Are youa Spirit-led person?
This morning we're going to pick up our series that we started a few weeks ago related tothe idea that we have our identity in Christ. In the first sermon we talked about the fact that we are to be identified as people of the word. It's really God's word, when we're grounded in it, that produces change in us and transforms us and anchors us into the realities that God would have us to anchor to. In the second sermon, we talked about grace and how God forgives us and welcomes us back as the father welcomed the prodigal son back. We are to have as our identity the fact that God has shown mercy on us.
This morning we are going to talk about a third idea, lordship. I have this phrase that I want you to consider carefully. Ask yourself if you areknown as a Spirit-led person, daily seeking the leading and power of God’s Spirit as a means of transformation instead of relying on yourself? Think about that phrase for a moment. Are you a Spirit-led person? Do you every day seek the leadership of God's spirit and the power of God's Spirit as a means of transformation instead of relying on yourself?
God forgives sins and God can change us fundamentally.
As Christians, we talk about the good news of Jesus Christ and about the gospel of Jesus Christ. But I think that we don't go far enough. We only teach a partial gospel. We only tell part of the good news. The first part of the good news is that God can forgive us our sins. No matter what we've done, he can forgive us and wipe the slate clean and restore us to a relationship with himself. But if we stop there, then the other part of it that's just as exciting is that God can change us fundamentally in our innermost being.
He can take whatever was broken, the thingthat led us to that place of sin and rebellion in the first place, and he can make us new. That's the other part of the good news. A lot of times we know that we're forgiven, but then we proceed with the rest of the Christian life and we put a lot more faith in ourselves and in our abilities than in God to change us. There's this myth that we just need to try harder as Christians in order to be changed. That we need to muster up more will-power, self control and discipline, and that on our own we can set out and achieve this thing called the Christian life.
There's another myth that we should clean ourselves up before we come to God. But we've got it all backwards. After God forgives us, he empowers us with his Spirit and he leads us and guides us into the things that he would have us do.
Are you this Spirit-led person or are you a self-reliant person? Do you acknowledge God's abililty to do the impossible or are you still trying to believe in yourself to do the impossible? A Christian is a person who should give up on such self-reliance and who is led by God. The Christian acknowledges God’s ability to do impossible.
The Spirit of God is God’s giftand promise to the believer!
The first passage we want to look at this morning is in the book of Acts. It takes place just after Christ was crucified. All the Jewish peoplewho were chanting for Christ to be crucified were gathered in the square in Jeresulem and Peter, the apostle, preachesa sermon. He brings them to this awareness thatthe man that they had just crucified and that they had laid in the grave was in fact, the messiah that they had been spending their lives waiting for. The people in Jeruselem were cut to the heart by his words.
In Acts 2:36-37 (NIV) Peter says, "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' "
You might be asking the same question this morning. You have been brought to the realization of the brokenness and sin in your life and you may be wondering what the next step is for you. And what Peter told them to do is in Acts 2:38 (NIV). Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
The Christian life doesn't begin with you being told to fix all the things in your life. It begins with repentance. God promises the forgiveness of sin, which is the first part of the gospel, but then he promises the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is the second part of the gospel.
God wants us to come before him with all the junk in our lives and he will give us the resources, through the Spirit, to lead us out of all that. Can you imagine being in a bigger mess than having just crucified the Son of God? But the Spirit of God led these people out of that predicament.
So you might wonder how you know that you have the Holy Spirit?Do I have this resource? It's not a mystical experience like a lot of people think. It is really very simple. God gives us this invitation. Repent of your sins. Run away from them and be baptized and you will receive the HolySpirit. It's a promise to us, not a magical formula. It's just some simple steps we take.
Among many things, the Spirit of God brings conviction to our lives.
What is the role of this Holy Spirit once he comes into our lives? A passage in John will shed some light on this divine resource that God gives us. Jesus is talking to his disciples here. John 16:7 (NIV) says, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
If you are familiar with the King James version of the Bible, you might be aware of the fact that the Holy Spirit is referred to as our comforter. That word means counselor. God's going to help us become something and he's going to help us to stand up and overcome some things in our lives that we aren't able to overcome on our own. That's why you go to a counselor. The Holy Spirit is that resource that God gives us. That's the best counselor that you will find.
What's he going to do in our lives when he comes? John 16:8 (NIV) tells us that, "When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment..."The HolySpiritwill convict us in three areas; sin, righteousness and judgment.
The Holy Spirit convicts us in regard to our sin.
Let's just look at these three areas. The first area of conviction is in regard to sin. John 16:9 (NIV)says,"in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me..."
Do you ever find yourself just driving down the road and you are struck with this awareness, this acute awareness of the power, the majesty, and the reality of God? Your conscience is quickened and you realize that you need to be in a relationship with God. And you realize that you need to be doing something in your life to get in relationship with him.
You parents, you are struck with this awareness that your kids are growing up so quickly and they don't have any spiritual foundation. They don't know Christ. In regard to sin, the worst sin that we can commit is not accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. And we don't recognize his identity as the Son of God. The Holy Spirit is constantly working to bring us to an awarenss of Christ and his identity.
That's a much more broad idea of sin. There are many other sins. We have these attitudes of rebellion against God. We have these pockets of disobedience and strongholds of Satan that we will not yield or surrender to him in our lives. The Holy Spirit pushes back on those strongholds and convicts us to change these areas of our lives. He challenges us to surrender and to submit to the kingship of Christ in regard to these sins.
The Holy Spirit convicts us with regard to righteousness.
A second area of conviction by the Holy Spirit is found in John 16:10 (NIV). Jesus says, "...in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer..." Righteousness refers to our standing before God. And Christ is going to God the Father to be righteousness on our behalf because we are sinners. We are condemned for our sin and Christ has become a curse for us and he has taken our condemnation away from us. Jesus is going to the Father to become our righteousness.
The Holy Spirit is convicting and pushing us from areas where we are not glorifying God, not living for him, not being salt and light, not being truthful, and not having integrity and character. You know what those areas are in your own lives. Conscience and spirit-convicting, what a gift! The Holy Spirit is like a tutor or a mentor, saying "OK! Now you've done great. Now here's the next challenge that we're going to work on." The Holy Spirit is just constantly dialoging in our hearts, our consciences, our minds, and our thoughts. That's his gift to us.
The Holy Spirit convicts in relationship to judgment.
The third area in which the Holy Spirit brings conviction to us relates to judging. John 16:11 (NIV) says, "and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned." Judgment is a matter of our destiny. If you were to die today, would you have the assurance of salvation? Do you have confidence that you would be accepted before God and found without blemish or defect, pure, righteous and holy? Are you confident in God's mercy and forgiveness? Or do you sense this condemnation over your life? Do you sense that you are not right with God andyou don't have a vital relationship with him and you are not even sure he exists? The Holy Spirit makes us think of those questions of eternity.
Maybe you have a medical situation that develops inyour life, or a close friend or relative develops something and suddenly there's this Holy Spirit working in your life. It says, "Everyone must come before the judgment seat of Christ. Are you ready?" The Holy Spirit convicts us during these times when we are considering eternity.
Let's talk about how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. For our example, let's turn to how the Holy Spirit worked in Jesus' life.
Jesus was led by the Spirit.
Jesus gives us a pattern that we can follow. At the age of thirty Jesus was baptized, immersed, as an adult. Jesus received the Spirit after his baptism. In Luke 3:21-22 (NIV) we are told, "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.' "
The steps of receiving the Holy Spirit are not described as some mystical formula, speaking in tongues, etc. It's described in the scriptures as just a responsive faith to God and it's joined with the pledge of baptism. That's what Jesus is modeling for us. When Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended on him. That's God's affirmation on the step of faith that Jesus took.
Jesus received the Holy Spirit just as we are to receive it. He models the steps we are to take in order to receive the Holy Spirit. He relies on and is led by this Sprit throughout his ministry. This is an example for us. Skip toLuke 4and look at the very first verse. It's incredible!
The first temptation of Jesus.
In Luke 4:1 (NIV) it says, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, (having been baptized) returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert..." Jesus was led by the Spirit just as we're to be led. People might assume that being led by the Spirit is a subjective experience. How do we know that a believer has the Spirit? How do we know if we are being truly being led by the Spirit and not being deceived by the evil one, evil desires, emotions, passions, feelings, or other people who areapart from God?
Luke 4:2 (NIV) continues, "...where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." Has anyone here ever not eaten forforty days? We usually don't fast. You know what it's like when you are really hungry and you crave something. Jesus is in that situation and here's the devil planting little seeds of disobedience in his thoughts. How do you have clarity when everything in your flesh is pulling you in a different direction? How do you still continue to do God's will in this situation? Jesus' first temptation was to put his hunger, desires, and cravings before God's will for him.
In Luke 4:3-4 (NIV) we are taught how Jesus responded to this temptation. "The devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.' " Jesus finds clarity through the Spirit and through God's word. The word and the Holy Spirit work in tandem. The Spirit doesn't do what the word of God doesn't say and the word of God, the Bible, doesn't tell you something different than what the Spirit is leading you to do.
How do you know if you are being led by the Spirit? The word will confirm what you think the Spirit is leading you into. The word of God, when we're well grounded in it, will anchor us and is a tool of the Holy Spirit which is leading us with clarity so we're not blinded by our flesh and cravings.
The second temptation of Jesus.
Luke 4:5-8 (NIV) continues, "The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, 'I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' "
This second temptation is a temptation for power and control before God. It is a temptation to be the king of the universe. The devil is dangling this before Jesus. He's telling Jesus, "You can be the king. The world can revolve around you. You can be in control of this high place." How do we focus on God's will whenwe are so easily blinded by power and authority? If you want to see someone's character, just promote him. How canwe just stay focused on God's will? Again, as in the first temptation, Jesus answered the devil by using God's word.
Jesus' third area of temptation.
Luke 4:9-12 (NIV) continues, "The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down from here. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' Jesus answered, 'It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "
Now this third temptaton relates to fame and popularity. You hear a lot about peer pressure these days. Youth can be blinded by a peer group and can be seduced into sin and into a lifestyle which is against God's purposes. But it's not just kids who deal with peer pressure. Our hunger to be accepted by people is so strong that we will conform to the wishes of a peer group. If a peer groupdisapproves of what we are doing, we will make changes. Our social relationships are so powerful in our lives. The devil was tempting Jesus that he would be instantly powerful and famous and that everyone would recognize him.
How many times do you find yourself in that spot? How can we look our peers in the face and tell them that we're not going the way of the crowd? "I'm going to choose the narrow road and thenarrow door and the narrow path that leads to life." The Holy Spirit makes us aware of that choice and God's word gives us clarity that we're making the right choice. If we're living in the Spirit and listening and knowing the word of God, we can live this incredible life that Christ lived.
Jesus gains victory over the devil in Luke 4:13 (NIV). "When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time." You must know that the devil is always working. So we need to daily seek to be led by God's Spirit and we need to daily ground ourselves more deeply in the word. The devil never rests and is working thorugh our cravings, desires for power, ego and recognition, and our peer groups. He's always working. In these verses, Jesus models for us how to get unstuck in a pattern of sin, through the Sprit. The word is our anchor.
David submits himself to God.
Jump over toPsalm 51. David provides us with an example of submission before God. Think of this as a case study. Jesus, of course, was going to be led by the Spirit. Heis the Son of God. But let's use a very human example, King David. David made lots of mistakes, sins, and poor choices. One of his biggest sins was committing adultery with Bathsheba, but he didn't stop there. He had her husband killed in battle. No one knows what he was thinking. The prophet Nathan was sent from God to call David out and to expose his sin and to make him aware that God knew what he had done.
That's what the Holy Spirit does for us. The Holy Spirit calls us out and tells us that we have sinned and that God knows about it. "You need to make a change in your life. Your heart is not right." That's what Nathan the prophet did with David. At this point David has two choices. He can be led by the Spirit here or he can rebel against the Spirit.
In the context of committing sin, small as well as large sins, a lot of people don't submit. They develop this attitude of rebellion. David acknowledged his rebellion but he also acknowledged that he was unable, in and of himself to get himself unstuck in that situation. He does a smart thing. He prays to God in Psalm 51.
We are having communion right after this. This psalm is a prayer and it contains several requests. Was there any path back to God after such sin? Could God forgive him? Could David’s character be reformed? Could David find joy, peace, and gladness again? Could his heart be melted and made sensitive again? Could he ever again feel the presence of God? Could someone like him be saved? Could his professions of faith in God ever have integrity again? Could he be blessed again? Could God do the impossible?
What I'd like you to do as I read through this prayer is to write on your bulletin some of the requests that David made. These requests are things that you will want to ask God to do in your life.
David's prayer.
Psalm 51:1 (NIV) begins, "For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. 'Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love....." Is this where you are at? "Have mercy on me. I'm aware through the power of your Spirit that I'm a sinner and that I have a broken life." Maybe you're in that spot. You need to know that God loves you even after you have rebelled.
Psalm 51:1 (NIV) continues, "according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions." In other words, make it as if I'd never done all those things. In Psalm 51:2 (NIV) David asks,"Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." Do you have some things that you'd like to wash away and have God clean in you that you couldn't clean up yourself?
Psalm 51:3-4 (NIV) continues, "For I know my transgressions", (because God sent his prophet, Nathan, and Holy Spirit to convict David) "and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge."
David is so overwhelmed by his sin. Psalm 51:5 (NIV) admits, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." David is saying that these patterns have been present throughout his life and that they span multiple generations. He hasn't been able to fix them himself.
David's prayer continues in Psalm 51:6-7 (NIV). "Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Do you believe that God can clean you?
Psalm 51:8-10 (NIV) continues, "Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, ..." Do you ever become aware of all the mixed motives and evil desires that reside within you? If people only could see what you see in your own heart, they would never look at you in the same way again. David was anguished because his heart was so ugly. He was asking God to create purity in his heart.
Psalm 51:10 (NIV) continues, "renew a steadfast spirit in me." David is saying that he wants to give up. He doesn't believe that he can persevere. Psalm 51:11-17 (NIV) says, "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
David's prayer concludes in Psalm 51:18-19 (NIV). "In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar."
I sat down and tried to put myself in David's shoes. If I had committed some sin and God had sent a prophet to me to confront me, what would be going through my mind? Here's what I think I might ask myself. Is there any path back to God after such sin? Could God forgive someone as sinful and evil as me? Just look at all the stuff I've done. Can God forgive something like that?
Could David's character be reformed? In our society we don't believe that people can really be reformed. We give up on them and label and catregorize people for life. Could David finally find joy and peace and gladness again? The depression that comes alongside sin, when we are making evil choices, can overwhelm us. We're unhappy and miserable. David is wondering if he can find pleasure and excitement and fun in the simple things that he once did. Sin had deadened him to life.
Could his heart be melted and made sensitive? His heart was so hardened by sin. Could he ever feel God's presence again? Could someone like him be saved? Could his professions of faith ever have integrity again after he had fallen? Could he be blessed again? Could God do the impossible in his life? The answer to the last question is "yes"!
David chose to be led by God's Spirit.
David made the smartest move that any of us who are stuck could possibly make. He chose to be led by God's Spirit. He chose to take all of his inadequacies and all of the things he couldn't accomplish and lay them before God. He acknowledged that God could bring about transformation in his life that he could not accomplish on his own. He simply asked God to begin working in him.
We are going to take communion shortly. These emblems represent the forgiveness that God gives us to create in us a pureheart and to wipe us clean. But the other part of the good news is that during communion, we acknowledge the fact that Jesus was obedient unto death. Why? Because Jesus was led by the Spirit. And God, through the power of his Spirit, showed us a model of Christ, who was able to live and set an example for us to follow.
The two parts of the good news are first, that God forgives us and second, that God can change us. These communion emblems are the occasion for us to reflect on that. Turn to Psalm 51 during communion and reflect on David's prayer and ask some basic questions like the ones David asked. What’s the Spirit of God showing you? Where is he leading you this morning? What path are you on?