Sin is a grave that haunts us long before we ever get to the cemetery did you hear me! Sin? Sin is a grave that haunts us long before we ever get to the cemetery now here's the good news. Jesus is the resurrection in life. He has come. To give us resurrected life and he came out of the grave did you hear me?
Jesus came out of the grave he showed us that he was all-powerful and then he said, you know, he said I'm gonna have to go away and they were I'm sure they were sad. I mean they've been walking with him and talking with him and even though he told them this is all gonna happen they didn't even hardly believe it when it did happen. But do you worry don’t you fear because God will send a comforter!

Two weeks ago, we began to look at the Gifts of the Holy Spirit taken from 1 Corinthians 12:1 – 11. The purpose of a spiritual gift is to glorify Jesus and to help people!  The Holy Spirit at work through us will always glorify Jesus and help people.  

Full Notes

This morning, I want us to dive further into the person of the Holy Spirit and look at what is called “spiritual gifts” manifested through the Holy Spirit.  (1 Corinthians 12:1 – 11). The purpose of a spiritual gift is to glorify Jesus and to help people!  That’s what the Holy Spirit working through us does.

 In Acts 2 we read that the Holy Spirit “filled” the disciples on the day of Pentecost.  The manifestations that day through the disciples glorified God in the languages of all the people gathered from many different countries.  As the disciples spoke under the power of the Holy Spirit, people opened their hearts to God, and Peter shared the Good News of Jesus Christ. Over 3000 people accepted Jesus Christ. 

 I want us to look at three of these spiritual gifts.

            -Wisdom: The Holy Spirit at work through us to help us hear and to speak wise counsel. 

            - Knowledge: The Holy Spirit at work through us to know what is true.  John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”  John 4:16 – 18 (example: The Samaritan Woman)

            - Faith: The Holy Spirit at work through us to be full of faith in any situation.  Hebrews 11:1. Our faith rests on settled issues: “I’m sure” and “I’m certain.”

                 There are four levels of faith: no faith; little faith; great faith (Luke 7); full of faith.

            -Brady Boyd says, “The measure of our faith isn’t seen by the number of prayers we get answered but by the amount of our life we are willing to surrender.”  One prays differently when one is surrendered.  Faith is the absolute assurance of God.  Faith in the New Testament is always used to talk about faith in God, not just faith for an outcome.  

How do you see the Holy Spirit? Do you see Him as infinite majesty, glory, wisdom, knowledge, and holiness? Do you see Him as a person the Heavenly Father sent to abide in us or do you see Him as just an influence? Someone who sees God’s Spirit as just

an influence or supreme power will constantly say, “I want more of the Spirit.” On the contrary, someone who sees the Holy Spirit as a wonderful gentle loving person will say, “How can I give more of myself to Him?”

 Paul gives us a catalog of the characteristics of the Spirit in his writing to the church of Galatia. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (chapter 5:22-23) These are the characteristics of God living in and through us.

 Submission is not our favorite word. Our failure to trust and submit to the Holy Spirit will lead to unintended destinations in our life. It is so important for us to make the right decisions now. But how? Good information and wisdom are not always enough to guarantee good decisions. If that were true, then why did the wisest man in the world get into such a mess?

Full Show Notes

The reality: You can't be more like Jesus without the Holy Spirit.  You can't even discipline yourself without the power of the Holy Spirit working in you. Jesus knew this which is why He told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were empowered with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Podcast Notes

Jesus, in John 14:27, said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

All true comfort and peace come to us through Christ alone.

Is it possible to live in troubled times and still have peace? Yes, it is. Where the heart is fixed and trusting in God, it is kept by the peace of God.

Where there's unity in home or church, there is peace.

There was a city slicker who drove into the country and ended up in a ditch. A farmer came along with his mule. The mule’s name was Buddy. He hitched Buddy to the car and yelled, “Pull, Sally, Pull!” Nothing happened. “Pull, Johnny, pull!” Still nothing. One more time he called a command. Nothing. Finally, he yelled, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” The city man asked the farmer why he’d done that. “Well,” said the farmer,” Buddy is blind; if he'd thought he was the only pulling, he wouldn't have pulled.” Sometimes we need to put blinders on and do whatever God calls us to do.

Real leaders in the church promote unity in the Spirit and peace. What does it say about the church if, during a time of unrest, people see the church unsettled?

At the beginning of this pandemic, Bible sales rose rapidly. People were listening to church online. They were hungry to know more of God, but now it seems like "business as usual."

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It is important to understand the difference between a temptation and a test. The temptation is an attempt to draw you away from God. A test is to build character in your life and to make you stronger.

When the devil left Jesus after his temptation, angels attended Him. Jesus trusted God to meet his every need.

We are looking today at the second temptation put before Jesus by the devil. (Remember that all of man's temptations are included in the three temptations.)

What was behind this second temptation? The devil took Jesus into the Holy City and onto the highest point of the temple. (150 ft above the ground.) IF you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. (Have you ever heard, “If you're a Christian if you're really a believer . . . ?)

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The temptation of Jesus is found in all four Gospels, but each Gospel writer sees Jesus a bit differently. Matthew writes about him as “King,” Mark saw Him as the Perfect Man, the Perfect Servant, Luke wrote of Him as Savior, and John dived right into the Power of Jesus.

Jesus was all these things and was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. Jesus resisted the devil’s temptations because the Holy Spirit was in FULL CONTROL in Jesus’ life.

The temptation is the only avenue of access for Satan to your life. In Luke 22:31-32, we hear Jesus saying, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

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In the verses that follow, Jesus is tempted in three different ways all of which have to do with his confidence in God; and all three of these temptations are in the background of everything that you and I will be tempted with. Is it not amazing that these temptations that Jesus was faced with, one of these will be behind every temptation that you and I will be faced with! I believe this is not just a coincidence. For example, Jesus was tempted to meet a legitimate need (God-given) in an illegitimate way (in a way not pleasing to God). Second, He was tempted to leverage.

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Why do we worship God through Jesus Christ? To understand, we must first understand something about ancient covenants. Regardless of the type of covenant that was made - - and there were three main types - - they were sealed with a sacrifice and the shedding of blood.

Jesus raised Lazarus in the days leading up to his own crucifixion; the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus and added Lazarus to the list of those marked for death. Five days before the Passover was to be celebrated - - a feast that had been celebrated for 1500 years - - Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. "Hosanna to the King of Kings." He was acknowledged as one who came in authority. . . "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord."

In Luke 22, we read of Jesus eating the Passover meal with his disciples and equating parts of it with the sacrifice He was about to make. "This is my body . . . this is my blood." Jesus was about to take the place of the sacrificial lamb.

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