Who Is the Holy Spirit? - Part B

Once God is converted, you will experience converted you he is a marking a seal upon your life that again. As I said before, this is not your home you have an address between somewhere else and that until that day comes, he is a seal you do not belong here. The spirit is vital to the believer. Jesus said was better for us to have the Holy Spirit, Jesus himself today on connect with Skip skip. Soon they share some extra insight works in your life. We begin, we want to share about a great resource that will help you live with purpose and hold fast to your faith so you can make an eternal impact on the world. People find comfort in the status quo. Others just can't wait to challenge it. If this were a recovery meeting, I would begin by saying my name is Skip and I'm a nonconformist, though with the flow of the current is going against the status quo can be difficult finally requires that Daniel shows one person's willingness to I like to think of it this way when the ways of life came crashing down. Daniel decided to go surfing, to write these waves if these waves are the will of God for my life to learn how to master these things, to get propelled forward to soar above the status quo define normal way of saying thanks for your gift of $35 and more to help connect more for the God part will also include the booklet 100 and I here for Rick Warren. These two resources will help you stand out from the crowd for God's glory connectwithskip.com/comfort to get online securely today or call 892 1888 okay movie in John chapter 16 for today step so much joy made Jesus said let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven to be salt and light preserving stand against the evil stand against what is untrue also be light love one another. The Bible says that we are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. In the second commandment is like it and that is love your neighbor as yourself who is your neighbor everyone your neighbor is the people in this room, your neighbor is your physical neighbors at home, your neighbor is the person on Fox news or CNN you just can't stand hearing talk because it just grades you your neighbor is the president or the presidential candidate. You just can't imagine having to live under your neighbor is all of us in the first and greatest commandment to love God and the second is to love your neighbor to be salt and light. How are we doing it loving our neighbor to tell you right now and I know this is the popular that to be both salt and light within this world you must first and foremost identify with Jesus before any political candidate. We are in the midst right now if possibly the most divided time in our country's history and cannot just let you know that I couldn't imagine defining my political worldview simply in terms of Democrat or Republican ideals, especially in such a hyper- partisan culture and climate is today. What I think about any given issue has to first and foremost be informed by my ideals that transcend what either of these parties has to offer. I have to base my beliefs.

I based my ideologies on what the Bible says not off of what a political candidate says what the Bible says that when I determine what I believe my political view should be informed by what the Bible says I shouldn't change my biblical views based on what a political candidate said not that many of us do this. We are being transformed more and more into a political party, rather than into the image of God and so we begin to change things that the Bible says because we want to reconcile it with our political views rather than changing our political views based on what the Bible is already told us I'm to be salt and light not Republican or Democrat Christian shouldn't place any faith in conservativism or progressivism every assertion for both ideologies must first fall as a Christian under biblical scrutiny.

What is the Bible say about this issue now. However, we also should be deterred from what's right because it's commonly associated with conservativism or progressivism that is to say that you consider consider yourself conservative or progressive, you shouldn't turn away from what is right because you consider yourself that you shouldn't try to reconcile your political views by destroying what is right and what is good again. God uses us to stand up for what is right and true. Regardless of which party that might offend to try and stop the wholesale spread of evil within our culture basically simply, that means this.

I believe that you can be both a Democrat or Republican to be a Christian.

But what that means is that as a Christian Democrat, you should still stand against abortion because it's wrong.

It's a sin it's murder and your biblical worldview should alter your political worldview that also means that as a Christian Republican. You should still stand for racial justice and against racism and against depression because your biblical worldview and your love of your neighbor and your love of people should dictate and change your political view when in conflict. Our faith must always control our sociopolitical positions regardless of which party we identify with.

Maybe you feel like me, but recently, as I look to the world. I just feel homeless.

Politically I feel without a home politically. I feel that I have nowhere to rest my head I can't live completely under the elephant and I can't live completely under the donkey, and that's why I've chosen to simply lay at the feet of the land church could some of us do.

With a little bit more of simply laying at the feet of the lamb simply being in the presence of God.

As you look back at the past nine months. How much time you spent standing on a soapbox fighting for your cause, rather than just being in the presence of Jesus.

Just loving God with all your heart, soul and mind that in turn loving your neighbor as yourself. We need to spend more time laying at the feet of the Lamb not following an elephant or a donkey. I don't have a home.

You know what you don't have a home in God is saying that's exactly right. Because this world is at your home.

Your home is the kingdom of God and as long as you're on this earth as your lungs are on this world, you shouldn't feel at home.

You should feel at home in a political party. You should feel at home watching a certain news station. You should feel at home because this isn't home, you're headed home.

Keep your eyes on home let's go home. My allegiance is to the kingdom, not to a party to be salt and light 90 to identify with the Lamb, not the elephant or the donkey as salt and light. There are times when you have to oppose the popular thinking of the party that I choose to vote for were Christians and as Christians we stand together as Christians, Republican and Democrat.

We stand against the thinking of this world we stand together for biblical values and biblical truth. We stand together trying to be a good and godly influence to those around us and it breaks my heart to see the amount of hatred and anger perpetuated by both sides to see Christians who are united by the blood of Jesus Christ divide on the basis of Republican and Democrat, is the antithesis of the gospel. This is the same blood church that Galatians 328 says United Jew and Gentile slaves and free male and female, but you're telling me is not enough to unite Republican and Democrat for us to say to one another will if you don't agree with me in my political views, then I won't fellowship with you has got to be the most antichrist thing that I can think of. Do you realize that Jesus died so that we could all all of us be reconciled to him and when you hate your brother or sister. You're saying that his sacrifice wasn't enough, don't let an elephant or a donkey rip apart what the Lamb is brought together I'll say it again for the people in the back.

Don't let an elephant or a donkey rip apart what the Lamb has brought together the Lamb. The blood of Christ has brought us together. You know, I realized the other day that in just the past five months in this very church we experience both praise and anger from both sides of the political aisle for stances and positions that we've taken understand this cancer culture is not a partisan issue happens on both sides of the aisle. That is to say if we do will begin at Calvary to address the racism that exists within our backyard. We have Republicans right in and accuse us of being liberal and racist and tell us there to leave the church then if we take a weekend to think and honor and pray for police officers be of Democrats who get angry. Call us racist and they threatened to leave the church and what's crazy is the same ones who praised us for talking about racial injustice. Then curse us for supporting police officers in the same ones who cursed us for standing for racial equality.

Then bless us when we talk about police officers George Schultz said he who walks in the middle-of-the-road gets it from both sides. The blood of Christ that unites us is stronger than the political ideologies that divide us. Can we just realize that and love each other to be salt and light.

There's times where you can't be Republican or Democrat, you have to just be a child of the King.

Tragically, far too many today are being squeezed into this world's mold of there being told I have to identify completely with this political ideology and then others upon them.

If you don't do that if you don't make a choice you've already chosen. We are being transformed not by the spirit, but rather a party were looking less and less like the Lamb every day, and more. More like a donkey or an elephant. Before you say well if they would change then I would change. Remember that your public witness has to be more than a bitter or fearful response of what your opponent is saying we are to be salt and light and we lead with that argument. It's no longer about being right.

It's about being able to say that were not worse than they are letting the world diminish our flavor were letting the world diminish our brightness and our role upon this earth that God is put us here for.

Don't allow your opponent to control and in your witness. Jesus said if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be season. It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men and I challenge you and this is a personal call that I've taken. I realize that at times I've lost my flavor and I've lost my light for the sake of standing for a political party. And that's not right. Because if we as the church do that we will of lost her flavor, and God will throw us out because were good for nothing but to be trampled underfoot and I really think that's the signal when the Holy Spirit will remove himself from the culture today and just let it all happen. We take a stand filled with the Holy Spirit to be salt and light to stand for good stand for righteousness, but to love our neighbor. The most effective defensive and offense of weapon in our spiritual arsenal is in our proclamation of political views is the proclamation of the gospel and having looked at the Holy Spirit's work within the world within the nonbeliever how he uses us within this world. To preserve this world. Let's now look at his individual work within the life of the Christian what has God the spirit done for us. Number one part of the profession of the Holy Spirit is he brings about the work of conversion. Jesus said, except a man is born of the spirit.

John chapter 6 says it is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing.

The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life. The Holy Spirit works about this process of conversion within our lives.

First, convicting us of sin and dryness to him and then part of this conversion as he seals us. He personally gives us the assurance that Jesus Christ has come into our lives. Romans chapter 8 verse 16 says the spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God is in that wonderful that inner conviction. The witness of the spirit that feeling that you just know that you know your number when you first came to Christ when you first came to faith in you said that prayer and immediately you felt that assurance that your sins were forgiven that your eternal destination was heaven that you were bound for the kingdom to remember how that felt like a great weight had been removed. If it like a release. You can finally breathe.

It's hard to explain but it's as real as the breath you breathe in right now is the spirit bears witness with your spirit.

One of the things that I love we do altar calls seen people come forward and often as they walked down the aisles and as they stand here they come. So with tears there weeping.

Their faces contorted their crying there in anguish.

Often I believe this because they're convicted of the sin in their lives. They realize they are sinners and they are separated from God and that breaks their heart is a think about all the things that they've done the weight in the burden they've been caring and breaks their heart, the shame, the guilt book. It's remarkable what happens.

99% of the time as they say that prayer is the final word amen comes from their lips, their countenance changes. No longer is it tears no longer is it sadness but it's joy and have a smile that could light up the moon. They are so joyful as the spirit bears witness with their spirit that there forgiven and that when they die there going to go to heaven. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of conversion is a part of this wonderful process of conversion. The Holy Spirit then indwells us.

First Corinthians chapter 3 verse 16 says don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and God lives in you church I just remind you that Holy Spirit lives in you and that same feeling of assurance and satisfaction and peace that you had when you first came to Christ, you should continue to have as you walk with Christ.

And if you don't feel that assurance if you don't feel that feeling that if I was in. It died today. I go to heaven. You need to look circumspectly at your life and ask yourself are the sins that I once repented of the sins that once grieved me the sins that I once wept over at they began to creep back into my life because it's a daily process. Walking with Jesus.

It's a big step to come forward and say a prayer for walking with God is in about one step. It's about daily taking a step towards him. If you're not walking with him you're walking away from him. So can I challenge that this is been a crazy year. Drug addiction is on the rise. Alcoholism is on the rise, anger, and domestic violence is on the rise, depression and anxiety is on the rise. Have you let this year begin to harden your heart and remove that piece that assurance. The Holy Spirit once brought, is it time for you to come back to him and say Lord soften my heart and give me that same assurance and peace that I once had.

Second is a part of that great work of conversion. He seals us. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13 to 14 says in him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and who also having believed, you were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise was a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession, to the praise of his glory.

What is this mean will simply means that once God is converted view once the whole experience converted you he is a mark and a seal upon your life that again. As I said before, this is not your home but you have an address pointing somewhere else and then until that day comes, he is a seal that you do not belong here, but you belong there. In ancient times when goods would be shipped from one place to another that often be stamped with the wax seal and a signet ring would bear a unique mark of ownership same with an important document say from a king would be sealed in wax and imprinted with the royal seal that would let anyone else know don't open that because it doesn't belong here. It needs to get to its final address and if it got to his final address and had been open that seal had been broken. The receiver knew that it had been tampered with, on its way. This is what it means to be sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a seal upon your life from the king.

It's a signet ring, a royal seal that says you do not belong here, and it lets the world and let Satan know don't open until you arrive at your final destination. It reminds us every day that were on a journey were not bunking down here. This is in our permanent place were on a journey to our permanent place. God has put his royal seal on us is the presence in the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and our lives. He's here to remind you like that wax seal you're headed for a new address. Like I said before, sometimes I feel like I don't have a home.

Sometimes I feel homeless within this current world system and God is saying. That's exactly the point is, this world is your home. Your home is the kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit reminds us this is in her home. God wants you to know he's sincere about redeeming your life. He wants to complete his transaction that he began with you the day that you said a prayer to accept Christ within your life. He won't back down.

He won't change his mind.

He's committed to you is Holy Spirit is a seal upon you space like him, saying, hey, even though I know that it's good to be a while till you're in heaven with me. How many give you a part of me that will walk with you every single day until you finally come to be with me permanently forever and complete union and fellowship. He's a seal he's a deposit down payment of the Holy Spirit to show you that he means business. Our third and final point. This is where will close. Not only does the Holy Spirit bring about the work of conversion and as a result, seal us, the Holy Spirit also teaches us. John chapter 14 verse 26 says, but the helper, the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I have said to you. Part of the role the Holy Spirit is that as you open your Bible.

The Holy Spirit teaches you things he helps you understand he gives you new eyes to read the word of God to allow it to change your life in an incredible way, and I've seen people that prior to being Christians, they would read the Bible and it didn't make any sense to them. But once they were believers and they have the Holy Spirit. All of a sudden the same word they read before have new meaning in life and it changes them because the Holy Spirit is teaching them.

It comes through our daily reading of Scripture. This is why it's so important to regularly spend time in Bible study so that you are opening the door for the Holy Spirit to illuminate God's word to you I ask you have ever read one of those verses in the morning your quiet time. Then something happened that day a struggle some kind of a temptation some kind of an issue and exactly what you read that morning was exactly what you needed to get to that very confrontation or struggle that Dave never had that happen to incredible.

Guess what, that's not coincidence that the Holy Spirit, teaching you. He knows exactly what you need for everything in your pursuit of godliness and he gives you what you need as you faithfully read his Scripture.

Now let me take the adverse event. That means that you been neglecting your time reading the word of God.

There could be certain circumstances, there could be certain things that have happened in your life that you faced that you were able to get through the way that God wanted you to get through because you failed to study the Scripture allow the Holy Spirit to teach you. That means that the things that may be happening your life this year might've turned out a little bit differently if you would've been faithfully reading the word of God and letting it change and transform you before you say well I haven't done that so it's all lost now know, don't let it be a discouragement.

Rather, let it be an encouragement to start doing it now to realize that here in this moment you're gonna rise up and Sam to begin reading the Bible and letting the Holy Spirit, teach me so I can be equipped whatever it is that he has for me because the Bible says that God can restore the years the locusts have destroyed this year has been destroyed because you haven't been sitting with the Lamb. You've been spending time with your Savior, letting the Holy Spirit teach you know that God can restore next year. If you begin today faithfully doing what he is called you to do.

First Corinthians 29 says it is written, I has not seen nor has ear heard, nor is enter the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God in the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. He teaches us this can also happen to the listening of a message being given to the listening of a sermon you know some point or series of truths can cause us at times to think man that person is gotta be the greatest preacher ever, ever, been one of those messages reveal that the pastors follow you around all week and he knows exactly what's been going on in your life like Pro, you're a stalker. How did you know that that I was doing that and it's kinda creepy and it feels kinda strange feeling that message was handmade for you. That wasn't the pastor were not all detectives following you around. That was the Holy Spirit. Knowing what you need to hearing teaching you something because the very truth that might just hit you in between the eyes might not necessarily be the same ones that the spirit really brought home for someone else and then finally there's those times when you're ministering to a fellow believer or sharing the gospel with somebody when suddenly a verse just starts coming to mind that you didn't even know you knew again, that passage says that he will cause us to bring to remembrance all things have ever had that happen.

You share a verse in your USF to question yourselves that even in the Bible. And so later you looking like this in the Bible even know that I just said it. The Holy Spirit bringing it to your knowledge, teaching you and using you to be salt and light so as we close, rejoice because the Holy Spirit has converted he assures and he has sealed you. Even in this moment continues to teach that conclusion. Eight. Height six message from the series 2020 use to share how you can keep this broadcast going strong connecting you and many others to God's truths. Juices gives us the ultimate example of how to love people and as we read and study the Scriptures, the Lord moves in our hearts to love others like Jesus did. That's why we share these messages full of God's truth. But did you know that we rely on listeners like you to keep these teachings coming to you and to others. Your gift today will help connect more people to God's love and truth. Here's how you can give right now.

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