Receive the Spirit: Stop Trying to Complete Yourself

The secret of spiritual power is right under your nose. The very way you became Christians in the first place is the way you grow. Lay down your deadly doing. Stand in Christ alone, and there you will find spiritual power. Amen. [00:55:45] (26 seconds)  #StandInChrist

When you realize that, when you see that, you stop you stop trusting in your own performance and trust in what Christ has done. That's when the spirit enters your life. The same way you begin the Christian life is the way that you grow in it. You stop trying to complete yourself. You trust again in the one who has completed everything for you. You come to him, and you hear and see his grace. [00:55:12] (34 seconds)  #GraceNotPerformance

But when they open up that ark of the covenant and the wind comes and people are blown apart, there's something terrifying and ferocious and awe inspiring about the power of God, spirit. Now here's the claim that Paul is making and that Peter has made and that Jesus is making. That same power is in you. That's the spirit's power who dwells in you. [00:41:02] (36 seconds)  #GodsPowerWithin

And Frodo suddenly is struck by the fact that underneath his worn, ordinary, everyday clothing, he's carrying something of unimaginable value. And that's the picture that the bible gives of a Christian. If you're a Christian, if you're a Christian, then beneath the ordinary surface of your life and of my life, you are carrying the invaluable, priceless, powerful presence of God. Do we realize that? Do we let that in? Do we let that truth stagger us? [00:42:22] (42 seconds)  #HiddenTreasureWithin

The word translated portrayed there literally means graphically displayed. Think of like a billboard on the side of a road. Right? Maybe one of the electronic billboards that always has that stripe in it that doesn't work. And there's this vivid graphic image. Right? Every time you see that billboard now, you're gonna think of the sermon. There it is. That picture is graphically portrayed. It's as if I'm there. [00:45:40] (29 seconds)  #ChristPortrayedVividly

People aren't just looking for rules. People aren't looking for morality. People are looking for power, for spiritual power, something that can change them, and change their life. And Galatians three speaks directly to that desire. Galatians three, Paul shows us three things. The first thing he's gonna show us is that you can receive the spirit. You can receive spiritual power. [00:37:24] (30 seconds)  #ReceiveSpiritualPower

The second thing he's gonna show us is, in fact, without the spirit, you are not a Christian. Apart from the spirit of God, you haven't even begun the Christian life. And the third thing he's going to say is the way that you receive the spirit is also the way that you grow in the spirit. In other words, the way that you start the Christian life is the way that you grow in spiritual power. [00:37:53] (30 seconds)  #SpiritIsEssential

It's like a a a vague life force or energy or even just positive emotions. But the bible means something very specific and actually even greater. Because when the bible talks about the spirit, the holy spirit, the spirit of God, the bible is actually talking about the presence of God himself. God himself is present through his spirit. It's personal, present, active, alive. The bible is saying something staggering [00:38:59] (37 seconds)  #SpiritIsGodPresent