Yearning for God's Presence: Embracing the Holy Spirit

 

Summary

In reflecting on our journey together, I've been deeply moved by the power of prayer and the longing for something greater than the pleasures of this world. As we navigate through the joys and distractions of life, it's essential to remember that true fulfillment comes from a deeper connection with God. Like King Solomon, who found emptiness despite his wealth and power, we too can find ourselves yearning for more. This longing is not for material possessions but for a supernatural experience with God, a desire to be in His presence and to feel His power in our lives.

The story of Bayak, a member of our church, beautifully illustrates this longing. Despite being in a luxurious hotel, he felt imprisoned because his heart longed to be with his beloved, Allison. This mirrors our spiritual journey, where no matter how comfortable our earthly life may be, our hearts should yearn for our eternal home with Jesus. This longing is not about religion or good works but about being madly in love with Jesus, desiring His presence above all else.

In John 14, Jesus comforts His disciples, who were heartbroken at the thought of His departure. He assures them that He is going to prepare a place for them and promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, another Counselor just like Him. This Counselor, the Holy Spirit, is not just a guide but an indwelling presence that empowers us to live out our faith. The early church, despite their limited understanding, experienced the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, which is available to us today.

We are called to internalize this truth and to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. It's not about our knowledge or abilities but about allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us, guiding us into all truth and empowering us to do greater things. As we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, let's embrace the supernatural and seek a deeper experience of God's presence in our lives.

Key Takeaways:

- The longing for more than earthly pleasures is a spiritual yearning for God's presence. Like Solomon, we may find that material wealth and power leave us empty, pointing us to the deeper fulfillment found in God. [02:01]

- Our earthly comforts can feel like a prison when our hearts are truly in love with Jesus. This longing for our eternal home with Him should drive our spiritual journey, transcending the temporary pleasures of this world. [04:34]

- Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit as another Counselor assures us that we are never alone. The Holy Spirit's indwelling presence empowers us to live out our faith and experience God's power in our lives. [11:46]

- The early church's transformative power came not from their knowledge but from their reliance on the Holy Spirit. We are called to internalize this truth and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, guiding us into all truth. [20:48]

- Embracing the supernatural involves seeking a deeper experience of God's presence and power. As we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we open ourselves to the transformative work He desires to do in and through us. [37:46]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:17] - The Power of Prayer
[01:10] - Yearning for More
[02:29] - Bayak's Story
[04:20] - Longing for Jesus
[06:21] - Disciples' Love for Jesus
[07:23] - Jesus' Comforting Promise
[08:35] - Preparing a Place
[09:13] - Jesus, the Way
[10:07] - Greater Things Through Faith
[11:09] - The Promise of the Holy Spirit
[12:46] - Another Counselor
[14:02] - The Holy Spirit's Role
[19:14] - The Early Church's Power
[22:17] - Experiencing the Holy Spirit
[28:24] - The Holy Spirit's Conviction
[36:42] - Seeking the Supernatural

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- John 14:1-17
- Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

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Observation Questions:

1. In John 14:1-3, how does Jesus comfort His disciples about His departure? What promise does He give them? [07:23]

2. What does King Solomon conclude about wealth and pleasure in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, and how does this relate to the sermon’s message about true fulfillment? [02:01]

3. According to John 14:16-17, what role does the Holy Spirit play in the lives of believers? How is He described? [11:09]

4. How does the story of Bayak illustrate the sermon’s point about earthly comforts feeling like a prison when our hearts long for Jesus? [04:07]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. What does it mean to have a longing for something greater than earthly pleasures, as described in the sermon? How does this relate to Solomon’s experience? [02:01]

2. How can the promise of the Holy Spirit as another Counselor provide comfort and empowerment to believers today, similar to how it did for the early church? [11:09]

3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that our earthly comforts can distract us from our spiritual journey? How can we recognize when this is happening? [04:34]

4. How does the sermon describe the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in the early church, and what implications does this have for believers today? [20:48]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt a longing for something more in your life. How did you respond to that feeling, and how might you seek a deeper connection with God in those moments? [02:15]

2. Consider the comforts and distractions in your life. Are there specific areas where you feel imprisoned by these comforts? How can you shift your focus towards longing for Jesus? [04:34]

3. How can you actively seek the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in your daily life? What practices or habits might help you become more aware of His indwelling presence? [11:46]

4. The sermon emphasizes being "madly in love with Jesus." What does this look like in your personal relationship with Him, and how can you cultivate this love further? [05:13]

5. Reflect on the role of prayer in your life. How can you deepen your belief in the power of prayer and make it a more integral part of your spiritual journey? [00:46]

6. The sermon encourages embracing the supernatural. What steps can you take to open yourself to the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in your life? [37:46]

7. How can you internalize the truth of the Holy Spirit’s power and allow Him to guide you into all truth, as described in the sermon? What might this look like in practical terms? [20:48]

Devotional

Day 1: Yearning for Divine Fulfillment
In our pursuit of life's pleasures, we often find ourselves longing for something more profound. This yearning is a spiritual call to seek God's presence, as material wealth and power, like those of King Solomon, can leave us feeling empty. True fulfillment is found in a deeper connection with God, transcending the temporary joys of this world. [02:01]

Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 (ESV): "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?"

Reflection: What are the earthly pleasures or pursuits that you find yourself chasing? How can you redirect this longing towards a deeper relationship with God today?


Day 2: The Heart's True Home
Our earthly comforts can sometimes feel like a prison when our hearts are truly in love with Jesus. This longing for our eternal home with Him should drive our spiritual journey, reminding us that our true satisfaction lies beyond the temporary pleasures of this world. Like Bayak, who felt imprisoned despite his luxurious surroundings, we are called to yearn for our eternal home with Jesus. [04:34]

2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (ESV): "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling."

Reflection: In what ways do you feel "imprisoned" by earthly comforts? How can you cultivate a longing for your eternal home with Jesus in your daily life?


Day 3: The Promise of the Holy Spirit
Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit as another Counselor assures us that we are never alone. The Holy Spirit's indwelling presence empowers us to live out our faith and experience God's power in our lives. This promise is a source of comfort and strength, guiding us into all truth and enabling us to do greater things through faith. [11:46]

John 16:13-14 (ESV): "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you."

Reflection: How have you experienced the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your life recently? What steps can you take to become more aware of His presence and power in your daily walk?


Day 4: Reliance on the Holy Spirit
The early church's transformative power came not from their knowledge but from their reliance on the Holy Spirit. We are called to internalize this truth and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, guiding us into all truth. This reliance is not about our abilities but about surrendering to the Spirit's leading and empowering presence. [20:48]

Acts 1:8 (ESV): "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you relying on your own strength rather than the Holy Spirit's power? How can you begin to surrender these areas to His guidance today?


Day 5: Embracing the Supernatural
Embracing the supernatural involves seeking a deeper experience of God's presence and power. As we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we open ourselves to the transformative work He desires to do in and through us. This journey is about stepping beyond the natural and inviting the supernatural into our lives. [37:46]

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (ESV): "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."

Reflection: What does embracing the supernatural look like in your life? How can you actively seek a deeper experience of God's presence and power this week?

Quotes



I really believe that it's more powerful for me to pray for you than it is for even me to speak to you um to beg God on your behalf uh do you believe that you know when you think of me do you just think okay I hope he'll come and speak for me or speak to me, or is there a side of you that gets more excited about knowing that I pray for you? [00:00:34]

One of my prayers is that even as we're going out and enjoying all these things that there's this other side of us that almost um gets bored of that and where we want more and say well that was fun but I want more I I want something deeper kind of like Solomon King Solomon remember when he's like okay I'm just going to get all the money in the world you know and then I'm going to have all the pleasure in the world and I'm going to have all the power in the world and he gets all of this stuff and then at the end it's just this emptiness. [00:01:36]

I pray that we have that type of heart where we go you know what I'm in this festar Resort down here but I feel like I'm an imprison because I want to be home with Jesus it doesn't matter how good things are here I I don't even notice this I feel like I'm a prisoner like you know like Paul was just saying gosh I just I just want to be gone I want to be with Jesus do are are you feeling that see that's what I've been praying for you is that you're so in love with this person. [00:04:21]

Jesus Comforts the disciples he goes okay I'm leaving right now but I'm going somewhere I'm going to the father I'm going to prepare a place for you you see the it was an imagery that was pretty clear in their day because when a a a man and a woman got engaged the man would go away and he would prepare a place for he and his future wife to live one day so he'd go away for a while, which helped keep things pure too you know he'd go away for a while and he's you know getting the home ready getting everything ready then he would come back come back for his bride and it's that same picture here Jesus goes I'm going I am leaving but you got to understand this is a good thing don't let your hearts be too sad I know you guys are sad you're bummed out but you got understand I'm preparing a place and I'm going to take you we're going to be together okay we're going to be together don't worry just like Jesus says to us today we're going to be together don't let your heart Hearts be troubled. [00:08:06]

I tell you the truth anyone who has faith in me will do what I've been doing he'll do even greater things than these because I'm going to the father and I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the son may bring glory to the father you may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it so then Jesus tells his disciples look okay not only are you going to come to be with me one day he goes but I'm going to the father and I will still hear you from up there in fact from up there from me being with the father you can ask me for anything in my name okay and I'll do it I'm there I will hear your prayers. [00:09:58]

I will ask the father and he'll give you another counselor to be with you forever the spirit of Truth the world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him but you know him for he lives with you and will be in you okay so when he leaves the Earth he tells them this he goes okay and here's the ultimate thing I'm going but I'm going to send someone else down okay imagine being a disciple okay are you try try to pict yourself in that crowd I mean you've been with Jesus for three and A2 years you seen the Miracles you've fallen in love with them you realize he's the son of God now he says I'm leaving and and he encourages you going man you can pray to me I'm coming back for you he goes but I'm going to send another counselor another counselor and this word for anothers there's there's two different ways to uh to to you you know for us in English to to say this I'm totally confused I'm like half asleep I've been just everywhere sorry um there are two how do you say it two okay thank you okay there are two it can either mean it can either mean another like another in a sense of a different kind of counselor or it can mean another that is just alike thank you whoever said to um another of the same another that is just like me and in the Greek what he is saying here is I'm sending you another that is just like me okay it's just as though I haven't gone I mean he's he's just he's the same kind he's not another like a different counselor he goes another one just like me is going to come another counselor in this word for counselor um John is the only one that uses this word as a noun it it is is this is verb in the in the Greek paraco which you know where we get the word like paraclet you know someone that comes comes alongside it's it's it's this this picture of uh um to come alongside it's a word we use to encourage as you encourage each other you exhort each other it's a picture I think I've shared before like a coach you know coming alongside a marathon runner you know and he's running alongside going either pick up the pace or you know slow down or you're doing great you know it that that's the idea of someone coming alongside a counselor see the disciples have had Jesus all along right and Jesus is walking them telling them what to do hey do this do that hey that's all wrong why are you guys fighting you know he's constantly with them and he goes okay I'm going to heaven but I'm going to send someone down it's it's going to be another counselor okay another one just like me. [00:11:15]

The first church the early church that was crazy wasn't it when you read in the book of Acts what the first church did I mean it was just nuts they just changed the world but understand it was all by the power of the Holy Spirit but secondly understand it was not from them sitting in an upper room and doing a bible study on the Holy Spirit they didn't know they didn't know squat about the Holy Spirit they had no clue what the Holy Spirit was going to do they just sat in that upper room and they prayed and they waited because Jesus told them to and said don't don't leave yet just just pray for the Holy Spirit wait for the Holy Spirit wait till he comes cuz when he comes then you're going to have power they didn't understand probably most of us in this room know more about the Holy Spirit than those early Believers did our Theology of the holy spirit is greater than theirs so the success of that early church was not because they had so much knowledge of the Holy Spirit but what they knew they truly internalized and they truly believed and that's my prayer for us. [00:19:50]

I think it would would be great it would be great if all of you went to our college and took a course on theology one and just understood everything you could about the Holy Spirit I think that's a great and wonderful thing to do and I hope you do it sometime I I mean I don't know of another church where you have an opportunity to actually just take college courses you know and and just just go and and get this knowledge I think that knowledge is great but at the same time and I do hope you do that at the same time my hunch is is is that most of you in this room know quite a bit about the Holy Spirit but you haven't experienced him in a long time my hunch is is that many of you know about him but you haven't been experiencing his power lately and that you want more of that. [00:21:59]

I struggle I struggle with stress I mean I just recently again man my heart started freaking out and doing that you know like like just think oh man I'm getting stressed again and every time I do it it's because I take my eyes off the Holy Spirit and and I start thinking that I'm alone or something and I start thinking like I have to do all this stuff by my own power and you get freaked out and the Bible Jesus saying I don't want you to live that way I don't want you to be scared I I mean some of you guys are scared of whether or not you're really going to be able to live your life for Jesus right sometimes you look at the rest of your life go am I going to pull this off am I going to keep living for him I mean I feel so tempted sometimes you you go man and I get this persecution from people and and I just feel like I'm by myself sometimes and you and and God doesn't want you to feel that way. [00:23:04]

I don't have to feel like I got to I got to get these people to believe in Jesus the Bible says the holy spirit's going to come and he's going to testify okay probably the most fascinating thing though and I'll close with this is is John 16 look at John 16 this is the most fascinating encouragement is John 16:7 but I tell you the truth it is for your good that I am going away unless I go away way the counselor will not come to you but if I go I will send him to you when Jesus says it's to your advantage it's for your good that I'm leaving he goes because in order for the Holy Spirit to come I've got to go and this is actually going to be better for you that the holy spirit is here than for me to be here see because was for so many years I I just thought gosh it's it'd be so much easier to be one of the disciples you know having Jesus by my side 24 hours a day I mean that'd be so easy right I mean how can you screw up when Son of God is walking with you you know and you know bad thought comes to your head and he's next to you going I know what you're thinking you know and it's like ah you're right you're right you're right you know and and just everywhere how hard would it be to witness this is Jesus you know I mean it just would be so sinking easy being a disciple cuz you've got Jesus right there and he can testify about himself he can do a miracle you know whatever and he's keeping me pure and I'd feel so safe so secure if I could see Jesus right there side by if I could have him on the stage right now feel so secure like you guys better listen you know and and then for him to say okay this is even better than that do you believe that do you believe that what you have right now inside of you is better than what the disciples had with Jesus walking by their side and it's to our advantage because he says in the next verse he says in verse 8 he goes you see when he comes he'll convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment see he says when he comes when the Holy Spirit comes he's going to convict the world see don't you feel a lot of times like you need to convict people don't you look at some of your friends and you open up the word of God and you try to convict them and you just feel like I'm never going to get through to this person they're never going to get it and the Bible's saying man you you're trusting in yourself it's not your job to convict the Holy Spirit when he comes he's going to convict man it's just such a comfort because we live in a world where it appears as though no one is convicted about anything and they're just living however they want to and I'm never going to get them to to to to feel convicted about their sin and the Bible says no when the Holy Spirit comes he will he will he will convict the world of their sin see I don't have to walk up here and go okay I got to try to convict the people this week you're going to be convicted some of you will lie and pretend you know you'll pursue things that aren't of God you'll pursue your sin and go I feel perfectly fine about this but you're lying you're convicted there are things in your life you try to justif fine but you can't you're convicted there are people who say oh I don't fear death I'll just see God when I see him and everything's cool no you don't really believe that you know there's a fear of death there's a fear of coming before God and a fear of judgment you say oh no I feel good I feel like I'm a good person no not when you're alone maybe all your friends tell you you're a good person but then you look at your life and you know what you've done and you're convicted because the Holy Spirit does that to you and so I don't have to go around trying to play Holy Spirit holy spirit's down here and he's convicting the world of sin and righteousness and judgment so I don't have to feel alone and you don't have to feel alone as you're trying to tell people about Jesus the holy spirit says he'll testify for you he'll testify about Jesus verse 12 he'll guide you into all truth when the Holy Spirit comes he'll guide you into all truth truth verse 14 he'll bring glory to me Isn't that cool the holy spirit will bring glory to Jesus see sometimes I just think okay I got to bring glory to God I got to bring glory to God holy spirit will do it he'll do it he'll do it through me he'll guide me into all truth sometimes I feel so inadequate to Pastor to to teach because man some of the people I run with are so stinking smart you know and and sometimes they get in these logical conversations over lunch and I'm just sitting there going oh yeah huh uhuh totally did you guys watch 24 last week you know it it's just like what an idiot like I I just go man I can't do this I don't even know what you guys are talking about you know and and I can look at my own faults and just go gosh I am never going to have any impact the B says you know what it's not about you the Holy Spirit he'll guide you into all truth it's not about who's the smart EST person on this Earth who knows the most you know it's it's about this Holy Spirit that's going to come and just change our lives completely. [00:28:24]

I want us to pray just for an outpouring of the holy spirit in our lives and in this church and I don't even know what that looks like completely and I know what some of you are thinking right now as I say this some of you like me you grew up in conservative churches just great and you've got a conservative theology I do too and when people talk about the Holy Spirit too much it makes you a little nervous some of you smiling because you know what I'm talking about and you go man I don't are we going to turn into one of those freaky churches are you going to have people come for you going lay their hands on them and they go you know are you going to do that stuff and start barking like a dog or whatever else and you're just going oh man I hope he doesn't go there I hope he doesn't go there I never know where that guy's going to go and I just hope he does not go there okay I'm not going to go there but let's be totally honest here when you read the book when you read this book and you read about what the Holy Spirit does and I'm talking those of us who grew up in pretty conservative churches when you read these passages about the Holy Spirit doesn't your own Spirit go I know there's more I know there's more than what I've experienced and I know it's not all about feeling and all about experience and everything else and yet there's something more and I want the supernatural I mean if if the spirit of God is in me and it's better than having Jesus man there sure was a lot going on when Jesus was there and there's got to be more going on in this body in this life through me if I can really have that type of power to put to death sin and I'm not going to try to muster up Miracles just to have Miracles but shouldn't there be a lot more more Supernatural going on in my life if the holy spirit of God really does live in here man don't you feel that sometimes don't just in your spirit just cry out like I know there's something more and I got to have it that's all I'm talking about I don't know what it looks like I don't know just like that early church they didn't know it was going to H do you think they knew that suddenly these tongues of fire were going to come on them and they're going to start speaking in different languages or whatever else we can't plan out for what the holy spirit's going to do he's like the wind it just comes and goes you don't know where he's coming where he's going man that that there's there's just I don't know what he's going to do in my life I just still believe man as much as I've experienced of God in my lifetime I know there's more when I read the Bible I go there's more there's more he wants from me this is not all he wants for my life there's something more I mean isn't there when I say that isn't there something in your own spirit that goes I know I feel the same thing about myself s this is not all God has for me on this Earth there's more and it's all up to the power of the Holy Spirit that's all it's about and I want us to pray for that not totally understanding him but just like those Apostles in the upper room just said God I don't I don't understand you told me this spirit's going to come and to have power I don't know what it's going to look like but I want it I want it in my life because I'm tired of living this way I'm tired of this Earth I want to see your power I you just spend some time right now just praying for that pray that for yourself pray that for the people sitting around you right now just pray for something you don't completely understand but just more power in your life more of the supernatural just pray for that right now the worship team's going to come up and maybe you need some prayer there'll be people in the prayer room but right now just just pray for yourself that the Holy Spirit would Empower you and blow your mind. [00:36:42]

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Transcript
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