A little boy was spending Saturday morning playing in his sandbox with his cars and trucks, plastic pail, and a shiny, red, plastic shovel. While creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand he discovered a large rock in the middle of his sandbox. He dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. He pushed and nudged the large rock across the sandbox with his feet. However, when he got the large rock to the edge of the sandbox he couldn’t roll it up and over the side wall.
Determined, he shoved, pushed, and pried, but each time he thought he had made some progress, the large rock tipped and fell back into the sandbox. Finally, after repeatedly trying and failing, the little boy burst into tears of frustration.
The little boy’s dad had been watching from the living room window as the drama unfolded. As soon as his son burst into tears, the dad ran to the sandbox. Gently, but firmly, the dad said. “Son, why didn’t you use all the strength you had available?” The boy replied, “But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!” The dad kindly replied, “No, son. You didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.” With that, the dad reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.1
How often are we like that little boy, trying to do things on our own? When it comes to living the Christian life we too often try to live on our own. I have good news. If you are a true disciple of Jesus then you are never alone and never on your own. Jesus told His disciples: I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you(John 14:16-17). True disciples of Jesus are never alone and never on our own because we have the Holy Spirit living in us. So what does it mean to have the Holy Spirit living in us?
1. We have God’s presence in us.
Jesus tells us that the Spirit is with us forever and dwells with us. He remains with us. He abides with us. He lives with us. He’s continually with us. Jesus also tells us that the Spirit is in us. The Holy Spirit is our permanent resident. True disciples of Jesus are never alone; therefore, never on our own because we have the Spirit of God—His presence with us.
2. We have God’s power available to us.
Just before Jesus returned to heaven He told His disciples: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you… (Acts 1:8). Since the Holy Spirit, our Helper, lives in us we have His power available to us, and His power is incredible. His power was evidenced at creation—He created something out of nothing. His power was evidenced by Jesus’ miracles—He caused the blind to see, the mute to speak, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the bleeding to stop, the demons to flee, the dead to rise. His power was evidenced when Jesus died on the cross and then on the third day came back to life, conquering death and the grave. True disciples of Jesus are never alone; therefore, never on our own because we have the Spirit of God—His presence with us and His power available to us.
3. We have God’s provision to be all He wants us to be.
According to Jesus, the Spirit is our Helper. As our Helper, He enables us to be and to do all that God wants us to be and to do. As our Helper, He is in the process of conforming us to the image of Christ. He’s producing in us the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
As our Helper, the Holy Spirit is guiding us. Jesus said, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come (John 16:13). The Spirit not only helps us to understand the truth of God’s Word but also helps us make decisions based on the truth of God’s Word. In other words, He helps us flesh out the Word in our lives! True disciples of Jesus are never alone; therefore, never on our own, because we have the Spirit of God—His presence with us, His power available to us, and His provision to be all He wants us to be.
In their book, How People Grow, Henry Cloud and John Townsend write, “The Spirit-filled life is a supernatural life that surpasses our strengths and abilities.” 2 In other words, we can’t do it on our own. Like the little boy with the large rock in his sandbox, living the Christian life is too big for us to go it on our own. God knew that, and that’s why He did not leave us alone!
As Jesus’ disciples we’re never alone so we’re never on our own! Stop trying to live on your own. Surrender to the Spirit of God, allowing Him to fill and empower you each day to live the life He’s called us to live.
1 Rice, Wayne. Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks (El Cajun: Youth Specialties, 1994), 36-37.
2 Henry Cloud & John Townsend, How People Grow (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 103.
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, May 27, 2012
The Day The Gift Arrived
Have you ever had to wait to receive a gift? Maybe it was a Christmas gift or a birthday gift? You were told you were going to get it but you had to wait to receive it. In the book of Acts, Luke tells us about a group of believers in Jerusalem who had to wait for a gift. But the gift they were waiting for was no ordinary gift!
Jesus had promised His disciples that He would ask the Father to give this gift to them. The gift? The Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). Finally the day came when the gift arrived. Luke tells us: When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them (Acts 2:1-3). The Holy Spirit’s presence was evidenced by His power. His power was demonstrated the following ways: 1) they heard a sound like a mighty rushing wind, 2) they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire, and 3) they (Galilean Jews) spoke in the languages of those who were visiting Jerusalem during the Feast of Pentecost. There were many languages spoken that day but only one message: we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God (Acts 2:11). Wow! No doubt those who were present on the day the Gift arrived never forgot what they heard and saw. The Gift, the Holy Spirit, had come!
In addition, Peter’s message and the resulting response of the people demonstrated the Holy Spirit’s presence and power. Peter, filled with the Spirit of God, preached the Word of God. As a result, the power of God moved in such a way that about three thousand souls called upon the name of Jesus and were saved and then baptized (Acts 2:41).
There are several responses for believers in Christ Jesus:
1. We can always trust God to do what He says He will do. Jesus had promised that God would send the Gift, the Holy Spirit, and God did just that. We can trust every single promise found in the pages of God’s Word.
2. We must always rely on the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do. At the moment of salvation the Holy Spirit came to live in each believer; therefore His presence and power is with us at all times. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do what God calls us to do. He helps us (Jn. 14:16, 26). He teaches us (Jn. 14:26). He reminds us of Truth (Jn. 14:26). He prays for us (Rom. 8:26). He does all of this and so much more. We must rely on Him to do what only He can do.
3. We must always be faithful to declare the mighty works of God. Jesus told the disciples that once the Holy Spirit came they would be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). In his sermon, Peter, as Jesus’ witness, faithfully declared the mighty works of God (Acts 2:14-41). Nearly 50 days earlier Peter had not only denied that he had been with Jesus, he went as far as to deny that he even knew Jesus (Mt. 26:69-75). What caused Peter to be faithful to declare the mighty works of God on the Day of Pentecost? The Holy Spirit’s presence and power. Since the Holy Spirit indwells and empowers us, like Peter, we can faithfully and boldly declare the mighty works of God to others.
Pentecost, the Day the Gift arrived, is a reminder to all believers that we can always trust God to do what He says He will do. It’s a reminder that we must always rely on the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do. And it is a reminder that we must always be faithful to declare the mighty works of God. There is no doubt that the Holy Sprit who came powerfully on the Day of Pentecost is still actively and powerfully working in the lives of believers today.
Jesus had promised His disciples that He would ask the Father to give this gift to them. The gift? The Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). Finally the day came when the gift arrived. Luke tells us: When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them (Acts 2:1-3). The Holy Spirit’s presence was evidenced by His power. His power was demonstrated the following ways: 1) they heard a sound like a mighty rushing wind, 2) they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire, and 3) they (Galilean Jews) spoke in the languages of those who were visiting Jerusalem during the Feast of Pentecost. There were many languages spoken that day but only one message: we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God (Acts 2:11). Wow! No doubt those who were present on the day the Gift arrived never forgot what they heard and saw. The Gift, the Holy Spirit, had come!
In addition, Peter’s message and the resulting response of the people demonstrated the Holy Spirit’s presence and power. Peter, filled with the Spirit of God, preached the Word of God. As a result, the power of God moved in such a way that about three thousand souls called upon the name of Jesus and were saved and then baptized (Acts 2:41).
There are several responses for believers in Christ Jesus:
1. We can always trust God to do what He says He will do. Jesus had promised that God would send the Gift, the Holy Spirit, and God did just that. We can trust every single promise found in the pages of God’s Word.
2. We must always rely on the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do. At the moment of salvation the Holy Spirit came to live in each believer; therefore His presence and power is with us at all times. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do what God calls us to do. He helps us (Jn. 14:16, 26). He teaches us (Jn. 14:26). He reminds us of Truth (Jn. 14:26). He prays for us (Rom. 8:26). He does all of this and so much more. We must rely on Him to do what only He can do.
3. We must always be faithful to declare the mighty works of God. Jesus told the disciples that once the Holy Spirit came they would be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). In his sermon, Peter, as Jesus’ witness, faithfully declared the mighty works of God (Acts 2:14-41). Nearly 50 days earlier Peter had not only denied that he had been with Jesus, he went as far as to deny that he even knew Jesus (Mt. 26:69-75). What caused Peter to be faithful to declare the mighty works of God on the Day of Pentecost? The Holy Spirit’s presence and power. Since the Holy Spirit indwells and empowers us, like Peter, we can faithfully and boldly declare the mighty works of God to others.
Pentecost, the Day the Gift arrived, is a reminder to all believers that we can always trust God to do what He says He will do. It’s a reminder that we must always rely on the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do. And it is a reminder that we must always be faithful to declare the mighty works of God. There is no doubt that the Holy Sprit who came powerfully on the Day of Pentecost is still actively and powerfully working in the lives of believers today.
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