Understanding the Transformative Power of the Holy Spirit

### Bible Reading
1. John 16:7 (NIV) - "But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
2. Ephesians 4:21-24 (NIV) - "When you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
3. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

### Observation Questions
1. According to John 16:7, why did Jesus say it was better for Him to go away? ([10:21])
2. What does Ephesians 4:21-24 instruct us to do with our old sinful nature? ([32:30])
3. List the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. ([23:22])
4. How does the Holy Spirit help us maintain our salvation according to the sermon? ([11:58])

### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it significant that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Advocate in John 16:7? How does this role impact our daily lives? ([10:21])
2. In Ephesians 4:21-24, what does it mean to "put on the new self"? How does this process of renewal happen? ([32:30])
3. How do the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 serve as evidence of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives? ([23:22])
4. The sermon mentions that our sinful nature is constantly at war with the Spirit. How does the Holy Spirit equip us to overcome our sinful desires? ([28:27])

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt the Holy Spirit guiding you. How did you respond, and what was the outcome? ([05:26])
2. Ephesians 4:21-24 talks about renewing our thoughts and attitudes. What specific thoughts or attitudes do you need to renew in your life, and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to help you? ([32:30])
3. Choose one fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 that you feel you need to develop more in your life. What practical steps can you take this week to cultivate this fruit? ([23:22])
4. The sermon emphasized the importance of loving others as Jesus commanded. Think of a person in your life who is difficult to love. How can you show them Christ-like love this week? ([16:45])
5. The Holy Spirit helps us overcome our sinful nature. Identify a specific sinful behavior you struggle with. What steps can you take to rely on the Holy Spirit for strength and transformation in this area? ([28:27])
6. How can you be more aware of the Holy Spirit's presence and guidance in your daily life? Share a specific practice or habit you can adopt to stay more attuned to the Holy Spirit. ([05:26])
7. Reflect on the sermon’s message about the Holy Spirit transforming our character. What is one area of your character that you feel needs transformation, and how can you cooperate with the Holy Spirit in this process? ([21:42])

Day 1: The Holy Spirit is a Person and Co-Equal with the Father and the Son
The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force but a person with a will, intellect, and emotions. He is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son, and His role is crucial in our spiritual lives. Understanding the Holy Spirit as a person helps us to relate to Him more intimately and recognize His work in our lives. The Holy Spirit's personhood means that He can be grieved, He can love, and He can guide us in a personal way. This understanding transforms our relationship with Him from a mere acknowledgment of His existence to a deep, personal connection.

Recognizing the Holy Spirit as a person also means acknowledging His active role in our daily lives. He is not a distant deity but is present with us, guiding, comforting, and empowering us. This personal relationship with the Holy Spirit is essential for our spiritual growth and transformation. As we open our hearts to Him, we begin to experience His presence and power in a profound way, leading us to live lives that reflect the character of Christ.

[02:21]

Ephesians 4:30 (ESV): "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Reflection: How can you acknowledge the Holy Spirit's presence in your daily life and build a more personal relationship with Him today?


Day 2: Sanctification is a Lifelong Journey
Sanctification is the process of being made holy and set apart for God. It is not a one-time event but a continuous journey that requires the work of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:21-24 calls us to throw off our old sinful nature and let the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes, putting on a new nature created to be like God. This journey of sanctification involves daily surrender to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to transform our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors to align with God's will.

The process of sanctification is essential for maintaining our salvation and access to God. While Jesus has justified us and given us access to the Father, it is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us, helping us to maintain that access. This transformation is not something we can achieve on our own; it is the work of the Holy Spirit. As we cooperate with Him, we experience a gradual but profound change in our character, becoming more like Christ in every aspect of our lives.

[32:30]

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (ESV): "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to surrender more fully to the Holy Spirit's work of sanctification?


Day 3: The Holy Spirit Teaches and Reminds Us of Jesus' Teachings
One of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to teach us all things and remind us of what Jesus has taught us. This is crucial for us to live like Jesus and follow His commandments. John 14:25-26 tells us that the Holy Spirit will teach us everything and remind us of everything Jesus has told us. This teaching and reminding work of the Holy Spirit is essential for our spiritual growth and maturity.

The Holy Spirit helps us to understand and apply the teachings of Jesus in our daily lives. He brings to our remembrance the words of Jesus, guiding us in our decisions and actions. This divine guidance ensures that we stay on the path of righteousness and live lives that reflect the love and truth of Christ. As we rely on the Holy Spirit's teaching, we gain deeper insights into God's Word and grow in our ability to live out our faith in practical ways.

[16:45]

1 John 2:27 (ESV): "But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him."

Reflection: How can you be more attentive to the Holy Spirit's teaching and reminders in your daily life?


Day 4: The Fruits of the Spirit are Evidence of the Holy Spirit's Work
The transformation brought about by the Holy Spirit is evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These attributes are the evidence of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives and serve as a guide for us to be Christ-like. The presence of these fruits in our lives indicates that we are being transformed into the image of Christ.

The fruits of the Spirit are not just outward behaviors but reflect a deep inner change brought about by the Holy Spirit. As we yield to the Holy Spirit, He produces these fruits in us, making us more like Jesus in our character and actions. This transformation is a powerful testimony to the world of the reality of God's work in our lives. It also brings glory to God as others see His love and grace manifested through us.

[23:22]

Colossians 1:10 (ESV): "So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Reflection: Which fruit of the Spirit do you feel is most lacking in your life, and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to cultivate it in you?


Day 5: The Holy Spirit Helps Us Overcome Our Sinful Nature
Our sinful nature is constantly at war with the Spirit, but the Holy Spirit gives us the power and desire to do what pleases God. Galatians 5:17 describes this internal battle, but the Holy Spirit equips us to overcome our sinful desires and transform our character to be more like Christ. This ongoing struggle requires us to rely on the Holy Spirit's strength and guidance to live victoriously over sin.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to resist temptation and choose righteousness. He gives us the strength to say no to sin and yes to God's will. This victory over our sinful nature is not achieved through our own efforts but through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. As we depend on Him, we experience freedom from the bondage of sin and grow in our ability to live a holy and pleasing life before God.

[28:27]

Romans 8:13 (ESV): "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

Reflection: What specific sinful behavior or habit do you need the Holy Spirit's help to overcome, and how can you actively seek His power to do so today?

Well, good morning, COC. How's everybody doing on this side?

All right, so we are in the last message of Triune God, and our lead pastor and founding pastors are not here because they are at Jaden's graduation. He's graduating from eighth grade. So that means it's me, you, and the Holy Spirit. Let's make it happen. That's all we need, right? It's just the Holy Spirit, not me.

So I really want this to be an interactive experience for you. As we go through understanding who the Holy Spirit is and how he works, I want you to open up your hearts and minds to how the Holy Spirit is working in you. I want you all to receive a revelation of what the Holy Spirit is doing in you in your life today.

So the Holy Spirit is going to be speaking to you during this day. And so I want you to be able to hear him and have that experience with the Holy Spirit. So what you're going to hear today or have an interaction with the Holy Spirit is not a coincidence and is not a glitch in the matrix. It is the voice of the Holy Spirit.

So the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity or the Triune God. He is God. He is co-equal to the Father and co-equal to the Son. The Holy Spirit is the Trinity. He takes on kind of the name or the liking of the third person of the Trinity because in this Trinitarian formula, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, he's listed last.

In Matthew chapter 28, verse 19, as part of the Great Commission, Jesus said, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Even in the sequence of speech that Jesus has, he is listed third. The Holy Spirit is also the third person of the Trinity because in the progress of Revelation, he is third to be revealed as an individual person of the Godhead.

Now, the Holy Spirit shows up early in Scripture in the Old Testament, but we see the name of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord transferred from Moses to the elders when they were anointed. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson when he was a child, when he was an adult to fight battles, when he killed a lion. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon when he blew a ram's horn as a call to arms. The Spirit of the Lord came upon David when he got anointed as king.

But when we see the Spirit of the Lord come upon in the Old Testament, we liken it or we understand it to be the power of God and not an individual personality who is God. It's not until Jesus comes on to the scene that we start to see the individual parts of the Trinity as individual persons.

Jesus says in John 14:16, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate who will never leave you." This is a great example of the Trinity at work. We have Jesus, who is interceding on our behalf for what we need. We have the Father providing that thing that we need. And we have the Holy Spirit as the manifestation of what we need, as long as we have the Holy Spirit.

But the words of Jesus are pretty clear that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal power from God, but that he is God. He is neither the Father nor the Son, but an advocate who has a will, who has understanding, who has intellect. He is a person.

So the Holy Spirit is not a mystical force or an influence that God gives believers to make our day better or a good luck charm. We have to see the Holy Spirit as a person. Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit using personal pronouns. And what we get to see is that the Holy Spirit is not an "it," but a "he."

So John 16:13, Jesus says, "But when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." Amen.

We're so used to seeing the Holy Spirit as an influence or a force that we fail to understand that he is an individual person in the Godhead. It's easy for us to understand and to see God the Father and God the Son as persons, but not so much the Holy Spirit.

We can see God the Father as a person because of his interaction with creation. The many conversations that he's had with creation, when he was looking for Adam in the cool of the day, you know, when Adam ate that particular fruit that got us all in trouble, God the Father was looking for him.

We can see the Father as an individual when he has a long conversation with Job about the magnitude of creation and how to reconcile justice for everyone all the time. We know that the Father is a person because we can understand the sacrifice that he made when he sent his Son to die for our sins and to redeem all of humanity.

When we think about these things, we know that the Father is a person. We know that the Son is a person because Jesus actually came down on earth and lived amongst us. He was born as a human. He walked with us. He talked with us. He slept. He ate. He cried out in his pain to Father God. He cried with us in our pain, and then he died just like we all are going to die.

We are going to die. We are going to die. We are going to die. We are going to die. But the Holy Spirit operates in a mysterious way where his personality doesn't necessarily have tangible attributes that we can see as a person of the Godhead.

But Jesus says that we need to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He doesn't say names in plural, but he says name, identifying a oneness and equality between the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. So if we believe that the Father is a person and we believe that the Son is a person, then we must believe that the Holy Spirit is a person.

So we also think that the Holy Spirit is lesser of the three persons of the Godhead because of the sequence of speech, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and the progress in which he's been revealed to us in the Bible. But rest assured, the Holy Spirit is God. He is co-equal to God the Father and God the Son. There is no difference in equality.

You see, in our minds, we create a hierarchy because of the different roles that they have. And just because there's differences or distinction doesn't mean that there is inequality. It's distinction with equality.

Okay, let me speak to some of the husbands out here. Just because roles are different doesn't mean that there is not equality. You can have different roles and have equality. Somebody got that.

So we can see the distinction of the roles and the equality through Peter's quote. First Peter 1 and 2, Peter says, "God the Father knew you and chose you long ago." How many are glad that the Father knew me and chose me long ago? That if he knew me today and chose me today, I don't know if he would make the same decision when he did, when he chose me long ago.

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We can see the distinction of the roles of the Godhead, but there's an understanding of equality in Peter's quote.

So now that we have an understanding of who the Holy Spirit is and what he is, we understand him to be God. We understand him to be co-equal to God the Father and God the Son, and we understand him to be a person.

But what in the world does that have to do with us right now? I'm so glad you asked. Jesus makes a grand implication about our need for the Holy Spirit. John 16:7, Jesus says, "But in fact, it is best for you that I go away."

Now, I had to pause right there, go find a really old Bible with red letters in it to make sure that this is what Jesus was saying. Because why would he say it is better for us that he go away? Because if I don't, the advocate won't come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.

Why would it ever be better for Jesus to leave us? Why would it be better for the person who's brought us salvation, who's taken us out of the bondage of sin and has given us access to the Father to leave? Salvation comes through Jesus Christ, and he has given us access to the Father.

But maintaining that salvation, maintaining the access to the Father is the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to be set apart from the world to maintain our access to the Father. To keep the salvation that Jesus Christ has given us, it's called sanctification.

So, Jesus came and justified us, making us right with the Father. But we have to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit to maintain that salvation so that we can continue to be set apart from the world. Sanctification is to be transformed in the likeness of Christ, and it is in the likeness of Christ that we hold on to our salvation.

So, there's a parallel to us and Jesus, okay? Jesus had come down to the earth, and he's sending us out. Jesus was sanctified, and therefore, we need to be sanctified.

So, John 17:18 and 19, it says, "As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. There's a parallel. And for their sake, I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth."

So, before we were saved, you remember that dark time, that dark period of your life before you were saved? Before you were saved, your behavior separated you from the Father because you were of the world. But now that you have salvation, your behavior needs to represent your position with the Father, separating you from the world, being transformed like Christ.

Going back to 1 Peter 1 and 2, Peter says that the Spirit has made you holy. It is not by anything that we can do to be made holy, to be transformed in the image of Christ. It is by the Spirit. We can lose weight, some of us, on our own, kind of. But to be transformed in the image of Christ takes the work of the Holy Spirit.

Let me kind of put it like this. We've heard the phrase that you can take the Israelite out of Egypt, but you can't take Egypt out of the Israelite, right?

Let me make it more plain. How many of you all would say that you are from the hood, what you would consider the hood? There's not a lot of response here. I know where you all are from. Come on now.

I'm from Inglewood. My wife is from Roseland. Who's from the west side, the Hunnids, the low end, back of the yards, little village, some parts of Blue Island, those villages that we don't know the boundaries of, Dixmoor, Posen, Robbins, anything with heights in the name, right?

Now, I'm going to ask the question again. How many of you all are from the hood, right? How many of you all are from the hood? How many of you all are from the hood? How many of you all have been delivered and now no longer live in the hood, right?

Right? Isn't it a blessing that God has come down off his throne and has raised you up and delivered you from the bondage of the hood? Now, you clapping. I got another question for you. How many of you all still have hood tendencies and hood ways? You still grilling in the front yard? You still putting dibs on parking? Your neighbors are looking at you funny like, where are they from, right?

Removing you from the hood is the work of Jesus. Keeping hood tendencies out of you is the work of the Holy Spirit. Salvation comes through Jesus, but maintaining that salvation and transforming your behavior to be Christ-like is the work of the Holy Spirit.

I knew if I hadn't included the hood, you all would receive a word from the Holy Spirit.

So, there's two ways that the Holy Spirit makes us Christ-like. And the first way is that he teaches us all things and reminds us of what Jesus has told us. He teaches us all things, not some things. You don't need to go to Google. The Holy Spirit teaches us all things and reminds us what Jesus has told us.

John 14:25 and 26 says, "I am telling you these things now while I'm still with you, but when the Father sends the advocate as my representative, that is the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you."

If we want to be more like Jesus, we need to act, speak, talk, walk, interact like Jesus. We just did a whole series on how to be like Jesus. You can go back to that series and learn all the ways that you can be like Jesus.

So, how did Jesus act? What did Jesus say? What did Jesus teach? That reminder is the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught us a new commandment to live by, John 13:24, 25.

So, now I am giving you a new commandment. Love each other just as I have loved you. You should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my what? Disciples.

This command from Jesus not only shows us what we must do, it not only helps those that are around us, but it is the identifier that the Holy Spirit is working in you, setting you apart from the world. Because Jesus says, "They will know you are my disciples." We need that identifier.

Loving each other is what Jesus wants us to do. It is the new command that he has given us to set us apart from the world and so that we can be identified with him.

Has the Holy Spirit ever nudged you to love? To show the love of Jesus Christ when you wanted to and when you didn't want to? Yeah, the Holy Spirit doesn't care how you feel. He wants you to love. Love a coworker, a neighbor, a family member, bad family members, a stranger.

So, my son has stopped going to the stores with me altogether. He doesn't go to Home Depot with me. He doesn't go to Mariano's with me. Because every time I'm in a store, I end up talking to somebody for an extended period of time. Longer than small talk.

I find myself at Home Depot trying to find Scott's weeding feed, and I'm talking to the guy next to me about how the prices are outrageous to take care of your grass. And he's sharing with me how he's on a fixed income and how, like, it's just getting harder and harder for him to take care of his lawn.

And then I say, "Man, but, you know, God will provide." And I wait. And he says, "You know what? You're right, man. God's been providing for me all this time. So, I'm just going to be thankful." And I'm like, "Yes. The love of Jesus strikes again."

Or when I'm at Mariano's, and I have a height advantage, and I need to get the peas off the top shelf for someone. And then I start talking to him. And I said, "Do you want me to follow you around the store to get all the things that are high up on the shelves on your grocery list?"

And those conversations demonstrate the love of Jesus. It is those small interactions that show someone who Jesus is, that brings out the love of Jesus. You see, we as believers are already at the intersection of salvation.

But we don't know the work that the Holy Spirit has been doing in another person, getting them closer to Christ. So, when they cross our path, the love of Jesus that we can show somebody could bring them all the way to Christ.

The work of salvation belongs to the Holy Spirit. He takes care of 99.9% of the work of salvation. That 0.01% that's required is the love of Christ that we can share with our neighbors. And those small interactions is the love that Jesus wants us to have.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit that sets you apart, transforms you. Jesus likens loving your neighbor as loving God. He says it in Matthew 22:37. Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important."

Now, I wouldn't have thought that loving your neighbor would be equivalent to loving God, but Jesus thinks so. Love, he says, "A second is equally important. Love your neighbor as yourself."

So, if you love God and you love yourself, you have to love your neighbor. That's the work of the Holy Spirit that's inside of you.

So, the second way that the Holy Spirit can help you is to love your neighbor as yourself. The second way that the Holy Spirit makes us more like Christ is that he transforms our character.

See, the Holy Spirit transforms our outward behavior by transforming our inner personality. Second Corinthians 3:18 says, "And the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."

You can't reproduce the character of the Holy Spirit on your own. There's no New Year's resolution or good intentions or willpower that will make you more like Christ. It is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Paul says that God is working in you, giving you the desires and the powers to do what pleases him. It is the Holy Spirit that gives you the power and desire to do what pleases God, but then also equips you to please God by changing your character and your behavior to be more like him.

So, if you love your neighbor as yourself, you can be more like Christ. This new character and attributes that we take on that the Holy Spirit gives us is called the fruits of the Spirit. You knew where I was going. Look at you guys. You guys are great.

So, I want us all to read Galatians 5:22 to 23 together, okay? I want us to read it together, and when we start listing the attributes, I want you to read it with an emphatic emotion because this is the character, the attributes that you are going to adopt.

So, you need to be as enthused about it as the Holy Spirit is for you, all right? Galatians 5, starting at verse 22. Here we go.

Everyone read, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Come on, somebody. I love how Paul put self-control last that we can remember if there was one attribute that he wanted us to, he wanted to stick. Self-control. Come on, somebody.

So, the fruits of the Spirit in your life is the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. When you have these attributes, the Holy Spirit is working. This is our guide for us to be Christ-like. If you forget how to be like Christ, read the fruits of the Spirit.

So, I want to ask you a question. Do you have Christ-like behavior? Wait, wait, wait there. Before you answer, ask your neighbor, do they have Christ-like behavior? Say, "Neighbor, do you have Christ-like behavior?"

Okay. Now, I want you, part two, I want you to ask yourselves, look at yourself. Yeah, I didn't say call on yourself. I said, look at yourself. Say, "Self." Now, you can say self. Do you have Christ-like behavior?

What does yourself say? Sometimes. In general, maybe. What about last weekend? What about this past weekend, this weekend? What about tomorrow? What about tomorrow when you go to work and be with your crew? Will you have Christ-like behavior? Huh?

Does your behavior change based on your emotions and your environment? Or does it stay consistent as the Holy Spirit speaks to you on a day-to-day basis in your life?

Right? Verse 25 continues, "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." Not the part of our lives that we pick and choose. Right? Not the part of our lives that are convenient for us.

Do you have self-control in every part of your life? Do you have gentleness in every part of your life? So, my wife and I, we received a letter in the mail about a recall on her car for a part on her car.

So, we followed the instructions of the letter, we called the dealership, and we told them that we got a letter for the recall. And the dealership says, "Oh, great, come on in. We'll change the part. You know, we'll set up an appointment with you."

So the appointment day comes. I drive to the dealership. I drive to the service area. The garage door opens in the service area. I drive into the service area. A nice young gentleman comes to the car. I roll down my window, and he says, "How can I help you?"

And I said, "I received a letter from you all saying that there is a recall on a part, and you all will provide the part. And I called you and made an appointment on the day that you told me to come out."

Okay, I'm emphasizing who's responsible here. He says to me, "Let me go see if that part is in stock." And then he walks away.

And I say to myself, "Self, he does not have this part. I am going to go nuts. I am going to lose my mind. I'm going to lose all control in this place."

And the Holy Spirit says, "Come on, Holy Spirit." He says, "There is assertiveness, and there's losing control. There's an understanding of you being angry and maybe even being assertive in a moment. But you better do it with Christ-like behavior."

And this is Carlton's glorified imagination of the interpretation of the Holy Spirit because he says, "When you lose control, I'm going to lose control."

And you see, this is the thing. The Holy Spirit told me that they were not going to have the part. He told me that they were not going to have the part because he wanted me to take the time while no one was around me to gather my spirit.

I'm going to lose control. I'm going to lose control. I'm going to lose control. I'm going to lose control. So that I can have self-control. You see how prophecy works? It's not lottery numbers. It's to get you to be more like Christ.

So the gentleman comes back to the car, and he says, "We do not have the part." And I asserted myself in a Christ-like manner. You know, I may have asked for forgiveness later for how I asserted myself. But I went away.

And I'm still waiting for them to get the part. But my sinful nature and the Holy Spirit were having a combative conversation.

Okay, verse 17 describes exactly what was going on. "The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires, because I wanted to go nuts."

These two factors, these two forces are constantly fighting each other so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. Why does the Holy Spirit want me to have good intentions? Why doesn't he want me to lose control and act out my sinful behavior? What is the deal with the Holy Spirit? What does he want from me?

I'm glad I asked myself that question. All right, I want everybody to read this with me. And we're gonna get through a list of sinful behaviors. And I want you to reflect onto yourself.

And I want you to read it as if the Holy Spirit is removing these behaviors from you. Not with the same emphatic emotion that we had when we were reading the attributes of the fruits of the Spirit. But I really want this to sink in to you.

Verse 19. Ready? Read. "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasure, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these."

Wow, drunkenness and wild parties? Let's keep reading.

Read. "Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Come on, somebody. There's a reason why the Holy Spirit is working in you, making you Christ-like, trying to remove the sinful nature that's in you. Because he wants you to inherit the kingdom of God.

Right? How important is it? We think about sin and we think about big sin. But it's the small sin that Jesus talks about. He said it's not the murder as much as it is you being angry at a person.

That's the thing that will stop you from inheriting the kingdom of God. When God talked to Cain, he said, "Be careful of your anger because sin is crouching at the door."

The Holy Spirit wants us to inherit the kingdom of God by transforming our behavior to be Christ-like. Jesus has come to give us salvation. That we have. He has removed the bondage that sin has over us.

But to maintain that salvation and access to God, we have to be transformed to be Christ-like. And that's the work of the Holy Spirit. That's sanctification.

Ephesians 4:21 through 24 says, "Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupt by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature created to be like God, truly righteous and holy."

To be holy means to be set apart from the world. The work of the Holy Spirit in you is to glorify Jesus and to transform you to be more like him.

Sanctification is not a one-time event. It is a lifelong journey. Salvation is continuous. The Bible says we need to be saved, but the Greek verb to be is being, is continuous. We have to continue to be saved. It's being saved.

That's the work of the Holy Spirit. A theologian, Dr. Wayne Grudem, said, "To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with the immediate presence of God himself. It will result in feeling what God feels, desiring what God desires, doing what God wants, speaking by God's power, praying in ministry in God's strength, and praying with the knowledge that God is."

For those of us that have the Holy Spirit at salvation, we need to understand that he is continuing to work in us to make us more like Christ.

We're going to pray now. I'm going to pray two prayers. The first prayer, I'm going to pray. I'm going to pray over those who have salvation. And then I'm going to pray a prayer over those who don't yet have salvation.

And I want you to invite Jesus to be Lord of your life. First to have salvation. And then at that point, the Holy Spirit will enter in you and start working in you to transform you to be like Christ.

Let's pray.

God, I thank you for the revelation that you have given us, that the work of the Holy Spirit in all believers is to get us to be transformed, to get our behavior and our character and our attributes transformed to be like Christ.

God, I thank you that you are constantly working in us, that you have not stopped. You have not ceased the work in us to move us from our old sinful nature to the new nature that you have for us.

Thank you for working in us, day in and day out, making us more like Christ.

And for anyone in the room who hasn't invited Jesus in your heart yet, who hasn't made him the ruler and controller, the authority over your life, who hasn't made him Lord of your life, I want you to pray a prayer like this in your own words.

Dear Jesus, I believe that you have saved me from sin. You have cleansed me from the bondage of sin and all wrongdoing in my life. I believe that you died on the cross to take the punishment of that sin for me and that you rose again so that I can have life with you.

And I thank you, Jesus, for sending the advocate, the Holy Spirit, into my heart to transform me from this moment forward to be like you.

So I receive you, Jesus, in the salvation you have given me. And I receive you, Holy Spirit, in the transformative power from this moment forward.

In Jesus' name, amen.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "The Holy Spirit wants us to inherit the kingdom of God by transforming our behavior to be Christ-like. Jesus has come to give us salvation. That we have. He has removed the bondage that sin has over us. But to maintain that salvation and access to God, we have to be transformed to be Christ-like. And that's the work of the Holy Spirit. That's sanctification." [31:22](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "If we want to be more like Jesus, we need to act, speak, talk, walk, interact like Jesus. We just did a whole series on how to be like Jesus. You can go back to that series and learn all the ways that you can be like Jesus. So, how did Jesus act? What did Jesus say? What did Jesus teach? That reminder is the work of the Holy Spirit." [16:45](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "The love of Jesus strikes again. Or when I'm at Mariano's, and I have a height advantage, and I need to get the peas off the top shelf for someone. And then I start talking to him. And I said, do you want me to follow you around the store to get all the things that are high up on the shelves on your grocery list? And those conversations demonstrate the love of Jesus. It is those small interactions that show someone who Jesus is, that brings out the love of Jesus." [18:30](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "Jesus likens loving your neighbor as loving God. He says it in Matthew 22, 37. Jesus replied, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important. Now, I wouldn't have thought that loving your neighbor would be equivalent to loving God, but Jesus thinks so. Love, he says, a second is equally important. Love your neighbor as yourself. So, if you love God and you love yourself, you have to love your neighbor." [19:57](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



5. "The Holy Spirit transforms our outward behavior by transforming our inner personality. Second Corinthians 3 and 18 says, and the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. can't reproduce the character of the Holy Spirit on your own. There's no New Year's resolution or good intentions or willpower that will make you more like Christ. It is the work of the Holy Spirit." [21:42](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



### Quotes for Members

1. "Sanctification is not a one-time event. It is a lifelong. It is a lifelong journey. Salvation is continuous. The Bible says we need to be saved, but the Greek verb to be is being, is continuous. We have to continue to be saved. It's being saved. That's the work of the Holy Spirit." [32:30](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "For those of us that have the Holy Spirit at salvation, we need to understand that he is continuing to work in us to make us more like Christ." [33:35](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "The Holy Spirit teaches us all things and reminds us what Jesus has told us. John 14, 25, and 26 says, I am telling you these things now while I'm still with you, but when the Father sends the advocate as my representative, that is the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." [16:17](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "The fruits of the Spirit in your life is the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. When you have these attributes, the Holy Spirit is working, this is our guide for us to be Christ-like. If you forget how to be like Christ, read the fruits of the Spirit." [23:22](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



5. "Salvation comes through Jesus, but maintaining that salvation and transforming your behavior to be Christ-like is the work of the Holy Spirit." [15:16](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



6. "The Holy Spirit is not a mystical force or an influence that God gives believers to make our day better or a good luck charm. We have to see the Holy Spirit as a person. So scripture refers to the Holy Spirit using personal pronouns. And what we get to see is that the Holy Spirit is not a it, but a he." [05:26](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



7. "We also think that the Holy Spirit is lesser of the three persons of the Godhead because of the sequence of speech, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and the progress in which he's been revealed to us in the Bible. But rest assured, the Holy Spirit is God." [07:15](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)