Sermons found for the topic Holy Spirit

The God We Hardly Know

David Mains caught me off guard with his question. “If you had to grade your congregation on their knowledge of the Holy Spirit, what grade would you give them?”Up until that moment, the interview had gone well. David and his daughter Melissa had thrown me fast pitches right over the center of the plate and I had proceeded to knock them out of the park. Suddenly, I was at a loss for words. But the one thing you can’ More

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 4

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Water, Wine, Wind, Fire - Four Pictures of the Holy Spirit

These four pictures of the Holy Spirit reveal different aspects of his ministry to us. We pray to know the Holy Spirit more deeply for he is Living Water, New Wine, Refreshing Wind, and Blazing Fire from Heaven. More

How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit? - Ephesians 5:18

In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need two things—emptiness and openness. If we live another day without the Holy Spirit’s control in our lives, we have only ourselves to blame. God has made himself fully available to us. Have we made ourselves fully available to him? More

The God We Hardly Know: Why I Believe in the Holy Spirit - Various

David Mains caught me off guard with his question. “If you had to grade your congregation on their knowledge of the Holy Spirit, what grade would you give them?” The interview, broadcast nationally on the program You Need to Know, centered around my book Names of the Holy Spirit. I got the interview because they had a sudden opening in their program and was available on short notice. Up until that question, the inter More

The Wind Blows Wherever It Wills - John 3:8

This is the first in a six-part series on the Holy Spirit called Experiencing God Today. Two months ago I had no idea that I would be preaching on the Holy Spirit once we finished I Peter. But as I thought about the matter, I felt impressed by the Lord that this is the direction we should go. There are four reasons why we are beginning this particular sermon series on this particular Sunday:First, there is a personal reason. In 26 ye More

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: The Source of Our Power - Acts 1:4-5

“I believe baptism in the Holy Ghost is exactly on the same plane as baptism in water—we never need to repeat it." W. H. Griffith Thomas With this topic we venture deep into the waters of theological controversy. While those outside the church may have no knowledge of it, evangelical believers are deeply divided over the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There is disagreement over what it is, when it occurs, and how More

When the Holy Spirit Comes - John 16:8-11

Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” Because I have said these things you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because m More

THE HOLY SPIRIT - Various

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God’s Guarantee - 2 Corinthians 5:5

The Holy Spirit is the “first installment” of our salvation. He is God’s “deposit” in our lives, guaranteeing that God will one day finish what he has started. More

Do Not Take Your Holy Spirit From Me! - Psalms 51:11

“Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalms 51:11).  It is sometimes said that no Christian should ever pray this prayer, but I wonder if that is correct. Clearly David feared being cast away by God and losing the Holy Spirit. The big question is not, “What does this verse mean for us?” But rather, “What did it mean for David? What was he thinking and feeling More

When God Prays for You - Romans 8:26-27

With this message we come to the final installment in the series called Adventures in Prayer. When we started I said that I wanted to encourage you about the boundless possibilities of prayer. It’s easy to feel guilty about our lack of prayer, and who among us would say that we pray as much as we ought? We all could pray more, and indeed we ought to pray more, but that has not been my burden because I don’t think that&rsq More

What I’ve Learned About Preaching

Preaching is the highest calling in the whole world, worthy of the greatest effort week by week, as men called by God rise in the power of the Spirit to deliver the Word of God to a waiting congregation. More

Can God Set a Table in the Wilderness? - Psalm 78:19

Can God set a table in the wilderness? Yes, he can. But you’ll never know as long as you stay in Egypt. More

What Does it Mean to be Filled With the Spirit? - Ephesians 5:18

The 20th century has been rightly called the “Age of the Holy Spirit.” There are many reasons for this, but the greatest has to do with the rise of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. It is no secret that many of the fastest-growing churches in the world are Pentecostal and Charismatic to one degree or another. According to church growth expert Peter Wagner, those churches comprise the “third wave” of the Ch More

What If - Ephesians 6:18-20

Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that were true of your church? My church? Every church? More

Living on a Spiritual Plateau, Part 2 - Galatian 5:16-17

The plateaus of life make us deeper, stronger, tougher and more resilient. If you’re on a plateau right now, give thanks to God because it’s part of his plan to make you more like Jesus. More

The Curse of Moderate Christianity - Revelation 3:14-22

How do you become lukewarm? Just do nothing, and that’s what you will become. More

When You Are Misunderstood - 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4

When others twist your words, do not despair. Speak the truth, explain yourself clearly, and then entrust your future to the Lord. If we trust in him, the time of chaos will pass, and we will be stronger for having gone through the struggle. More

The God-Dependent Life - 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

While living in this flesh, we face the same limitations as others do. We keep going because our confidence is on God, not in ourselves. More

The Greatest Revival in History - Jonah 3

We can’t look to the past and focus on what others have done for Christ. Nor can we live in the future, thinking about what the children of today might do thirty years from now. The only generation we can reach is our own. More

When God Prays for You

Many years ago when I pastored a church in suburban Los Angeles, I attended a weekend youth leaders’ conference featuring messages by a pastor from a large church in a nearby city. The night I attended the pastor preached on Acts 12, the story of Peter’s miraculous deliverance from jail. I have forgotten everything about the message except for one story he told about a terrible automobile accident involving his wife. When More

Life in the Spirit - Romans 8:5-17

The whole question of the Spirit-filled life resolves itself into this: Are you keeping in contact with the Holy Spirit? Your job—your only real job as a Christian—is to stay in contact with the Spirit. More

A Warning to Wine-Drinkers - Romans 14:13-23

Christian Liberty - You are free! Absolutely free. Christ has liberated you from the terrible burden of having to prove your worth by keeping a set of rules. You are free from the law, free from rule keeping, and free to make responsible choices. God has set you free so that you can please him with the choices you make. More

Do Not Grieve the Spirit - Ephesians 4:29-32

It is so easy for us to be unkind and ungracious. Ephesians 4:29-32 shows us that we grieve the Holy Spirit first by rotten speech (v. 29) and second by rotten attitudes (v. 31). But these two things are not separate. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. We must stop making the Holy Spirit weep because of our unkind words and inner ugliness. Cry out to God for his help. Ask the Lord to open your eyes and see the uncleanness within. Pray for a fres More

Who is the Real Enemy? - Ephesians 6:12

Christianity is not a religion for sissies or for those who want an easy road. If you are looking for an escape from your problems, Jesus is not for you. Christianity is for strong men and women who will not flee from the struggle. More

How We Know What We Know - I Corinthians 2:10-13

"But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words t More

Do Not Neglect Your Spiritual Gift - 1 Timothy 4:14

Is ministry your Spiritual Gift? No man calls himself into the ministry or into local church leadership. A self-called man and a God-called man are two different people. One man thinks he’s qualified so he calls himself. The other man feels unworthy but responds to God’s call. If God has called you, rise up, go forth and serve the Lord. More

Beyond Your Dreams - Ephesians 3:14-21

Pray boldly for spiritual strength, teaches Paul. God is faithful and we can trust Him. He is more than able to do even more than we ask.. Through prayer, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and grow spiritually, understanding the height, breadth, length and depth of Christ’s love for us. More

Led by the Spirit into the Wilderness - Luke 4:1-14

This is the second message in our new series on the Holy Spirit. Last Sunday we talked about John 3:8 and how the Holy Spirit is the wind—invisible, unpredictable, uncontrollable. He comes and goes as he wishes; no one can control his movements. He alone can give life to the spiritually dead. He alone can bring us the new birth we all need. Without the Holy Spirit, no one will ever come to Christ, and without the Holy Spirit we More

The Holy Spirit and the Gift of Tongues - Article C: The Holy Spirit - Various

There are two problems a pastor faces whenever he comes to speak on a topic as controversial as speaking in tongues. The first is that the subject is so vast that he cannot hope to cover it completely. It would take a book to fully consider all the pertinent issues, and if I wrote such a book, I doubt that anyone would read it! So no matter how much I try, I will inevitably leave off some crucial areas for lack of time or space. More

THE P.U.I.H. - Acts 2

I don’t know what image comes into your mind when you hear the word Pentecostal. When I hear the word, my mind always goes back to the small town in Alabama where I grew up. Back then, there were only four churches you could belong to—Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Church of Christ. You were either one of the Big Four or you weren’t anything at all. Pentecostal was something they did way out in the country More

When the Holy Spirit Comes - John 16:8-11

Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” Because I have said these things you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because m More

In God’s Waiting Room: Lessons from the “Down Time” of Life

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about” (Acts 1:4). Have you ever heard of the American prayer? It goes this way: “Lord, give me patience, and I want it right now.” Patience is not a virtue our society seems to favor. We live in a world of frozen dinners, instant More

The Mysterious Doctrine of the Trinity - Acticle B: The True God - Various

My introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity came at a very young age. I first learned it through the music we sang at the First Baptist Church. The great hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” was number one in the Baptist Hymnal. Over the years the words “God in three persons, Blessed Trinity” were tattooed on my soul. Each Sunday we began the worship service by singing the Doxology, which ends with the words “ More

God in Three Persons: A Doctrine We Barely Understand

My problem this morning is simple: to explain a doctrine that all Christians believe but no one really understands. And I have to do it in 30 minutes!So let’s start at the very beginning. All Christians believe the doctrine of the Trinity. If you do not believe this—that is, if you have come to a settled conclusion that the doctrine of the Trinity is not true—you are not a Christian at all. You are in fact a heretic More

I Will Pour Out My Spirit On All People - Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:14-21

A few days ago I happened to see my son Mark intently reading a paperback book. When I asked him what he was reading, he named a title I recognized as being very popular with Christians in their 20’s and early 30’s. It is, in fact, a bestseller with that group. How did Mark like it? “It’s great, Dad. This book says a lot of things I had been thinking and feeling but couldn’t put into words.” So I p More

You Will Be My Witnesses: God's Job Description for Every Christian - Acts 1:8

I first heard the question 27 years ago from my friend, Ben Wilkinson, a Presbyterian evangelist. He came to the First Presbyterian Church of Russellville, Alabama for a week of evangelistic meetings. During the mornings he trained a team of young people to share the gospel door to door. Although it will be hard for those who know me to believe this, I served as the music director for that week of revival services. I directed the vol More

Why the Virgin Birth Matters: “Conceived of the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary” - Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38

Let’s begin our study with two familiar verses of Scripture: “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’” (Matthew 1:20).“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High wi More

In God’s Waiting Room: Lessons from the “Down Time” of Life - Acts 1:4

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” Acts 1:4Have you ever heard of the American prayer? It goes this way: “Lord, give me patience, and I want it right now.” Patience is not a virtue our society seems to favor. We live in a world of frozen dinners, instant coff More

The Great Divide - I Corinthians 2:14-16

This is the final sermon in the series from I Corinthians 1-2 called, “The Cross, the Church and the World.” We can summarize the main things we have learned in five key statements:1) The people of the world will always regard the message of the cross as foolishness. Nothing about it will make sense to them even though the message of the cross is true wisdom from God.2) God destroys human pride by choosing weak and overlo More

How Do You Measure Success? - 2 Corinthians 3:1-3

God measures our success in terms of lives changed. He’s evidently not that impressed by the size of our budget or by the stained glass in our sanctuary. The One who hung the stars in space doesn’t really care how many books we’ve written or how much money we make or whether or not we see our name in lights. More

Do Not Quench the Spirit - 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Our text has been translated in various ways:“Do not quench the Spirit” (ESV).“Don’t suppress the Spirit” (The Message)“Do not try to stop the work of the Holy Spirit” (New Life Version).“Don’t stifle the Spirit” (HCSB).“Don’t turn away God’s Spirit” (CEV).“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire” (NIV).I prefer the NIV translation because More

Adoption: Plenty of Room in the Family

When Leslie Lynch King, Jr. died earlier this week, it made headlines around the world. Commentators talked about his legacy, and in the United States flags were lowed to half-staff in his honor. That always happens when a president dies.But who was President King? You can’t find any record of a man by that name occupying the White House. But he did. Leslie Lynch King, Jr. served as president during a crisis moment in American More

A Savior is Born - Luke 2:11

Recently I received an e-mail from a man who attended “Two from Galilee,” the Christmas program presented by our music ministry several weeks ago. He wrote to say how much he enjoyed it, and then added this sentence: “God is just in the amazement business.” That Sunday—two weeks ago today—I preached on “No Crib for a Bed: The God of All Circumstances,” and I endeavored to show that ever More

When God Comes Near: “I Believe in the Holy Spirit” - John 7:37-39

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified” (John More

Grow Up! - 1 Corinthians 13:7

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you weren’t married? If somehow you were suddenly single again? No matter how happy your marriage is, every honest person would have to answer yes to those questions. We’ve all thought about it from time to time. We’ve wondered if life wouldn’t be a lot simpler if somehow we woke up tomorrow morning and found the other side of the bed empty.Most of us have More

Are We a Non-Prophet Ministry? - I Corinthians 14:29-33

What image comes into your mind when you hear the word prophet? If you are like most people, several images may flash across your mental screen. You may think of a white haired old man in a prison cell on an island in the middle of the ocean. With wrinkled face and a long white beard, he ponders the mysteries of the universe and writes them down on a piece of yellowed parchment. Or perhaps you think of a younger man, a preacher, a More

Self-Control: The Fine Art of Keeping Your Cool - Proverbs 16:32

Prosecutor Christopher Darden set the tone in his opening statement in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Everyone knows about O.J. the athlete and O.J. the celebrity. And by now most of us know far more about his personal life than we care to know. But Mr. Darden was not speaking to us, but to the twelve men and women who must render a verdict in the “trial of the century.” He must convince them that O.J. Simpson is guilty o More

Full Speed Ahead One Step at a Time: How You Can Walk in the Spirit Every Day - Galatians 5:16-18

"I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16-18, Holman Christian Standard Bible).This is one of the most important passages on the Christia More