WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.559 Hey everybody, welcome to session four of your foundation's class. 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:07.200 We've talked about God and who he is. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:09.759 We talked about Jesus Christ and what he has done. 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:15.199 And now we're talking about in session four the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. 00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:19.760 And there's some great scriptures there in your booklet. 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:26.239 The the idea of this is that the Holy Spirit is a very present guide. 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:31.920 It's the very presence of God and presence of Jesus inside us and with us day by day. 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:39.840 So the very presence of God to convict us, to guide us, to comfort us, to empower us, to live the right way, all of this. 00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:52.320 And so there are some great scriptures there in your book, Ephesians 3, verse 14 through 19, speaking about the fullness of God, that we can be filled with the very fullness of God. 00:00:52.320 --> 00:01:04.480 And this is the work of the Spirit inside of us, that even in us, in our moral bodies, in our earthly life, we can be filled with the very presence of God and the fullness of God here. 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:18.640 In John chapter 3, of course, Jesus was speaking with Nicodemus and he talked about being born of the flesh or of water and being born of the spirit, being born in physically and being born spiritually. 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:25.680 And the wind, he said, blows where it wants to, and you don't know where it's going to go, but you can see its effect. 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:30.640 And this he was using as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:36.480 So we also understand that the Holy Spirit is a comforter for us. 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:52.879 Jesus told us that he would be that for us, he would send us a comforter, and that he was to be a teacher, he would be a person of a presence, a person and presence with us to help us with our uh righteous living. 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:54.319 He would convict us of sin. 00:01:54.319 --> 00:02:12.319 All of those things you can read, and so I'm gonna let you read those things, how the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, the Holy Spirit fills the believer, but I want to give you a little bit of a story and um and talk to you specifically from John chapter 16, verse 5 through 14. 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:16.960 Let me read this in John chapter 16, 5 through 14. 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:23.039 But I'm going to him who sent me, Jesus speaking, and none of you asks, Where are you going? 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:28.159 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:33.759 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:40.159 For if I don't go away, the helper will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:46.719 And when he comes, he will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:56.560 Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me, but concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, you will see me no more, concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:59.759 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:05.280 When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:14.639 He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:16.000 So let me tell you a story. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:21.599 A couple of years ago, a few years ago back now, as I was ministering to some leaders in Ukraine. 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:28.800 It was a great conference we had with friends that I that I know in Ukraine, pastors and leaders there. 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:35.919 And um I was going to go from there to Bulgaria and to also work with some churches there. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:51.120 And I was told that the best way to get there from where I was was to take a plane to Istanbul, Turkey, and then just take a bus from Istanbul all the way up through uh into Bulgaria and over to where I was going. 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:52.080 So that's what I said. 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:57.120 So I made plans for that, and I made uh the arrangements with the plane tickets and everything. 00:03:57.120 --> 00:04:00.479 The morning of I called and made sure everything was good. 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:01.520 Everything was good. 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:03.280 I had somebody who would pick me up there. 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:15.039 But when I landed in Turkey that night, um late at night, and I walked through the airport to the place where I was supposed to meet my friend, my friend was not there. 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:18.560 Uh he just didn't show up. 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:21.120 I tried to message him. 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:22.800 There was no answer. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:24.319 There was nothing. 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:25.759 I got nothing. 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:30.480 And I was there in this airport waiting for him, not knowing what to do. 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.959 Um, I couldn't contact him. 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:34.160 I was stuck. 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:40.560 Finally, uh he messaged me saying he had to leave the country. 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:48.079 Okay, so uh I'm in a town and I don't know where this town is. 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:50.240 I don't know anybody in this town. 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:52.240 Uh this is a city of Istanbul. 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:55.199 This is at that time probably 12, 15 million people. 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:55.759 I don't know. 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:56.720 There's millions of people. 00:04:56.720 --> 00:04:58.399 This is a huge city. 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:02.720 I know precisely zero people in that city. 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:06.959 The only person that has a contact is not there, not even in the country. 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:09.279 He had to leave unexpectedly. 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:11.680 Just that day, he had to leave. 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:14.800 I had messaged him that very morning, but he had to leave. 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:16.399 It was an emergency. 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:25.680 Um I am in the I don't know the culture, I don't know the language, I'm not familiar with the currency, I don't know where to go. 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:33.839 I'm in the I'm in the late at night in the airport, standing outside of the airport in the cold. 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:37.759 I don't know anything. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:40.000 Uh I need a guide. 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:49.519 I need somebody who knows the culture, who knows the language, who knows where to go, who knows how to get on a bus and take the bus somewhere and knows where it's going. 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:51.199 I need a guide. 00:05:51.199 --> 00:06:02.879 I got a buzz on my phone and was my friend, and my friend said, uh messaged me and said, uh, I'm so sorry I had to leave unexpectedly. 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:04.959 It was uh I couldn't help it. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:07.920 But uh I have a friend who's coming to get you. 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:18.319 So my friend, uh a friend of my friend, uh by the way, my friend that I was supposed to meet there was the friend of my friend. 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:25.120 And so now the friend of my friend of my friend is going to be picking me up in in the airport. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:26.560 He's no, he's not gonna pick me up. 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:41.360 He said, You you have to go to him, but you have to get on the last bus that's there at night, and you need to go and and follow it all the way to the very last stop and get off the stop and start walking in this direction. 00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:48.240 And you will see a you'll see a set of stores, and they will be uh that's where my friend will meet you, okay? 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:48.800 Wow. 00:06:48.800 --> 00:07:04.079 Okay, so I got on the bus, I connected with his friend, we were looking at each other's uh position, you know, uh on the phones, and we're seeing each other getting closer to so I was there, and you know, I got off that bus, the last stop. 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:05.600 I didn't know anything. 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:07.279 I didn't know anything at all. 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.680 I I couldn't speak to anybody. 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:19.680 But I walked in the direction I was told to walk, and I met my new friend, the friend of my friend of my friend, his name was Yuri. 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:24.399 Yuri took me to a place to eat. 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:28.959 He took me to an office where we slept that night on couches. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:34.000 The next morning he took me, he woke, woke me up and took me to the bus stop. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:40.240 He took me to a cab which went to the bus and he got on the bus fare and he even he even bought me breakfast. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:41.199 It was amazing. 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:42.560 You see, I needed a guide. 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:43.439 This is my point. 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:44.399 I needed a guide. 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:45.680 I didn't know anything. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:49.199 With you know, without a guide, I'm stuck. 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:53.040 So, this is the good news of the Holy Spirit. 00:07:53.040 --> 00:08:00.319 This beautiful word that that Jesus speaks here, when he's talking about the Spirit, he will guide you. 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:02.319 He will guide you into all truth. 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:03.839 He is a guide for us. 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:06.319 You know, we're in a brand new kingdom. 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:13.920 We've been born again out of this world into a spiritual kingdom, the kingdom of God, out of darkness into his light. 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:20.079 And now we're in an in this new kingdom, like I was in the middle of Istanbul. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:21.759 I don't know exactly the culture. 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:25.279 I don't know exactly how to handle myself. 00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:28.720 I don't know what's the what's the the currency of this culture. 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:29.360 I don't know. 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:30.720 I don't know, I need a guide. 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:32.960 And the and the Holy Spirit is our guide. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:41.600 When Jesus says it's important that I go away, if I don't go away, then your comforter will not come to you. 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:44.000 It's better, he says, that I go away. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:49.759 Because when I go away, I'll send the comfortable, he will be with you. 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:55.279 Now, Jesus in his body, his earthly body, could only be one place at one time. 00:08:55.279 --> 00:09:05.120 The Holy Spirit can be with all of us all the time because he's spirit, not incarnate, like Jesus was, he's spirit. 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:09.759 So this is beautiful, and Jesus had many names for the Holy Spirit. 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:12.559 Many of them were mentioned in that passage that I read today. 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:19.919 But the one that's so beautiful to me, I want to talk about, is this this word, this name guide. 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:22.080 He is a guide for us. 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:33.919 And you can imagine what the disciples are thinking as as uh Jesus is uh nearing his crucifixion, he's been talking about his own death. 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:50.159 He's been um talking multiple times about it, and he's been he's been in arguments with the religious people, and here he's in the middle of religious people in Rome and him and all this mess is happening, not exactly the way they thought it would happen. 00:09:50.159 --> 00:09:54.080 There's this fear and anxiety, but at least Jesus was with them. 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:58.320 And then Jesus says, I am leaving. 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:05.759 And can you imagine the fear and the panic that must have been in their hearts? 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:07.120 You can't leave. 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:10.480 You can't leave us alone, you can't leave us here like this. 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:14.799 But Jesus said, No, it's even better if I go away. 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:17.600 I I think they probably didn't believe him. 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:23.840 You can see who wants to change when things are so comfortable, right? 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:26.159 They had Jesus right there with them. 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:37.519 But we will never grow into all that we were meant to be unless we're challenged out of where we are and goaded out of our safe places. 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:43.759 So we're pushed beyond what we know to do, so we're dependent upon the Holy Spirit. 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:56.000 So here's the thing when he uses this word helper, it's the word parakletos, it's a Greek word parakletos, coming alongside to help you, coming alongside to help you. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:03.279 I had Yuri that night came alongside me and was my guide, and he helped me. 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:08.320 This was what saved me, and it got me from Istanbul all the way up into Bulgaria. 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:09.039 It's beautiful. 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:15.200 Okay, so parakletos, one who's called alongside to help, an advocate. 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:22.960 So many shades of meaning in that word, but it really just means he's here to help us. 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:23.919 He's present. 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:25.039 This is beautiful. 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:27.919 So the Holy Spirit is our guide. 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:31.600 So let's talk about the ways that he guides us. 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:34.000 Number one, he guides us in knowing what is true. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:38.559 He said, the Spirit of Truth will guide you into all truth. 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:44.720 So this is part of his name, the Holy Spirit's name is the Holy, the is the Spirit of Truth. 00:11:44.720 --> 00:12:03.519 And what a day of confusion we're living in when you can get totally opposite viewpoints of a particular subject and polarizing, and we don't even know what to think, and we're not even sure how to who to listen to or how we can trust who we can trust. 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:05.279 It's a very confusing world. 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:07.759 There's a real assault on truth today, right? 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:19.919 Things that are logical and obvious have been have been uh questioned and rejected, and things that are completely against science have been accepted. 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:22.879 This is a a really uh confusing day. 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:27.120 So you've got to be careful who you're listening to, who are you listening to? 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:29.039 How do we know the truth? 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:36.000 Jesus said, I will ask the Father and He will send you another helper to be with you forever, the spirit of truth. 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:36.799 That's how. 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:39.919 So the guide is inside. 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:47.279 And there's a way when we start to, there's a process where we start to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:51.200 You know, um I could probably call you on the telephone. 00:12:51.200 --> 00:13:01.679 Maybe I know you at church or something or see you, and we talk a little bit, or we talk on the telephone, or maybe if you call me and I answer, um, I may not know your voice at first. 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:05.200 I'm not sure who this is because I haven't heard your voice enough. 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:15.440 But you know, if I call you enough times, or if I hang around you enough times, I'm hearing the tone of your voice, the timbre, the way you talk, you know, the words you use. 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:26.960 And after a while, you know, you could just say a few words on the phone and I know who it is immediately, because I've learned to know your voice, because I've listened to you, I've been with you. 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:47.440 So the way it is with the Holy Spirit, as we're with him in the word of God, in worship, in prayer, as we're listening in solitude, and even as we listen, as we learn from each other in the in um in among our congregation, our friends in Christ, we learn to hear the voice of the Lord. 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:49.600 He is a spirit that guides us. 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:55.120 And so little by little we have the ability to hear his voice. 00:13:55.120 --> 00:14:00.000 You know, we follow what we're feeling in our heart. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.799 We learn to discern because the guide is inside. 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:07.360 And so we have this beautiful guide. 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:11.519 The Holy Spirit is a guide who knows the truth, too. 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:12.799 This is what's beautiful. 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:15.759 He's a guide who knows what's true. 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:16.960 This is good news. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:24.720 He's not just somebody who doesn't really know everything, he's a really good guide and he understands the culture of this kingdom. 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:26.960 He can get us around in it. 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:40.559 So, and you'll even hear the Holy Spirit changing your own false narratives inside your heart into Jesus' true narrative. 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:46.159 For example, we may think God is an angry God who wants to punish me. 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:55.759 And then we understand through Jesus by the work of the Spirit in the Word of God that God is a loving Father, wanting to draw near to us. 00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:07.600 He's not only sovereign Lord, out beyond us, away and inaccessible, but he's also Father who's close and relational and accessible and intimate. 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:14.720 Okay, so what also, this is interesting, it says that the Holy Spirit will tell you things to come. 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:17.840 We have a God who knows the future. 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:22.080 I I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:28.799 At this recording in just a few days, we're heading to Cuba on a mission trip. 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:32.879 I don't know what's gonna happen in Cuba, but the Holy Spirit does. 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:36.240 And the Holy Spirit knows the future. 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:39.519 He knows what's there, he's already there in tomorrow. 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:43.200 He can speak to me today about tomorrow. 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:44.559 This is really beautiful. 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:49.519 This is what a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge is uh is very similar to this. 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:51.519 A word of a prophetic word is like this. 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:53.600 This is the gifts of the Spirit. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:55.759 Part of that is he guides us through it. 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:57.440 We learn to hear his voice. 00:15:57.440 --> 00:16:00.480 So, don't you need a guide? 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:02.320 Aren't you glad you've got one? 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:03.039 This is great. 00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:05.600 And then it says that he guides us in prayer. 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:07.600 Um, he's an advocate. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:09.679 He's an advocate with the Father. 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:15.919 That's someone who comes alongside and pleads your case, an intercessor. 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:17.519 He prays for us. 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:30.720 In Romans chapter 8, verse 26 and 267, um, Paul says it this way: likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, for we do not know what to pray as we ought. 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:33.600 But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us. 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:38.399 With groanings too deep for word, for words. 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:46.000 And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:50.080 The Holy Spirit prays for us according to the will of God. 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:51.519 This is really good news. 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:54.000 This is beautiful, wonderful news. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:59.440 The Holy Spirit prays for us, and the word it says there, he comes, he helps us in our weakness. 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:03.600 It's this particular Greek word, kind of a funny one. 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:06.079 Uh, the word is like a combination of words. 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:08.799 It's called sunantilambanomai. 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:13.599 Sunantilambanomai. 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:15.200 I can't say it. 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:27.200 Uh but I know what it means, and it means one who takes hold of, opposite of, to lift. 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:44.559 Okay, for example, if we were going to move this bookcase back here behind me, you know, it's gonna, it's too big for me, but I could, you know, we could pull it over and I could grab one end of it, you could grab the other end, you're taking hold of it, opposite of me, to lift with me. 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:46.400 You're helping me. 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:48.240 This is what the Holy Spirit does. 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:50.799 This is how the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:57.200 He soon tilambanamai, he lays hold of that thing and he supports them. 00:17:57.200 --> 00:18:02.960 It's beautiful, it's a beautiful thing, and it says also that he guides us. 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:05.920 The scripture says that the Holy Spirit guides us in our grief. 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:10.160 Here he's he's called the comforter, he's called a comforter. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:13.279 Jesus says the comforter will come to you. 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:23.119 Grief is just part of living on this earth in a fallen world, especially when we lose a loved one. 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:25.680 Grief is grief is part of love. 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:31.839 If you love that person, the only reason you grieve the person is because you love the person. 00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:34.240 There was no love, there would be no grief. 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:37.359 And because there's a lot of love, there's a lot of grief. 00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:45.759 And we grieve from a human, earthbound perspective, and we don't even know how to grieve as we ought to sometimes. 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:53.599 But when you don't know how to grieve, you do have a helper in the Holy Spirit, and He will help you to grieve. 00:18:53.599 --> 00:19:01.680 Soothing, healing, perspective. 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:11.680 But there's a different way, too, that He that He leads in grief, and that has to do with godly sorrow. 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:21.839 So not only when we're grieving because we've lost something or there's some kind of pain in our lives, but also because there's godly sorrow, he guides us in being right with God. 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:24.960 He's a he's a a a convictor. 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:31.519 So he's a a counselor, he's a helper, he's an advocate, he's a convictor, he's a spirit of truth. 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:34.480 Convicting of sin, Jesus said. 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:40.640 Well, listen to what else Jesus says in John 16, verse 8 through 11. 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:59.119 When he comes, speaking of the Spirit, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment, concerning sin because they do not believe in me, concerning righteousness because I go to the Father, and you will see me a little longer, concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:09.359 So we have a guide that helps us to see our wrongs and then brings us into a place of making those things right. 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:15.519 This is just as important, just as precious, just as needed as the other ways that he guides us. 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:27.119 But he also afflicts those who are comfortable in their sin because the sin is destroying us. 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:30.240 And he wants to get that out of our lives. 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:39.200 So he's uh it's a good thing because it, you know, if you you have a conscience, we God has given us a conscience, and a conscience is a beautiful gift. 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:50.400 It as long as you want to be right with God, it's a beautiful gift because it tells us when we're wrong, it pats us on the back when we're doing what's right, it keeps us on the on the path. 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:54.720 It's a great, beautiful gift, and the Holy Spirit works inside our conscience. 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:58.960 But our but our conscience also is a terrible thing if you don't want to live with God. 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:04.559 If you don't want to be right with God, it's always bugging you, it's always guilting you, right? 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:12.079 But this is an important thing you need to understand about the Holy Spirit and the difference between condemnation and conviction. 00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:19.680 The Bible says Jesus didn't say that, he didn't say that the Holy Spirit would come and condemn you, he said he would convict you. 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:24.559 There is a condemnation that comes from our enemy who accuses us. 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:27.599 Condemnation and conviction are two different things. 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:32.400 Condemnation is, I see what you did wrong. 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:34.400 Of course you did it wrong. 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:36.160 You never do right. 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:38.640 You you are not right. 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:41.039 You can never do wrong. 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:49.359 And this is the voice of the enemy accusing you and beating you down and guilting you all the time without an out. 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:51.440 Okay, this is the difference. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:57.119 Condemnation um beats you down with no hope, no out. 00:21:57.119 --> 00:22:02.720 Conviction, on the other hand, is the whole Holy Spirit saying, Yes, this is wrong. 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:04.240 You can't do that. 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:06.640 I will not put up with that in your life. 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:08.319 It's destroying you. 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:10.000 Here's the way out. 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:11.200 Here's the way out. 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:16.400 There is conviction gives you a path and hope. 00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:22.400 Condemnation says you're stuck with no hope. 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:23.920 That's the difference. 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:26.640 You need to reject condemnation. 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:29.359 You need to welcome conviction. 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:36.960 And he said we are uh we have this guide who helps us in being right with God. 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:43.920 He leads us to repentance through conviction of sin and also through kindness. 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:48.400 Scripture says that the kindness of the Lord leads us to repentance as well. 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:58.000 Sometimes our hearts are hard, and he has to bring the fear of the Lord and conviction and bring godly sorrow for our sins. 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:07.519 And sometimes our hard hearts are softened by the kindness that he's shown to us, even though we were not right, not doing what was right. 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:09.440 Is he drawing you today? 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:21.920 Do you feel his spirit drawing you closer to him, convicting you, turning you away from what's wrong, giving you hope and a pathway out? 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:26.079 So today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your heart. 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:29.519 The Holy Spirit speaks to us day by day. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:40.799 And the last thing I'll say about this is that He He guides us in glorifying what Jesus said in this passage is that He will glorify me, He will take what is mine, He will declare it to you. 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:43.519 He will glorify me. 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:44.400 You know what? 00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:47.519 This is what you and I have been wanting our entire life. 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:50.400 We were made to bring glory to God. 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:53.680 All things were made, the scripture says, for his glory. 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:56.160 We were made to glorify him. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:24:02.799 And when you're not glorifying him, you're living below what you were created to be. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:13.839 There's never any real feeling of success and fulfillment unless we're glorifying God with what we have. 00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:17.680 The Holy Spirit teaches us how to glorify Him. 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:19.200 We're made to worship. 00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:20.480 We'll always worship. 00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:22.240 We always give our lives to something. 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:24.480 This is the way it is with us human beings. 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:27.119 We always worship something. 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:32.799 And to worship is to order your life around something. 00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:37.519 So that what are you ordering your life around? 00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:39.839 That's the thing that you're worshiping. 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:43.359 But your idol will never love you like your father does. 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:56.559 If your idol, whatever your idol is, whatever the thing that you're worshiping, and maybe it's money, and maybe it's fame, or maybe it's power, maybe it's your reputation, maybe it's uh just your performance, you know, maybe it's your zeal. 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:57.839 Maybe I don't know what it is. 00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:04.640 This is the thing that defines you, that you get your identity out of, your security from, your provision from. 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:06.640 Those things are our idols. 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:13.279 We never will get security or love from that idol. 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:15.920 It's always asking, asking, asking. 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:17.759 Never peace. 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:26.720 But from your Father, who has accepted you in Christ Jesus, who's drawn you by his spirit, and who's sealed you by his spirit. 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:28.400 You will be filled up. 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:31.119 So he's truth, he's help. 00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:36.960 He helps us in prayer, he helps us in our grief, he helps us in uh knowing what to do next. 00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:40.720 He helps us in being right with God, he helps us in glorifying Jesus. 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:42.640 This is this is good news. 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:51.599 And I just want to end by uh just giving you a few things that I did, I made a little study years ago about what the Holy Spirit does. 00:25:51.599 --> 00:26:00.640 Some of these are we've already spoken of, but I want to I just want to show you the the um the active work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a of a believer. 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:04.799 Of course, the Holy Spirit regenerates us, as we talked about last time. 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:09.119 Um, we're sealed in Christ because of his spirit. 00:26:09.119 --> 00:26:10.799 That's Ephesians chapter 1. 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:13.839 We're baptized into the body of Christ. 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:17.440 And so we're we we we belong in a group. 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:19.519 That's uh 1 Corinthians 12. 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:22.640 He dwells inside of us, 1 Corinthians 6. 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:26.000 He bears fruit in us, Galatians 5. 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:29.359 He is the gift and the promise of the Father. 00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:31.519 That's Acts chapter 2. 00:26:31.519 --> 00:26:35.440 He's a generous giver of gifts to the church. 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:38.400 That's uh 1 Corinthians 12. 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:41.839 He's a leader, he leads us, he guides us. 00:26:41.839 --> 00:26:48.160 That's Acts, that's uh uh Romans 8 and uh Galatians 5. 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:50.559 He's a revealer of the thoughts of God. 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:52.400 That's 1 Corinthians 2. 00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:56.400 He speaks to the church, Revelation chapter 2. 00:26:56.400 --> 00:27:03.680 He speaks to uh in in the moment when you need to hear something, Acts chapter 8. 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:07.519 He speaks through people, Mark chapter 13. 00:27:07.519 --> 00:27:12.319 He's a foreteller of things to come, Acts chapter 1. 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:20.000 He empowers us to prophesy and speak the word of God boldly, Acts chapter 2 and chapter 4. 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:23.200 He gives us power for witness, Acts chapter 1. 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:26.880 Guides us into truth, John 16. 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:30.559 He's a helper who's always present, John 14. 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:33.680 He's a convictor, John 16. 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:35.839 He's a constrainer and a compeller. 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:41.279 In other words, he stops us when we need to be stopped, and he pushes us when we need to be pushed. 00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:44.400 That's Acts chapter 16. 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:49.279 He anoints us in order to bless others. 00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:51.680 That's Isaiah chapter 61. 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:56.400 He builds us up and he makes us increase, Acts chapter 9. 00:27:56.400 --> 00:28:02.559 He calls out and sends out laborers, Acts chapter 13. 00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:07.920 He pours the love of God into our hearts, Romans chapter 5. 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:10.559 He prays for us, Romans chapter 8. 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:17.759 He sanctifies us, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, he brings freedom, 2 Corinthians 3. 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:21.279 He helps us understand that we're children of God. 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:23.599 Galatians 4. 00:28:23.599 --> 00:28:28.480 And then he strengthens our inner man, Ephesians chapter 3. 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:34.559 We need the Holy Spirit, brothers and sisters. 00:28:34.559 --> 00:28:42.079 All of these things are the benefits of having the very presence of God with us and in us. 00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:45.759 And then he gives gifts to us. 00:28:45.759 --> 00:29:03.680 There are three different passages in Romans chapter 12, in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and in Ephesians chapter 4, where he says, He gives gifts to us so that we can be can be used to bless other people. 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:13.680 He gives us gifts so that we can be can that this can be good for the common good of all the people that we're around. 00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:18.960 He doesn't just bless us for our sake, he blesses us for other people's sake. 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:20.000 He uses us. 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:28.559 This is wonderful, and living life with the Holy Spirit and having these active, active works of the Holy Spirit in our life is normal Christian life. 00:29:28.559 --> 00:29:30.000 This is what's normal. 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:38.000 So I just wanted to share those things with you today, and I want to pray for you and for me as well as we close out. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:52.319 Father, thank you so much for your kindness to give us what we need, that you give us a guide into truth that helps us to pray, that helps us in our sorrow, that helps us become right with you, Lord. 00:29:52.319 --> 00:29:54.960 Thank you, Father, that you guide us. 00:29:54.960 --> 00:30:03.200 Thank you that you don't leave us without and leave us alone, but you come to us and you do that through your spirit. 00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:17.759 And I pray for everyone listening that the active work of your spirit would be more and more obvious and evident in their lives, that you would bless them with the presence and the power and the working of the Spirit in their life in greater measure in Jesus' name. 00:30:17.759 --> 00:30:18.640 Amen. 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:19.920 God bless.