Sermon Notes for JULY 14, 2024
Preached July 14, 2024, at Guelph Christian Life Church By Rev. Randy Hounsell
It is possible for Believers in Christ to start feeling a little too confident in our Christian Life.
The next thing you know you falter or fall in some fashion.
God designed you to walk with him not to do Life on your own.
Self-confidence is overrated - God-confidence is much better
Self-confidence can lead to a lack of confidence we when falter.
When we fall short of the mark we set for ourselves.
So what I'd like to do in this message is deal with an awesome and powerful principle that will make the difference in whether you live a rewarding Christian Life.
God has made it very clear in his word there is one thing in this life that is so essential, it is essential every single day.
What you need is HIS POWER.
There are so many things that drain us, you know what I'm talking about. If you ever feel like you're operating in Low Power Mode, you need to plug in! God invites us to plug into Him as our source of power. - to put our confidence in Him
Luke 24:44
Jesus said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.
It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’
You are witnesses of all these things.
“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
Right before his departure, Jesus said one of the most important things he could have said he had prepared them for this moment but now he said to them I want you to sit down in the city of Jerusalem until you be clothed with power from on high.
What does the Holy Spirit have to do with any of this?
Please lean in and listen very carefully because it is so very important you and I understand that this message is not limited to preachers and missionaries and Bible teachers but God intends for to be for every single person so what I want to do first of all is to Define what I mean by the power of the Holy Spirit.
WHAT IS THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The power of the holy spirit is the Authority from God & Activity of God, living in us so that you and I may live a Godly life and that we may live a fruitful life.
A Rewarding Christian Life
It is the living water flowing through your veins giving you power and affecting lives around you
Where does your power come from?
You have access to this power, you are connected but you need to request it. Turn on the tap.
It’s God's supernatural Activity and Authority released in and through every single believer so that we might live a Godly life and bear a fruitful life A REWARDING LIFE
Holy Spirit wants to energize us, stir our passion of devotion to almighty God, and enlighten our minds to understand the truth.
Not only that but he inflames our spirit with a passion of Devotion to almighty God
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Well it's very clear in the Bible who he is and the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is GOD a person of the Trinity
The Holy Spirit is a part of the Father’s plan for us.
Jesus said “I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised.”
LUKE24:49
When we make a promise it is because we plan to do something.
The Father God planned to send God the Holy Spirit to us
Jesus told his disciples there's going to come a time when the Holy Spirit is going to be in you with you and upon you.
Available to every single believer
Act 2:37-38
Who is He? He's a person of the Trinity he's the plan of the Father and he's a partner to every single believer.
He is essential in our lives, He is important to you and I understand living a rewarding Christian Life.
Why did God the Father send the Holy Spirit?
God the Father sent the Holy Spirit to give us the power to do the work God has called us to do!
Do you know why Jesus said to wait in the city of Jerusalem until you receive the power of the Holy Spirit?
Jesus knew what had happened in his own life he knew what was going to happen in their lives.
Luke 3
it's interesting that Lukes's emphasis here is on the work of the holy spirit in the life of Jesus Christ before he began his ministry.
Acts chapter 9:17
Apostle Paul's conversion experience - notice verse 17
The Apostle Paul got saved and got filled with the Holy Spirit next thing you know they're trying to kill him.
Why because he is speaking the truth of God and the power and the anointing of the holy spirit of God.
if Jesus began his ministry following the spirit of God coming upon him in a special way for his work
If the Apostle Paul began his ministry following the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon him being baptized in Damascus.
If Jesus said to his Apostles you walk with me you watch Miracles you've seen me you've heard me you have experienced uh casting out demons and all the rest but you're not ready to do the work that I've called you to do because it is a supernatural work you can't do it in the natural because it's a supernatural work you got to have Supernatural power.
What is that Supernatural power it is the Divine Authority and activity in a person's life and through a person's life in order to enable them to live a Godly life and to live a fruitful life.
Jesus said to them you wait until the spirit of God comes remember he said you shall receive power after that the Holy Sprit has come upon you you should be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem Judea Samaria the uttermost parts of the earth Acts 1:8
one of the primary reasons he came is to equip us for the work that God has called us to do.
Supernatural work done in Supernatural power
Personal inadequacy in the Life of the Believer
1) Helps us to recognize our need for God
2) Helps us to rely upon him and
3) Helps us trust him to do and to be in us everything we need him to be.
There's not a single one of us who can do the work that God has called us to do and do it well and do it successfully and endure the difficulty and the hardship and the pain and the suffering and the criticism and all the rest Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.
To enable us to live the life he's called us to live!
A holy life is a life set apart for service to God.
A trust in God: salvation/situations
A Devotion to God:
A desire for God: a hunger and thirst to live for him
The Christian Life is this it is Christ Living his life in and through Us in the power and the presence and the person of the Holy Spirit of the Living God.
You can't do the work God's called you to do apart from the Holy Spirit you can't live the life that God has called you to live apart from the Holy Spirit
The reason there's so much failure I think often times is most people are totally ignorant of the fact that the spirit of God is an essential part of my life every single solitary day.
If you want to do the work of God you need the power of God
If you want to live a life to Glorify God you need the power of God
Do you want life at its fullest or do you just want what the world has to offer
But if I want something that counts for eternity.
If I want a rewarding Godly life I need God’s Power active in me.
A strength in God that is greater than our circumstances.
Draw near to God.
It is in intimacy, a deep abiding in God through the Holy Spirit that you and I can live a rewarding Christian life.
God desires that you and I daily recognize our dependence on Him
Our desperate need of the power of the holy spirit in our life.
Sum it up
2 Reasons God Sent the Holy Spirit
1) To enable us to do the work God called us to do
2) To enable us to live the life he's called us to live
Every day God wants to fill us with Power to live a rewarding Christian Life.
The divine power that God places in our lives to physically and emotionally enable us to do what he's called us to do.
God is in a very practical way working in our life Moment by moment day by day with that comes authority with that Authority there's a sense of confidence (confidence not in yourself but in God)
It's confidence based on a relationship. confidence based on what he says the Holy Spirit will do in our life a sense of authority we can speak with authority because we are certain of God.
How do I walk in the Holy Spirit’s Power?
Step number one recognize my need
step number two have a desire
step number three deal with any sin that that hinders me
step number four surrender my life to him - which means walking in voluntary submission to the holy spirit in my life
what can you expect if you ask the Holy Spirit to fill you?
Ephesians 5 - Rewarding Life / Life of Joy and Peace
There's going to be fruit
Your faith is going to become stronger and stronger continually as you walk in the spirit walk in submission.
You will face opposition
There's going to be Joy there's going to be fruitfulness in your life
there's going to be strength in your faith, and There is also going to be some opposition.
you have two choices every day
you can either keep living your life the way you live it or you can make the most awesome discovery of finding out what God will do in your life in every aspect of your life if you recognize your need for the Holy Spirit
Having recognized that need you have a strong desire for change in your life you confess whatever sin God brings to your mind you just lay down control and tell him that you want him to Prevail in the control of your life and then you just thank him for filling you with the Holy Spirit
You know what your life won't be the same that's the other choice the best choice the wisest choice you could possibly make!
Open your heart to the person of the Holy Spirit!