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Tom Fannin—June 17, 2022
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I want to talk about the Spirit of God that dwells within us. We all think about what's going on today and think about what lie ahead. We think about the unknown.
- Do we have fear of the unknown?
- Do we have fear of changes?
As we see what's going on in this world, and we know what's coming on this world before Christ returns.
- Do we have concerns or fears over that?
Even at times we know deception lies within the Church and some things come within the Church that may concern us.
- Do we have fear about that?
We know that as time goes on, there are going to be many changes around us, and certainly we can all see that as this world is coming to an end, evil and wickedness will continue to increase.
It's good for us, as God's people, to meditate on the Spirit that dwells within us, considering what it does for us. It should bring us all confidence until the time of our redemption. That's what we'll be talking about in this message, God's Spirit that dwells within us, but specifically the power of God's Spirit.
Zechariah 4:6: "Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, 'This is the Word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts.'"
This is how everything is accomplished, through the power of God and His Spirit. It's not by man's power or might, but it's by God's Spirit. This is how all things are accomplished.
What is the Spirit? We will talk about God's Spirit and what it is, because we do know it comes from God.
Luke 1:31—speaking to Mary: "And behold, you shall conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of David, His forefather; and He shall reign over the house of Jacob into the ages, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end'" (vs 31-33).
Verse 34: "But Mary said to the angel, 'How shall this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?' And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; and for this reason, the Holy One being begotten in you shall be called the Son of God'" (vs 34-35). We know that this was Jesus Christ!
This Spirit comes from God; this Spirit that overshadowed Mary is the very power of God! That's what the Spirit is, and it dwells within us. It's of God; it's His power.
Acts 10:34: "Then Peter opened his mouth and said, 'Of a truth I perceive that God is not a respecter of persons, but in every nation the one who fears Him and works righteousness is acceptable to Him'" (vs 34-35).
The way God works, and will be working with all mankind. He's not a respecter of persons, but He wants all men everywhere to repent.
Verse 36: "The word that He sent to the children of Israel, preaching the Gospel of peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all), you have knowledge of; which declaration came throughout the whole of Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism that John proclaimed… [a baptism unto repentance] …concerning Jesus, Who was from Nazareth: how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him" (vs 36-38).
Jesus Christ received the Holy Spirit. We know that that this is God's power coming upon Him and being within Him. We know that the Spirit dwelt within Jesus Christ was without measure. But this same Spirit dwells within us, all of us who have been baptized and have entered into covenant and accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, and we had hands laid on us for the receiving of the Holy Spirit. We have this power that we want to talk about and that dwells within us. It's placed within us!
Jesus talked to the apostles about the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:7: "And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has placed in His own authority; but you yourselves shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the ends of the earth'" (vs 7-8).
Jesus tells them about this Power that will be coming upon them—and we know that is on the Day of Pentecost—and will be placed within them!
In Acts 8 it's talking about Peter and John who went to Samaria.
Acts 8:14: "Now, when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them; Who, after coming down to Samaria, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for as yet it had not fallen upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (vs 14-16).
That was the first step, the baptism—submersion in water—the covenant death. But they needed the laying on of hands, just like all of us had.
Verse 17: "Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."
Verse 18: "Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given by the laying on of the hands of the apostles, he offered them money, saying, 'Give this authority to me also, so that on whomever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.' But Peter said to him, 'May your money be destroyed with you because you thought that the gift of God might be purchased with money'" (vs 18-20).
This is what we do today through the baptism ceremony and the laying on of hands to receive the Spirit within us. There's a purpose for it, and an order that God wants it done in. that's what we practice in the Church today. But it's only through baptism and this covenant.
These things can't be done with money; they can't be done through the works of men or the conniving of men. These things come through God, His Spirit that's placed within us, this power. As it's brought out here, it's a gift; a gift from God!
That's the only Source that it can come from, and that is God and Jesus Christ, because we know that they both dwell within us. It's something for us to review and be mindful of where this comes from.
Romans 8:9: "However, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is indeed dwelling within you…."
Hopefully we all have that confidence that God's Spirit is dwelling within us. We know that; the Spirit within us gives us indications of that by how it acts within it.
"…But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. But if Christ be within you, the body is indeed dead because of sin; however, the Spirit is life because of righteousness" (vs 9-10).
Think about the righteousness that's imputed to us because of Jesus Christ being our personal Savior, and that's being in covenant with Him and the Father and going into that covenant death with Christ; to arise to newness of life, that righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. What a wonderful thing!
Verse 11: "Now, if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling within you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also quicken your mortal bodies because of His Spirit that dwells within you." That's a hope that we have, and we trust Him!
Verse 12: "So then, brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; because if you are living according to the flesh, you shall die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God" (vs 12-14).
Yes, we are in the Spirit and because of this, we are the sons of God, because of God dwelling in us and the Spirit leading us continually back to God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Let's talk a little bit more about this Spirit and what it is:
2-Corinthians 5:1: "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with human hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we truly are groaning, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven" (vs 1-2).
I tell you, as time goes on, I think this attitude within us will continue to get stronger. It will be groaning and looking for that new body to be with God and Jesus Christ as a full spirit form and be redeemed from this earth and what's going on.
Verse 3: "If indeed that being clothed, we may not be found naked. For we who are in this tabernacle truly do groan, being burdened; not that we wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed upon so that the mortal flesh may be swallowed up by life" (vs 3-4)—eternal life!
Verse 5: "Now, He Who is working out this very thing for us is God, Who has also given us the earnest of the Spirit."
What we have within us is just the earnest, the down payment, and we will receive the fullness later at the resurrection when we will be completely spirit.
But right now we've been given some of it. That part we have now is powerful. It does so much for us. That's why we need to meditate on it and use it. It is a gift from God and it's very necessary; it's salvational!
Going on we'll read what Paul tells Timothy about the Spirit that dwells within him and what Spirit it is that Timothy received.
2-Timonthy 1:6: "For this reason, I admonish you to stir up the gift of God…"
We just read that, Peter and John talked about that with Simon Magus that you can't buy that; it's a gift!
"…that is in you by the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of sound-mindedness" (vs 6-7).
It dwells with us. Paul reminded Timothy of what he has in him. It's that same spirit that dwells in us, too.
We can become fearful of a lot of the things that may be transpiring in this world and around us. But the Spirit of God that dwells within us is not a spirit of fear! We need to think about that fear is: its "…power, and of love, and of sound-mindedness"
I want to go through some of the Scriptures that tell us about what this Spirit does for us. What it actively continues to do, what it will be doing for us. It good to review the Scriptures and have a confirmed understanding of God's Spirit. There's a purpose for it.
John 14—we reviewed some of these Scriptures as we prepare for the Passover. Christ gives instructions to the apostles about what would be coming upon them later; before He was crucified that is.
John 14:12: "Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me shall also do the works that I do…"
What works did Christ do? We know that He came to the earth for a purpose, to be our personal Savior. He worked a lot of miracles and powers through the Holy Spirit and God working within Him.
"…and greater works than these shall he do because I am going to the Father. And whatever you shall ask in My name, this will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (vs 12-14).
We know that this is God's will. But one thing for sure, IF we are:
- asking for the spiritual things
- asking for help
- asking for a better understanding of God's Word
so that it can be internalized in us and we can teach ourselves with it and help others to:
- have a sound mind
- have love
- use God's Spirit in an effective way
IF we ask God in Christ's name for the spiritual things, this pleases God. God wants us to have these things.
We need to be asking for a lot of these helps in the name of Jesus Christ and God our Father. They help us through Their Spirit.
Verse 15: "If you love Me, keep the commandments—namely, My commandments…. [that goes along with having God's Spirit] …And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter…" (vs 15-16).
We know that Christ was a comforter to them. When you read the Scriptures about the time that He spent with the apostles, He did a lot to teach and help them. He encouraged and strengthened them so they could remember later all of those things that occurred. And they did remember and wrote about it, and reflected on it! But He said that He would send them another Comforter so:
"…that it may be with you throughout the age: Even the Spirit of the Truth, which the world cannot receive because it perceives it not, nor knows it, but you know it because it dwells with you, and shall be within you" (vs 16-17).
The world doesn't know this Spirit of God that dwells within us! They may see a difference in us, in our behavior, and hopefully they see the fruits of the Spirit within us. But they can't perceive what this is! But we know! Yes, it is the Spirit of the Truth.
Verse 25: "I have spoken these things to you while I am yet present with you. But when the Comforter comes, even the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in My name, that One shall teach you all things, and shall bring to your remembrance everything that I have told you" (vs 25-26).
It does the same for us! It helps us to have understanding! It helps bring into remembrance for us that we need to have our mind fixed upon. It does the same for us as a comforter.
John 16:12: "I have yet many things to tell you, but you are not able to bear them now. However, when that one has come, even the Spirit of the Truth, it will lead you into all Truth, because it shall not speak from itself, but whatever it shall hear, it shall speak. And it shall disclose to you the things to come. That one shall glorify Me, because it shall disclose to you the things that it receives from Me" (vs 12-14).
So, here we are! This Spirit that dwells within us and what it's doing for us. It gives us things from Christ, things that we need to know, this Truth! And it's to glory of God the Father and Jesus Christ. This is this Power that's within us!
Luke 12:11: "But when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how or what you should reply in defense, or what you should say; for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that same hour what needs to be said" (vs 11-12).
As we think about the future, and maybe some of you in some shape or form have faced this now, where you've had to talk to someone about the Word of God and the Truth, or you've been in a situation where you've had to stand up for the Sabbath; whatever it may be.
We know that in the future there's going to be times when the brethren will be faced in a situation like this where they're brought before people, kings, leaders, rulers; whatever it may be. They may have to talk about the Truth, God and Jesus Christ and testify of these things that we believe in.
We shouldn't worry, because it's made clear here to us that the Holy Spirit is going to teach us in that hour what we need to do. When we think about the future and what we may face, it's so important that we meditate on the Scriptures and remember them. The Holy Spirit will help us to remember them when we're faced with these things in the future, and some of us may be. We will remember that the Holy Spirit will intervene and help us; it will teach us what we need to be doing and saying. If we get in these situations, try not to worry and have fear; just remember God's Word and what He promises what will happen.
Matthew 10:16: "Behold, I am sending you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."
It does a lot of wisdom to have this mind and being subjected to God and His Word. This is the mind that we need to have and be thinking about as time goes on.
Verse 17: "But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues…. [we know that the apostles went through that] …and you shall also be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a witness to them and to the Gentiles. Now, when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you should speak; for in that hour it shall be given to you what you shall speak. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you" (vs 17-20).
Isn't that powerful to think about, that when this time comes for any of us. It's going to be given to us what to speak. It's not us speaking, we have to remember that it's Godthrough the Spirit within us whatever needs to be said at that time! Through time there has been men and women of God that have had to stand up and speak before others of this Truth; but they had the help.
Acts 16:6—concerning Paul: "And after passing through Phrygia and the region of Galatia (for they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia), they came down to Mysia and attempted to go to Bithynia; but the Spirit did not permit them to go there" (vs 6-7).
When we consider Paul and his travels, at times the Spirit itself working within him did not allow him, direct him, or lead him to go to certain places to teach. This is conformation of the Spirit guiding and leading us.
Maybe some of you have experienced this in certain ways, where at times you may have a feeling within you, or maybe this not a place we should be going, or maybe nothing I should be participating in.
We need to give credit where credit is due! That's the power within us and helping us and leading us. Sometimes we don't recognize those things for what they are, but Paul wrote about this, because he knew what was leading and guiding him, and forbidding him at times do certain things. That again is the power that is within us that we have access to.
Let read something really important that the Spirit does for us that we need to consider, also.
Romans 8:26: "Now, in the same way also, the Spirit is conjointly helping our weaknesses because we do not fully understand what we should pray for, according as it is necessary, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groaning that cannot be expressed by us. And the One Who searches the hearts comprehends what the strivings of the Spirit are because it makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (vs 26-27).
That's hard to comprehend! It is true that we ourselves sometimes don't know the things that we should be praying for or considering. But the Spirit within us groans inside of us. It reaches out from within us to God though our mind and our conversations with God in our prayers. Things come out from within us that we need to have discussions about with God through prayer.
- it works within us
- it's the power of God
- it's what helps to perfect us
Helping to cleanse us so that we can become sons and daughters. Certainly it intercedes for us based upon God's will.
That's the power that's dwelling within us and we need to be very thankful for it, because need it!
We know that men and women of God are led by the Spirit of God with acts of power. Just like with us and the acts of power that we are sometimes put into. Maybe later on through God's Spirit we will need to do acts of power ourselves. We have examples of that, and we're going to look at a few of them.
This spirit of power has been active in God's people through the first person that He worked with and called, down through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Samuel and some of the kings; King David and all the way down through our time the Spirit has been active and powerful.
Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you now with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Spirit. But I myself am also persuaded concerning you, my brethren, that you are full of goodness, and are being filled with all knowledge, and are able to admonish one another. So then, I have more boldly written to you, brethren, in part as a way of reminding you, because of the grace that was given to me by God, in order that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ unto the Gentiles to perform the Holy service of teaching the Gospel of God; so that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit" (vs 13-16).
That's what Paul took to the Gentiles, the Gospel of God and Jesus Christ of salvation through Jesus Christ and the resurrection. It's important to remember that, because that's the Gospel that Paul brought to the Gentiles, the same Gospel that needs to be preached today. "…so that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
That's what sanctify us and sets us apart from all men and women on the earth. The Holy Spirit sanctifies.
Verse 17: "Therefore, I have cause for boasting in Christ Jesus as to the things pertaining to God. For I will not presume to speak about anything that Christ has not worked out by me for the obedience of the Gentiles, through word and work, through the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God; so that in a circuit from Jerusalem to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ" (vs 17-19).
- How was that preached?
- How were all these things done?
- through the power of God's Spirit
- through miracles and wonders
- through Paul's teaching!
We know that Paul performed miracles and a lot of healings. He also, at times, had correction. We know that one time he had a Jewish sorcerer blinded for a season. So, Paul worked power through the Spirit for the Gentiles and they were able to see that. There were a lot of things that Paul did, and many people are able to see, but the credit always went back to God from Paul.
We know that Stephen was one of the original deacons.
Acts 6:5: "And this declaration was pleasing to all the multitude… [they were going to ordain some deacons in service of the brethren] …and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit; and Philip; and Prochorus; and Nicanor; and Timon; and Parmenas; and Nicolas, who was a proselyte of Antioch. And they set them before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. And the Word of God spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem was multiplied exceedingly, and a great multitude of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power… [from the indwelling of God's Spirit] …worked wonders and great signs among the people" (vs 5-8).
We won't cover everything that went on with Stephen but we know that later he was able to stand before the Sanhedrin and the high priest and testify of all that transpired with Israel down through time to Jesus Christ. He condemned them for who they were and what they did.
He even told them how they resisted the Holy Spirit. He even reminded them that they were the ones responsible for murdering Jesus Christ. Stephen was stoned!
Stephen worked powers and wonders and was able to stand up and testify of these things through the power of God's Spirit within him. A good example of how that Spirit works within us the same way.
1-Corinthians 2:4—Paul says: "And my message and my preaching was not in persuasive words of humanwisdom; rather, it was in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; so that your faith might not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (vs 4-5).
The teaching within the Church occurs through the power of God and His Spirit. It doesn't come from men or the wisdom or understanding that men have or think they have. It's a demonstration of God and what God does through His Word dwelling within us. Paul makes that clear here in this letter to them. That's how Paul talked, in power!
Verse 9: "But according as it is written, 'The eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things—eventhe deep things of God. For who among men understands the things of man except by the spirit of man, which is in him? In the same way also, the things of God no one understands except by the Spirit of God. For who among men understands the things of man except by the spirit of man, which is in him? In the same way also, the things of God no one understands except by the Spirit of God. Now, we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is of God, so that we might know the things graciously given to us by God" (vs 9-12).
Just another thing for us to continually remember, that this understanding and knowledge that we have—this deep understanding and knowledge—of God and what He's doing comes from that indwelling of that Power and Spirit.
Let's see what Peter writes as far this understanding and knowledge and inspiration confirming where it comes from.
2-Peter 1:20: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture originated as anyone's own private interpretation; because prophecy was not brought at any time by human will, but the Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (vs 20-21).
This Word that we have today, we know that it is God-breathed. It came from the Holy Spirit, men were inspired by that to write. Not their own thoughts or understanding, but they were moved to write these things by the Spirit that dwelt within them to do these things.
God's Spirit dwells in all of us. It's a powerful thing and it's used in so many different ways to help us. Where would be without God's Spirit. We consider all of these things we've read about from the understanding that we get though being able to speak and in some cases maybe testify, be witnesses. At times maybe perform miracles of power down through time.
- Where would we be considering all of these things if we didn't have this seed of begettal, this earnest, this down payment of God's Spirit that we have?
- Where would we be without that?
We know that David experienced having those thoughts! We'll just review that quickly. We know what happened with David; there was a temptation with Bathsheba. We know that in the end what happened with her and they had child born and it died. Also, the Uriah the Hittite—one of David's might men—was put to death over the decisions that David made, succumbing to sin!
It just goes to show you, brethren, that even though we have God's Spirit dwelling within us, the Spirit of Power, we still sin! But we have to continually resist sin. It's crouching there, waiting for us! It's desire is for us continually! But we have to resist it and fight against it! That's why we have God's Spirit to help in these things and help us identify and understand what it is.
Psalm 51:9: "Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and let Your free spirit uphold me" (vs 9-12).
David repented as we know, and God forgave him! God forgives us continually through Jesus Christ when we repent of our sins.
David knew that he had done something there that was truly against God and very hurtful, not only to him but to many, many other people because of the penalty that came upon Israel and David's family.
David knew that he did not want to lose God's Spirit. All of these things we have reviewed. David understood:
- his kingship
- the blessings that he had
- the blessings that Israel had
- the understanding that he had
- the works of power that he was able to perform since he was young
David understood that all of these things came from God!
With God's help he understood that that power, the Holy Spirit, worked within him to accomplish all of these things and he didn't want to lose that. He knew that he would nothing without it.
We need to consider that, too! What would we be without God's Spirit. We need this power within us, and we need to utilize it. It's not something we need to be neglecting. Let's see what Paul told Timothy:
1-Timothy 4:14—Paul tells Timothy: "Do not neglect the spiritual gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the elderhood." We don't want to neglect it!
We need to have an understanding of what was given to us as a helper, a comforter when we went into covenant. We can neglect it if we're not careful. But what we need to be doing is:
- exercising it
- using it to its fullness
- practicing it in Truth
- practicing love
- utilizing it with sound mindedness and power
Not neglecting it! We can neglect it if we're not careful and doing things that are opposed to God. We know that Christ talking about that in John 14, about the Comforter that would come. He also talked about the importance of keeping the commandments and obeying God. That goes hand-in-hand with the indwelling of God's Spirit.
We just need to be careful that we don't neglect this power that lies within us, but utilize it and exercise it.
Ephesians 4:30: "And do not vex [grieve] the Holy Spirit of God by which you have been sealed for the day of redemption."
We want to work with it, and let it be working within us to the fullness! We don't want to work against it, and we can if we're not careful. It's a powerful thing. As we work with it, and let it work with us and within us, we grow and develop in the mind of Christ; continually changing and the Spirit and God's Word washing us.
We have eternal life because of God's Spirit. If we didn't have God's Spirit within us, we don't have a chance for salvation through Christ.
2-Corinthians 13:3: "Since you seek a proof of Christ speaking through me (Who is not weak toward you, but is powerful in you; for although He was crucified in weakness, yet, He lives by God's power; and we are indeed weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by God's power toward you)" (vs 3-4).
This is how Christ lived, and He now sits at the right hand of God in power, as the Son of God and the King of kings and Lord of lords. He has a name above all names.
He trusted in God being full of God's Spirit knowing that God would restore Him again and bring Him to the fullness of the Spirit through the resurrection and the power, that same power that we have hope in.
Yes, the Spirit that dwells in us, at sometime we will receive the fullness of it just like Christ did. We have that very same hope and it will be done in the very same way. These physical mortal bodies we have will be changed, and we will receive that body that Christ now has.
That is the power of the Spirit within us. That's the power of the mind that we have to understand these things.
John 6:63—Jesus speaking: "It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are Spirit and they are Life."
It is the Spirit within us that will give us life, life we have now, but more importantly the eternal life as full spirit beings.
To kind of some this message up, the Spirit and the power of it:
Ephesians 3:14: "For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man" (vs 14-16). That's what we have, that Spirit of Power within us!
Verse 17: "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and that being rooted and grounded in love, you may be fully able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height… [yes, we know and have understanding of these things because of the Spirit] …and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses human knowledge so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now, to Him Who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us, to Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all generations, even into the ages of eternity. Amen" (vs 17-21).
As we read in Zechariah, it's not by might or power according to men and what men think power and might is. 'All things are done by the Spirit—not by might or power—but by My Spirit,' says the Lord. These are how things are done!
- let's rejoice
- let's have boldness
- let's have confidence
- let's be thankful
That this Spirit now dwells within us! This seed of begettal, the earnest, the down payment we have until we are fully redeemed. Be using that power within us to build the mind of Christ to glorify God and Christ.
Finally to look forward to the redemption of these bodies!
Scriptural References:
- Zechariah 4:6
- Luke 1:31-35
- Acts 10:34-38
- Acts 1:7-8
- Acts 8:14-128
- Romans 8:9-14
- 2 Corinthians 5:1-5
- 2 Timothy 1:6-7
- John 14:12-17, 25-26
- John 16:12-14
- Luke 12:11-12
- Matthew 10:16-20
- Acts 16:6-7
- Romans 8:26-27
- Romans 15:13-19
- Acts 6:5-8
- 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, 9-12
- 2 Peter 1:20-21
- Psalm 51:9-12
- 1 Timothy 4:14
- Ephesians 4:30
- 2 Corinthians 13:3-4
- John 6:653
- Ephesians 3:14-21
TF:bo
Transcribed: 7/17/22
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