Let’s continue our series called “Knowing the Holy Spirit.”
We talk a lot about spiritual gifts and being filled with the Holy Spirit, which is so important. But it’s time for us to deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is with us in everything we do, and everywhere we go. He knows us inside and out. But do we know Him?
When it comes to the Holy Spirit, He is one of three things to you:
No matter where you are right now, if you engage with this series, you will come to know the Holy Spirit as an inseparable friend.
How do you build a friendship? By spending time getting to know each other.
In part one of this series, we answered the question, “Holy Spirit, what do you do for a living?”
Ephesians chapter one reveals that He is the seal of our salvation and the down payment of our inheritance.
You have been stamped with the Holy Spirit to declare three things:
The Holy Spirit is also the down payment of our inheritance. What is our inheritance? The fullness of our salvation. It is heaven!
A down payment is a portion of what’s to come. We’ve already been given a portion of everything we will have in heaven. But it can only be accessed through the Holy Spirit.
To the measure we know the Holy Spirit is the measure we live in the benefits of our salvation here on the earth.
So, if you asked the Holy Spirit what He did for a living, here’s what I believe He would say:
“I am the original fixer-upper. I moved into your spirit and made it perfect. My immaculate home in your spirit is the proof of your salvation. God now sees you as His flawless possession. Now that that’s done, I serve as the down payment of your inheritance. As you allow me, I’ll show you what heaven is like.”
How many of you want to know what heaven is like?
The more we know the Holy Spirit, the more we experience heaven on earth. This is the will of God, by the way. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Let’s continue this journey of getting to know the Holy Spirit.
When first getting to know someone, we use a shortcut. We think of someone we already know who is similar to the new person and use that information as a head start.
For example, when you were new to NoLimits, you used information about your previous pastor as a shortcut for getting to know me.
You didn’t have to ask if I prioritized the church; you already knew. You knew I loved the Word of God. Also, you knew I was a leader. And you knew I didn’t have a problem speaking to a group of people.
There are many things you knew about me before you even spent time with me. Why? Because you can use information from people you know that have similar giftings or roles and apply them to me.
We can do the same thing with the Holy Spirit. And it will be way more accurate than comparing one person to another. Let me show you what I mean in scripture.
In Philippians chapter one, the Apostle Paul explains how his imprisonment turned out to be a good thing. It enabled him to share the Good News with everyone else who was there.
Then he explains how some people preach Christ with pure motives, while others preach out of jealousy and rivalry. They simply wanted to outdo Paul and have a following greater than his.
Good thing that doesn’t go on anymore… Actually, it does. You can find multiple churches in every city that simply want to outdo the church down the street.
Although Paul wasn’t a fan of this, take a look at what he says:
Philippians 1:18 NLT - But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.
This is a little side nugget for you today. Whether a pastor or church has pure motives or not, we should simply rejoice that the Good News is being preached.
Don’t get caught up in the error of other churches. Let it go, and pray that they grow in their ability to share the Good News with others.
So, the Apostle Paul explained that while he was in prison, other church leaders were out there trying to outdo him. And instead of being upset, he found the good in it. How was he able to do this?
He explains in the next verse:
Philippians 1:19 NKJV - For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Paul knew the outcome of his suffering. Not only did it benefit others, but it would lead to his deliverance. And this same word, ‘deliverance,’ is translated to ‘salvation’ in Ephesians.
So, what is Paul talking about? The fullness of his salvation. He kept his eyes on the inheritance. He knew what belonged to him, and his circumstances couldn’t take it away.
Where did this assurance come from? He told us: through the prayers of the saints and through the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Never underestimate the power of prayer, especially when you are praying for your church leaders. The prayers of others kept Paul going strong even when he was in prison.
Many have admired my boldness for the gospel over the past few years. But know this. Those of you who were praying for me played a crucial role in everything the Lord has been doing through me.
Never stop praying. Because your prayers are paired with the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And that’s where the boldness comes to preach Jesus Christ in the midst of suffering and persecution.
So what does the verse we just read teach us about the Holy Spirit? It refers to Him as ‘The Spirit of Jesus Christ’. This means we can get to know the Holy Spirit through our knowledge of Christ.
This is the shortcut to knowing the Holy Spirit. Just like you got a head start on knowing me through your knowledge of another pastor, you have a head start on knowing the Holy Spirit through your knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Are they the same person? No. But they are in perfect unity.
Remember when Jesus said that He and the Father were one? That He didn’t do anything unless the Father revealed it to Him first? The same goes for the Holy Spirit. They are on the same page.
Take a look at how Jesus explained the Holy Spirit:
John 14:26 NKJV - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Within this same teaching moment to the disciples, Jesus gives more clarity about the Holy Spirit:
John 15:26 NKJV - But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
The Holy Spirit reminds us of what Jesus said, and He testifies of Jesus. In other words, the Holy Spirit always leads us closer to Jesus.
Let me drive this point home. The twelve disciples were used to having Jesus in the flesh. They were strong in their faith as long as they were with Him.
When Jesus was crucified, they all turned into a bunch of wimps. They went into hiding and didn’t regain their boldness until the Holy Spirit came upon them on the day of Pentecost.
Having Jesus in the flesh and being filled with the Holy Spirit yielded the same result: boldness in the truth and the ability to operate in spiritual gifts.
The Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus Christ are in perfect unity. Knowing Jesus gives us perfect insight into knowing the Holy Spirit.
Four books of the Bible reveal Jesus. We call them the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There is no shortage of information to help us know Jesus.
Two years ago, I preached a 16-part series called “Different.” We went through the book of John to get to know the real Jesus, who is different than who most American Christians think He is.
It is one of the most impactful series I have ever done. If you weren’t here, you can find all sixteen messages on our YouTube channel. Just search for NoLimits Church.
I will highlight just five of the many things we learned about Jesus during that series because these things also help us know the Holy Spirit.
The woke church embraces grace without truth. They tout forgiveness of sin while affirming the continuation of sin. This leads people to a fake version of salvation that denies its power.
In contrast, the religious church embraces truth without grace. They hold tight to their rules and regulations, leading people to believe they can earn their salvation through their good works.
But Jesus taught us how to bring grace and truth together. He brought us forgiveness of sin and freedom from sin. He exposes our wrong behaviors not to shame us but to set us free.
Jesus demonstrated this many times for us. With the Samaritan woman at the well, He brought up her dark past to lead her to freedom. With others, He would heal them, forgive them, and then tell them to go and sin no more.
If you share truth without grace, it leads people into religious bondage. If you extend grace without truth, it keeps people in the bondage of sin and darkness.
But when grace is what motivates you to share truth, it leads people to freedom.
The Holy Spirit helps us bring grace and truth together, just like Jesus taught us.
Have you ever heard someone say they don’t need to attend church because they have the Holy Spirit? Maybe even you have said it before? (Don’t raise your hand.)
I agree that the Holy Spirit is our ultimate teacher. He is the one who leads us into all truth. But when someone says the Holy Spirit is leading them to stay out of church, it reveals they aren’t listening to the Holy Spirit in the first place.
And it is confirmed when they crash and burn just a few months later. Every person I know that stopped going to church ends up confused and depressed. Some even leave the faith.
In John chapter two, you’ll read about Jesus going to the temple, turning over tables, and running people out with a whip. He was upset because the money changers were using God’s commandments to take advantage of God’s people.
This shocking reaction from Jesus was the fulfillment of a prophecy:
John 2:17 NLT - Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”
Jesus is passionate about God’s house, which used to be a temple made by human hands. But now, God’s house is the body of Christ. It is the church.
Jesus is passionate about the church. The Holy Spirit is passionate about the church. He is constantly at work bringing the body of Christ together so we can display the glory of God.
The Holy Spirit might lead you to a different group of believers. But He will not lead you out of the body of Christ. Why? Because He is passionate about God’s house.
This means the Holy Spirit will not lead you to a job that interferes with your function in the body of Christ. He won’t tell you to hide in your prayer closet to stay safe from all the mean church people.
The more you know the Holy Spirit, the more passionate you become about the church. Even in its imperfection, you love it. You prioritize it. You stick with it even in the hard seasons.
The Holy Spirit is passionately in love with the church. He’ll do what it takes to protect it. He’ll run people out with a whip if He needs to.
So, think twice before criticizing a pastor who sticks with the truth even when it runs people off. There’s a good chance the Holy Spirit is at work protecting God’s house.
That’s what was going on here two years ago. I was motivated by grace to speak the truth. The Holy Spirit filled me with boldness to keep on speaking the truth despite the criticism.
And now, you see the fruit of it. The Holy Spirit was protecting God’s house. Now NoLimits Church is a safe place for you to find your purpose in the body of Christ.
Now we can actually get something done for the Kingdom of God. We can see now this scripture come to pass:
Ephesians 4:16 NLT - As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
NoLimits Church is healthy and growing and full of love.
Woke Christianity teaches people to tolerate darkness. According to them, homosexuality, promiscuity, greed, and jealousy are all acceptable behaviors.
Yet John chapter two refers to Jesus as the light. And first John chapter one confirms that God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all.
I got news for you. When you come to Jesus, for real, your evil deeds are exposed. That’s why you can’t tolerate darkness as a true believer - there’s nowhere to hide it! It drives you bonkers.
Here’s why living in darkness is so painful after you get saved:
Ephesians 4:30 NLT - And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.
When you practice sexual immorality, look at porn, become envious of what someone else has, say stupid things, get drunk, watch ungodly TV shows, the Holy Spirit cringes. He is grieving on the inside of you which is why you are so miserable.
So let me help you out of your misery:
Ephesians 5:6-8 NLT - Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!
It’s as simple as that. Don’t be fooled by people who tell you to tolerate sin. Don’t participate in darkness. That’s not who you are anymore. Instead, live in the light!
You should be thankful the Holy Spirit makes you miserable when you sin. Otherwise, you’d be unaware of the darkness that is trying to overtake your life and pull you away from Jesus.
Find me one time that Jesus refused to heal someone. You won’t find it. Why? Because it is always God’s will to heal.
But doesn’t God use sickness to teach us? Won’t He allow sickness into your life to lead you closer to Him? No. That is all manmade religious nonsense with no scriptural backing.
And don’t tell me about your assumptions regarding the book of Job unless you can back them up with the life of Jesus.
Jesus revealed the will of the Father to us, not Job. And not one time did Jesus leave someone sick so they could learn something. Not once did He say sickness was a good way to draw people closer to God.
Actually, He taught us the opposite. Healing is what draws people to God. Healing is what reveals God’s goodness.
The Holy Spirit is eager to continue the ministry of Jesus. Just like Jesus went about healing all who were oppressed of the devil, the Holy Spirit wants to do the same thing through us.
That’s why we must destroy this religious nonsense about healing. As soon as we all get on the same page that it is always God’s will to heal and that the Holy Spirit is eager to minister healing through us, incredible miracles will burst forth.
If you struggle with this, will you please get in the Word of God and renew your mind? The reason we don’t see healing more often is because we are struggling to get on the same page.
It’s not your fault. Someone taught you this nonsense about God using healing to teach people. The only way to destroy those lies is with the Word of God.
Study healing until you are convinced it is always God’s will to heal. Go through the book of John and read about all the times Jesus healed because Jesus revealed the will of God.
Just like Jesus went about healing all who would receive, the Holy Spirit is eager to minister healing in us and through us.
Our pace in life is so ungodly, I bet we are always getting side-eyed by the Holy Spirit, “What are you doing?”
We leave with just enough time to get where we need to go, assuming that nothing will slow us down along the way. Only something usually does, and then we rush only to be late.
Some of y’all used to do that to church. But you’ve learned to show up a little early so you can get a seat. I’m proud of you.
Speaking of, thank you for your cooperation with our new process for latecomers. There are now certain parts of the service where we let people into the auditorium.
This isn’t to punish you for being late. It’s so you don’t punish people who showed up on time by interrupting their worship time. Because around here, we respect and serve each other well.
Not only are we rushing here and there, but we are constantly striving to get to the next income bracket. We are always on our phones trying to connect with people.
Y’all. We don’t even have a blank moment in the bathroom. We sit on the loo and pull out our phone. What are we doing?
Here’s what our life is supposed to look like:
Psalms 23:1-3 NKJV - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
When was the last time you sat down without your phone, with the TV off, and just enjoyed the peace of God?
When was the last time you went and sat by the lake and enjoyed the peaceful waters?
Do you sense the Holy Spirit leading you to a more peaceful life? So when are you going to make the change?
When am I going to make the change? This Psalm doesn’t reflect my life. When we moved five months ago, it took me two months - TWO MONTHS - to find time to walk to my new pond and sit on the dock and admire the peaceful waters. That’s ridiculous.
I’m making changes. And it is challenging for my carnal mind. The Holy Spirit is calling me to create space in my life. Margin. Quiet moments with nothing to do, nowhere to go.
Over and over, you will find Jesus disappearing into the wilderness to spend time with the Father. He didn’t tell His disciples how long He would be or even where He was going, just that He would be back soon.
Even the most important man to walk the earth prioritized quiet moments with God. His job was never done. There were always people to heal. There was always more to teach.
People expected Him always to be around. The disciples thought they had a right to know where He was going and how long He would be gone.
Instead of going along with the endless hustle, courtesy of human nature, Jesus chose God’s pace. A much slower pace. A pace that makes space for God and brings peace into your life.
He was able to do this because He fully trusted His Father. He wasn’t thinking about money. Jesus wasn’t thinking about how to become more prosperous or how to build a bigger ministry.
He lived a simple life. He did what the Father told Him to do. Nothing more. Nothing less. He demonstrated that when you seek the kingdom of God first, all the “things” are added to you.
If your life is busy, it is because there are things in your life that didn’t come from the Father. You are likely trying to fulfill your plan and God’s plan at the same time.
It’s not easy to abandon your own plans. There’s a good chance they are good plans. You probably even have others telling you to keep hustling because what you do is so good.
But even good things become worthless when they distract from God’s purpose for your life.
Fulfilling God’s purpose requires your full attention. He didn’t give you a part-time purpose. It is full-time and comes with incredible benefits when you accept the job.
We are becoming a church that knows how to shave off the excess - even when it's good things - to give God’s purpose our full attention.
It may not make financial sense. It may not make sense to those around us. But that’s okay. Because we know when we seek the kingdom of God, He takes care of the “stuff.”
When doing your own thing, you have to find prosperity. But when you prioritize God’s purpose, prosperity finds you. You used to have to make yourself prosperous. Now God makes you prosperous.
January 31st was my last day working on a project I have worked on for over ten years. It represented half of my working hours and almost half my business revenue.
This decision makes no financial sense. I could think of many reasons why I shouldn’t have done this. But I know it’s the right decision because it’s what the Father wants.
Why would I question what the Father wants? Do I have more business sense than He does? Do I know what the future holds? Is my ability to reason superior to His infinite wisdom?
Kids do this to their parents. Especially teenagers. Somehow they convince themselves that they are smarter than their parents.
As you become older, you realize how stupid you were as a teenager and how you really didn’t know anything. To all the teens in the room, the sooner you recognize this, the better.
But even as adults, we do the same thing to God that teenagers do to their parents. He leads us to do something, and we question it. We wonder if He really knows what He is doing.
We are literally foolish teenagers who think we know better than our Heavenly Father. It’s time for that to change.
When the Holy Spirit leads us to do something, we should simply reply, “Absolutely, yes. I delight in obeying Your commands. I trust that You will take care of me.”
And when your mind pipes up and says, “How are you going to make that work financially?” You reply, “I don’t have to have the answer to that. God said He’d take care of the “stuff”.
Let’s move into a new level of trust today. Let’s start responding to God with an emphatic “Yes!” Our Heavenly Father knows what He is doing and promised to take care of the “stuff.”
