. For if you

live by its dictates, you will die. But if through

the power of the Spirit you put to death the

deeds of your sins in nature, you will live for

all who are led by the Spirit of God are children

of God. And what I want you to do this morning,

how we're going to close, we're going to close

in two ways. I want you to reflect on your life

right now. I want you to reflect on it. I want

you to give yourself a score. We read through

Galatians, we saw the fruit of the Spirit, and

we saw the fruit of the flesh. You know, what

area of your life is God highlighting when I

was reading the fruits of the flesh? And he's

saying, hey, you need to work on that. You need

to change that. You need to change that attitude.

You need to change that negativity. You need

to change that judgment. You need to get rid

of that anger. You need to get rid of that habit.

It's keeping you away from God's Holy Spirit.

See, that's what this is all about. We can be

holy when the Holy Spirit empowers us and fills

us to be holy, but we've got to be willing to

change when he says, no, this isn't working,

change. So will you stand with me? So throughout

this series, we've been obedient to following

Jesus' command to the disciples. Let's see if

you remember from week one, the first gathering

did not remember. They failed miserably, which

means I failed miserably. What did Jesus tell

the disciples to do in the upper room? They had

to... That's really bad. Well, yeah, like two

people said it. That's my point. You want to

try it again? All right. All right. Round two.

Jesus told his disciples to go to the upper room

and wait. Okay, that's better. Thank you. All

right. Now it makes me feel better like you're

learning something. Thank you. So we're going

to wait. We're going to wait. So if you're in

your seats, I want to invite you to put your

hand like this. Thank you. You don't have to,

but it's just a simple sign of saying, God, I

want to receive. I'm going to pray, come Holy

Spirit, and I want you to say, God, what area

of my life do you want to work on? And I want

you to listen. I want you to open your mind,

because I believe he wants to speak to you. I

believe he wants to highlight an area of your

life that he wants you to focus on. One area,

not 14. One. He might show you 14, but one at

a time. One at a time. Come, Holy Spirit. Speak

to us, God. Reveal to us the area of my life,

of our lives, that is not lining up with your

spirit so that we can be more holy, so that we

can become holy. Speak to us, God. Now, God did

highlight one other group of people I want to

pray for. Okay, and this group of people, I'm

going to invite you to come forward because I

believe it's a step of faith that you need. If

you have a question in your life that you need

answered and can be anything, I want you to come

up here. A question, something you're supposed

to do, something you're supposed to change. If

you have a question about something in your life.

I believe that God wants to speak to you, but

it takes a step of faith to come forward and

receive that. Come Holy Spirit. Anybody with

questions, direction, guidance? Okay. Keep coming.

Okay, now, for the people up here, if you feel

led to come and pray for one of these people,

we believe that you are the church, that you

can pray for people. Men with men, women with

women. Remember, we don't cross genders. We pray

for same sex. So if you feel led to come and

pray for someone up here, please do, prayer team

or not. You may see someone up here that said,

I mean, I need to pray for them. Just come. Be

obedient. And for those of you that remain in

your seats, just receive. Holy Spirit, come.

God, we are thankful for what you're doing in

our midst, in our community of faith. Oh, we

thank you for your abundance. God, we just thank

you for answered prayers. We just thank you for

questions. That people are asking, and we ask

that you would speak now in Jesus' name. That

you would release pictures, words of knowledge.

God, that they would hear a still, small voice.

So for those of you up front here, lay your question

before God. Speak it out. Lay it down before

God. This is my question, God. What do I do?

And then just say, speak. Holy Spirit. Just release

wisdom and knowledge and guidance, the wisdom

that only comes from you. Supernatural wisdom.

God, for any areas of our lives that were highlighted

that you need to change, God, this is all you

do. You lay them at the feet. I choose as an

act of my will to lay down anger. I choose as

an act of my will to lay down pornography. I

choose as an act of my will to lay down an addiction.

Just lay it down. Forgive me, God. Change me,

set me free so that I can walk in your abundance.

Yes, God. We wait on you, Holy Spirit. Have your

way. Have your way, God. In Jesus' name. In Jesus'

name. Yes, God. In Jesus' name. If someone over

here on this side, it's okay to cry. It's okay

to weep. Someone on this side over here, it's

okay to laugh and to celebrate what God is doing.

Someone in the middle here, be thankful for the

many blessings in your life. Yes, God. Jesus.

There were several words of knowledge that I

want to share now before we go. You have ankle

pain in both ankles. We want to pray for you.

The left side of your abdomen is causing stomach

pain. You have numbness in your left leg. You

have left hip issues just below the hip joint.

You have left knee pain or you have a burning

sensation or pain in the middle to your lower

back. If any of those are you, our prayer team

will be here to meet those requests. We believe

that God wants to heal you if that is you. And

before we go, we're going to pray a simple prayer

because I believe that God brings people into

this community of faith every single Sunday that

are distant or far from God. Amen. And we pray

this simple prayer together because we don't

single people out and we believe God is welcoming

people home. Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm

full of doubt, shame, regret, sin. Change me.

I believe you're God's son. I believe you died

for me. Make me new. Set me free. Fill me with

your spirit. Help me, God, to serve others in

Jesus' name. Amen. Now listen, if you prayed

that prayer, see me afterwards so I can give

you some next steps. Don't leave yet. We're not

done. Come on. Chill. See me next week. We continue

our series with Holy Spirit, the teacher. Okay,

and I'm looking forward to learning more that

God has for us through the power of the Holy

Spirit. Thank you for joining us online. God

bless you guys. Brian, shut those doors. I'm

going there. If you need to leave, go to that

door. God bless you guys. Love you.