The Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit: He's More than "The Force", Part 2

Have you ever tried to make changes in your life only to find it. Over time you fall right back into the same old habits again. Would you like to experience victory over those troublesome areas actually last. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you have access to power and resources that can change your life forever. Today I show you how you can access the thanks for joining us for this Wednesday. Addition of living on the trip, serves as our Bible teacher of this daily international discipleship program through nature continues a series.

The Holy Spirit experiencing his power and presence 24 seven with a look at the person of the Holy Spirit is like and how was he involved in our lives To support today's broadcast but we suggest that you download the chip and remap your Living on the Edge whenever you want. Now with today's message. Here's our teacher, Chip Ingram, who is the Holy Spirit number one.

He is a person not an influence is a person is not the force is not an energy he's not.

He's a person first because he's intelligent, first Corinthians 2 1011 says no one knows the mind of a man except the spirit of the man and no one knows the mind of God except the Spirit of God, who searches all things, the Holy Spirit has intelligence intellect. He has feelings.

Ephesians 430 were sent were told were commanded. Don't grieve the spirit. What what's what's creeping its makings person feels sad and were told not to greet him, but let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor, not be a part of your life anymore.

It increase. It makes God so sad when were unkind in a harsh and loving to one another. See what happens. Here's what we do in Christian life.

We get this idea that is about. Here's this formula and here's a success and here's this way am supposed to live. I try hard to live this like this when it really works out good things happen this way does work out that things happen.

It's like you can live this way I get really tired to Melissa and somehow I know there's these rules and these rules are really important. I know that for my good. But when you break an invisible sort of rule, it's like darn I wish I could keep that rule. There's a big difference between breaking a rule breaking someone's heart.

I can break a lot of rules and oil try harder next time. But I've had a few occasions where I looked at my wife after I said something that I wish you hadn't said or I was late for the 15th of the 18th and the 19th time when I said I would be there early in our marriage and I looked at her face and I broke her heart and when I saw how my behavior impacted her heart wanted to change. I wanted to change when you sin and when I sin you not breaking some rules can have some impact on your self-fulfillment or cause you to lose some brownie points with God break God's heart as he has your past. Think of those of you that apparently think about how it breaks your heart when when your kids lies to you when you talk to him about something that they just go around you and you and when they keep doing the same kind of think is what what what it really says is your kids don't really trust you what it really says they don't really love you right and some of you had some horrendous times. Your kids have really gone off and you see them in terrible situations will, of course, there's hurt and their disappointment. But isn't there more than anything else, sadness doesn't just break your heart when you begin to think that God lives in you and when you have that sort of check in your spirit. That's a loss of peace.

What if you started thinking that's the spirit shedding a tear for me breaking his heart. Disappointing God. He loves me. That will change that will change how you live your life. He's a person is intelligent. He has feelings he has a will, prescriptions 1211 says now all these things. And speaking of giving spiritual gifts to the church all these things work. One of the same from one of the same spirit and he distributes them just as he wills are just as he determines.

So who is he, first and foremost, he's a person do you think of the Holy Spirit is a person. Second, he possesses the attributes of God in Genesis 1 is on the potent. He's a part of the Spirit hovers over the earth is a part of creation. He's all knowing.

In first Corinthians 2. He is the very mind of Christ. He's on the present member. Psalm 139 where can I flee from your presence where can I run from your spirit and finally he's truth in first John chapter 5 probably pretty obvious by now but he is God the Holy Spirit is coequal, coexistent, and coeternal with the father and the son to classic passages or acts chapter 5 verses three through about five and in second print is 317 and if you if you know that the act's passage is just great picture member Ananias and Sophia. Remember the story of the church is growing in Barnabas gives us big gift and is generous and I think a lot of people were given him a lot of strokes for this generous gift and so pretty soon they go well and of Barness is get all the strokes so Ananias and Sapphire of their sin is not that they gave money and held some back there sin was the hypocrisy of saying the land was sold for this much so they could get the claim of people Peter said you know when you sold the land the money cheers you have to give anything why did you lie to the Holy Spirit to verses later you haven't lied to men you've lied to God and sector things 317. The word Lord. The New Testament word used for reference for law like it says the Lord is the spirit so he's a person give the attributes of God and he is God.

Know what I want to do is give you a brief overview of what exactly does the Holy Spirit do in a believer's life, but what exactly does the Holy Spirit do in a believer's life. First and foremost he dwells inside of us. First Corinthians 619 and 20. Open your Bibles I want you to what you look at this one.

Okay first printing chapter 6 verses 19 and 20. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is where who is in you than he goes on to say whom you received from God. You are not your own. Your bottle at a price. Therefore honor God with your body first and foremost, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us. Jesus said that would happen.

Paul says your body was bought, so your body and my body is called what a temple.

Now, if you've been to any other parts of the world or into a beautiful church or any world religion temples have certain characteristics correct.

What do people do in temples. They worship and there's usually some level of reverence or sacredness right and in the temple one you know different traditions do all, different things, but a temple is a holy place where people worship that set apart and that is sacred what the apostle Paul is saying is, in this day.

You are the temple you know you want real worship is what we do is we gather together as the church for instruction and corporate worship. But the real worship of the living God is in temples not made with hands, and the temples are his people, individually and then as people gathered and so the question that always comes to my mind is are you treating the temple that is made to worship even half as well is most people treat the buildings and the false religions they worship. Is it sacred is a holy what goes into the mind of your temple what comes out of the tongue of your temple what do your hands do that represent that temple where your feet go from that temple see worship is offering your body is a what a living sacrifice, you are living, walking, breathing infiltrated dwells inside out of the spirit of the living God.

And that's why Jesus would call us light and salt because we are moving temples that breathe in the spirit of God dwells inside of us and he wants to renew our mind and produce in and through us the very life and personality and heart and love of Jesus, so that progressively what comes out of your mouth is what Jesus would be saying in that situation through your personality and your heart in your life and your feet would go where Jesus would send you and your hands would do what Jesus would do because you're living temple. And he takes up residence in you, that's a different picture than trying hard to read my Bible made to church three times this month read the Bible three times this week I gave little bit more than normal what he think God only misses the point. That's called religion. That's called performance orientation that Scully works righteousness and politics.

The whole book of Romans is not Christianity.

Christianity is the spirit of God manifesting the relationship of the father in the sun inside of you in connection and abiding producing his life through you. So what are the ministries will cause a happen.

Where does it start to get connected to the spirit of the first ministries what's called regeneration. Titus 35 says not by works of righteousness you've done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. You're probably familiar with the very familiar passage of Nicodemus, John chapter 3 Jesus said to Nicodemus I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God… Born of water and of the spirit flesh gives birth to the flesh, but the spirit gives birth to the spirit, your rabbi, your leader, Israel you should know this.

Why a surprise that I say is be born from above, are born a second time the wind blows where it pleases you hear the sound, but you can't tell where it comes from or where it's going. So it is with everyone is born of the spirit Nicodemus. This isn't rocket science.

It's not about all your goodie stuff that you're doing is not about all the verses you've got is not that you fast on Tuesday and Friday. It's not that your leader in the temple.

It's not your external morality. You can't have a relationship with God and with the spirit dwells in you. First, John is in italics later this is the record of the testimony God has given us grace give eternal life. He that has the son has life he that does not have the son does not have life.

These things I spoke in you that you might know with certainty that you have eternal life.

That's a far cry from I go to church. I'm trying hard being a good Christian means and try to be a good life trying to be good husband to help him better. Parents, kids don't get in trouble all those things may be logical byproducts that is not the Christian life. There's calls but have better morality than most Christians are sure you God says he wants to indwell and that doesn't come from religion is when the spirit of God gives you spiritual birth in a spiritual birth occurs when I understand that I've offended a righteous and holy God and I will incur his righteous and just wrath because I deserve it because he's holy. But he sent his son Jesus to die upon the cross to cover or atone for all that sin of all men of all time in an empty hands of faith. I can say father would you take my sin and appropriated to your son, would you take his righteousness and allowed to close me and will you forgive me and come into my life. I am regeneration occurs.

Now the spirit begins the journey called sanctification a little by little, making me more like his son and yes I have the responsibility renewing my mind and being in the fellowship of God's people and you know confessing my sin when I struggle, but the moment I'm regenerated.

Here's what I want you to get there certain non-experiential things occur in there certain experiential things occur and grow, and these are what these are the ministries of the Holy Spirit so I can go through all the passages I just want to give you an overview of what they are the non-experiential.

In other words, the moment you trust Christ you're baptized into the body of Christ will talk about will have a hold time on baptism and filling in the difference in why baptisms identification the moment you pray and receive Christ, having turn from your sin, the spirit of God picks you up, takes you out of the kingdom of darkness take you over here place you in the kingdom of light and inserts you into this new family called the body of Christ. You may or may not feel anything. That's what occurs, that's what the baptism is then your sealed vision. One says that there's this unilateral seal with the spirit of God seals you and that's like a down payment like a guaranteed like put money down, use it to save the financial term of the day is like putting money down on a house is the guaranteed the spirit seals you and its unilateral and then he anoints you for service and power in any begins to pray for you and you may not experience that he's praying for you spring for your rights as praying for your protection and he deposit spiritual gifts and now if you two days you prayed to receive Christ.

You turn from your sin, the spirit enters your life.

You have the spiritual gifts. You may not experience and you have an anointing to begin to serve the may not experience it yet. Here's the best picture I can give you because I will look at experiential ones and some of them are both when my oldest boys were six years old. I had an amazing amazing opportunity. I got to dump them went down to the Dallas courthouse and that they were my wife's children biologically and we got married in two years later, God gave me the opportunity to adopt them when I went down to the courthouse. Their name changed and they became Ingram's Eric and Jason from and it was legal. They were identified from one last name to another. In Assam they got ties into Ingram.

This and then they were sealed because I had a legal document that said for all time there. My voice is much as any other boys I ever got, or my little girl and they had an anointing from their father. I had committed that whatever these boys need to be men of God, my resources, whether it's time, energy, teaching Christian school. Whatever it is they have an anointing everything they're gonna need to be men of God.

I committed to make available and they had a mom and dad were praying like crazy and they had all kind of gifts.

But I want to tell you but from the moment we went in there and sign the papers to the moment we sign the papers.

My little six euro boys experience was not one iota difference when they didn't have my last name when they did all those things were true, all those things they possessed. From the moment I adopted them.

I don't know if I have anything to leave my kids hope I do. Back then, I wouldn't sure.

Believe me, but they got my name they were going to be a part of my inheritance and they didn't do anything. Why does it belong to me. That's who you are, the moment you trust Christ with you many of the things you don't experience their true you possess, and what you learn is how to live out of those what's already truth you the things you begin to experience however is the fruit of the spirit as you begin to abide in Christ and his life begins to take shape. All of a sudden there's a byproduct of love and joy and peace and patience and goodness and kindness and generosity and self-control. I still remember running it was one of the early signs but God does it for different people. Like two weeks in my Christian life I stop cussing unexplained like this and that was the major miracle.

Believe me, and for other people might be something else that was it was just the fruit I didn't try like, 000 just stopped. He's a Holy Spirit and filling Rita learned there's one baptism and that sometimes it happens what will look at all the acts passages and relax for dinner. You have a great time there, but there's multiple fillings the word filling has most to do with control were commanded to be filled with the spirit. It's when he gets more fasts and you experience that you experience is power you have experiences with him and he gives you boldness, encouraging truth and things happening in and through you think you will listen May and guess what, you're right. Just like Peter and John. They stepped up against the authorities, Peter and John Silver and gold have I none all through the church. When the spirit of God fills his people there courageous their bold or loving the counterculture their winsome their forgiving their pure and then you have him. He teaches you and II mean a member as a kid I open the Bible, like twice and like it or to dine something. I mean, I am in a Medtronic about how I can understand when this the spirit begins to reveal what the what the Scriptures mean and then you praying sit quietly and spirit begins to pray with you and encourage you to help you gives you assurance something in your spirit cries Abba father than any got you when you learned you actually learn to hear his voice.

You have big decisions and you learn to live a life close to him and in God's word and the Council of wise people, but you ask, I don't know what to do.

People say I was. Jesus was here.

He's not just here, he's what what you want to ask you skim. We'd rather call a phone call a talk show or ask a counselor asked one of some expert, the counselor of all counselors lives inside of you. He longs to tell you what to do. We probably have to turn off some of the media close refrigerator door rent one less movie, not by something every time you feel uptight and realize maybe if you get rural quiet you can see some stuff you don't like is the holy spirit is always about producing two things holiness and love and sometimes it is to clean out some of her junk is very threatening to be quiet and to be alone with the Holy Spirit, but I'll take what when you get real and honest and you do short-term pain. Long-term gain.

Some of you know what I mean when you see an ugliness about pride or arrogance or sin or an addiction.

And when you get out of all the games and all the denial and all the junk that we all do at some level you bring that broken all the ugliness and you experience the Holy Spirit's forgiveness and the sense that says I see all that and it is ugly and I forgive you and I still love you so many of us are running away from God because the truth so threatens us.

He's the spirit of truth convicts of sin and righteousness and judgment, but his heart's desire is always to draw us back the enemy condemnation.

You're a terrible person. Your bad mom you're a bad dad you're an addict you will never measure up anything Holy Spirit is you are taking back in your body you are neglecting that and you agree with him. Wonderful things happen and that he gives you spiritual gifts and the uses you and you realize while this is amazing how does someone receive the Holy Spirit. I've I've shared John chapter 3 yet to be born again affect Romans 89 is a great passage if you don't have the Holy Spirit according the apostle Paul.

He says actually then you're not in God's family. This this is it like a supercharger for some Christians says you however controlled not by the sinful nature but by the spirit of the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ.

He doesn't belong to Christ and sought it would just be crazy to start a series together about Holy Spirit and not ask a very basic question as we close, and this is for you. This is it for anybody else. Do you have a Holy Spirit. I didn't say do you go to church didn't save your good husband and Savior, nice wife, consider working hard to be a parent and safety give to the church didn't save been on a mission trip. Do you have possess.

Holy Spirit and you know that for sure because he that has the son has life he that has not the son of God does not have life and the way you have the sun according to Jesus is what the spirit takes up residence inside of you in the way you get the son is a gift you bow your head.

You confess your sin, you own your stuff and you declare that Jesus only what you have done on the cross to pay for my sin and your resurrection is my only hope you forgive me my life and in that moment the spirit of God, and I wanted like very specifically and very personally into the moment that I got to share with those that I was teaching, and in that moment is the spirit of God was taking the word of God into the hearts of people specific people understood many for the first time that it is not trying hard to be a good person. The Christian life is not following a set of rules, the Christian life is the living God taking up residence in your human heart and that residence occurs when you personally understand that your sin has violated a holy God that your attitudes that your less than perfection doesn't measure against the high standard of a holy God. But because of what Jesus has done on the cross in your place, your sins have been paid for. It is done. It is absolutely done his death on the cross. His shed blood paid.

He is the substitute to pay for your sin, but that free gift is an offer that must be received by faith.

Personally and today is your day today is the day for you.

Whether you're driving your car listening is your working out hearing this on a computer as you do some work today is the day to stop everything and say to the God who made you who died for you and rose from the dead. I want you to know holy God that today I want to forsake my sin. I repent and I ask you to come into my life I receive the free gift of eternal life, and so pray in your heart and in your mind right now. Dear Jesus, I believe.

Make me your son make me your daughter. I believe you died in my place and rose from the dead. I turn from my sin and I come to you come into my life make me your son make me your daughter. It's a eternal transaction that is supernatural God loves you and if you just prayed with me.

You may not quite understand all that is happened and so you need to do two things you need to find the greatest Christian or pastor that you know and tell them what you did and ask him for help and then you need to go to the website and there's a place for new Christians resources that you can get some help immediately to help you understand what's going on and how we can help you grow. It is exciting to introduce you to the family of God welcome my new brother sister if you just prayed with Chip. I hope you'll take a minute and call us at 1-888-333-6003. We love to talk with you and get a free resource in your hands specifically designed to help you get started out right on your new journey of faith or if you prefer you can go to our website LivingontheEdge.org just click the new believers button to find that same resource. Best of all, it's absolutely free. We just want to say welcome to the family if you like to get a copy of today's message or this entire series. The Holy Spirit experiencing his power and presence 24 seven you'll find all the details at our website as well that address again is LivingontheEdge.org. Just before we close. I want to thank those of you who make this broadcast possible through your generous giving Living on the Edge invests those dollars to purchase airtime, create programs and provide resources to help Christians live like Christians both Living on the Edge is been a blessing to you.

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Thank you for your partnership with us will I hope you'll join us again tomorrow as Chip continues our current series. For now, this is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge