Thank you for reading the Weekend Sermon. It is good to be able to post this week's message. I pray that all of you have had a good week.
I have been feeling much better this week, and I thank you for all of your prayers. Things are going fairly well at work as well, so that is nice. I am still wanting to sell the house, so please pray that I can get that accomplished this summer.
In prayer this week, remember the people in Houston, Texas who have experienced the terrible flooding. This is the second year in a row that those folks have had to deal with this. Also, remember to pray for those who have suffered as a result of the earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan.
Continue to pray for peace in the world. Let us pray for peace in Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Libya.
As always, let us pray this week for the message of Jesus to reach people around the world. This week let us pray for those in the nations of Djibouti and Brunei. There are very few Christians in these two places.
We have been in a series of messages on the Apostles' Creed for most of this year. We have a few more messages in this series to go. Last week, we studied that fact that Jesus will come again and He will judge those who are His and those who have rejected Him.
In today's message, we have to focus in on a topic that is only possible for me to just skim the surface of. Today, we focus on the phrase, "I believe in the Holy Spirit." It's a short statement that says a lot.
First of all, why was this short phrase included in the Creed to begin with. Just as in our day, when the Creed was first composed, the doctrine of the Trinity was under criticism. Many could or would not understand the Biblical underpinnings of this doctrine. In order to state unequivocally that God was revealed in three persons, this phrase concerning the Holy Spirit was added to the Creed.
If anyone ever challenges your belief in the Trinity, one of the best passages of Scripture to lead them to is Matthew 3:13-17 which describes the baptism of Jesus. Jesus the Son is coming up out of the water. The voice of the Father is heard from Heaven, and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove.
In today's message, I would like to focus on the ministry of the Holy Spirit right now. Jesus gave the promise of the Holy Spirit and told about the work of the Spirit in John 14 and 16. Jesus said in John 16:7 that the Holy Spirit would come to help us believers. The Spirit would come along side of us and show us the way. Jesus left this world, but He sent the Spirit to us to always be reminded that God is with us.
I know in my own life what a comfort the Holy Spirit is. Often when I am faced with overwhelming problems, I can feel the voice of the Spirit in my heart giving me the comfort and the strength that I need to face the problems that I am facing.
The Holy Spirit assists us in living out the teachings of Jesus. In John 14:26, Jesus told His disciples that the Spirit would remind them of all the things that Jesus taught them. The Spirit leads us into all truth today. He reminds us of the teachings of the Lord when we have need.
Sometimes, I have been speaking with a person about the things of the Lord and they have a question I can't quite answer at first. But, suddenly, I will remember a passage of Scripture appropriate to the situation. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit also gives us power to lead the Christian life and to serve the Lord. When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the power of the Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit came in power upon those gathered in the Upper Room . They spoke in other tongues and were filled with the Spirit. Once filled with the Spirit, the Apostles were able to boldly proclaim the message of Jesus. We see this clearly in the remainder of the book of Acts.
As believers today, we can only accomplish what we have been called to do by the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit. We must pray to be filled with the Spirit's power to fulfill the Great Commission and to bring hope and healing to a hurting world.
One other aspect of the Spirit's ministry that I want to touch on briefly is the fact that the Spirit empowers the church by giving each member a spiritual gift. These gifts of the Spirit are spoken of in I Corinthians 12 and in Romans 12. Find out what gift God has given you, and then use it to advance the Kingdom.
One last thing I want to point out in today's message is that the Holy Spirit has the role of convicting of sin. The Spirit convicts both the believer and the unbeliever. When a person who is without Jesus Christ hears the message of the Gospel preached, the Holy Spirit brings conviction upon that person's heart. At that point, the individual has the choice to either accept the message of Jesus or reject it.
The Holy Spirit also convicts the believer of sin. We we turn away from the commandments and teachings of our Lord, the Holy Spirit reminds us that we have gone astray. He moves upon our hearts to repent of our sin and turn back to the path of Jesus. The Holy Spirit always points us back to Jesus and serving Him.
As I said, this message is just skimming the surface of the doctrine of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. We could have a whole series of messages about this subject, and maybe we will someday.
For now, let me just urge you to be sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit in your life. Respond to what the Spirit is leading you to do, because the Spirit is always leading us to serve Jesus better and to love Jesus more.
If you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus and you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit calling you to turn to Jesus, I urge you to come to the Lord today. Trust Him and give your life over to His Lordship.
Next week, we will continue in our series on the Apostles' Creed. I anticipate that we will have three or four more messages in this series. On Monday, I will post more memory verses, and there will be a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment