The Holy Spirit Promise Part 2

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Holy Spirit

(Part 2)

Welcome Jesus Church here and Online

• Last week New Series on the Holy Spirit
  • If you missed last week – Very important
  • Please watch online/website/Facebook
  • First 3 messages are foundational to the rest
• Write this down: The Holy Spirit is “God Empowering Presence”
  • This is most helpful way for me to think of Holy Spirit

So the Holy Spirit is 3 things

• God’s Person
• God’s Power
• God’s Presence

Review – Last week we talked all about God’s person

Made the point that Holy Spirit is a HE not an IT

• By He I don’t mean “Male” but a “Living Being”
• That shift from “IT” to “HE” changes everything

Understanding this helps us to relate correctly to the Holy Spirit

• Holy Spirit is a relationship to grow in
• Not a power to obtain
• And as much as I grow in my relationship with my wife
• Learn what she is thinking
• Learn what she wants to do

• • In the same way – We grow closer to the Holy Spirit 

  • Learn how to hear her better

Tag: This week – Talk on Power of the Holy Spirit (Then Presence) [PRAY]

Story

I tend to think about how things would look literally from Bible

• Last week how awkward if bird was literally stand on Jesus head

  • We know this was imagery from Gen 1:2

  • As H.S. was over waters of creation

  • Same way H.S. was over Jesus

Main verse from last week (Series)

• Comes from John 20:21-22

• • Ground zero for our call to mission

  • To do so we need what Jesus says…

    • 1 – Peace (Emotional Health)

    • 2 – Holy Spirit (Spiritual Health)

Jn. 20:21-22

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”

Reading this I’m thinking how did this work

• Like did Jesus blow in their faces (Illustrate)

  • Even saying that – For all of you that hate idea of breath

  • My wife and sister-in-law to name just two

  • No joke: Like they outlaw any song w/ word breath in it

    • No – “This is the air I breath”

    • Nothing like that…

• But I didn’t think this made sense – Must be more

• • Little Greek word study – Word here is Emphasoh

  • This is only place in New Testament this word is used

    • When Bible was translated: Hebrew to Greek (Septuagint) 

      • This is the exact word used in Gen 2:7

      • And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

• In the beginning of God’s original creation
• The act of human life was complete by the breath of God

• • After Jesus had died and been resurrected

  • We as a new creation are complete by the breath of God

• Did you know that you are complete in Jesus

• • Problem is we try and complete ourselves

  • We need to stop looking to ourselves

  • We need to start looking to Jesus

    • And Jesus brought that completion through the H.S.

• Col 2:9-10 (NKJV)
• For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Father, Son & Holy Spirit), and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
• It is time we start living as completed people

• Stop living as broken people (AMEN)

  • Because you are not defeated – You are more than a conqueror

  • Because you have victory in Christ

  • Because guess what… we win

• And as Jesus breathed completion in his disciples/us

• • We gained the Holy Spirit

  • And the power that comes with that

• Lets back this up – Turn to Luke 1:30 (Christmas Story)
• Luke 1:30-35
• But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father (Ancestor) David, and he will reign over Jacob (Israel) descendants forever, his kingdom will never end.
• Phrase “Son of David” – Another way of saying “Messiah”

• • Angel tells Mary she is going to have a baby

  • He will be the long awaited Messiah

  • Come to usher in the new Kingdom of God

• But he will also be “Son of the most high God”

• • Which is why Mary asks the question

• How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin? The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most
• High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
• Here is how: The Holy Spirit will “COME ON YOU”

• • And power of most high will “OVERSHADOW YOU”

  • Notice the link between: Power & Spirit

• One of many examples – Power & Spirit are basically synonymous

• • Where Power is the Spirit

  • And the Spirit is the Power

  • That’s how close the link is… few more examples

• Luke 3:21
• When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.
• So Holy Spirit is on Jesus here… turn the page to chapter 4 Luke 4:1-2
• Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan (Baptism) and was led by the
• Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hangry… I mean hungry.
• Luke 4:14-21
• Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
• This is a prophecy from Isaiah 100’s of years before Jesus
• “The Spirit of the Lord is on me (notice this language), because he has anointed me
• This is where we get language of Messiah

• • Anyone know what Messiah means – Anointed one

  • In Ancient Israel they would anoint someone with oil

  • Oil was symbolic of the Holy Spirit

    • To anoint someone was to say H.S. was on that person

    • Workin through that person in a special way

• To say someone is Messiah

• • Saying that person is who God’s Spirit will be on/working through

  • Goes on to what Messiah is all about…

• to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back o the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
• This is Lukes way of saying – Jesus is the Messiah (Anointed One)

• Most already get that – Here is why this matters

  • For Luke the way Jesus does all this Messiah stuff

    • Healing the sick

    • Words of knowledge/discernment/power over demons

  • Luke tells us it is all in “The power of the Spirit”

    • Because he is the anointed one

• Few minutes of Theology – Hopefully okay (Important)
• Starting here and through Jesus’ story

• We hear about miracle after miracle after miracle

  • Healing the sick

  • Blind people see

  • Lame people walk

  • Prophecy/discernment

• There are 2 ways of reading the miracle stories in all the Gospels

• • 1 – As proof that Jesus was God

    • This is how miracle stories been read in west for 300 years

• Back Story: Before enlightenment people saw world far more spiritual

• Sun came up in the morning: People said – “God made sun rise!”

  • Rain would fall

  • Crops grow

  • People said – “God gave me food!”

• After enlightenment people realized scientific law/principles

• • Understood sun rises because the Earth is round not flat

  • Spins on its axis at 23.5 degrees

  • At a speed of 18.5 miles per second

    • This was birth of far more secular world view

• Out of enlightenment came ideas of: Natural and Supernatural

• • Before enlightenment this wasn’t a distinction

  • Natural was event (Sun rises in morning) w/ scientific principles

  • Supernatural was event that didn’t follow science – Miraculous

• Not much later – People started not believing in the supernatural

• If there is a God… He is not involved in running of world: Science is

  • So we don’t believe God interacts with creation

  • Therefore we now don’t believe Jesus was God

• Christians heard this and started freaking out a bit (good at that)

• • People were questioning the miraculous of Jesus

  • Comeback from Xians – Read Gospels and all the miracles

    • These prove that Jesus must have been God!

• Thinking was good hearted – Problematic (many people do miracles)

• • Prophet (Elisha) does a parallel miracle to many of of Jesus’

    • Healing leprosy

    • Multiplies loaves to feed a huge crowd

    • Prophecy

    • Raising the dead

      • Do we believe Elisha is the embodiment of God

      • No – We believe Spirit of God was on him (anointed)

  • After Jesus read Acts – Phillip/Paul/Peter

    • Doing miracles

    • Healing sick

    • Raising dead… don’t believe any of these are God in flesh

      • It’s simply Spirit of God at work in these people

• A Better way to read the miracles stories
• They are signs of the kingdom of God coming to Earth

• Through His anointed one (Messiah) named Jesus

  • Think of prophecy from Is. 61 on Kingdom of God (Luke 4)

    • What is kingdom like: Blind see & Lame walk

    • Does Jesus heal blind people – Quite a bid

    • Do lame people walk around Jesus – Absolutely

• When Jesus does miracles: Focus not proof Jesus is God (some truth)

• • Jesus doing miracles shows God’s approval on what He is doing

  • Jesus even says this: If u don’t believe me… believe miracles

  • So there is some of this idea

• But its more signs that the long awaited kingdom of God is here

• • Jesus is the King of it all

• Begs question – How does Jesus do miracles (not b/c He is God)

• Look at the text of Lk. 4:14 – Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit

  • When Jesus came to Earth he set aside his God powers

• Phil 2:6-7
• Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thin to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

• • Jesus does this in order to become a real/true human being

• Jesus isn’t God pretending to be human (Jesus is God & Man)

  • Example: God is omnipresent – All places at all times

    • Is Jesus omnipresent?

    • No he was in a human body

  • Example: God is omnipotent – He is all powerful

    • Is Jesus all powerful?

    • No – He gets hungry/thirsty/tired/worn down… and dies

    • That is definitely not all powerful

  • Example: God is Omniscient – He is all knowing

    • Is Jesus all knowing… No: Jesus asks all sorts of questions

      • Sometimes Jesus knows what people are thinking

      • Talk about this in: Prophecy/Knowledge

    • A lot of the time Jesus asks questions

      • How long have you been like this

      • Where is your daughter now

      • Love story where disciples ask about His return

        • Jesus says – I don’t know when it will happen

        • No man knows… not even the Son only the Father

        • Jesus isn’t lying – He doesn’t know

• Gary Bresheer – Head of Theology in Western Seminary
• He laid down the God card. As if there is an all access card to the universe that gets you anywhere. And when God became human, he set that aside and said no not now
• This is why we see the first temptation of Jesus: Stones into bread

• • Is that a sin??? No – No guilt for carbs (maybe)

  • So why is it a temptation – what is temptation

  • Temptation was to pick that God card back up

    • Rather than to just be Jesus of Nazareth

• If true that Jesus emptied himself – Where does he get his power

• • Answer is from the Holy Spirit

  • When u read miracle stories don’t think well of course… he’s God

  • Yes he was – Better way to read

    • This is what a human walking in power of Spirit looks like

    • This is what God is after

• Here is why this is so important
• This means Jesus is prototype for all of his followers

• Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to do miracles

  • We as his followers are/can be anointed by Holy Spirit as well

  • If you think this sounds crazy – Turn to Jn 14

• Jn 14:12 (ESV)
• Truly, truly I say to you (Jesus for this is important so listen up), whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do
• What are the works that Jesus has been doing – Miracles

• • And then it gets even more crazy…

• and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
• All sorts of ideas on what could “Greater” mean

• • Jesus just got done raising Lazarus from the dead

  • Is he saying that’s nothing – You’ll totally one up me… how?!?!

  • Best theory is greater in quantity not quality

    • Jesus could only do so much as one person in time/space

    • Now there are millions of Xians at every corner of Earth

• Regardless on what u think on what “GREATER” means

• • Everyone agrees it doesn’t mean less than

• So question then is how…

• Answer is exact same way as Jesus… keep reading b/c Jesus says how

• Jn 14:13-17
• Whatever you ask in my name…
• Not tag line at end of prayer

• • It’s praying in line with Jesus name

  • Ancient Far East culture – This is your nature/what ur like

  • Jesus says I’ll do anything u ask in keeping with my nature

• this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, event he Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit), whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
• Recap – Jesus is saying if u believe in me: Do same stuff I am doing

• • In fact you will even do greater things – HOW?

  • I will give you the Holy Spirit

  • To help you – walk beside you – be with you

    • This is exactly what happens

• Acts 1:1
• In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach…
• Anyone know what his first book was – LUKE

• • Same Author – All that he BEGAN to do…

    • Book 1: What Jesus Began

    • Book 2: What Jesus Continues to do – Now thru followers

• Act 1:6-8 (ESV)
• So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” (Right after he promised baptism of Holy Spirit – more in few weeks) He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive POWER when the HOLY SPIRIT has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Jude’s and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
• So first the Holy Spirit is on Mary – Conception of Jesus

• • Then Holy Spirit is on Jesus – Baptism for Kingdom work

  • Now Holy Spirit is on Jesus followers

    • This goes back to theology of mission again

    • “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you”

    • Now: U will be representation of me – Proof of my kingdom

• This is exactly what happens: Few examples…

• • Acts 3 – Peter heals the lame man

  • Acts 5 – Signs/wonders/healings

    • Might say well that’s Peter and Apostles… keep reading

    • Acts spans around 40 years

      • Over decade later look at Acts 8

• Acts 8:4 (ESV)
• Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip (not the disciple) went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
• So here is a guy: Not apostle, not one of the 12, shows up in Acts 6

• • Here he is doing the exact same stuff

• There is a pattern in the text to understand

• In reading Gospels: See Jesus doing miracles in power of Holy Spirit

  • Then reading Acts: See Jesus followers doing same in Holy Spirit

• Not saying right after service head over to city morgue

• • Start raising the dead

  • I believe in that – Believe that very much happens

  • Especially in the developing world/but here as well

• But not saying you have to start demon hunting

• • Clearly God was up to something unique and special

  • Specifically Peter had a unique ministry God was using… BUT

    • Same Holy Spirit that was on Jesus

    • Same Holy Spirit that was on Peter

    • Same Holy Spirit that was on Philip… Early Church…

      • Same exact power is now on who… YOU AND ME

      • If you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit (few weeks)

• Maybe ur thinking: Ok in theory – But I don’t feel that
• This isn’t a part of my life – Don’t cast out demons

• Usually just hope its mental health issues and that they get meds

  • I don’t give words of knowledge

  • I don’t prophecy – Can’t even hear Gods voice when I read Bible

  • I can’t even get freedom over sin

• So where is this power of the Spirit of God

• • All this is doing is making me feel bad

• This is where understanding Holy Spirit as person becomes so important

• Last week point – Most Xians think of Holy Spirit as force not person

  • Spirit is a power we wield (Starwars)

  • In reality the Spirit is a person to GROW in relationship with

• Important when talking about power – Absolutely is power

• • Have to understand it’s a living beings power

  • Not a force that we learn to tap into

• Illustration – Growing up I was in track – Mainly did high jump

• Well high jump is literally the most lazy even in track

  • You just jump and lay on these big mats all practice

  • But the mats are ridiculously heavy (I weighed 110)

  • Had to move them every day in and out

• I also had a friend who was shot putters – Literally build like an ox

• • So when I needed power/muscle to move these mats

  • I didn’t close my eyes and wield my inner shot putter power

    • No I went over to the shot put pit and asked my friend

    • And together we would move the mats together (90/10)

• As grow relationship w/ the H.S. – U grow in his power
• There is connection b/w our relationship to H.S. & Power of H.S.

• In other words – There is back & forth between

  • How we live

  • Holy Spirits power in our lives

• Think of it as a math equation

• • Intimacy with God + Holiness + Faith = Power

  • Quick word on each

• – Intimacy with God (What God is after – learn to walk close w/ God) Gal. 5:25
• Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit
• Love metaphor: Keep close, walk with, stay close through life

• • • This is what God is getting at

    • Comes down to learning to hear God’s voice

• John Wimber (Amazing Christian Writer)
• When I speak of listening to God’s voice, I mean to develop a practice of communion with the Father in which we are constantly asking, “Lord, what do you want to do now, how do you want to use me, how should I pray, is there someone you want to touch through me, whose life do you me to speak into. Sometimes he gives me specific insights on people I am praying for, these comes as impressions, words, pictures that correspond to things in their lives. These insights allow me to know who to pray for and how I should pray.
• This is the idea of developing a practice of communion w/ the Father

• • • This is what discipleship to Jesus is all about

    • Learning to live in tune with God’s presence

      • What is God up to

      • What part to I play

      • How can I be a part

        • In my city/neighborhood/school/church/government

• Learning to live with God at the forefront of your mind

• • • Closer in relationship – Easier it is to hear (like marriage)

• – Holiness (Jesus calls the Spirit the “HOLY SPIRIT”)

• • Makes sense holiness would be big deal for the Holy Spirit

    • Holiness we agree has a checkered past

    • Important to define holiness: Set apart for God’s special purposes

• 2 parts to Holiness: Set apart FROM/Set apart FOR

• • • Set apart FROM

      • Meaning you say “NO” to the world (culture against God)

      • Say no to – Greed/Hate/Sexual Immorality/Gossip…

      • This is what it means to be Holy

        • How you live is different from the world (set apart)

• Set apart FOR… GOD!!!
• Holiness often translated “Dedicated to God”

• • • • Set apart for relationship with God

        • Things to do: Prayer/Fasting/Scriptures/Meditation

• So there is a positive and negative side of Holiness

• • • And there is tie between our Holiness AND power of Holy Spirit

    • And its not weird – Its just a relationship

      • I really wish it wasn’t like that

      • I wish it was: God will do what God will do

      • But that isn’t the wiring of the Kingdom of God

• Really Holiness comes down to lifestyle of obedience

• • • Which means every opportunity to give into sin (distance)

    • Is actually an opportunity to grow in relationship and power

      • Think of Jesus – Goes into wilderness full of Holy Spirit

      • 3 temptations that he chooses not to fall into

      • Walks out FULL OF THE POWER of the Holy Spirit

        • Every temptation is a chance to grow in power of H.S.

• – Faith (Cant get around this one – 26 of 29 healing stories include faith)

• • Definitely an aspect of Faith when comes to what God can & will do

  • Jordan Sang

• God’s main goal is to encourage us to trust His love. So it makes perfect sense that He would arrange things so that the power flows most easily through those who most fully trust in his compassionate generosity in providing it.
• Miracle working faith believes God is genuinely eager work in power

• • • This isn’t working yourself up at church – “I believe.. HEALING!”

    • This faith is simply TRUST

• Best way to grow in faith is to risk

• • • Step out in belief God is genuinely eager to work in His power

    • If you want to grow in prophecy (Paul says be eager to grow in it)

      • There is a MAJOR difference in prophecy now/OT prophets

      • I don’t hear an audible voice

      • Instead its what comes into my mind

        • Word/Sewntence/Image – Subjective

        • But feel led its for someone

• This is scary: Question – Is this the Holy Spirit or last nights pizza

• • • Over time you learn to know the voice of God (Sheep hear voice)

    • How do you know… You risk

    • Go up to that person – Not “Thus sayith the Lord”

      • Hey I have a sense – Praying and felt this for you

      • You test it and take it if it’s for you

      • You risk… sometimes fall flat on your face – But you grow

• Idea with equation is that one side supposed to equal the other