Jack Graham - The Holy Spirit and You
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Take God’s Word and turn with me to Ephesians, the fifth chapter, and we’re going to look at verse 18. «The Holy Spirit and You». When we pray for God to have His way and His will to be done, when we pray for revival, we are asking God to pour out His Spirit upon His people, upon His church; to revive us again. And to fill us with His Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 says: «Don’t be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit».
This is a message about the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We talked about the trustworthiness of God’s Word. We talked about salvation, how we come to know faith in Jesus Christ and how we can be saved, certain and secure forever in Christ. We’ve spoken the last time regarding the will of God, knowing and doing the will of God; finding, following, fulfilling God’s plan, because we are made for a purpose on purpose to live out that purpose in the name of Jesus Christ. To glorify our God.
And so, in order to do the will of God, to obey His command to live a Christ-like life, we are given God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit. We know there are unholy spirits, demonized people spiritually unholy. Hamas… did you know the word Hamas is in the Bible? Genesis 6 speaks of the word violence and the people before the flood, their minds were filled only on evil continually. Hamas is the word; violence, evil violence. And the people were so filled with evil violence that God destroyed them all in the flood, save Noah and his family who believed in God. Yes, there are demonized spirits, an unholy spirit. Satan himself and the works of the enemy. But thank God, «Greater is He that is in you (and me) than he that is in the world».
And we have the Holy Spirit who is alive in us. The Holy Spirit has been described the missing person of the Trinity. The Trinity, being the Godhead. God is one! There is one God. We learned that from the Old Testament Scriptures and it’s true. There is one God and we’re to worship God and Him only. God has expressed Himself in three Persons; thus, the Trinity. And we meet the Triune God throughout the pages of Scripture, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We see the Holy Spirit not as optional, but co-equal, co-eternal, co-essential with God the Father and God the Son.
Please do not view the Holy Spirit as an option, like you may have you on your car that you haven’t figured out how to use yet. Or on your cell phone. No, the Holy Spirit is present always with God. In creation the Holy Spirit was present. When God created the heavens and the earth, we’re told in Genesis 1 that the Spirit of God was moving upon the face of the waters. And in creation, therefore, God like in Christ who is the Creator of the Cosmos, God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit, present in Creation. God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit-present in Christ Himself.
When Jesus came, the Holy Spirit overshadowed the womb of Mary and Jesus was conceived, the Messiah was born by the work and the will of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And therefore, present in Christ. Perfectly present in Jesus. Jesus was anointed by the Spirit; baptized by the Spirit. He was the most Spirit-filled individual who ever walked on the face of the earth. So co-equal, co-eternal, co-essential with Christ himself. And then the Spirit Himself. God’s Holy Spirit, present in the Christian. That’s why I’m calling this message «The Holy Spirit and You». Because you, if you are a believer and follower of Jesus, if you know God, it is because God’s Spirit is alive in you. And therefore, we ought to live in the fullness of His Spirit.
We’re going to be talking about what that means. God is One but He expressed Himself in three Persons. Speaking of one, I heard about a couple. They just got married, they were on their honeymoon, and they went to the Grand Canyon, and they decided to go down with a group on mules from the top to the bottom. So, they get their mules and this young woman, the new wife, she’s on a mule and the mule about halfway down just baulks and bows up and nearly throws her off, and the young husband heard her say, «That’s one». The mule settled down, they went a little further and the mule slips and fell. She nearly went with him. Once they got the mule up, her husband heard her say, «That’s two». They got to the bottom finally and there was water and the mule was thirsty so the mule went running toward the water and jumped in the water with the young lady on its back.
Now she’s soaking wet, head to foot. She gets out, she says, «That’s three»! And she pulls a gun from her purse and shoots the mule! To which her young husband said, «What are you doing»? And she says, «That’s one». Well, I thought a little levity might be in order this morning with the heaviness of this day. One God. And you notice how we often see how things come in threes? It’s called the Rule of Three. I’ve seen it in many ways and many different expressions through the years. For example, a sermon. Every good sermon ought to have three points. The best sermons, and this has been proven to be true. People can hang on to about three points. You get ten points, nine points, seven points… every sermon ought to have at least one point! Can I get an Amen?
It ought to be at least one point in a sermon. But typically, a sermon unfolds at about three points. So you see that in public speaking if you do any public speaking. I’m told that interior design, that when, like you frame a room with pictures, you do it in three, and even furniture around the room, that you set it up in threes.
Now I know nothing about what I’m talking about right now, but I read it on the internet so it must be true, right? In threes. But I didn’t read this on the internet, what I read in God’s Word is 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that says that we’re to be sanctified body, soul and spirit. Men, humankind, men and women are made like God in three parts. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, but we have a physical life: a body; we have a soul, that’s the word psyche, psychological life, the mind, the emotions, the will; and we have spiritual life when we have life in Christ. So, we are in three parts. We are a trinity as well. Body, soul, spirit. Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
So, understand this about the Holy Spirit, first of all. That the Holy Spirit lives in every Christian. His presence is in every believer’s life. Now, don’t let that just go to your head because maybe you’ve heard it before. For some of you, it’s the first time. One of the reasons that we’re doing this DISTINCTIONS FOR DISCIPLES message series is because for those of us who have been trekking with the Lord a longtime following Jesus, we always need a refresher course and to remember what we need to do, the fundamentals, the essentials. You never get past the essentials, the core beliefs and behaviors of a Christian life. Peter said, «I wrote to remind you of these things».
So, in one sense we are doing this to remind you. I was reading about Bruce Bochy and you know, Bochy is a veteran manager. He’s been around a long time. Won three world series championships in San Francisco Giants, including beating the Rangers one year (which wasn’t good) in the World Series. But anyway, Bochy’s a great manager. He’s old school, they say, because he manages not only with the new data that is available. In major league baseball, in case you don’t follow it, like all sports really, there’s incredible amount of computerized dаta: which pitch a certain batter hits; where to throw; where to pitch; where to lineup; and so on. All that data which can be helpful, of course, but when you get all that data in your head, if you’re not careful, and it’s the paralysis of analysis.
So, in coaching or in managing, the best are able to take that and use it but use the instinctive ability and it was Bochy who does it so very well. A Wall Street Journal article describing the effectiveness of this in the Rangers because last year we only won 68 games and now we’re in the final four on the way to the world series. Yes, four, on the way to the world series and… how did it happen? How did this team turn it around? By concentration on the fundamentals, on the essentials. The Rangers are one of the best fielding teams in baseball. And pitching and hitting. Not just the new school, but the old school. A little longer than I had planned. But I’m trying to illustrate to you that our core-beliefs are essential; the fundamentals. We never grow beyond the fundamentals.
Winning Christians live the fundamentals and practice the essentials, the core-beliefs of the faith. So, we need to know what we believe and why we believe it. To those of you who may not be believers or you’re a brand-new believer, you maybe don’t understand at all who the Holy Spirit is and what the Holy Spirit does in our life. So, this is going to be an important teaching for us. But here’s the point: this is a miracle, a miracle that we share, according to 1 Peter, the divine nature. We are not God, that’s new age philosophy, but God is with us! God is in us! Jesus is alive in us!
So when you get up in the morning and look into the mirror, rather than give yourself all these, you know, personal self-affirmations: «I’m good enough». «I’m strong enough». «I’m great enough». Instead of that, why don’t you look in the mirror and say, «I am a child of God indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God. His deity inhabits my humanity. Jesus is alive in me this day and therefore, Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit»! This is the miracle that takes place in the life of a Christian. And therefore, there’s incredible power in this. And what kind of power is it?
Turn in your Bibles… you’re in Ephesians 5; go back a few chapters to Ephesians chapter 1, and I want to show you what this power is all about. Ephesians 1:19 and 20. This is not some mickey mouse power; this is the power of God in us. «And what is the immeasurable greatness of His power». And while you’re reading with me here, I want you to maybe check off just some of the words that you see in this passage that have to do with power or strength. «And what is the immeasurable greatness of His power (dynamis, which is dynamic in our language) today, or toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might (I’m helping you) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places».
Paul ransacks his own vocabulary, using multiple words to describe the power of God in the Christian. It is this immeasurable power, the immeasurable greatness of his power. It is the working of God according to His great might, and it is the power of the resurrection. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive and working in you as a Christian! That’s a miracle! This is who you are! God is always working by the power of Christ in you. «Christ in you, the hope of glory».
And, oh how we need this power! The power of the Spirit of the Living God to break the power of addiction and sin and habits that hold us back! To heal our hurts! Oh, how we need the Spirit of the Living God to calm our fears and to heal our hurts! To strengthen us for the task at hand. To engage and empower our prayers when we pray, when we pray for revival! This is the work of God; this is the work of the church. And, oh, how we need the power of God to stand courageously and conventionally in our generation! It’s not always easy to stand. If it’s up to me and you, we would fail; we would fall. But we have the power of the resurrected Christ alive in us! Not just the power of the resurrection, but the power of the Risen One, Jesus Himself.
Christ is in us! We need the power to be able to share our faith in our generation. It is so vital in this world at the end in which we are living that we be effective witnesses. And how are we going to do that? Acts chapter 1 and verse 8: «But you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth». Yes, the power of the Risen One, the power of the resurrected One, the power of the One who is at the throne of God is alive and working in us. Which means not only is the presence of God in every believer, but the power of God is in every Christian.
When we allow Him to fill us and live in the fullness of His Spirit, then we can walk in victory. Why are so many Christians defeated? Why are so many people living beneath their privileges as the children of God? Why are you overcome rather than overcoming the power of sin and Satan in your life when Jesus is alive in you? His Holy Spirit is present in you? What? 1 Corinthians 6:19 «Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore, glorify God in your body which belongs to God». That means in your life.
So, I’m saying the Word of God is telling us, the Holy Spirit is present. The question is, is He predominant in your life? Is He filling you in all His fullness? He is resident, but is He real in you? The fullness of the Holy Spirit. We’ll talk about what that means in the next message and how to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. But let me just say briefly that it’s not necessarily big events or big explosive experience in your life. For most of us the fullness of the Spirit just comes as we walk in the Spirit, day by day, as we yield to the Spirit of God in us a step at a time, a day at a time. As we just sweetly respond and surrender to the Spirit of God in our life each day. That’s the fullness of the Spirit.
More about that next time. But before we close this message, let me give ways that I believe the Holy Spirit works in us right now, the Holy Spirit in you: Number one, the Holy Spirit prompts. And by that, I’m referencing Romans 8:14 which says, «As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God». Just as we talked the last time about walking in the will of God, living in the Spirit of God, we are aligning our will with the will of God, and the Holy Spirit will prompt us through His Word, the Scripture as we are consistently, faithfully opening up God’s Word and by His Spirit who is in us, who prompts us not with holy hunches or just guesswork, but God’s work in us the Holy Spirit prompting us as we live. The Holy Spirit prays.
Romans 8:26 and 27: «The Spirit of God (intercedes with us) helps us in our weakness. For we don’t know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes with us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes with the saints according to the will of God». So, when we don’t know how to pray, when we come up against situations, maybe a crisis and we’re even too hurt to know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us anyway. And then the Holy Spirit proves the message of the Gospel. How do we know that we are saved? The Holy Spirit witnesses within us.
Romans chapter 8, verses 15 and 16: «For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father! ' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God». So, I know that I am saved, and you should, too, because the Spirit of God tells you. You say, «How does that work? How do I know»? I can’t describe it to you; I just know that I know that I know because of the Holy Spirit witnesses within me. The witness of Spirit that I am a child of God, and you can know the same!
So, the Holy Spirit proves, He proves the Gospel message. Even as I’m preaching and sharing the Gospel, when I say Christ died for your sins and rose again on the third day, and if you put your faith and trust in Him and repent of your sins and receive Christ, He will save you, the Holy Spirit comes along side of that message that you just heard and speaks right to your heart, «This is the truth; this is right; you need to confess your sins and receive Christ as your Savior».
That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. You don’t get saved just any time you feel like it. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is why you shouldn’t grieve the Holy Spirit by saying no and no and no to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. But say yes. So the Holy Spirit proves the message of God. The Holy Spirit partners with His church. The work of Christ in His church is emboldened and empowered by the Holy Spirit. If we’re going to have revival, it’s because the Holy Spirit moves among us as His people. The Holy Spirit partners with His church in gifting His children with spiritual gifts in order that we may do the work of the ministry. And then the Holy Spirit protects and preserves.
Philippians 1:6: «He who began the good work in you will perfect it, perform it, complete it until the Day of Jesus Christ». Why do we keep believing? Why do we keep persevering? Why do we keep going? Why do we keep trusting in God? Not because we’re that strong, but because the Holy Spirit is strong in us. The Holy Spirit is persevering. When we talk about the perseverance of the saints, we’re really talking about the perseverance of the Holy Spirit in us; He perseveres. And what God starts, He finishes! So don’t tell me that God is going walk away from you, His investment. He died for you; His blood was poured out for you; He purchased you as His dear child; and His Spirit resides in you to complete the work of God.
God’s not finished with me yet, thank God! God’s not finished with you yet. He’s still working in the seen and the unseen. But this is the work of the Holy Spirit authenticating and affirming that we belong to Jesus. It’s called the baptism of the Spirit when we are immersed into Christ. This is not something we do for ourselves; this is what God does for us. He baptizes us, places us in the body of Christ, and then He seals us unto the Day of redemption. A seal was a Roman seal. It’s stamped with authenticity on legal documents. We’re told that the Holy Spirit is the authenticator and He stamps us with the image and identity of Jesus Christ! We are, therefore, protected. And the Holy Spirit promises to take us to glory.
We have all of Him in all of us who name His name. This is the Holy Spirit and you; this is the Holy Spirit in you, filling you and fulfilling His promise in you. And we have an eternal life in Christ. God gave us eternal life in the work of Jesus on the cross in the resurrection. And Jesus promised abundant life, and then He gave us the Holy Spirit to assure us of abundant life. Many Christians unfortunately have eternal life but they’re not living an abundant life because you don’t know the presence and the power of the Spirit of God in your life. So, let’s pray and let’s ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit. Say:
Lord, I ask You to fill me and use me, mold me and make me that I might fulfill your purpose and plan for my life; that I might be a witness, a light in this dark world to my family, to my friends, to our community. Lord, give me that abundant, triumphant life that you promise. No longer living in defeat, but living in victory over sin, over sorrow, over suffering, over death itself.
If you don’t know Jesus, I’m going to invite you to put your faith and trust in Him, to invite Christ. No one can be saved apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that. «You cannot be born again unless you’re born of the Spirit». So, this is your spiritual birth right now. Invite Christ into your life. He loves you, He gave His life on the cross for you, to forgive your sins. He will live in you by His Spirit and He will take you to heaven when He comes for you. So, say, «Lord Jesus…» just pray from your heart.
Lord Jesus, I ask You to be my Savior, Lord. I trust You as my Savior. I will follow You as my Lord. Come into my life, change my heart, make me Your child. And may I live for You in the power of Your Spirit until You come for me.