Be Confident: Walk in the Spirit – Part 1

Here's a gram laws. The Holy Spirit is another genius you can be confident in his person knowing welcome to this weekly message from God's word from our teacher and ground lots on living in the light teaching from John chapter 16 in verse five, 16 but in introducing the passage for today. He tells a compelling story story of faithfulness and commitment. The young woman was strikingly gorgeous and the man was very handsome. They fell in love and so the man professed his love and asked the woman to marry him and she agreed. She said she will live and so they were so excited man said not I want to marry you and I will marry you but I have to go away for a while and in the woman was looking distressed and he's got to go away before the wedding day but I'm going to send your gift it reassure you that I'm committed to you that I love you all be faithful to you and I'm going to come back and take in will live together will be married and so he left and a few days later she received this gorgeous gift in the mail.

It was a spectacular rain 15 karat diamonds run about the diamonds and she knew that this man was committed to her he would be faithful to her engagement ring with his pledge to marry her to come back and take her to be as broad and it was a gift of his love. So that's a lame Western way of trying to describe a Jewish wedding betrothal when the man would come to the woman and invite her to be his wife and she agreed and then they didn't live together for year and during that year. He was preparing a place for her home, but he would send her a gift and the gift was called the Moton and it was the gift of his love to her. It was a gift to revealed to her that he was committed he would be faithful and one that he would come and take her to live with him. This is where it gets so interesting that on Mount Sinai. When God gave the law to Moses to give the people the law that was given to the people was called the Moton. It was the gift of God's love and every year after that day, they celebrated one day a year that it was the the day of the giving of the gift the day of the Moton. It was called the feast of Shabbat and 2000 years ago on the day of the giving of the gift on the feast day of show boat when the father gave a gift of love. God sent down his Holy Spirit is called the gift the Moton that's Pentecost took place on the feast of Chicago. At Pentecost God gave us a love gift on behalf of his son pledging that you and would have the sense faithfulness is commitment.

You will be thinking of us. He loved us, and one day he would return to take us to live with him forever. The Holy Spirit is the time a gift of the sons love to his bride. The Holy Spirit is our engagement ring and I want to take time to look at the ring and consider the gift that God has given us the Moton the gift of his love, and in this passage Jesus is describing the engagement ring. The gift that he would send his disciples after he left on his journey to prepare a place for them. So you can be confident as we live in this final hour because we have the gifts we can walk in the spirit and to walk in the spirit in the context that I'm trying to present this just walk in God's love for you and for me, yielding our lives to him so that we live our lives for his glory where in love and he loves us and becomes a joy of our lives to get to know Raymond somewhat to do my best to help you get to know this Moton this gift from the father on behalf of the son. So the first thing were going to consider is this person you can be confident of the person of the Holy Spirit 11 times in these verses. He's referred to as he or him in a personal pronoun, so I may just make it clear the Holy Spirit is not a dog. He is not a flame of fire.

He's not icon in the stained-glass window. He's on the ecstatic languages on the motion. The Holy Spirit is a living invisible person.

He has a mind to think he has a heart to feel he has intellect to make decisions. He is all that God is in the Holy Spirit and that we call in the third person of the Trinity. And sometimes we think he sort of like a psi keys attack on like an add-on and as an that's not what it is at all.

He's 1/3 person because he was primarily the third to be revealed in Scripture and Genesis 1 verse two we having revealed because the spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep. That was the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament is primarily God the father whose revealed and in the New Testament the Gospels is primarily God the son was revealed, but acts and the epistles. It's God the Holy Spirit is revealed in the act is not the acts of the early churches ask about Holy Spirit through the early church so he is a person and living invisible person and in Scripture. You get to know somebody by their names to member Peter was named Simon because he was wishy-washy, impulsive, compulsive and Jesus said when the spirit would come upon them in Jesus changes like you would be Peter he would be a rock somebody would strengthen his brothers in their face and Jesus himself. His name means Savior, the one who would save us from our sin so the Holy Spirit has some names and help revealed Russ's character and in this passage amusing them and IV. The name is counselor and Webster's defines counselor someone who gives advice and manages causes and as we live in this final hour we're going to need advice were going to need a life manager were going to need someone will help us with decisions and help us know how to direct our lives and our loved ones in our children.

And that's the Holy Spirit who is our counselor he's there to give us advice and to help us in this final hour and that word also maybe in your translation calls and the comforter and Webster's defines that as someone who relieves us of mental distress, and I expect in this final hour. There will be some very distressful thing in a severe judgment comes and more disasters and tragedies and troubles, and they may not be far away. They may be right near you or you may go through some of those yourself and you find yourself filled with grief and distress. The Holy Spirit is your comforter, the Holy Spirit knows how in the midst of horrific circumstances to give you peace that passes all understanding, and to comfort you. Deep down in and I know some of you here like I do you know that he's our comforter. Maybe one my favorite names from which is rather obscure, but in chapter 14 verse 16 Jesus said, I will ask the father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever in the word. Another means someone exactly the same as so Jesus is saying I'm a counselor in the father is going to give you another counselor. Someone exactly the same as me. So the Holy Spirit is another Jesus in a sense, he is all that Jesus is without his man's body. He is Jesus without skin and so you know what that tells me the Holy Spirit is not spooky. He's not weird and sometimes people do things in his name and I don't want to be offensive, but I'm just going to tell you. I cannot imagine Jesus causing somebody to fall on the ground and foam at the mouth or to bark like a dog or to laugh uncontrollably. I question whether that's the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is another Jesus, so you can be confident in his person get to know him. Gaze at your engagement ring and so many different facets to his beauty and he is Jesus living inside of you saw the second thing we want to consider is the fact of his presence. We can be confident of his presence and in chapter 16 verse seven Jesus said, I'll send them to you.

I'm going to send you the gift I'm going to go away prepare a place for you. I'm going to send you the gift of my love and it's the Holy Spirit and he did that at Pentecost and the disciples. I'm assuming they were in the upstairs room. They had been there for about 10 days but on the feast of should vote as was customary.

That would've gone to the temple and because of the crowd that gathered. I'm assuming this took place in the temple grounds and are all gathered around and you know one of the things they were praying for is.

Don't forget to send the gift you know. Don't forget to give us the Holy Spirit and while they were there. Suddenly there was a sound of rushing when the wind wasn't blowing so the trees were blowing the leaves were scurrying across the courtyard. It was just the sound of a tornado. And Peter looked at John and had a flame of fire on his head and John looked at Andrew had a flame of fire in his head, Andrew, that Matthew had a flame and they overwhelmed with an intense sense of the presence of Jesus and they open their mouths in a symphony of praise and all of Jerusalem heard the gospel in their own language and they knew the Holy Spirit had been given and that was a once and for all time. You know, just like Bethlehem was once and for all and the cross was once and for all the resurrection once and for all the ascension once and for all. Pentecost is once and for all. So when we pray for another Pentecost. There will never be another Pentecost. What were praying for is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

God come down just like Isaiah 64 said shake us and reveal yourself and pour out your spirit upon us to revive the hearts of your people butts Pentecost is in a stark time when the Holy Spirit was given to let me try to explain the difference at this made because in the Old Testament people came into right relationship with God primarily when they went to the temple and they took a little lamb and they would grab the lamb with both hands, confess their sin. It was as of the guilt of their sin traveled along their arm was conveyed to the lamb the sinner took the knife and killed the lamb and then the priest took the blood of the Lamb and sprinkled on the altar so that the sinners sin was atoned for any came into right relationship with God as he kept the sacrifices and the ceremonies they belong to God's people and and that's the way they were made right with God in the Old Testament in the Old Testament they were looking forward to the cross.

They still put their faith in Jesus. They did know his name. They didn't know the details, but they were exercising their faith every time they went to the temple and grasp the lamb confess to sin, and the blood was shed to cover them and cleanse them and give them forgiveness and maintain that right relationship with God in the New Testament on this side of the cross we still look back to the cross where were made right with God in the same way is just that we don't have to kill a little lamb and I'm you know aren't you thankful that we don't have to go to a temple in slaughter of the Lamb. I can imagine but we go back to the cross by faith and we grasp the Lamb of God with our hands of faith and we confess our sin. It says the guilt of our sin is transferred to the Lamb of God, whose hanging on the cross and his blood covers us and cleanses us and were absolved of guilt and shame were forgiven of our sin were brought into right relationship with God. But in the New Testament we have something added that they didn't know anything about.

In the Old Testament because in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come upon somebody to anoint them for service soda help people as it were building the temple to work with gold or linens are come upon somebody like Saul of Kish to anoint him to be the leader, the first king of Israel, and when Saul sinned, God removed his spirit and then David was anointed king in God spirit came upon him, and when David sin with Bathsheba to member what he prayed God.

Don't take your spirit away from me because he knew the spirit could be given in the spirit could be removed so in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came and went, sort of on people in the New Testament since Pentecost when we come to the cross, we confess our sin. We claim Jesus as our Savior and we invite them to come into our lives and take control as our Lord. He comes into us in the person of the Holy Spirit.

We can be indwelt with the spirit of God. Now that's revolutionary. That's the gift that's the Moton that's your engagement ring. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you, the Old Testament, they did know anything about that at something that's a privilege for the brass ends. We can be confident as we go through this final hour that the spirit of the living God lives inside of but I want to ask you to see when did you invite him to come in. You know, was a little girl and I watched a film about Jesus on television came to the scene of the crossing and I watched it just about every Good Friday out over the year that this took place but used to come on every good fraud in this particular good fraud. Dad watched it and I was very aware that Jesus said that for me. I knew he had died for me and I was convicted of my sin and upstairs in my bedroom at the home across the valley. I got done on Mondays, not told God I was sorry and asked him to forgive me and come into my heart and I claim Jesus as my Savior and I didn't know about the Holy Spirit, nodded know all the technical things and the theological things.

I just knew I wanted Jesus to be my Savior and I was sorry for my sin. Invite them to come in and I believe he did not believe is a little girl I was born again into God's family. God doesn't have any grandchildren you know that so just because I'm milligrams daughter doesn't mean that I'm a child of God. I had to make my decision went down. I remember telling my mother and as I was going down the stairs to tell her I can remember feeling lighter like something had. I didn't even know was carrying a burden as a little girl, but I just felt light and clean and I just from that moment on I love Jesus I read the Bible through the next year. I could see fruit in my life even as I look back and I know that I was converted I was saved I had received the gift of the Moton when the Jew can you remember a specific time. Maybe you can't remember the year maybe a sort of it, but you remember you can't invite semi to come in your home and you might forget the date but if you are having company you would forget that you had them ends when you invite Jesus to come and he comes in. Maybe you can't remember the specific date and time, but you know that you prayed a prayer and confessed your sin and invite them to come if you don't remember a time like that. How do you know there is a timely them explain the Virgin Mary do know when the angel came to her and he said you going to have a baby and she said hello Peter.

How can that be because I've never known a man. He said the spirit of God is going to come upon you, and that which is conceived within you is going to be the life of the son of God, and she said, be it unto me according to your will, and she conceived within herself. Jesus physically when you put our faith in Jesus and we invite him to come in. We conceive within us spiritually. The life of Jesus we have a new creation new man to think the thoughts of God and your emotions to love people. We didn't even like you know new intellect to make decisions to read our Bible every day there break with that habit to share with our neighbor and we have the mind of Christ. So we become a new creation there. So now within me there to people living so there is anagram lots and I will have that until I see Jesus so that old nature always have to be on guard and always having to put the death of things.

It's trying to get me to do a you know have to reject it and live in that old nature. I want to walk in the spirit and learn to live in the life of Jesus within me.

So I just invite you. If you can't remember a time when you've invited Jesus from the outside the enemy.

Let me make this clear. When you invite Jesus to come in your heart. He comes into in the person of the Holy Spirit. So if you didn't know about the Holy Spirit.

I got in about the Holy Spirit. That's okay. God understands, he knows what you're asking. Jesus is in a man's body up in heaven getting ready to come back and rule the world he couldn't possibly come into my body so when I invite him to come in. He comes in in the person of the Holy Spirit who is Jesus without skin. All that Jesus is, except in spirit form the live inside of me as the gift the Moton so you can be confident of his presence. When you have confessed your sin bin to the cross, told God you're sorry, asked him to forgive you your willing to repent and turn away from your sin. Open up your heart. Invite them to come in. You can be confident.

His presence is now inside of you, never to leave you, never to forsake you. You can be confident in this final hour. You are not alone. You not going through this by yourself. Thirdly, we can be confident of his power in acts chapter 1 verse eight it says you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and this is the Holy Spirit. Remember Genesis 1 verse one in the beginning God created everything verse to the spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep and the deep was just planet Earth dangling in space just like a blob dark and had no shape, no meaning, no purpose, and the Holy Spirit hovered over it, preparing it in the third verse to receive God's word and God said God's word went forth in every day through the preparation of the spirit in the proclamation of the word day by day by day by day planet Earth was transformed in the place of beauty.

A place where God could even see his own image reflected, and so the Holy Spirit has that kind of power to transform a human life. The transformer planet.

If he can transform a planet he can transform you and you can transform me has the power to change you and me and look at the disciples before Peter such a good example, but because before the cross during the trials of Jesus. He was outside in the courtyard, and the little girl came up and said you're one of his disciples.

He said no I'm not in the second. I guess you are one of disciples know I'm not the third time I saw you in the garden. He cursed and said he never knew Jesus. He was so terrified of the opinions of other people so terrified of what other people would say about him that he did not his Lord three times after the cross after Pentecost. He stands up there in the courtyard in front of these very same people would put Jesus on trial and condemned them to death, and crucified him. He said you have crucified the Lord of glory. And they said what must we do to these ladies as you repent you be baptized in you can be saved and they did and they weren't the difference when he was arrested and they grill them. They said how can these uneducated fishermen speak like this and preach like this make such an impact like this and they took note. He had to been with Jews, and the difference I saw in Peter's life was. They said it been with Jesus, he wasn't as with Jesus. Jesus was in him and makes all the difference. How can you witness to somebody who doesn't even believe there's a God or how can you witness to somebody who doesn't believe the Scripture has authority or how do you change somebody like that. How do you change somebody when you share the gospel. You say, for God so loved the world, God, you know which God is that he so loved the world that he gave his only son. His only son were all sons of God, that whosoever believes in him. Wait a minute. Are you saying Jesus is the only way that sounds narrowminded intolerant will have our own gods and you would not perish parish. You believe in hell.

All that is so archaic that was so medieval that you have everlasting everlasting life. I don't believe in that. I believe when you die, you just snuff out.

So how do you convince somebody like that, that the gospel is true that God does so love the whole world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever places his faith in him would not perish but have everlasting asked how do you convince them you don't only the Holy Spirit can do that. Praise God, you know, we don't have to do the convincing.

We do the sharing.

How can they believe if they don't hear they have to hear it. We have to share our faith and share the gospel but is the Holy Spirit's who changes them and that's what those verses that he convinces of sin. He convinces of righteousness and he convinces of judgment if they don't get right with God. So we're free to just laugh and to share the gospel with them befriending people in meeting them for lunch, texting them checking on them just coming alongside them until sooner or later you pray the Holy Spirit will take that sentence make it real so that they will want the same Jesus they see in you and that's one reason I believe it's very important to pre-pray your day because you never know when you're going to have as opportunities come up, and then if an opportunity arises you just send a pull era. For his help me Lord just close this with the power of the Holy Spirit.

So as I share the gospel you be working in the heart to change the heart and mind of the person so you can be confident of his power and the longer you live, and the more you experience is power in your life and situation such as I described the more confident you are he can do it. We just get out of his way. You know he can do it and were confident of his precepts in verse 13 he is referred to as the spirit of truth and the spirit of truth is the one who wrote this book and I know he used human vessels to write down the words, but second Timothy 316 says all Scripture is God breathed useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking, training in righteousness, so to say God's word has errors or to say it has myths or to say that God's word is not true in its entirety is the slur the integrity of the spirit of truth. So I think you need to make the decision if you believe it or not, from Genesis to Revelation.

Every single part and I'm here to tell you if when I get to heaven I found out that in some battle in the Old Testament wasn't 200,000 people killed. It was 20,000 people killed somewhere at zero got added Autocare but I don't want to get to heaven and found out that I said you know I don't believe in Adam and Eve's whoever heard of a snake talking and I don't think all those animals could fit on about how could you get them to come anyway and I don't believe that's Jonah was swallowed by fish because I've never heard of a man swung by fishing after three days being spit out ends.

I don't even think I believe in the resurrection of Jesus because who's ever heard of a man rising from the dead, and you go through Scripture and you pick and choose what with your finite mind you can understand. I don't want to get to heaven and found that throughout things that were God's truth in all those stories I just mentioned Jesus referred to by the way, and it Jesus is the truth. He's not going to lie he's not going to deceive, you can take his word so I challenge you to make your decision about this book. I don't how you can share the gospel with somebody else if you don't truly believe it. So you decide in and we just take it back.

Faith cannot say that I can't give you all the answers to the theological questions.

I don't understand everything I read. I just know that is true, and I believe when you approach it by faith in you believe is true. That's when God gives you the hidden manna.

That's when he gives you kidding insights into what it's saying, that's when you do you three questions what does it say what does it mean to me and what does it mean in my life and and it begins to break open. So what you believe about the Bible you believe is true. You been listening to living in the light and when you go to n-gram lots.org there are free resources to help you in your study of God's word and's desire is that you embrace God filled life step-by-step choice by choice living in the line