The Holy Spirit (#2)
God's Love, Salvation and Who is the Holy Spirit?
Theme Verse: "If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.' Now he said this about the Spirit" John 7:37
Readings: Luke 15:11-32, Luke 11:9-13, Romans 8:1-17, 26-27,31-39
Memory Verse: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13 (Pre-K to grade 3)
A word received: Pray for my living waters to flow.
Lord, give us a thirst for what you want to give us. Come, Holy Spirit, and do a work of preparation in us.
A word received: Trust me.
Remember what we looked at last week--Jesus' offer of "living water" to those who are spiritually thirsty, not just a drink but also promised that out of their hearts would flow rivers of living water. And he promised a spring of living water to the woman at the well in Samaria whose life was a mess!
God's Spirit in the Old Testament In the Old Testament God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is compared to living (flowing, fresh) water and to the Breath of God, that is a part of God himself. We cannot live physically without water and breath and to live spiritually we need the Spirit of God, living water and the breath of God to live the new life God wants us to have. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus.
There are a number of promises in the Old Testament and later from Jesus about a time when God would pour out his Spirit on all his people, not just on a few chosen leaders. God promised fountains, rivers of living water, his Spirit, and new breath and life in the dead, dry bones of his sinful people.
Sin and Salvation. The problem was and is sin and evil.
God's people and all people turned away from God, their Creator and made other gods for themselves. They wanted to go their own way, to be like God, deciding for themselves what was good and evil. First man and first woman chose to believe Satan's lie that God was withholding something good from them rather than believe and trust God. After creation, even some of the angels rebelled against God and became Satan and evil spirits. God had a rescue plan, which he accomplished in his Son, his Word, who took on our flesh and blood, Jesus of Nazareth. Through the salvation God offers through the death and resurrection of Jesus, he offers us new life as adopted sons and daughters, as Paul says in Colossians 1:13, "He has rescued us from the Dominion of Darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
What God the Father is like and what our situation is, is told in a nutshell in the parable of the Prodigal Son or as others call the parable of the Waiting Father. (Luke 15:11-32) The younger son basically wished his father dead-"give me my half of the inheritance" and went far from home and wasted it till he wished he could eat pig food! He decided to go back beg his father to let him be like a hired servant (repentance). "His father seeing him from a great way off rushed to meet him" hugged him and gave him a party to welcome him home as his son. The older son was very self-centered and resentful of the father's generosity. God rushes to meet us when we repent and turn back to him and welcomes us home. (Notice that some consequences remain. The money was gone.) We don't know if the self righteous son repented of his attitude. (Torre tell story of his mother's return.) "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believed in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) "There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10).
God created us for himself, but he gave us freedom to make choices so we would choose to love him and obey him. He loves us (but it is not an indulgent, permissive love). Even when we have gone astray and rejoices when we return to him, confess our sins and accept the salvation he offers in Jesus. Then he adopts us as his sons and daughters. Read Romans 8:1-4. God the Father, in Jesus his Son, himself paid the penalty of our sins for us.
When we receive salvation in Jesus we receive the Holy Spirit but very often he lives in us but we have not received all he wants to give us. (When I was growing up I knew about the Holy Spirit but I didn't know anything about receiving his power in the present day.) Also, just like water or breath, we need to receive the Living Water, the Breath of God again and again. Our relationship with God the Father, Jesus our Savior and the Holy Spirit (one God) needs to be refreshed and grow daily or we will grow dry, stale and thirsty.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:8 ). His disciples had walked and talked with him for three years. It wasn't till the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on them like water and fire that they were changed. Peter went from being fearful and denying Jesus to preaching to the thousands of people, some of whom had been involved in crucifying Jesus. Paul says in Romans 8:29 that God wants to conform us to the likeness of his Son Jesus.
Some of you have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised but only Jesus received the Holy Spirit "without limit" (John 3:34). The disciples, shortly after Pentecost received a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:29-31) after they were threatened for speaking about Jesus publically. They asked God to give them boldness and to stretch forth his hand with healing and signs and wonders and God poured out his Spirit so powerfully that the building was shaken.
Testimony: (Our story of burning out on the mission field in a place God had called us to--and the difference the baptism of the Holy Spirit made.) God doesn't have just one pattern for pouring out his Spirit. We see several different ways in the New Testament.
We are living in a time of great difficulty and sometimes persecution. God's people are weary and longing for God to act. It's been quite a while since we saw many healing and conversions. The Christian church in this country has often grown lukewarm and our nation needs to be healed (2 Chronicles 7:14) Many of us are thirsty for God to act, to pour out his Spirit afresh on us and on his church. Look at what Jesus says in Luke 11 (Memory Verse). We need to ask, seek and knock for more of God's Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus. Our part is repentance and asking. We will talk more about that next week. We don't know when God will send a mighty move of his Spirit on us but we do know that if we as individuals ask for a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit, he will answer us. It may not look like what we expect or what someone else received (it didn't for Jean), but he will answer.
Sometimes we are afraid of what God might do that that holds us back. (Tell about the missionary in Liberia.). (Testimonies about difference baptism of the Holy Spirit made.)
Words the Lord gave the teachers to reflect on.
"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9) A word received: I long for my people to ask of me what I want to give them -- I want to give more of myself to them.
"For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Luke 11:10) A word received: Come to me, I AM waiting for you. Knock and I will open the door to you.
"If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?" (Luke 11:11) A word received: I long for you to know my father's heart of love; I long for you to receive what he offers. Come to him in hope and trust and ask for more of the Holy Spirit.
"Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?" (Luke 11:12) A word received: I want you to know the truth about my father and his love for you. Pray that you will not be deceived by the lies of the world about my father and his love for you.
"If you then, being 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!" (Luke 11:13) A word received: Come to me, receive the living water I offer you. Turn to me in your hunger and thirst and I will satisfy you with my Holy Spirit.
Stop and reflect on your own personal need for a fresh outpouring.
To learn more: recommended books:
1. "Living Water" by Brother Yun, recommended by Bishop Love
2. "Questions of Life" by Nicky Gumbel (from Alpha course)
3. "The Helper" by Catherine Marshall
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