SERMON
NOTES

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.
1 John 4:13

What is the Christian religion?
For some, it is about faith: “Is it all about my being right with God? Is belief in Jesus enough for forgiveness of my past, of my guilt?”
For some, it is about hope: “If I put my trust in Jesus, will I go to heaven? Will my loved ones be in heaven with me?”
For some, it is about love: “Will Jesus be my friend in my loneliness? Will he accept me just as I am, even deal with my shame, if I just put my trust in him?”

We are able to believe in the rational aspects of the Christian Faith: of past deeds being paid for and forgiven through the Cross; in the hope of future glory and heaven because of the resurrection; in the love we know is ours because of God’s Word – the promises contained in Scripture.

BUT are we able to wrap our minds (and hearts) around the "what now?"
We think that now, DOING the right thing will make the difference- reading your Bible, praying, good works - and all that helps. But how??

I ended last Sunday’s message with:

• Forgiveness from the past, our sin, our brokenness came because of the crucifixion.
• The assurance, promise, and proof of new life came through the resurrection and the empty tomb.
• But the Rúach of God given in us transforms and empowers us to experience the New Creation Life, the Jesus life that we were destined for, from the time our lives began!

Today, we look at how this Rúach of God, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live differently because he first assures us that we belong to God

• Spirit-gifted Life
  • Believing that there is another Life living within the Christ-follower – the Holy Spirit (v.9,11)
    • How does that happen? “…you were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit…” (Ephesians 1:13)
    • God gives every Christ-follower himself. Not figuratively, but actually
    • We understand that things can exist within us that affect us profoundly—sometimes for harm, sometimes for good. But Scripture describes something far greater: the living presence of God himself dwelling within us by his Spirit
    • But what about another “intelligent and empathetic Being” that takes residence inside us?
    • God is not "out there" - he is IN us. He gives life in us "because of righteousness" (v.10)
    • When we give God our brokenness and sin, there is a curious exchange that takes place. God promises to fill that empty space with his Righteousness, himself (The alternative of Matthew 12:43-45 is what is scary) – the Holy Spirit
    • The Spirit never grows weak, but our responsiveness to him can grow cold if we neglect the means of grace
    • “will also give life to your mortal bodies because of (OR through) his Spirit who lives in you” => you are truly alive – to God, experience the fullness of LIFE in the world

• Obligation to live according to the Spirit, surrendering to him – that is the only way you can put to death the misdeeds of the flesh (v.12-13)
  • The battle is NOT good vs evil. It is between what God desires and what our own natural inclinations are. What we naturally desire is normally contrary to what God / the Spirit desires
  • "Putting to death" happens by
    • RECOGNIZING that within us, our desires, attitudes, and behavior, that is SELF-centered and not GOD-centered
    • RESOLVING to let go of that which binds us
    • OBEYING the “nudges” of the Spirit through his Word

The Spirit does more than empower a new way of living. He also reveals who we truly are. The same Spirit who changes our lives also confirms our identity as God's children

• Spirit-gifted Identity
  • We discover what true freedom is – we are no longer slaves
    • There are 2 kinds of slaves:
      • Enslaved to our past, our guilt, our sin. We live our lives in the endless cycle of enslavement
      • Enslaved to the formality of “good religion” that sees ourselves and others as the products of our actions. Good actions mean good religion; bad actions mean no religion. There is no place for grace – God’s unconditional, undeserved love to make the difference.
• The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, yes, but also convinces us that nothing more needs to be done after trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice. All we need to do is keep trusting – not in our own sense of righteousness – but on that same grace.
• We also discover that fear no longer rules us. And this is because the Holy Spirit assures us we are “God’s Beloved” and “perfect love drives out all fear” (1 John 4:18)

• We discover our identity as sons, daughters
  • The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of Adoption
  • He convinces us of our “belonging” (v.9b) to Christ
  • This belonging comes about because:
    • We are adopted into God’s family as a son, as a daughter, with FULL rights as a legal heir
    • We become a sister/brother of Jesus, as being co-heirs with him. He wants to share his inheritance with us!
• But most beautifully, the Holy Spirit, when we listen to him, helps us recognize God as Father in the way a Jewish child relates familiarly with his father – Abba! I am God’s child

Pentecost is not merely the celebration of an event long ago. It is the celebration of a reality today. Through the cross we are forgiven. Through the resurrection, we have hope. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we experience the very life of God within us. The Spirit empowers us to live as Christ's people and assures us that we are God's beloved children. Therefore, we need not live in fear, guilt, or self-reliance. We can live each day crying out, 'Abba, Father,' knowing that the Spirit of God lives in us.