Wednesday night teaching 2-27-19
Wednesday night teaching 2-27-19
Someone shared this scripture on Sunday morning at the beginning of worship.
“Come let us go to up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.” Isaiah 2:3
True under the old covenant. I understand when people say this is a house of God and we should treat it with reverence and I agree. However, in the new covenant God does not live in a building made with hands.
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you? . . . For the temple of God is holy. And you are His temple.” I Cor. 3:16-17
You may not realize this was a radical idea that few people ever had the revelation that God wanted to do this. What exactly does God want from us?
“. . . that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know (personally experience and in intimate detail) the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge (academic learning); THAT YOU MAY BE FILLED WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD.” Eph. 4:17-19
“knowledge” – Greek word is gnosis = to know. Academic learning can bring knowledge. Hearing can bring knowledge. All knowledge begins here.
“How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14
But knowledge that stays in the head will soon be forgotten or replaced with other knowledge. The knowledge of God or about God is intended to become a personal encounter or experience.
Gnosis knowledge from learning is to become GINOSKO – a personal intimate experiential knowledge. It is the word knowledge that describes the relationship between Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived. In a sacred way God intends for us to know Him in a one of a kind relationship that is intimate and so special that continues forever.
Okay now I am saved and I learn God actually lives inside my body. Where exactly does He live inside me?
God made us in His image and to be in His likeness. God is a Spirit. They that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.
We are a spirit being.
We have a soul.
We live in a body.
According to Ephesians 4:17 where does Christ dwell in believers?
“our heart”
- The heart is the place we choose to believe or have faith. Romans 10:9-10
Since we know we are a spirit, have a soul and live in a body. Where is the heart?
“The spirit of man is the candle (lamp) of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Prov. 20:27
If man is going to know God who is Spirit then it will come by spirit connecting with Spirit. You can know (academically) about God with your mind but still not know Him Spiritually (ginosko) by experience.
- Pharisees, Jews without Messiah. Religious people today.
The lost man, man not born of the Spirit of God is called a natural man.
“The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” I Cor. 2:14
Does the lost man have a spirit? Yes he has a human spirit but since has not been born of the Spirit (born again) his human spirit is like he is dead to God.
“For you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you walked according to the age of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience . . .” Eph. 2:1-2
You do not discern the things of God on your own. Eph. 2 describes:
You live according to the desires of your flesh.
You walk according to the world.
You walk and live according to the rule of Satan.
You are children of wrath.
You were without hope and without God
You were strangers to the covenant of promise
You were apart from Christ.
Left to yourself or in this condition you would be eternally lost and hopeless and eventually live eternally in hell. Hell not because you were a bad person but because your sin nature could not live in the holy sinless presence of God. If God let you even come near near Him you would be consumed like a moth who blindly flies into a fire. His holiness would consume you.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love for us, even while we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and He raised us up and seated us together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2:4-7
God took the initiative to provide a rescue from our hopelessness.
Truth is the only thing that sets us free from bondage. Truth is a person called Jesus Christ.
“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
- Short of God’s glory or perfect holiness.
Sin – Greek word “harmatia” an archery term for missing the mark.
PIC of missing the mark archery.
Another pic of falling short of reaching God.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Why do Christians believe Jesus is the only way of salvation? Isn't that being rather narrow-minded and judgmental? The world has a lot of people in it who don't believe in Jesus but some of them are just as good as the Christians I know (or even better).
- Jesus Himself said this. John 14:6 quote.
- He knew that He was the one and only unique Son of God, sent by His Father into the world to save us from our sins.
- PIC of man separated form God by sin
- You see, only one thing separates us from God and keeps us out of heaven—and that is our sin. This is why our greatest need is to have our sins forgiven and cleansed, for only then can we be reconciled to God and go to be with Him throughout eternity.- But how is this possible? No matter how good we are, we can never erase our own sins. Only God can do this—and that is what He did by sending Jesus Christ into the world for us. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
- PIC of Jesus bridging gap between man and God
When we hear the gospel from the Spirit of God it is like light coming into our darkness and illuminating where we were blind.
PIC of Spirit, soul, body and heart.
Our physical ears or eyes see or hear the gospel. The HS takes truth and illumines our darkness. We realize we are lost – separated from God because of our sin.
Truth travels through our mind and to the door of our heart.
The heart is the seat where we believe God or not. Truth knocks on the door of our heart and we choose to believe the revelation of God or not from the place of our heart.
“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:10
On white board draw another circle inside the body for the soul with gates open so things travel in and out of each gate.
Draw another circle inside the soul for the heart with gates open so things go in and out of each gate.
“Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Gates of the body – 5 physical senses = eye gate, ear gate, smell gate, taste gate, touch gate.
Gates of the soul – are open or closed from the body by you.
Gates of the heart – are to be guarded by you.
Your born again spirit has gates that flow from inside to the outside but nothing can contaminate the spirit in you, it is sealed by the Spirit.
“In Him you also, after hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, and after believing in Him, WERE SEALED WITH THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT . . .” Eph. 1:13
PIC of sealed by God like a letter not to be opened.
Also sealed like a mason jar:
Your born again Sspirit is your new born again human spirit merged with God’s Holy Spirit creating one new Sspirit.
“Do not be drunk with wine, for that is wreckless living. But be filled with the Spirit. Speaking to yourselves (or one another) in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Eph. 5:18-19
We are learning how to live first out of our born again Sspirit that can commune with God 24/7. Note we are making melody in our heart TO THE LORD – NOT TO OURSELVES OR OTHERS BUT TO HIM.
Keep fresh, keep alive, keep aware of God and His Presence in you so that you are conscious of Him and in awe of Him at all times. “Rejoice in the Lord always. In everything give thanks to Him.”
Ill. There is no temple or tabernacle or building of worship in heaven, yet there is 24/7 worship, singing, glory, praise, thanksgiving. Why?
“Be filled with the Spirit. . .” This is a command to us.
What gets filled? Our born again spirit is already filled and wall to wall God.
From our born again Sspirit flows the HS into and overflowing our soul, heart, and even into our body. We can be filled to the fullness of God. This takes us back to the beginning.
“. . . that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know (personally experience and in intimate detail) the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge (academic learning); THAT YOU MAY BE FILLED WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD.” Eph. 4:17-19
concl: This is within reach! The fullness of God flowing from your inner man overflowing through your heart and emotions and mind and soul even overflowing into your body experiencing a tangible Presence of God.
Some call this the baptism of the HS. When you open the flood gates by asking for the baptism of the HS. You have the HS in you at spiritual birth but the baptism of the Spirit is the when you yield and left the Spirit inside you overflow your banks of your soul and body.
You are still in control but you yield your soul and body for His Spirit to have His way with you.
Pic of baptism of HS
Have prayer and laying on of hands for those who want to receive the baptism of the HS.
What will happen? PIC
To illustrate, if we drank water from a glass, then the water would be inside us. However, if we went to the beach and stepped into the ocean, then we would be in the water. We receive, as it were, a drink of the Holy Spirit when we are saved, but when we are baptized in the Spirit, it is as if that initial drink becomes an ocean that completely surrounds us.
Prayer to receive the baptism of the HS:
Heavenly Father,
I thank You that Jesus saved me. I pray for Holy Spirit to come upon me, baptize me now in the Holy Spirit. I receive Your baptism in the Holy Spirit because You promised this. Thank You for the anointing, the glory, and the power of God coming upon me and into my life right now. I am empowered for service from this day forward. I ask to speak in other tongues according to Your Word. By faith I trust You for this gift and I will speak in other tongues as a new way for me to pray in the Spirit. Thank You for baptizing me in Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Now it’s possible you didn’t feel anything. In some cases, no new language comes out initially. But your receiving the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with initial feelings or what happens on the outside. God’s Word said that if you asked, you would receive. That means by faith you have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Practice speaking in other tongues. It doesn’t matter if you start with one syllable or how silly you sound. Just keep praying and God will strengthen you in your prayer language. There are many people who receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and do not pray in tongues right away. Don’t be discouraged, it will come. Just don’t give up!