Word and Spirit [Part 1]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright there's no such thing is, you have too much grace, but there is such a thing just so much grace original half-truth. God wants us to be full of grace and faster come to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm excited for you to hear the teaching today.

In this series word and spirit, unity of balance as presented with an older church in North Carolina that you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program to make sure you know how to get our special source. Right now it can be worse for your nation this month to Alan Wright mysteries. So as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you this resource. Today's special offer. Contact us@pastor.org that's pastor out.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860.

More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright are you ready for some good news. If all you had was the word and no spirit. You draw if I had was spirit and no word should probably blow up. But in Christ even given word hands. So you can grow on document word hands. We start today and John chapter 16 in this final discourse of Jesus as he is comforting his disciples about the fact that he's given believing in his unity ascending to heaven as I want to talk to them about why is actually better that he goes away because Holy Spirit is going to come want to just pay special attention. The main reason read this Texas how Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit were John 16 verse seven, John 16 verse seven the words of Jesus.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come near, but if I go, I will send them to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment concerning sin, because I do not believe in me concerning righteousness, because I go to the father and you see me no longer concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare to you all that the father has is mine. Therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. So Jesus calls him the helper which means one who comes alongside a power collate those called alongside what it means and then he calls the Holy Spirit.

The spirit of truth.

This is one of the names of the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth, because in him there is the fullness of God's eternal word and the fullness of God's dynamic power. The creative and resurrection power of God is at work in this world and in your life and mine to the presence of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is the spirit of Jesus. So when we as evangelicals talk about your born-again you have Jesus in your heart. We really mean you have the Holy Spirit in your heart because you don't have a little physical person of Jesus, and you have the spirit of Jesus and Jesus said to his disciples.

Even these men who had spent the majority of his time with for three years. He told them it's better that I go away, because it would be better when the Holy Spirit comes it's an astounding one of the Scripture eating not turn their guns can read this one verse for you from second Timothy, and it's chapter 3 verse 16 all Scripture is breathed out by God or some translations say God breathed, or some just say inspired because inspired means God breathed to breathe into that would inspire means that the spirit is, and that word in spirit inspire all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching a reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competently equipped for every good work room talk today about the balance of word and spirit. There is a man named John Lambert who in 1963 was was wonderfully born-again is a Christian and by his own testimony set up until that point he was a drug using beer guzzling pagan pop musician who came to Christ while chain-smoking his way through a Bible study that he was in and after John Weber became a Christian he became ravenously hungry for God's word and he began reading and pouring through the Gospels and pouring through the Scriptures and reading all of the incredible accounts of everything Jesus did, and what life was like in the early church and all the miracles and so finally he came to one of the lay leaders in his sort of mainline church and send out a window. We get to do the stuff in the later said what what what what stuff you said you know all the stuff. The stuff Jesus and his disciples did all the healing of the sick in opening the eyes of the blind and raising the dead, and cast out demons, all that stuff when we get to do that stuff and the lay leaders that will really do that stuff we just come to church and John's response was classic. He said man gave up drugs for that there is in so many experienced people experience in our culture that have come through even the evangelical church where there has been much emphasis on the word, and not as much emphasis on the spirit of others who may be under the sound of my voice you have been in context where there has been a lot of emphasis on the spirit only gives the spirit of the manifestations of the spirit of the move of the spirit worship in the spirit and maybe not as much attention our love for the word and will learn about balance is that the idea of balance in a spiritual sense, doesn't mean that you're staying in a safe little middle place like this balance is better is seen as as a tight rope or tight rope walker who's got one as long poles. It stretches out like this in the holds it to help them balance because it's it's a physical physics principal and his help and distribute his weight away from his body makes him actually more stable to have that out and it just that there were the foundation of his weight down lower and is able to wonderful image where there's no such thing as you have too much grace, but there is such a things you have so much grace, but you don't have truth and God wants us to be full of grace and full of truth is no such thing as having too much truth. But if you only have truth and you don't have grace, then is a problem is no such thing as too much of the Holy Spirit is no such thing as having too much of the word. But if you have Holy Spirit but not in word and then there will be an instability and a lack of sense of identity and cries and authority, and if you have so much work but no spirit, as will see today. It's it becomes pharisaical and it becomes comes drive becomes dog dogmatic and and no power in ministry.

So what God invites us into is a Christian and this is the wonderful way that we grow and this is how we can change the world is that we are people of word and in their never, ever, was meant to be any divorce or separation between word ends.

I know that in the body of Christ that there there there are differences of opinion and then I don't really plan today to do a major theological argument. In in one direction or another is much as just to tell some personal experience give a sense of of what the Scripture is saying about this and how you and I can I think in a very sensible way. Realize the Holy Spirit and we need God's word will have more teaching in a moment from today's important series being filled with the Holy Spirit shutting off your mind hearing for a wonderful surprise God's word and spirit were never meant to be separated spirit always belong together to keep your abundant life in Christ knowing your Bible. The secret of being filled with the spirit, the answer is both word and spirit subjugation studying Scripture, and some traditions emphasize the spirit to real Christian growth both word and spirit as someone once said Pollard spirit you dry all spirit. No word both word and spirit umbrella. When you make a gift to support this man will send you Alan Wright's newest album on CD or digital download word and spirit clients embrace the fullness of God's word and his spirit realm like never before with wording spirit realm up helping someone else grow as well.

And remember, when you partner with broadcasting the love of God to every day, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor.like today's teaching now. Can you once again is all right out on this little juvenile thing with you before, but do it again.

Just bear with me because it proves something will give you a picture. Maybe you'll remember take your hand put it right from your mouth an inch away from your mouth. If you're listening on the radio don't do this and I say let there be light (what do you feel on the back of your hand you feel your breath know what this is a wonderful picture is that as God has designed it for those of us who are able to have vocal cords in speech and all the wonderful gift that what is filling your word is your breath literally so when I'm speaking the word let there be light. My breath is in that word is so interesting that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

The Old Testament in Hebrew the New Testament in Greek and Hebrew and the Greek word for breath is also translated spirit so we sometimes don't know whether we should translated in our English versions. We don't know whether we should translated breath or wind or spirit and the reason this is such a powerful image is because you could understand that in the same way to literally breath is in our word you can understand the God's breath is in his word. What second Timothy says is all Scripture is God breathed all Scripture is inspired in other words, the Scripture, the Scriptures, the word of God is just full of the breath of God, full of the spirit of God was interesting in one instance where Jesus had a time with his disciples, and it is as he breathed on them and said receive the Holy Spirit. He he is a symbol is a picture of the way you could understand the word of God is at the word of God is full of the spirit of God and one of the ways you can understand who the Holy Spirit is is a Holy Spirit is one who fills up the word of God. So there is no separation between word and all the word and spirit are distinct and God is a triune God. This is one of the mysteries of the faith is very hard to wrap your mind around it, but it is it is that God is father, son and Holy Spirit, but is one God is one God in three persons, but is one God.

That is can be confusing to other religions that will help you have one in three. It's it is a mystery that transcends our mind, but God is one God, but his father son and Holy Spirit and the son of God is called in John chapter 1, who became flesh and the spirit of God, Jesus, as I send forth. So the most important thing to understand about this is that the Spirit himself is God himself. So God is with us by the presence of his Holy Spirit is no difference in saying God is with theirs assigned the Holy Spirit is with us. No differences saying of Jesus in your heart you have the Holy Spirit in your heart the way in which you commune with God, your father is, by the very real presence of the Holy Spirit. And so what we need is not only our meditation in the word that is the truth, but we need the illumination and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The word is full of the Holy Spirit and the spirit illumines the word, and so what happens is that this word in the Scripture which is timeless and true lies there like words on a page unless the Holy Spirit makes them alive to you and this is why so important to just open up yourself to let God reveal himself to you in the Scriptures because truth, even if it's a absolute truth. Eve you don't know what you don't believe it is not a truth to you all for you. When you believe something that's false. You believe it's true. And so when you have a paradigm shift and something changes in your way of thinking we say the light turns on see it differently now remain as it was something that I was blind to before I saw incorrectly it was false and I believed it. But now I see what the truth is, and this is so much what Jesus means, which is it's better for you that I go away, because us in the spirit of truth that he is going to show you the truth is, or show the truth about who I am is or show the truth about who you are need you and guide you into all truth. We need the Holy Spirit word of God is alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and we need the Holy Spirit who is filled. This word this word alive so that our faith explode meant to do before the man's uncle Stanley wants neighbor who had a little five-year-old boy who was afraid of dogs particularly. He was afraid of a dog in the neighborhood named Lucky and the boys mother decided that in order to help him overcome this fear.

She would have him memorize the Scripture that says God is not given us a spirit of fear but of love and power and a sound mind as a little boy memorized and he had to say it over and over until he had a just down pat and one day the boys outside and here comes Lucky and the boys just as scared as it's ever been. His mother says now what I teach you that you just go ahead and say it say it out loud and he said God is not given me a spirit of power and of sound mind, but I'm still afraid of lucky say I know what this word says. But this word has it become my word, it had become real to me yet so often this happens if we think of the word is this dormant kind of religious text and it never has life to us and it never means anything to us is what God does is he is in a miraculous way. He who is filled with his spirit filled his word with his spirit also makes this word unique to you by his spirit is people are concerned that will people rightly are concerned.

We don't want to have Revelation this extra biblical that in some way adds to the Bible, but what I'm saying is liable God's word is being attended to by God spirit and he is utterly for you getting this and seeing this you measured one time before, but tender and beautiful story and in my life.

Say it with care so as not to cause any offense to anyone who would hear this from a previous chapter in ministry and in my life, but we were in an enduring passerine church for about eight years and was a wonderful wonderful church was so so many many dear friends in the church and a warm evangelical message of the love of God and how you can have a personal relationship with Christ and we grew a lot and in the midst of this time I also was growing in my faith in growing in my experience of the power of God. You must understand this me to say this parenthetically the reason that I am attracted and wanting more of the power of God is not for the sake of having the power of God. But I want people to be helped. I want people to be helped. I see what people walk through I see the sicknesses that people face I see the difficulties in relationship I see the confusion. I see the pain I see young people today.

I talked to the girls that are cutting themselves and feel suicidal. I talked to the boys who are lost in confusion without a sense of purpose. I talked to the people who are in depression.

I see what is going on and I want people to receive help from God. So this is really the thing that feels very open to the power of God will in this time of ministry sometime around about our sixth year in Durham, I began to discover the principal and the power of blessing as seen in the Scriptures as the Hebrew patriarchs would bless their children begin to see the call on our lives to speak, blessing, which is essentially a powerful faith filled vision that is in accord with Scripture uniquely spoken over someone's life and what happens in our lives is just as God interacts with us as we interact with others and we announce that sense of positive destiny people's hearts become filled with faith and they rise up to meet that there is a real virtues that is released when you bless somebody and it has a prophetic significance to it and I was teaching about this in my church and it was a very powerful thing to be discovering and at the end of the service. The first service that day. I just felt led to say we never did this. We didn't have healing ministry teams it in our prayer ministry life in Sweden have that kind of thing.

But on this day acid if you would like for me to come and just lay hands on you speak a blessing over your life.

At the end of the service after the benediction just day stay in Europe to be so happy to come and just speak this blessing over you and and after that first service. Maybe a dozen people stay and I went and as I begin to lay hands on people and speak blessing over them. Something happened that it never happened in my public ministry ever before. I can only say it was a prophetic type thing. It began to happen. I was completely just under an unction of the Holy Spirit, and I just began to speak whatever words I felt like the Lord was giving me as I was speaking these words of positive vision over these lives and one after the other. As I began to just blast like this you could just see there was something that was being imparted in people's lives.

And there were some miraculous things are happen. I remember in particular. After that first service.

There was one young couple and as far as I knew they had a wonderful marriage and I just again the bless their marriage and the words that I was speaking as is blessing their marriage began to begin to have the sense of maybe there was struggle in their marriage, and I remember even feeling like why these words coming out because I don't and later as I wept, and the later tennis and how did you know we were having so much difficulty in those areas in our marriage that you bless us and I didn't know God knew that in this kind of thing we can have around the room and after the second service I gave the same limitation even more people stayed and I went and I laid hands on people. I was absolutely enthralled and full of worship to the Lord to be an instrument of his grace, like that lives were being touched and today's teaching part one of three word answer be part of the series.

The beauty of stick with this.

Alan is back here in the studio.

In a moment with additional insight on this for your life today in our final word being filled with the Holy Spirit shutting off your mind hearing for a wonderful surprise God's word and spirit were never meant to be separated spirit always belong together to keep your abundant life in Christ knowing your Bible, the secret being filled with the spirit there is both word and spirit subjugation studying Scripture, and some traditions emphasize the spirit to real Christian growth is both word and spirit as someone once said Pollard spirit you dry all spirit. No word both word and spirit umbrella. You make a gift of support this not will send you Alan Wright's newest album on CD or digital download word and spirit clients embrace the fullness of God's word and his spirit realm like never before with wording spirit realm up helping someone else grow as well.

And remember, when you partner with broadcasting the love of God to every day, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor like Alan we find may be some extremes in the church where we have some that are so focused on doctrine that they never allow the Holy Spirit to move in and that the opposite to be true in some Christian circles and this is all about the balance of the word and spirit. Well, we don't keep saying is all word no spirit. You dry up all spirit and hope were heard you but the word and and you grow and I think that it's not to say to be in balance, where despair is not to say or don't get too much of the spirit.

Don't drive much the word there's no such thing as having too much of the Holy Spirit are too much of the word in your life right it is to say that one is never to be divorced from the other absolutely key to Christian growth. Today's good news message is a listener supported Alan White ministries