SURVIVOR SERIES
#4 – SURVIVING THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Today, we are continuing our sermon series on the subject of SURVIVOR
And what we’ve been doing is talking over the last few weeks about how to be A SURVIVOR in the times we live in
And you know how it is in the Reality TV show – a bunch of people are thrown into some remote place or island, and they have to learn how to survive off the bare essentials, and the last one gets the prize
Well, in a lot of ways, this world we’re living in is getting tougher and tougher all the time
And to be quite honest with you, God wants us to do more than SURVIVE, He wants us to THRIVE
However, if you at first don’t SURVIVE, then you’ll never THRIVE
You’ve got to get the first things first
And so far over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about…
--the Assurance of Salvation
--Surviving Motherhood
--Surviving Through Prayer (last week)
And today, we’re going to be talking about SURVIVING THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
For today is PENTECOST SUNDAY – it’s the day that we celebrate when the Holy Spirit came down in the book of Acts and birthed the church
Let’s read…
•Acts 2:1-4 ( KJV ) 1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
•Acts 2:37-39 ( KJV ) 37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
INTRODUCTION
As I start this message, I want to read a couple of quotes from one of the most powerful men who ever lived – and my all-time favorite author, A.W. Tozer
He said…
We may be sure of one thing, that for our deep trouble there is no cure apart from a visitation, yes, an invasion of power from above. Only the Spirit Himself can show us what is wrong with us and only the Spirit can prescribe the cure. Only the Spirit can save us from the numbing unreality of Spirit-less Christianity. Only the Spirit can show us the Father and the Son. Only the in- working of the Spirit’s power can discover to us the solemn majesty and the heart ravishing mystery of the Triune God.
Wow!
Here’s my favorite and perhaps his most powerful statement yet about the Holy Spirit…
If the Holy Spirit were taken away from the New Testament church, ninety percent of what they did would come to a halt. But if the Holy Spirit were taken away from today’s church, only ten percent of what it does would cease.
And oh, how true this is
What do you think it took for those in the early church?
They had…
--no educational skills
--no political clout
--no property
--no TV, radio, internet
In fact, just a few weeks before the day of PENTECOST, they all forsook the Lord in His hour of crucifixion
But before it was all over with – all of Western Civilization was Christianized
How did it happen?
How did they SURVIVE? Through the power of the Holy Spirit
And I tell you that if West Road is going to…
--kick back the gates of Hell
--reclaim lost territory
--fulfill its God-given vision and purpose
Then we’re going to need that INVASION from Heaven
But NOT ONLY as a church COLLECTIVELY, but also each of us INDIVIDUALLY cannot survive without the HOLY SPIRIT
As…
--an individual believer
--a parent
--person who lives in the ebb and flow of life
You and I MUST…
--embrace
--have an encounter with
--understand as best we can
How vitally, vitally important it is that we have the reality of the Holy Spirit working in our lives if we are going TO BE A SURVIVOR!
And in order for you to understand this, let me give you 3 things…
--the PERSON of the Holy Spirit
--the POWER of the Holy Spirit
--the PROMISE of the Holy Spirit
First of all, let me talk to you about…
1. THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Because I want you to know EMPHATICALLY, that we believe and teach that the Holy Spirit is not…
--a force
--an it
--a goose pimple
But the Holy Spirit is A PERSON
How do we know this?
One of the reasons we know this is because over and over Jesus called the Holy Spirit “HE”…
•John 16:7-8 ( KJV ) 7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
•John 16:13-14 ( KJV ) 13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
Also, Peter, in that fearsome episode where Ananias and his wife Sapparis lied about their offerings, Peter makes this statement
Acts 5:3-4 ( KJV ) 3But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
And then Hebrews 9:14 speaks of the ETERNAL SPIRIT
We are TRINITARIANS – we believe in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
You may say, “Well, I can’t understand the Trinity”
Well, would you want to serve a God that you could explain?
I might not can EXPLAIN the Person of the Holy Spirit, but I can explain this to you – without the PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT we cannot and will not SURVIVE!
That’s the PERSON of the Holy Spirit, secondly…
2. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Because I want you to know that the Holy Spirit is 3 things to us and the church
He is…
A. ALL-SUFFICIENT FOR COMFORT
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit was called what? THE COMFORTER!
And in these days of…
--bail outs
--cut backs
--lay offs
--nuclear terrorists
Don’t we need COMFORT?
And, really, that word COMFORTER means 2 things
It means HELPER
And we certainly do have help in the Holy Spirit, and I’ll explain that in a moment
But it also means LAWYER
How many of you remember O.J. Simpson
In 1995, he had what was called THE DREAM TEAM of attorneys who helped get him off the hook
Well, I have a DREAM TEAM too!
Jesus is my ADVOCATE, but I also have the COMFORTER
One is my ADVOCATE/LAWYER up there, and one down here!
Talk about a dream team!
And then, secondly…
B. HE IS ALL-SUFFICIENT FOR CRISIS
You may ask, “How, exactly does the Holy Spirit help in a crisis?”
Well, one way He helps is through prayer
There are times that I don’t know how to pray!
Romans 8:26-27 (KJV) 26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Another way He helps is through the Word of God
John 16:13 (KJV) 13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
And not only that, but He brings those truths to remembrance
Another way He helps is giving you the words to say when you need them
Matthew 10:19-20 (KJV) 19But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Thirdly…
C. HE’S ALL-SUFFICIENT FOR CONQUEST
What do you mean?
How will the church…
--prevail in these last days
--see souls saved
--take back what the enemy has stolen
Only through the power and person of the Holy Spirit
Listen, if we trust in…
--personalities, we’ll get what people can do
--property, we’ll get what buildings can do
--prosperity, we’ll get what money can do
But if we trust in the HOLY SPIRIT, we’ll get only what GOD CAN DO!!!
He’s ALL-SUFFICIENT for…
--comfort
--crisis
--conquest
That’s the POWER of the Holy Spirit
Not only do I want to talk to you about…
--the PERSON
--the POWER
But, finally, let me talk to you about…
3. THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Our text said “that the Promise is unto you and your Children”
Now, let me explain something to you
Some people say that you get all of the Holy Spirit you need when you get saved
They will say that when you get the Holy Spirit at conversion that’s all you need
Well, let me ask you something? Did the Apostle Paul get converted?
But why did a day or so later did he still need the Holy Spirit?
Acts 9:17 ( KJV ) 17And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Did he not get it all at salvation?
Well, he did get all of the Holy Spirit needed at salvation
But let me tell you, there’s something beyond conversion, and that’s called daily living
And if…
--Peter needed it
--Paul needed it
--the church in the book of Acts needed it
Then who are we to say, “I’m okay, no big deal!”
No – I want to ask you a question the Paul asked
Acts 19:1-2 ( KJV ) 1And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
And that’s the question this morning? HAVE YOU RECEIVED
If not, why? It’s a PROMISE!
And some of you need a re-filling?
The scripture says…
Ephesians 5:18 (KJV) 18And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
In the Greek Bible it means…”BE ALWAYS BEING FILLED”
In other words, it’s a continual thing
Not something that happened, but something that’s HAPPENING!
Not something that happened in 1953, but something that’s happening in 2009!
We don’t believe in ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED do we? Of course not!
But some of us pentecostals, if I didn’t know any better, act like you believe in…
--once sanctified, always sanctified
--once filled with the Holy Ghost, always filled with the Holy Ghost
That’s not exactly how it works! Of course, there is the ONE-TIME…
--life-changing
--never-forgetting
Experience that culminates and explodes in a moment of time
But, we got to keep on being sanctified and crucified daily
We got to keep on getting full of the Holy Spirit!
That’s why every year we need a fresh emphasis on Pentecost Sunday so that we will keep on being filled!
It reminds me of this story…
I heard about a parade one time on New Year’s Day. It was the breathtaking “Tournament of Roses”. Right in the middle of the route, a large float sputtered to a stop. The entire parade was stopped until someone could fetch a can of gas. The sponsor of the float just happened to be Standard Oil Company. What a huge irony it was that the largest gas company in the world float had run out of gas!
We don’t need to run of the that main thing!
IN CLOSING
In 2003, when President Bush was getting ready to start the invasion of Iraq, they had a strategy where they wanted to show such power, and bombs, and might, that the moral of the Iraqi army and Saddam Hussein would just give up
It was called SHOCK AND AWE
And I tell you, I believe this morning, that we’re about to have SOME SHOCK AND AWE as the Holy Spirit moves in this service!
Satan doesn’t get SHOCKED at…
--eloquent preaching
--fancy buildings
--harmonious singing
He doesn’t get AWED by…
--praise CDs
--web casting
--seeker sensitive cute services
I tell you, there’s only ONE THING that…
--upsets
--troubles
--disrupts
--confuses
--torments
Him, and THAT’S THE PERSON, POWER, AND PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!
He’s moving this morning
Let’s believe like Tozer said – FOR AN INVASION on this Pentecost Sunday
If you’re not saved, come to Jesus today!
