Things You Must Do - Receive the Holy Ghost | Pastor Paul McGee

Amen, Amen. Good to see you today in the

House of the Lord on this Sunday morning.

And I again echo my wife today. Good to see everybody that is

with us, Amen, this morning, Amber, it's good to see you

again. Amen.

And she told me mom is watching online.

So Tamara, we, we love you, Amen.

And we're glad that you're with us online today.

So many different ones. Rex, it's good to see you back.

He was here Wednesday night and he had his hands out this big

and he was, it was story time. He was telling us, I don't know

if he's talking about the size of a fish that he caught or

what, but you could tell it was story time.

And so Rex, it's good to see you, Amen, this morning.

And it's good to have Brittany and Justin, Winter and Josh

rather, and Winter and Searcy and JT today.

Now, Brittany, years ago at our second church, her mom and dad

and Brian and Roberta Lambert came to church.

And as just small as some of the age of her kids that she has

now, small kids came and sat in our Sunday school classes and

heard the word of the Lord taught.

Amen. She'd been in contact with my

wife. We can decide to come.

And we're so thankful for their family being here today in the

House of the Lord. Love and appreciate them and

we're always glad. Larry, it's good to see you.

Last time I saw you, you got baptized in Jesus name here.

Amen. That's right.

And Shelby, the career girl, I, I give her a hard time.

She's the college career girl now.

She grew up in our Sunday school classes.

Amen. And we're glad to have Alexis as

well, Amen. Her mother Angie Craig Amen

watches online as a shut in faithfully Amen.

And we're glad to have all of them today and Jeanette and

Tatum and others. And I'm excited to learn your

name and get to know you Amen this morning and house the Lord.

So glad to have each one of you. And yes, Sister Cox's relatives,

of course, Sister Jerry, we're glad to have you today.

And Sister Cox has a couple of her grandkids today.

She does that time to time. And that's what the world

greatest grandmother does. She brings her grandchildren

every once in a while. And so I have a hard time

catching up with her. If you'll stand with me this

morning, I'm continuing in Acts chapter #2 today, Acts chapter

#2 and going to read verses 37 and 38.

We've been talking about some things that we we must do, some

things that we must do. And we have talked about

repentance. We talked about being baptized

this morning. We're going to talk about

receiving, receiving the Holy Ghost.

And if that's foreign to you today, that's OK.

That's the reason why we're here to talk about that and discuss

that Amen today. But I want you to know there is

the power of the Holy Ghost. It will absolutely change your

life. The Bible describes it as it's

Christ in you. It's Christ in you.

And I know sometimes coming to church service like this, you,

you might feel something in here and that's the Spirit of the

Lord. That's what you feel moving on

you. But the Bible tells us a New

Testament that happened all throughout the Old Testament,

Spirit of the Lord moving on people.

But there was a new covenant in a new day in the New Testament

that it wouldn't just move on them, it would move in them,

Amen. And that's the power of the Holy

Ghost. Acts chapter #2 try to be

mindful of your time today. I just got back from a

conference in Maryville, TN, a men's conference.

So it was a 36 hour boom. Drove down Friday, came back

yesterday, so I'm ready. I'm sleep deprived, but I'm

ready. Amen.

Acts 2 verse 37. Now when they heard this, they

Acts 2:37

were pricked in their heart and said into Peter and to the rest

of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?

This is the question. They've heard a sermon, they've

felt, they have felt conviction or they felt bad that they

crucified Jesus Christ. Want to know what shall we do

concerning all this? Then Peter said to them, Repent

and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ or

the remission or the removal of sins, and ye shall to promise ye

shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

So that's what I want to talk about for a little bit this

morning. Things you must do, receive,

receive the Holy Ghost. Here's the thing this morning,

it's not for a certain classification of people.

You don't have to have a certain parentage or heritage in order

to have a certain age, certain ethnicity or race, doesn't

matter. It's for whosoever will.

Amen. I'm going to pray today.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your spirit.

We have already felt thus far in the service today.

Pray God that you would anoint us.

God, touch our hearts and our minds.

Help us, O Lord, today open the minds of the people that sat in

here this morning. God, perhaps they'll see and

hear something. Maybe God they've not heard or

seen before. God, you're able to touch us all

and we'll believe you. For the lovely name of Jesus

Christ that I pray. Amen.

The church say Amen, Amen. You may be seated this morning

in Jesus name when we talk about the Holy Ghost, and I don't want

that to be spooky to you saying ghost, but it is in the word of

the Lord. The other things that it is

spoken as or called may also hear called the Holy Spirit,

exact same thing, no difference. As a matter of fact, the

language that the New Testament scripture was was translated

from when you see spirit and when you see ghost, it's from

the exact same word. There is no difference but the

Spirit, the birth of the Spirit. It's called several different

things in the scripture. Sometimes it's referred to as

the birth of the Spirit. It's spoken of as receiving the

Spirit or the baptism of the Spirit.

Whenever you see this in our Bibles, it's all in one the

same. It's referencing the exact same

thing. As a matter of fact, in our

Bibles, as we read this, we understand that receiving the

Holy Ghost or receiving the, the, the Holy Spirit is like,

not something, something extra. It's all a part of the package,

so to speak. It's not a third blessing or a

second blessing. It's not separate from our

conversion or us being saved by God.

It's all a crucial part of being born again according to the word

of the Lord. As a matter of fact, scripture

tells us, and we'll look at several scriptures today, OK?

And we'll try to provide those on the screen so that you don't

get paper cuts from your Bible as you turn pages if you try to

keep up with the Scriptures today.

But the Bible tells us in the New Testament that the only way

into the body, which the Bible all many times calls his church,

the only way into Christ Jesus, is by baptism of both water

being baptized with water and by spirit.

The Bible says in First Corinthians 12 and verse #13

these are the words of the apostle Paul.

For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized in TO1 body and I just

want to say today Paul was speaking to the church at

Corinth. So he's speaking to a bunch of

people that had received this salvation or the save

experience. He said we all were baptized

into one body. He said whether we be Jew or

Greek. So it didn't matter.

It didn't matter who they were whether they were bond or free

have been all made to drink into one spirit.

And so the Scripture plainly details to us this morning that

the baptism or the Spirit baptism, the theme of this

chapter is taking place because it's going to talk about works

of the Spirit and gifts of the Spirit.

But in order to have those things, you had to have the

Spirit. And so that's the reason why it

talks about them being baptized by 1 Spirit into the church or

the body of Christ. If I were to deny myself being

baptized by the Spirit, then in essence I deny my placement in

the body of Christ. Scripture tells us in the

letters that Paul wrote, some people called them epistles,

Amen. But he wrote them to several

churches and he said over and over again that Christ had one

body and that there was one church and that there was one

bride and that there was one people.

And however he desired to label this Amen.

They anybody finds their placement in these things as

he's labeled them by 1 Spirit that we received from the Lord.

And here's the amazing thing what we've been talking about

the past few weeks of repentance and baptism.

Repentance and baptism alone does not achieve that for

someone. They you must repent, yes, and

you must be baptized. But there is this third element

of you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

We go to John chapter #3 and we can trust the disciples and the

apostles because they are the ones that first hand receive

this information from the Lord. But it's also good sometimes to

hear what the Lord has to say about it himself.

And so Jesus said in John 3 and verse 3, Jesus said and answered

unto him, and to him he's talking about is a man called

Nicodemus who was a religious leader and ruler of his day.

Jesus answered and said to him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

I would dare to say this morning for anyone in this world and

even us that are sitting here today, if I asked you, do you

want to see the Kingdom of God? Do you want to enter into the

Kingdom of God? You would say absolutely I want

to go, I want to see the Kingdom of God.

Jesus said except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom

of God. And so Nicodemus responds back

to him in the next verse, verse 4.

Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is

old? Can he enter the second time

into his mother's womb and be born?

Nicodemus has this idea of a very literal physical birth, of

being born again, but Jesus wasn't talking about a literal

birth. He was talk about being born, as

I've already said, of the Spirit, born of the Spirit,

Jesus. He breaks it down a little

further in verse 5. Jesus answered, verily, verily,

I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit.

What Jesus is doing is taking what he said in verse three,

born again, and he's breaking it down just a little bit more.

He's in what born again means is to be born of water and born of

the spirit. He said he cannot enter into the

Kingdom of God. And so based upon the Bible

based upon the Bible and and that this may be different than

what other people's ask based upon the Bible.

I don't ask have you accepted Christ in your heart.

I ask you have you been born again because I believe that's

the words that Jesus is getting that here in Nicodemus.

Have you been born again? Meaning born of water.

Amen. Go on in.

They call it a watery grave. And that you say, well, that's

kind of a weird expression. Yeah, but you're taking your old

man, your old life. We're born into this world in

sin as sinners. We're taking that old life and

we're burying it underwater, so to speak, to arise in a newness

of life. But we're born again then of

that water and of that spirit. Whenever I say born of the

Spirit, you receive the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ,

Same thing in your life. It's Christ in you and you know

you have done that and we'll get to it before we're done today

because there is a initial sign or evidence that that has taken

place in your life that we read of in the book of Acts at the

birth of the the New Testament church.

And the Bible says they all begin to speak with other

tongues as the Spirit, that Spirit of God they just

received, gave them the ability or the utterance to do so.

Now remember in all these verses of Scripture, Jesus telling

Nicodemus to be born of water or of spirit or buried in water if

you will, repentance is still implied here because how many

know, even in a very literal fashion today, it's not legal

for us to bury living bodies. That be a little odd, Amen.

But likewise in the spirit, we don't, we don't bury anybody,

even a watery grave of of baptism without repentance.

And that repentance, that repentance just mirrors Jesus

death on the cross. And so we're, we die in essence.

And then we are, we are buried in baptism.

And so the Bible talks about baptism all throughout the New

Testament Scripture in particularly, it talks about

that we're baptized and it used different, different

prepositions. We're baptized with the Holy

Ghost, we're baptized by the Holy Ghost.

We're baptized in the Holy Ghost, we're baptized of the

Holy Ghost. And it used different terms.

Sometimes it says we're baptized with it or that we we we receive

the Holy Ghost or the Holy Ghost fell upon them, or the Holy

Ghost came upon them. Amen.

All of this is one of the same. It's all describing that

experience of receiving God's Spirit inside of our life.

Peter called the same experience of the gift of the Holy Ghost

and the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

He called it exactly the same thing.

Look at it in Acts Chapter 11 and verse 15.

Acts 11 · chapter mention

This is Peter speaking. And as I began to speak, Peter's

recalling something he said, the Holy Holy Ghost fell on them.

So see, there's that phraseology.

The Holy Ghost fell on somebody. Don't worry, they didn't get

hurt. The Holy Ghost fell on them as

on us at the beginning. He's referring back to the book

of Acts chapter #2 he said it fell on them just like it fell

on us. It says in verse 16.

Then remembered I, the word of the Lord, how that he said,

John, this is Speaking of John the Baptist.

Indeed, baptized with water, he said, but John said, listen

guys, I'm baptized just with water, but he shall be baptized

with the Holy Ghost. Verse 11.

For as much then as God gave them, Peter says just as much as

God gave them the light gift. What he's talking about, he's

talking about the Holy Ghost, but look how he's talked about

it. The Holy Ghost has fell on them.

He speaks of being baptized with the Holy Ghost.

Now he calls it a gift and it is.

That's the wonderful thing about the Holy Ghost.

It is a gift ready for whosoever will.

He said He received the light gift, as did He unto us who

believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.

What was I? He said that I could withstand

God because of resected people at that day.

They didn't quite understand yet that the Holy Ghost was for

everybody. And so He was telling them, hey,

it fell on these people just like it fell upon us being Jews.

You know what he was saying? It doesn't matter who you are,

that the Holy Ghost is for us all.

And so the Bible speaks and these are in your Bibles and

I'll just give you references, but the Bible talks about that

God. God is holy.

We read of that in first Peter 116 and also from the Old

Testament, Leviticus 19 and two. It also says that God is Spirit.

We read of that in John 424 and Ephesians 4 tells us that there

is one Spirit. So we put all this together,

then we understand that God is 1 Holy Spirit, God is 1 Holy

Spirit, Amen. Sometimes it's called the Spirit

of God, like I've already referenced this morning.

But when you receive the Holy Ghost, you receive that Spirit

of God in you. Here's the amazing thing.

In the Old Testament, they had a Tabernacle, they had a temple,

or they had a church. God's spirit filled those

buildings. But the Bible tells us that now

we are the temple. The Bible says in First

Corinthians 317, he said if any man defiled the temple of God,

and what it's referencing is our bodies, we'll look at it here in

a moment. Him shall God destroy, for the

temple of God is holy. Which temple?

Look ye are. He's speaking to him.

If you skip down to 1st Corinthians 6 and verse 19, the

writer writes what know ye not that your body is the temple of

the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which he have right?

It comes from God which he have of God.

He are not your own. So just like in the Old

Testament, God spirit moved in a Tabernacle or moved in a temple

like Solomon in the New Testament, His temple is our

bodies, His temple in our bodies.

And just much as he wanted to feel his spirit and all those

literal buildings, he wants to have his spirit in us, the

temple of the Holy Ghost. And so Peter lets us know that

this promise or this Holy Ghost again is for everyone.

He told us there in Acts 2 and verse 38 that it's for you, it's

for your children, it's for all those that are far off.

He goes to the extent to say as many as our the Lord our God

shall call. And So what that means for us

living in this century is this. The Holy Ghost just wasn't for

the people of the 1st century. The Holy Ghost is for our

century. The Holy Ghost just wasn't for

the Jews, although God treasured them as a special people to him

in the Old Testament. But the Bible says he said it's

even for those that are far off. And that's that's kind of a

special language that's just not talking about someone 50 miles

away. But in the book of Ephesians,

the apostle Paul's all the time talking about those that were

afar off and he's talking about Gentiles.

And that was just people who weren't Jews.

So what the writer in in second, the second book of Acts is

telling us that this promise is was even for the Gentiles, those

that were far off Amen. And as many as the Lord our God

should call. Here's the amazing thing.

All throughout Scripture, we'll look at it, but in John 7,

Revelation 22, we have Jesus calling people he that thirst,

he that wants come, come, drink thirst.

He's making a call to whomsoever will.

Hey man, he doesn't just call certain people, but whosoever

will. And so the call's been made and

that call, because we read our Bibles, we look at the

Scripture, it applies to us, that call reaches us in our

generation, Amen. It's not His will for any of us

to perish. So this extends to all of us.

Look at it. John 7, a lot of Bible today, we

are a Bible believing church around here.

John 7 and verse 37, in the last day, the great day of the feast,

Jesus stood and cried, saying here it is.

If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.

Amen. Again, this Jesus is not

speaking in a literal fashion here.

He's talking about satisfying this.

You ever had a a hunger, a thirst of your soul, a hunger, a

thirst in your soul? Like you live your life, you do

your job, you have your children, you do all these

things, but it's like there's something missing, something not

yet satisfied, right? You do, you live the American

dream, but there's some longing that's there.

That's the thirst of the soul, that's the thirst of the soul

and that's what Jesus is appealing to here.

If any man thirst, let him come into me and drink.

Verse 38 he that believeth on me as the scripture have said out

of his belly shift flow rivers of living water.

He he's going to put something in you that's going to just flow

out of you. It's going to impact every area

and the aspect of your life. Verse 39 it says, But this spake

he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should

receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given because.

That Jesus was not yet glorified.

This, the all of this that's being said in John 7.

This is before Calvary, before Jesus went to the cross, before

he died, before he was buried, before he was resurrected,

before all of that. He says, So I'm talking to you

about something coming in the future.

I'm talking to you about the Holy Ghost, He says.

But the Holy Ghost is not going to come as it did on the day of

Pentecost in Acts 2, until I've died, until I've been buried,

until I've raised again and I've ascended up into glory, until

I've been glorified. But it's going to happen, He

said in Revelation 22 and verse 17, the Spirit and the Bride

say, come and let him that heareth say, come, He says, and

let him that is a thirst. Here it is referring to this

thing come and whosoever will whosoever is a big I always say

these things whosoever is some of the biggest words in the

English language because it encompasses everybody whosoever

will let him come and take of the water of life freely and so

the Holy Ghost, it wasn't given to Jesus was glorified a meaning

his death, burial, resurrection and his ascension up into

heaven. Note the scripture a lot of

scripture. I know Hebrews 9 verse 15.

Hebrews 9:15

There used to be old preacher that used to say you read a lot

of scripture. They can't leave say they didn't

hear no Bible today. Hebrews 9 verse 15 and for this

Hebrews 9:15

'cause he is the mediator, the he being referred to is Jesus

Christ. He is the mediator of the New

Testament or the another word for Testament is covenant,

covenant or agreement. The New Testament that by means

of death for the redemption of the transgressions that we were

under the first Testament or what we would call the old

covenant or the old agreement, they which are called might

receive, look, the promise of eternal inheritance.

That's a reference to the Holy Ghost.

That's a reference to the Spirit of God, verse 16.

But look at this for where, and you can look at this in just

real, real application of life, right, concerning testaments and

wills. For where a testament is there

also there must also of a necessity be the death of the

testator. But that means if someone has a

will drawn out and they have all of the things prescribed in

their what they what's going to be done, what's going to happen?

None of that will take place except upon the death of them.

When they die, then this goes to this and these monies go here.

And my wife and I has been powers of attorney and

guardianship over people that had it States and such and were

executors of their state. And upon their death, everything

that was written in paper form with ink on paper went in action

at the moment of their death. It's there just sitting ready.

And so where there's a testament where there's a covenant where

there's agreement, then in order for there to be the benefit of

the agreement than the one who made it right has to die.

Verse 17 says for a testament is of force after men are dead

right, my will goes in action bait upon my death.

Otherwise the Scripture says verse 17, it is no strength

while we all the while the testator liveth.

So one of the Bible says about this new covenant or this New

Testament, it had no effect until Jesus Christ, the testator

until he died. He told them that the promise,

it's coming. I talk about this rivers of

living water and I speak about the Holy Ghost.

It's coming, He said, but the testator is going to have to

die. The promise even of the eternal

inheritance that I read to you, it's waiting, but it's going to

take the death of the testator in order to open all of this up.

That's the reason why, folks, that the Holy Ghost was not

given until Jesus was glorified. Part of that glorification was

the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, His burial and his

resurrection. Amen.

That's the reason why even when we read in the book of Acts that

there's a an apostle by the name of Philip and he's talking to

Ethiopian eunuch and the eunuch is reading the book of Isaiah

and he's reading some prophecy about the death of the Lord

Jesus Christ. And he began to explain to him

about Jesus and about what would come, what would happen.

Amen. That was spoken of from years

ago, that what would happen or what did happen to Christ was

being fulfilled and that He could have the experience of

God's Spirit inside of him. Let's note just a few verses of

Scripture this morning in John 14 and verse 16.

Again, this is Jesus speaking. He says, and I will pray the

Father, and He shall give you another comforter that He may

abide with you forever. Jesus as a man, we love the

story of Christ. We love Christmastime,

Bethlehem's Manger and the birth, and we love Easter.

We love celebrating the crucifix and all of the days in between.

But Jesus as a man upon earth, he just had a prescribed number

of years here upon the earth, a 33 and a third years here upon

the earth. He had a birth date and a death

date as a man upon the earth. But his spirit has no beginning

of days, has no ending of days. It's eternal.

And that's hard being humans to grasp a hold of because I live

in a life in time. But he's, he's beyond all that.

He sees past, present and future, all from the now.

But he has an eternal spirit and God's spirit that's eternal.

And I, I want to make this distinction.

It's your spirit that was eternal.

It wasn't a eternal son. There's no eternal flesh.

It was eternal spirit. But that eternal spirit, he

says, I want to give you. I want to give you that spirit.

All right. The Bible says in John 14, verse

John 14:26

26, but the comforter explained to us what this comforter ID is,

The comforter which is the Holy Ghost.

That's what that comforter is. He's talking about.

It's the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, all these different

labels that the Bible gives it, whom the Father will send in my

name. He shall teach you all things

and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I've

said unto you. John 15, verse 26 again,

John 15:26

Comforter language. But when the comforter.

So when I read that now, Brother Reese, I know that means the

Holy Ghost. But the Holy Ghost has come

where the comforters come, when it's come whom I will send unto

you from the Father. Look, it's just given another

label. Even the spirit of truth.

It's all the same thing which proceedeth from the Father.

He shall testify. Now that's an important word.

It says the Holy Ghost shall testify, which literally means

shall give evidence. She'll give evidence of me.

Why is that important? Because on the day of Pentecost,

when they received the Holy Ghost, they began to speak in

other tongues. It testified it.

It gave evidence of the Spirit that those people had just

received in John 16 and verse 7. The Bible says, nevertheless I

tell you the truth, it is expedient for you.

Jesus says that I go away right because death, burial,

resurrection, and his ascension then Amen gave way to the Spirit

coming. He said, for if I go not away,

the comforter, the Holy Ghost will not coming to you.

He says, but if I go away, if I ascend, it will come unto you

folks. And I know we have and and, and

just kind of hit on this quickly and I feel like I'm going slow

and you probably think I'm going fast.

So I'll just, I'll find a good medium somewhere.

But we read in scripture versus a scripture like in the 1st

chapter of Luke. We read different episodes that

that like from the womb it speaks of like John the Baptist,

the Bible says that he was filled with the Holy Ghost.

So I want to give some explanation that Elizabeth upon

the salutation of Mary, that the Bible says that that babe left

in her womb and that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost,

and that Zacharias that whenever he named his son that Zacharias

was filled with the Holy Ghost, Amen.

But the word filled here and all these verses note Christ has not

been, hasn't died. Has it been buried or has it

resurrected in Luke chapter #1 for that matter, he's waiting to

be born and the womb are married by then.

And when it says that they were filled with the Holy Ghost,

Amen. It can't be the same sins that

Peter says from Acts 2 forward about being filled, because John

told us in John 7 this spake he concerning the Spirit, but the

Holy Ghost was not given because Jesus had not yet been

glorified. But whenever you talk about

being filled, it's as I spoke earlier, even started the day

before I got started. You know when I started, before

I started, that in the Old Testament, the Spirit moved upon

people, filled in the essence of this.

It influenced it influenced the word filled in these notions of

Luke chapter #1 them being filled with the Spirit that that

John the Baptist was filled from the filled with the Spirit seems

like from birth that there was an influence of the Spirit upon

his life from the very beginning of the start of his life or

being filled overwhelmed by the presence of the Spirit or

empowered for for Zacharias note, the Bible says that he was

filled with the Spirit and then prophesied.

He he he was empowered for prophecy in this moment by the

Spirit. Amen.

But what we really see is that after the glorification, after

the death, the burial, the resurrection, the ascension of

the Lord Jesus Christ, whenever it states that they were filled

with the Spirit, we're talking about more than influence.

We're talking about more than just a overwhelming presence.

We're talking more about just empowerment.

Yes, all of those things. Whenever you receive the gift of

the Holy Ghost, Christ in you, in your heart, in your life,

evidenced by speaking in other tongues, yes, you'll be

empowered. Yes, you'll be influenced, and

yes, you'll be overwhelmed by His presence.

But more than that, there is a moving in a residency of God's

Spirit inside up to you. The Bible says in John 1417,

even the spirit of truth, which we know in the book of John,

it's already told us that's the Holy Ghost, even the spirit of

truth, whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not

neither knoweth him, but you know him, for he do well with

you. What?

Yes, because it's the Spirit of Christ.

And so Christ as a man in this earthly ministry, the Spirit was

with them by being associated with Jesus Christ.

But he says it was with you, it dwelleth with you in John 17,

John 1417, He says and shall be, He's speaking, He's he's raising

their expectation. He wants them to know what to

expect. You've walked with the Spirit of

Christ as you've ate bread from the feeding of the multitudes

whenever he was around you, and He healed your sick daughter

whenever He was there, teaching among the trees.

The Spirit of Christ has been with you.

But when he ascends, He send them back His Spirit back won't

just be alongside you, it will be in you, Amen.

So what that means, ladies and gentlemen, this I'm just not

being as the New Testament believers were.

Their exposure to the spirit of Christ sometimes is well, I'm

with the Lord, I'm following the Lord, I'm with the Lord.

But what it means for modern day.

You can be in the church, you can be a job, you can be getting

your groceries, you can be down the street, you can be in your

house, Amen. You don't have to find where a

physical body of the Lord Jesus is.

His Spirit is inside your temple.

Everywhere you go you have access.

I might get excited before it's all over folks.

And the Bible says it was to abide forever.

For that matter, ladies and gentlemen, Mary the mother of

Jesus, who bore the flesh of Jesus Christ in her womb, She

was in the upper room waiting for this promise of the Father

on the Day of Pentecost. And if it was necessary for Mary

the mother of Jesus to be there, it's necessary for all of us to

be there. Why was she there?

Because she didn't have that experience as of yet.

She gave birth to the boy, but it was going to turn around.

His fear was going to give birth to her.

She needed the power that she would have to watch her son

dying and being buried in an empty tomb.

And there's a lot of things that were spoken her day.

She didn't quite understand that.

The Bible even tells us that Mary pondered all her these

things in her heart. What's she doing?

She's holding them there. We're just going to see what

happens that she was compelled enough, convicted enough, had

enough expectancy and belief that Terry and Jerusalem wasn't

just going to be for the disciples.

She was going to tarry as well for the promise of the Father.

Luke 24 and verse 49, Jesus speaking and said and behold, I

see him. We've looked at this, but I

don't want to look at it again. The promise of my Father upon

you. But tarry ye in the city of

Jerusalem, till you be endued with power from on high.

Acts 1 and verse #4 And being assembled together with them,

commended them that they should not depart from Jerusalem.

So that's what Jesus said in Luke 24.

Go to Jerusalem for the promise of the Father.

Tarry there in Acts 1 is the fulfillment of them being

assembled. Amen.

And they're not departing tarry and waiting for the promise of

the Father, which saith he, you've heard of me in Acts 2.

Then in verse 33, the Bible says, therefore, being by the

right hand of God exalted, having received, having received

of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He has shed forth

this, this what this Holy Ghost which he now and I touched on

this a few weeks ago, it seems like, but let me again, which he

now see and hear this Holy Ghost which he now see and hear.

So that's telling me that this Holy Ghost is not just something

or some occurrence that takes place that I just purely just

have faith. I guess it happened right?

Come on, That's right, right. The pose they did see and hear

the new living translation says it like this, as he had

promised, gave him the Holy Ghost to pour out upon us, just

as you see in here today. God's words translate

translation of the Bible says it like this and that's poured out

the Holy Spirit as the Father had promised.

And this is what you're seeing and hearing in the Gospel of

John. Jesus was talking about the

comforter, the spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost.

Again, all of those labels are the same, the Holy Ghost.

And in that context, Jesus said, I will not leave you

comfortless, I will come to you. He had walked among them as a

man, but he's about ready to live in them as a spirit.

Yeah, I've been there in bodily form, but he's returning to them

on the day of Pentecost, purely in spirit form.

I've been with you, but I shall be in you.

Here's the marvel this morning. God's promise of the Holy Ghost,

His spirit, is to all who ask, all who believe, all who obey.

And those are not separate categories.

They're all smashed together if you ask, believe and obey.

The Bible says in Luke 11, verse 13, how much more shall your

Luke 11:13

heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost to them

that ask him? He's describing something he

said as earthly fathers. If if your children ask for

bread, would you give them a stone?

And of course, the rhetorical answer to the question to that

rhetorical question would be no. If if they asked for a fish, I

believe it is, he said, would you give them, would you give

them a score, a scorpion or a serpent?

If they asked the vague would you In other words, if they

asked for something, would you give them something differently

than what they asked? And the the foreboding question

then, or the answer is no, no, no, he said, well, if your

father's right, which you're just part of flesh and blood and

prone to failure, if they would do good and not do evil, how

much more would your heavenly father give gifts to them that

ask of him? And that's where he said, how

much more shall your heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit

to them that ask? So God's promise of his Spirit

is to all them that ask, but it's also to all them that

believe. In John 739 the Bible again

says, but this spake he of the spirit which they that believe,

everybody say, believe, believe on him should receive.

So the Holy Ghost are for those that are asked, it's for those

that believe. And then the Bible says in Acts

532, it says, so it also the Holy Ghost whom God hath given,

what he's given, the Holy Ghost to them that obey him.

And so this morning the Holy Ghost, if you ask if you

believe, if you obey, the Holy Ghost is for you, Amen.

And that's what he was admonishing, Amen.

Nicodemus, where we started in John chapter number Amen. 3 as a

matter of fact, also in the book of Corinthians, the Bible says

that we are begotten by the gospel, the word begotten.

We see it a lot, a lot in the Bible, especially those genial,

you know, so and so begotten, begotten, begotten, begotten,

begotten, just a fancy word of born.

So what Paul tells us is that we're born by the gospel.

And if you want the definition of the gospel, you go then to

1st Corinthians 15 because it starts breaking it down and I've

already broke it down. But the Gospel in essence is the

death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, when you obey

that death through repentance, being buried through being

buried with Him, and baptism as Romans 6 says, newness of life,

Amen, being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking in other

tongues as the Spirit is the utterance Amen is a mirroring of

that pattern of the Gospel. Romans chapter #8 and verse 9.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.

If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you, not with in with

you, in you. Now if any man have not the

Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

And I know, and that's and that's difficult.

The thing is, it's not something lofty.

It's not something that can't happen for anyone.

But I need the Spirit of God in me.

Amen. I want to be accounted as His.

I need His Spirit in me. How do we know?

How do we know that we have the Spirit of God or the Spirit of

Christ, however you desire to say it?

In first John chapter 3 and verse 23, the Bible says, and

1 John 3 · chapter mention

this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of

His Son Jesus Christ and love one another as He gave us

commandment. Look at verse 24.

And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in him,

and He in Him. Here it is the last phrase it's

telling us, and hereby we know that He's Speaking of God.

God's Spirit dwelleth, beleth in us by the Spirit which He hath

given us. I know He dwells in me because

of the Spirit that He has given me, but how do I know in the

instant that He's given me His Spirit, right?

Like this is just like a funnel of questions right here.

If it's by the Spirit that he has given me, but then how do I

know that I've been given His spirit, this power of the Holy

Ghost, right? Because there must be something

better than just good deeds, right?

Good moral deeds, because because we know from Acts 19

that character in the Bible called Cornelius, the Bible

called him a devout man. It says that he feared God.

Bible says he even offered prayers.

So he done all this. So if we were just going to

equate, well, having the spirit is those things, then so be it.

But but the Bible describes that this devout praying man that

feared God evidently needed something more.

There was something more to it than just that.

And the Bible tells us in Acts 19 that he received the Holy

Ghost. He was already a praying man

before he was a spirit filled man.

He was already devout in many ways before he had the Holy

Ghost. He already feared God before he

had the Holy Ghost. So none of those things, none of

those things was just sufficient in themselves.

He still needed, as Peter said, you need the gift of the Holy

Ghost. And so he received the gift of

the Holy Ghost in Acts chapter 19, just like all those Jews did

Acts 19 · chapter mention

on the day of Pentecost. In Acts chapter #2 in Acts

chapter #2 and verse 4, the Bible says those that were in

the upper room that have been Tarian, the Bible says they were

all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak.

It's given us the, the definition of the feeling.

It's more than now than just empowerment or influence or

being overwhelmed by His presence.

They began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit.

They just gave them the utterance and this is what we

see through the book of Acts or the actions of the apostles.

In Acts chapter #10 the Bible tells us that the Jews knew the

Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost because in Acts 1046 the

Bible says for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify

God. The disciples of John that were

from Ephesus in Acts 19, the Bible Bible says they were

rebaptised. They had only received the

baptism of John the Baptist, but the Bible says that they were

baptized in Jesus name in Acts 19 and verse 6 and they spake

with tongues. The Bible tells us that Saul in

his conversion in Acts 9, he was also filled with the Holy Ghost

and it seems kind of silent. Well, we don't really hear

anything about him speaking in tongues.

And we read in Acts 8 the Samaritans, Paul or Philip

rather came down and and some came down and laid hands on them

that they would receive the Holy Ghost.

But again, it seems to be silenced about them speaking in

tongues. But it's even later by Paul's

own omission, he testifies in the book of Corinthians and he

says I speak in tongues more than ye all.

So we understand that he had an experience and I've already said

it in this teaching and in the past few weeks.

But allow me to reiterate that in the book of Acts chapter #8

when it says that there we see the Holy Ghost that we hear,

there's this kind of a silence on whether or not they spoke in

tongues again, at that occurrence, there was Simon the

sorcerer that believed him. It baptized.

And the Bible says, though whenever he seen them lay hands

on the Samaritans and they received the Holy Ghost, he

said, here's some money. I'd like to buy the power that

whoever I lay hands on, that the same occurrence could happen

again. Folks, do you understand?

OK, They laid hands on someone. Received the Holy Ghost.

What was it that tipped Simon the sorcerer off?

Yeah, come on. I mean, just laying the hands on

someone. What tipped him off?

That made him the desire to have the same power that he could lay

hands on someone? What tipped him off?

That he just. I mean, hereby we know that the

Spirit dwells on us. It's going to testify.

The word is it's going to give evidence.

It's going to testify. Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost right

now, John. Jesus told John.

He said the wind bloweth in John three.

He said the wind bloweth where it listeth or where it desires.

You cannot see it, but thou hearest the sound thereof.

Anybody experienced the wind before?

It's been blowing out there today.

It's invisible. How did you know?

Well, it was blowing leaves around and bushes and, and if

you listen real close, if it hits the edge of something, just

there's a sound. I can't see it with my eye, but

I can hear the evidence of it. There's a sound, she's just told

Nicodemus, he said the wind blow it where it desires, and thou

hears the sound there. But he finishes up with this.

He says so is everyone. No exception.

So is everyone that is baptized or that is filled with the

baptism of the Holy Ghost. There will be an evidence, there

will be a sound, there will be something that someone can

witness. There will be a testimony that

you have received the gift of God.

Folks, I'm not telling you this because I'm a theologian and

I've just read the Bible. I'm going off what the Bible

says. I'm telling you this because

it's happened in this church and conferences and camp meetings

and other places I've went and I've preached and in foreign

lands. They are still speaking in

unknown tongues where the Spirit of God comes inside of them.

This is not some history lesson today.

This is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joe in the last

days. I'll pour out my spirit on the

flesh. You're kind of excited, guy,

aren't you? Roman said That that same spirit

dwell in you that raise Christ from the dead.

I'll quicken your mortal body. And that's just not for Rapture

Day. That's for any day of the week

after having received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

A quicken can happen in your life.

Stand with me today. I don't want to wear you out.

Maybe you're wearing me out. Let me finish with this.

Fast forward and skip some things.

Romans 8 verse 16. Let them alone.

Romans 8:16

The Spirit, if I say Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost in itself beareth

witness. Let me define this word for you

here in the New Testament. It testifies jointly.

It corroborates by concurrent evidence.

That's a lot of words in it, but it testifies and it gives

evidence. The Spirit itself does with our

spirit little as our human spirit that we are the children

of God. Sister Sheila.

I know he abides in me and that I'm a child of God and I've been

adopted. If you want to speak it in

terminology like that by his spirit into the body of Christ.

I know his spirit dwells in me because that spirit testifies

with my here's the here's the awesome part.

It testifies, It corroborates, It collaborates with my human

spirit. How he uses my mouth, my tongue,

my vocal cords, the mechanic structure of my brain and it has

me speaking the language I've never been taught.

His spirit testify and collaborates with my human

spirit. Amen which is a product of the

spirit that I received and I speak in tongues as the spirit

gives the utterance and so I know in Scripture Ephesians says

that the Holy Ghost it is the earnest or it is a sampling of

my inheritance Amen of the Holy Ghost Amen someday I am going to

have All in all concerning my inheritance in heaven someday.

But right now, the Holy Ghost that I receive, it's just a

little bit of heaven here on earth.

It is unspeakable. It is indescribable.

It is joy unspeakable and full of glory.

It is the power to witness that God has saved me from my sins.

He's given His power to overcome sin.

The Holy Ghost will help you mortify and define that.

It'll help you kill the deeds of your flesh.

It puts resurrection power in you.

Because it's the same spirit. Not a different spirit, not a

knock off spirit. It's not Spirit version 2.3, the

same spirit. It's the same spirit that we

read in the book of Genesis in the very beginning.

In the beginning was God, and the Spirit of God moved upon the

face of the waters, the face of the deep.

The God that moved upon in Genesis 1 is the God that wants

to move in today. What did that spirit have their

creative power to grab a hold of nothing and create something.

So you come here today, pastor, you don't know my life and you

don't know what I've lived. And some in the inkling back of

they're not mine, are maybe trying to put up all the

defenses of how they're unworthy and I'm nothing.

Can I tell you nothing's what? The Spirit first moved on.

So welcome home, welcome home. Come with your faults, come with

your failures, come with your inadequacies, come with your

brokenness, come with your notions.

Surrender to God because He wants to move in today.

Did I not tell you it doesn't matter your age, doesn't matter

your race, doesn't matter, your background, whosoever.

Will someone say that with me today?

Whosoever will come? How do I respond to this?

Because I know right now I feel the Spirit of the Lord, and I

know if I'm feeling it, the people out here feeling it,

maybe some of you are feeling it for the first time.

That Spirit you feel on you and around you wants to live inside

of you every day of your life. And it can happen there in your

Pew and your seed, or it can happen up here.

But if as they begin to sing, you lift up those hands and

you're just honest with God about who you are, what your

life is, and what you desire, and you start, you start asking

for forgiveness and you confess your sins.

And I'm not talking about just naming them all, but you're just

honest with God for a change in your life.

He can touch you this morning. He can touch you.

He you can leave with a new purpose.

Hey, man, maybe today it's maybe today just reaching a step of

repentance is is what you're hoping.

Maybe, maybe there'll be tears of of contrition and tears of

sorrow and tears of wanting to make things right come down your

face today. That's that's, that's totally

fine. But I want you to know in and

with all of that, God's also able to fill you with his spirit

that I've been talking to you today and know this, if you

receive the Spirit of God, he will testify.

He will testify through you. You'll speak with other tongues.

Listen to me. Clearly you don't.

I know that. That just seems so peculiar,

right. Language I was never taught.

I've read McGee. I'm.

I'm not a Polygon. I'm not bilingual.

I'm not trilingual. I'm.

I'm barely unilingual. No matter.

Never been taught that. Listen.

Here's what I know. The years of experience that

before we articulate things with our mouth, they pass through our

mind. I've talked so many that

received the Holy Ghost. Sometimes it was just at a place

like just didn't quite know, but they were hearing things in

their mind. It's like that just don't even.

That's not English. I don't know what that is, but

that's not English. And I didn't have no bad pizza

last night. Is that the spirit of the Lord

is working with your human spirit.

And you'll start hearing articulation in your mind.

And it may sound like another language to you, but I guarantee

you that if you let what's being articulated in your mind, if

you'll form it with your mouth and let it come out your mouth,

it's the spirit trying to testify.

You don't have to be afraid. You don't have to.

Is this going to be correct? Is this going to No, it's right.

It's his spirit working with the human members of your body to

give a testimony. I'm here.

I filled the temple. Hey, man, can we close our eyes

all across this place? They're going to begin to play

this altar. If you want to come to the

front, you can come. My wife and I will pray with you

other first from the church will help pray with you.

Amen the from your seat. If you're just wanting to raise

a hand saying I'm a I'm a little I'm a little bashful or I don't

know quite right, that's fine. Just raise a hem wherever you're

at, Amen. close your eyes just totally just knockout, Amen.

The environment, whoever else is around.

This is just about you and your Savior.

Just it's just about you and your God.

He loves you, He wants you and he wants to feel you.

He wants to place his Spirit in you.

Just as he told the disciples, I'm going to go away, but I'm

going to come to you. He's coming, He's coming.

Spirit form, Spirit form. He wants not just be with us, He

wants to be in US right now. Amen.

Right now, just obedience to God's Word right now, that

spirit that you felt in this place this morning through

songs, through the word, just right now, you just raise those

hands, which is a is a notable universal act of surrender.

You just raise those hands here. Here I am, God.

What if you want to do with my life?

I know what life has been up to this moment.

I've tried to be in control of my own life, but I don't want to

be in control anymore. I surrender to you.

I give myself to you. Here I am, God.

Here I am. Here I am.

Oh, let's just feel me. Ask.

Believe. Obey.