Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Holiness: Walk By the Spirit

Galatians 5:16-25 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The Holy Spirit is the source and power of our holiness

The desires of the flesh does not oppose us...they oppose the Spirit.
When we sin, we give control from the Spirit to the flesh. We are free, but sometimes we listen to our old master, sin.

Our sin is fighting with the Holy Spirit. The fruit of sin are listed followed by the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit of God is the cause of these fruits. The Holy Spirit is necessary for our sanctification.

Growth in Holiness happens in learning to walk in the Spirit

When we walk in the Spirit, this is how we grow holy.

Walking in the Spirit means following in the Spirit's lead.

We are like soldiers. We are to follow the leading of spirit. Much like how soldiers listen to the commanding officer.

Setting your mind on the things of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit ministers by spotlighting. It highlights. It draws us to dwell on Christ and the work he has done on our behalf. By winning of attention, it wins our heart. Sinful desires are pushed out by greater desire for God.

Where does the spirit lead us? It leads us to the Father. It reminds us that we are children of God. Over and over again. Why? We fail alot. We stumble alot. We experience hardship. God loves us. Not because of our performance, but in Christ. We easily forget and question God's love. Hardships make us bitter. Failures make us want to hide from God. But the holy spirit reminds us of the unconditional love, the grace, and the mercy of God.

Fruit of the Spirit = Holiness

The holy spirit shows us the father's...this makes us want to love. But even more than that, it makes us love our enemies. It mirrors the unconditional love of God.

The Spirit shows us the all encompassing fulfillment of God. We become filled with thankfulness for the giver rather than the gifts. We are filled with joy, even when God takes away those gifts.

Closing Remarks

Christians should be the most patient and humble people.

The more we are in the Word, the more ammo we give the Spirit to kill sin in our lives.

Listen to the leading of the Spirit.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Holiness: Praying in the Spirit as the Spirit prays in us

Romans 8:26-27 ESV

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Prayer is one of the most powerful tools God gives to change.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 calls us to continually pray. APTAT finds its foundation in prayer. It is a model imbued with prayer. We know the importance of prayer. We don't struggle with comprehension, but execution. Two things the modern church struggles with: prayer and evangelism. Any discussion of these brings feelings of guilt.

We may feel strange or confused about what to pray about. But we have a helper, the Holy Spirit. He helps us to pray. He prays for us. The spirit strengthens us. We are weak in prayer because we don't know what to pray for. There are many obvious things to pray for. So what is Paul talking about? We are in a broken world, we are not saved from it. God saves us through the brokenness. In the difficult times, the painful times, or horrible times... We don't know what God is doing. We don't know why. So we don't know what to ask for, we are in confusion. That is what Paul meant. We don't know what God wants.

The Holy Spirit prays for us. He prays in the will of God. And all prayers in the will of God are always answered. So even when we are confused, be reassured, the Holy spirit intercedes for us. God continues His work in us, even when we don't pray rightly.

"with groaning too deep for words" has many different interpretations. I think this refers to our groaning in a broken world that waits for redemption. But the Holy Spirit also groans. The deepest longing of the Spirit is for the glory and return of Christ. Not only that, but our groans over our sin and brokenness also originate from the Spirit.

We start out not knowing how to pray. The Holy spirit prays for us. We pray unknowing and uninformed. Then as we learn to pray, the Holy spirit starts to pray through us as well as with us.

Application

Be mindful of the Spirit as you pray

Even when you have a list of prayer items, ask the Holy spirit to lead and teach us to pray. We can get convicted to ask for forgiveness. We can get convicted of sin.

Allow God's general will to shape your prayer life

Pray according to what God wants, generally. God's kingdom come, the growth of the kingdom both in our hearts, lives, and the world. "Hallowed be your name" "your will be done"

The Spirit points us to the gospel

We are weak, He is strong. We were sinners unable to do anything, so the Son had to come save us. Prayer is the language of weakness and dependency. So as we grow, we learn how weak we are.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness: Spirit-Minded

Romans 8:1-8

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Today, we will speak of the greater power dwelling within us.

Sinfulness and rebellion in our hearts.
Condemnation by the law.
Justification by Christ.
Sanctification by the Spirit.

It is not trying harder in the flesh rather it is walking in the Spirit.

A proper understanding of spirituality.

We hear much about people who are claiming to be spiritual but not christians, not religious... We even hear about how some christians are more spiritual than others.  They are more intense, have charismatic gifts, etc.

When spirituality is spoken of here, it talks of the Holy Spirit. Spirit with a big S. The Spirit is a he not an it. He is not some sort of animated force. The Holy Spirit is a person. The holy spirit acts like a floodlight. He is not something to be admired. No one looks at a floodlight. The Holy Spirit is there to illuminate and highlight Jesus.

Anything glorifies, illuminates, or highlights anything other than Jesus... is either a sham or worse satanic.

What does it look like to live Spirit minded

We are all supposed to have our minds set on the spirit. This is not just for some Christians. It is for all of us. To live spiritually minded means to be preoccupied with Christ. That is how we grow. To live with our minds on the flesh, hampers our growth. We live for self-gratification and whatever idols we are hoping in.

Practically living spirit-minded.

The Holy Spirit uses the Word, the truth to work in us. Stay in the Word.

Behind every sin is a lie. God's word reveals lies.

God's word reveals our hearts. It convicts us of our sins. The bible gets examined much, but how often have we allowed the word to expound us, to tell us what is going on in our hearts.

When we behold the glory of Christ, we become more like Him. People change when they encounter the glory of God. They are transformed.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness: Spirit-Minded

Romans 8:1-8

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Today, we will speak of the greater power dwelling within us.

Sinfulness and rebellion in our hearts.
Condemnation by the law.
Justification by Christ.
Sanctification by the Spirit.

It is not trying harder in the flesh rather it is walking in the Spirit.

A proper understanding of spirituality.

We hear much about people who are claiming to be spiritual but not christians, not religious... We even hear about how some christians are more spiritual than others.  They are more intense, have charismatic gifts, etc.

When spirituality is spoken of here, it talks of the Holy Spirit. Spirit with a big S. The Spirit is a he not an it. He is not some sort of animated force. The Holy Spirit is a person. The holy spirit acts like a floodlight. He is not something to be admired. No one looks at a floodlight. The Holy Spirit is there to illuminate and highlight Jesus.

Anything glorifies, illuminates, or highlights anything other than Jesus... is either a sham or worse satanic.

What does it look like to live Spirit minded

We are all supposed to have our minds set on the spirit. This is not just for some Christians. It is for all of us. To live spiritually minded means to be preoccupied with Christ. That is how we grow. To live with our minds on the flesh, hampers our growth. We live for self-gratification and whatever idols we are hoping in.

Practically living spirit-minded.

The Holy Spirit uses the Word, the truth to work in us. Stay in the Word.

Behind every sin is a lie. God's word reveals lies.

God's word reveals our hearts. It convicts us of our sins. The bible gets examined much, but how often have we allowed the word to expound us, to tell us what is going on in our hearts.

When we behold the glory of Christ, we become more like Him. People change when they encounter the glory of God. They are transformed.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness: Spirit-Minded

Romans 8:1-8

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Today, we will speak of the greater power dwelling within us.

Sinfulness and rebellion in our hearts.
Condemnation by the law.
Justification by Christ.
Sanctification by the Spirit.

It is not trying harder in the flesh rather it is walking in the Spirit.

A proper understanding of spirituality.

We hear much about people who are claiming to be spiritual but not christians, not religious... We even hear about how some christians are more spiritual than others.  They are more intense, have charismatic gifts, etc.

When spirituality is spoken of here, it talks of the Holy Spirit. Spirit with a big S. The Spirit is a he not an it. He is not some sort of animated force. The Holy Spirit is a person. The holy spirit acts like a floodlight. He is not something to be admired. No one looks at a floodlight. The Holy Spirit is there to illuminate and highlight Jesus.

Anything glorifies, illuminates, or highlights anything other than Jesus... is either a sham or worse satanic.

What does it look like to live Spirit minded

We are all supposed to have our minds set on the spirit. This is not just for some Christians. It is for all of us. To live spiritually minded means to be preoccupied with Christ. That is how we grow. To live with our minds on the flesh, hampers our growth. We live for self-gratification and whatever idols we are hoping in.

Practically living spirit-minded.

The Holy Spirit uses the Word, the truth to work in us. Stay in the Word.

Behind every sin is a lie. God's word reveals lies.

God's word reveals our hearts. It convicts us of our sins. The bible gets examined much, but how often have we allowed the word to expound us, to tell us what is going on in our hearts.

When we behold the glory of Christ, we become more like Him. People change when they encounter the glory of God. They are transformed.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness: the enemy within

Romans 7:13-25 ESV

Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The law does not enable us to do what is right. It gives us the standard, but we don't have the power to do it.

It is like a poster of the ideal body given to a morbidly obese person. This poster shows them where they need to be, but it does not empower or enable. They can't eat the poster and lose weight. They can't roll it up and lift it. It only shows them their need.

Change is not easy. It is not a straight line. It is not like we accept Jesus and we just change. We have times of success and times of failure. Even in the same day. That is the experience of the christian life. So much struggle. It is like a battle or war going on.

Who is the Enemy?

Indwelling sin or the flesh is the enemy. Not flesh like physical body, but the part of us under sin's influence. We believe in a bodily resurrection, so the body is not bad.

From our last sermon, we know that sin is not our master. It no longer has power over us. But we still feel the influence... We are no longer slaves to sin, but we still let it tells us what to do.

We are like slaves immediately after emancipation. Even though the slaves are legally free, they still let their old masters control and influence them. So it is with us and our old master, sin.

Why do we have to take this Enemy seriously?

• It is always there and it never rests.

Even though sin has been dealt a deathblow by Christ. It is still fighting. It is like an guerilla war. It is waiting and hoping for an opportunity to attack.

"The Enemy Within" - Kris Lundgaard

• It seeks to do the worse at all times

Sin nature always seeks to try and drive you to it's worse end. Adultery, murder, and atheism. That is sin's goal. Subtle compromises and attempts to manage our sin result in horrible consequences. Sin wants to destroy us and those around us. If we play with sin, we are deluded.

If you have no tension, no fight with the inner man, no struggle...beware, sin has snuck up on you. Anything is better than apathy. Praise God that you are fighting sin.

What do we do?

• Be encouraged, if you feel the battle.

God is at work. Take heart. Sin will lose.

• Know your enemy.
• Kill the enemy.

Take the battle to the one you are fighting with. To battle well, you need to know who you are fighting. And how to fight. How to fight in the Spirit.

Walk in humble vigilance and confident resolve.

Humble in our vigilance over our soul, knowing our weakness and sin's strength and strategies.

Confidence in the promise of God, that sin will die and Jesus has opened the door into heaven.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness: Law! What is it good for?!

Romans 6:15-7:12

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

What it is (the law)

The values that the torah and God espouses are the same. It also includes traditions and rituals.

What the law can't do

It cannot make us right with God. The world is divided into two groups: slave to sin and slave to God. It cannot rescue us. We cannot please God through the law.

What the law does do

The law reveals our sin. God's law reveals what is required. It tells us what is right and what is wrong.

This generation wants to determine what is right and wrong for themselves. They want to set their own rules. Some say that society can set the standard, but there are times when society goes wrong. Germany under Hitler is an example of this.

In addition, the law provokes sin! Because of the sinful nature of our hearts, hearing the law provokes rebellion in us. This is not the law, it is what is in us.

The law condemns sin. There's alot of ink spilled over this. God judges all humanity by this law. It can be said that the law is good and meant to tell us the best way to live. But because we are sinners, the law kills us. A law over murder is meant to protect, but when we murder, it condemns us. So it is with sin.

What the law leads to

All these things are negative. So what is it good for? Why do we even care?

The law shows that sin is sin, and how we are sinful beyond measure. It is meant to show how utterly inept we are in doing what is right. It shows us our utter bankruptcy. When we see this, we are led to a person. Jesus, the one who lived the right life and died an undeserved death.

When we are married, we are tied for life. We were married to the law. And then we died in Christ. Our marriage to the law is broken. We are now married to Jesus.

So now what? We are now to relate to the law differently. We are now to bear fruit for God's glory. What does this mean?

We have new motives for following the law. We obey not from fear or self-confidence, but out of love. We don't live out of being afraid of condemnation. We don't need to be "good" christians. It comes from a heart of gratitude and love. This is exactly how it works in a mature and good marriage. We do these things because our joy is bringing them joy. So it is in Jesus. We do things because it bring Him honor and joy. The law becomes an internal desire rather than an external demand. That external demand is fulfilled by Jesus. The will of God rises in our hearts through the Spirit of God.

Simple application: Meditate on what Christ has done for us. So then the desire for God's fruit comes out of that.

The new use of the law...

We look in the bible and look at all things we should do. Then we try to do them. The bible is not meant to be a guidebook. It is not a how-to. It should lead us to Jesusand how God is working with us.

A new power source...

We will get a new heart and a new spirit. (Ezekiel 36:26-27) This is walking in the Spirit.

The Continual Movement of the Church on Mission

[Various passages in Acts]

{Rev. Dwight Yoo}

I will be wrapping up this series today. We've basically covered chapters 1 through 9. We felt this was so we could see God's heart. That the gospel is not something for ourselves, but it is something we devote our lives to. It not only encounters us and blesses us, but it should go out and bless others.

I would like to share some concluding thoughts...

Movement

This book is about a movement of God. That God is moving though his people. He is moving to redeem & restore this world. He is making this world more like it way it should be. Justice. Love. I think of how a drop of water hits the water and then the waves spread across the water. How the waves spread outward from that one drop. This reminds me of how the church moved outward from one small group of people. Not to say it expanded smoothly, but it kept moving outward. There were obstacles, but it kept moving.

Consider our vision statement - "To ignite a gospel-spreading movement through multiple local congregations in the greater Philadelphia area and the world, so that individuals, communities, and cultures are renewed in Christ."

How can we as a church and as individuals avoid becoming stagnant, but rather stay aligned with the movement of God?

1) Gospel-driven: We need to make the Gospel the engine. It should be what motivates us and moves us.

2) Spirit-empowered: How did the church move? A group of uneducated men. The Holy Spirit came and then they started moving with God.

Don't waste your life - John Piper

{Luke Woo - STM Taiwan}

Just came back from a missions trip to Taiwan. The land of Boba tea & scooters. Dal Shung is where I was. 95% of the people have a proclaimed religion. While you are in church service, you can hear the temple services and rituals going on outside. There is much spiritual battle there. I served as a tentmaker there. I taught the kids. Overseas, I learned about mobilization. There is no pastor Dan or pastor Dwight to tell you to do stuff. You have to stop sitting around and get out there. Get people excited and get christians together. I learned alot about what church is about.

http://www.omf.org/taiwan
Dead Women Walking - Jennifer Su

{Jen Kim - STM China}

Psalm 100:5

I've been in the city of Harbin. I've been basically at Siberia. The coldest was -45 degrees Fahrenheit, not adjusting for wind chill. Harbin is the location of the snow & ice festival. There is also a tiger park where you get on a bus and drive through a park with tigers. I've been teaching at North East Forestry University. I was a "foreign expert." I have not been able to evangelize, that is not allowed. But I have been able to share hope, teach them about Christmas & Easter. We cannot share but when we invite students into our homes and they ask us questions about living for God, we can answer their questions.

Matthew 28:18-20
Luke 4:18-19

(Personal Thoughts)

What does it mean for praise time to be Gospel-centered?
Are our songs too focused on our emotions and personal reactions and not God-centered enough?
How does the praise team engage those who are not musically gifted?

Spirit-Filled Church on Mission

{Acts 2:1-13}

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."

[Rev. Dwight Yoo]

Picture of inner city ministry - http://www.strochcc.org/

Sharing / Testimony of Ben McLeish and Kayti Chung

Background on the Pentecost

Pentecost literally means 50th. That day was the 50th day after the first day of Passover. In Jewish traditions, it was the day of firstfruits. This day was when Israelites started bringing in the harvest. It was one of the great pilgrimages in the Jewish tradition. Also 50 days after the liberation of the people from Egypt was when Moses came down from the mountain with the law.

So why Pentecost? God was probably portraying the harvest. Not the harvest of crops, nor grain, nor fruit. But rather the spiritual harvest, the salvation of souls.

The important point is the giving of the Spirit rather than just the giving of the law. "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statues and be careful to obey my rules."- Ezekiel 36:27 So we are no longer just trying to follow rules, but the Spirit works within our hearts. God is changing us to become like Him.

Events

Verse 2 describes the sounds of violent wind. In Greek & Hebrew, ("Ruwah") the word for wind also refers to breath and spirit. So why did God choose to make this sound? For those in the ancient days, wind meant rain. Rain meant life.

Also there were tongues of fire. Jesus said his disciples would be bathed with the Holy Spirit and fire. God presents himself as fire. A burning bush. A pillar of fire. These were not normal flames. These were "tongue" flames. In these passages, the tongues are referring to earthly dialects. We know this because the pilgrims heard of God's works in their own languages.

Application(s)

The event of Pentecost only happened once. So what does it mean to us?

We need to remember that the same spirit is in work in our lives & hearts. The same Holy Spirit is still enabling spiritual gifts.

How is the Spirit working?

• The Spirit works to bring life.


• The Spirit assures us of His Presence, and we experience God by the Spirit.


• The Spirit forms Kingdom character in us, the character of King Jesus.


• The Spirit empowers us to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

We need to remember that the Spirit not only affects us internally. But being spirit-filled also means we share the Gospel. It is not only internal effects, but also has an external effect. It means testifying to God's work powerfully, effectively, and fruitfully.

Fighting with the Full Armor of God: Prayer - The Summoning of Divine Power

{Ephesians 6:16-20}


In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

[Rev. Dan Whang]

I will be covering the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and prayer.
When we refer to the FULL armor of God, it is the full protection... nothing is left lacking. We will be equipped for battle.

Helmet of Salvation

I would like to refer to this as the "Hope of Salvation"

"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." - 1 Thessalonians 5:8

We differ this from our faith in that our faith is based on what has already been done for us. Hope is for what we has not yet come to pass. It is what drives us forward.

Sword of the Spirit

Everything else we've covered is for our defense. The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

Most of the time, we think of the sword in fighting the enemies and trying to kill them. But I would like to introduce the idea that the sword should first be used on ourselves. We should use the sword to help us reveal our own hearts. Don't get suicidal thoughts now...

Three powers of the Spirit

Power to search and convict - The spirit can reveal hidden sins that we are unaware of. It can convict us of things we should do or things we should not.
Power to comfort - When we are broken and dejected over sin, it can restore us even in the face of our most heinous sins.
Power to convert - The Spirit works to change our hearts and turn us to God.

Prayer in the Spirit

"praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints"
There is this all encompassing language. We should be praying at all times, in every situation.

Prayer as Empowerment - Prayer summons divine power. It is like the heavenly walkie talkie in the middle of the battle. We can and should call for spiritual backup, support, & supplies..
Prayer as Life - Prayer is not our focus. God is our focus. It is like having a conversation and trying to focus on conversation instead of the other person.

I have an encouragement about prayer. It is simply this...
Make prayer your #1 response to everything in life.
Like this oil spill in the gulf of Mexico. All this blame and fishing industry collapsing... What can we as a single human being do? I thought, we should pray.

Application

1. Make Time
2. Make Lists
3. Make Partners

"...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16 (NIV)

Letter to the Church in Sardis

[Revelation 3:1-6]

"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

"'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

{Rev. Dwight Yoo}

Background: Sardis was a wealthy city. It was were King Midas lived. It was known as a morally loose city, even among those who were largely sexually immoral. Among people who slept with temple prostitutes, Sardis was deemed "loose."

"I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead." - Even though the church in this city had lots of hustle & bustle, lots of action. The church here was dead. Organizations can have marketers to give them good jingles. To give them good reputations, but the church is different. The church's power depends upon the Holy Spirit! If the Spirit is not working, the church is dead.

Our church is known in this area. People have heard of Renewal. We have a reputation. Pastors know of us. But we are not too far off from the road that Sardis is traveling. Sardis thought they were doing well. Everyone around them thought they were doing well. But Jesus said... You're not doing well. When we go to a doctor for a examination, we get everything checked. They look at our eyes with a light, we are tested for reflexes, maybe our doctor runs a blood test. The doctor doesn't just check one thing... Wouldn't it seem absurd, if our doctor only checked our reflexes and said... You're okay!? But often we do this in our spiritual lives. We say... our doctrine is sound. OR I go to community group. OR I attend church.

What kind of spiritual check up is that? You want a real check of our spiritual life? How do you deal with it when we really, really want something.... and God doesn't give it to us? OR How about how to deal with success? OR How do we deal with people who hurt us and treat us bad? Are we spiritually dying?

"Wake up and strengthen what remains..." - However, there is a difference between being completely spiritual dead and being a dead church. A church that can respond to God is not completely dead. A completely spiritually dead person is not a Christian. God tells us to wake up. We are not dead, but we are asleep. It is much like an arm that you've slept on. It's numb and disabled. It is a useless limb until the blood comes back in. Dead churches... churches that are asleep... feel nothing. They are numb. They come into service and stand during worship. They sing and are faced with Christ, but their hearts are numb. They feel nothing. We are not excited about Jesus. He is about as interesting as growing grass. The fruit of these dead churches is just activity. There is no spiritual growth, no life change, no heart transformation.

Notice what Jesus does not say about the church. The church is the lampstand, not the lamp. It is not the light. Christ is the light. We hold Him up. The church is supposed to throw light into the darkness. The church does not look the same as those outside the church.

Jesus' prescription for a Dying Church

• RECOGNIZE your true condition. (Are you spiritual dead?)
  If your heart feels nothing...
  If you have no spiritual impact on others...
• REMEMBER the truth of the Gospel
  Change begins with the truth...
  Disbelief in the Gospel is at the root of sin in our lives...
  Christ RESURRECTS dead people. (Is there anything too hard for Him?)
  Satan lies to us... you can't change. Christ can't help you...
• Walk in OBEDIENCE
  (Our obedience does not save. Jesus' obedience saves. But obeying after saving faith is meaningful!)
  ITS EFFECT
  (Disobedience grieves the Holy Spirit. We hear the Spirit less. We become more numb.)
  (Obedience to God's will causes Jesus and the Holy Spirit to become more real & clearer.)
  AS EVIDENCE
  (A consistent pattern of disobedience indicates a person may not know Jesus.)
  Parable of the weeds {Matthew 13:24-30}
  A life in the Spirit wishes to obey God {Romans 8:1-17}