➡ 6:20 - I’ve been talking about teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the difference between your born again experience and the baptism of the Holy Spirit - that those are two separate, distinct experiences.
➡ 7:20 - Tomorrow and the next day we are going to do questions.
10:00 - Opening prayer
Fountain Bubbling Up to Eternal Life - Born Again
11:25 - Let’s start in John 4
12:15 - Woman at the well - v.10-14 - Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman said unto him, Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from where then have you that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. -
13:20 - Born again - filled again with the life from God - He’s talking about men being born again - filled once again with the life of God and the Spirit of God. He’s talking about everlasting life. Remember that the Bible talks about the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God in you is your seal for the day of redemption. That’s what makes you wheat and not a tare. It’s that the Spirit of God is in you. There’s light and life in you. It’s not death or darkness.
13:50 - Something died in man at the fall - The day you eat the tree, Adam, is the day you surely die. He did not fall over dead. Something on the inside slipped away - died - was separated. You know that Adam didn’t fall over dead so you know that He was talking about something else.
Rivers Flowing Out - Holy Spirit
14:05 - John 7:38 - He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. - Something flowing out - In John 4 he said there is a fountain springing up into everlasting life. In John 7 he is talking about something flowing out of your heart. There is a wellspring in you - there is something bubbling up all the time. It’s called everlasting life. You are born again. The Spirit of God lives inside of you. In John 7 he is talking about flowing out of you. Like contact transmission. You lay your hands on the sick and the sick recover and there are things going on in the spirit.
14:50 - v.39 - (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) - He’s telling you that you will receive Him. He wasn’t yet crucified, hadn’t gone to the grave, been raised from the dead, hadn’t applied His blood to the mercy seat, and He had not sat down at the right hand of God yet. So the Holy Spirit was not given yet.
After the Resurrection
15:30 - John 20:16 - Mary at the tomb - Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. - She was thinking He was the gardener. She turned and said Rabboni. And she is making a beeline for his feet. And she’s not letting go.
16:15 - v.17 - Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. -
Don't cling to me - not done yet - And He says, don’t cling to me I need to get up to the Father and put my blood on the mercy seat. Hang on, I would love to chill with you all day. But I’ve got to go.
16:45 - Mary would not defile Him by clinging to Him - I remember a preacher once saying that Jesus did not want Mary to defile Him. How can you defile Jesus. If you touch Jesus you are clean. You can’t touch Jesus and defile Him. Men don’t have the power to change Him. He has the power to change men.
17:05 - He just wasn't done with what He needed to do - The key is that He wasn’t finished yet. He hadn’t yet ascended to the Father. He just rose from the dead. And Mary is there and she probably wanted to talk all about it. The emotions must have been crazy.
18:30 - He calls the disciples brothers - Isn’t the love of God amazing? He calls them brothers. He didn’t say you go to those spineless, fear driven… you go to those betraying bunch of guys. I need to talk to them. That is how we would feel if we don’t understand the gospel. “I poured my life into you. You said you would stand with me.” That’s how people think apart from truth.
19:15 - Jesus is calling them His brethren. Isn’t that restoring. He hasn’t changed His mind about the disciples. Where are they right now? They are huddled up in fear of the Jews. Not in a faith filled prayer meeting. And He is calling them my boys. He doesn’t change His mind about us. His love is designed to bring out the best in us.
20:00 - My Father and your Father - And guess whose Father He is going to. My Father and your Father. Father means come forth from. That means that you wouldn’t be here without His will and desire. You are the will of God.
20:30 - God - source of life. So He is the source of life and you came forth from Him.
21:20 - v.19 - Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. - They were not assembled in faith but in fear.
Big Plans for Man - That Depend on Restoration
21:40 - v.20,21 - And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. -
22:00 - As the Father sent me - He has a plan that is big, very big - You try to find me a limitation in that. We probably all grew up with a very limited mentality, “Well that was Jesus.” And we think it is presumptuous to say anything less.
22:20 - Godly sorrow leads to repentance - Remember yesterday we ended on how Peter said you killed Him - and we were talking about the moment of godly sorrow that leads to repentance - and the conviction of sin for the receiving of righteousness.
22:30 - Bringing sin to light is not meant to imprison us forever in a consciousness of sin but to lift us up and out of sin - The Lord spoke to me on the way home. We take things and we get out of balance with stuff. Paul wrote a letter and said, I rejoice that you were made sorry but that your sorrow was in a godly manner. So Paul pointed out something to the Corinthians and they saw it and were transformed because of the revelation. And what we do is this whole pointing out sin. Sometimes we think that the more we diminish ourselves, the more we exalt God. And that is what a lot of us grew up with. So we have to bear with our ability to fail, our wretchedness, our sinfulness. People think that the lower we make ourselves the more we exalt God when God wants us to come up hither and be one with Him and fill us with His Spirit.
23:25 - Lifting man up - back to His image - He actually says in Romans 8:30 - Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. - How could He glorify man? By filling man with the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. Now the Christ lives in us. That makes you sons and daughters.
23:55 - We grew up with this mentality that the lower you made yourself and the more you bore witness to your ability to fail, the more humble you were and the more it exalted God. And that is absolutely not the truth.
Swinging to the opposite extreme - grace without transformation - And people realized that, so they went way over in the other direction and just never talked about man or sin or anything but just the goodness of God and the love of God - which is what I preach - BUT it came through being sin conscious for a moment.
Sin conscious for only a moment - If you don't see your need for a Savior, you will never embrace Him in love. He loved me when I was totally unlovely. I was living like a wretch assuming that I was ok. But when I saw my wretchedness - when I realize that, it was the healthiest thing that could ever happen to me. And I’t didn’t ever want that again in my life, but I didn’t have the power to change that. So when I look to Him and cry out, I don’t want this ever again. I want you, whatever that means. And He said OK! From that moment on, it’s never again about sin.
25:20 - But it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. So that is why I don’t go trying to point out sin. I don’t try to make people recognize their sin. If they recognize the goodness of God, the light shines - people see their need for a Savior. They realize where their heart really is. I’ve seen it a whole lot.
25:50 - When you see His goodness - His love for you - and you realize that you haven’t lived all that lovely, that means something on the inside.
26:00 - Grace without transformation - So we have taken it to two different extremes. There are preachers who are afraid to preach righteousness really clear because they are afraid that they are going to enable people to stay the same - keep sinning. No, are you kidding? If you preach righteousness clearly it empowers you to change.
26:20 - As the Father sent me, I send you - He has a very big plan for us - I can't’ find a limitation in this. Same commissioning - reconciling the world to God by not imputing their sins. You are now ambassadors for God. Walking in love, showing mercy, showing peace, revealing Christ. Same kingdom, using the power of His name. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore… Immediately after He talks about the authority, He says go therefore. Why? Because He already sees us as one - as His church - as His people. So He is saying, the authority I have, you go in it and do the same things I have done. I don’t know how we ever muddied that up along the way because it is crystal clear in our Bibles. And the Spirit of God is with us and in us.
Breath of Life - New Life
27:30 - v.22 - And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: -
➡ 27:55 - What did He do when He breathed into them? He said, Receive the Holy Spirit. I’m going to show you in a minute in Luke 24 that He told the disciple to wait in the city for the Holy Spirit will come upon you. Well, wait a minute, you just breathed on us and we received Holy Spirit, why do we have to wait in the city and receive the Holy Spirit?
28:20 - 1st breath of life - Adam lives - When He breathed on them, you have to understand when God created man in the garden, He breathed into Adam and Adam became a living being. God told them that the day that they ate from the tree would be the day they surely died.
28:40 - 2nd breath of life - disciples born again - John 20 reveals that God never lost sight of who He made us to be. He’s never let go of the dream so to speak. He has never relented or relinquished. Jesus breathes the second breath of life into the disciples. Jesus is the redeemer. He’s the One that restored all things. He breathes life back into man. It’s the same picture of the Garden of Eden - He just breathes life back into man.
29:10 - He had just ascended to the Father and put His own blood, once for all, on the mercy seat. And now He is back down on the earth on the same evening. His blood is in position, speaking better things.
Grace to stumble and yet still stay alive in Him - So this is what we’ve got to get… Live out of a pure heart - (pure not perfect). So even if you stumble, you will realize it and run right to Dad. For Him to repaint that picture and say “Peace to you,” what did He just do. He just made peace with God through His blood. Then He breathed on them and said, Live again. Live again as if sin never happened.
30:35 - Free from sin - I’m not trying not to sin. I’m enjoying being a son. And because I’m enjoying being a son I walk way free from sin.
30:45 - A lot of the church goes, “That’s blasphemy!” That doesn’t mean you can’t stumble. But even if you do, you just run right back to Father because you understand His love and that you are more than sin. You’re created to be a son. Jesus paid the price - His own blood - to get me this way. It’s His idea. I didn’t petition Him. I was in the dark. I didn’t even know. I didn’t know who I was. He knew.
31:30 - They were born again - But He breathed on them and said, Receive Holy Spirit. They were getting born again. Life that was lost came back inside. The light that was lost came back inside. They were regenerated. They were made alive again. But look in Luke 24…
31:50 - The goodness of God makes us want to live differently - If we will start right there and realized that Jesus’ blood was enough to erase sin forever as if it never happened. That doesn’t mean that you don’t take account for your life from this point on. It sobers you so much that you live diligent - honorable. It’s His first love that you are receiving. And now you just love Him. How can’t I love One so lovely. One that did something so amazing.
32:30 - The greatest love - It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. And there were no strings attached - no prenuptial contract. I’ll let you in if… No, I’ll let you in because I love you and I know who you are. And if you keep your eyes on me, I’ll manifest the truth about your life in me. Just walk before me in love and humility, repentance and truth and I’ll make you everything I have designed you to be from the beginning.
The Enemy's Effort to Hide the Gospel
33:35 - War against the good news - What I just preached to you in the last 15 minutes was hidden from me my whole life even though I went to church for my whole life. I’m not bashing church, I’m saying, isn’t it amazing that it was hidden.
33:45 - There is a real war going on. The devil is trying to cover over truth because truth is what makes you free. He doesn’t really care if you believe in God. He cares that you keep on struggling in your belief of God. That you keep on feeling less than - trying harder and then giving up. He loves when you don’t understand grace and mercy. He is purposing to shatter your ability to believe the clearest message - make it difficult and squeeze you dry.
Opened Understanding
35:10 - Luke 24:44 - And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. - He is reconnecting with His disciples.
35:40 - v.45 - Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, -
If He opened their understanding He will open mine - He opened their understanding - If He did it for them and I am in this new covenant, He will do it for me. And I didn’t say things like, “Well, I don’t understand my Bible.” And get discouraged and give myself permission not to read it. No, Thank you Father that you give me understanding. And I am going to read this thing until I get understanding because your grace is sufficient and I’m not going to put it down because it is the answer to life.
36:00 - Truth v. human thinking - importance of reading the word - And I am not going to cop out and submit to human wisdom. When you don’t read your Bible, you are subject to human opinion - human feeling - human emotion. And you actually don’t realize this but you are giving yourself to the way that seems right to man. If you don’t know truth, how can you be defended by truth. How can you fight with truth if you haven’t filled your heart with it? How can lies be exposed if truth isn’t in you? The more you fill your heart with truth, the more the lies will be exposed. The light reveals, exposes, makes known what is dark. It’s powerful.
37:00 - Fill your heart with truth by spending time in the word - As a Christian the greatest thing we can do is to fill our heart with the truth. Open up your Bible when no one is looking and say stuff like this, Lord I am not reading this for head knowledge. And I am not reading to know what it says. I must know you. And Holy Spirit, I’m asking you to give me a revelation of the Father and the Son and my fellowship with You. And when I read this, I’m believing, as I fill my heart with it, you will bring it to my remembrance in every time of need. You’ll show me the truth because you love me. That’s a whole lot different than just trying to read. Get in faith and relationship in everything you do.
38:10 - Thank you, thank you, I am getting ready to read this Bible and I know that you are going to change my world.
38:25 - Read to know God as opposed to know about God - He will bring it to your remembrance - There are times you will read a little and times that you will read a lot. Holy Spirit will bring it to remembrance in time of need. “How do you know that?” I wasn’t just reading it for head knowledge. I was reading it to know the Lord. There is a difference. It’s not a history book. It’s a book of life and truth.
39:30 - v.46-48 - And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. - Now watch what He says…
Wait for the Promise - Baptism of the Spirit
39:40 - v.49 - And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. - Go to Acts 1 with me…
40:25 - Acts 1:4 - And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. - So this is just like Luke 24. Now he is writing about what happened. What is the promise of the Father? We just know that you are endued with power from on high. Now he is going to explain…
Two Different Experiences: Born Again - Baptism of the Spirit
40:50 - v.5 - For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. -
Two different things - Born again - Baptism of the Holy Spirit - He is quoting what Jesus said. This is the rest of the story. So this is Jesus talking to his disciples but in John 20 He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." So when He said receive Holy Spirit do you think something happened? Or do you think that one missed and the prayer didn’t quite reach the throne? Something happened - they were born again - life came on the inside of them - it was a well springing up into everlasting life. But what’s about to happen now is a river flowing out of your belly like living water. There is a difference between the well springing up and the river flowing out.
41:55 - Springing up and flowing out - The well springing up is your eternal life - your born again experience. It’s God breathing back inside of you and you’re now a living being.
42:05 - But the river flowing out - this He spake of the Holy Spirit who had not yet been given. - John 7:39.
42:25 - Wait a minute, I thought we received Holy Spirit. There are two different things He is talking about here. One is your born again experience, where the Spirit of God comes inside of you and puts life on the inside of you. It’s what makes you a keeper fish. The angels go, “there’s light.” They can see your Seal for the day of redemption. It’s life instead of death, light instead of darkness, righteousness instead of unrighteousness.
43:15 - Both at the same time - But here he is saying, you shall receive Holy Spirit. People say, “Well you receive Holy Spirit when you are born again.” Well, that is true. And you can receive both when you get born again. You can go to a third world country and see people get saved and pray in tongues and not even have been water baptized yet because they haven’t been taught anything else. And in the innocence of their life, there is no block of their soul.
44:00 - Hindrances to empowerment - We’ve been taught and heard whispers, “Well you know that tongues thing isn’t for today. Well you get the Holy Spirit when you get saved. I don’t know why they talk about all of that Holy Spirit stuff.” You’d be amazed how that stuff gets into you and poisons you and gets little blocks and strongholds and it makes it hard for you to receive because you don’t want to open yourself up to something you are not sure about. Fear and vulnerability. And now you are closed to something that wants to come and empower you to be a witness.
44:30 - Tongues is scriptural - It’s so scriptural. One of the first signs of a believer - they will cast out devils and speak with new tongues. And somehow we have struggled with that. “Well that was for them.” It says that it is for the believer that comes through them (that become believers through them). In Acts 2 it says the Holy Spirit will come upon you just like He has come upon us and to as many generations as far off as would believe. Acts 2:39 - For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. - So I’ll bet He is for me.
45:00 - What happened to me - I got saved Sunday night, woke up in bed on Monday morning and knew I was saved. I hardly slept. I stood up and worshiped and started praying in tongues like crazy. Now how are you going to tell me that is not for today? When I woke up in the morning and didn’t have anybody influencing me… I didn’t know not to believe. I was just sold out and surrendered. Jesus was consuming my heart. The love was overwhelming. And all I could do was pray in the Spirit and be filled with Him.
46:00 - [back to Acts 1:5] - Baptized with the Holy Spirit - Cookie in milk analogy - immersed into - dipped into. You baptize the cookie into the milk. And the milk and the cookie become ONE. It’s a cookie but what is encompassing the cookie? Milk.
46:20 - Paint stick analogy - living through Christ. You are the stick. Jesus the white paint. When the stick comes through the paint it is still a stick but all you see is the paint and two have become one. You live through Christ. You are baptized into Christ.
47:00 - Tabernacle as a picture of what we are talking about. I live in a body. But I don’t live in the flesh because I am immersed in Holy Spirit. I live by the Spirit. But I am a man. So we are baptized in Holy Spirit. We really can look like sons and daughters.
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47:20 - v.6 - When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. -
You don’t need to know the hour when Jesus will return. Just be sincere and sell out now. If people knew what time Jesus was coming, the churches would be packed 24 hours ahead. They would come for themselves and try to get in. “Hey, save me.” God has taken that all away. Because a lot of stuff we do is self preservation - it’s fear - it’s for ourselves. And the born again experience has to be a death to yourself. And God doesn’t even put the human heart in the position to be tempted by that and just live right up to the moment. How do you find repentance if you know you have two more weeks, you wouldn’t repent. You can’t even repent if that is the case because repentance is a change of mind.
Willful Sin - Sexual Sin
48:25 - The danger of willful sin - especially sexual sin - That’s why willfulness is a very treacherous thing. People get caught in sexual stuff. “I know we shouldn’t. Well, He will forgive us.” And they get right back in it again. You are playing with fire. You are violating your conscience. You are saying I want my cake and I want to eat it too kind of thing. I’ve got to get an understanding of why this is not acceptable instead of it just being a legalistic rule. Because of this kind of experience pastors are afraid to preach righteousness. Because they are afraid people will say, “Oh God will just forgive me anyway.” If that is your attitude there is no place for forgiveness because you wanted to do it and you know you are going to do it again. There is a place for a change of heart. I see now in truth why this is not something that God desires. And then it is not a law any more. Now it is love and relationship. Why would I give myself to this sin, if it robs me of intimacy with God? You teach out the truth.
49:30 - Teaching out truth to young couples - sexuality. Counseling sessions with guys and girls. I won’t compromise. I will give you reasons why - not just tell you not to do it - so that you will be empowered to live it out. The honor of why not. Teach them the truth so it is not just a law. We’re not just trying to follow a law. We are in relationship of love. I want relationship with God. Why would I put that in jeopardy. Because of what I see - it empowers me - I can walk very clean and straight - I’m in love. So I’m not trying not to sin.
Different Experiences (cont.)
52:20 - v.7 - And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. - You don’t need to know the times. Just repent, die to yourself so you can finally live right. Just be sincere. You don’t need the time to be your motivation. We’re getting closer. Let’s live this thing. You don’t know when that is but you know that you are a day closer. So why not live sober and leave a legacy.
53:00 - v.8 - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. -
Receive power - authority v. power - You shall receive power. We’ve got the power of authority and now the working power of God (dunamis) - the dynamite of God. You’ve got the expressed power of God and the authority power of God.
53:35 - Behold I give you power over all the power of the enemy. - Luke 10:19. That word is the authority kind of power. But the word in Acts 1:8 (above) is the dynamite kind of power.
53:50 - Fellowship with Holy Spirit - When the Holy Spirit has come upon you - He comes to be upon you, in you, to be with you. In two places Paul talks about the communion we have with Holy Spirit - koinonia - fellowship - communion - co-union. Two places - Philippians 2:1 and 2 Corinthians 13:14.
54:35 - Baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I like people to see the love of the Father who sent His Son and released the grace and introduced us to the co-union with this wonderful person called Holy Spirit. I like people to know that they are never alone.
55:40 - “But you are only supposed to pray to the Father in Jesus name.” I am in communion with Holy Spirit. People in communion talk. If couples never talk, they would never get to know each other and never get married and become one. It’s a process that involves communication.
56:55 - Two experiences - So we just saw that there is a difference between your born again experience and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus breathed on them in John 20 and said receive Holy Spirit. If Jesus said, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” do you think they did? Absolutely. But He told them to wait in the city for the promise of the Father and be endued with power and you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So it is absolutely two separate occasions.
57:25 - Tongues - A lot of people say, “You get the Holy Spirit when you are saved. We already have Him.” And if you say anything about tongues, it freaks people out. “That tongues thing is from the devil. Tongues aren’t for today.” If you just look at the Bible it’s clear.
58:10 - Is “new wineskins” like being born again and “new wine” like the infilling of the Holy Spirit? I like that. That’s good. I could say yes to that. There is a transition from law to grace in all of that too (the verse). When He talks about new wine and new wineskins, it’s a new and living way. It’s a new testament, new covenant in His blood. It’s the change of covenant - the law of sin and death / law of the Spirit of life through Christ. New wine skin - by grace, not man’s works.
Holy Spirit - Person & Work
100:10 - John 14:16 - And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; - If Jesus prays to the Father, what He asks is a done deal. Remember Jesus praying for Peter?
Another Counselor - allos - the same kind as - just like. I am going to leave you guys but take heart, you ought to be excited, because if I didn’t go the Helper wouldn’t come. “But we like you here.” No, you don’t understand. If I’m here it’s just me and everyone would have to run and cling to me. But if He comes He will live inside of you and multiply me in you as many as would believe. Everyone would have to just go to where Jesus is. Now the Jesus can come to where we are by the Holy Spirit and lives inside of us and we ALL walk with Him.
101:50 - Of the same kind - Jesus is saying, that the Holy Spirit will do in my absence what I would do if I was here. If we really understood our Bibles we would have never made the mistakes we have made. “That was only for the disciples. The days of healings and miracles are over.” Holy Spirit is just like me. So why would anything change if God doesn’t change. He’s coming to live inside of us and with us. That’s why we lay our hands on the sick because we are very involved in this equation. And it’s not just healings and miracles. It’s also love, forgiveness, mercy, peacemaking. It fun because that’s when you are really free. Because the hurt, pain, animosity is miserable and bondage.
103:00 - The Spirit of God on us entitles us to live the God life - from God’s heart.
103:10 - Abide with you forever - He will never leave you, never forsake you.
103:30 - v.17 - Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. -
103;35 - “God doesn’t speak like that today.” That’s not what Jesus said.
103:45 - World cannot receive - They are trapped in the wisdom of the world. Jesus had to come and say, “You say… but I say...” He came to change the language because the language got twisted when man fell. They are looking at truth and can't even see Him. They are at Lazarus’ tomb and all they can see is death and life is standing right in front of them.
104:20 - He’s the Son of God and nothing that was made was made without Him and the world didn’t know Him. That’s the paradox - the blight of the fall - the tragedy of the fall of man.
104:30 - The world did not see Him or know Him - The world lives by senses and feelings. It doesn’t live by faith. That’s why this repentance thing we talked about is so important. When you humble yourself and repent, you receive grace and all of the sudden there is a transformation of life. He opens your understanding. Now your eyes change - your heart changes - you care about things you have never cared about before and you don’t care about things that you lived for. Everything changes. The Christian life is designed to snatch you out of the darkness into the light. You are still in the world but no longer of it.
Communing with Holy Spirit
105:40 - Communing with Him - Ask questions - If He is in you, you probably ought to commune with Him - ask Him questions. You know how I have learned over the years? By sitting and asking Him a lot of questions. Lord I know that there is more here than I am seeing. I can tell it in my heart. Just Father me. Speak to me. Holy Spirit reveal truth - you are the spirit of truth. Come and speak to me. The next thing you know, I will be going here and there in the scriptures and something powerful will be revealed. And then I am in a fit, praising and worshiping Him, receiving it personally and then you can impart it. It’s communion with Holy Spirit.
106:30 - Rely on Holy Spirit to teach you instead of running to friends - We need to do that way before we think of calling a human being to ask a question. Don't just call the pastor, ask Holy Spirit and give Him time to reveal Himself to you and talk to you. You don’t want asking a question of the pastor to take the place of something so beautiful.
107:00 - Message on 1st answering machine. Convicted people to develop their own walk. Lady balling.
108:45 - John 14:26 - 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 have said unto you. -
109:20 - Holy Spirit I am reading the word right now and I thank you that you will bring it to my remembrance in every time of need. I thank you that I don’t have to gain a big store bank of knowledge. Just fill my heart with your word.
109:40 - Bring to your remembrance - a well in my heart - I don’t carry a store bank of knowledge. There is a well in my heart. You draw from it. You get thrown into situations where you are in over your head - where you haven’t even been taught. And all of the sudden answers just come.
110:00 - Talking to a brother straight. Scriptures came out of me that I didn’t even realize were in there. And it came out of me like fire. Adultery. God brought us together. I felt like I sinned, I spoke to Him so strongly. Man calls back. What do I do?.
114:00 - Become love - He can tell Himself anything - Just become love. God can tell Himself anything. So if you heart becomes love, He can speak freely. He can tell you anything because you will handle it in love. And when you speak, it will always be from the foundation of love. So it’s always for the highest interest for another. It’s never self interest. It’s never control. It’s selfless. It’s for the sake of the person you are ministering to. Love is the fulfillment of the law and it does no harm to a neighbor. Love is for the other person’s sake.
114:35 - Counseling - the need for truth - So when I am talking like that to that man - speaking straight - I’m being the best friend I could be. The last thing he needs me to be is gentle with him at that point. Because he needs that lie blasted out of him. It was delusion. That’s where you get so blind that you call good, evil and evil, good; and friends, enemies and enemies, friends.
115:20 - Progressive delusion - That is the kind of situation where hurt and unforgiveness can take you. That wasn’t even him. That was hurt. He was feeling sorry for himself. And then that meets up with a woman that is feeling the same way. Now you have starry eyed emotional fireworks and we are calling it love. No, it’s need meeting need. There is no God there and there is no answer there. It’s just self. It can’t possibly be love.
116:00 - John 15:26 - But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: -
116:30 - parakletos - one called to stand along side. He’s very personal - with you and in you.
116:50 - Communion with Holy Spirit - There is a communion that is possible with the Holy Spirit. I don’t talk about it much. Holy Spirit can get so intimate and so personal. He can manifest Himself spectacularly in your life. Like He will walk in the room with you. He will sit and talk with you.
117:30 - Praying with wife - bumping into Him - Stand by the door - I’ve never had that by myself. In the same season where pictures would hover in the room. It’s available always.
119:20 - I don’t talk about manifestations a lot. I’ve had countless experiences with Holy Spirit in my bedroom. You acknowledge Him and you talk to Him. And you thank Him that He is so amazing. You get to know Him.
119:45 - He will teach - He will be personal - with you and in you. He will teach you all things. You are in His class. He is the grace that causes you to remember - bring to your remembrance all that I have spoken to you. You are not even under any hardship to think - remember.
122:30 - Whom I will send to you from the Father - He is assuring you that He will send Him. Why? Because He is leaving. I am not going to leave you as orphans. You are not going to be alone. Don't fret. He’s coming.
123:00 - He will testify about me - Holy Spirit is always bringing glory to Jesus. He’s revealing Jesus. He’s here to make the Son known.
123:20 - John 16:7 - Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. -
To your advantage that I go away - Don’t be wishing that I wasn’t going - clinging to me in the flesh. Isn’t that what Peter did? This shall never happen. Get behind me satan. Why did Jesus rebuke so strongly? Because Peter had in mind the things of man and not the things of God. Peter’s defense of Jesus was self-serving. Jesus was too good to be true and Peter didn’t want Him to leave. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me and you are not leaving my life. You mean too much to ME.
124:45 - Holy Spirit working through the body - Holy Spirit will do in my absence what I would do if I were here. So it is not just Jesus on the earth, it’s the body of Christ. So He lives in as many as would believe in Him and reproduces Himself after His own kind - firstborn of many brethren - predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. It’s through the working of Holy Spirit in our lives.
125:10 - v.8 - And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: -
Holy Spirit is the One who changes mens’ hearts. We sow, we water, God gives increase. You walk in love. You scatter seed everywhere you go. Some of it seems so small but the Bible says it grows into the biggest tree of the field. There is nothing small in the kingdom when it is from love. Holy Spirit will whisper in the night. God is loving him. Holy Spirit convicts the world.
127:00 - Testimony of Holy Spirit conviction - lost in drugs.
127:40 - Bible and big fat joint - I can’t get rid of this habit - like cattle - that’s you, you’ve been slopping in the mud.
129:20 - Let’s not limit Holy Spirit. Let’s sow. Let’s love people. So that Helper can come and bring them to the Father.
129: 45 - BREAK
129:50 - v.9-11 - Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. -
130:15 - v.12 - I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. - I want to be in a position where nothing is withheld from me. I want my heart in a place where God is not having to hold back.
130:40 - v.13 - Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. -
He is a person - not an it - not a goosebump - not a white dove. He is the Spirit of Truth - the Spirit of the Lord. The Bible says that the Lord is the Spirit - 2 Cor 3:17 That’s because He is the Spirit of the Lord.
132:00 - He is the Spirit of truth - Here is why you want to be friends with Him and get to know Him. This is why you want to rely on Him more than your friends. A lot of times your friends didn’t give you the best advice. They give you how they feel about it. I don’t really care what I think. I care what God says - not our opinions.
133:05 - He will guide you into all truth - When you are not sure, when you have a couple of things in your mind - Holy Spirit, I trust you and I ask you to make it real clear what I’m to do here because I know that you love me and I am asking you for wisdom. You said if I ask You for wisdom, You will give it liberally without reproach if I believe. That’s James 1. Holy Spirit, I just appreciate You. You are the Spirit of truth in my life. You’ll lead me in all truth. And you just ask Him and He will direct you.
Holy Spirit Speaks
134:00 - Discerning God’s voice v. my thoughts or someone else's - I’ll pray something and just trust that He heard me. Father, You know my heart. I want to hear Your voice. I thank you that You speak to me. And then I will just trust that He has heard. And I won’t press for an answer. And often He will answer out of the blue. But I don’t stay in anxiousness. We pray but we don’t believe. We think that the more we pray is really an expression of faith when it is really an expression of uncertainty fear and concern. It’s really just, I trust you. You Father me. You sent your Son when I was lost. You saved me when I was an enemy. How much more are you going to save me now that I am reconciled through the life of Jesus. Thank You that I have connection with You. You will guide me. Thank You.
135:30 - Discerning God’s voice - Answers out of the blue - Later, out of the blue He will answer. He does that so that I will never think that what I heard was just me thinking. And it is so clear. And He will usually breathe on me at the same time - that little exclamation point of presence. You don’t have to have that but you do need to know Him to where you won’t talk yourself out of His answer. “Was that just me? Am I just thinking too hard?”
136:10 - That’s one of the biggest traps of our soul. “Was that just me? Or do I just want to believe that?” Then you start second guessing.
137:40 - He will not speak on His own authority - That means He SPEAKS. He is speaking to me. Whether it is through strong impressions as I am reading through the word - whether He is reminding me of the word that I have already read or whether He just talks to me like a friend in my prayer life.
138:00 - Saved 3 days - God speaking in paragraphs - I want truth - Holy Spirit preaching inside me - clear and simple. When I’m preaching - it’s just what I have heard. Responding to Jesus during the work day.
140:20 - Responding to Jesus - Guys face - watching through the rack - not a figment of my imagination - I’m not talking to myself - carpal tunnel - put your hands through the rack.
141:30 - Faith works through love. Faith doesn’t work because you see a need and now you are trying to gear up and make it happen. Isn’t that what we do? We know the Bible says it can happen. So we try and get into position and make it happen when faith works through love. And if I am in relationship with God the spontaneous flow of my life is Him. So I am always prepared and ready.
142:45 - He will not speak on His own authority - Father speaking through Holy Spirit - Why? Love, grace and communion / Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are one - you can't separate them in terms of character, nature and will. So Holy Spirit is not speaking on His own authority. It’s just like Jesus. I only speak what I hear the Father saying. Holy Spirit is the same way. When you hear Holy Spirit, who is talking to you? The Father. Everything you hear Jesus say and see Him do it’s the Father. He’s the visible image of the invisible God. The express image of His person. When you see Me you have already seen Him. Jesus is the tada of God. God just came out like He is in the flesh, through the person of Jesus.
144:25 - Lining up with the life of Jesus - He is the revelation of the Father - That is why your belief system should be based on Jesus. If it is not, change it. If what you believe doesn’t line up to the life of Jesus lived, then get it out of your belief system.
144:45 - God has things to say to us - That means God loves you and has intention towards you. He knows you. And He has something to say - to the tune that He sent Holy Spirit so that He could say it. God wants to commune with us and have fellowship. He wants to meet with His kids. He wants some family time.
145:20 - He will tell you what is yet to come - He will prepare you. You will see things coming. So that you can respond in Him. Sometimes He will tell you things that would be shocking and He tells them to me right before a person is coming to tell me - so that I didn’t react and hurt them. “You did what?” And do that little flesh reaction thing. "Wow, I even hurt you." He is that intimate.
146:50 - If you care enough to live that way, His grace is already available. That’s why it is so important to become love. I never want to hurt you. I never have the need to be right in your life. But I sure have a passion to share the gospel, love, edify but it’s all for Him and it’s all for you. And I can know that I am sincere about that. I know what motivates me.
Weakness into Strength
147:40 - Motivation for the school - I know why I do this school. They asked. To say yes there has to be a clear why - faith and a vision why. A love and care. Co-laboring with a grace that is already there. The pure in heart - He didn’t say the perfect - shall see God. You are all in - you can all have pure hearts. And a pure heart will cause you to walk in a sense of completion and perfection. But it comes from the Spirit of God. I understand that we can all stumble but we can all have pure hearts.
149:00 - Help for living life - He sent us this Helper so that we can live this life. You’re not on your own. It’s not by your own works.
150:00 - You can have all truth - If you want all truth, you can have all truth. That’s what motivates me for fellowship with God.
150:15 - Live by truth - You are responsible not to live by your feelings and emotions. You have to just say, “Soul, you are not going to talk me out of Him any more.”
150:30 - Spirit willing but the flesh is weak apart from prayer - The Bible says the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak in the sense of praying. Watch and pray lest you be tempted, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. He is not saying that your spirit is willing but your flesh is weak. He is saying that apart from prayer that is the truth. If you are not in a place of prayer, you can find yourself vulnerable and slip into weakness. Because that vulnerability is there, why not just run (stay?) in God. You don’t have to cop out saying, “Well you know brother, my flesh is just weak.”
151:00 - Father I thank You that I am a spirit. And I have a soul that agrees with everything that is in you God. And my flesh says, “Yes sir!” My spirit is willing and my flesh is strong and ready to run this race and take me to the finish line. It’s not tired. It’s not opting out. I’m going after you.
151:30 - Excusing weakness of the flesh - The flesh and soul can get this cooperation thing going and all of the sudden you have an excuse to be less than grace says you are. “Well, you know our flesh is just weak brother.” Well you are never to live by your flesh. You’re to live by your spirit. To live by the flesh is death but the Spirit, life and peace. So see yourself as spirit first. And in that place your soul lines up and agrees. Then your flesh doesn’t have to be a detriment. He is conditioned and ready for battle. So I declare that stuff over my life and over my body. Don’t opt out, claiming weakness of the flesh.
152:30 - 2 Cor 12:9 - “my strength is made perfect in weakness” - What is the weakness?
Paul is pummeled for preaching - He is preaching new wine to an old wine skin and getting pummeled every time. His flesh doesn’t like that. You’d rather not get beat. Paul was seeing fruit but he was paying a price in his flesh. His flesh was crying out to God, “How about watching my back. Does it have to be this way? Do I always have to be buffeted and persecuted?”
154:00 - If Paul lived today - Christian icon - It’s different today. Paul experienced persecution. Try to stay as low profile as you can. We make icons and Christian stars. Paul says he was like the offscouring. He paid a price and was persecuted. We would make Paul a Christian icon and the world conference speaker - huge honorariums and roll out the red carpet. We would have Him ministering to us all the time.
154:50 - Weakness into strength - Paul is crying out. And God is saying in your weakness, I am going to make you strong. Learning what it is to not love his own life. Learning what it means to lay down your life. Learning about that greater love than this - laying down his life for his friends. If this gospel is truth what does it matter if I die, if I can get truth to you.
155:00 - That’s what was happening. That’s how his weakness was made into strength. That’s how God’s revelation came in and swallowed up human weakness so that there was no backing up.
156:10 - Acts 20:23 - Paul got the message.
156:40 - Acts 20:18 - And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, - Paul is talking to the Ephesians.
Pure motive - You saw my life - What a great thing to be able to say. You saw my life and know it’s real. You’ve seen nothing but Christ in me. Paul went after God and it showed in his life. They saw his pure heart and motive.
157:40 - v.19 - Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: - This thing cost him many tears. It’s not fun when you are being beat. But he had already died.
158:40 - Bless me gospel - In America we preach a gospel that blesses us and meets our needs - guarantees prosperity. In an American mindset if we get whipped, we are mad at God because he didn’t protect us. Or we wonder where we went wrong. We think persecution for the gospel is a sign of lack of spirituality and lack of faith because we have a mentality that the gospel is here to bless us. No, the gospel is here to bless through us. We are pilgrims. We are passing through. We’re looking for a homeland.
159:30 - When people see us crying over the same things that they cry over, then our message doesn’t have power to them. Then it is just a belief system. You just believe different from them but there is nothing different.
200:00 - Reactions to afflictions - Tears. Sacrifices of missionaries. David Hogan’s experiences. People see that you have a way bigger picture than today and how you feel. Burying wife’s friends. Paul’s afflictions. Don’t blame God. Don’t get mad. Don’t tell the devil that you are living for yourself or you are really a sitting duck. With our words, attitudes, actions, we are saying “hit me here, it hurts.”
202:50 - v.20 - And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, - Kept nothing back - If we establish love, we can hold nothing back. Sometimes we need to be real straight because it is helpful.
204:00 - Israelites in the wilderness v. Jesus in the wilderness - Israelites - self-centered thinking, wandered and died in the wilderness. Jesus - laid down life - came out in the power of the Spirit. The difference was their perspective - selfish v. selfless.
205:00 - v.21 - Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. - He’s talking about - change your mind - change your heart. Now watch what he does. Paul has gotten the message now. My grace is sufficient for you Paul. My strength is made perfect in your weakness. It was the third time he asked. Stop asking me this question. Just go do what I have called you to do and live by my grace.
205:40 - v.22 - And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: - He is not a willful man. Whatever the Spirit of God is saying to do, he is doing. He is surrendered and loves not his own life. The man went through a lot. You can see what he went through in 2 Cor 4 and 11. So I can really respect his writings.
206:35 - v.23 - Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. - So God was making sure that Paul was not surprised by the coming afflictions. You are going to face persecution but preach my word.
207:10 - v.24 - But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. - Victorious declaration. How can it be possible that none of these things move him. He doesn’t count his own life dear to himself. You can’t finish the race with joy if you consider yourself. Heb 10:35 You will never fulfill the will of God without enduring. Many trials.
207:50 - How can you go through trials with joy? Because you are looking to the joy set before you. You are looking toward the dividends - lives transformed. You are looking just like Jesus looked forward - at the cost of my life many will live. This is the life we are called to.
209:10 - v.25 - And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. - While he is talking, he gets a revelation. I am walking into my death. Holy Spirit sent him there.
210:00 - v.26-28 - Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. - You stick to this truth. So that is how your weakness is made perfect in Him - when you don’t love your own life and continue in Him, grace will make you what you could never be on your own.
Holy Spirit (cont.)
211:00 - [Back to baptism of the Holy Spirit] There is a lot to cover and I am almost out of time.
211:30 - John 16:14 - He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. - God wants us to have who He is and what He is and all He does. All I am is yours and all you are is mine. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Spirit of God crying out Abba, Father.
212:00 - v.15 - All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. - What is mine? All things that the Father has. What is the Holy Spirit going to declare to us? Sounds like… fear not little flock. It is the father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sounds like He wants us to have all that He is.
213:15 - Acts 2:3 - And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. - They probably had no clue what was happening. Is this something that they petitioned for or that God ordained? So this is the will of God - for you to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
214:00 - Objection to two separate experiences - Some people say, “You get the Holy Spirit when you are saved - when you are born again.” Luke 11:13 - If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? - If He comes automatically, why do you have to ask? There is a place where you ask.
Tongues
215:20 - Acts 2:4 - And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. - We know that there were people who heard them speaking in their own language. So we get real rigid with that and say, “Well the only time that you should pray in tongues is so that another person can hear God through you.” That’s not what 2 Cor 14 teaches. If I pray with other tongues, my spirit prays. Who is praying? I am. But where is the utterance coming from? My spirit. It says that I speak divine mysteries unto God. It has nothing to do with other people’s languages. It’s a language of the Spirit.
216:30 - Tongues - public v. private use - God puts tongues, interpretation and prophecy on the same level. Tongues in my personal life is for spiritual edification - for communion with God - for building up my faith. Tongues in a public setting should be for the purpose of interpreting, for the edification of all. So if I stop a meeting by blaring out in tongues and everybody is listening to me praying in tongues, that ought to be interpreted so that everybody can receive and be edified. Paul understood this thing and prayed in tongues a lot.
217:35 - Paying in tongues is very powerful. It unlocks truth and mysteries.
217:50 - Experience of interpretation - God talking to me. That’s fun. Out of my own mouth by His Spirit.
219:00 - Praying in tongues for answers to special situations.
219:10 - When you are praying in tongues you are not thinking so hard. You are bearing witness of the Spirit inside of you. You’re edifying yourself, aware that there is a Spirit inside of you that has perfect love, perfect understanding and perfect power. Praying in other tongues hooks you up to that truth. Pray in tongues often. When you drive in the car, sing in the Spirit and sing with your understanding. Pray in the Spirit and pray with your understanding. When you begin to flow like that, you become very Spirit-conscious. In your heart desire that Holy Spirit would give you some interpretation. You can sing songs out of the heart of God. It’s just fun. You don’t have to interpret.
➡ 221:00 - We will finish this tomorrow.
222:30 - Objection - Only through the apostles - Don’t make a doctrine that only apostles can lay hands on believers for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There was no apostle in the room when I prayed in tongues but Jesus was and He is our Apostle - Heb 3:1.
223:05 - Closing prayer