#683: The Function of the Holy Spirit

I want to first those today that's thinking that we've built the Holy Spirit.

Don't give up.

You need to read my little my little book on uh the Holy Spirit will help you understand who He is and how to receive Him.

Hallelujah.

Free of charge.

Oh, I I expect uh sizable donations for it, but you know.

No, and in the way of that, as my wife said, some of you uh were really blessed this year, and uh if the records are correct, and it was merely ties and offerings, you did really well.

Many of you did, maybe better than ever before.

Some of you did pretty good, and some of you need a little help.

Some of you need to start.

Because if you don't start, how can we expect the seed to multiply and bring in a harvest for us?

If we sow a little, we reap a little.

If we sow a lot, we reap a lot.

But I've learned that the reaping is more than the sowing.

God will see to that.

So it comes down to this.

Everybody say this can we trust God?

Can we trust God?

And one of the evidences that we can trust God is that we give tithe and offerings in the storehouse.

It's quiet now.

So we'll just go to Romans chapter 8 and verse 26 and let that go as it may.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

Likewise, the spirit helps our infirmities.

Now, that word infirmities means weaknesses, frailties, and sometimes sicknesses.

I know the word of faith don't want to hear that, but that's what the Greek implies.

Because some of you are coughing today, sneezing, let's just know we need to help with the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Help us overcome everything that comes our way right now.

And we know.

We don't know what we should pray for as we ought, and but the spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

And he, I'll explain that in a minute, verse 27, searches the hearts and knows what the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Complicated scripture.

But we know that the Word of God tells us today that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us on the earth.

That's why we need him.

But Christ is in heaven, making intercession for us to the Father God in heaven.

So the way we see it, a child of God just can't be defeated.

I don't care what comes our way, we're gonna come out with a victory if we just persist in the faith and stay in the grace of God.

Amen.

And so the Father knows what the Spirit wants done.

Isn't that a strange statement?

But it's true.

And many of us today, uh that's one reason why you're in church today.

Because you love the Lord and you're seeking a closer walk with Him.

This is a good sign that things are going well in your life.

But we can only know God by the Holy Spirit.

I've been on that for a few months now.

You and I only know God by the Holy Spirit.

Of course, the word of God reveals the Godhead to us, but then the Holy Spirit is the one that brings it home.

The Holy Spirit is the one that brings the revelation of Christ and the Father God and even Himself.

And so we need the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit the same thing in operation today in our lives.

Let's stand up and pray over the word right now.

That's enough.

We need to pray.

Father, we thank you for this exhortation we're going to receive and bring to your people.

Uh, even myself, Father God, as I'm a believer also, but function in a different way in the body of Christ.

And Father God, your will be done now in the saints in Jesus' name.

And everybody said, Amen.

All right, you can be seated now.

What I want to speak about today in a few minutes is the function of the Holy Spirit.

The function of the Holy Spirit.

Which involves the mind of the Spirit.

Paul said, Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus.

Well, that's the mind of the Spirit.

You know the Holy Spirit has a mind.

He thinks, he reasons, he makes decisions.

He's the primary entity that does all these things in the universe.

And even in people's lives.

When we bring it down to where we live.

Now, the Holy Spirit then carries out the will of God on this earth.

We can't do anything except by the Holy Spirit when we function in the Spirit.

Is that the microphone on?

Mute the mics except for mine, please.

Because when I hear something somebody walking, I want it to be the footsteps of the Holy Spirit, not me.

That's the reason years ago they used to have a fan on us, and because back in those days we screamed and hollered and hacked around.

And the fan would keep us cool.

But I would shut it off because if I'm going to feel something, I want to feel the wind of the Holy Spirit, not a fan.

You got to understand how this thing works.

We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and how he functions in our lives.

But today, the congregation.

Now we observed a little bit of that this morning.

Just a slight little bit.

Because there's no end to what God wants to do with us whenever we want to participate with Him.

So it's up to us.

The Holy Spirit then carries out the will of God on the earth.

Now his will is not totally done yet, but one day it will be.

But Jesus told us to pray.

He taught us to pray when he was in the garden, not my will but thine be done, and it's the same today.

How many have surrendered your will to Christ?

Well, that's a good that's a good starting place right there.

But now we gotta follow through.

Follow through.

Which denotes persistence and stamina and stability and perfecting a good character in our lives, all done by the Holy Spirit.

Now in John chapter 16, verse 7 and 8 today, St.

John 16:7

John.

So today I'm speaking about the function of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

And actually on the earth.

I tell you the truth, it's expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the comforter will not come to you.

But if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he has come, he will reprove the world of sin.

Now let me stop there.

What am I speaking about today?

The function of the Holy Spirit.

Everybody say function.

Number one, to convict of sin.

I know we don't like it, but without the conviction of the Holy Spirit in a person's life, that person cannot be saved.

People do not get saved whenever they choose.

They must come to God when God chooses.

You have not chosen me, but I've chosen you, Jesus said.

Now, he's not lost from people.

People are lost from him.

That's what a lost person is.

God knows where everybody is, saved and unsaved.

But today we're talking about the function of the Holy Spirit on this earth.

And number one is to convict of sin.

Sin can be doing something wrong or not doing something right.

God is holy.

And unfortunately, none of us measure up 100% to God's standard.

Therefore, we need the Savior.

Even Christians need the Savior.

Because he stands in the gap between God and us.

There's only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

So he alone then makes intercession for us in heaven, and to repeat the Holy Spirit now, even today, makes intercession for us on the earth.

The first thing he does then is to convict people of sins.

He convicts of sins today in the contemporary church, quote unquote, whatever that means.

It's a fault or a failure.

No, it's sin.

Sin is sin.

And there's no sense in watering this thing down.

Sin's a terrible thing.

Now I don't want to major on this, but sin's the reason why the Son of God had to go to the cross to pay the price for our sins, which He did on the cross.

When He said it was finished, people, it was finished.

He didn't have to go to a burning hell and to complete redemption.

No.

Whatever finished, you're wrong.

I don't care who you are.

For me to have to believe that Jesus had to suffer in hell.

Takes away from the power of the cross.

He said, if I be lifted up from the earth, I know what's all heaven unto me.

He didn't become a sinner and punished in a burning hell, then coming out.

Born again.

Christ was not born again.

He needed no savior.

He was a savior.

Now I don't want to preach today.

I want to talk about the function of the Holy Spirit.

And you just heard it.

You just heard it.

Because God speaks to a vessel that He's called to preach.

That's the way that it works.

And I can preach without hacking around and jumping around and throwing a spittle on people and calling out the anointing.

No, it's not the anointing.

The Holy Spirit doesn't do it that way.

No word in the Bible did Jesus hack and spit on people except for one time he spit in mud and made some eyeballs.

Okay.

That's an exception.

So bring some mud in here and we'll spit on them and then make eyeballs and put it on your eyes.

No, it's foolishness.

The guy didn't have any eyeballs.

Oh God, the Creator made an eyeball out of mud and stuck it in the socket of the guy's eye and he could see.

You talk about a miracle, like the guy with the withered hand.

He was in the church, and somebody said, Well, Jesus couldn't do anything because of unbelief.

That's not true.

That is not true.

There was unbelief in that church, in that synagogue.

And the guy said, I've got to, you know, I can I can't do it.

Jesus said, Stretch her forth.

Jesus said, Stretch her forth.

In spite of all the unbelief.

Boom! Unbelief doesn't stop God.

Come on now.

He's bigger than unbelief.

This is not coming out like a thought.

The Holy Spirit convicts of sin.

Without that, we can't even stay right with God.

Oh now.

The truth is, if you're convicted, you're already convicted.

If it was wrong twenty years ago, it's still wrong today.

Nothing's changed.

Number two.

The Holy Spirit always glorifies Christ.

Look at the same chapter and verse 14 now, please, today.

Praise the Lord.

He shall glorify me.

Is that what Jesus said?

Can I have an amen from somebody?

For he shall receive a mine and show it unto you.

So I want to know.

The first thing we know, he convicts of sin, but then secondly, the Holy Spirit always glorifies the Lord Jesus.

Everything we do when it's all said and done in the ministry should always glorify Christ, or we're not led by the Holy Spirit.

There's a guy in Kenya.

He has a big, big following, big.

But he lives in polygamy.

And when he comes there, they shut the town down.

There's so many people that come to follow this guy.

We're not to follow a person.

We're not to worship a person.

We're to worship only in the Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that's it.

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit does not receive worship.

We have these Holy Spirit seminars, this and that, and that's good.

We need to understand his function, but we do not worship the Holy Spirit.

We worship God in the Holy Spirit, with the Holy Spirit.

So anytime the Holy Spirit is overmagnified, it belittles Christ, and that is sin.

It's quiet in here today.

The third thing the Holy Spirit does, and this is endless, we're just gonna go until we're out of time here.

Is he imparts the new birth to people.

He alone! John 3 chapter 3 and verse 6 to 8 plays today.

By the way, uh I was given a a larger iPad, so now I can see better.

Alright?

So I'm a faith preacher.

I put off reading glasses as long as I can.

Then I'll get some to I'll get some some what do you call those things you put in there?

Uh contacts, yeah.

Afraid I might put them upside down though, and I wouldn't be able to see right.

So we'll just do it this way until we get a larger iPad, alright?

That worked?

That which is born of the flesh is flesh.

Turn your neighbor and say your flesh.

Turn to your neighbor and say, You're flesh.

So I see your flesh.

But I also understand you have a spirit and a soul inside that flesh body.

Isn't that right?

That which is born of the spirit is spirit.

So you're born in the flesh, and then the new birth is imparted by the Holy Spirit, and now when you receive Christ, repent of your sins, etc., etc.

Then the Holy Spirit comes to live in your human spirit, and you're born again.

The Holy Spirit is the one that grants the new birth.

Of course, Christ is the one that says yes or no.

He's in charge of the Holy Spirit.

Did you get that?

All power has been given to him, even power and influence in the Godhood.

Even the Father God has committed all judgment to the Son, so He's the one that gets the glory.

I like that last song.

Because it's true.

The Lord said verse 7, Marvel not said, you must be born again.

So it's a requirement to get into heaven.

By the way, I I would imagine Mildred shouting glory right about now.

An empty seat, but then there's a there's a new place in heaven for the saints.

Praise God.

This is why we preach.

To snatch some out of the fire in the last minute, the last second.

Well, the wind blows where it listens, thou hears the sound there, but cannot tell once it comes or where it goes.

So is everyone that's born of the Spirit.

I don't know how it works, but it works.

All I know is that the Holy Spirit functions this way, and he grants a new birth to whomsoever will come unto Christ.

So quit trying to figure it out and just accept the fact that you're born from above.

Not a feeling, but a fact.

The finish come after the fact.

The next thing the Lord does is empowers the believers.

I just jotted down a few things here.

Empowers the believers.

Acts 1.8, you all know this.

You shall receive power if the Holy Ghost comes upon you.

Ye shall receive power if the Holy Ghost comes upon you.

That's the main part of that for us.

So the Holy Spirit is the one that gives us the power.

He is the power.

If you're trying to live for God on your own, you can't do it.

The only way we can live for God is by the Holy Spirit.

The only way we know God is by the Holy Spirit.

Because the Holy Spirit is God.

Well, the next point I think about, number five, is that He is preparing the church to depart.

Glory to God.

He's working on you and me to prepare us to leave the sinful world that we live in filled with sorrow, heartache, and tears.

Now, I know some of you it's glory all the way.

You haven't lived very long yet.

Because there will be bumps in life's journey.

He never said we wouldn't have any trouble.

Contrary wise, Christ said, In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer.

I've overcame the world.

How did Christ overcome the world?

By the Holy Spirit.

You see, Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure.

He went to the cross the power of the Holy Spirit.

He died the power of the Holy Spirit.

He went down in the underworld and preached the power of the Holy Spirit.

He came up and preached again.

The Holy Spirit never left Jesus.

Never.

Or he'd have been lost.

Which brings me to a point today.

If you don't have the Holy Spirit, God forbid, but you are lost.

Did you get that?

Look, Hank and say, are you listening?

If you don't have the Holy Spirit, you're lost.

Well, when do you receive the Holy Spirit?

When you believe on Christ.

You're baptized into Christ.

Right then, in a moment of time.

But you're a babe in Christ and You need to be taught.

You can have a lot of teachers, but not many spiritual fathers.

You need to be taught right and wrong.

Because we've been taught wrong, the world's taught us wrong.

We need to be nuked and reinstalled with the word of God.

There's no other way.

So it's very important that you're taught correctly.

I take it serious, real serious.

Because wrong teaching, wrong doctrine brings a wrong spirit.

The way you keep evil entities out of the congregation is to preach the word of God just like it is.

Or Satan will move in and set up headquarters because the preacher is not preaching it right.

That's what it comes down to.

So if we're taught right, we're going to believe right.

Of course, you've got the word of God as a fail-safe, but nevertheless, that's what we teach and preach is God's word.

The Holy Spirit then empowers the church to leave in Ephesians 5.27.

Ephesians 5.27.

I thought about this some this week.

And I'm not saying I have all the answers to the immutable, unchangeable word of God.

It's endless.

But we can glean some things as the Holy Spirit helps us to understand some things.

That he might present unto himself a glorious church without a spot or a wrinkle.

Now, right now, I don't really see much of a glorious church, to include myself.

But God sees us as we shall be.

Well, it's true.

So in that regard, he sees a glorious church.

We're still in the process of getting there.

God's not in time, we are.

But now the ultimate in this scripture is when we're raptured up and glorified with a new body, then we'll be the glorious church without a spot or a wrinkled wash of the blood of the Lamb.

But as far as God's concerned, we're already seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

He already knows.

Well, this is the way it's going to be.

We walk by faith and not by sight.

If I was going by sight, I'd say we've got a pretty much of a multi, multi uh motley crew here.

But the fact is, you are a glorious person in Christ Jesus.

Old things have passed away, and all things have become new.

So as far as God is concerned, it's a done deal.

I know our understanding is unfruitful in this area, and we're gleaning revelation about this glorious church.

But God says Christ will have a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle, wash in the blood of the Lamb.

Isn't that right?

We're washed the blood right now, aren't we?

Well, aren't we?

So our sins have been washed away, then you're glorious.

I just can't accept it.

Well, just stay in the unbelief if you want.

But God says we are.

It's like the same principle, God says we're healed.

By straps you will heal, 1 Peter 2.24.

But yet we have these infirmities and sicknesses and weaknesses and diseases and this and that to overcome.

I know, but God says we are healed.

So now we're in the process of getting healed, and we'll have we'll receive the ultimate healing at the trumpet.

This is the way that it works.

This faith thing's not easy.

So we've got to throw out carnal thinking and take on the mind of Christ, which is the function of the Holy Spirit.

You know, it's about teaching what amens I'm getting.

Not really.

I just, that's just something I throw in there to kind of fill in space while you're trying to figure out what I just said.

Instead of hacking, I just say that.

Okay.

The next thing the Holy Spirit does is to deposit spiritual gifts in our lives.

Praise God.

1 Corinthians 14, 1.

Briefly here.

Fall after charity and desire of spiritual gifts.

That really you may prophesy.

So prophesying is a spiritual gift, and the Holy Spirit is the one that imparts the gifts into your life.

He is the one that does it.

Jesus doesn't do it.

The gifts of the Spirit come from the Holy Spirit Himself.

So when you operate spiritual gifts, you're in the Spirit.

Now, you can operate those gifts in the natural, but it's not effective that to be flesh, and God doesn't accept that.

But when you let of the Holy Spirit and function in the authority and realm of the Holy Spirit, which is God's will, you can operate these spiritual gifts as he sees fit, and it edifies the body of Christ.

That's the way that it works.

No spiritual gifts in operation, we suffer.

Not God's will.

In fact, Paul was so radical, he said, I would to God you all prophesied one by one.

You talk about a three, four-hour church service?

Nothing but prophesy.

Of course, when people prophesy, we need to put legs on those prophecies and do something about it.

Same way with prayer.

You can pray to your blue in the face, but until you do something, oh God.

God's not gonna do anything.

I don't know.

Booksworth said, it seems God does nothing until somebody prays.

But then part two, we need to put legs to our prayers and do something about what we prayed for, what we prayed about.

Or what's use?

You think God's gonna do everything?

No.

He does his part and we do our part.

How do we do it?

As we yield to the function of the Holy Spirit.

That's how we do.

That's five words.com.

That's fine of work.com.

Well, let's get back to today.

Let's look at chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians verse 7, which is really the Christian constitution here today.

The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man a profit up, profit withal.

Now, it doesn't say that every Christian has uh spiritual gifts in operation, but it does imply that those that operate in these spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit is given to everyone for profit.

So someone can operate any one of the nine gifts in the congregation or anywhere, really, and then everyone that's connected to it, that's listening, are edified because of it.

So, in that regard, we need the manifestation of the Holy Spirit for the edification of the body of Christ.

Now, there are many ways that we yield to the Holy Spirit, and I might get on that.

We had a couple of runners today.

Praise the Lord.

I'm waiting for the cartwheel, okay?

A guy came here years ago.

He said, We need to put a rope there and then run around, grab the rope, and swing around like Tarzan, you know, and then drop off.

I don't know about that, but it's not in the Bible, is it?

I don't think.

Who knows?

Half's never yet been told.

Well, he deposits and he Here's another thing the Holy Spirit does, number seven.

Uh He directs believers.

Now I need direction in every area.

Don't yell, don't yell.

I need direction from God because I can get counsel from people, but uh sometimes it's not exactly correct.

And I can get counsel from three or four different people, whatever, about something, but I still have to make a decision about me.

What I'm gonna do, what I'm not gonna do.

And so I need the Holy Spirit to help me and direct me.

And so do you.

It's always in the blessings, not the curse.

It's always out of the world, not stay in the world.

And so there's a separation because of the Holy Spirit.

Listen now, not everybody says they're Christians has the Holy Spirit.

Did you get that?

They can go to church every time the doors open, give a lot of money, get baptized every Sunday morning, take communion all the time, say their prayers, eat their vitamins, and still not have the Holy Spirit.

You're scaring me.

If you have the Holy Spirit, you should be saying, Yes, that's right, preacher.

But if you're unconcerned about it, or you don't understand what I'm saying, you need to check your spiritual house and see if you're saved or not.

Because not everybody says, Lord, Lord's going to enter the kingdom of God.

The broad road, many go in there at.

But straight is the gate that narrows the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it.

The few that found the straight and narrow is evidenced by the indwelt Holy Spirit.

I might be on this all year until we get it here at Zion Word Church and also on the Facebook.

I can go a year on it.

I did one time before.

Well, I'm sitting hearing about it.

The Holy Spirit's going to get us to heaven.

You better wake up.

Ain't nobody going to heaven didn't come from heaven.

Holy Spirit came from heaven, he's going to go back to heaven and take the church with him.

However, he'll stay here also to save those of the tribulation because he's omnipresent.

Can I go on?

He directs us, John 16, 13.

I'm in St.

John 16 a lot today, it looks like.

When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, that's the Holy Spirit, the third person of Trinity.

That's who I'm talking about today, and how he functions.

He will guide you into all truth.

Do you see that?

He, the Holy Spirit, will guide you into all truth.

And I've learned after all these years, he's even guiding me when I'm not aware of it.

I wished I was aware of it more, but there are times in our human frailties that we're not aware of it.

But even if we make a mistake, we want to follow the Holy Spirit, do we not?

We want to stand the straight and narrow, don't we?

We want to do God's will and be happy, don't we?

We want to make our life count for Christ, don't we?

There's only one way: the Holy Spirit way.

So many churches fight to keep the Holy Spirit out of the church.

That's sin.

I said that's sin.

They're sinning against the Holy Spirit, that's very dangerous.

I mean, you can talk against the Father, talk against Jesus.

If you start talking against the Holy Spirit, you're in danger of blaspheme.

That's not forgivable.

You're going to go to hell.

Yet I've heard preachers, oh, I can jab or dislike those tongue talkers and make fun.

Sir, you're on dangerous grounds.

I don't know if you got the Holy Spirit.

If you got the Holy Spirit, you cannot speak against the Holy Spirit unless you do it on purpose and you've been previously filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now you're going to go to hell.

That's blaspheme.

Don't even pray for them.

Nope.

There's no way out.

That's the one sin that God will not forgive is blaspheming the Holy Ghost.

I need this direction, don't you?

We're not going to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

Be sure you don't.

You start making fun of people that's getting filled with the Spirit and rejoicing in their salvation and praising God and the dance and the praise of whatever.

Rolling the floor, laughing, crying.

It's a manifestation, a byproduct of the Holy Spirit being activated in that person's life.

Don't you ever make fun of somebody.

Years ago, I was in a church in Arkansas, and everybody's sitting in the pews and everything.

The music's gone.

And this old guy gets up and starts dancing like crazy.

He's probably old.

He's old, probably 70.

No, he's probably 85 or right on up, pushing 90.

I mean, he's up in years.

And he's just cutting the rug, I mean, lives better than the Africans.

I mean, they could really.

He was just really moving them feet and hands and praising God.

And I looked over there and I didn't think too well of it.

God says to me, son, don't make fun of him.

Don't you think wrong about him.

He's served me his whole life.

He deserves to praise me in the dance and church.

I said, Yes, Lord.

If God's forgiven much, the same loves much.

It don't matter.

Man, when you've been released from all the things and taken you to hell, you get happy sometimes.

Have we forgotten?

Well, we need to shake ourselves.

So then the scripture says then he will guide us into all truth.

He'll not speak himself.

Whatever he hears, that shall he speak.

He will show you things to come.

You talk about the spirit of prophecy, man, he will show us things to come.

And our lives and the kingdom of God on the world will not be caught unaware.

He'll show us things to come.

He.

If we see anything, it'll be by the Spirit.

If we hear anything, it's by the Spirit.

If we know anything, it's by the Spirit.

If we become anything, it's by the Spirit.

And we're making our point today.

Praise God.

We cannot even exist without the Holy Spirit.

So then, as we're closing down here, how can we allow the Spirit to operate this way?

In our lives.

And secondly, this should be every believer's desire this morning.

That's listening to me.

Is this your desire?

Well, the first thing we're going to have to do is surrender his authority, surrender to his authority, relinquish full control.

Number one.

You surrender to his authority.

He has a final say.

Full control.

Number two.

Now you're not gonna like this.

But we must empty out.

What do you mean?

We're too cluttered.

We're too cluttered with things.

Carosless life.

Too many trickets and gadgets.

Which brings me to a point.

I'm not proud of it, but when it happened to me, I was on the airplane and I we were sitting there for nine hours, just a short time there in the in the airport between flights.

Nine hours, not long.

And I decided to charge my cell phone.

So I reluctantly, I just nonchalantly plugged it in.

And then through the process of time, they called me over to the desk for some nonsense.

And and before I got back, everybody was boarding the plane, and then you know, and time's running out.

So I run over and get my backpack and I forgot my cell phone.

Well, I get on the plane, and I'm looking in my man purse.

Don't laugh.

And where's my phone?

And I realize how dependent I am on that phone.

I know not you.

But I mean, your whole life is recorded.

I mean, it can be blah-buh-buh bad.

And I go to the stewardess and I go, hey, I forgot my cell phone, and the door was locked on the plane, I couldn't get out.

What am I gonna do?

So I tell her, hey, I forgot my cell phone.

Can you get it for me?

Well, we'll try.

So I'll go back and sit down, and I'm just very calm.

I'm very calm, you know.

I like a nice, relaxing trip, you know what I'm saying?

So I I get up about 10 minutes and go back, and nobody around.

And oh Lord, the pilot, you know, he's rubbing up there, getting ready to go.

So I go back and sit down, totally defeated.

Well and Jennifer laughing.

They're laughing like crazy.

Not really.

So I walk back up there, and the and the stewardess had my phone with the cord and everything.

How'd she got it?

I don't know.

They wouldn't unlock the door.

And she gives it to me.

And I said, Oh, thank you, thank you.

She goes, Oh, no problem.

I've done it, done the same thing myself before.

I understand.

I said, Oh, thank you.

I'll never do it again.

I'll never leave my phone again in an airport.

I promised myself that.

But it it's well, it's a necessity in our life right now, it seems.

But on the other hand, we're too cluttered with other things.

That doesn't mean a whole lot.

Takes up too much of our time, you know, no time for God.

And we need to make some adjustments here now, this year.

I listen.

But it's up to us to do it, like for example, in Mark 10 2021, Mark 10.21.

Now I'm not saying that today that God will require this of us, but he might.

One thing you lack, go your way and sell whatever you have and give it to the poor.

Thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and take up your cross and follow me.

Now that was what the Lord required of that person.

I'm not saying he required it of us, but he might.

And if it does, we're required to comply.

So we need to empty out.

Now, now listen now.

There's one thing in our life that we need to get rid of.

And every most everybody's got something that they hold on to and you need to let it go.

For me, it was one of my kids.

And they were sitting here.

And in prayer, God says to me, Do you love me?

And I said, You know I do.

He said, Would you love me if I took that child away?

I said, Yes.

He didn't.

But he could have.

Now, what's in your heart?

There's one thing.

Some of you might be your little dog.

I'm joking, people.

Lighten up.

Little toe-toe.

But there's always something that God reserves that place for himself.

He will extract it.

Because we're too cluttered in our heart.

Now we need to yield to him.

We need to abide in him and yield to him.

This is the way of victory.

In Romans 6, 16.

You're either standing because you like the message or you want something to eat.

I don't know what it is right now.

But it's all working for good in the love of God, okay?

Know ye not that to whom you yield yourselves, servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey.

Sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness.

I think Sister Christie said obedience was the key today, and that's exactly right.

So obedience helps us to stay righteous or to stay right with God.

So in contrast, disobedience will work the other way.

But it's up to us to choose correctly.

And the Holy Spirit is the one that helps us choose correctly.

Then the next thing we need to do to allow the Holy Spirit to function in our life properly is Psalms 27-14.

Back in the old covenant here, is to wait on the Lord.

You see, we all get in a hurry.

That's human nature.

And Americans are really bad about it.

Go over to Africa and you'll find out how far off we are.

The none are hurried about anything over there.

You cannot make them hurry.

I've tried 20 years, and you cannot make them hurry.

It took 20 years to establish headquarters church in Zambia.

Twenty years.

These gray hairs.

You can't hurry them up.

And I think that's a good quality, but there's a cutoff here.

We're in too much of a hurry.

They have time, we got a watch.

You're right now, you're where you're looking at your watch.

You're too cluttered.

Throw the stupid thing away.

It's controlling you.

I can't throw the yeah, you can't.

Or you won't.

We can start by not looking at our watch when we come to church.

And no texting in church.

Because some of you are beguiled by this text in social media, which is evil.

You got young people killing themselves because some idiot says something that's devilish.

Parents, you better get a handle on it.

We need to wait on the Lord.

Be of good courage.

He'll strengthen our hearts.

Wait out to say on the Lord.

Now to wait on the Lord is to serve the Lord.

Serve.

Serve.

Whatever he has you doing, be glad you're doing something.

And if you're not doing anything for the Lord, wait.

He'll show you what he wants you to do.

You don't become a bishop by evading, cleaning the outhouse.

Or running the vacuum cleaner.

Or teach the son of school.

No, you start at the bottom and work your way up, and then God promotes you as you're faithful in what you're doing now.

We got some uh new ones working in children's church, thank you.

And and you know, some helping in the kitchen and this and that.

There's a hundred different things that go on around here, and just be faithful on that.

When the time comes, God will elevate you if you want to call it that, but then you may not want it after you get there.

So be happy where you are.

We need doorkeepers, we need you know, people that change batteries and microphones and a hundred different things around here.

By the way, are you enjoying the music?

You want to go back to thing?

Shall we together at the river?

Is that what you want?

But on the other hand, you young people, you want something like this.

A C D C stuff, that's what you want.

You're not getting either one.

We're in the middle.

That's true.

The last thing I want to say before we go eat is we need to make room for the Holy Spirit.

This is just simple things here.

I'm saying today.

So many people don't even make room for the spirit in their life.

How do we do that?

Inviting.

I can't see him.

I don't know.

You can feel him, can't you, sometimes?

Like the wind?

You know, when Christ shows up, I'm not gonna have to look at his nail scars to know it's him.

I'll tell you right now.

We know we know the spirit, don't we?

Don't we know the spirit?

I mean, sometimes he's faint, sometimes he's like a little dove, sometimes he's very powerful.

He knows what he's doing, but it's always him.

He operates in different ways, but we always know it's him, don't we?

Spreach him having trouble.

Well, have you invited him?

Have you made room for him?

How do we do that?

How about speak to him?

How about speak to him?

How about speak to him?

Can we start there?

How do we develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit if we don't speak to him?

We're waiting for him to speak to us.

No, wait a minute.

We speak to him first, as a general rule, and then he'll speak to us secondly.

Why would he speak to you when you're not even listening, anyway?

You're too cluttered up.

Your mind's got too many things rolling in it, and we need to clear it all out, especially when we come to church.

Clear it all out of your mind and be open to the Holy Spirit.

Be open to the Holy Spirit.

I mean, it's difficult to come to church and sit there, all right, preacher, bless me now.

You're not going to get a thing.

Christ wouldn't even do it.

But if you're open and want him and need him and realize without him, you're nothing.

We need to be hungry and make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit.

And one way we do it, we present ourselves before God, but secondly, we speak to the Holy Spirit.

Not enough of the churches that say we shouldn't do that, but hey, I'm not praying to the Holy Spirit, I'm speaking to him.

There's nothing wrong to pray to the Holy Spirit either.

Word of faith, you're wrong again.

When Stephen is being stoned, he looked up and saw Jesus in the right hand of God.

Huh?

Said, Lord Jesus, receiving my spirit.

So he was praying to Jesus.

And we're told we're supposed to pray to the Heavenly Father in Jesus' name only.

No, wait a minute.

You can pray to Jesus too.

So why can't we speak to the Holy Spirit?

Maybe that's why he's not speaking to us so much.

It's because we're not even acknowledging him and speaking to him.

There's nothing worse to go and visit somebody and they don't acknowledge you're visiting them.

When I go see somebody, I don't go to see your house, ladies.

The women, oh my house, it needs to be cleaned up.

I don't care about your house.

We men are used to being cluttered.

Aren't we, Will?

And don't bother me how cluttered your house is.

I don't care.

I'm coming to see you.

I don't mind walking through a cow trail.

I've already lost it here.

We need to speak to him.

What's that book that Benny Hinn wrote here a while back?

Welcome, Holy Spirit.

Was that it?

Good morning, Holy Spirit.

Good point.

Good point.

We need to be so encountered, so inclined to the presence of the Holy Spirit.

God help us when our cold feet hit that floor.

That devil should say, uh oh, help him going again.

Oh start wringing his hands.

Because the power of the Holy Spirit actually helps us.

Isaiah 65, 24, and I will stop.

It should come to pass.

Before you call, I'll answer.

Well, I like that.

How he knows what we're going to ask.

While you're yet speaking, the Bible says, I'll hear.

So he knows what we're going to pray for before we ask.

How does God know that?

The Holy Spirit knows.

That's how Jesus knew what Thomas said.

Thomas, come here and touch me.

See these hands and nails in my scar and my side.

I mean, not faithless, but believing.

How did Jesus know that?

The Holy Spirit told him.

Praise God.

Let's stand up today.

Praise the Lord.

So the function of the Holy Spirit then is necessary in our lives.

And the church said, Amen to that.

Now we've eaten some spiritual food today.

Now it's time to eat the natural.

We overeat in the natural.

You cannot overeat in the spiritual.

That's the good news.

Praise the Lord.

The more we eat in the spiritual, the more we give out.

The Holy Spirit functions as we give out truth to people.

Otherwise, he stays dormant until we do something.

Do you understand what I said today?

So everybody say this.

Holy Spirit, thank you.

I acknowledge you as the power source.

In Jesus' name.

Take control of my life.

This day forward, I yield to your will.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.