Calvary Lutheran Church

Recognizing the Holy Spirit's Power in Us

Grace and peace are yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our blessed Lord and Savior. Amen.

Acts 2:1-21

Dear Christian Friends:

The festival of Pentecost allows us to focus on that member of the Trinity that we don't mention too often, and he prefers it that way. I'm talking about God the Holy Spirit, sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost or the Spirit of God. He is the shy member of the Trinity, because he doesn’t like to draw attention to himself but is always pointing to the Savior. 

He is of particular interest, however, to each of us because as believers, the Bible says, he lives in us. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Jesus said, “The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and is in you” (John 14:17). So Jesus not only tells us that the Spirit lives in us, but we can know that he lives in us. And that is our goal this morning on Pentecost Sunday, 

RECOGNIZING THE HOLY SPIRIT'S POWER IN US

We know that the Holy Spirit as true God has power. After all, he too was present at the time of creation. In Genesis 1:2 he is described as “hovering over the waters.” The word “hovering” at other places in Moses' writings is used to describe the action of a mother eagle hovering over her nest, providing for her young, and protecting them. So we might say that the Spirit of God was active in preserving and protecting what God had created and preparing the universe for what God had yet in mind.

The Holy Spirit was also part of the “us” when God said, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26).So the Holy Spirit was also involved in creating the first human life. That is one reason he is sometimes called the Spirit of Life.

The Holy Spirit also created the perfect human body for Jesus in Mary's womb when she was conceived by the Holy Spirit. That is one reason he is sometimes called the Spirit of Holiness. Jesus didn't have the original sin that you and I were born with. But his holy, eternal divinity was confined in the seed of Mary. How did the Spirit do that? By his power.

The Holy Spirit also inspired the prophets and evangelists and apostles to write the very words of the Scriptures. For example, the author of the books of Samuel had no doubt that the Spirit was directing his writings. He wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). That is one reason he is sometimes called the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Wisdom and the Spirit of Revelation.

Finally, the Spirit also anointed Jesus at the time of his baptism with the power to do the work he was about to do—to preach and teach and heal and suffer and die and rise again. That is one reason he is sometimes called the Spirit of Glory. Yes, it is that same Holy Spirit who lives in us with that same power.

But how do we recognize the Spirit's power in us? Oh, that's easy. Because he, first of all, works his power of faith in us. This was the lesson in Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones. Remember how the Spirit of the Lord brought Ezekiel to a valley full of dry human bones. Those dry bones represented God's people in Ezekiel’s day who had turned away from the Lord in idolatry and unbelief. As a result they were now sitting in Babylonian captivity, without their nation, without their temple, and without their God. They were like dry bones totally void of any spiritual life.

And those dry bones represent us and how we were born in this world—totally void of any spiritual life, engrossed in idolatry and unbelief.  Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “As for you, (he says, “I’m talking to you now.”) you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air (that’s Satan), the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1,2). You see those gangs in LA involved in drugs, murder and organized crime? You see those prostitutes and their clients walking the streets of Las Vegas? You see those thieves and robbers invading home and ripping off movie stars? That was you, Paul wrote to the Ephesians. You used to hang out with those people.

My, those Ephesian Christians must have been some terrible people before they came to faith. No. Paul now includes himself and us with them, “All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts” (Ephesians 2:3). We say, “Wait a minute, we have never done such evil acts.” Perhaps not, but every evil act begins with an evil thought. Murder begins in the heart with hatred and anger. Sexual immorality begins in the heart with lust and pride. Theft begins in the heart with greed and envy. And the thought is just as much sin as the act.

Jesus himself said, “From within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean” (Mark 7:21-23).

And Paul tells us the results of heart sin, “Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). Whose wrath? God’s wrath from the time we were conceived. Dry bones? That picture hardly begins to describe our sinful nature.

And that is how most people continue to live in this world today, like dead skeletons, void of faith. Ezekiel even wrote, “I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry” (Ezekiel 37:2). 

But then the Spirit of God told Ezekiel to prophesy, that is, preach to the bones. That must have felt awkward. I’ve preached to a lot of different audiences in my ministry, but I’ve never gone out to a cemetery and preached to the dead. But as Ezekiel did the bones began to move and rattle. And they took on muscles and skin. And Ezekiel preached some more, and they actually came to life again. You would never expect that to happen simply by talking to bones. But it did. And the lesson that God was teaching Ezekiel was not the physical resurrection of the dead, that has yet to take place on the last day, but the spiritual resurrection of people from unbelief to faith, from sin to forgiveness, from objects of wrath to objects of love. And that is exactly what took place when God's people in Babylon returned to God in faith. And that takes place thousands of times everyday today. Whenever a human soul converts from unbelief to faith that is like dry bones coming to life. But it can only happen through the Spirit's power working through the Word.

You can recognize the Holy Spirit's power in you, first of all, by his miracle of faith in your heart. You may say, “But I don't know if the Spirit has worked faith in my heart. Sometimes the way I act, the sins I fall into day after day, the guilt I feel, the doubts I have about God and his goodness and even his existence, I wonder if I even have been given the miracle of faith.

Let me give you the Holy Spirit's quiz for the existence of faith. First of all, have you been baptized? That water poured on your head was a picture of the Holy Spirit being poured into you. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh give birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:5). At the time of your baptism Jesus sent the Holy Spirit into your heart with the gift of faith, just as sure as Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples on Pentecost.

Secondly, do you ever praise Jesus? Do you worship him? Do you pray to him? Do you confess your sins? Do you call him Lord in public or in private? That would never happen if the Holy Spirit had not empowered you with faith. Paul told the Corinthians, “No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

Thirdly, in times of trouble do you find yourself turning to the Lord for help, much like a child turns to his father or mother. And when you turn to the Lord do you find the courage, peace, and comfort you need? Paul wrote, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). That is the Holy Spirit empowering you with faith to turn to your heavenly Father for help in time of need.

There will always be doubts. Jesus’ disciples doubted at times that he was the Messiah, and they were with him for three years. The struggles we have with faith are not a reason for doubting that faith exists, but the very reason to recognize that it does. Unbelievers don’t have doubts, they know in their minds that God does not exist. What must be avoided is rejection of the Spirit's gift of faith. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). “Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20). The way to grieve the Spirit and to put out the Spirit's fire of faith is reject this Word entirely and treat it as though it means nothing.

So we recognize the Spirit's power in us by his work of faith. Secondly, we recognize the Spirit’s power in us by the spiritual gifts he gives us. On Pentecost those gifts were truly astounding. Ten days after Jesus' ascension into heaven the disciples were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind filled the whole house where they were sitting. This does not surprise us. The word “Spirit” literally means “wind” in both Hebrew and Greek. So first there was an audible sign of the Spirit's presence, then a visible sign--fire in the shape of flickering tongues appeared and rested on each one of them. Again, a most appropriate sign since fire signifies purity. The Holy Spirit is pure. And the fire in the shape of tongues indicated the gift of languages. These disciples could suddenly, without any language tapes or anyone teaching them, spoke a known foreign language.

With that gift then they were able to walk out the door into the streets of Jerusalem where thousands of festival goers were assembled from different lands and different languages, and they were able to tell them the wonders of God in their own language. Their message was simple, “Yes, God sent his very Son into this world to live a perfect life and to die an innocent death at the hand of you Jews. But this was according to God's plan. For his Son was taking your place and paying your punishment of sins. Then God raised him from the dead so that he might justify, declare righteous, you and the whole world.” The Holy Spirit displayed his power in the disciples by giving them the spiritual gift of speaking in different languages the marvelous works of God.  

Twenty years later Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant...There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men” (1 Corinthians 12:1,4-6). So the Holy Spirit is still administering gifts to his believers. Lists of those gifts are given here and elsewhere. They include the gift of leadership, teaching, prayer, evangelism, giving, hospitality, service. Some might say, “I don't know what my gift is. I don't think I have one.” If you have the Spirit you have a gift, probably more than one. Speak to me after the service I will give a “Spiritual Gifts Analysis” that will help, because I don't want you to be ignorant about your gifts. I’ve served five congregations in three years and in each case I could see the spiritual gifts that God gave to members. When you discover your gifts, then put them to good use like these disciples did on Pentecost. And the Holy Spirit blessed their efforts by converting 3,000 to the faith that one day. We recognize the Spirit's power in us by the gifts he gives us.

But thirdly, we recognize the Spirit’s power in us by the fruits of the Spirit he displays in our everyday lives. Paul identifies nine fruits or qualities that the Spirit generates in a believer. They are love: not just to some people but to all people. Joy: even in the midst of troubles. Peace: a deep-down calmness that the world cannot give. Patience: let God’s plan and timetable be carried out. Kindness: especially shows itself in forgiving others. Goodness: returning good for evil. Faithfulness: devoted to God, family, church. Gentleness: non-argumentive, non-aggressive.  Self-control: level-headed, not flying off the handle.

Suppose you were walking late at night in a rough part of town, and you turned the corner to walk down an alley when you saw three burly men walking toward you. What would you think? Would it change your thinking, would it help you to know, that they were on their way home from Bible study? Believers excel in all these areas, because the Holy Spirit is working his power in them.

TV preachers like to talk about how God will take you to the next level, how you will reach heights you have never dreamed of before, and how you will fulfill your destiny. I never quite understood what they meant by that. God took me to the next level when I went from unbelief to faith. I reached heights I never dreamed of before when I came to know God’s love for me. My destiny will be fulfilled when I reach heaven. I suspect what they are talking about is “prosperity gospel” that has to do with your physical health, wealth, and prosperity.

In Joel's prophecy concerning the Pentecost that was to come and the New Testament church that would follow, he too talks about reaching new heights, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughter will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy” (Acts 2:17-18). The next level, the new heights, the destiny that Joel is talking about is the Spirit's power to work faith in our lives, the Spirit's power to give gifts that we use to testify to his name, and the Spirit's power to work the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. My prayer for you on this Pentecost Sunday is to be filled with the Spirit and with that power.

May we pray:

Oh Holy Spirit, thank you for revealing your power in us today through your Word. You have taken our dry bones of unbelief and sin and made them alive with faith and forgiveness. Oh, fill us even more with the power of a stronger faith and godly living. You have empowered us with spiritual gifts that can be used to your glory and the good of your church. Some of those gifts we are using already. Oh, fill us even more with the power to recognized more of your gifts and to use them even more effectively. And you have empowered us with your fruits of the Spirit. Oh, fill us even more with the power of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithful, gentleness, self-control. As on Pentecost, so today may our Spirit-filled lives be a witness the marvelous works of God to help other to trust in Jesus as their Savior too. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.