Holy Spirit Power

Part Two

11/28/04

 

The Spirit of Jesus is in you when you receive Him as your Lord and Savior.

Jo. 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Rom. 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

The Holy Spirit "coming upon" an individual.

In Col. 2:9 we read “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form...”

Jo. 3:34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

³⁴ (NLT) For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or limit.

Lk. 3:21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²² 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.”

Acts 1:6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵ When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit “came upon” individuals but did not “live in” anyone.

Yet now, under the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, the Spirit of the Lord lives “in us” and also desires to “come upon” us!

Who did the Holy Spirit come upon in the Old Testament? Only leaders, judges, priests and kings--not the everyday common people.

But look what the New Testament says!

Rev. 1:5 (KJV) ...Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, ⁶ And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.

My personal experience in receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Are you seeking an experience or seeking Jesus? Are you seeking “it” or seeking Him?

Jo. 16:12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

Our desire to be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be empowered to be what God wants us to be and to do what He wants us to do!

Acts 8:9 is an example of having the right appearance but the wrong heart! We can seek the baptism or gifts of the Spirit for the wrong reasons!

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a one time experience.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 4:5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ He is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. ¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. ²⁸ They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. ²⁹ Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. ³⁰ Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” ³¹ After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

What do I do to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Ask yourself what you did to be saved.

You believed the Word of God. You believed that Jesus is the Truth The Way and The Life and there is no other way to the Father. Do you believe the Word of God pertaining to the infilling of the Holy Spirit?

You repented of sin. Repent now of any sin in your life. Repent of any unbelief.

You received Jesus as you Lord. Now receive the Holy Spirit’s empowering upon your life.

You didn’t earn your salvation, you cannot earn the baptizing power of the Holy Spirit.

The evidence of salvation was and is a changed life.

The evidence of the Baptism is an empowered life!