Ours for the Asking

Today on Summit life with JD Greer when you begin to claim God because you realize how desperate you will doubt it. But how will you been prayer becomes instinctive and it becomes natural to you. So one more to share with you today is the connection between prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit.

And I want to try to show you that he really is ours for the asking. Life Pastor, author and theologian JD Greer and as always I'm your host Molly minutes for couple weeks we've been in a series on the Holy Spirit called rushing wind we've learned who the Holy Spirit is and why we need him in our lives. If you missed any of those messages, you can always catch up online@jdgreer.com right now. Keep listening because today pastor JD explains how to experience the Holy Spirit we are learning how we connect to the Spirit's power so we can do God's work in the world. So you're ready to plug in your spiritual power cord. Let's get started.

JD titled this message ours for the share with you today is our fourth messages are rushing when series on the Holy Spirit is a subject on a sleeve that I have had to learn over and over and over and over and over again. What are some lessons you learn in Christianity that you want.

Once you move on from it. This is one that I frequently seem to forget. It's like I learned, and then I promptly forget it. If you have a Bible want you to open it to Luke this is a familiar passage to is now this is going to be an usual status of the front. I typically you know what I like to do is I like that one passage you got Down on it really been that if I don't mix in a bunch of my own thoughts and polluted that way. But in this case what I want to do is give you sort of a larger biblical picture subject to chronic key passages. One is Luke 1111 to 13 and the other what is to be Habakkuk 32 which will go to it. A second announcement try to flesh this out from the full picture of the Bible okay but Luke 11 says this know Jim very familiar to you. Like what father among you, if his son asked for a fish one set of a fish give him a serpent or if he asked for an egg, will give him a scorpion. You then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. I want that verse to be burned into your consciousness at the end of this series noticed the position that Jesus puts us in in this in this passage we are in the position of the child and not like a teenage child that did you know fend for themselves that you can your drafting the hunger games and they can survive on their own… A child I were talking about a delicate toddler and adolescent. My kids are at the age now, there 8642 that if I don't give them food they don't eat that will have another alternative that's their age. That is the relationship that you and I have to the heavenly father in relation to the power the Holy Spirit, we are dependent children who cannot survive on their own.

We have to ask for the provision that we need right but God.

In this story is the ever watching merciful father loves to give the Holy Spirit when we ask here is the lesson that I have such a hard time learning how dependent I am on the power the Holy Spirit and how willing he is to give it how dependent I am of the Holy Spirit. John 15 five apart from me. Jesus said you can do what nothing nothing now I told you before that nothing in that verse does not literally mean nothing because there's a lot of things we can do a part in the power Jesus right it means a lot of people who are connected to Jesus at all do think sometimes good things to get married. They have children they can have a career in friendships. What he means by nothing is nothing with life or nothing with eternal value in it.

How desperate we are, for the power of the Holy Spirit to have true eternal life in anything that were doing the other side of this lesson is how willing God is to give it I will tell you that when you have learned those lessons are that lesson how desperate you are and how willing he is prayer starts to become instinctive to you. You want to be goaded into prayer. You will have to develop a regimen for prayer. It comes naturally. He was breathing. I would say that in our congregation. As in most Christian congregations I would say about identify one or two or three things that most of you struggle with most of the Christian life is having a robust and meaningful prayer life. A lot of times we treat prayer list. Just like it is a self-discipline problem and I'm sure you need to work on yourself. Just when I'm not taken away from that. But at its core. Prayer looseness is a gospel problem because of the reason you don't pray naturally or instinctively is because you're not really that convinced of your desperation on his power or your documents how willing he is to give it is when you understand or say to just comes naturally like breathing even the least disciplined of you in this room doesn't forget to pray.

None of you got up this morning and three hours later will I call dog on I forgot to breathe all day. I really got to get better that I'm in a have an accountability partner. I need to set the alarm on my phone that reminds me, you don't do that right. It just comes not naturally because your body craves air. When you begin to crave God because you realize how desperate you are, that it how willing he is in prayer becomes instinctive and it becomes natural to you right so these are gospel problems. The reason I struggle to pray is because of my pride and my unbelief in those record gospel issues as I make sense. So I'm going to share with you today is the connection between prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. And I want to try to show you that he really is ours for the asking. There is a verse that I want us to pray together this week. It is Habakkuk chapter 3 verse two. Listen to this or other key passage year old Lord says Habakkuk. I've heard the report of you and your work, old Lord, do I fear another words I'm familiar with the ways God that you move on familiar in theory, with the power that you have the next phrase in the midst of the years of my years revived it in the midst of my years making no known there by the way, is a Hebrew word that implies familiarity.

It means I don't want to just hear the report about it. I want to know what's I want to know in my family. I want to know in my life. I want to know in our church in our generation. So in rap rap is what we deserve in wrath remember mercy.

Let us have familiarity with it.

There are three primary primary things, try to show you about that verse number one that Velma try to show you one that every major spiritual awakening the Bible was connected to an intense time of prayer. Every major spiritual awakening the Bible whether were talking about waking up a lot of people, their waking up one individual was always connected to intense times of prayer and the material will show you five things that the Holy Spirit does when he comes to see five dimensions of a spiritual awakening again whether it's personal to you, your family over talking about the church at large whole community number three did you a couple of examples of what this looks like in the Bible right again some this will apply to you individually. Some of it to us as a church, but that's what were going to hear your number 11. The connection between prayer and the power of the holy spirit the connection between prayer the power the Holy Spirit. Every major spiritual awakening in the Bible was connected to an intense time of prayer. I have more up here in my hands and I contribute 10 sermons to let me summarize okay by me like this ever stop before, but, but whatever. Okay I'm let me summarize this. I went through and I studied every single awakening in the Old Testament, and there is this one common thing like intense times of prayer, Joshua 24 that was a time when Israel was reawakened and renewed in the covenant and it starts out Joshua 24 one St. that they all stood before God. The book of Judges has a number of spiritual awakenings of Israel may always go like this is really wonderful God cold to go apathetic. I get a lot of trouble and so they cry out to God in desperation and God raises up a champion right you got I got the dedication of the temple which is another high point for Israel that begins with this heart rending prayer by Solomon and at the end of Solomon's prayer says the heavens open up in the glory of God. Like fire comes in fills the temple and the people worship and in Solomon knowing that the people are hardhearted and will wander away from God into pride and unbelief makes this statement a verse that probably some of you are familiar with. Second Chronicles 714 and 15 if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face turned their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. My eyes will be open and my ears will be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

Now he's talking about the temple at that point right and that's why Jewish people would turn and face the temple whenever they prayed so will yours at what we are supposed to do know Jesus is the greater temple so Jesus would listen to prayers made and that temple for awakening. How much more what he listens to the ones that are made in Jesus name. When is God show up when did he promise to show up for the people of Israel when a humble themselves, and they prayed may pursue their pride and they engage the willingness of God in first Kings.

Israel was in just such a place where they are half divided between worshiping God and worshiping bail. They can't figure out which one is God. Even the ones may God's name bail God which one is God.

So Elijah sets up an altar. You know the story sets up an altar in the way that he's going to bring revival to the people of Israel is the God answers prayer, and as he is praying. The fire falls and the people fall on their face and say the Lord he is God. The fire fell in the midst of a time of prayer Nehemiah when he awakened the people of Israel. Nehemiah 810 says that the people stood before God.

They listen to his word. They humbled themselves and they cried out to God.

That's Old Testament and New Testament. I showed you over the last several weeks that Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke seems to go out of his way to show you that the Holy Spirit's power comes in the midst of prayer. Even with Jesus and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. It says Luke 321 that after he Babs was baptized.

He stood praying he stood, praying, and that's when the Holy Spirit K acceptable to the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples at Pentecost. The early church goes out of his way to make sure you understand what they're doing. That's 114 they were all in the upper room and they were praying devoting themselves to prayer. I stayed in that place and prayed for 10 days then the Holy Spirit came accepted for right at this point the deal was a pretty intense opposition. Their courage is starting to flag a little bit.

So what I do they get it back together that upper room and they play and it says at 431 when they had prayed, then the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit to continue to speak the word of God with boldness.

Last night was a huge thunderstorm, and as I was reading that verse was mighty thunder that was going on and it was awesome affect okay but I cannot replicate that this was morning.

Okay is the magic number one on were shaking a little bit right but that's when it came the Holy Spirit's power came in they were prayed so again I repeat you very simply, every major spiritual awakening. All of them in the Bible are connected to intense times of prayer.

The church is not really hard to predict when one happens when you have one you have the other.

If you don't have one did not have the other group in a church that had yearly revivals. In fact I'm twice a year. Revivals anybody grow up in a church like that every year is put on the counter when one spring that won the fall which essentially meant that our passerby didn't want his buddies to come in Prince's favor sermons. All I remember about them as a kid is that his favor sermons and glass an hour and 1/2. I know it probably summary spiritual, but I did not like the season of revival that we have.

But here's the thing that's kinda silly about that is you can't schedule a revival put on the calendar you got a lighter like this. We cannot turbine a lot this week of March a detriment to show up revivals not based on a calendar of rock revival is based on conditions when you meet the conditions. That's when revival comes is what you see here through Scripture the Martyn Lloyd Jones, a man, but I prefer to a lot during the series said this quote the inevitable and the constant preliminary to revival has always been a thirst for God. A thirst for living, thirst for the knowledge of the living God and a longing and a burning desire to see him acting manifesting himself and his power rising and scattering his enemies are problem Lloyd Jones said, is getting to a place where we realize how absolutely impotent. We are because it first.

At first he says we persist in thinking that we can set the situation right. We think if we can just write a new book preaching better sermons start submission works adopt a new program.

This will stem the tide of the enemy, but then we, long last to realize that it's just not working.

At least not effectively. The stem the tide to save our children, or our community, and then he says we remember the promise that when the enemy comes in like a flood.

It is the Lord who will raise up a standard against him by the way just so you don't miss that metaphor. That's a quote from Isaiah 59, 15 Isaiah says Windows when the enemy comes in like a flood the spirit of God will raise up a standard against him.

You gotta think in terms of all old armies okay got a huge army that is attacking the land and are coming in and they're moving through this land you got soldiers of the defending army trying to ward off this attack.

The sign that be the defending armies were now repelling the opposing army and no longer were they just defending ground, but they were not pushing back is that a standard team would raise up a flag flag meant we are now on the offense if and what he is is pulling out there is that the spirit of God is one that not only keeps us saving our own church but advancing into the enemy's territory is that's the spirit of God promises to do that. That's not something we can do and so when we throw ourselves upon the mercy of God. It's not so much, and organize prayer emphasis, as it is an act of desperation and then and only then does the power the Holy Spirit come flooding upon us and into us and he does listen to this in a moment.

Lloyd George says, in a moment what incremental organization could hardly accomplish in half a century, he does in a moment what these little battles that we been fighting these new books have been writing these better sermons. These these new mission work he does in a moment what all that stuff could hardly accomplish in half a century to. Here's my question for you. Are you at this place yet. Are you displacing your marriage when you realize what you need is not apparently none of the marriage book. We don't need another another session of counseling was a message about midcourse are good for you. This place is apparently sent me another book on parenting strategy. What I need is the spirit of God to come in because I have a winning as little battles, but I do see the spirit got a flood in a takeover where this place is a church, only this place in our community. We finally realize will need better strategies and better programs and better sermons will need just better versions of those things we don't need another scholar is now smarter than all the professors at Chapel Hill and he can stand up shut everybody up will need another athlete you know another athlete get out of all the athletes could say we only know what is really a superstar that to testify to Jesus women that's not what we need all those things are good to see we need something more, something much more. We need what we hunger for in our lives in our church and in our ministries is the mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God that can accomplish in your children's lives that can accomplish in our church and I can accomplish in our community moment. What we can accomplish in a half-century when the enemy comes in like a flood right you keep your little battles, but it's the Lord spirit of the raise the standard that turns the direction the other way right what our country needs is not better churches. They need the spirit of God triggered number 25. Think of the Holy Spirit does when he's present.

Things that only he can do five things that the spirit of God does when expressing that only he can do number one, number one, he convicts, he convicts John 16, eight, nine, Jesus said when he, the Holy Spirit comes he will convict the world concerning sin concerning righteousness and concerning judgments. I so what is that mean what that means is that he takes those things send righteousness and judgment, and he makes them real. He makes sense seem disgusting. He makes Jesus and his righteousness become beautiful.

He makes judgments seem eminence before there might be a knowledge of those things but there's kind of a separation permit you know about them theoretically, but suddenly they become really overwhelming to you. I remember that before I came to Christ. I heard all kinds of sermons all kinds of appeals to come to Christ and honestly none of them really move me. Sometimes I get scared.

Yes, and I've got to get up there and talk about how I get scared. I laugh about tonight… Feel guilty about what I was doing and I would correct my behavior for a few hours, but none of it ever stock none of it ever stock until God finally open my eyes and I remember when that happened it was like after you open my eyes I could come to Christ fast enough.

You need an eloquent sermon, I need the right opportunity. I need to 18 stanza of just as I am you and I and I could stop it.

At that point because everything in my mind it changed.

Repentance is a change of mind about our sin, but it's what it literally means. And as we think we change our mind about our sin know God's spirit changes her mind about our sin. Everything looks different. You could stop me from coming to Christ woken up out of the dream and I hope you remember this release number the process of this happening you can think about the image of a dream there and imagine your bed asleep in your you're having what you think is a nice peaceful dream and your gone stand around a campfire and be warmed by the campfire to just take me back to when I was a kid my parents and always good memories about What happen you wake up relied upon to bring your house is on fire right everything that seemed like it was fake and pleasant summer becomes real and pressing. That's what happened to me when God suddenly opened my eyes to reality is like that was a dream suddenly became real. That's called the conviction of the Holy Spirit, God became real judgment became real sin became stupid. This is really that's what I was giving my life or death that I was chasing Jesus became beautiful after your saved. By the way, that's keeps happening. The sign maker filled the spirit is that sin continues to grow. Distasteful eternity seems close. Jesus becomes even more beautiful.

John Piper says that the sign of the fullness of the spirit is quick and frequent conviction over said the sign that you're filled with the spirit is quick and frequent conviction of your sin, because Jesus said when the spirit comes to send righteousness and judgment. There's number two, number two.

He creates all creates a sense of awe among the people you see in acts 2X 243, when the spirit of God came in to the church a great sense of fear and all came upon every soul, but only every soul means people inside the church and outside the church before the Holy Spirit comes there might be a knowledge of doctrines, there might be external conformity to Christian weights. But when the spirit of God comes those things are in golf, and a sense of awe and worship that gives you a holy harsh before God. The mix altogether different LOL or something this week. In the Old Testament there is a phrase that gets repeated over and over and over again that is core to somebody really know we got that. Is this phrase the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 17 the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom that someone 03 verse 17 of the Lord's eyes are upon those who fear him, on those who keep his covenant fear for each of these is dominant throughout the Old Testament is the odd thing in the New Testament. You hardly ever see that phrase but every once in a while but it's not merely the dominant place.

It is in the Old Testament. Why would New Testament writers adopt a simple thing of the Old Testament failed to adopt Old Testament scholar John Murray says because that phrase is interchangeable with the fullness of the spirit guides the brazier she repeated in the New Testament because to be filled with the spirit, is to be filled with a sense of awe in the presence of God create all to you.

Since these two things in your life today, we pray that you do. If you have questions about what any of this means give us a call at 866-3552 20 you're listening to Summit life. The Bible teaching ministry of Jamie Greer messages titled ours for the asking. And don't miss tomorrow when Pastor Jamie gives us three more thing that only the Holy Spirit can do if you happen to join us late.

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