Sermon on 23 May 2021 by Pastor Justin
Romans 8:6 - “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
To recognise the voice of the Holy Spirit, you must live according to the Spirit. You cannot live according to the flesh. Those that live according to the flesh will mind the things of the flesh. Those who live according to the Spirit will mind the things of Spirit. To be spiritually minded is to have life and peace. To be carnally minded is death. This means that people always focus on things of the flesh, their own desires and self will. Death is here used metaphorically. It’s not that the person will die immediately. But on Earth, they experience misery in their soul; they will not receive peace and the life that God wanted them to live. To recognise the voice of the Holy Spirit is a very important topic that the devil doesn't want you to know. Today is the day of celebration, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Pentecost Sunday. The Holy Spirit dwells in us. His permanent address is in us. To be filled with the Holy Spirit, you must give the Holy Spirit the freedom to work in you. Many Christians go to meetings to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit is already dwelling in you. A Christian that is filled with the Holy Spirit has the fruit of the Spirit. You will have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control.
Galatians 5:22-23 - “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
These are the marks of a Christian that is filled with the Holy Spirit. Their conduct is filled with the Holy Spirit. To recognise the voice of the Holy Spirit, you must mind the things of the Holy Spirit. To be spiritually minded is to have life, which is the Zoe life. This peace is not from the world. The minute you become a Christian, a born again, you are different from the world. If you are not a Christian, you will never know the Holy Spirit. We can pray to the Creator. Be filled with the Holy Spirit so that the power of the Holy Spirit can work in you. Those who are spiritually minded will walk and live according to the Spirit, then they will have life and peace. You will have tranquility and security. When these come together, you will feel safe. It’s an unspeakable peace because it is from Christ and not the world. The size of our heart is just the size of our fists. Though this heart is small, the Bible tells us that it is detestable above all things. It is very wicked. You cannot fill your heart with the world. You can have the best pleasure and luxurious goods in your life but it will not be able to fill the bottomless pit in your heart. Only people that are born again have the Holy Spirit. God gives us the free will to decide whether we want to live our life according to our flesh. We can also choose to be led by the Holy Spirit to take control of us. You must know first before you recognise. Obedience is more important than the sacrifices. When we are carnally minded, the Bible says that it is not pleasing to God. It is evident by our flesh.
Galatians 5:19-21 - “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
If you are in the flesh, you cannot inherit the kingdom of God. These people walk according to the passion of their flesh and their self will. It is not pleasing to God.
Romans 8:7-8 - “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.”
Why is it important to recognise the voice of the Holy Spirit? If you don’t, you will be hit by the voice of the devil. There will be deceiving voices. Many Christians are defeated and cannot live a victorious life. They can have a healing ministry but cannot heal their own pride. You need to decide whether or not to be filled by the Holy Spirit. If you have decided to be filled with Him, don’t come to me and ask me to lay hands on you. It is already in you. The devil doesn't want you to know this truth. You need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and control your life. Christ must be in the centre of everything you do. It is important for us to recognise the voice of the Holy Spirit so that we will not fall into the deceiving spirit and fall into wrong doctrine.
2 Corinthians 11:14 - “But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
The devil can appear before us as a thought in our mind. If we don’t allow the Spirit to lead our life, we will be a victim to wrong teachings. If you walk in the Spirit, you will never satisfy the flesh. Those who are in the flesh will never be able to please God.
Galatians 5:16 - “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”
Romans 8:8 - “That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.”
You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are a spirit. You have a soul. You live in a body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The word temple means the Holy of Holies. It is the inner sanctuary in the tabernacle. There is the outer court, inner court and the Holy of Holies. That is where the high priest will enter through the veil once a year to atone our sins. They meet God there. The Bible says that our body is the Holy of Holies that God dwells in. The Holy Spirit is in us wherever we go. It is so important for us to recognise that so that we can obey that. The One in us is greater than the world. You carry the anointing and presence of God. You are the light. You are the salt of the world. Everywhere you go, you go knowing that Christ is in you. You must allow the Holy Spirit to take over your thoughts. Those who are spiritually minded have life and peace.
The biblical principles are more important than the experiences of men, even the most devoted Christian. The Holy Spirit Works through a small gentle whisper and the word of the Bible. God is sovereign. He can use any means and ways to talk to you. In the New Testament, God uses different supernatural ways and means to lead the apostle. God still has the final say in how he wants to lead us. We want to focus on the main ways he leads us, which is by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19 - “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,”
The Holy Spirit works by a still small gentle whisper, a prompting, a pressure and through his word. When we read the word, there will be a discerning spirit and you will just know that that is the voice of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost Sunday is the coming of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is 10 days after the ascension of our Lord. Jesus stayed on earth for 40 days, appeared to the disciples and taught them the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit dwells in us to give us the power to uphold the great commission.
Acts 2:1-4 - “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.”
Acts 1:8 - “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””
The Holy Spirit dwells and stays in us. He is a person. He is a member of the trinity. He is not a force. He is a person living inside you. But there are still people living according to what they want. Being carnally minded results in death. To be filled with the Holy Spirit, you just have to obey. Let the Holy Spirit lead you from within. Jesus asked why are you praying in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ but are not doing the things He has said. Many Christians say their prayers are not answered. But I always tell them to check their relationship with God. When you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, you must have a relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit would love to talk to us. It yearns jealously for us. The Holy Spirit isn’t far away. When we obey, the more we are able to recognise the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit loves to talk to us. My sheep hears my voice. Jesus will lead us. He is always before us and we are always following behind Him. As we follow, we recognise His voice. When He calls, we follow.
James 4:5 - “Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.”
Are you guided by the principles of right and wrong? The worldly people are guided by that. LFC trained and taught our brothers and sisters how to differentiate between good and good. Is the good that the person is doing is based on his own opinion? It’s based on their own principles. It’s likened to the tree in the Garden of Eden in Genesis.
Genesis 2:9 - “The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Are you guided by the tree of life, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit? (Matthew 5:17-48) The world will always base their actions on their own opinion and understanding. But God says that the truth is not about our own opinion, but on His words. We will be sanctified by the truth. The truth is His words. It is the way of life. If we are spiritually minded, we live according to the Spirit and are guided by the tree of life. Other than the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there is the tree of life. Those who are spiritually minded have life and peace, the Zoe life. Don’t miss that. You have the Spirit in you. Recognise the voice by knowing and obeying this voice according to the tree of life. Jesus needs to be in the centre of everything. Follow the voice from Christ. It will never contradict the word of God.
By having the Holy Spirit in you, you can discern between what is good and what’s according to His will. The more you practice by obeying, the more you will be able to follow the Holy Spirit. He wants you. He wants to guide and protect you. We make decisions everyday. We need to seek the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the best direction.
Pointers for today:
1. Obey His words
1 Peter 1:14 - “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.”
We are called the obedient children of the most high God. Our calling is to be obedient. When we obey, then we can hear and set apart our lives. It’s the Holy living. When we consecrate our lives, the Holy Spirit knows and connects. We only need to believe. It’s the love of God that brings us to a point that we have to be led by the Holy Spirit so that we can grow spiritually. Our Lord said that He Himself cannot do anything by Himself. What more about us?
John 5:19 - “So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”
The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth. He will speak to us and guide us. If you’re making a decision, pray to God and hear His voice. When you’re waiting and if any thought that comes to you that's not in line with God, however convincing it is, don’t proceed with it.
John 16:13 - “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”
2. An inner pressure in our spirit
Romans 8:6 - “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
Sometimes God gives you the inner pressure that you cannot understand. When you obey the nudging, God will bring you to places you cannot imagine.
3. Differentiate the voice of the Holy Spirit from our own voice
This is a tough part. Our heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.
Jeremiah 17:9 - ““The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”
God is the one that’ll fill our heart. Always check our spirit. Is your motive to glorify God? Many Christians miss this part. Keep in step with the spirit.
Galatians 5:16-17 - “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”
The spirit and the flesh are contrary to one another. The flesh will always lust for the spirit and vice versa. They are opposing one another. Check your heart. Are you living in a way keeping step with the spirit? The spirit will nudge you that’ll produce a peace. The peace is a perfect peace and when we have that peace, we proceed.
Colossians 3:15 - “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
The love of Christ will fill our heart. Only the peace that comes from Christ which surpasses all understanding will guard our heart and mind so that we can walk according to God’s will.
The word is so powerful. If you are always guided by the word, you will not be affected by external factors. You will not be led by other things. You will be led by the internal registration and not the external indication
Hebrews 4:12 - “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
Amen.
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