The Holy Spirit In Our Lives!
by Dr. Edward Watke, Jr.

Introduction

• The person and work of the Spirit is greatly neglected in much of our public preaching across the United States.

• In most Christian circles little reference is made to the Holy Spirit and only an obscure place is given to Him in public ministry, personal life, and in private conversation.

• He is often referred to as it and treated more as an influence, or a power or an indescribable, intangible something.

• The book of Acts is full of accounts about the work of the Holy Spirit. --

• We meet his name and work on many pages of the Word of God; His work and ministry confronts us at every turn in the New Testament.

• Nearly 60 times the Word Spirit is used and more than 40 times He is spoken of as the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts.

• The history of the Acts narrated is one sustained record of the deeds and acts of the Holy Spirit. It is full of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

• Possibly the major reason of the need in the world today, among Christians, is due to the fact that we have only academic knowledge of the Holy Spirit at best.

• In fact, few Christians know much about the practical outworking of His ministry in the personal lives.

• One of the burdens of my heart for Christians is the lack of spiritual depth, the lack of being spiritually where God can call us and what God desires we live that we might serve Him for His glory.

• There is a lack of dedication that brings about missionary volunteers, and the lack of soul winners today.

• When you study the book of Acts you will naturally note the work of the Holy Spirit. He is spoken of over sixty times in the Book of Acts.

• I am afraid that many Christians are even afraid of the personal and work of the Holy Spirit.

Do you know Him? Do you know the Holy Spirit?








I. THE PROVISION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
John 7:37-39; Jh. 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15; Acts 2:38; Lk 11:3; Rom. 8:8

Spirituality is available for every Christian. Just as salvation is for whosoever will so a spiritual life is as available for everyone who is saved. We are saved on the basis of our relationship to Christ Jesus. We are spiritual Christians (rather than defeated, carnal Christians) on the basis of our relationship to the Holy Spirit.


When we consider the gifts of the Father -- grace, mercy, justification, sanctific- ation, the Word of God, forgiveness, joy, peace, none is any greater than the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God’s choice gift to the saint of God. Consider the setting in that day. . .

A. To whom He promised. (Read the verses above)

1. Acts 2:38-39; only the saved have the gift of the Holy Spirit.

2. Tit 3:5; -- Regeneration is the work of the H. S.

3. Jh 14:16-17 - Christ promised the Holy Spirit to his own.

B. What He Promised

1. A bestow gift upon all the saved. One who would bring satisfaction, and sufficiency to them.

2. One to be given who would overflow their lives unto blessing for
others -- Jh 4:4; 7:37-39

3. We are told explicit that the gift is to be the Holy Spirit. That He would come when Christ’s work was done.

4. The Holy Spirit is the Divine inflow of life -- the supernatural presence of God at work in the life and bringing supernatural power, victory, overflow.

B. What is Needed!

1. A personal thirst -- Jh 7:37-39; Isa 44:3

2. COME coming to Jesus in full abandonment; for the fullness of the H. S.

3. Drink

a. not passive, but active
b. demonstrate desire -- appropriating His working,
c. by faith coming and drinking which is our part.

4. Believing

a. he that believeth -- on me-- continuous looking,
b. trusting;



5. Overflowing

a. become rivers of living water; plentifulness;
b. Living water -- compared with drought, unproductive hearts, unfruitful, and barren. All for sake of others.
c. Instead of little worship, love, praise, or thankfulness.

Consider -- Christ’s purpose for us to have the Holy Spirit and our being in right relationship to Him. What did Christ do? He fulfilled this... Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-7


II. THE PURPOSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

He came to indwell; take up residency -- to be Lord, to make Christ real there within our hearts and lives. Jh 14:16-17

A. He is the Spirit of truth -- Jh 14:17

1. To lead me into all truth;

2. To remove all that is false -- deceitful, hypocritical, grieving to the Holy Spirit. -- Eph. 4:30

3. To lead me into truth; to walk in truth -- Read II and III John about our walking in truth. Jh 16:12

B. He is the Comforter -- Jh 14:16

1. The One who indwells -- enables us to grow up in Christ in all things.

2. To bring about conformity to His Son, unto His image; to strengthen us so that we do not go into sin.

3. Spirituality depends upon a harmonious walk with, in filling by, control of the Holy Spirit.

C. He is the Spirit of Life -- Rom. 8:3; 12:

1. So indifference, lukewarmness, dullness, deadness grieve Him.

2. How alive are you? fervent? (Rom. 12:11) What about fervency in prayer, to the Word of God, about souls.

D. He is the Spirit of faith -- II Cor. 4:13

1. So that all unbelief, distrust, worry, anxiety, unrest, barrenness, etc., could be removed.

2. So we would walk by faith, trust, etc. Heb. 11:6.

E. He is the Spirit of Holiness - Rom. 1:4

1. To take away anything unclean, defiling, degrading -- that which would grieve and quench His work in us.

2. To take control so we do not harbor the unclean in our hearts. Or allow the dirty of the world -- the sorted, filthy to enter into our hearts.

F. He came to convict the World -- Jh 16:7-11

1. To bring deep conviction.

2. To use us that conviction may be upon to the unsaved, etc.


III. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 4:31; II Tim. 1:7


1. Is not the failure in the world today the failure of the saved? the lack of the fullness of the Holy Spirit?

2. If we lack His power upon our lives does He have the rightful place in our lives?

3. We live in failure because we do not know the power of the Holy Spirit upon our labors.

4. Would we be more effective if the Holy Spirit had full control of our lives?


IV. THE PREROGATIVE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Acts 13:1-9; Eph. 5:18; Acts 6:3;

A. As Lord of the Harvest: Acts 13:1-9, Matt 9:38

1. To call -- He calls those who are attuned to listen, to heed and to obey his call.

• He called a Peter Acts 10
• He called a Philip, Acts 8
• He called a Barnabas, Paul, Acts 13
• He directed the work of God as Christ said He would for He is the Lord of the harvest!

When we speak of the call we nearly always leave out one essential feature -- that is the nature of the one who calls.
People speak of the call of the sea, the call of the mountains, the call of the great ice barriers -- these calls are heard by but a few -- only because the call is the expression of the nature from which the call comes, and can only be heard by those who are attuned to that nature.

• God’s call is essentially the expression of the very nature of God, Himself.
• The Instruments of God’s Choice -- I Cor. 1:26
• The Purpose of His Choosing -- I Cor. 1:27-28
• The Principles of His Choice - vs 29
• The Sufficiency of His Calling - vs 30,31

2. To send --

3. To empower --

4. To guide --

5. To fill, or control --

6. To anoint for service --

7. To use as He sees fit --

Consider:
• Do we recognize that God has rights to our lives? Do you recognize that He does call; He has called; Does He have a perfect will for Your life? II Tim. 1:9
• Are we cold, metallic, untouched spiritually? Are we backslidden; out of touch with God and not sensing His call?
• Are we living a self-chosen life style; doing as we please? Doing our thing? Living for this life, age, self? Does the Holy Spirit have control of you?

Sermon by Dr. Edward Watke Jr. #