The Forgotten God

Acts chapter 5.

Acts 5 · chapter mention

We're starting a new series today entitled The Forgotten God.

The Forgotten God.

And this is a series that is all about the Holy Spirit.

I'm excited for it.

Can we all say the Forgotten God together?

Ready?

The Forgotten God.

The Forgotten God.

Let's try one more time.

Come on, that was kind of weak.

Ready?

The Forgotten God.

The Forgotten God.

It's gonna be a series all about the Holy Spirit.

And there's all types of thoughts and all types of things about the Holy Spirit.

And here's what we're going to do.

We're gonna do what Jesus people do.

We are gonna look at what does the scripture say?

What does the scripture actually say?

I remember when I was a kid, this is uh back in like 1998.

Any of you remember the 90s?

Some of you weren't even alive in the 90s, right?

This is like 1998 and the year of our Lord.

I was watching a TV preacher.

You guys ever watched a TV preacher before?

Okay, some of them are good.

Others of them are they're interesting.

They're interesting.

You ever watched an interesting TV preacher?

This one was interesting.

This this uh some this guy, he was he was preaching and he calls somebody up on stage, and then the person comes up on stage, and the guy is preaching, and he's like, Everybody watch this.

I'm like eight years old, I'm like, let's go, what's gonna happen?

So the the dude walks up on stage and he goes, and the dude passes out.

And the TV preacher goes, That's the power of the Holy Spirit.

And my eight-year-old mind is like, or that's the power of bad breath.

One of the two, I don't really know.

But there's a lot of different thoughts about the Holy Spirit, and what we want to do is we want to see what the Bible says.

And here's how we're gonna start this series.

We're gonna start this series asking a very simple question.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Earlier this year, I did something that I did not want to do.

I broke down and I bought a new iPhone.

Now I had my previous phone for six years.

Six.

I thought it's pretty good.

In fact, I think that might be a world record.

Has it you beat me with what did you beat me with?

Nine years.

Who's had a phone for longer than six years?

Okay, it definitely not a world record.

There's multiple hands that just went up.

I had my phone for nine years, so I so I broke down and got an iPhone 17.

Any iPhone people in the house, iPhone people, don't be shy, don't be shy.

Uh Android people, Android people, you should be shy, you should be shy.

You know, these these things are are basically like computers.

You can do all kinds of stuff, email, GPS, order food, somebody say, amen, come on, right?

These things are these things are are crazy.

And the reason why I actually got rid of my other iPhone is not because I wanted to upgrade, but it was because it was no longer holding battery.

Now my old iPhone could do most of the stuff this one could do, minus the fancy camera stuff.

But because it could no longer hold battery, it could never do what it was meant to do.

Because it didn't have power.

And this new iPhone 17, with all of its fancy, advanced features, without power, it can't do what it's designed to do either.

And here's what you need to know about the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit empowers us to live the Christian life.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to do what we cannot do on our own.

See, some of you are in the room and you've been trying to live the Christian life, and you try to read the Bible, and you try to pray, and you try to be a good Jesus follower, but if you're honest, you're exhausted.

And it's not because you're a bad person.

And it's not because there's something wrong with you.

It's maybe because you're trying to do in your own strength what only can be done through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Because without the Holy Spirit's power, it isn't just hard to live the Christian life, it's impossible to live the Christian life.

We go to a passage of scripture in Acts chapter number five, where the early church had just gotten started.

This was a church that was doing super well.

It was developing, people were coming to faith in Jesus because of this.

Families were being strengthened, amazing things were happening, people were taking steps of growth in their faith.

People were coming to know Jesus, but there was a problem that happened.

In fact, it's the first problem we ever see in the church.

By the way, if you're ever looking for a church that doesn't have any problems, can I just say they're not out there?

You know why?

Because the church is made up of people.

It's made up of people, and by the way, all of us are people.

There's a problem in Acts chapter 5, and the problem was with an individual, and with this individual, we see something very important and something very foundational about the Holy Spirit.

Acts 5 · chapter mention

It's Acts chapter 5, verse number 1.

Acts 5 · chapter mention

If you're ready for it, would you say amen?

All right, let's read it together.

Acts 5, verse 1, it says, But a man, but a man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, they sold a piece of property.

Acts 5:1

However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife's knowledge.

Hey, can we give Ananias credit?

He let his wife know what was going on.

That's a good thing.

Can the wives in the room say amen?

All right.

They didn't say anything, okay?

And he brought a portion of the sold the proceeds from the piece of property that he sold, and he brought a portion of it and he laid it at the apostles' feet.

So Ananias chose to give, which giving is a good thing.

In fact, when we look at the New Testament, part of the rhythms of a growing devoted Christ follower is they give consistently and they give generously.

This man had given, that was a good thing.

But he had insinuated that he had given all of the proceeds from the property, but he didn't give all of the proceeds from the property.

He just gave a portion of it.

So in verse number three, this is what Peter asks him, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to what are those words?

What are those words?

It is lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land.

Wasn't it yours while you possessed it?

And after it was sold, wasn't it at your disposal?

Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart?

You have not lied to people, but to God.

Verse 3, you see it.

If we can go back.

Verse 3, verse 3.

There we go, we got it.

Verse 3, it says he lied to the Holy Spirit, and then verse 4 says, you didn't lie to people, but to God.

Here's what these verses show us foundationally about the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God.

Now we can get it up there.

The Holy Spirit is not a vibe.

The Holy Spirit's not an energy.

You think about this.

You can't lie to a vibe.

I just lied to that good vibe.

The Holy Spirit's not a force.

Like any Star Wars fans in the room?

Right?

The force.

No, no, the Holy Spirit's not a force.

The Holy Spirit is God.

And the Holy Spirit has characteristics of God.

Look what it says in Psalm 139.

Where can I go to escape your spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

The answer is nowhere.

The Holy Spirit is in all places.

The Holy Spirit's also all-knowing.

It says, For who knows a person's heart?

Who knows a person's thoughts?

Except his spirit within him.

In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

In Scripture, the Holy Spirit has the attributes of God because the Holy Spirit is God.

The Holy Spirit isn't like God the Father's admin assistant.

Hey, go take care of that.

It's not like God the Father, he's varsity, and the Holy Spirit, he's JV.

No.

The Holy Spirit is God.

If you've read Colossians chapter number one, it talks about, it uses a word, the Godhead.

The Godhead.

Who's heard the word the Godhead?

You guys heard that?

A word that we better understand probably would be the word Trinity.

Who's heard the word Trinity?

Right?

One God and three persons.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Each one, each part of the Godhead has a distinct role.

A distinct role.

Now, without oversimplifying this, here's the roles.

God the Father sent the Son and the Spirit.

The Son accomplished our salvation through his life, death, and resurrection.

And the Spirit helps us to know, trust, and follow the Son.

All of them have a distinct role.

So it's not like, oh, the Holy Spirit's job is to go and die on the cross for our sin.

No, that's what Jesus did.

The Holy Spirit's job is to draw us to the Son, to help us know the Son, trust the Son, and follow the Son.

It's not like, oh, God the Father, his job was to die.

No, Jesus' job was to die on the cross.

Now, the reason why this matters so much that the Holy Spirit is God is because if the Holy Spirit is God, then we need to reverence the Holy Spirit and understand that he's not just an afterthought and he's not just a side thought.

The Holy Spirit is important.

So not only is the Holy Spirit God, but number two, the Holy Spirit is a person.

Back to the text, verse three.

It says that Ananias, he lied to the Holy Spirit.

Now, when I say a person, I don't mean that the Holy Spirit has a physical body.

It's the Holy Spirit.

When I say person, what I mean is that he possesses the characteristics of personhood.

So the Holy Spirit has intelligence, has a will, has a desire, has emotions, has the ability to relate.

He isn't a spiritual energy, but he's a person that's characteristics.

In fact, it says in Ephesians 4, the Holy Spirit can be grieved.

It says, and don't grieve God's Holy Spirit.

You guys ever been grieved before?

You ever been sad before?

This afternoon.

If you're a Seattle Seahawks fan, you're gonna be grieved.

Because the boys are in town, right?

If you're not a football fan, Niners are playing the Seahawks today, okay?

There are times when we've all been grieved, we've all been sad before, right?

The Holy Spirit here can be grieved.

So if the Spirit is speaking to you and trying to lead you, and you tell the Holy Spirit, no, this is what that does.

That grieves the Holy Spirit.

Look what Hebrews Acts 13 says.

It says, as they were worshiping the Lord and fasting.

The Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, look at the next word.

The Holy Spirit said.

The Holy Spirit said.

The Holy Spirit is speaking.

Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.

You guys, this this Saul that's in this text here, you guys know the other name that he's better known as.

Paul.

His name is gonna be changed.

Now get this.

They're in a worship service like we're in right now.

They're worshiping the Lord through song.

They're praying, they're doing these things.

And the Holy Spirit speaks in the moment.

Now, could I just say, first of all, this is why gathering with the church on Sundays is a priority?

Because the Holy Spirit speaks when the gathered church comes together, when we come together.

And the Holy Spirit says, Barnabas and Saul, I got something for them.

Like I have something I want them to do.

Now it says, what I have called them for which the work I have called them, the work was for them to go city to city, making Jesus known, preaching the gospel.

And it's in a worship service where the Spirit says, Hey, I'm speaking to these two people.

I want them to do this.

Now, they went city to city.

And if we traced our faith back far enough, hundreds of years, our faith could be traced back to Paul, Barnabas, and others going city to city, being missionaries, and that can be traced back to this verse in Acts 13, verse 2, where the Holy Spirit spoke.

Acts 13:2

And because the Holy Spirit spoke, now, literally, 2,000 years later, we are recipients of the gospel because some people listen to the Holy Spirit.

Because the Holy Spirit speaks.

And Barnabas and Saul, they were important parts of the church family.

Nobody would have planned in that gathering that, well, Barnabas and Saul, they're going to leave and they're going to be gone for years preaching the gospel.

They wouldn't have even wanted that to happen.

They love Barnabas and Saul.

And you know, sometimes the Holy Spirit's going to ask you to do things and lead you to do things that you weren't planning on.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit's going to ask you to say something.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit's going to ask you not to say something.

You know what I mean?

Sometimes the Holy Spirit's going to lead you to get out of your comfort zone.

And here's what the Holy Spirit's going to do.

The Holy Spirit is going to speak and wants to speak if we will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit speaks.

And this really brings up a really good question that I hear from a lot of people, and it's it's simply this it's how can I hear from God?

If the Holy Spirit speaks, then how can I actually hear from him?

Well, John 16, verse 13 says the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth.

John 16:13

John 17, 17 says that the word of God is truth.

It says, sanctify them by the truth.

So what we can't do is we can't have our Bibles closed and say, I don't know why God isn't talking to me.

I don't get it.

The primary way God speaks to people is through his word.

And when God wants to speak to us through his word, this is what we need to do.

We need to come before his word and say, God, as I open up the word, would the Holy Spirit please show me what you're trying to tell me?

Would the Holy Spirit please speak to me and open up my eyes to this book so I can understand and get from this book what you want to speak to me about?

And what's dangerous, what's dangerous, what's dangerous.

And Jesus followers this all the time.

They say, I want to hear from God.

So what they do is they close their Bible and they open up their, they open up TikTok or they open up Instagram or they open up Facebook and they expect that God is going to speak to them through that when the Bible's closed.

Guys, a closed Bible, a closed Bible is not how God speaks to his people.

God speaks to his people through an open Bible, but God also speaks to his people through all kinds of other ways too.

God speaks to his people.

He speaks to people through other people.

Anybody in the room, y'all ever been a it's just us, you could be honest here.

You ever been to the principal's office before?

Man, Mike shot his hand up so fast.

Let's go.

Joe says yes.

Anybody ever been to the principal's office more than one time?

Oh yes, let's go.

Let's go.

We're connecting.

We're connecting.

Yes.

So I told you guys before how I was like ninth grade or so.

I went to a Christian school and I got sent to the principal's office.

And we don't want we're not gonna talk about the events surrounding that, but we are gonna say I got sent to the principal's office, and I've told this story before.

At 14, 15 years old, I had two spiritual leaders in my life.

They looked at me and they said, Nathan, that's what people called me back in the day.

My mother still calls me that.

And God wants you to go into ministry and be a pastor.

Now, when I say I'm I'm I was 1415, I I should have added the translation to that.

The translation for me being 1415 was that I thought I knew everything.

And those guys, they knew nothing.

They don't how are they gonna tell me what God wants me to do?

Me and God, we we're we're I'm doing my own thing.

But when I look back, that was God speaking into my life through those men.

And I will never forget that conversation because there were some men that let the Holy Spirit speak through them to me, and they spoke into my life, and literally my life was forever changed because God used other people to speak to me.

I was talking to somebody who's newer to our church uh just a few weeks ago, and they have recently come to Christ, they've trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior, and in their journey to coming to Christ, they had random Jesus followers walk up to them and say, Hey, just want you to know God loves you.

Like they would be working at their place of employment, and somebody, a customer, would walk up and just say, Hey, just so you know God loves you.

Now here's what was going on.

Here's what's going on.

In this journey, this person was wrestling with faith and thinking about who is Jesus and reading scripture.

And in the process of this, there were people that the Holy Spirit was impressing on their hearts to speak to this person, and they spoke to this person multiple times, and those small statements are what led this person to take steps towards Christ.

And get this in two weeks from today, we're having baptisms at our next celebration Sunday, and that person is getting baptized.

We can clap for that.

This is what happened.

This is what happened.

God impressed something on somebody's heart, and that person said, God, I don't know why you want me to walk up to that person and say that.

But that person had a part in this person's faith journey because this person just listened to the Holy Spirit of God.

And you never know as God impresses on your heart to do certain things, you never know the fruit that God is gonna bring from that.

God wants to speak, and God can speak in all kinds of ways.

God uses his word, God uses people, God uses impressions on people's hearts.

Goodness gracious, in the Bible, God spoke through a donkey.

It's true.

He speaks.

But what we have to do is we have to be able to discern: is this God's voice?

Or is this my voice?

Is this God's voice?

Or is this that Taco Bell that I had last night?

Scripture says we are to we need to discern the spirit.

So here's a question we can ask.

Here's a question we can ask.

The question we can ask is this is this leading me towards obedience to God's word and God's purposes or away from them?

This impression that I sent, is this leading me towards obedience to God's word and God's purposes or away from them?

Sometimes what people do is people say, Oh, I think God's speaking to me to do this.

I'm listening to God, and really what we're doing is we're actually listening to our flesh and we're using God's name to try to validate a fleshly decision.

Oh, well, God, God told me to do this, bro.

That's that that that that's not the that's a spirit, but it ain't the Holy Spirit.

Because a word from God is never gonna contradict the word of God.

But God is gonna impress things on your heart and speak to you if you will be open to God speaking to you.

The Spirit speaks, the Spirit teaches.

Notice what John 14 says.

The counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name.

He will, what's that word?

He will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

Holy Spirit wants to teach you.

Holy Spirit wants to reveal things to you.

He wants to open up your eyes so you can see things.

And the word counselor here in John 14, it comes from the word uh parakletos, parakletos, and what the word parakletos means is it means a counselor, a helper, an advocate, somebody that comes alongside to help.

And this is why this matters so much.

Because somebody walked into church service today carrying a lot of things on your heart.

Things that nobody knows about.

Anxiety, grief, pain, loss, and you feel like you're all alone.

The good news of Christianity is that you're not all alone.

That God the Father has given you the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit walks with you every single day of your life if you know Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is with you, He's walking with you, He wants to encourage you, He wants to help you.

So you are never alone.

And when the enemy tries to lie to you and say, nobody's with you, you're by yourself, nobody gets you, nobody understands.

Can I say you have a paracletos if you know Jesus, that is walking with you, that wants to strengthen you, that wants to lead you into the truth.

I'm talking about the voice that when you feel all these types of ways, you sense something saying, but God loves you.

That's the Holy Spirit.

When you're walking in your life and your mind is all over the place, and there's a scripture verse that comes to your mind that God is with you.

That's the Holy Spirit bringing that to your mind.

And what the Holy Spirit is, is he is at parakletos because he walks with his people.

So you are never alone.

Here's what I want to invite us to do this morning as we wrap up this message.

I don't want this message just to stay here.

I want to invite you to take just a little journey with us, to take a five-day devotional that we put together this past week.

I'm gonna invite our worship team to come up.

And here's what this five-day devotional is it takes the truth of what we've talked about from Acts chapter five, and it just allows you to go deeper in it.

You can access this by tapping the tap tag on the seat back or going to the next steps table in the lobby.

And this is what's gonna happen.

You can just learn more about the Holy Spirit.

You can dig deeper in the Holy Spirit.

It's gonna talk more specifically about how you can sense the Spirit's voice.

It's gonna talk more specifically about what is conviction and what all these different things that a lot of questions that we have.

Here's the second thing I'm gonna invite you to do this morning.

I'm gonna invite you to pray a simple prayer.

Here's what I believe is that if we will ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us, the Holy Spirit's gonna speak.

The Holy Spirit's gonna speak, Holy Spirit's gonna lead, Holy Spirit's gonna guide, Holy Spirit's gonna do what is unexplainable.

So here's the prayer I'm gonna invite you to pray.

It's a very simple prayer.

It's this it's God, I ask the Holy Spirit to speak to me this week.

Help me to be sensitive to the Spirit, help me to follow and help me to do what I cannot do in my own strength.

And I'm gonna invite us right now, not just in our hearts, but actually verbally out to the Lord.

If this is the desire of your heart, that you would just pray this prayer.

In fact, let's say this together if this is the desire of your heart.

Ready?

God, I asked that the Holy Spirit to speak to me this week.

Help me to be sensitive to the Spirit, help me to follow, and help me to do what I cannot do in my own strength.

Let's all stay.