Who Is The Holy Spirit Series

Series: Holy Spirit Rising

Quote: Samuel Chadwick “Christianity is hopeless without the Holy Spirit!” Jim Cymbala’s quote from Spirit Rising.

Sermon: Who is the Holy Spirit?

Thesis: The Holy Spirit is the neglected part of the Trinity today and we need to allow the Holy Spirit to arise within us, to empower us to be God’s dynamic witnesses to this dying world.

Introduction:

Opening thoughts for us to think about this morning as we dive into our study of the Holy Spirit.

The premise which I lay down before you this morning is this: The Holy Spirit is waiting for you to believe in Him, for you to choose to receive Him into your spiritual life and for your willingness to allow His power to come and immerse you. It’s your decision if you want the Holy Spirit to Baptize you and in the process transform you spiritually.

The Holy Spirit is our biggest need in the church today, not money, not more people, not larger crowds, not more programs, not more Bible translations, not more study aids to the Bible, not more Christian books, not more Bible seminaries or Bible colleges, not more Degrees, not more tech stuff like lights, projectors, video illustrations or even better websites. No the biggest need of the church is the in filling of the Holy Spirit. This infilling brings empowerment to us as Christians and to the church. It transforms us into what God wants us to be and it points us to God’s agenda not ours.

Acts 1:8: “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.”

I want you to know that transformation will not happen in our country, state or city by the elephant or by the donkey but by the Lamb and His Holy Spirit. The White House nor Congress can bring transformation to this nation nor to your life, it can only come by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This power is the power we need in our lives:

This power is the power which transformed the Roman Empire. This power is the power which raised Jesus from the dead. This power is the power which has shaken the nation of China bringing revival to it over the last 20 years. This power is the power which enabled this land to experience the first and second Great Awakenings which transformed the culture of the day. This power is the power which birthed this nation and called it One Nation Under God. This power is the power which can transform the city of Chicago and its mayor.This power is the power which transformed the nation of Uganda. This power is the power which healed a brown robe priest in India and 1,000 got saved about 2 years ago with Heart of The Father Ministries. This power is the power which has almost reached the whole world with the Good News of Jesus in our time frame. This power is the power which healed a women in Costa Rica with an injury to an arm just a few weeks ago. This power is the power which has caused the church to grow and grow through the millenniums even while being persecuted. This power is the power which enabled Polycarp to stand in a coliseum and refuse to deny Christ over 1.700 years ago. This power is the power which has raised up a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, 11 year prayer and worship vigil in Kansas City called IHOP which continues on this very moment. This power is the power which showed Lenin that godless communism would not rule the world but Jesus would. This power is the power which drew you to Jesus and is now saying to you “Invite me in so I can empower you to be a dynamic witness for Jesus!” This power is the power which has delivered men and women who have been held in bondage by Meth who I saw set free in Amery over 6-7 years ago. This power is the power which has restored 1,000 of marriages in our land in which I got to be a part of some of these restorations. This power is the power which is raising up an army of young people who are sold out to the cross and are going to take back what the Devil has stolen from their generation. This power is the power which is able to deliver people from porn addictions. This power is the power which raises up certain churches and allows other churches to die. This power is the power which leads peoples lives to their divine destinies. This power is the power which takes the Bible and makes it a living breathing book of life. This power is the power which will stop abortions in the near future. This power is the power which sends out missionaries across this world to transform peoples lives. This power is the power which creates financial miracles and I have seen some of them. This power is the power which transformed a city in Guatemala because they repented of sin and turned to Jesus and now is one of the most prosperous cities in Central America. This power is the power which told my friend Ed's wife to rebuke death and that Ed would not die but live with new focus and purpose. This power is the power which is calling His church to be a house of prayer and a house of healing. This power is the power which has sustained the Nation of Israel against insurmountable odds. This power is the power which caused miracles to happen in the 6 Day War with Israel and the Arabs to bring and reestablish the Nation of Israel. This power is the power which is sweeping across the former Soviet Union states with spiritual revival. This power is the power which caused a revival among the young people of Thessaloniki to break out at a Pastor Ted’s church. This power is the power which can transform your marriage and your family. This power is the power which can heal your baby or your child we have seen God do this. This power is the power which can illuminate you mind to know the will of God for your life. This power is the power which can take a church and bring it back to life when others say it’s dead. This power is the power which causes a nation to turn to God in a crisis like 911. This power is the power which told people to get out of the twin towers before they fell. This power is the power which gives life to dry bones. This power is the power which can reveal Jesus to you right now. This power is the power which enabled David to slay Goliath. This power is the power which caused the walls of Jericho to fall. This power is the power which enabled Moses to stand up to Pharoah. This power is the power that birthed this church over 80 years ago. This power is the power that saved me and empowered me over 34 years ago to become a pastor and your lead pastor today. This power is the power which empowers you with your spiritual gifts. This power is the power which is calling you today to embrace Him and not quench Him. This power is the power which touches your heart during worship. This power is the power Jesus spoke about in Acts 1:8 and its available for you today.