Gifts of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit | Part 1

Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast.

We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for tuning in.

If you wouldn't mind, take your notes out, and I want you to write this sentence at the very top of your notes as we begin.

All right, you got your notes?

Got your pen?

All right.

Thank you, Mikel.

Here it is.

You have everything you need to be who God created you to be.

Let me say it again.

You have everything you need to be who God created you to be.

You're not lacking in any way.

You have everything right now, present tense, not one day, someday, or not used to be looking back of like those were the days, but right now, in this moment, you have everything you need to be who God made you, designed you, created, formed you to be.

See, and I think the way we think about it is like, you know, if only I was a little bit taller, if only I was skinnier, if only I was more beautiful, if only I had X amount of followers, uh, if if only I made more money, if only I had a better career, if if only I had a spouse, like I'm looking for that significant someone, the better half.

I don't have the better half there.

And some of you are like, I need a different half.

Uh, if I only had a different spouse, then I could be who I was created to be.

If I only had this education or drove that.

And we live with this lack mentality, like I lack this and I lack that.

When I get this, then I will be.

And the truth and the reality of the gospel right now for you, follower of Jesus, is you have everything.

You're not lacking anything to be who God created you to be.

In fact, the apostle Peter would say it this way to a people who were scattered.

Um, they many of them were scattered from Jerusalem, lost their home because they were followers of Jesus.

Uh, as they were scattered throughout the province, the Roman Empire, uh, they're trying to navigate um their way.

Uh the Jews in the area were incredibly harsh to them.

Um, the local uh authorities would um restrict their ability to make income.

You know, because I think sometimes we think the circumstance, like if we had a better circumstance, then I could be who I was created to be.

They didn't have a good circumstance, and this is what Peter writes to these people in that moment.

And he says, his divine, say this word with me, the power.

And we'll try that again.

His divine power has given us, help me out, everything we need for a godly life through our true knowledge of him who's called us by his own goodness and glory.

His power.

Whose power?

Not your power, not your strength, not what you showed up with today.

Not because you had a good night's sleep or you got your rim cycle and you had it all canceled out, and you're like, oh, this is a good day, I can work out more.

Not because you just killed it in that meeting, or just because you're feeling like you're flailing.

I don't care who showed up or what strength you have, his power, God's power, its divine, supernatural power has given you not some things, not certain things, not one-day, someday things.

He's given you everything you need for godly life, for life and godliness, to be exactly who you were made and created to be.

You know, we um we went to Mexico this last summer with our high school uh ministry, and it was amazing.

It was amazing to go down and I mean when you think about circumstances, we live in this incredibly affluent, highly educated, fast-paced, upwardly mobile, paychecks, they're big here.

And then you go down to Mexico into this community that we're serving with people that really had nothing.

I mean, talk about upward mobility.

No, no, no, it's just trying to get by through the day.

We'd go into these neighborhoods, and these neighborhoods didn't have pavement, they were dirt.

Didn't have, I mean, even you know, never took um for granted or realized that we have trash uh men and women who come and pick up our trash.

Thank you if you do that.

That's incredible.

They don't have service like that.

Running water was this communities we're serving.

You know one of the things that we walked away from that time with the people that we were working with?

We were amazed at their faith.

See, that verse meant something to them.

And it wasn't that they their circumstances looked amazing, it was because of their circumstances, because of what looked around like, no, no, no, I need his power.

In fact, I expect his power to work, I expect him to move, and today he's gonna give me everything I need.

And there was such faith and confidence that there is a God who's powerful and works, and so they take steps of faith.

You know, the friends and people we're going out with, we'd go serve in this community, we'd just go to different houses and invite them to an event, or literally picked up trash to help them, uh, you know, and we'd just pray for them.

And my son told a story when we were leading worship a few weeks back of like something that just opened up his eyes, you know, as you see this older lady who had didn't have use of her hand, and it was like this, and she couldn't pick up anything.

And I mean, you just can imagine how painful and hard it is to only have one hand.

And so he said, Can we pray for you?

Sure, to pray, and she didn't quite have it to keep praying, and then all of a sudden, God miraculously healed her hand.

Yeah, thank God, yeah.

See, here's something that's interesting.

Why is it that we think that verse was for back then one day in the New Testament, but not today?

Why is it that those who are in more third-world countries experiencing the power of God than we are in the Silicon Valley?

What if, think about this, what if there is divine power accessible to you today?

Why don't we experience that?

What would change?

What would change in your life and my life if you actually believed that verse?

And so then it changed the way you live.

You know what's interesting?

150 years ago, there was this evangelist named D.L.

Moody.

I actually went to a school that was founded by him.

Uh that's where I got my training at.

And listen to his commentary 150 years ago of what was happening, of the spiritual climate in the U.S.

He says this.

He says that God has got a good many children who have just barely got life, but not power for service.

God's got a good many children who just barely got life, but no power for service.

Isn't that so true today that we got just this life and we're just kind of eeking by, but but where's the power?

What happened to the power, his divine power?

Where is that in our midst?

Where's that in your life?

Where's that in our communities?

He goes on to say, you might you might um safe say safely, I think without exaggeration, that 19 out of every 20 of professed Christians are of no earthly account so far as building up Christ's kingdom, but on the contrary, they are standing right in the way, and the reason is because they have just got life and settled down and have not sought power.

What if?

What if there's actually power and resource available to you today?

What if you already have everything you need, regardless of your circumstance, regardless of your past, regardless of what's happening in your life, and how do we begin to experience his divine power in our life?

Well, today we're kicking off a brand new series called The Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

And we're going to be talking about over the next several weeks the spiritual gifts that God has given us, this divine enablement to do supernatural good around us to help build up his church and what he's doing here on the planet.

But before we dive into the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it's really important that we actually look at the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Like the Holy Spirit himself.

Because here's what I'd argue the reason we miss out on that divine power is in the church in America, especially, we really don't understand who the Holy Spirit is, what his activity is in our life, and how do we step in and experience his presence and power?

And so before we talk about the gifts, let's talk about the Holy Spirit Himself.

In fact, Jesus thought and said it this way: this is amazing.

He said that think about this.

It's actually better for you, and he's talking to his first followers, it's actually better for you that I go away.

Wait a second, we we're having this great time.

This is amazing.

I love talking to you.

Um, you make amazing fish, you know.

He's like, No, it's actually better that I go.

Why?

Because I'm going to send in the Greek, it's called the Paraclete.

It's the one who comes alongside.

Different translations translate it, you know, a little bit differently.

It's a really tough word to in English: comforter, counselor, helper, uh, advocate, the spirit of truth.

Like it's actually better that I go because then I'll send the spirit of truth that'll come alongside and work in ways that will not happen with me here.

And then he said this to his disciples.

But you will receive, help me out.

There's our word again.

By the way, this week, if you wouldn't mind, why don't you just go on like you know biblegateway.com and just type in power and see all the instances throughout the New Testament.

You'll be surprised at how much this New Testament speaks of the power of God in the believer's life.

But you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you'll be my witnesses.

And so it's not power just for power's sake, it's power for a purpose.

It's it's power to empower us to live out this life and bring the good news of the kingdom of Jesus Christ to a hurting and broken world.

And so, with your time, here's what I want to do: I want to help us together know who is the Holy Spirit, what is his activity in our life, and then how do you actually experience his divine power?

Okay.

Yes means yes.

This means no, and no is not an option.

Okay, here we go.

You ready?

Let's dive in.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Uh, in your notes, I gave you a definition.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.

First, I want you to recognize the Holy Spirit is not a force, intangible, impersonal force.

The Holy Spirit is a person.

In fact, in Ephesians, uh the Apostle Paul would say, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has emotions, because he's a person of the Trinity or the triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that there's one God that eternally exists as three distinct persons.

And we'll talk a little bit more about that in a second.

And so the Holy Spirit isn't like a lesser of a God or kind of god-like, or has the some of these stories.

The Holy Spirit is God and very God who gives new life.

Right next to new life, you can write the word regeneration.

That's the theological term.

Regeneration, meaning that Jesus doesn't want to like somehow make your old life just a little bit better.

He wants to give you a brand new life.

He wants to transform you from the inside out.

Uh, to so who alone gives you new life to the believer and empowers the believer to live out this new life.

The theological term is sanctification that empowers you to gradually become more and more like Jesus.

The Holy Spirit indwells or lives inside every follower of Jesus and testifies to our spirit that we are children of God.

Now, I'm a picture, picture visual person, and so I for some I think this picture might be helpful of kind of understanding the Holy Spirit and the Trinity as we're talking about God, is that God, there's only one God that exists in three distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God, but the Son is not the Father.

The Father is not the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is not the Son.

They are all one God.

And so what's something that's amazing about this is we're trying to even fathom and understand this, is like at some point we just have to utter mystery.

Like, how does this work?

I don't know.

Like, like, God is way bigger than us, so at some point we got to be able to go, we can't fully comprehend God.

The other part that's really amazing, though, is God has eternally existed in perfect community.

And so He's never in need of you or I, but love to be close in relationship with you and I.

Also, what's the reality is you're made in the image of God, and so you're actually made for community and relationship.

It's hardwired into your design.

Now, to spread our mind around this, sometimes we use pictures and they're helpful, but they're limited.

Uh, some people have used the picture of like the egg to like, how can there be three distinct persons, one God?

Like, think about this: like, there's the shell of the egg, there's the yolk, and there's the white, and like, okay, that kind of helps, it breaks down.

Other people have used um water, you know, that water can be both a solid, a liquid, and a gas, and like it's three distinct things, but it's all water, and and yet because it changes, like, well, God doesn't change or adjust.

I did find this out.

This is pretty fascinating.

Did you know that there is a um uh a certain temperature and pressure upon which it's called triple point, where water or uh liquid, it can be all of the above at this very same time.

So it can be gas, liquid, and um and ice all at the same time.

In fact, it's uh 0.01 degrees Celsius, and I don't know what the pressure needs to be quite on that, where it's all of those things, those three elements all at the same time.

It just kind of gives us this little picture of like, okay, how is there three and one?

But this is who the Holy Spirit is, God and very God.

Now, what is the activity of the Holy Spirit?

Well, first, the moment you believe in Jesus, the moment you put your faith and trust in Jesus, uh you receive the Holy Spirit of God.

And so what happens is what Scripture says is that you're first baptized with the Holy Spirit.

We're just talking about baptism, and let me explain.

Uh Titus 3, 4 and 7 says this: But when the kindness and love of our God, our Savior, appeared, he saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

He saved us through the washing of rebirth or baptism and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Lord, so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs, having the hope of eternal life.

That we're first baptized.

And baptism is this picture, the word literally means to be submerged or immersed, uh, to cleanse and to wash.

It's this picture of union and identification with Christ.

And water baptism is the physical picture of the spiritual reality that takes place in the believer's life.

The minute you receive Jesus as your Savior, the minute you believe in him, the minute you say, I believe that you're the Son of God, that you died for me, I long to be in relationship with you.

Would you come into my life and make me new?

At that very moment, you're baptized by the Spirit of God.

There's this washing, it's the regeneration, being brought into new life.

And that picture of water baptism is the same picture as what represented on the spiritual reality.

And so here's what that picture means is your old life as you're standing in the waters of baptism, and then you're brought down into the water having died with Christ.

And water always represents in the ancient day purity and purification, and so you're being washed clean, and then you're brought back to brand new life in Christ.

In the ancient day, in the early church, the moment you believed, you were actually baptized.

Those things happened simultaneously, and so you'd believe, and then you but you'd get baptized, and you'd see that happen over and over.

So so often you would see those two, water baptism and the baptism of the spirit, happen at the very same time.

We have a little bit of distance in our time, you know, you might believe, but then you're like, oh, I gotta wait for Awakening's birthday to get baptized there.

But every believer is to be baptized, and you're baptized with the Holy Spirit, and then what happens is at that same time you are then sealed by the Holy Spirit.

And the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as he comes upon you and you are regenerated, brought to new life, you're sealed with by the Holy Spirit.

And the sealing of the Spirit is the security for the believer.

Some of you might be asking, well, can I lose the Holy Spirit?

Like he comes on and you get this baptism, this moment, can I ever, you know, lose the Holy Spirit or undo his work?

And the reality is, is you cannot undo what God has done.

Ephesians 1, 13 to 14 says, and you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, when you believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

It was promised back in the Old Testament.

Ezekiel promised it, Isaiah promised it, Jesus promised it, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of his glory.

So we're sealed.

So now the picture of seal, we don't get as much in our day today, but uh you would have this seal, it'd be a signet ring, and you would uh seal would represent three different things.

It would represent authentication, uh, it would represent um power and security, uh, and then it would also represent um, let's see here, uh yeah, your uh ownership.

And so think about this.

So if you had a um like a document that you're sending, you would put your seal on that, and we we've seen that before, and it would authenticate that this is really from this person.

When you purchase a property in the ancient day, you would put your seal on the property that would authenticate this is your ownership, this is yours, don't mess with it.

Um, when somebody would carry the seal and they would be in uh their place of the person for the seal, they would actually have the security of that person's character.

So if you messed with them or broke that seal, you would have to deal with that person.

And Jesus says, like, you are sealed.

My seal that's pressed upon your heart is the Holy Spirit.

You're authentically mine.

You're secure.

And anybody that messes with you gotta mess with me.

And then it goes on to say, and deposit, guaranteeing.

Now we know deposit a little bit more, right?

We use that.

In fact, something exciting happened a couple weeks ago.

Um, we we just bought a house.

Yeah, thank you.

Um and and it's amazing, and God showed up, and some family really helped for this to happen.

We've been in the same house renting for 15 years, and uh man, we bought a house.

It's so exciting.

And I remember uh they needed a deposit, they call it earnest money, right?

And I and I remember like having to wire more money than I've ever wired in my entire life, and I'm like so nervous and anxious, and I'm like, did I get the routing number right?

And going over, I'm dyslexic, and so the numbers are hard too.

So then like Jenny's helping me with the numbers uh there, and it's just like, oh my goodness, but why does do like banks and when you're purchasing a house have a deposit?

So that you don't just say, Oh, I'm gonna do that, but I'm gonna go back on my word.

Right?

I put down a lot of money, apparently, a lot more's coming in a few more weeks, to say, we're serious, we're in, and we're gonna follow through.

The Spirit is God's deposit on you.

He's serious, he's in, and he's gonna follow through.

He said, I will return and restore and make all things right.

He who began a good work in you, it will be faithful to complete it until the day of our Lord Jesus.

His sign and seal and deposit of the Holy Spirit is saying, I'm going to do what I said I'm going to do.

You can count on it in you.

What is the activities of the Holy Spirit?

You've been baptized by the Holy Spirit.

His presence and power lives and dwells inside of you.

You've been sealed, you can't undo what God has done.

It is a work that only he can do, and then you are empowered by the Holy Spirit of God.

Romans 8, 11.

Listen to this.

And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you.

This is what the apostle Paul is saying to you that the Holy Spirit is not like a secondary, second class, like whatever.

The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is indwelling every single believer of Christ of Jesus.

Like, think about this.

This is incredible resurrection power dwelling inside of you.

He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his spirit who lives in you.

Well, how does the Spirit, Holy Spirit, empower us?

The first one, and we won't dive fully into this because it's going to be the remainder of our series, but is through spiritual gifts.

Spiritual gifts.

Like, think about this.

This is amazing.

God looked at you, saw your unique design, how he created you, and deposited a spiritual gift in you or gifts.

We'll talk about those.

That when you actively use them, they bring incredible joy to your life and supernatural good around you.

Now, here's what's so hard.

In the church, we don't take time to really discover our spiritual gifts, do we?

I mean, I would imagine most of us know our Enneagram, your disc profile, your Myers Briggs, your Strength Finders, or whatever personality profile your company uses.

But most of us don't know our spiritual gifts, right?

And that's okay.

We're gonna learn about it, we're gonna grow in it, and how do we begin to operate in this together and begin to see God showing up in ways that we go like, oh, I had no idea he wanted to use me this way.

Empowered by the Spirit of God, first in spiritual gifts.

Second is guidance and counsel.

Guidance and counsel.

Think about this.

The Spirit testifies to our spirit that we are children of God.

Romans 8 says this, convicts us of sin, and so we know what's right and what's wrong, brings counsel and comfort, pours out God's love into our hearts, Romans 5, 5 through 6, uh, illuminates scripture so that as you're getting into God's word, it comes to life in ways where I'm like understanding, intercedes on our behalf, bringing guidance and counsel into our life.

That's the activity of the Spirit of God leading and guiding you.

Then also the Spirit of God brings peace and hope.

If you have your Bibles, uh flip over to Romans 15, 13.

Romans 15, 13, it's actually a passage I've been just praying over certain friends actually this last week.

But 15, 13 says this may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.

That's amazing.

When you pray that over your friends, pray that over your home.

May the God of hope, that's who he is, fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, so that you may overflow with hope.

How?

By the power of the Holy Spirit.

There's our word again to give you peace and hope.

Strength and sanctification.

Ephesians 3:13, if you want to flip there with me.

Ephesians 3:13

Says this.

I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power.

There's our word again, through his spirit in your inner being.

I pray that he may strengthen you.

Are you lacking strength today?

Are you tired?

Are you discouraged?

Are you just trying to figure out how to show up?

How did you just get through?

He says, I pray that he, God, may strengthen you.

Like there's strength available.

He wants to strengthen you, he wants to give you strength today.

How?

Through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Spiritual gifts, guidance and counsel, peace and hope, strength and sanctification, empowered by the Spirit of God.

And the Apostle Paul would use this image over and over in the New Testament when he's talking about the Spirit of God and the people of God.

And that's the picture of temple.

Now, in the ancient day, uh, the temple, whether it was for the Jews and coming to worship Yahweh or for anyone who, you know, the temples of worshiping their pagan, you know, gods and goddesses and all the rest.

The temple was the place where God's presence or the gods resided.

You would go to the temple to go meet with God.

And so you would travel there.

And yes, you know, you if you're if you had gods and goddesses, you would have some idols.

Those idols kind of worked like walkie-talkies, you know what I mean?

And so you're like, hey, you there?

Um, not a clear signal.

You would go to the temple to get a clear signal and make your sacrifice.

And here's what Paul would say is that the temple is no longer the place where God's presence resides.

It's no longer a place, it's now a people.

You're the temple of God, the place of his dwelling, of his presence.

And so, yes, as we gather, there's a special reality of his presence together.

But you're his temple, and his presence is with you and indwelling you, and wherever you go and whatever you're doing, he's with you, empowering you, walking with you.

What is the activity of the Holy Spirit?

Well, also we'll see this of the sanctifying work that there is fruit of the Holy Spirit.

What is the result of the Holy Spirit's work in our life?

Galatians 5, 22, 23 says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, or patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I had to read it because I always miss one.

And then every time I read it now, I can't think help but think of the kids' song.

But the fruit of the spirit's not a coconut or something like that.

Anybody remember that?

Yeah, okay, right over there.

Um by the way, that killed first service.

You they they knew they knew that song, you guys don't, and and so it fell real flat, except for Marnie, who used to lead our kids' ministry.

Like, think about this though.

Fruit is the product of something, the result of something.

And so often in our lives of wanting to see transformation, we flip it upside down.

Love, joy, peace.

I want more love in my life.

I'm gonna try to be more loving.

I want more joy in my life, I'm gonna, you know, do more fun things.

I want more peace.

I'm gonna create like a Zen-like atmosphere in my backyard.

Woohoo! Um, I don't know what it is.

The fruit or the result of a spirit-filled life is actually love.

The fruit or the result of a spirit-filled life is joy, is peace, is patience, is kindness, is goodness, self-control, faithfulness.

I got them all, I think.

Gentle, I dang it.

Every time you think about this.

If you want to be more loving, patient, kind, it's a product of the Spirit of God and yielding your life to Him.

Not somehow conjuring up and working hard to be more loving.

The more I allow the activity and work of the Spirit of God in my life, the more loving I'll be.

And this brings us to our last point.

The fruit of the Spirit.

Well, how do you experience that fruit?

You gotta be filled by the Spirit.

You gotta be filled by the Spirit.

Uh Ephesians 4, 18 through 20 says, and do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery.

Instead, be filled with the spirit.

Do not get drunk.

It's the only place in the New Testament where you have the clear command not to get drunk.

And you know what happens here is we focus on the alcohol portion of this.

I don't know why.

Um, and for some, it's like, well, I can drink, um, or I you shouldn't drink.

See, right here, like, that's not the point of the passage.

Paul's making a connection.

The same way someone, when they drink to being drunk, are no longer in control of their faculty and ability, but they're under the influence, that's how we say it in our day today, they're under the influence of that spirit or of that drink, and so that is now in control of their life.

He says, that same dynamic is what's supposed to happen to the spirit-filled life.

And so you surrender your life and your will and your way to the spirit, and as you allow him to have control in your life and have influence, be under his influence, you'll see love, joy, peace, patience, guidance, goodness.

Galatians would say it this way in 522, walk in step with the Holy Spirit.

Same idea.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now, I think the reality is, is we're really trying to figure out, okay, well, how do I get more of the power or the presence of God, right?

Like Ryan, you started off saying, you have everything you need.

I don't feel it.

How do I get more of that?

And actually, the question isn't how do you isn't how do you get more of the spirit, but how do you allow the spirit to have more of you?

You already have everything you need.

He's poured out his spirit lavishly on you.

He is indwelled inside of you.

There isn't you are not lacking in any way.

It has everything to do with my awareness and yielding of my life to the spirit.

Um, several months ago, some dear friends of ours, um, they decided they're praying.

My buddy, he loves Mustangs.

He got this Mustang, and then he was gonna upgrade and get a brand new one.

And they're praying, like, who to give, uh, like what are they supposed to do with it?

And they're like, hey, we think your, you know, boys, your boys love this, and you know, we'd love for you to have the Mustang.

Like, oh my gosh, how generous, how incredible! And by the way, uh, my 15-year-old son is incredibly excited about the Mustang.

And um, sometimes requests just pick me up in the Mustang.

Um, because I'm a Mustang owner doesn't mean I really know anything about Mustangs.

I'm not a car guy.

And yet I feel this obligation because I'll pull up maybe at a gas station or somewhere, and someone inevitably I've had this question so many times now that I I drive a Mustang.

What's it got in it?

I I don't know.

Engine, I think.

Yeah, I bet it's got a 4.2.

Probably.

I mean, I can't even make up the words in front of you.

I like to research to try to say the words, and I'm like, I don't even understand it.

How fast does it go from zero to sixty?

I haven't tried.

I don't know.

What's the exhaust?

Um this is this incredible.

It's called a muscle car.

It's got incredible power.

Now, I don't need to get more of the Mustang in order to harness and understand and utilize the power.

I own it.

It's in my driveway, it's right there.

I actually need to understand the Mustang and then begin to cooperate with how it's designed in my life.

See, the reality is, is for so many of us, we think that it's somewhere out here.

No, you already have the spirit of God in your life.

And it's not like how do I try to work harder to get that and make it?

No, how do you allow the spirit of God to have more of you?

And so, what if you're not experiencing his power and presence?

What do you do?

As we close, let me just give you three kind of diagnostic questions as we take steps to experiencing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

The first one, am I in a relationship with God or am I merely caught up in religion?

Am I in a relationship with God or am I merely caught up in religion?

Paul would be talking to Timothy and he would be warning him.

He warned him, he said, watch out.

There are those that have a form of godliness that deny the power of God, have nothing to do with them.

Am I in a relationship with God?

Or am I just caught up in religion?

Maybe you grew up in the church, you never really surrendered your life to Jesus.

You just think, man, if I'm a good person, and you're kind of like, how do I level up?

How do I level up?

But you're not in a relationship and experiencing his grace and power, and you would say today, Jesus, I want to be in a relationship, I want to experience your presence and walk in step with you.

Would you come into my life and make me new today?

Or I think for many, like the gospel is turned into like self-actualization.

How does Jesus make your life better?

And so, how do I add a little bit of Jesus?

And so you're not, you're not in a relationship, you're in the religion of me.

Because it's about you and it's about me, and you're just like, how do I add a little bit of Jesus to make my life better?

And then you're wondering why it isn't working.

And we said earlier, he doesn't want to take your old life and make it just a little bit better.

He wants to give you a brand new life in Christ.

Am I in a relationship with God or merely caught up in a religion?

Second question.

Have you quenched the work of the Holy Spirit in your life?

Thessalonians would say it this way, and do not quench the Holy Spirit.

Have you quenched?

Think about quenching.

Uh think like a hose that's running and flowing, and you know when you kink the hose, like it just cuts off the flow.

Like there's things that we can do in our life that just simply quench or cut off the flow of the Spirit of God in our life.

Let me give you a couple.

First one is uh habitual sin.

Habitual sin means just sin that you're in the habit of doing regularly and consistently and unrepentantly.

Can I tell you like the one that God's been convicting me of the most lately?

Of course, you're like, yes, I would love to hear that.

Bitterness.

Bitterness.

I don't think of myself as a bitter person.

Something over the last three to four years, and there's certain things and people that like I've oh, you hurt me, you did this, and then you did it again.

I can forgive you once, I can forgive you the second time, third time, fourth time, and then I realize that part of part of the thing that Jesus is confronting in me is bitterness and holding grudges and not forgiving.

It quenches the work of the spirit.

Gossip, if I'm cons constantly gossiping, cutting corners, living without integrity, what are habitual sins?

That's quenching the work of the spirit.

You know, one of the things that quenches the work of the spirit is a lack of obedience.

You ever get that prompting?

Some of you had that, that prompting of the spirit to do something, to say something, it's for other people's good, and it might be a little embarrassing to you.

When you obey that, you get to see him show up and you get to like he then like expands and you just experience more of him.

When we disobey that, it's just like we stop hearing the voice of God.

You know another thing that quenches busyness.

Just busy.

Just so busy in a hurry that he got no time to hear the voice of God.

Am I in a relationship with God or caught up in a religion?

Am I quenching, have I quenched the Spirit of God?

Final question.

Am I in a season of pruning?

John 15 talks about pruning, and pruning is this picture of cutting back that which is actually growing so that you'll have greater fruitfulness.

It's cutting back and it can be hard.

Am I in a season of pruning?

Because God is so concerned, more concerned with your character than your comfort.

He is so concerned with who you become than far more than what you'll ever do, that he will then prune back or cut back and even sometimes withdraw his presence so that you will not become so enamored with the gift, rather, you'll fall in love with the giver of the gift.

You know, when my kids were young, I they're old, older now, 18, 15, and 12, when they're little and we're teaching them to potty train, uh, we threw parties for them, right?

Any parents know that?

I mean, you give them MMs and I'd eat some too.

Um, but you know, the minute they would use the bathroom on the potty, we're like, whoa, yes, celebrate.

We don't throw parties for them anymore.

Why?

Because that'd be weird.

See, there's times where God's celebrating you as a newer baby Christian, and you're like, whoa, and then you're like, what happened?

Why isn't he celebrating?

Because you're growing up, friends.

You're maturing, and he's celebrating other things.

And then you're so concerned and over here, and you're like, whoa, it's me.

Like, no, no.

You might be in a season of pruning and growing for greater fruitfulness.

He's like, No, I'm actually going to celebrate other things over here because you're growing and maturing, and I'm so proud of you.

But we don't celebrate and we don't throw parties for potty anymore.

Maybe we'll today.

I'm just to surprise them, why not?

His divine power has given you everything you need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who's called us by his own glory and goodness.

Right now, in this moment, you lack nothing.

And I know that's hard to hear because we're not trained that way, but you have everything you need to be who God made you to be by the Holy Spirit indwelling you right now in this moment.

Heavenly Father, I pray for my friends as we wrestle with this truth.

Would you help us to have the wisdom to know what to do?

As you're drawing, as you're wooing, as there's convicting, as there is encouragement to draw near to you, to come with open hands for you to fill the empty spaces.

God, may we be a people of your presence, a people of your spirit, aware of your work in us and around us and through us.

May we be a people defined by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control.

Because we're people of your spirit.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

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