Sermon on 25 October 2020 by Reverend Dr Samuel
Romans 8:14-16 - “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
The very primary reason why God created man was to have a relationship with Him. God created Adam so that He could fellowship with him. Jesus, when He chose His disciples, chose them to be with Him. The Bible can be divided into 3 dispensations - Father of God, Son of God and the Holy Spirit. We know that perfectly Jesus fulfilled as a Son while Adam failed. Jesus said that He will be with you and in you forever.
John 14:17 - “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
God wanted to commune with Adam but Adam failed. Ever since God wanted to communicate with Adam, He had to use ways and means to communicate with him because he was spiritually dead. Man was separated from the life of God. God will have to use different people so that they can speak to each other. We know that because after Adam failed, Jesus came to fulfil what he failed to do. We can see that the union between God and Jesus is so close that Jesus can say My Father and I are one.
John 20:22 -“Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
God sent Jesus into this world and He finished his task perfectly and now Jesus is breathing inside us. Our union and fellowship is with the Holy Spirit. It is very important to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit with such intimacy that we can know the heartbeat of God through the spirit of God.
Proverbs 20:27 - “The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.”
Man is created as a spirit being. When Adam committed the high treason, we know that he is spiritually dead. God sent Jesus and revived us. When we are born again, the Spirit of God lives inside us. Today, we don’t just have the Spirit with us but also in us. When you want to describe me, you will give some of my visual features. You judge people based on their physical appearance. Most of the time we only see the external body and not the spirit. However man is not a body. He is basically a spirit as God is a Spirit. God created you and me so we are spirit beings. The Holy Spirit resides in our spirit. Within us, we have our human spirit and the Holy Spirit living in us. It is beyond our human understanding how He can live in us.
Your spirit is a candle. Your spirit is the lamp of the lord. That means my God is going to use my spirit to communicate. If I speak to you right now, you will be able to hear through your ears. But you have another set of ears which as Paul says, spiritual ears. You have another set of eyes, spiritual eyes. You can taste how God is good but not through this tongue. Our spirits need to be trained so that we can listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Most of the time we develop our physical bodies. Not many people educate their spirit as they ought to. When you don’t take time to equip and empower your spirit man, you will be very down in your walk with God. You will be insensitive to what God wants to say to you. He doesn’t speak to you audibly. He can but He is a Spirit. He lives in you. You pray to God within you. Your conversation is within you now.
Job 32:8 - “But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent.”
There is a spirit in man. That spirit is God's candle and lamp. The breath of the Almighty is the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that gives you and me understanding, through each of your spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn’t come to my body or mind but through my spirit. My spirit picks up when the Holy Spirit speaks. It then conveys to your mind. How does this whole thing work?
Psalm 119:105 - “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
The word of God gives you light. It is the Spirit of the Lord that gives you light.
Psalm 119:130 - “The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.”
Did you realise that I said there is a spirit of man and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Understanding, light and revelation comes through 2 ways. Firstly, it is the breath of the Almighty. The second component is the word of God. Our spirit is lighted by 2 things. The word of God itself is light. When it enters our spirit, it illuminates. When you switch on the lights, darkness leaves. When lights are turned on, things appear in front of you. The Spirit of the Lord wants to light our candle. By the word of God, by the Spirit of God. We will be able to see things that we have never seen before. God will give you sufficient light for your next step. As you follow His prompting, more is given.
Romans 8:14 - “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”
How does He do this?
Romans 8:16 - “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
In this scripture, Spirit is mentioned twice. First, it’s the Spirit of god. The next is the human spirit, which is your spirit, which is God's candle. This is so that God can communicate and talk to us. God is a spirit. God is not a body. God is not a mind or a soul.
John 4:24 - “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.””
God created you and me exactly like Him, according to His image. You are a spirit being. In the Garden of Eden when God breathed into Adam, he probably brought him so close and he became a living soul. When God breathes into me, we become like Him. When you ask the Holy Spirit to come inside you, you are born from above.
Romans 8:16 - “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
How do you recognise the Holy Spirit? When someone asks if you are born again, what would you answer? You would answer yes of course. If I ask are you really sure, you doubt and then answer yes I am sure. The Holy Spirit nudges you for doubting. Your spirit is picking up the Holy Spirit.
Your spirit can pick up things. God reassures you when you are reading the word of God. How does God communicate with us? With the word of god as it is light. It gives us understanding. The blood of God means the Holy Spirit.
How can you keep your spirit man sensitive so you can pick things up?
The word of God is like food. Man should not live by bread alone but with His word. Without His word, we cannot do anything.
Proverbs 4:20-22 - “My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.”
There should be a desire for the word of God like food. A fish can not survive without water. We cannot survive without the word of God. It should be so saturated in our lives that we can live a victorious life. We can only be sustained by the word of God. We are born again from above by the word of God. It must be our food. When the Holy Spirit speaks, He speaks using the word.
Joshua 1:8 - “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
He is saying don’t leave the word. After Jesus rose from the dead, He gave paul the message to the church. The Bible clearly talks about 3 groups of people - Jewish, Gentiles and the church of God. You need to find what is given to you and me. As a new covenant saint, what is given to us. God has given specific instructions for us to follow.
Ephesians 5:18 - “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,”
It is an analogy. When someone is drunk, they move and act according to what they are possessed with. Their minds are already disconnected. When you are drunk in the Spirit, you are under control.
1 Corinthians 14:2 - “For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious.”
When you are filled with the Holy Ghost, you are building up yourself and communicating with God and not men.
1 Corinthians 14:14 - “For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.”
We need to cultivate a habit of praying in tongues. Your spirit is in communication directly with God.
Jude 1:20 - “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,”
Your spirit will be active and in constant communication with the Spirit of god. Your spirit is the candle and lamp of the Lord. He lights it with the word of God and the breath of the Almighty. If you can keep yourself saturated in the word of God, the Spirit of God will speak to your spirit. This is how we can become sensitive.
Amen.
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