Let's Get Reacquainted with the Spirit, Part 3

Sometimes we assume the Holy Spirit which according to Scripture, has been present since the day of creation today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll will remind us that this same Holy Spirit, the one who existed from the very beginning is our spiritual companion and guide to this very day. This lesson is part of the teaching series that started last week called flying closer to the flame.

We pick up the study now in John 14. As Jesus spoke to his disciples sitting around the table sipping the last bit of wine, eating a bit from the table and he says in the great Joe 14 chapter John records it. Some things mentioned nowhere else in Scripture. Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God believe also in me.

In my father's house are many dwelling places.

If it were not so I would've told you, for I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I'm going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How do we know the way Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me.

What are they afraid out there for free to being left all through ministry that had him right there with them through three years and more of of touching lives.

He's always been there when they woke up he was there when they got frightened, they could hide behind when they were confused they could asking questions that that's what there've ended this old man Jesus is 33 in the prime of life and are afraid of being laughed verse 12 truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do because I go to the father look at what that says I've done great things we have done them together. You have seen them done but I say to you, man, who are being left when I leave you are being left on this earth.

Greater works than these he will do ever pondered that personally allowed to say what is really saying that because of what follows, it must be related to the ministry of the Holy Spirit were 16. I will ask the father and he father will give you another helper, another of the same kind I've been with you for 3 1/2 years I've been a help. I've been assistance. I've been up source of power and strength. I'm leaving I'm going to the cross. I'm going to the grave and shortly thereafter I'm going back to the father. Here is terribly important transition. I will ask the father he will give you another helper, that he may be with you forever. That is, this is amplifying helper helper will be the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you, but he will be in you is the first direct statement regarding the spirit of God's coming that is in the context of the training of the disciple. Prior to this time the Holy Spirit was of course present these God just as the father has always been in existence and the sun has always been in existence so the spirit he hovered over the face of the waters of creation.

He has been present in the lives of the believing of believers all through that.

The history of biblical days, for example with Moses, there was a special presence of the spirit of God's counsel, which Moses was to give to those who counsel on his behalf. Numbers 11, 16, 17, Gideon was given a spirit of courage in battle.

Judges 633 and 34 Samson had a spirit of strength given to him and remember when she shaved his head, Delilah member when he woke up he didn't even know the spirit of God had departed from him. If the spirit of God had been in him permanently. It could not. He could not depart, but he was alongside him.

He was with him for power member David who so eloquently spoke of the of his sin. In Psalm 51 we show you that older place here with me right back but you you need to see this because it's misquoted today. Psalm 51 he is he is contrite he is broken over the sin with Bathsheba. Nathan the prophet has come to him and said you are the man and David is admitting is wrong and says wash me thoroughly for my iniquity. Verse two I know my transgressions verse three. My sin is ever before me against the. The only I have sand. It's a passionate prayer of of repentance.

Verse 10 create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a steadfast spirit within me. The color closely. Do not cast me away from thy presence, and what do not take thy Holy Spirit from me because the spirit was alongside him not permanently dwelling within him. He could be lifted and David would be left in the hollow experience of a powerless life in those days that could happen. As in the days of the disciples not back to John 14 that's why his statement is so significant.

What a change it would bring to them.

Verse 16. I will give you another helper. I went over to quickly that he may be with you for ever, and with the Greek says unto the age forever and ever and ever for her. You will never know a moment in your life when you have the spirit and don't let anybody tell you different. You come to know Christ are part of that marvelous spiritual package is the presence of the Holy Spirit, a brand-new dynamic to bring cleansing and and freshness and on an insight perception knowledge growth all that and so much more. He says I will give you him will be another helper, and he will be in you for ever ascending on your way to actually get 16 seven John 16 seven I tell you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away the helper here is again the helper will not come to you, but if I go, I will send them to you. It's to your advantage.

Why he will bring a dynamic.

I have not brought I've merely modeled for you this life of of righteousness, he will take residence in you and be able to live it out through you.

I could sit in and of in a concert hall and listen to Van Clyburn play marvelous keyboard and and sit it all and applaud as he goes from one masterpiece to another. I could even sit next to him on the bench.

I like that and I could turn pages and his music as he goes from one piece to another, even though he doesn't need to be, but that doesn't do anything for me simply models the that the genius of this art, but event Clyburn could say to me some evening you know Chuck, I have the ability to come inside you and you can play like this I would say, and that I could sit down and I could play like a ventilator.

It is to your advantage that I go because as long as I'm here you're sitting beside me on the bed, but when I go and send another helper, he will give you the dynamic that is me.

My love tell you Christians were missing.

It missing it. It is there resident within us waiting to be tapped and we don't even know we have such presence dynamic. Now turn to ask one next next book X1 verse four. Look at this unparalleled dynamic that is among us and within us.

Verse four. Jesus has gone to the cross. He is going to the grave. He has been bodily miraculously raised from the from the grave.

He has been on the earth for 40 days wrong. Yes 40 days he is being taken but just before he sends to be seated at the right hand of God, by the way we sing that him majestic sweetness sits enthroned upon the sacred ground his head with radiance glorious crown his lips with grace or floats a picture of the session of Christ is seated love that you should memorize that him it's a portrayal of Christ seated before him alongside the father and his work at the present time, but it has quite happen in acts, one for he is honest, he's not quite left your his last few words. Verse four gathering them together. He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait. Wait for what the father had promised which he said you heard from you heard of from me. You've Artie heard me talk about him and you go to wait for him to come. John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized is identified with made a part of become a part of the Holy Spirit not many days from now, wait, and when they come together.

They were asking him Lord is at the time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel. He said to them, it is not for you to know times are in a box which the father has fixed by his own authority. But but this is important, look, you shall receive the Holy Spirit. Yes, but practically speaking, you shall receive. Do not mess DU NA MIS we get our word dynamite. More significantly, we get our word dynamic.

The power has always existed, but you will tap into it when he comes the power that was there at creation.

The power that was there when the Red Sea was open. The power that was evident in the lives of the prophets, the power that brought Christ back from the dead, that power that dynamic will be yours. You wait and when the spirit of God comes, there will be a power that will come with in you that will change your entire life, even your personalities will be altered. These who have been shrouded in fear hiding behind closed doors when the spirit of God came they push those doors open went down the stairs walked into the streets of Jerusalem and had the audacity against even the odds of persecution and certainly martyrdom to preach Christ openly exactly what they did, they were given. Do not miss. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you achy Robertson writes, not the power about which they were concerned political organization and equipments for Empire on the order of Rome. This new power was to enable them from June on my to be able you will be given ability.

That's why use the word dynamic rather than dynamite dynamite suggested everywhere they went.

They just exploding things like that. It was a deep power.

It was a residing sense of dynamic. It was a sense of invincibility and confidence regardless of the odds. It's the kind of dynamic you would love to have in a world like ours, and Christians you have it.

FF Bruce writes they would be clothed with heavenly power, that power by which, in the event their mighty works were accomplished by their preaching and their preaching made effective and read that again they would be clothed with heavenly power, that power by which, in the event their mighty works were accomplished and their preaching made effective as Jesus himself had been anointed at his baptism with the Holy Spirit in power so the followers of his followers were now to be similarly anointed and able to carry out his work. Power is the unparalleled aid, which the Holy Spirit would grant and they would have ability beyond their own natural born strength. That is the power you and I have been given.

I think it's worth blowing the dust off the street I think is worth another look and incoming he affirms his will for us. You want to see quickly couple or three of those examples.

Verse eight you were just reading with me when the Holy Spirit is come upon you, you will receive dynamic and look at the first response you shall be my witnesses.

The dynamic to be a witness. The ability to witness openly and effectively for the cause of Jesus Christ, you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, right where you live. That witness will spread beyond the heritage of Judea and Samaria. You will even be involved in reaching the remotest part of the of the earth Chapter 4 Chapter 4 of acts. There will be the ability to persevere 13 413 Peter and Jonathan preaching in the streets. They been called up short by the officials and they're not looking their officials in the eyes and the officials verse 13 as they observe the confidence of Peter and John understood that they were uneducated and ignorant and untrained man they were marveling why, why would they marvel at untrained and unlearned men because they began to recognize that these are Jesus people. These are men who have been with Jesus. How would they know that the dynamic is a different kind of man they're not like the run-of-the-mill soldiers we deal with our politicians are the officials that we run with these are dynamic kind of man.

These are these are men who have been with Jesus. Chapter 5 I love this section 528 the counselors is chiding them, slapping their hands. The Sanhedrin we gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Peter and the apostles answered and said all I don't know what to do next. Know they answered and said we must obey God rather than men. That's dynamic there, standing in front of the officials normally to be intimidated in the courtroom. Here they are on intimidated, untrained, ignorant, albeit they are on intimidated the God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging him on the cross. He is the one whom God exalted to his right hand as a prince and Savior to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins, and we are witnessing is remember acts 180C power will be witnesses. That's what happened. We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit interesting how they link this to whom God has given to those who obey him, and they were cut to the quick and they intended to slay them never read that before. Look going to kill them. These men on intimidated are flogged, they are threatened.

Verse 40 they took his advice and after calling the apostles.

They flogged them and order them to speak no more. In the name of Jesus that happened no, nor have I been these had it happened to them and what happened. They went on their way from the presence of the Council rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name and every day they kept right on preaching and teaching. Christ, that's dynamic. The last example I was going to use the Stephen chapter 7. Read it for yourself versus 51 to 60, when he suffers unjustly and finally dies the first martyr, the power, the dynamic of the willingness to suffer unjustly, hoping to get the barriers removed between us in the spirit of God are given to you quickly. First of all, there's the barrier of the fearful unknown. The barrier of the fearful unknown. Don't be afraid of the unknown. Be afraid only of that which is not true. Stay away from that which is not true but the fearful unknown is a barrier we must cross second is the wall of traditional resistance.

We are by nature resistant of that which is new.

We are frightened of that which we cannot fully explain the wall of traditional resistance will hold us away from the best things God has for number three. The hurdle of personal excuses hurdle personal excuses. There is an intimacy that has been missed.

A dynamic that has become misunderstood and it has been fact been been incorrectly modeled as if those who have the spirit of God. Those are the ones who are obnoxious Christians. That's not true.

They are the ones who were loud and bold and un-tactful in witnessing to every person coming down the street that that's not that's not of the spirit. When the spirit of God is there.

There was a piece there is a confidence there is a loyalty to truth. There is an un-intimidated persevering consistency that lines up with living as God intended us to.

That is what we want. That is what we hope this series will help provide father.

I'm very grateful for your truth and I'm thankful that as we tap into it, we discover not just who we are, but far more importantly we we discover who you are and we come to realize that that there has been a transfer of power from Christ to us through the presence of the spirit lead us into all truth.

Guard us from that which is harassing or just simply the imaginations of the human mind find written within the pages.

Some of the deep things of yourself that will give us new dimensions for living. Thank you in advance for the things you teach us in the ways that you will use this series in our life's. We anxiously await his coming days. Jesus you're listening to Insight for living and on today's program. Chuck Swindoll has completed his very first message in a 14 part series on the Holy Spirit.

It's called flying closer to the flame to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit us online@insideworld.org were pleased to let you know this teaching series is complemented by one of Chuck's books. This one is called embraced by the spirit and the subtitle gives you an idea of what you can expect to receive in this book.

It's the untold benefits of intimacy with God is he walking with God spirit brings us peace and comfort. It's a relationship that calms our deepest fears and replaces them with hope. This is a powerfully practical book again. It's called embraced by the spirit to purchase a copy right now. Go to Insight.org/store.

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Let's get reacquainted with the spirit was copyrighted in 1990 to 1993 and 2003 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2003 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited