Led By The Spirit

 The majority of Christians are guided by their senses, or other sources rather than by the Holy Spirit. Some have the attitude: "If it feels good, do it." They will depend on what their friends say, or the news media, rather than depend on the Word of God, or the direction of the Holy Spirit. 

Often people will hear bad news from their doctor and feel that there is no hope. The Holy Spirit wants to tell you that He is able to cause changes to take place in your life, regardless of how hopeless the situation looks. Don’t allow a spirit of fear to control you, failing to look at the promises of God, then the Holy Spirit is unable to do anything for you. 

Sometimes the Holy Spirit may want you to change a habit, or lifestyle so that you will be better able to hear and obey His instructions. Remember He is sent by God to help you.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 

God Is Holy. He Calls Us To Be Holy.

* We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
* We need to feed on the Holy Scriptures.
* We need to worship the holy God.
* The holy God leads us in the way of holiness.
* We walk in the way of holiness when we keep our eyes on our holy Saviour.
* In the way of holiness, we are supported by the prayers of our holy Saviour.
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Here's a link to the full post from which this sermon outline is taken.

Seventh Sunday of Easter: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1 (or Jeremiah 10:1-10a); Psalm 108; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19

The Holy Spirit Comes from God. The Holy Spirit Changes Us.

(i) The Holy Spirit comes from God.

- The new birth (John 3:3, 7).

- “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16).

(ii) The Holy Spirit changes us.

- “Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-4).

- “When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you shall be My witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

Back To The Beginning

Genesis 1:1-3

‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right - (a) The priority of God (1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word (3). God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord. (c) The priority of God’s Spirit (2). All was ‘empty’, all was ‘darkness’, yet the ‘Spirit of God’ was at work, and transformation was set in motion. Here, we have God’s priorities, set out in the Bible’s first three verses - Putting God first and listening to His Word, we are to pray for the moving of God’s Spirit, ‘hovering over’ our lives to transform them. For those who make God’s priorities their own, there is a promise of great blessing (Psalm 1:1-2). It is the great blessing of knowing Jesus Christ, our Saviour, as ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23).

"A Prayer For Revival ... "

A prayer for revival: "O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee. Send a revival. Start the work in me."

The Holy Spirit Empowers Us To Be Followers Of The Lord.

Paul's life was not easy. His life story was not always a glowing success story. He suffered persecution because of his faithfulness to Christ and the Gospel. He spent time in prison because he refused to compromise his commitment to Christ. How was he able to remain faithful to Christ in such difficult circumstances? The answer is quite simple: the Holy Spirit. How did the Holy Spirit work in Paul's life? How does the Holy Spirit work in our lives? The Holy Spirit empowered Paul to be a disciple of Jesus. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be followers of the Lord.

The Birth Of Jesus Christ (3)

Luke 1:37-38

When worldly, unbelieving people read the words of the angel in Luke 1:35, they become uncomfortable. They are not too keen on all this talk about the Holy Spirit. We are to respond in faith to the Word of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives the miracle of the new birth. As we remember Christ's miraculous and holy birth, we are saying to God, "For with God nothing is impossible." As we consider what God wants to do in our lives, here and now, we are saying to God, "Let it be to me according to Your Word."

Learning From Stephen - A Man Filled With The Holy Spirit

Immediately before he was stoned, Stephen preached the Gospel of Christ. After he had finished speaking, we see Stephen - about to be stoned - facing death as a man full of the Holy Spirit, a man looking to Jesus Christ - "Now when they heard these things they were enraged and they ground their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:54-55). From Stephen, we learn this. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we look away from ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. Looking to Christ, we catch a glimpse of the glory of God. Our lives are filled with the glory of the Lord.

"What Must I Do To Be Saved?"

When we hear the message of salvation, preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are moved by the Spirit to ask the question, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). This is the question of salvation. The question comes from God. He puts it into our hearts. The answer comes from God. He speaks to our hearts. God's answer - the answer of salvation - is spoken by Peter in Acts 2:38-39. It is the call for conversion. It is the promise of salvation. We are to come in faith to Jesus, confessing our sin and receiving His forgiveness.
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This is the fourth post in a series on "The Word of God and the Spirit of God in Acts 1-2."

The Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit

When God pours out His Spirit (Acts 2:17), the promise of salvation (Acts 2:21) is emphasized in the preaching of the Gospel. When God pours out His Spirit, the preachers of the Gospel keep Christ at the centre of their preaching (Acts 2:22). When God pours out His Spirit, the Story of Jesus is told - His "miracles, wonders and signs" (Acts 2:22), His crucifixion (Acts 2:23), His resurrection (Acts 2:24), His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 2:33). The Story of Jesus is the Story of God's love. We hear this Story and the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to draw us to the Saviour.
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This is the third post in a series on "The Word of God and the Spirit of God in Acts 1-2."

The Coming Of The Spirit Is Like "Wind" And "Fire."

The coming of the Spirit is like "wind" and "fire" (Acts 2:2-3). The wind of the Spirit comes from heaven. The fire of the Spirit rests on the disciples. The coming of the Spirit leads to mission. The Gospel is communicated to many people who have gathered in Jerusalem from many different places (Acts 2:5-11). People are puzzled. They look for a human explanation (Acts 2:12-13). The real explanation is spiritual (Acts 2:14-21).
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This is second post in a series on "The Word of God and the Spirit of God in Acts 1-2."

The Promise of God And The Call To Mission

Acts 1:1-2:47
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place" (Acts 2:1). "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised ..." (Acts 1:4-5). In Acts 1:8, we have the promise of God and the call to mission. God's people pray (Acts 1:14). They are waiting on the Lord, trusting that He will fulfil His promise: "Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31). Notice that the Holy Spirit is God's gift (Acts 1:4). The disciples are not being rewarded for their commitment to prayer. They are waiting upon the Lord who sends the Holy Spirit as the gift of His grace.
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This is the first post in a series on "The Word of God and the Spirit of God in Acts 1-2."

The River Of God's Blessing

Ezekiel 47:1-23
Here, we see the rising of the ‘river’ of God’s blessing - ‘ankle-deep... knee-deep... up to the waist ... deep enough to swim in - a river that no-one could cross’(3-5). This is the river of ‘life’- ‘a great number of trees.... Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows... large numbers of fish because... where the river flows everything will live’(7-9). ‘The Spirit’ brings ‘rivers of living water’ into our lives (John 7:38-39). Don’t settle for a shallow experience of God’s blessing - ‘ankle-deep’, ‘knee-deep’. ‘Deep calls to deep’. Let ‘the Spirit’ lead you into ‘the deep things of God’. ‘Launch out into the deep’. ‘Swim’ in God’s mighty ‘river’ of blessing. ‘Be filled with the Spirit’(3-5; Psalm 42:7; Luke 5:4; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Ephesians 5:18).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God's Final Victory Over Satan

Ezekiel 39:1-29
Gog’s defeat points forward to Satan’s final defeat (1-6; Revelation 20:10). We look ahead to God’s final victory over Satan. While we’re here on earth, we must never forget that Satan is a very powerful enemy. He will do all that he can to make us sin against the Lord. We see this in the life of God’s people, Israel. They allowed Satan to get the upper hand - and God was not pleased with them: ‘The nations shall know that the people of Israel went into captivity for their sin, because they were unfaithful to Me’(23). God’s Word assures us that - even when Satan has gained the upper hand - , we can be ‘brought back’ to the place of blessing. God will ‘have mercy’ on us. He will ‘pour out His Spirit’ upon us (25,29). ‘Restore us, O God...’(Psalm 85:4).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

What A Difference The Lord Makes!

Ezekiel 37:1-28
It was ‘a valley of dry bones’(1-2). Then, the Lord changed everything - ‘I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live’(5). What a difference the Lord makes! ‘Breathe on me, Breath of God. Fill me with life anew’(Church Hymnary, 103). What happens when the Spirit of the Lord breathes new life into the Church of God? - ‘The Church that seemed in slumber has now risen from its knees and dry bones are responding with the fruits of new birth’. ‘Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Let the breeze of Your presence flow that Your children here might truly know how to move in the Spirit’s flow... Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Please accomplish in us today some new work of loving grace, we pray. Unreservedly, have Your way. Holy Spirit, we welcome You’(Mission Praise, 274,241).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Wants Us To Begin A New Life That Is Centred On Him.

Ezekiel 24:1-27
‘I will punish you because of the way you lived’(14). God is calling us to think about the way we are living. He wants us to leave behind the old, self-centred way of living. He wants us to begin a new life, a life that is centred on Him. Real change comes from God. We must pray that He will change us - ‘Change my heart, O God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, O God. May I be like You’. We must pray for a deep work of the Spirit of God in our hearts - ‘Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me... Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me...’. We must pray that we will become more like Jesus - ‘Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wondrous compassion and purity. Oh, Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me’(Mission Praise, 69,613,410).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘As The Spirit Of The Lord Works Within Us, We Become More And More Like Him.’

Ezekiel 20:27-49
Here, we have a clear statement of God’s purpose for our lives: ‘Through you I intend to display My holiness for all the nations to see’(41). He wants other people to notice that we are different. He wants them to see that we have been changed by Him: ‘As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him’(2 Corinthians 3:18). This is to be our testimony: ‘What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart!... I have ceased from my wandering and going astray since Jesus came into my heart! And my sins which were many are all washed away since Jesus came into my heart!’(Mission Praise, 748). May God help us to live as ‘a new creation’, being ‘renewed every day’. Make it ‘your aim’ to ‘live for Him’ and ‘please Him’(2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:9,15,17).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

How Can We Keep On Listening To God, Speaking To God And Speaking For God?

Ezekiel 3:1-4:17
God speaks to us: ‘The Word of the Lord came to me’(3:16). We speak to God: “Ah, Lord God!’(4:14). We speak for God: ‘When I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, “This is what the Lord God says, Whoever will listen, let him listen...”’(3:27). How can we keep on listening to God, speaking to God and speaking for God? We need to be strengthened with the power of the Holy Spirit: ‘The Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet’(3:24). The Spirit is our ‘Helper’. He helps us to listen to God: ‘The Holy Spirit will teach you all things’(John 14:26). He helps us to speak to God: ‘The Spirit helps us in our weakness’ (Romans 8:26). He helps us to speak for God: ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses’(Acts 1:8).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

"The Heavens Were Opened And I Saw Visions Of God."

Ezekiel 1:1-2:10
‘The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God... The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel’(1:1-2). The Lord opens our eyes to ‘see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ’(2 Corinthians 4:4). The Lord speaks to us and we must listen to Him: ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’(1 Samuel 3:9-10). ‘The Spirit came into me... Do not be afraid of them or their words’(2:2,6). Through the Spirit, we receive wisdom- ‘We have received the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand what God has freely given us’- and strength- ‘God strengthens us with power through His Spirit in our inner being’(1 Corinthians 2::12; Ephesians 3:16). ‘Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart... Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word... Be Thou my Battleshield, sword for the fight’(Church Hymnary, 87).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

There Is A Better Way Than The Way Of Drunkenness. It Is The Way Of Being Filled With The Holy Spirit.

Proverbs 20:1-30
‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; whoever is led astray by it is not wise’(1). We need to learn the truth of these words - before it’s too late! There is a better way than the way of drunkenness. It is the way of being filled with the Holy Spirit: ‘Don’t get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living. Instead, be filled with the Spirit’(Ephesians 5:18). We must not ‘live according to the flesh’. God calls us to ‘live according to the Spirit’. He warns us against making the wrong choice: ‘To set the mind on the flesh is death’. He shows us the way of blessing: ‘To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace’. ‘Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth’. May God help us to turn from ‘the works of the flesh’ and seek ‘the fruit of the Spirit’(Romans 8:5-6; Colossians 3:2; Galatians 5:19-23).

Proverbs 21:1-31
‘The victory belongs to the Lord’(31). When defeat seems inevitable, God comes to us with His Word of encouragement: ‘The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save, a Warrior who gives victory. He will take great delight in you. He will renew you in His love. He will rejoice over you with singing’(Zephaniah 3:17). God’s Word shows us the way of victory. It is the way of faith in our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ‘This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?’(1 John 5:4). God ‘gives victory’ to us. We must receive His victory by ‘faith’. Living for Christ is never easy - ‘In this world you will have trouble’. Don’t let this get you down. Jesus says, ‘Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world’(John 16:33).

Proverbs 22:1-29
‘So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you’(19). Many people say, ‘It’s not for me’. They know that others have been greatly blessed through reading God’s Word. Still, they do not take the trouble to read God’s Word for themselves. They can’t be bothered. Receiving God’s blessing doesn’t really matter that much to them. Don’t miss out on God’s blessing. God’s Word is for ‘you’. It’s not just for somebody else. It’s for you - ‘even you’. Some people say, ‘I’ll read God’s Word tomorrow’. When ‘tomorrow’ comes around, they’re still saying the same thing - ‘I’ll read God’s Word tomorrow’! Sadly, their ‘tomorrow’ never comes. They never get round to reading God’s Word. They’re missing out on so much. Don’t say, ‘I’ll leave it till tomorrow’. Read God’s Word ‘today’.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com