The help we need
John 14:15-14:29
Introduction-
Please turn to John 14:15-14:29
We have been in a series “Abundant life”.
I hope to finish it today by talking about the most important element of you living the life that God intends for you. It is the Holy Spirit actively working and guiding you in your life.
Some of the other elements we looked at were (1) prayer, (2) danger of procrastination, (3)allowing your past to identify you instead of Christ, (4)fear, (5)being obsessed with material things. By far, you will not be able to live an abundant life without the Spirit of God directing and empowering you.
John 14:15-14:29 read from the Bible
Prayer-
Acts chapter 1- as Jesus is ready to ascend to the Father, He says:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus promises for all believers that the power of God’s Holy Spirit will come upon you, fall fresh on you, fill them, and empower them, so that they would be His witnesses to all that they come in contact with.
Acts chapter 2- 120 believers were gathered in one place, in one accord, one purpose, seeking more of God, and they were filled with the Spirit of God.
Jesus had to go, so the Spirit of God could come and empower God’s people to become what God intended for them. That is Abundant Life!
No matter how you slice it- for believers, abundant life is living the life that God intended for us by living empowered by the Holy Spirit of God in our lives.
Some say amazing!
Some say Oh my!
Some are perplexed
Some ask what does this mean.
Each one of us falls into one of these categories this morning.
God’s word tells us that it is His desire that none of us perish, but that all could come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
We will have a choice weather we will be drawn close to God as the Spirit of God speaks to us or we will reject Him.
But for those that accept Jesus Christ as Lord- (believers), those that are seeking to go deeper with God,
He promises to send us the comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will dwell within us and empower us, teach us, guide us, protect us, so that we can live a life pleasing to God.
Accepting Jesus Christ is a choice! Your choice!
Allowing the Holy Spirit to fill your life and empower you is a choice.
A lot of believers live between these two events of their lives. They live between getting saved and living a life that is victorious and filled with God.
Believers gathered at Pentecost and were filled as they were seeking God and wanting the fullness of God.
Un-believers were not filled with the Holy Spirit.
They were in the crowd, but missed what God was doing.
They were the ones perplexed.
They were the ones not understanding what they were seeing with their own eyes.
They were saying Oh My!
The believers that were seeking God, wanting more of God, and not afraid to surrender to what God was doing were the ones who were saying- This is amazing!
The promise of the Holy Spirit is for all who believe.
“He (Holy Spirit) will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.”
Believers that want more of God and won’t be satisfied until they receive it.
“I will ask the Father and He will give you another comforter.”
The Spirit of truth-
He comes into our lives to help us live the purified life.
He helps us be more the image of Christ and to separate us from the world of sin.
It is super-natural! It is not man-made.
It is allowing God to empower us for service and victory
When you struggle- it is asking God for help.
“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.”
What does that look like for us today? It is realizing three things
1. What Happened
2. Why it Happened
3. Can it happen today for you.
What happened was believers saved were empowered by the Holy Spirit of God as they came together to seek the power of God in their lives.
Why it happened was because we cannot live a life pleasing to God, without the power of God.
The power of Pentecost was for God’s people- Then and Now!
Actively working in our lives. We cannot live it the way God intended.
Can it happen to you today? Is totally up to you.
God is no respector of persons and desires that you allow Him fully into your life.
God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God.
He loves it when we ask Him to do things that you cannot possible do without Him.
It was God’s answer to powerless lives being defeated and not measuring up to their God given potential.
A new age was born- God was alive and living within God’s people. Powering them to do greater things!
“Greater is He that is in you, then he who is in the world.”
Only God’s power can put broken lives back together!
“Silver and Gold I do not have, and what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”
“But what I have… whoa! Amen! I give to you!
The old is gone- the new is come.
“Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
People treat the Holy Spirit of God as an “It.” As a possession. When the Holy Spirit fills you, He possesses you!
Paul says: “I come to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling, not with persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirits power, so that your faith not rest on man’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” (1 Cor. 2:3-5)
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.”
Illustration-
An American with a Englishmen was viewing the Niagara falls one time, when he said to his friend: Come, and I’ll show you the greatest unused power in the world.” And taking him to the foot of the Niagara Falls, he said, there is the greatest unused power in the world. No said the Englishmen, the greatest unused power is the Holy Spirit of God in a man’s life.
Winding down, I think
The saddest thing today is believers running around living defeated lives.
When God desires to intervene and empower us and we decide to do it on our own.
Listen,
The call this morning is for us to live the life that God intended for us.
It begins with obedience.
God is crazy about you!
I can scare Hell out of you.
Put fear of future consequences, but the greatest way to be drawn to God is by accepting the love that He has for us.
The call of obedience – “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
He doesn’t love us because we deserve it, but because he just loves us-“everlasting love”
What happens to us when we surrender to God’s love-He saves us from ourselves and death because of sin.
What happens when believers surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit of God- He empowers us and equips us to live victorious?
God is putting out the invitation this morning-
You cannot be Spirit-filled without a relationship with God.
Jesus says- “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.”
Isn’t that good stuff!
Do you want that today?
First thing, do you have a relationship with God? If not ask him into your life right now.
For many, this morning, you have lived defeated lives- you know Jesus, but you are getting beat up.
Ask God this morning to fill you this morning! That you will give Him every part of your life, that you are committing all to him this morning.
The power of the Holy Spirit is not just for salvation, but for transformation!
I believe that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary God’s law, the holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.
Altar Call
