Sermon Central
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Becoming Spirit Filled And Empowered Series
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 20, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to empower us- immerse us in His presence so as to enable us to live Christ like and to do the work of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Opening Video Illustration: Holy Spirit everyday
Sermon Series: Soul Care and the role of the Holy Spirit
Thesis: The Holy Spirit takes an active role in the life of the spirit filled believer to help care for their soul.
Scripture:
15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Introduction to Series:
Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit and He kept that promise in Acts 2 and that promise is still for today. His promise is to empower you and the church to do the work of the Kingdom! Jesus’ promise is still relevant for us today!
It’s His Holy Spirit that fills us with spiritual wisdom and it’s His Holy Spirit that helps us live a life worthy of Jesus. It’s His Holy Spirit that helps us to bear fruit in this world for the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s His Holy Spirit which gives us great endurance and patience to live the joyful life. It’s His Holy Spirit which enables us to be thankful for all that God has done for us!
Quote: The Holy Spirit is not a doctrine to be studied; He is a person to be experienced in power (Randy Clark).
Quote: Understanding His power and work in our lives is of vital importance if we desire to live the Christian lives that Jesus has made available to us. The Holy Spirit does not exclusively belong to ivory-tower theologians; he is not a mere doctrine to be studied, but a divine person to be experienced and known. The more that believers continue to stumble over the power of the Spirit through debate and controversy, the longer we as the church become restricted from bringing true transformation to our world. We cannot afford to be arguing among ourselves while there is so great and so ripe a harvest set before us in this generation. Clark, Randy (2015-01-20). The Essential Guide to the Power of the Holy Spirit: God's Miraculous Gifts at Work Today (Kindle Locations 139-144). Destiny Image, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Question: Why did Jesus send the Holy Spirit to us Christians?
Answer: So that we could “Be Christ Like” and “Do the work of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Listen carefully the Holy Spirit was not just given to us to be Christ like but to also do the work of the Kingdom like Jesus did! Please hear this you cannot do the work of the Kingdom without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment!
Call to action: So it is time to get to work for the Kingdom of Heaven and be empowered to see our culture transformed.
Could you imagine experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit like this?
Charles Finney – the father of American Revival story from http://menwhosawrevival.blogspot.com/p/charles-finney.html
Early in his ministry he met a believer named Daniel Nash. This man was a great man of prayer and he joined Finney. As Finney would preach, Nash would go to nearby house and pray and the result was a work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those listening to Finney.
Everywhere Finney went revival followed. Estimates of those saved through his preaching range from 100,000 to as many as 500,000.
He was accused of letting down the dignity of the pulpit and criticized for not preaching like the other ministers did. He answered, "Show me the fruits of your ministry, and if they so far exceed mine as to give me evidence that you have found a more excellent way, I will adopt your views."
It did not matter how wicked the place was for Finney would go preach and revival would follow. He had heard about a wicked village and decided to go there and preach. He preached on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and selected the text, "Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city."
