Power, Seal, or Person? // June 21st, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Power Overshadows Presence: The Trap of Control

The hunger for spiritual power can twist even good desires into self-serving tools. Simon the Sorcerer saw the Holy Spirit’s miracles as a means to elevate himself, not to draw closer to God. His story warns against reducing the Spirit to a force we manipulate for influence. True life in the Spirit begins when we surrender our need for control and embrace humble dependence. The disciples scattered when Jesus was arrested, but the Spirit later empowered them to serve, not dominate. Lasting transformation comes through relationship, not transactions. [57:22]

“Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!’”
(Acts 8:18–20, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you sought spiritual experiences more for control than connection? How might humility reshape your desire for God’s power?

Day 2: Sealed but Thirsty: The Risk of Safe Religion

Nicodemus clung to religious certainty while secretly longing for the living water Jesus offered. Ceremonial rituals left him parched, yet fear kept him sipping from shallow pools. The Holy Spirit is both a seal of salvation and a river that disrupts comfortable religiosity. Like the eighth-day invitation in John 7, God calls us beyond dutiful observance into risky, intimate surrender. A sealed heart without overflowing life becomes a stagnant cistern. [54:57]

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’”
(John 7:37–38, ESV)

Reflection: What “safe” religious habits have you settled for instead of risking deeper dependence on the Spirit’s unpredictable work?

Day 3: Rivers from Within: The Unpredictable Invitation

Jesus’ promise of living water requires becoming a conduit, not a container. The Spirit flows through surrendered lives, not controlled systems. Simon wanted to bottle the apostles’ power; Nicodemus hesitated to abandon his status. Both missed the joy of being carried by the current of God’s presence. The disciples learned this after Pentecost: the Spirit’s power works through us when we stop trying to own it. [01:41:10]

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive.”
(John 7:38–39, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you resisting the Spirit’s flow because it feels too messy or uncontrollable? What might surrender look like today?

Day 4: Humble Beginnings: Relearning Dependence

Nicodemus’ nighttime visit exposed his struggle: how could a respected teacher become a child again? The Spirit’s work begins when we admit our expertise means nothing. Like the disciples fleeing Gethsemane, our self-sufficiency fails until we yield to the Helper. The Holy Spirit doesn’t empower our plans—He rewrites them. True authority comes not from titles but from kneeling. [01:25:33]

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 18:3–4, ESV)

Reflection: What “adult” responsibilities or reputations make you hesitant to approach God with childlike dependence?

Day 5: Knowing the Unseen Guest: Beyond Force to Friendship

The Holy Spirit grieves when treated as a tool rather than a Person. Simon reduced Him to a commodity; Nicodemus struggled to recognize Him as the answer to ancient rituals. Jesus’ farewell discourse reveals the Spirit as the eternal Companion who guides, not just empowers. Our bodies become temples when we host His presence, not just His power. The test of spiritual life isn’t miracles but intimacy. [01:51:11]

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.”
(1 Corinthians 6:19, ESV)

Reflection: How might your interactions with the Holy Spirit change if you prioritized knowing Him over using His gifts?

Sermon Summary

John 14, 15, and 16 sit there as the farewell discourse, the last words Jesus gives before he is arrested. Jesus knows he is about to be ripped away from his disciples, so Jesus comforts them with one repeated promise: he is not gonna leave them as orphans. The question under that promise is not only, “Is God with his people?” but also, “Are his people with God?”

Jesus answers that question by promising the Holy Spirit. The Helper, the Spirit of truth, will come from the Father, and Jesus says it is actually to the disciples’ advantage that he goes away. The Spirit is not Jesus’ absence with a religious souvenir left behind. The Spirit is God coming to make his home with his people.

The Holy Spirit is power, but the Holy Spirit is not just power. The power of God is present when the Spirit is present because the Spirit is God, not a force, not a spell, not some Star Wars thing to obtain and control. Simon the sorcerer shows the danger of disordered desire. Simon believes, gets baptized, and hangs around Philip, but when he sees the Spirit given through the apostles’ hands, he wants to buy “this power” so people will come to him. Peter sees the issue clearly: Simon wants the gift of God without a heart right before God. Power becomes a trap when the heart wants greatness instead of surrender.

The Holy Spirit is also a seal, the guarantee of inheritance, but the seal is not meant to become an excuse for a dry life. Nicodemus shows the other side of the problem. Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, caught between fear and humility, religious power and real hunger. Jesus tells him that seeing the kingdom means becoming born again, like a child newly born, willing to lose control and start over.

The Feast of Tabernacles sharpens that invitation. After seven days of ceremonial water, Jesus stands on the great day and cries out that anyone who thirsts should come to him and drink. The living water is the Spirit, not just ceremony, tradition, or religion. The Holy Spirit speaks, teaches, guides, intercedes, commands, reveals, wills, and loves. The Spirit can also be grieved, resisted, quenched, lied to, and insulted. The invitation is not to chase power or stay frozen on the riverbank, but to know the person of the Holy Spirit, with no condemnation, as God comes to dwell with his people.

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Key Takeaways

1. Power cannot be separated from God. The Holy Spirit brings the power of God because the Holy Spirit is God. Power becomes dangerous when the heart treats him like something to own, use, or perform with. The gift of God is not detached from the presence of God, and that keeps spiritual hunger from becoming spiritual control. [67:20]
2. Disordered desire turns gifts into traps. Simon wanted what looked holy, but his heart still wanted greatness. Even the good things of God can become snares when desire bends them toward ego, applause, or control. The issue is not whether power is real, but whether the heart wants God himself. [83:42]
3. Fear can keep faith on fringes. Nicodemus recognized something true in Jesus, but he came at night with much to lose. Religious knowledge and public respect can become their own kind of power, making surrender feel like death. Jesus’ call to be born again asks a person to become teachable, small, and willing to start over. [97:42]
4. Living water is not ceremony. Jesus stood after days of ritual water and offered the Spirit as living water. Ceremony can remember what God did, but the Spirit brings life with God now. Thirst becomes holy when it stops settling for religious memory and comes directly to Christ. [100:43]
5. The Spirit invites relationship first. The Holy Spirit speaks, teaches, guides, loves, and can be grieved. That means he is not a force to manipulate or merely a seal to file away for eternity. His power is real, but his person is the gift, and knowing him requires humility rather than performance.

## [114:55]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[50:27] - Opening Prayer and John 21 Joke
[51:59] - A Spirit Led Life
[52:23] - Jesus Promises Another Helper
[53:18] - Is God With His People?
[57:35] - Jesus Lets Judas Find Him
[58:04] - The Helper Will Come
[62:14] - Naming the Holy Spirit
[65:28] - Power, Seal, and Person
[66:14] - The Holy Spirit Is Power
[74:06] - Simon and the Trap of Power
[90:55] - The Holy Spirit Is a Seal
[93:17] - Nicodemus Comes at Night
[100:43] - Jesus Offers Living Water
[108:41] - The Spirit Is a Person
[123:43] - Invitation to Come Thirsty

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 14:16-18
“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. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” [58:04]

Acts 8:9-24
“But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the power of God that is called Great.’ And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.’” [01:14:06]

John 3:1-8
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’” [01:33:10]

John 7:37-39
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” [01:40:43]

Observation questions

In John 14:16-18, what names or descriptions are given to the Holy Spirit, and what does Jesus promise the disciples through him? [58:04]
In Acts 8, what details in Simon’s story show that he was drawn to power and greatness before he ever asked for the Holy Spirit? [01:17:09]
In John 3, what does Nicodemus do that shows both interest in Jesus and caution about being seen with him?
In John 7:37-39, when does Jesus make his invitation to come and drink, and what does John say Jesus was speaking about? [01:40:43]

Interpretation questions

Jesus says it is better for the disciples that he goes away so the Helper can come. Why would the coming of the Holy Spirit be better than simply keeping Jesus physically present with them? [58:37]
Peter tells Simon that the problem is not merely his words or his money, but that his heart is not right before God. What does that reveal about how God sees spiritual desire and ambition? [01:23:17]
Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again. Why would that be such a difficult word for a respected religious leader to hear, and what kind of surrender would it require? [01:37:42]
Jesus offers living water at the end of a feast full of water rituals. What does that suggest about the difference between remembering what God once did and actually receiving life with God now? [01:54:01]

Application questions

Simon wanted spiritual power without a surrendered heart. Where might that same temptation show up in ordinary Christian life today—wanting influence, recognition, usefulness, or results more than wanting God himself? [01:24:00]
Nicodemus came at night because he had something to lose. What fears most often keep a person on the edges of wholehearted surrender—reputation, comfort, control, disappointment, or something else? Which of those feels most real right now? [01:34:26]
Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” Where does life currently feel dry? What would it look like this week to come to Christ honestly instead of just pushing through on religious habit? [01:53:27]
The Holy Spirit is not a force to control but the very presence of God dwelling with his people. How would prayer, worship, or repentance change if the focus shifted from trying to get something from God to being with God? [01:51:03]
Some people stay on the riverbank because life in the Spirit feels unpredictable. In what area of life is control being held most tightly right now? What might it mean to become “like a child” there and let God lead? [01:47:45]
The Spirit can be known in relationship, and there is no condemnation in coming honestly. Is there any guilt, confusion, or pressure around the Holy Spirit that needs to be laid down so that thirst and hunger can become simple again? [02:01:19]
Jesus does not leave his people as orphans. Where is that promise needed most right now—in grief, decision-making, temptation, loneliness, or weariness? How might that promise reshape the way this week is faced? [58:51]

Sermon Clips

53s

“``So I wanna ask the question this morning because they just celebrated seven days of ceremony. I wanna ask, are we simply living with the water of ceremony, tradition, of religion, or are we giving our lives to the water of the spirit? The water that the priest poured out was purely ceremonial. It was to recall, to help remember what God had done. But Jesus stood up and offered the water of the spirit, an invitation for life now, with God now, that is not just a seal for then, for later, for eternal reward, and not just power to yield wield or control, but to a life of walking with God.”

68s

“``See, the story of scripture from the very beginning to the very end is of a god who wants to dwell with his people. Read the book of Genesis in the garden. He walks with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. He wants to be with his people. In the Old Testament, in Israel, in the law, he institutes the tabernacle and the temple where the presence of God could dwell, where his people could gather, where he would meet with his people. He wants to be with his people. He so desires to be with us that he took on flesh. We call the incarnation of God, Jesus Christ, in the flesh, to live and to die and to be raised again to life, making a way for us to be with him. And in Christ fulfilling the law, we become the temple of the holy spirit, the temple of God, the place of his dwelling.”

44s

“``And we have firmly established that the holy spirit is God. Right? God is not God the father who created God the son and then created this power force called the spirit that he gives to his son and gives to us and all of that. The holy spirit, as we have seen, is the third person of the trinity. He is coequal and coeternal with god the father and god the son. So the spirit of god, the holy spirit, not a force, not a power, not simply a seal or a guarantee, but the very being of god who has come to you to dwell in you.”

52s

“``I described earlier many ways that the bible talks about the holy spirit. Let's just look at a few of how he is also described as someone that we can know. The bible says that the holy spirit speaks, he teaches, he guides, he intercedes, he commands, he reveals, he wills, and he loves. That's not a force. That's not a force. But it also says that he can be grieved. That he can be lied to. That he can be resisted. That he can be quenched and he he can be insulted. Oh god, let none of those things be true of us. Right?”

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