This week we continue with our teaching as we delve a little deeper into understanding who we are.
Romans 8: 14 – “For as many as are LED by the Spirit of God, THESE are the sons of God.”
It does not say as many as are born again…although you cannot receive the gift of the Holy Spirit without being born again and you can only be born again by the Holy Spirit – John 3:5-8.
We are not meant to be led by our intellect, by our understanding or by our knowledge. We are not meant to be led by our emotions, our sensitivity, not our mother or our father but by the Spirit of the Living God.
We were originally created to be the sons of God, the ones who carried the image of God.
Sin cut us off from God who is life and we were held captive under the power of darkness.
Through the great sacrifice of Jesus we were redeemed from the power of darkness so that we could be restored to our original purpose. Now, the work of sanctifying us, cleansing us, teaching us, training and transforming us into the sons of God has become the prime ministry of the wonderful Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father and our Helper.
The Holy Spirit – the Promise of the Father
John 14:16 – And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.
John 16:7 – Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
Luke 24:49 – Behold I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.
Acts 2:33 – Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 – Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
(The Greek word translated ‘sealed’ here was a seller’s guarantee – proof of a possession – the Holy Spirit is our guarantee – proof that we are God’s possession – His sons.
We have been called to walk as sons of God and the only way for that to happen is by LIVING a Spirit led life!
Romans 5:10 – For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
The WHOLE purpose of our salvation is:
- Firstly, to resurrect us from spiritual death so that we could be reconciled to God.
- Secondly…to give us a brand new spirit SO that we could be transformed into the image of God – saved by His life. We know that there will be a distinguishable difference between the sons of God and those who are outside the New Covenant, which is, Christ living in us, the hope of glory. We need to be a light in the darkness.
This transformation in us – can only be done by the Holy Spirit! He is the only teacher, the only revelator of the Father, the Son and the bible.
2 Corinthians 3:18 – But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Only the Holy Spirit can reveal the glory of the Lord to you and I, and only the Holy Spirit can transform us into that same image. Christ in us… the hope of glory!
Colossians 1:27 – To them (His saints) God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in us, the hope of glory!
2 Corinthians 3:3 – clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
Like the disciples in Corinth, our lives are going to be an epistle of Christ…the life of Christ will be visible in us! People will look at our lives and they will see Christ. Not because we have a bumper sticker or a T-Shirt that says something about being a Christian. They need to see the evidence – spoken…but without words. The only way that can be a reality is by the power of Holy Spirit.
The wonderful Holy Spirit is the Lifeline between you and the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only One who reveals the Father and the Son and through our surrender He is the only one able to birth Christ in us. We need to remain connected to the Holy Spirit and to be completely dependent on Him. The life of Christ, flowing from the Father, comes through this lifeline alone.
Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered her and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
– Luke 1:34-35
Who caused the conception of the Word of God to take place in Mary’s womb?
The Holy Spirit came upon her and then the power of the Most High overshadowed her to birth God’s only begotten Son (The Word) in her womb.
What part did she play in this?
Surrender…just surrender… humble obedience to the plan of God.
The empowering Spirit of Grace
Zech. 4:6-7 – This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O Great Mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone (the final stone on the top that finishes the project) with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’
What was the Lord of hosts talking about? He was talking about the rebuilding of the Temple. Zerubbabel would do what God had required of him, by the grace of God, not by man’s ability but by the mighty Holy Spirit.
By the grace provided through the Holy Spirit, what seemed to be an impossible mountain would become like a flat piece of land instead.
When God’s Spirit is at work through us, we will accomplish the goals that He helps us to set. When we obey Him, He does mighty things
It is the intention of God to birth the Word that has just been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, within us and through us. Surrender and obedience accesses the grace provided by God that allows the Holy Spirit to come upon us and it is then that the power of the Most High can overshadow us to birth Christ (The Word) in us.
Jesus our example!!!
John 19:10 – Then Pilate said to Him, “Are you not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and the power to release You?”
V11 – Jesus answered, “You could have NO power at all against Me unless it was given you from above.”
John 10:18 – No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.
Yet God the Father could only do that once Jesus surrendered His will and when did He do that? In the Garden of Gethsemane.
Luke 22:41-44 – And He was withdrawn from them, about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
V45 – When He arose from prayer, and came to His disciples, He found them sleeping FROM SORROW. Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray (why?) lest you enter into temptation.
Mark 14:38 – Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
For Jesus it was the same thing…He had to deny Himself and crucify His own flesh (how?) by surrendering His will. As soon as He did that, the angel came to strengthen Him. He accepted the will of the Father and began to pray in earnest through the agony of what He was about to face…until He overcame temptation and the weakness of His flesh and then He arose to meet His destiny…the Cross, death, separation from His Father and the wrath of a holy God.
In the same way, we need to watch and pray for our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. We have a carnal self and that carnal self is weak. If you are going to do things by your limited understanding, you are going to surrender to that temptation. This is a spiritual war. Demons are spiritual beings and it is a spiritual war. If you are in the flesh you have no power .You can only fight it in the spirit. Being empowered by the Holy Spirit is the only way you are going to be successful.
So we must surrender our will to the Father and as we pray it through in the spirit, we will be strengthened and in spite of the circumstances we will have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.
Walking in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 – Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
V17 – For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
So what do you do when you are weak?
2 Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourself as to whether you are in the faith.
When you are weak – you are not in faith…say nothing. Don’t simply rely on your head knowledge of the Word. Doing this in your intellectual strength is pointless. Instead, you need to get alone somewhere and begin to pray to build up your faith!
Warning!!! Don’t tell others what your problem is unless you can trust that person to stand in faith with you.
So how do you build up your faith?
Jude 20 – But you beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith (how?) praying in the Holy Spirit.
What will follow is surrender. Dying to self is required to resurrect the Life of Christ in you!
The Christ Life in us
We were created to bear the image of God – Gen.1:26-27.
The mystery of the church is ‘Christ in us, the hope of glory,’ – Col. 1:24-27.
This work is instigated by the Holy Spirit and can only be birthed in us by the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor. 3:3.
The Holy Spirit can only do this when we surrender our will – die to our carnal self and choose to pick up our cross and follow Him – Matt. 16:24-27.
Everlasting life – the life of Christ written on your heart by the Holy Spirit.
I will put My laws in their mind AND write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people – Heb. 8:10.
Matthew 16:24-27 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his (carnal) life will lose it (the glorious opportunity to reproduce the life of Christ in that moment), but whoever loses his (carnal) life for My sake will find it (the glorious opportunity to reproduce the life of Christ in that moment). For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each one according to his works – Matthew 25.
It is important to understand that as we are continually in training, the opportunities will keep coming again and again. Just because we did not react as the Holy Spirit wanted us to – simply because we don’t recognize it yet – does not mean that we have lost the chance for that transformation. The risk comes when we continually ignore the Holy Spirit because we don’t want to do what He asks. We will become dull of hearing and eventually the warnings of Matthew 25 will apply to us.
But if we are willing and we surrender… then by the empowering Spirit of grace… transformation can take place!
Surrendering to the Spirit of Grace
Romans 8:13 – For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:11 – But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus dwells in you, He (the Father) who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies (how?) through His Spirit who dwells in you. (This portion of scripture deals with being free from indwelling sin)
The question is – How deep are you willing to go?
Are you content to be splashing around in the shallows or would you rather be completely submerged?
Am I satisfied to be in the Spirit up to my ankles whilst the rest of me is submerged in carnality?
My choice will determine how much of the eternal life of Christ will be written upon my heart. Am I an epistle of Christ? Can mankind see the Kingdom of God through my life?
It’s about living the crucified life.
The Holy Spirit and praying in tongues
John 16:13 – However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
1 Corinthians 14:2 – For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
1 Cor. 2:7 – But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit is praying out the plan of God ahead of time. Without doing this, we are living our life as an obstacle course. It’s difficult. But praying in the Spirit before time…we are accessing those mysteries ahead of time and we are allowing God to remove those hindrances.
It’s not about praying 2 hours a day in tongues…it’s about being sensitive to the Spirit. When we pray in the Holy Spirit, we are not praying only according to our limited intellect…instead we have the opportunity to pray according to the unlimited plans of an unlimited God!
If we depend solely on intellectualism, on our own logic when we pray then we will have limited vision BUT whenever we pray in the Spirit, we have access to what our unlimited God wants to share.
Praying in the spirit recharges your spiritual battery
Jude 20 – But you beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith (how?) praying in the Holy Spirit.
1 Cor. 14:4 – He who speaks in a tongue edifies (uplifts, builds) himself.
Praying in tongues makes us sharp in the spirit. To be effective with the sword of the Spirit, we need to be sharp in the spirit.
Prov. 20:27 – The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.
The Lord leads us by the Holy Spirit. He is the inner witness. He will oppose or confirm (how?) by the peace of God.
Colossians 3:15 (Amplified) – Let the peace of God act as an umpire in your heart.
The devil will either try to push you into a hurried decision or hold you back through fear. If you feel an urgency to make a hurried decision, stop…pray in the spirit and don’t make a decision until peace comes!
Likewise with fear…never make a decision out of fear…stop…pray in the spirit and don’t make a decision until peace comes. If you don’t get any clarity…don’t do anything! If you still have confusion or doubt, then don’t do anything. Sometimes God speaks more by what He doesn’t say – if you hear nothing keep going.
Rest is the result of immovable faith
The Word of God is completely self-fulfilling.
Isaiah 55:11 – So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
How much you receive – 30%, 60% or 100% – depends on how deep you are willing to dig to get the revelation that you need! All revelation comes by the wonderful Holy Spirit. AND HOW MUCH YOU BELIEVE IT (faith) unlocks the power of His self-fulfilling word!
Romans 4:19 – And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
Abraham himself was weak…his body was already dead in this regard but what was not weak was his faith. His belief in the integrity of God’s ability and His word was absolute.
Romans 4:16 – Therefore it is of faith (why?) that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
Matthew 11:28-30 – Come to Me, all you labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
When you have 2 oxen yoked together, one of them, the senior one and most experienced one does all the leading whilst the younger ox just follows. We are yoked to the Lord Jesus Christ and He is leading us through the Holy Spirit and because He is leading us, the burden is light and will be easy to accomplish. As we follow His leading and flow with Him, we will find rest for our souls.
2 Corinthians 12:9 – And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The key then is to recognize that despite your weakness…the Lord is able and He will do what He has said!
The power to overcome, to walk in victory…IS FAITH!!! Why? Faith accesses the power of Christ through the grace He has provided.
Ephesians 2:8 – For by grace you have been saved (how did you get saved?) through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.