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The work of the Holy Spirit: Jesus said, “When He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is to come.” In my first 10 years as a Christian, from age 30-40, I had maybe one experience (other than being saved) that I considered super-natural. Maybe one in 10 years. Since that time when I had the dish incident with my son, I have been keeping track the best I can remember how many supernatural experiences I have had, and it is over 50. It is because here, I was walking in the flesh, and here I was walking in the Spirit. People who walk in the Spirit, and I am sure you can attest to this, have experiences that are completely different. When I am here, when I am in the flesh, and living for self, things do not happen that are of God.
When we are here (in the Spirit), things will happen that you cannot deny is God, including which is the most supernatural of all, the overall coordination of all the events of your life, and the people that come in it, and come out of it that you cannot explain, apart from God. They may seem like a coincidence when one little one happens. When you look at the whole picture, you can see your life orchestrated. God was certainly blessing me while I was in the flesh for 10 years a little bit, but it’s nothing like walking in the Spirit. There’s nothing like being controlled by the Spirit. When it says that the Holy Spirit, He will not speak to you on His own, He will speak only what He hears, He will tell you what is yet to come, so that is one of the roles of the Holy Spirit.
I remember one time I was in my office, and I was going to have lunch with a guy who I had never had lunch with. I did not know anything about his family, knew nothing about his personal situation, and this guy was like me – not a real “talker” – more of the analytical-type. I thought….“What are we gonna talk about?” I heard God say (not audibly, but I heard Him say, ‘Tell him about your anger.’) I was like, “Okay.”
Later in the morning when there was a little break, I heard God speak to me about this guy. “Tell him about your anger.” Throughout the morning, every time there was a little pause in the work I just sensed God say, “Tell this man about your anger.” When this guy came into the door of our office to go to lunch, it was kind of like I thought it would be. “Hi, how are you?” “Fine, how are you doing?” “Fine.” Okay, we did not not have a lot of conversation here. So I was like, “You know, God’s been teaching me a lot about my anger and showing me how to control it.” He just looked at me and said, “Really? That’s interesting. Tell me about that.” So we went to the car and went to the restaurant. I started telling him about the same thing I told you about with smashing this dish. When we got to the restaurant and sat down at this little square table, and I started telling him about the incident to the point where I was talking about what caused me to throw the dish. Now Julie and I know it was one of two things; we really cannot remember. It is the only time I ever told anybody what I thought it might have been about. As soon as I said that to him, this guy almost jumped across the table at me and said, “Ah, I hate it when they do that, drives me crazy! My wife… and he just went off. I was like, okay, this is why God said, by the Spirit, tell this man about your anger. I waited until he was done, and I said to him, I told him what was going on because of the situation, and I said, “You know what, her methodology, the way that she is doing things is not right, but it is not sin, but what you are doing is sin. You think you are God. You are saying, “I am God, and here is the line.” Over here is right, and over here is wrong, and if you step across that line, you are going to feel my wrath, because I am God in this house. That is sin, and you have got to repent of it. This guy was a believer, and he sat there wide-eyed, and we talked for a little while, and after while he nodded his head. God sent you here to talk to me today. I was planning on leaving my wife in two days.
That is what God does, doesn’t He? He does things that are beyond comprehension. I didn’t know this guy. Could I have possibly orchestrated that event? Could I have possibly done it? I didn’t know anything bout him. God knew that that man needed to be told what Kevin knew. He will probably use you for something else in somebody else’s life. That kind of stuff never happened when I was living my life for me, not abiding in Christ, not surrendered. That stuff happens. I won’t say regularly, but about once a month something occurs somewhat like that because of walking in the Spirit. The Spirit of Truth, when He comes, will guide and comfort, he will not speak on His own. He speaks only what He hears.
Think of the Holy Spirit like the Press Secretary is to the President. That is how the Holy Spirit is to the Father. You all know who the Press Secretary is, right? He gets out there and all of the reporters gather in front of him. Then the Press Secretary starts speaking what the President wants them to know. Everybody shows up to hear what the President has to say. The President is not there; it is the Press Secretary. Do you even know what the name of the Press Secretary is? I don’t know if it is a guy or a gal, or what the name is, but he has authority and respect because he is speaking on behalf of the President. The Holy Spirit speaks on behalf of the Father, He does not speak on His own; He speaks only what He hears from the Father. So, when the Holy Spirit said. “Tell him about your anger,” the Holy Spirit, acting somewhat like the Press Secretary, was speaking with authority from the Father.
Now, let us say that I said, “I do not want to tell him about my anger, I do not want to tell him about that.” What is that? Disobedience! Then what happens? This well-lubricated door, I go from here back over to here (implying going from walking in the Spirit to walking in the flesh), and no longer abiding in Christ. All of a sudden, the communication system is….I have got earwax in there and I can’t hear the Spirit’s voice anymore. Because I’m living for me, right? So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him.” Colossians 2:6 Just as you received Him. This is receiving Him. (Remember you received the chocolate syrup, the Holy Spirit). Just as you received Him, continue in Him. (Kevin makes some notes on the board indicating beginning and continues…). As you were saved, so, too, are you surrendered. So, too, do you abide. Jesus said that He was the door, He was the path, the way, He was the Gate. It is always through Christ that we go through the door. Like it says in Colossians, “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him.” In Galatians, one of the best verses you’ll ever see…Read all of Galatians 3, the first 10 verses. “Are you so foolish, after being in the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” After being with Christ, are you now trying to do it by human effort? Are you trying to witness to the person in the workplace on your own effort? Are you thinking through strategies (If I do this, and I do that, and do the other thing, maybe they’ll come to Christ?) That’s your own effort.
What keeps unbelievers from becoming believers is typically pride. If you talk to an unbeliever and say, “If you die, will you go to Heaven?” They will say, “Yea, because I’m a good person. I am trying to do the right things, I am trying….they do the scales thing. I think my good things outweigh my bad things, and hey, by the way, I’m not Hitler. So, I’m not perfect, so I am not going to Hell because I am basically a good person.”
So it is by works, but we do not come to Christ by works, neither do we continue in Him. It is by faith, by walking in the Spirit. Only He can do it in us and through us. So, are you so foolish, after beginning in the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal (your goal of living a Christ-like life)? Are you trying to be good and be righteous, not be bad or sinful? Are you trying to do that by your own human effort? If your goal is to not sin, are you trying to do it by human efforts? It will not work! You will fail. That’s why people become discouraged in the Christian life at times because they try to do it in their own strength and power. We can not do the Christian life in our own strength and power any more than we can save our self from Hell by our own strength and power. (View Colossians 2:6) (View Galatians 3:3)
