The Power of the Holy Spirit

[Applause] thank you let's open up our Bibles to the Book of Matthew to begin verse 28 chapter 28. verse 15. and they took the money and did as they had been instructed and this story has widely spread among the Jews and is to this day but the 11 disciples proceeded to Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had designated when they saw him they worshiped him but some were doubtful I'm going to talk about the Holy Spirit I'm going to talk about the day of Pentecost I've usually don't use notes but I'll be doing a lot

of reading today following my notes very carefully I want to be very clear about the things that I say now you may Wonder going to the Great Commission why I would start in verse 15 and why I would end in verse 17 because I want to talk about the disciples and a transformation that occurred in their life first of all I just want to take a look for just a moment at the disciples prior to the resurrection that is during the three-year Ministry of Jesus they were often rebuked for their Hardness of Heart and their

unbelief Jesus referred to them as men of little faith in Matthew 16 8. they argued about who among them would be the greatest in Mark chapter 9 verse 33 in their self-righteousness and Prejudice they wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans in Luke 9 54 once Jesus said they were stumbling blocks to him because they set their mind on God on not on God's interest but on man's in Matthew 16 23 at the crucifixion these men abandoned Jesus and Peter even denied him before a little servant girl it's important to remember that

a servant girl he denied Christ before a servant girl finally all in all they were not great men of value of a Valor virtue or Insight but in the very words of Jesus they were foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all the prophets had spoken these were the men who were called by Jesus Christ to change the world now let's look at them for just a moment after the resurrection from this passage before we do look in verse 15 talking about the soldiers Who Bore false testimony with regard to the resurrection of

Christ it says and they took the money and did as they had been instructed and this story was widely spread among the Jews and is to this day and then you see 16 but the 11 proceeded to Galilee here we see a great division that still goes on even to this day you see a group of men who seek to do nothing more than to discredit the witness of the gospel and the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a matter of fact we see an entire world system that un unbeknownst to itself is within a great

satanic conspiracy to restrain and press down the gospel and it is again this against this entire world system which opposes the gospel that 11 men 11 men like the men I just described are called upon now to go out into that world like sheep in the midst of wolves and give testimony to Christ now they've seen Christ by the time we get to verse 16 these men have seen Christ they've seen the resurrected Christ but what do we find In this passage we find a mixture of the reality of the Resurrection and worship and reverence

and unbelief first of all I want you to look at verse 16 but the 11 disciples proceeded to Galilee we see obedience the master commanded them the resurrected Lord commanded them to go on to Galilee and that's what they did we also see reverence our worship when they see him again they worship him so we see obedience we see worship everything is looking good but then another word is used here it says in verse 17 but some were doubtful the word doubt here comes from the Greek word distaso which means a double standing they did

not know which foot to stand on a foot of belief that this is the resurrected Christ a foot of unbelief it's the same word used of Peter when he's called upon to walk upon the sea and he's filled with doubt and begins to sink so even after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and they're visibly beholding him we can see that it has an impact upon them but we see something very very important not even the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is enough to transform these men they are still doubtful they are still unsure

now what am I trying to say there is a need for Pentecost there is a need for Pentecost because when we get to Pentecost we no longer see any wavering among these men we see nothing here is Peter now I want you to think about this he denies Christ the Messiah before a servant girl a little girl now before I go on have you done that you called upon a witness in a gas station hand attract to someone I just just one individual and you can't muster up enough courage you walk out of there ashamed

can you identify with Peter well let's go on after Pentecost we no longer see this type of wavering what do we see we see the very thing that Jesus Promised and here's what he promised Luke 24 49 and behold I am sending forth the promise of my father upon you but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power acts 1 18 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my Witnesses both in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria even to the remotest

parts of the world so here we see Peter denying Jesus Christ before a servant girl after Pentecost we see Peter standing before the entire Jewish Nation all of its leaders the very men who crucified the Lord and boldly proclaiming Christ now my dear friend it may be good if we just dismissed right now and you simply tried to wrap your mind around that this is cataclysmic this is unexplainable this is phenomenal what has happened to this man he has become a different man even the way he deals with scripture do you notice I mean even

when Jesus was with him he dealt with scripture in a stumbling sort of way and the Mount of transfiguration he totally misinterpreted everything that was going on there but when you see him after Pentecost you see a different man different boldness different knowledge see a different man you see something more than a man now what happened on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and they were clothed with power now the word clothe is translated from the Greek word in Duo meaning to induce someone with to be clothed with to be

arrayed in we're talking now you I don't want you to look at this just figuratively or in a poetic Manner and take the meaning out of it they were literally clothed in power they were arrayed in power as a king might array himself in Royal robes as a soldier might array himself in the garments of battle and the Weaponry of battle these men were clothed in power they were a raid in it they were dressed in it now I want to read something here's the debate I know there is great debate a great deal of

debate regarding the subject of the baptism or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit I'm not going to get into all the nuances of that debate but I do have a question for you I just have a question for you now don't don't pass over this question just just ask yourself how does it apply to you would you describe your life would you describe your ministry as endued with power clothed with power arrayed in power would you describe your life that way and if you would say no then I would ask you the question then what

is the difference between them and us can you say with the Apostle Paul my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the spirit and of power now let's change that a little bit around so that it applies to every believer that my life was not did not just consist of persuasive words of wisdom or knowledge but my life itself is a demonstration of the person of the spirit and Power now don't try to explain this way just ask yourself this question I mean be honest now what does

this teach us all of this I want to read again the resurrection was a great Vindication or demonstration of Christ's claims yet even this great event could not produce the needed results in the hearts of the Apostles apart from the supernatural work of the spirit the greatest knowledge the greatest knowledge and the highest degree of certainty regarding the Christian faith is not enough to propel a universal missionary Endeavor it's not enough the smartest men they're not enough like the Disciples of the first century do we not need greater and greater infusions or empowerings of the

Holy Spirit now I want to make something very clear that this does not just apply to ministers it does not just apply to preachers it does not just apply to men as I have watched homeschooling Endeavors in my own home and watch the burden and the strain that it puts upon my wife and The Virtue that it drains from her I know that my wife's greatest need is to be clothed in power to be arrayed in power to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit we don't like to talk this way because we

get afraid because the great majority of of all the conversation we hear about the Holy Spirit especially in media is heresy but you cannot live the Christian Life apart from not just the converting power of the Holy Spirit but the continuing endowing authorizing power of the holy spirit in your daily life and this is something that we have shied away from to our own detriment and because of it we see 235 pound 40 year old men denying Christ before a gas station attended we need power now I want to talk about a few things we

must first of all avoid being reactionary we cannot build our theology by reacting against the heresies of our day if we do we will have committed some of the same exegetical fallacies as those against whom we are reacting for example if you go to the if you go to the book of Acts chapter 2 and you study Acts chapter 2 only to be able to show people what it is not teaching what are you doing if you go to Acts chapter 2 just to say well it doesn't mean what he says and it doesn't mean

what he says yeah but the question is what does it say what does it say secondly we should not let Heretics steal our inheritance the life and power of the holy spirit this is the inheritance of every Christian and we should not allow a group of heretical TV evangelists and others who do not understand this Doctrine cause us to shy away from the very thing that is one of our greatest inheritances and that is the life and the power of the holy spirit in the Christian Life just listen to some of these passages just listen

Joel 2 28 29 it will come about after this that I will pour out my spirit on All Mankind and your sons and daughters will prophesy your old men will dream dreams your young men will see Visions even on the male and female servants I will pour out my spirit in those days that's a new covenant promise but instead of listening relishing and expecting the moment you heard me read that you're trying to figure out how it doesn't mean what most people say and it means you're scared I'm going to talk about prophecies and visions

and all kinds of things and because of that you don't really look at the text to see what it's saying Matthew 3 11. as for me I baptize you with water for repentance but he who is coming after me is mightier than I and I am not fit to remove his sandals he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire have you sought to figure out how that is a reality in your life or how it should be a reality acts 1 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit is come

upon you and you shall be my Witnesses both in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the Earth now these are promises New Covenant promises for every believer every believer in Jesus Christ now I want to look at some essential truths gleaned from these passages and I want us to go to Acts chapter 2 in Acts chapter 2 of course starting in verse 14 what has happened the day of Pentecost has come there's been the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the disciples and the Magnificent expression of God's power they

speak in tongues I believe that they were speaking in languages real languages phonetic languages that people could understand and that was the miraculous aspect of it and then some accuse them of being drunk now we should not walk around with such confusion and mystery and emotion in our lives that someone would accuse us of being drunk but I will say this I would rather be accused of being drunk in the Holy Spirit than dead without the Holy Spirit in verse 14 Peter gets up and he gives an explanation a defense of what has just happened

verse 15 for these men are not drunk as you suppose for it is only the third hour of the day but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel and it shall be in the last days God says that I will pour forth of my spirit upon All Mankind and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams even on my bond servant both men and women I will in those days poor forth of my spirit and they shall prophesy now go

on we could read more but time is is very restrictive here today I want to look at some essential truths from what we see here first of all with regard to Pentecost it was a unique event in the history of the church it is undeniable that there are certain aspects of Pentecost that are unique even those who would claim today of speaking in tongues and Dreaming Dreams and visions and everything rarely do I come across the person that talks about tongues of fire on their head because that is actually something that can be substantiated it

can be seen or not seen there were certain aspects that were unique now let's look at them first of all it was unique as a direct fulfillment of scripture in Joel 2 28 and 29 Peter is of course quoting Joel it was unique in that it was the initial initial or inaugural moment in which the spirit of God was poured out upon the church you can only have one inauguration it was the beginning and that makes it unique also it was accompanied by unique circumstances tongues of fire speaking in tongues which are not recorded again

in Acts 4 when the spirit is poured out so there were some things that were unique now I'm not here to argue uh tongues or visions or for or against or ceasing or not ceasing I just want to point out that anyone has everyone has to recognize there were certain aspects of the day of Pentecost that were unique it was a unique event in history another thing that we need to recognize about the day of Pentecost now listen very carefully because it relates to the language I've just used it marked Pentecost marked the beginning of

an extraordinary work of the spirit that was to last throughout the entirety of the church age through it out its entirety now the pouring out of the spirit in Pentecost marked the beginning of the new age of the Messiah and the new age of the spirit it was the beginning the initiation says in the last days here represents that time between the death resurrection and Ascension of Christ and his second coming you see here in Peter in verse 16 but this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel and it shall be in the last

days the last days began with the coming of the Messiah with his death with his resurrection and his Ascension to the right hand of the father we have been in the last days for 2 000 years now it marked the beginning of the new age of the Messiah and the spirit but listen listen to my language it marked the beginning of the new age and not the beginning and the end in a singular event I hope you're understanding what I'm saying a lot of people when they say well Pentecost is is unique it marked the

outpouring of the spirit it's a unique thing yes there are many things unique about it but what you need to realize is that fulfillment that promise in Joel was inaugurated at that moment but it was not inaugurated and completely fulfilled so that it would never happen again it's not saying the spirits come it's fulfilled it's done now you're going to walk a different way without the power of the Holy Spirit after the apostolic age it's not what it's saying it is wrong to think that the prophecy of Joel was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost

or even in the first century of the church or that it terminated with the apostles to think this is to redefine the last days Joel said in the last days God would pour out his Spirit the last days began with the Ascension of Christ and will end with the coming of Christ so this prophecy of Joel although it was fulfilled there in the book of Acts chapter 2 it should be continuing to be fulfilled throughout the history of the church it still applies to us today also it is wrong to think that the promise is

only for the apostolic error era the amazing thing about Joel is not that the spirit would be poured out on the leaders are poured out on the apostles but it would it be poured out on the least among the people of God throughout the entire church age I guess my question is this how does this prophecy of Joel relate to you and relate to the church today whenever I hear people talking about the prophecy of Joel they talk about it in the context of Acts chapter 2 as an initial event that never occurs again but

Joel himself is saying are God through Joel that this promise is for every believer throughout the age of the church now let's look at some things if the outpouring of the spirit is to Mark the entire church age then so should the results of that outpouring Mark the entire church age now I want to get to the center of what I'm trying to say and some of you who have very very worried looks on your face I hope to give you peace when we look at the prophecy in Joel and the repetition of that Prophecy

in the book of Acts I think we are looking at the wrong thing or we are most certainly looking at it in the wrong way now what scares us about this text it scares us that they spoke in tongues that scares us now what else scares us about this text it scares us that it says your daughter shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men will dream dreams that in those last days I'll pour forth of my spirit and they shall prophesy that's what scares us because we say to ourselves

well we've seen people who claim this they prophesy all kinds of things and they're contrary to scripture they're talking about dreams and Visions but they seem to despise the very written word of God what does this mean that's our problem we're focusing on this we're focusing on this now I want I want to read some things so that I can be as clear as possible what does it mean when we read this passage in Joel does it mean that dreams visions and tongues should be the norm in our Christian experience absolutely not it's not what

it means read through the Epistles we even look in the book of Acts we see that these things are not the norm the error is this the error I believe that most sincere Believers make regarding this issue is that they fix their attention on one minute and non-essential aspect of a greater promise or reality they are focusing on a particular means of communicating the gift rather than the gift itself when job prophesied and saw this New Covenant promise that it would happen in the future here's the question is Joel delighting in the fact that the

people of God will dream dreams see visions and speak in tongues no that's not what got Joel excited was Joel delighted that one day the people of God were going to be able to experience Supernatural phenomenon no this prophecy of Joel is one of the many New Covenant promises which look forward to the anticipation of very similar things now I'm going to draw all this together in just a moment you look at this passage and you read it and what stands out to you dream dreams see Visions tongues all these things going on that is

not that is not the principle thing or even the important thing of this promise and it's not the thing that should be continuing on in every believer's life what Joel is talking about is the same thing that Jeremiah is talking about and the same thing that Ezekiel is talking about he is saying simply this there will come a time after the Messiah when the spirit of the Living God will be poured out on the people of God all the people of God and these people will have a supernatural intimate knowledge of God and this people

will be able to live in a supernatural power the idea of visions and prophecy is only Joel's way of speaking that when the Messiah comes the church will be marked by an intimate true knowledge of God a reality of that knowledge and great power to live out that knowledge we're always looking at these phenomenal means here that are not the basis of the promise and it causes us to forget about what the promise is really saying the promise for the church age is not tongues it is not prophecy and it is not Visions the promise

for the entire church age out of the Book of Joel is that the spirit of God would be so indwelling and so available his person and his power to every child of God that every child of God would know God in an extraordinary way and be able to live for God in an extraordinary way that's what it's teaching now what I would like to do if I knew how to do those overhead projector things that everybody does now PowerPoint or whatever they call them what I would like to do is take some of the Old

Testament Prophecies of New Covenant promises and explain to you how Joel fits right in there with the rest of them look let's go for just a moment just to a few of them well let's go to one of them because we have so limited time hold your place in Acts and then go to Jeremiah 31. verse 33 but this is the Covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days he's talking about the days of the Messiah the New Covenant declares the Lord now what will he do I will put my

laws within them and on their heart I will write it he's saying the law is no longer going to be just these tablets of stone completely external to the people but I will supernaturally through the power of the spirit I will write these laws upon their hearts I will internalize the truth and they and I will be their God and they shall be my people and they will not teach again each man his neighbor and each man is brother saying know the Lord for they will all know me from the least of them to the

greatest of them so what is he saying there's a time that is going to come when the Messiah comes the spirit of God is going to be poured out on the people I will internalize my law in their heart I will make it a part of them I will write it upon them they will know me in a supernatural way I will be their God they will be my people they will understand me they will go forth they will not be like rebellious Israel they will live for me they will walk with me then just

go back to the Acts 2 and it shall be in the last days that I will pour forth my spirit in all of mankind now he goes on he says he says Sons and Daughters shall prophesy and young men shall see visions and old men shall dream dreams the Marvel of this is not that we're all going to get to prophesy or we're all going to get to see Visions the idea is the same as in the book of Jeremiah the people of God are going to have an extraordinary knowledge of God that every one

of us not just the preacher not just the evangelists not just the church planner but every child of God would have an endowment of the Holy Spirit endowment of the Holy Spirit and that every child of God would understand the great things of God and we combine this with Acts chapter 2 and acts 1 8 Not only would they have a great knowledge of God but they would have the power of the Holy Spirit to live out that knowledge Joel speaking of visions and dreams and all these things is just his way of saying that

even though these things occurred supernaturally in Pentecost and at times in the early church that's not his idea that's not what he's excited about he's excited about that through all the years of the church the people of God would be a supernatural people they would be indwelled with a supernatural God and they would have the law written on their heart and they would know him and have the ability to know more and more of him as a matter of fact their ability to know him would only be limited by their desire to seek him and

they would be filled with the spirit of God to live out these truths that's what he is teaching us so this prophecy in Joel is simply one of the many New Covenant promises that we would be this kind of people now dear friend I've had to condense so much it's confusing even to me to try to put this all out before you now I want to ask you a question is this a reality in your life are you growing in the knowledge of God learning extraordinary things about him from him about his will let me

ask you another question which is the most important do you have a sense of the power of the Holy Spirit would you describe yourself in any manner as clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit would you describe yourself as carried empowered authorized by the Holy Spirit is it not the greatest complaint I hear coming out of people with very good theology I just seem to have so little power The Homeschool mom who has just literally spent herself feels like she can't go on the preacher who is so tired it seems like everything in his

ministry are cogs and wheels just the grinding of a machine no sense of Life of power of spreading the sales of the spirit of God filling those sails and carrying us here's some things that I want to share with you and again I apologize for having to speak about these things so briefly and so incompletely at the moment of conversion a person is regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit however our completeness in Christ is not grounds for passivity nor does it indicate that what we have in Christ

does not need to be appropriated you have been indwelled by the Holy Spirit you have been given the knowledge of God but do you want do you not want more of the knowledge of God and in the same question do you not desire greater and greater empowerings of the Holy Spirit I want you to listen to the Apostle Paul he says for this purpose awesome now now take out the Poetry just listen to the truth this is propositional truth for this purpose also I labor does that describe you laboring as a homeschool mom laboring as

a homeschool dad laboring in your job laboring in your ministry but look what he says for this purpose also I labor striving according to his power which mightily Works within me is that kind of language foreign to us is it is it foreign to you Listen First Corinthians 2 4 my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom but in a demonstration something you could actually see a demonstration of spirit and of power do not take these words and turn them into a meaningless cliche listen to what he's saying Paul said he

labored but he recognized that he labored with a power that mightily worked in him and I am of the belief that that power that power of the Holy Spirit laboring within him sometimes would leave him just almost worn out now what do I mean if you remember Jesus is walking someone touched him he immediately noticed that virtue went out from him that power went out from him when a man filled with the Holy Spirit is ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit it can even take a toll upon his body and that is one

of the reasons why the manifestations are not just continuous even a people of God when a wrote True genuine Spirit Revival breaks out they do not last forever because not even the church can sustain such power it would wear the people out that when a man is ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit he knows that virtue goes out from him and he can hardly walk when he comes down from the pulpit we're talking about the supernatural which we must not deny and that we need this knowledge we need to appropriate it we need

greater and greater manifestations of the power of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives it's undeniable now when someone ever asked me and I brought it here today because I knew I wouldn't be able to teach but a few minutes on this topic but someone asked me brother Paul what do you believe about the Holy Spirit the idea of Pentecost the baptism of the Holy Spirit and everything I would have to say that summarizing my view of the Holy Spirit better than anyone else on this planet and a person that I've learned a great deal from

about the Holy Spirit is Ian Murray the church historian Ian Murray Pentecost today question mark the biblical basis for understanding Revival I highly recommend this book I recommend it to all students recommend it to everyone this book the companion book that goes before it Revival and revivalism points out all the false fire in America but this book comes back with a healing bomb and tells us this is true spirituality now I want to read many of the things from this book as quickly as I possibly can I want you to hear now this is Ian

Murray okay it's not Paul Washer this is Ian Murray probably the most respected church historian alive today now listen to what he says speaking about his book I have sought to argue now listen leaving aside the question of miraculous gifts why because that's not the issue I could I've got the word of God I I could care less about prophesying something to you that I've seen in a vision I've preached you the word of God I'm not excited about little things like that I'm excited about the full Council of God and wanting to be able

to live it out and Proclaim it in the power of the Holy Spirit I have sought to argue leaving aside the question of miraculous gifts we cannot suppose that everything which marked the church at Pentecost is a permanent part of the Christian experience the high degree of boldness joy and Assurance which then and later Mark disciples is not duplicated in every regenerate person today he's not saying that's okay he's just pointing it out you look at that early church even apart from miraculous gifts you just look at that early church and compare it to the

church today do you see some differences you look at Peter and some of those men and the boldness of some of the smallest Christians throughout history who stood against the world and you ask yourself is that empowering that they have is that seen in me Christian ministers may be very deficient in the authority which marked preachers of the early church remember what they said about Jesus they taught with great Authority not as scribes who were just quoting other scribes there was a sense of authority there are many ministers today who can give you a perfectly

exegeted sermon and there seems to be no Authority and no power behind it he said but how can this be explained how can this difference between the early church and us be explained if what happened to the church at Pentecost now happens to every person when they become a Christian because of the heresy that surround us today we basically tell almost all our converts okay you've been converted the Holy Spirit dwells in you you are complete in Christ you don't need to seek out a second blessing or something to make use more spiritual all that

is true but the question is what do they need to do it is true that we shouldn't be seeking out miraculous gifts we shouldn't be speaking out seeking out tongues we shouldn't be seeking out second blessings that set us apart from other believers but let me ask you what do we tell the new convert to do to live in the same lack of power that most of us are demonstrating let's go on can being filled with the Holy Spirit really be the same as just being Christian rather is it not apparent that an individual May

genuinely belong to Christ and yet have little Assurance he says is that not true are there not people who genuinely belong to Christ and yet have little assurance and that a preacher may be Orthodox and lack unction lack the spirit's power it is hardly convincing to say in reply that such Christians did possess the same Pentecostal fullness at regeneration but they lost it later after long pastoral experience Charles Vaughn came to a more probable conclusion he said this many a truly regenerate and painfully Sanctified child of God never reaches apparently at least the sweet blessing

of the spirit's unction in other words we may be regenerate and yet not resemble spirit filled preachers and Christians of the apostolic era and that is truth it cannot be denied we can see people that are Orthodox we can see people that are even very moral even people very very dedicated but the idea of the empowering of the Holy Spirit the boldness the unction the authority that is lacking now I want us to read for just a moment Luke chapter 11. and again I know I'm winding down here Luke chapter 11. verse 13. Jesus talking

giving instruction on prayer he says in verse 13. if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him now you say well brother Paul I thought you just said that at conversion we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and indwelt with the Holy Spirit and complete in Christ yes well then why is this text saying that we should pray that God would give us the Holy Spirit what does it mean well instead of trusting me on

the matter I want to read to you some of the Puritans some of the early Baptist what they said George smeaton on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit one of the most respected books on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit he says no more mischievous and misleading Theory could be propounded nor any more dishonoring to the Holy Spirit than the principle that because the spirit was outpoured at Pentecost the church has no need no warrant to pray for infusions of the spirit of God on the contrary the more the church asks for the spirit and

waits for his Communications the more she receives and the whole idea here is this I have received the Holy Spirit he is a person I did not receive part of him but the Cry of the believer is for greater and greater feelings greater and greater manifestations empowering of the Holy Spirit to meet the challenges of our daily lives and Ministry how many of you how many of you homeschool moms how many of you preachers faced with being worn out and tired seeing the task at hand almost fearful by it have gone and cried out fill

me with the Holy Spirit not just with perseverance not just with the ability to grind the gears and make it through this desert no crying out pour out your spirit Within Me greater and greater infusions greater and greater manifestations fulfill your Covenant promises let the spirit be like a river listen to Jonathan Edwards the scriptures do not only direct and encourage Us in general to pray for the Holy Spirit Above All Things else but it is the expressly revealed will of God that his church should be very much in prayer for that glorious outpouring of

the spirit which is to be in the latter days and for what shall be accomplished by it Thomas Boston the famous Puritan therefore breathe pants and long for the spirit of Christ does that describe you does that describe your church now listen to Spurgeon and spurgeon's wit listen to him he said did we not hear some time ago from certain wise Brethren that we were never to pray for the Holy Spirit I think it I think I heard it said often we have the Holy Spirit and therefore we are not to pray for him like

that other declaration from certain men of the same Brotherhood that we have pardon of sin and are not to pray for it just as we have never to pray for what we have if we have life Spurgeon says we are to pray that we have it more abundantly if we have pardoned in one respect we are to pray for a fuller sense of that pardon and if we have the Holy Spirit so that we are quickened and saved we do not ask him in that capacity but we ask for his power in other directions and

for his grace in other forms I do not go before God now and say Lord I am a dead sinner Quicken Me by thy spirit for I trust that I am quickened of his spirit but being quickened by the spirit of God I now cry out Lord let not the life thou has given me ebb down till it become very feeble but give me of thy spirit that the life within me may become strong and mighty and may subdue all the power of death within my members that I may put forth the Vigor and energy

which comes from thyself through the spirit o you that have the spirit he's talking to his church you are the very men to pray that you may experience more of his matchless operations and gracious influences and in all the benign sanctity of his indwelling May seek that yet more and more that you know him you have this is your encouragement that God will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him Brothers listen to John Owen the technician of all theologians possibly the greatest this is the daily work of believers if therefore our life to

God or the joy of that life be considered large in this we are to abound to ask him of the father as children do of their parents Daily Bread to ask him the Holy Spirit he's saying that this is the daily work of the believer let me ask you is this your daily work do you know that when Spurgeon most people they under do not understand Spurgeon they attribute everything of Spurgeon to his great mind no photographic memory absolutely not you know that many times Spurgeon the night before still did not have a sermon and

would actually throw up being so nervous throwing countless sermons in the trash can and have nothing when he walked up into the pulpit and when he walked up into the pulpit it was the practice of Spurgeon to pray this way I believe in the Holy Spirit I believe in the Holy Spirit I believe in the Holy Spirit or when you are coming to anything in your life you just see a child has been disobedient Lord a greater outpouring for me for infusions of your grace for infusions of your empowering in your spirit that I may

deal with this wisely Lord I am tired of the daily routine separate yourself for a moment and go and cry out for greater measures manifestations of the spirit of God in your life regarding the anointing of the Holy Spirit John Owen writes it is there that his Believers duty to pray continually listen to me to pray continually for its increase and farther manifestation of its power in them yea it is their duty to labor that their prayers for it may be both fervent and effectual are your prayers for greater endowments of the Holy Spirit fervent

and effectual for the more expressed and eminent the teachings of this anointing in them are the more fresh and plentiful is their unction then one of my favorites Richard sibs take a man take a man that has the earnest of the spirit and you shall have him defy death the world Satan and all Temptations take a man that is negligent in laboring to increase his Earnest with regard to the Holy Spirit and you shall have him weak my brothers and my sisters there is such an inheritance of the spirit of the Living God that is

yours but you do not there are the Holy Spirit there are as you go on throughout your life you are to be filled with the Holy Spirit you are to seek to not offend the Holy Spirit that's why I spoke about cautious being cautious the first day that men might not must not only be passionate they must be cautious that the Holy Spirit within them not be offended by sin because it's all it's all the only thing you can do is that which is done in the power of the Holy Spirit and to offend him

is to cut off all life we ought to be filled with the Holy Spirit seeking constantly to obey the Holy Spirit to submit to the Holy Spirit I want you to also know something there are visitations of God this is not charismatic language there's visitations of God there are outpourings of his Spirit there is him giving you anointings to carry out the Ministries that he's given you and most men never seek for such and they find themselves grinding our stroke grinding themselves through the desert like the Christian life was a machine or just perseverance and

nothing more they find themselves worn out they find themselves fearful they find themselves all these things and these things cannot be hindered by greater knowledge they are put away once and for all by outpourings of the Holy Spirit and I know that there are great extremes and I know that there are dangers but there are great dangers of being dead very dead and without power men talk a great deal today about preaching men talk a great deal about expository preaching to the point where it's almost an idol they feel like if they've correctly interpreted the

text they've preached I want you to know something I get very tired of words so many words so many sermons where's the power where's the demonstration of power and the conversion of Souls and Saints becoming Godly in my young years going out on the streets and preaching and terrified walk around on the streets wanting to preach but so afraid afraid of my own shadow afraid of a little servant girl handing out tracks secretly coming home looking at the book of Acts looking at my own life where is the Lord God of Elijah where is this

sense I don't want to be a boy of God I don't want to be this little boy playing soldier but not really involved in any War not having any ammunition not being anything and I know it was a work of Grace but God set me to seek him for weeks and at times hours a day like a crazy man crying out for one thing I want just want to know you and I want to have a sense of your presence that I be like Eliza who says the god before whom I stand that your reality

would be greater than greater to me than the reality of any physical man or any mountain and God answered pouring out his spirit still struggle with sin yes still the same practices of sanctification and devotion I must complete absolutely but knowing that the spirit of the Living God and the outpouring of the spirit and the anointing of the spirit whatever you want to call it can raise up a man and fill him with power so that he becomes something he was not but then there is a great stewardship to walk in that Leonard Ravenhill once

gave me a track others can but you cannot what it meant was others other Christians may have the Liberty to do this and do that but you cannot others may have the Liberty to watch things and do things and see things but you cannot you have a stewardship within you and upon you I'm so sick and tired of hearing people say I wish I lived in the time of the Old Testament when you could really know God the end of all things has come upon the church our knowledge of God is the so far surpass

Moses John the Baptist was greater than he and we are greater than John the Living spirit of God indwelling us anointing us empowering us to see the miraculous that the word of God goes forth and when it goes forth God speaks to the hearts of men and says let there be light and there is light and there are conversions and there are works of sanctifications believing God In Prayer oh don't don't neglect your inheritance don't try to carry out these impossible tasks of raising Godly families ministering in a church apart from his spirit spirit of

God can come so strongly Upon A man that it rips him into that's your inheritance let's pray father I pray that first of all you would remove all misunderstanding any tendency toward extreme that we would Seek You and seek for your sake greater and greater empowering dependence upon the holy spirit that every weakness that every seemingly insurmountable obstacle would lead us to cry out oh God pour out your spirit amen anoint me for the task in Jesus name amen [Applause] wow pray that we're all challenged and convicted by those words may it be so in

our hearts and our lives I mean we cry out for this just considering the words of Mr washer last night even in not wasting these times and going so quickly as something else having this role is very difficult because you're always pointing to the next thing but I pray that God would make this reality so true in our hearts that we would consider these things throughout the rest of the day in our lives moving ahead the next the next announcement is I'm going to release for 25 minute break and we'll be gathering back together there's

going to be two keynote sessions one happening here and Spillman not keynoted sessions but breakouts but the larger breakouts one Happening Here in Spillman and one happening in the arc Doug Phillips will be speaking in here on contextuals contextualization and Jeff Pollard will be in the arc Auditorium speaking on all things to all men so we'll gather back together a few minutes before 11 o'clock for those messages thank you you're dismissed