We have a big vision, but we have a big God. And so what better day than Pentecost Sunday to talk about more power? That's what I'm going to talk about. More power. That's what the Holy Spirit brings in our life. Amen. It's more power.
On the first Pentecost, the nation of Israel was born. On the first Pentecost, when Moses went up, he received the law. That's what the word says. The nation of Israel was born. On the second Pentecost that we read about here in the New Testament, as we know it, the church was born. The church was born. Today we're not celebrating a denominational thing like I just talked about. Pentecost is we're not celebrating a denominational thing. We are celebrating the birth of the church.
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The difference was that one was given under the law. One was given the law meaning you break it, you die. But the other was given under divine and perfect grace and divine power. Perfect grace and divine power. You need to thank God that there was a second upper room. You need to thank God that there was an upper room experience. And that the church was birthed in that upper room.
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He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Most people are confused who the Holy Spirit is. Most people, the majority of the people are confused at even who he is. When I say he, most people have a tendency to refer to it. He's not an it. He's a he. He's a person. He's a person.
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God the Father wills everything for your life. Jesus speaks it into existence and the Holy Spirit said, I'll take care of that. That's exactly how it works. And I love that they're all working in perfect unity, perfect harmony. There's never a dissension going, hey, you're getting more credit than I get. There's never anybody arguing with the other one saying, hey, I don't like the way you did that. I don't think that was the right way to go. No, no, no. They're all working in perfect unity, perfect divine unity for us.
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Acts 1 and 8 says this, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes what? On you. When the Holy Spirit comes on you, you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
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The only way you're going to become a witness for him is by receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. You can't do it within you. The only way to be able to become a witness. So if you're struggling this morning in your witness, if you're struggling sharing who God is in your life, who he is, what he's done for you and how he's turned your life around and how he's changed you. If you're struggling with your witness this morning, maybe you need more power.
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You've not been saved just for fire insurance, to keep you out of hell. That's what that reference is, if y 'all were wondering. I've always looked at me like, what does she mean, fire insurance? I mean, that'll keep you out of hell. You're not saved just to stay out of hell. You've been saved. You've been called to be a witness.
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We need to be a witness. We've been saved to be a witness for Jesus Christ. A witness to what he's done in our lives. A witness to how he's changed me. A witness to the miracles that he's done in my life. A witness to the miracles that I see every day. A witness to who he is and what he does. He gives us the power to be a witness, to do that.
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But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things. He's going to teach you all things and he'll bring to your remembrance, look at this, all that I have said to you.
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But the Holy Spirit knows exactly how to teach you. How to teach you, how to teach me. He knows that we learn differently. He knows how to teach us, though, in the way that we can connect and understand. Like, I may not be able to connect and understand to what you can, but I can connect in my way. And I love that about the personalization of the Holy Spirit, that he teaches me on a level that I can understand and that I can learn.
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Here's one thing I understood and I learned about the Holy Spirit. He's my great defender. He's my great defender. And do you know that I don't have to say a word? I don't have to say a thing because He'll defend me. If there's defending needing to be done, He'll do it for me. If I will learn to let Him teach me not to speak at all times, not to say anything all the time, not to open my mouth, but to keep my mouth shut, He will defend me the way I need to be defended. And He can do a much better job than I can do for myself.
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The Holy Spirit will bring unity to the church. He will bring unity. Listen, not just Salt Life Church. He will bring unity to the church. If we have the Spirit of God working in us, the church as a whole will be unified. Listen, they weren't gathered together that day in the upper room. Ununified. They were completely unified. That's why the Spirit came. They were completely in one mind and one accord. They were in one heart. They knew what they were coming in for.
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They came into the room that day separate individuals, but they left completely unified. Did you hear me? They came in separate individuals, but they left completely unified. There was not a dissension between them. And that's why when they walked out that day and they were speaking in another language, the people on the street were saying, we hear our own dialect being spoken. And their hearts were turned to Jesus. And 3 ,000 people were added to the church in one day. One day.
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Ephesians 1, 13 through 14 says this. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal. You were marked with a seal. The promised Holy Spirit, he's your seal. Who is a deposit, look at that, that's that word again, guaranteeing your inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of his glory.
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Can I tell you, the Holy Spirit is in the same way, a seal for you. He is a seal for you. He is actually, he's supposed to shut up all the cracks and crevices in your life where the enemy's allowed to come in and wreak havoc in your life. He'll put a seal on that place. He'll put a seal on it. He'll seal up so the enemy can't come and get in where he's not supposed to. I love that. He's a seal for the doorways. On the doorframe of your life, the Holy Spirit is a seal for you.
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When the enemy comes in and tries to steal your stuff and tries to take your stuff, the Holy Spirit stands up and says, no, no, no, a deposit has already been made on this. They've been bought already. They've been paid for. They've been purchased. A deposit has already been made on your life when you receive the power of the Holy Spirit. A deposit gets put in, and the devil can't come in and say, nope, I want that. I want that. I want that. No, no, no. No, because the Holy Spirit stands up and says, back up, buddy. A deposit's already been put down on this one.
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Also, the Spirit helps us. We are very weak, but the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don't know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself speaks to God for us. I don't know about you, but you should shout right there. Because when you don't know how to pray and you don't have the words to tell anybody or anything, the Holy Spirit begins to pray for you. Oh, that encourages me. That encourages me. He begs God for us. Speaking to him with feelings too deep for words.
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If the Holy Spirit is praying for you. You can bank on the fact that God will work on your behalf. God will fight for you. God will work for you.
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