Refreshment for the Worried – Part 1

We have something that the Old Testament had no clue about what we have is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and were glad you join us today for living in the line with Bible teacher and Graham loves in her message activates the power you find yourself overwhelmed and afraid. Afraid that you can't, God is called you to do here in Panama covering up the worry and fear. That is just below the surface and's message today from John chapter 16 is for you as a story of a man who, after a major storm went to the hardware store and he told the clerk that this big tree it falling down in his yard and she wanted a saw to cut it out, and so the clerk went in the back room and he brought a big chain sonic put it on the counter and he said this will take care of your trade. He said it will cut through that tree like a Microsoft butter and the guys and that's exactly what I want and so he paid his money ticket on three days later the same guy came back in the hardware store and he was stumbling beard, sweaty, dirty dragnet sonic put on the counter and he said I thought you said this was the best that you had and the clerk said well that is and he said well he's not been stalling for three days, not just under one little lamb he said something's wrong. It doesn't work and the clerk said well he's the best stranger worked when I sold it to you and he reached over and he pulled a little black cord and the song went from room and the man's eyes got big and he said what's that noise. You can sign for three days without ever activating the power and I think that man is like some Christians on even like me sometime where we just working so hard and were trying so hard to be good in trying so hard to serve the Lord in trying so hard to bring people to Christ and trying so hard to be what Jesus wants us to be in just trying so hard and if we were honest, would we want to take our Christian life and put it back up on that celestial counter at the celestial hardware store and say you know something it doesn't work. I've been trying and I'm worn out I'm exhausted. I am so weary and now more because I call myself a Christian and I've committed my life to you, but I just can't live the Christian life. And deep down I'm scared to death and I wonder how many of you are worried that there's something really wrong with you. You know what we do at that point we start pretending knowingly. We just wear a mask and we all pretend to be these little spiritual people in church people.

We get busy activities and you worried on the inside that whatever that is.

You can't attain and you're tired of trying to just keep on pretending to stop attending. I want to turn to a passage that Jesus taught his disciples when they were in that upstairs room on the light. Jesus was betrayed and remember, Jesus had washed their feet and that included the feet of Judas and then you dismiss Judas and then it taught him about heaven. My father's house and he taught them about persecution. He taught them if they would abide in the vine, like the branches on the bond that they would bear much fruit in many taught them about the Holy Spirit because these disciples were beginning to get the idea that Jesus was leaving, so they were starting to agree. They felt like orphans were going to be bereft of their beloved parent and not only that, but it was beginning to be communicated to them that they were going to be responsible for his ministry and is absent in his visible absence. And so I think they were overwhelmed. I think they were afraid they were grieving because they knew he was leaving and deep down I think they were very scared. They were worried. We can't do this and he's been with us three years.

He has more faith in us than he really ought to have been in which a scared we can't do this when he's not here with us every moment of every day, and I think there was a deep maybe it's more than worry. Maybe it's a fear that was gripping them because it was just at that moment that he taught them about the Holy Spirit. John chapter 16 I'm going to read verses five through 16 this is what he taught them now going to him who sent me.

Yet none of you asked me where you going because I said these things you're filled with grief so they were grieving. I tell you the truth it's for your good that I'm going away unless I go away, the counselor will not come to you, but I go, I will send them to you now look at what he's saying he saying that it would be better for me to go away so that you can have the counselor to have the counselor available to live in you is better than having me with you at an astonishing statement is verse eight.

When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment. In regard to sin because men don't believe in me in regard to righteousness because I'm going to the father where you can see me no longer in regard to judgment because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

I have much more to say to you more than you can now bear. But when he, the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what he hears and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you all that belongs to the father is mine. That's why said the spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you in a little while you'll see me no more. And then after little while you will see me. Jesus teaches his disciples about the Holy Spirit and I want to remind you of seven characteristics of the Holy Spirit all right and most of them are in this passage we might stuck outside for a couple of them but the first one is so obvious that sometimes we completely overlook it, and it's this that the Holy Spirit is a person 11 times in these few verses like shopping is less in these verses like five verses he's referred to by the personal pronoun he or him so just delay it right out there.

The Holy Spirit listen to me he is not in it. He is not a dove.

He is not a flame of fire. He's not an ecstatic experience. He's not an emotion. He's not an icon is not a ghost.

The Holy Spirit is a living invisible person. He has a mind to think he has emotions to feel he has a will to act and make decisions.

We refer to them as 1/3 person of the Trinity. And sometimes we think that means he's the least, but it doesn't mean that he's the third to be fully revealed in Scripture. So in the Old Testament yet primarily God the father has revealed in the Gospels.

You have primarily God the son was revealed in the acts and the epistles.

It's primarily God the Holy Spirit was revealed. In fact, the book of acts is not the acts of the early church of the disciples. It's acts of the Holy Spirit through the early church and a disciple and so the Holy Spirit is a person in Scripture names were given to a person and the names revealed their character princes Jacob commits the Sever manipulator and he was wasn't going until he yielded his life to God and then God changed his name from Jacob to Israel, a prince West power with God's power with God is somebody who is completely yielded doing so. His name change in his character change and the New Testament example would be Peter.

His name was Simon wishy-washy compulsive impulsive demagogue got hold of and after Pentecost. He was so filled with the Holy Spirit and he was transformed in the billing Jesus gave much as Peter rock someone that would be used to strengthen the faith of others in our Lord Jesus himself is very name means Savior. He will save his people from their sins and Emmanuel, God with us. So the names in Scripture reveal the character of the person doing the given, so I just want us to look at just a few names of the Holy Spirit, the one in the NIV in this passage is that he's our counselor in the dictionary's definition of that is that he gives advice and manages causes, so I thought if you're worried maybe something you trying to figure out. Maybe it's something that you just don't understand. Maybe it's just an uneasy fear of the future you worried about your family worried about your ministry word about what you're going to face when you get back worried about. Also it's a decision you got to make and you would just love to have a counsel. Maybe somebody help you with your marriage if your ministry pressure afraid to go to somebody and tell them they didn't have marriage problems.

You need a counselor back to the Holy Spirit is he's the counselor and you know something because he is the Holy Spirit, he has all the wisdom of God. He never gives wrong advice never steers you in the wrong direction. He is a counselor available to give you advice for what ever you're worried about. Not only is he the counselor, but one of my favorite names for them is a very obscure name, but it's in chapter 14 verse 16 when Jesus I'm going to ask the father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever and uses the word another, and the word means exactly the same as in other words, Jesus is saying on the counselor here with you, but I'm going to send you the Holy Spirit was another Counselor I counselor exactly the same as me.

So the Holy Spirit is another Jesus.

He is Jesus without the man's physical body. He's all that Jesus is in his personality and his mind as well as emotions just without the skin that goes with it is the invisible Jesus sitting on my porch this afternoon and I looked at the other rocking chair and I thought you know I would just love that Jesus comes. That right there and I want to tell them some things I want to ask him some things in.

I want to know that I have his full attention and I want to hear what he would say about tonight and tomorrow something that face next week and other things that were planning and and then just washed all over me. He was sitting right there invisibly in the person of the Holy Spirit fact if I can skip down for moment the verse 16 and in chapter 16 what is is in a little while you'll see me in a little while, you won't think he is referring to. After the crucifixion. After the resurrection, and remember Jesus suddenly appeared the women at the tomb and then he disappeared and then he suddenly appeared to the disciples on the man's throat and he disappeared and he suddenly appeared to the disciples in the upstairs room and it disappeared and he suddenly appeared to the disciples beside Galileo and always coming and going. Suddenly they saw and then they do and then they sound and they did. And you know what I think he was doing. He was teaching them about the Holy Spirit that whether you can save me or not. I'm with you, Jesus went the Holy Spirit's is another Jesus just all that Jesus is about is man's physical body and one of the more familiar names that he's given is that of the Paraclete or the helper.

I just took the swing and because I love it. The dictionary defines it as someone who is available for regular use or emergencies. And the thing about emergencies.

We don't know when they got a happen right as all of a sudden he got a flat bar. All of a sudden your an accident all of a sudden your child has some problem all of a sudden your spouse walks out. All of a sudden, you lose your pension ought you know crises, emergencies, and that's where the Holy Spirit immediately. He's right there to help you. He's there with you is just so steady, so consistent, so available. You need help. That's what he's there for. We could go on and his names but he's the helper he's strengthen or he's our advocates. He's our counselor. He's Jesus in us the invisible Jesus.

So when did he come. Jesus is telling them he says I'm going to go back to the father and I'm going to ask him to send down this Holy Spirit. This counselor and so that the Jesus of God, rose up from the dad ascended into heaven. Acts tells us of all the disciples actually are more than just the 12 about 120 of them. They were gathered in an upstairs room and they were praying and you know one of the things are praying for was that Jesus would keep his promise.

Don't forget you promised you would send down the Holy Spirit we can't do this without you were desperate was so worried about things facing us in. Imagine the transition between old and new covenant old and New Testament of their getting laid to establish the church in Jesus play send the Holy Spirit. We got a lot of responsibility here and then I'm assuming they moved on the day of Pentecost of the temple because of the scene but there there on the day of Pentecost, praising God and celebrating the feast, when suddenly there is the sound of rushing wind, and leaves weren't scatting across the courtyard and the trees weren't moving there was just the sound like a tornado in Peter looks at Johnny's yellow flame a far as Abidjan looks at Matthew he's got a little flame of fire.

Matthew looks at James and suddenly there still over this overwhelming sense of the presence of Jesus, and their hearts are filled. The burst open the mouse and the symphony of praise can they knew the Holy Spirit, Jesus and asked his father and sent down the Holy Spirit to come live inside of them Jesus and told them in chapter 14, you know the Holy Spirit because he's with you because the Holy Spirit was in Jesus, they were with Jesus. Are there with the Holy Spirit pleases the Holy Spirit's going to be in you, and that's a dramatic difference at Pentecost the disciples received the Holy Spirit in them to let me try to explain it this way in the Old Testament people were saved and disciples before. Do they would be saved all the Old Testament saints when they look to the cross. But the way they express their faith in the cross was through the obedience to do those Old Testament sacrifices and ceremonies never done a sacrifice the lamb is like God gave them an hour.

You know I owe you forgiveness. I owe you forgiveness and to all the oceans of blood. Rivers of blood you know Jenny Old Testament, but all of it can take away sin. They were it was pointing to the cross.

When Jesus would come as a lamb of God would back the take away their sin, and so they were saved in Old Testament sense when they put their faith in God's word that pointed them to the cross.

Point them to Jesus. Today you and I saved in the same way. But we look back. Thank goodness we don't have to go to temple and slaughter some animal and have the blood everywhere, but we put our faith in Jesus as the Lamb of God and is likely grasping with our hands. We confess our sin, our guilt is transferred to him and he takes our guilt in our sin and we put our faith in him and were forgiven were clan box from Jesus forward on this side of the cross we have something that the Old Testament had no clue about what we have is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit's in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come on somebody so like when they were building the temple. The Holy Spirit would come upon somebody equipped them supernaturally.

Just give them the work with gold or bronzer, so the linens or whatever and then when the job is finished. The Holy Spirit was taken away.

Best example is Saul of Kish to remember the first King of Israel and when Samuel anointed him. He was given the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit came upon him to anoint him to lead the people. And when Saul of Kish sinned against God, the Holy Spirit was removed a member so King David was anointed and David was anointed by the Holy Spirit. He had the Holy Spirit come upon him to equip him and enable him to rule Israel and remember when King David sinned against God when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and in Psalm 51 he cries out. Don't take your Holy Spirit from me because he is always bigger. Come upon you, and then God could just remove the Holy Spirit from your so they understood the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament like that.

But this was something different from Pentecost on the Holy Spirit comes to live in this never to leave this never to forsake us. So let me explain a little bit this way when the Virgin Mary was visited by Gabriel to Angel and the and the angel said you're going to conceive the life of the son of God you going to have a baby and Mary said how in the world and that because I've never known a man I've never had sexual intercourse in the angel said the Holy Spirit is going to come upon you and within you going to conceive the life of the son of God and Mary put her faith in his word and she said, be it unto me according to your word, and she conceived within her the physical life of Jesus and the same thing happens to you and me when we put our faith in Jesus and and we confess our sin. We tell God we are sorry we believe Jesus died on the cross for our sin and we claim him as our Savior and invite him to come in. He comes into us and within us. We conceive the spiritual life of Jesus, so I made that decision. I was a little girl, seven, eight or nine. I wish I could remember the year I remember is Good Friday that them watching the picture. But Jesus on TV and at the end when he died on the cross.

I knew he died for me and I told him I was sorry asked him to forgive me to come into my heart cannot believe he did and I was born again into his family. So within me. From that moment on, is like two people live inside of me. I have the person I was born as an but then I have a new creation new person within its life of Jesus within the new mind to think God's thoughts and new emotions, love people I don't even like him you will to make the right decisions in and it's Jesus inside of me, but Holy Spirit who lives inside of me making me a new creation. So Jesus said to Nicodemus, a great religious leader and his or when he walked down the street. Fathers who poke their son. I want you to be like that man. Nobody better than Nicodemus Pharisee ruler initial teacher of the law. Absent a splendid man and Jesus looked at him and he asked Jesus a few questions on about heaven and some other things in Jesus and Nicodemus you're not even going to see happen, much less enter it unless you're born again you must be born again because it the Holy Spirit within us is God's seal of authenticity. Without him within you.

God doesn't recognize you as being his child and so you can go through the motions.

Call yourself a Christian be involved in the church teach son is you could be the pastor of your church and God looks at you and he doesn't see that seal of authenticity because the Holy Spirit is not within. So let me ask you critical critical critical question. When did you receive the Holy Spirit. Please don't misunderstand me if you asked Jesus to come into your heart and life. He came in in the person of the Holy Spirit. Whether you named him that we are not. When I was a little girl and I asked Jesus to come in my heart I did know about the Holy Spirit. I didn't understand I just wanted Jesus to come live inside of me. But you know something Jesus is in a man's body. He lives up in heaven he could possibly come inside me when I asked him to come in. He comes in and the person of his Holy Spirit. So let me put it another way clinic you asked Jesus to come into your heart when you deliberately with your adult conscious mind told him that you know you are a sinner and your sorry and you asked for his forgiveness and you believe Jesus died on the cross as God's sacrifice for your sin. There's no other. You put your faith in Jesus alone, not Jesus.

Plus your good works of Jesus, but your church stuffer.

Jesus was and it just Jesus you put your faith in Jesus, you ask him to forgive you claimed you to come into your hearts, you surrender control to him when were you born again. If you can't remember a point in time you did that. How do you know you did.

Are you living your life in a very dangerous option because your member of the church. We had been that way since probably the day you were born him. And if you're from the South. You were all raised in the church as part of our culture and you can make the assumption that your Christian just because you're born in the garage doesn't mean your car you be born and raised in the church. That doesn't mean your Christian doesn't mean you been born again. So if you can never remember point in time when you deliberately, intentionally confessed your sin claim Jesus as your Savior open up your heart invite him to come in surrendered your life to him and would you do that before you go to bed the night and you write down this date in your Bible.

Maybe there's somebody here who's just not sure those of us who have received the Holy Spirit.

We know Jesus is living inside of us. We know we know there's no doubts that Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine and I know there may be some things I struggle with but I don't struggle with that and so if you're struggling with it and if there's doubts and I suggest maybe even though you've invited Jesus in July, many times every time you hear invitation like this every time your present and you do it all over again and maybe have never done it once by faith because faith says Jesus.

I confess my sin in your words is about confess my sin. Then you be faithful and just to cleanse me as I take you at your word. Thank you. Have confess must believe I'm forgiven, and faith says Jesus you said about open up my heart sort invite you to come and you would come in and not done that. So I believe you live in Sodom and just take him at his word. And Jesus says if you ask him to give you eternal life.

He will also ask him and then you say thank you.

I believe I have eternal it has nothing to do with feelings and feelings may catch up and I pray God would give you a beautiful awareness of his presence and he can do that soliciting just inviting me to go to bed tonight. Until you know for sure. But Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit in you.

He's come to indwell us ever since.

Pentecostal never be another Pentecost, because that was a point in time. Just like Bethlehem was a point in history and the cross was appointed to the resurrection and ascension, Pentecost once and for all it ever since Pentecost anybody everybody who put their faith in Jesus as the present of receiving him into their hearts person of the Holy Spirit. Praise God, he hasn't left us like orphans is come to us come to live in. Now here's and with this final word. Does the Holy Spirit live in you. You have the blessed assurance that he does know they would you take a few moments right now to make sure don't let this broadcast and without inviting him to come from the outside to the inside of you pray with me now. Dear God, I now understand how the Christian life is been so hard such a struggle. I have never activated the power. So right now I confess to you that I'm a sinner. The greatest sin of my life is not never done this before and I'm sorry I will turn away from us soon and self-centeredness. With your help I believe Jesus died is your sacrifice for my sin. Please forgive me and cleanse me with his blood, and I believe he rose from the dead to give me eternal life. I ask you to give me eternal life, which is a right relationship with you now in heaven when I die and open up my heart and I invite Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit to come inside of me as surrendered to his authority and will seek to live the rest of my life for him. Amen.

Praise God, you are no longer alone. You are not a spiritual orphan anymore. The Holy Spirit lives in you.

Right now he will never leave or forsake you. Welcome to God's family. You been listening to living in the light and when you go to Engram lots.org there are free resources to help you in your study of God's word and's desire is that you embrace of God filled life step-by-step choice by choice living in the light