Empowered by the Holy Spirit: Embracing Transformation

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Jesus' Humanity and Dependence on the Spirit

In the life of Jesus, we see a profound example of humility and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Though He was fully God, Jesus chose to live as a human, setting aside His divine privileges to depend on the Spirit for wisdom and power. This decision was not out of necessity but as a model for us to follow. Jesus' life demonstrates that true strength and wisdom come from a deep reliance on the Holy Spirit. As we navigate our own lives, we are encouraged to seek the Spirit's guidance and empowerment, just as Jesus did. This reliance is not a sign of weakness but a testament to the strength found in humility and dependence on God. [35:09]

"And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord." (Isaiah 11:2, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to set aside self-reliance and instead depend on the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength today?

Day 2: Living with the Awareness of the Spirit's Omnipresence

Psalm 139 beautifully illustrates the omnipresence of God's Spirit, reminding us that there is no place or time where the Spirit is absent. This understanding challenges us to live with a constant awareness of the Spirit's presence, even in our darkest or most mundane moments. Recognizing the Spirit's omnipresence can transform our perspective, helping us to see that we are never alone and that God's guidance and comfort are always available to us. By cultivating this awareness, we can live more fully in the joy, freedom, and grace that the Spirit offers, impacting those around us with His love and truth. [39:55]

"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!" (Psalm 139:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: How can you remind yourself of the Holy Spirit's presence in your daily routine, especially during challenging or mundane moments?

Day 3: Praying for Transformation and Renewal

Like King David, we are called to pray for a clean heart and a renewed spirit, acknowledging our need for the Holy Spirit to transform us into the likeness of Christ. This transformation is not a one-time event but a continual process of being molded by the Spirit's power. As we pray for transformation, we open ourselves to the Spirit's work in our lives, empowering us to overcome sin and live righteously. This journey requires humility, repentance, and a willingness to be changed by the Spirit's power, allowing us to become the people God created us to be. [44:39]

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me." (Psalm 51:10-11, ESV)

Reflection: What specific area of your life do you need to invite the Holy Spirit to transform today, and how can you actively participate in this transformation process?

Day 4: Cultivating Awareness of the Spirit's Presence

We are encouraged to cultivate a continual awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives. This awareness helps us to live more fully in the joy, freedom, and grace that the Spirit offers, impacting those around us. By intentionally seeking the Spirit's presence, we can experience His guidance, comfort, and empowerment in every aspect of our lives. This practice involves setting aside time for prayer, reflection, and listening to the Spirit's voice, allowing us to be more attuned to His leading and more effective in our witness to others. [01:05:44]

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: What practical steps can you take today to cultivate a greater awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence in your life?

Day 5: Seeking the Spirit's Revelation of Truth

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, guiding us into all truth and revealing God's will for our lives. In times of confusion or fear, we are invited to pray for the Spirit to reveal truth and bring clarity to our circumstances. This revelation is not just about gaining knowledge but about understanding God's heart and aligning our lives with His purposes. By seeking the Spirit's revelation, we can navigate the complexities of life with confidence, knowing that we are being led by the One who knows all things and desires the best for us. [01:08:23]

"But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him'—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and bring clarity today, and how can you position yourself to receive this revelation?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound presence and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As we approach Easter, we are reminded of the resurrection power that is available to us through the Holy Spirit. We began by discussing the upcoming street ministry and the visit of missionaries Emmanuel and Grace, who have witnessed the transformative power of the Spirit in challenging circumstances. This sets the stage for our deeper dive into understanding the Holy Spirit's role in our lives.

We reflected on the humanity of Jesus, who, though fully God, chose to live as a human, relying on the Holy Spirit for wisdom and power. This example encourages us to seek the Spirit's guidance and empowerment in our own lives. We delved into the Psalms, particularly Psalm 139, where David acknowledges the omnipresence of God's Spirit. This understanding challenges us to recognize that there is no place or time where the Spirit is absent, even in the darkest or most mundane moments of our lives.

The sermon emphasized the importance of inviting the Holy Spirit into our daily lives, not as a distant force but as an ever-present guide and comforter. We explored the multifaceted nature of the prayer "Come Holy Spirit," which is a call to partner with God in bringing His kingdom to earth, to witness His miraculous works, and to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. This prayer is also a plea for awareness of the Spirit's presence and for the revelation of truth in our lives.

We were reminded that the Holy Spirit is not just a passive presence but an active force that empowers us to live out our faith boldly and authentically. As we navigate the complexities of life, we are encouraged to continually seek the Spirit's guidance, allowing Him to mold us into the people God created us to be. This journey requires humility, repentance, and a willingness to be transformed by the Spirit's power.

Key Takeaways

1. The Humanity of Jesus: Jesus, though fully God, chose to live as a human, setting aside His divine privileges to rely on the Holy Spirit. This example teaches us the importance of depending on the Spirit for wisdom and power in our own lives. [35:09]
2. Omnipresence of the Spirit: Psalm 139 reminds us that God's Spirit is everywhere, at all times. This challenges us to live with the awareness that there is no place or time where the Spirit is absent, even in our darkest moments. [39:55]
3. Prayer for Transformation: Like King David, we are called to pray for a clean heart and a renewed spirit. This prayer acknowledges our need for the Holy Spirit to transform us into the likeness of Christ, empowering us to overcome sin and live righteously. [44:39]
4. Awareness of the Spirit's Presence: We are encouraged to cultivate a continual awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives. This awareness helps us to live more fully in the joy, freedom, and grace that the Spirit offers, impacting those around us. [65:44]
5. Revelation of Truth: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, guiding us into all truth and revealing God's will for our lives. In times of confusion or fear, we are invited to pray for the Spirit to reveal truth and bring clarity to our circumstances. [01:08:23]
** [68:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Announcements and Upcoming Events
[03:00] - Introduction to the Holy Spirit
[05:45] - Jesus' Humanity and the Holy Spirit
[12:00] - The Role of the Psalms
[18:30] - Omnipresence of the Spirit
[25:00] - The Spirit's Work in the Old Testament
[30:00] - Praying "Come Holy Spirit"
[35:09] - Jesus' Example of Relying on the Spirit
[39:55] - Psalm 139 and God's Omnipresence
[44:39] - Transformation Through the Spirit
[50:00] - Awareness of the Spirit's Presence
[65:44] - Personal Reflections and Challenges
[68:23] - Revelation of Truth
[75:29] - Closing Prayer and Worship

Sermon Clips

And as we talked about before, and we did a whole series on this a couple of years ago, but Jesus, when he came to earth, he was fully God and fully human. And so I want to look at what Jesus has to say about this or how Jesus learned about this. And when Jesus came to earth, he did not come as with all of his divine privileges. While he did not, he is still fully God and he's still fully human, but he came, he chose to set aside his divine privileges, which means that when he came to earth, he came fully human and he chose not to access those. [00:36:10] (30 seconds) Edit Clip

There's nowhere that God is not present by his Spirit. And he's there again when I'm reading my Bible, and if I'm getting angry at someone on the road who cuts me off or maybe doing my taxes this week and trying to decide how much should I really claim for income, right? He's present right in those moments. And not only is there no place where God is not present, there's also no time when he's not present. Scripture is adamant that the Holy Spirit has been with us from the beginning. In fact, from before the beginning. Genesis chapter 1 opens up. The very first words of the Bible emphasizes the presence of the Holy Spirit. [00:40:49] (35 seconds) Edit Clip

The word for spirit literally is, you may know in the Hebrew is the word ruach, which means breath. So literally to say spirit is to say the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, the holy ruach, the holy breath of God is forever present anywhere and anytime actively working, sustaining life, creating life, even though we may not see him. Even before creation and throughout the entirety of the Old Testament, the spirit has been active, bringing and sustaining life to all of creation, even when we were unaware of his presence. [00:42:41] (33 seconds) Edit Clip

So my opinion, that's what come Holy Spirit really means. It's another way of praying the Lord's prayer, saying, our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But as we're praying it, it's not just a distant thing, God, do your thing. But specifically, as Jesus teaches us to pray that, the whole point of that is praying that, that God, I know you are here. Every breath that I take, I'm breathing in your ruach, I'm breathing in your spirit. Jesus, may your kingdom come. [00:46:22] (26 seconds) Edit Clip

and the problem is it's not just a one -and -done prayer David asking God to purify his heart was not a permanent fix if you know the rest of the story he would go on to make countless sins he would go on to hurt so many people I'll be honest that deeply humbles me someone who loved God so much and yet so often with the opposite way from the heart of God and so we see these moments where David is crying out for God saying I need more of you Jesus fill me and then we see the fruit of the moments where he's not pursuing God and so it's a continual cry of my heart to not just pray it to realign my life and my will and actions and beliefs to the way of Jesus [00:56:50] (52 seconds) Edit Clip

Paul hammers it six times in just two or three verses here and then actually even more if you read beyond that he keeps going on it and as you just kind of pull up the highlights of this of just the six times he mentions it but I think Paul's trying to drill something into their heads here he says the spirit of God is living in you the spirit of Christ living in them the Christ and Christ lives within you the spirit gives you life the spirit of God lives in you the same spirit living within you all of that is within a couple sentences what is Paul trying to drill into their minds that the spirit dwells with you so there's no doubt that God dwells with us by his spirit the moment we receive Christ we receive his spirit but yet how often do we live in that awareness [01:02:54] (46 seconds) Edit Clip

when at my worst I'm prone to move in old habitual patterns just like King David did when I'm not consciously putting my attention on the reality of Emmanuel God with us I become far more task oriented than people oriented and I lose sight of God at work and the people around me you know last week I shared an example of this from the previous week where I had really blown it with one of my kids and just this last week the Lord revealed to me a massive failure on this one as well for this past week I'm ashamed to admit it I was this past week I was meeting with someone I was completely unaware of the Holy Spirit's presence I was meeting with someone who met with me to share the passion of what they felt that God was calling them to do [01:04:19] (42 seconds) Edit Clip

Imagine if only for the briefest of moments, as I sat with this person, if my thoughts would have just come in that split second and said, Jesus, thank you for that you're here, for it just had happened right as my, I talked before about that pause app, it happened at two o 'clock when that button, that my watch vibrates and says, remember to pray, which is always my reminder every time, a couple times a day when it goes off, that Holy Spirit, thank you that you're here, and I open my eyes, say, look, what are you doing to the people around me? If only that had happened at that moment when I was meeting with them, if I said, Holy Spirit, let me partner with you right now, that's all I would have taken, and it would have become a beautiful and spirit -filled meeting. [01:05:24] (38 seconds) Edit Clip

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