The Spirt-Filled Life

 The Spirit-Filled Life: Receive Ye The Spirit

You will receive POWER

You will receive POWER

You will receive POWER…….When do you receive POWER?

 

When the Holy Spirit comes on you (Acts 1:8). When does the Holy Spirit come on you (so that you receive power)? When you become a Christian through the NEW BIRTH – Water and Spirit Baptism.

If you have been baptized in Jesus name, then you have been given power. Jesus said, If you are His (through spirit and water baptism), then you shall do GREAT WORKS.

What this means is that you and I have the POWER to TRANSCEND…the Power to Live Above our present challenges. You can OVERCOME what you are facing. It means you will see better days. It means this thing won’t last. It means you can SMILE now, knowing that things will change.

Only….You must be Spirit-of-God filled. You body is (or will become at baptism) the TEMPLE of God. If you are to truly live in victory, then you must be reminded that God is calling you to holy living…You may not live like the world and claim to be a Christian. You were called for a purpose – witnessing to others about Christ with your life. How can you witness and share Jesus when you are:

A wife-beater, an abuser, an addict, a liar, a thief, a home-wrecker, a gossipper, a drug pusher…and the like? Paul said…No No No…  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Good news!  I come to you today with Good news!

God says, Change is coming to you. You may have success, you may be prosperous when you acknowledge and walk in obedience to His Words. You have a part to play.

First, identify with Jesus through WATER BAPTISM.

Second, he fills you with His Spirit. This means, as a child of God you have access to God and His vast resources. You have authority, You will have success.

How many times have you read the Bible and God said:

“If you do this…I will do this…”?

God is transactional – meaning, He does, then expects. You do, He will. If you respond when He calls, He is obligated to respond. He said, ‘When you call, I WILL answer!”

Let’s take a moment and praise Jesus for answering today!!!

IMAGE RENEWAL

Now, when God created you, He had a plan for your life. He also knew that you would fail, that you would sin. All of us sin. That’s why we need God. He did not come into this world for righteous people, He came into this world to save people from their sins.

You cannot be righteous without God’s Spirit. Impossible. You can be a good person, but that will not get you God’s Spirit, nor will this guarantee you a place in heaven. You must be Spirit-filled.

You are two parts: Humus – dirt + Man (spirit-Hebrew).

You need to understand this. When you sin, it is a spirit within you that made a decision to miss the righteous mark, to forget God, to do this thing nevertheless. You ever wonder why as a Christian you do certain things? It is because, at the moment, you chose to forget that you are the temple of God, and act like you are not His. Some Christians act like real devils. You may even wonder if they are possessed. That is because they mind/heart is being controlled (at the moment) by something else.

Jesus said, I have an answer for that…I will give you a “helper” (John 15:26-27). The helper is the Spirit of God, who is truth. He will empower you and guide you.

Anyone need some help with something today? Hang in there….God gave me this message for you…Follow me…

God really worked on me with this message. This message for tailor-made for New Haitian Mission Baptist Church Family. Know that God has great plans for this place. If you ever catch the vision of your future…Bishop! God is calling both old and young to another dimension of spiritual living.

Back in the beginning, he gave Adam and Eve the power as Governors of earth to dominate, and multiply…to set the agenda, to run things. They gave that privilege up by choosing sin.

You give up the power to WIN and the power to change your destiny, your situation by LIVING IN SIN

SIN  What is SIN?

Sin is missing God’s righteous mark.

To sin is to consciously make a decision to act or think unlike God would.

Sin is not only action or acts that you commit; It is also wrong attitudes.

Many of you are in both camps…Some are struggling really badly with stuff you are doing; and others struggling really badly with the way you are thinking.

Today, God wants you to deal with it. He want to HELP you overcome your situation. He wants you to prosper, and to be in good health.

It is not my job to call out anyone about missing the mark. My instruction is to encourage you to FIX IT. Again, you may be the person causing someone else to sin, or you are inflicting pain on other. God says…I see you. Know that I take injustice seriously.

Here is the Christian mindset – I will cause no harm as much as is possible…not at home, at work, at school, in the marketplace. Imagine what the world would look like if Christians would only be Christians.

Some of the meanest people are Christians.

Some of the thiefest people are Christians

Some of the greatest abusers are Christians

Why? Because they are walking in the flesh…The flesh the flesh..

Sin cause you to act out:  wrong/sinful attitudes

Walking sinfully – the Bible calls this walking in the flesh”

1.     Adultery – wrong relationships

2.     Fornication – wrong relationships

3.     Uncleannes – thoughts and desires are unclean. Uncleanness is stimulated by reading pornographic literature, dwelling on obscene pictures, and telling smutty suggestive stories.

4.     Lewdness – You are immoral, uncontrolled in your thinking and you don’t care about what God says.

5.     Idolatry – other priorities than God. Not just worship something man-made

6.     Sorcery/witchcraft – controlled by another, even substance (drugs, magic and the like)

7.     Hatred – I might not kill you physically, but I murder you with my mind.

8.     Contentions – You are the source of quarrels and division

9.     Jealousies

10.Outbursts of wrath – violent forms of anger

11.Selfish ambitions – a you-first agenda

12. Dissentions – You cause threat to unity in the church/church splits

13. Envy

14.Murders

15.Drunkenness

16.Revelries – wild partying

The answer to all this?? To be Spirit-of-God filled.

If you are living in the world, then I can expect these things of you. However, if you are a Christian and you live here, then you have subjected yourself to others-control. Want freedom? Then be spirit-filled!

There is something you MUST do. Paul calls it “Mortifying your flesh.”

Romans 8:13 – For if you live in this place (the flesh), you shall die (burn in hell). Things may look and seem ok now. You enjoy those parties, you enjoy those relationships, you enjoy being with devil children and doing what they do. God says…No, you will die! You will die in your sins!

You can’t say you are a Christian and you live here…causing others pain, satisfied with living in sin.

On the flip side, God gave a promise:

“If you subdue/control your flesh by denying it (this takes work and self-control) with the Holy Spirit’s help, You Shall Live!

You shall live

You shall live!

Set your mind on the things of God (time in word, worship and prayer) and there is a guarantee you will overcome your flesh

It is, however, a process that begins with sanctification (a decision to follow Christ) that leads to entrance into the kingdom (water and spirit baptism).

Paul: Put to death what is earthly in you – sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness (Colossians 3:5).

Think how different the world would be if we all lived like this?

When you walk in the Spirit, here is what you experience (Galatians 5:22):

ü Love, Joy Peace

ü Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness

ü Faithfulness, Self control, Long suffering

Another promise from God – If you practice living in the spirit you WILL inherit God’s kingdom. That comes with blessings Now!

Who wants blessings now? Who needs emotional healing now?

                                                CLOSING

During His last 40 days, Jesus paid a visit to His disciples. He entered the room and said: Peace be unto you…Receive ye the Holy Spirit (John 20:21-23)

What was he doing? Recreating the future. It was a promise God made to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15-16). It was a promise that was unfolding thusand of years and He announced a world with people controlled by His spirit once again, not by sin:

Ezekiel 11:19  - I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh

Ezekiel 36:27 – I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws

Ezekiel 37:14 – I will put my spirit in you and you shall live and I will settle you

 

Notice this is God’s work – “I will…I will…I will”

But it requires you to respond. You must make a decision to allow Him control as Lord. He will save you. He says he will not trnn away the repentant heart

Come unto me (repentant heart)  and I will give you rest (your breakthrough)

I will be with you

I will bless you

I will settle you

I will save you…………….You blessing is here!!

 

You have a part to play. God is transactional: If you do this, then He will do that!

He asks you to submit to His government…to His words

Get out of that compromising situation. Trust hIm

Stop depending on that boyfriend, that man, that woman. Stop compromising. Who is your God? Let Him be your salvation!

Let me close with a story.

MOSES:

Moses was called to be the deliverer of the Israelite nation from his birth. In order to prepare Him, God had to place him in Pharoah’s house in Egypt. There he learned the ways of the Pharoah. He was well trained.

Then, once day, he stepped out early and killed someone. Then he had to run for his life. He never woke up saying, I will go kill a man. It happened. Now he had to run away from all he knew. He lived on the run, until he settled in the desert land of Midian. There he met a woman, married her, had kids.

One day, while attending to his father-in-laws sheep, he saw smoke..he moved towards it

Exodus 3:2 An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of the bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire; yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said to himself….

Sometimes, you have to talk to yourself. Like now…Self…What you gonna do about what God is telling you today?

Notice as well, he assessed the situation…Hmmmm…this is unusual, a burning bush, but its not burning up

Ask your self some questions… Why am I here? How long will I stay here? How long will I allow this to happen? How long before I get some help?

Judge yourself. Encourage yourself. But don’t stay there. God wants you to do something about it

 

I am sure Moses felt at loss over messing up…but God used the forty years he spent in the wilderness to get him ready for his life’s calling. Because he was trained in Pharoah’s house, and because he knew his way around the wilderness, He could properly guide over 1million people out of Egypt.

Your failure is not final. God can clean that up.

He is calling you. He need you. You have a job to do for Him.

Submit to God today. Parent, encourage your kids to get baptized as soon as they understand the process. God will guide them through those rough teen years.

Somebody has walked away from God. He is calling you home.

                                    Receive Ye the Spirit.

Spirit Promises:

ü I will no longer hide my face from you

ü I will pour out my Spirit upon you

ü I will settle you

ü I will give you a new heart

ü It is not by your effort, Only bey My Spirit

ü YOU have been chosen by God through sanctification to receive peace and abundance

ü Crave the spirit so that you may grow

ü Like living stones you are being built up in the Word of God

ü Put to death you flesh and God will make your spirit alive

God says Live! Be filled with the Spirit and live!

Receive ye the Holy Spirit!