WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:14.820 I'm coming to you from North Central Ohio, we share with you the voice of the Nazarene, a week by week venture into the Word of God sponsored by the Bucyrus, Ohio Church of the Nazarene, we join our Pastor Reverend Ray LaSalle, and the voice of the Nazarene. 00:00:17.899 --> 00:00:29.989 Could I start by saying, there is a member of the Godhead that is quite overlooked and quite forgotten. Fact of the matter in 00:00:29.989 --> 00:00:55.670 7, the Bible says this, there are three that bear record in heaven. The Father, we're pretty conscious about God the Father. It said, the father and the word. Of course, the word is Jesus Christ, John, Capter One Verse One, in the beginning was the Word.The Word was with God. And the Word was 00:00:55.700 --> 00:01:00.950 7, the Word was made flesh, that's Jesus Christ. 00:01:02.060 --> 00:01:10.909 And so there's three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. 00:01:05.090 --> 00:02:16.340 And seems as though to me that we give a lot of emphasis to the Father, the Son, but very little emphasis placed on the Holy Spirit. I'd like to share a scripture with you that I believe may be of help. John, chapter 14, verse 26, and reads like this, but the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send, in my name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I've said unto you. May I talk to you about why I feel like we need the Holy Spirit in our lives, in this ministry, in the church. Have you ever been around people that intend to help you and it seems like they're more of a hindrance and a hurt than a help? You never have, some people remind me of a cockroach. It's not what they steal and pack off it's just what they fall into and mess up. 00:02:17.810 --> 00:02:34.699 And they intend to help and sometimes they don't. Guy was wrestling with a washing machine at his front door and a neighbor went by and saw him struggling. 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:43.939 It was caught in the doorway. He hurried over and began to help him and 15 minutes later, the neighbor said, we're in trouble. 00:02:38.599 --> 00:03:06.590 If we're not careful, we'll never get this washing machine into the house. The guy said, I'm not trying to get it in the house, I'm trying to get it out of the house. I worked out west in some or out east rather in Pennsylvania, the land of the free the home of the Dutch with Paul West, the West brothers. 00:03:02.689 --> 00:03:34.280 Three brothers that were preachers out in that area the country. Paul West, when he was young, he was going through a little Pennsylvania town and the guy right in front of him, stopped and stuck his hand out and he went like that. And it dawned on Paul that the man's car had quit. And he was waving him to give him a push. And so he had a great big new Buick. 00:03:30.949 --> 00:04:25.459 You know, how them Buicks back in the 50s with a gigantic bumper on them. Huge, like a RAM. And it had that big dynaflow transmission. If you've never been in one of those Buicks or Cadillac with a dynaflow they were something special. And he put that bumper up against that man's back bumper and stepped on the gas and the guy's tire squalled and he realized he needs to shove the clutch in, let me give him a little more speed to get that engine to turn over. So he give it a little more boost and the guy keeps waving. So he's pushing him faster and the tires would squall and he realized this guy's car's not going to start I gotta really push him. 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:47.329 He's waving frantically and so he's giving it more fuel pushing him through town and came to a stoplight and it turned red but it pushed him right on through and people are jumping off of the street and finding safety on the sidewalk and got to the other end of town couldn't get the guy's car to start and he stopped and got out of the car, walked up to the old man and said, Why won't your car start? 00:04:47.329 --> 00:06:07.879 Said, what are you talking about? He said, You were waving me to give you a push. He said No, I wasn't. I was waving you around. I wanted that parking spot back there. He meant to help. You don't need me to tell you any more stories do you? The gal got on the bus and she was holding the baby in one hand and put her coins in the machine with her other and the bus driver kept looking at her baby and he just kind of muttered under his breath with his eyes downcast. That's the ugliest baby I've ever seen. She was infuriated, she stalked down the long aisle sat down in a seat, hot tempered, and she said to the lady next to her said that bus driver made me angry, I have a notion that tell him off. She said, Go ahead, I'll hold your monkey. But I know someone that can help you. And Jesus says, I'm gonna pray the Father and He will send you will helper. And that's the Holy Spirit. Now the Greek term is paraclete. And the word paraclete in the original means a helper. Now maybe you don't need any help. But I need some help, I need a lot of help. 00:06:08.689 --> 00:06:59.810 It means that encourager, you ever need encouraged? I do. It also means that someone that comes alongside and spends time with you. It's talking about the Holy Spirit here. And ladies and gentlemen, we need the help of the Holy Spirit, I need the Holy Spirit, you need the Holy Spirit. And the Christian life is impossible without the Spirit of God. And that's why I'm preaching about it and doing a series. Most churches ours included, whether it be Methodist, or whether it be Baptist, or whether it be Presbyterian, most do not emphasize nearly enough how important the Holy Spirit is. 00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:50.720 And I'm simply saying the Christian life is not difficult it's impossible without the Holy Spirit. Let me give you three things, three main things. The first, there are some accomplishments that we need to have happen in our lives that are impossible without the Holy Spirit. And one of those is conversion, conversion impossible without him. A person cannot come to Christ outside of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was talking to a very religious man one day and he said to him in John chapter three, verse 5, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 00:07:44.569 --> 00:08:38.210 Now, some of us who have been dads and some of you moms, we know what it means talking about a water birth. When the water breaks, gonna be a birth. Fact of the matter you can't have a spiritual birth, unless first of all, you had a physical birth, I just thought I'd bring you up to date on that. And he said that unless you've been born of water, and born of the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. What's he saying? He's saying there is a physical birth. And he's also saying there is a spiritual birth, okay? Let me give you something else that's impossible without the Holy Spirit. And that's assurance, assurance. You say, Pastor, I want to be assured that I'm at peace with God. 00:08:38.480 --> 00:09:08.629 Listen to this verse folk it's Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth the witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Now, look at that for a moment assurance, when the Holy Spirit himself reveals to us and assures us that we are a born again, believer. You ask, Well, Pastor, what are some of the ways that I can know I'm saved? 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:13.370 Well, it's when God, the Spirit is in our lives, and things become different on the inside. 00:09:13.370 --> 00:10:02.690 I'm not talking about your conscience. I'm talking about the Holy Spirit, suddenly, you don't have those old tendencies and those old appetites and those old desires and addictions. But there's a third accomplishment that would be impossible without the Holy Spirit, and that's understanding the Bible. First Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discered. Let me tell you something. You can have an earned PhD degree from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, you name it, and you can read the Bible, but you'll have no understanding of this book. 00:09:58.429 --> 00:10:07.190 Unless the Holy Spirit opens it unto you, it's impossible. 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:08.419 Little boy was writing his girlfriend's a letter. 00:10:09.740 --> 00:10:18.350 And Mama said, Johnny, what are you doing? He said, I'm writing my girlfriend a love letter. 00:10:13.429 --> 00:10:59.179 Why? She said, Johnny, you can't write. He said, I know it's okay. She can't read either. And ladies and gentlemen, apart from the Holy Spirit, we can read the book, but we'll never understand it because it's impossible without the Spirit of God. Here, let me give you another one. And that service and understanding when I say this, when you come to know Christ, God empowers you with certain spiritual gifts, at least one and then I mentioned over in Romans 12, and Ephesians four and another list is given in First Corinthians 12. You ask what are you talking about. 00:10:55.879 --> 00:11:26.779 Spiritual gifts, God made a gift to you the spiritual gift of helps, and you're able to help others and assist others. Your spiritual gift might be that hospitality and you have a ability to welcome people and entertain people and surround them with that. Maybe your spiritual gift is that of teaching, you just open up understanding to others. Your spiritual gift might be music. 00:11:28.370 --> 00:11:48.740 But I want you to know this, whatever your giftedness is, you will soon burn out without the help of the Holy Spirit. You will burn out. You will use it but you'll burn out. Now over in Ephesians, it's a great book. 00:11:44.330 --> 00:11:58.519 The book of Ephesians was written to saints down in Ephesus. They were not carnal people. They were not mean people they were saints. You got 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:53.840 1 unto the saints. These are saints, not carnal but saints. And he says to them over here in chapter five, verse eight, Be not drunk with wine. I think I'm under the alcafluence of inkahol I ain't think a thought, you get it. He said, Don't be drunk with wine. We're in his assessment be you filled with a spirit. And to the saints. He's saying you need to be Spirit Filled. Now I don't know about you, I only know about me. But D.L Moody used to pray God fill me with your Spirit. And somebody finally asked him Why do you keep praying that? He said because I leak. I know I'm preaching to people that don't you got to together. You're so full of honey, honey, it's not funny. 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:58.039 But some of us have gone through a few things and it damaged us enough until we leaked a little. 00:12:59.059 --> 00:13:22.039 You can die by 1000 paper cuts and if you're not careful, you lose your focus. And you find you're drained and you've leaked something out. I think that we can get so caught up with good things that we fail to keep our attention on the best things and we leak. And if you're not awful careful, you could leak also. 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:47.059 Now think about it being drunk with wine. You say Pastor, I wouldn't think about getting drunk. I know. The guy was at the tavern he over drank and he said to the bartender he said Where's the restroom? He said go down the hall first door on the left. He had said it so many times it just reeled it off. 00:13:47.059 --> 00:14:11.809 First door down the hall on the left. And he was too drunk and he got down to the first door he went right. Fell down an elevator shaft 30 feet. They heard him hit and they come running, you okay? I'm okay. But don't flush this thing. This must be the big boy bathroom. 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:17.330 What I'm trying to say here most of us think we wouldn't ever get drunk. Be not drunk with wine. 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:32.570 And yet we live day after day after day and we never get filled with a spirit. And these two are equated together Be not drunk with wine but be filled. 00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:50.960 And just as much as you wouldn't get drunk. I double dog dare you. Why don't you get filled with the Spirit? That's what I'm trying to say as a pastor. And without the Holy Spirit it's impossible also to be successful when it comes to witnessing. 00:14:47.659 --> 00:15:34.909 Folks say I want to witness I want to share my faith. Well Acts chapter 1:8, he shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses. Now, outside of that we don't have anything to witness about. We don't have anything to say we're not empowered by the Holy Spirit. It's when the Holy Spirit begins to burn and churn in our heart. Now, don't walk out of here and say, the pastor said, We ought to be talking to everybody. I didn't say that. I don't like you have to say something to everybody you meet. 00:15:28.429 --> 00:15:49.580 Did you ever read the fourth chapter of Luke, it said that Elijah the Prophet was sent only to the woman at Sarepta. There were many widows in the land, but he only sent him unto her. 00:15:44.269 --> 00:16:17.809 It said there were many lepers in the land, but Elijah was only sent to Naamn, the Syrian. You don't have to speak to everybody about it. But you know, when you begin to feel that prompting that urging that you need to share with someone what a difference it makes when the Holy Spirit guides you. It's a beautiful thing. So we've talked to you about accomplishments. 00:16:12.980 --> 00:16:29.000 They're impossible without the help of the Holy Spirit. Can I talk to you about attitudes for a moment? One of the attitudes we have toward the Holy Spirit is ignorance. I don't know if you've realized but first 00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:49.820 16, Know ye not that ye are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? You say, Pastor, I thought the church house was where the Holy Spirit was housed. No, you are, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 00:16:50.779 --> 00:17:33.319 Now get this God is up in heaven, right? You got that? You believe God's are on his throne in heaven. And we believe that Jesus Christ is right here at the right hand of the father. So where's the Holy Spirit? He's here. And we're all the time thinking there. And we've got to help right here. And in John, he said, we'll be with you but shall be in you, John, chapter 14. So that's attitude. What about the attitude of indifference? People talk about the Holy Spirit. Some folks think that he's kind of weird, but I want to report to you, there is absolutely nothing weird about the Holy Spirit. 00:17:33.589 --> 00:17:56.210 Nothing. Sometimes people do weird things in the name of the Holy Spirit. So somebody asked me here a while back, Pastor, what are you comfortable with? I said, What do you mean? Lazy Boy chair mostly. Well, they said, What are you comfortable with? 00:17:56.210 --> 00:18:59.750 What do you allow in worship there at BNC? May I just respond to that publicly? You can do anything you want to that doesn't draw attention to you but lives up Jesus. If it doesn't draw attention to you, but it lives up Jesus, and when the Holy Spirit came, he didn't come to talk about himself he came to glorify Jesus Christ, he's not weird. And then there's this thing of indulgence I'm gonna get nervous because they've seen so many excesses around the church world and crazy things that have happened in the name of the Spirit. Now I'll let you know right now I'm for anything that you can find a chapter for and a verse for in the scripture. But if you don't have chapter for it, and you don't have verse for it, Ray LaSalle's is gonna back off. Now I'm not being critical of others, they can do what they want to but not around here. 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:31.069 When they gather so called folk around an alter and they start barking like dogs. I'm wondering what chapters that in? Are they going to be biting next? Now, don't get angry, you don't have to leave I'm talking about the way I feel about it. And if you can find me the chapter in the verse about everybody laughing hilariously laughing, and call it being in the spirit, give me the chapter. And when they're passing out in their dress goes above their head, and they've got to find a modesty cloth. 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:45.619 Find me the chapter. If you can show me out of this book. I'll go along with you to the jumping off point. But the Holy Spirit is gentle. He's dove like he's gentlemanly, and he's orderly. 00:19:45.619 --> 00:20:08.480 Everything needs to be done decent and in order. And I've seen it all. I've seen a guy throw a chair a folding chair in the air and said, God told him to do it. Then he got back up and said Well, the Devil said I got in the flesh but he said I didn't if I hadn't somebody would have gotten hurt, it was in the spirit. I'm just sitting there as a boy. 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:46.759 And on the way home, it's dark in the car and mama began to cry and dad said what's wrong and she pulled her skirt up a little bit and there on her shin, that chair had hit her mom always wore hose. And it was covered in blood soaked in blood clotted blood and it was swollen. And Dad said, if you think that's something he pulled up his pant leg and he'd gotten hit by the chair too. I'm saying it needs to be decent and in order. Said not enough emotions around here. 00:20:42.710 --> 00:20:59.059 Well, I'd a lot rather be walking by faith and jumping up and landing and not walking in truth. Now I'm not against being in the Spirit. And I'm not against God coming on the scene. 00:20:55.910 --> 00:21:02.119 Don't get me wrong, but not crazy stuff. I'm moving along while you're all shouting happy. 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:20.420 But the Holy Spirit has a personality. He's not weird. He has a mind, he has a will and he has emotions. Fact of the matter, Jesus even said, I'd rather he would come and be with you and I leave because he was limited. He was in a body and they can only be around so many. 00:21:16.819 --> 00:21:51.619 But when the Holy Spirit comes, they can literally minister to the multitudes everywhere. He's not limited to a body. And he is a person a person that can be offended, he can be grieved, Grieve not the Holy Spirit. And there's a little list over there in Ephesians things that grieve the Holy Spirit. And I'll tell you one of them. It's you talking about a good man you being a good man, but you're talking wrongfully it grieves the Holy Spirit. That kind of gossip grieves, the Holy Spirit. 00:21:46.400 --> 00:23:03.259 You see, the Holy Spirit in me will not fight the Holy Spirit in you. And the Holy Spirit in you won't be fighting the Holy Spirit in in me. Now, did you ever sin, you ever do wrong and immediately felt condemned, you felt bad? Why preacher because the Holy Spirit in essence grieved. It means that he saddened, Now I want to move to a final direction here. And I want to close out I don't really want to but there's another crowd coming. They haven't gotten here yet. They're Latter Day Saints. I want to talk to you about the advantages of having the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance against such there is no law. You can tell when somebody's spirit filled because I can tell an apple tree from a peach tree because the fruit it's got fruit. Trees that aren't fruit trees don't have fruit. But an apple tree is going to bear apples. And I want to tell you something spirit filled people going to bear the fruit of the Spirit. 00:23:08.970 --> 00:23:12.240 Write down to leave that one out when I get to this next service. 00:23:14.309 --> 00:23:35.369 Fruit of the spirit. And if I have the fruit of the Spirit at my house, and you have it at your house, hey husbands, if you have love and joy and peace and your long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and boy, your wife's gonna love you more because you love her. 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:35.369 You're full of the Spirit. 00:23:36.329 --> 00:23:39.480 What's the secret of our marriage, working? Holy Spirit. 00:23:40.589 --> 00:24:15.960 Because the fruit of the spirits at work. That's why some churches get along better than others. They're filled with the Spirit and all the fruit of the Spirit is love and joy and peace. longsuffering. Bible says the love of God shed abroad in my heart the love of God shed abroad in your heart. How does that happen? Holy Spirit. Say I've got some things in my life that I need to overcome. Well, if that equates you close your eyes, stick your hand up, I suppose most of us would have a hand up some things we battle with. So how do I get the 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:29.759 16 says walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lest of the flesh. How do we overcome those things? Through the Spirit. So what are the advantages? Pastor? 00:24:29.819 --> 00:26:17.730 Okay, I'll give you three and then I'm done. Maybe. One, he permanently enters us. Romans 8:9 says this, but you're not in the flesh but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he has none of His. You understand that the great people of the Bible the great people of the Bible I'm talking about Esther and Deborah and Moses and David and Sampson, just go through the list of those great people in the Bible back there in the Old Testament. If they had a great task to accomplish, something that was tremendously needed to be done, the Spirit of God would come on him. And they would perform that task. Samson slew 1000 Philistines, and then the Spirit would depart. Well, what about us New Testament folk? All day long. 24 hours a day. He's with us. I already told you about that little passage over there. Where John 14:17 that he'll be with you and shall be in you. He not only wants to reside, but he wants to preside. Some folks don't mind him residing, but they don't want him calling the shots. But that's the way it works. If he's going to remain in you. All day long, that'd make a back slit Baptists shout, wouldn't it? 00:26:12.269 --> 00:27:38.640 That he's with us. Permanently enters us. Now you preaching eternal security? No, that'd be false security. You know so much, then why did the angels get put out of heaven? They thought they were secure. Adam thought nothing would ever put him out of the garden but his sin did. Apostle Paul greater preacher than I'll ever be said I take heed after preaching to others, I myself should become a castaway or cast out to. What I'm saying simply, the Holy Spirit doesn't just come to dwell on us like in the Old Testament, but he comes to dwell in us. Permanently enters. And the second thing he powerfully equips us. D.L Moody preaching to the largest congregation in Chicago. Had two widow women that came to his meetings and they would come up and bug him after service saying we're praying that you will get filled with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. We're praying for the filling of the Spirit of God. He said, quit praying for me and pray for all these lost people I'm preaching to. It made him upset. And everywhere he went, they'd follow him. They'd say, the samething service after service. We're praying that you get spirit filled. Man it errked him. He was in New York City. He was praying in his room and he said, a holy spirit filled me. 00:27:38.940 --> 00:28:31.230 Boy, The Lord answered those two widow women's prayer. The Holy Spirit came at such a powerful way that he later wrote he said it was so much I finally said, God hold off. It's gonna kill me. But when he walked out to preach that night, he had results like he had never had and I'm trying to say you can preach but of your spirit filled, the results are gonna be different. And you can teach but there's a difference when your spirit filled. You can ask usher but you'll be better when your spirit filled. You can be a wife but you're better when your spirit filled is what I'm trying to say. Here's what he does, he permanently enters, he powerfully equips, and may I close by saying he personally encourages. What do you mean? 00:28:31.230 --> 00:29:18.240 31. Then have the churches rest throughout all Judea, Galilee and Samaria, and they were in a fight, they were edified. Holy Spirit comes in, he moves us up, he edifies he encourages. He said, I'll send you a comforter. The paraclete, when he comes, he's gonna help you. You can't make it on your own. We're in a race. We're running a race. Witnesses are watching. When we stumble and we falter and are some that are finding fault from the sidelines, and they're prophesying our demise, and we're trying to make it but he comes along and he helps us. He encourages us, he stands along the side of us. 00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:30.599 Thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene. Visit us every Sunday at 9am with BNCs Pastor Ray LaSalle. For more information regarding BNC visit Bucyrus nazarene.org.