Sermons found for the topic Power of the Holy Spirit

When Jesus Comes to Church - Revelation 2:1-7

How easy it is to substitute knowledge for a warm heart toward Jesus. How quickly we justify our hard hearts by pointing to all our well-intentioned religiosity. More

When Life Goes Bad - Revelation 2:8-11

To those who stand strong in the midst of trials, the best is yet to come. We will receive the “crown of life” and reign with Jesus forever. The “second death” in hell cannot touch us at all. More

The Church Christ Prefers - Revelation 3:7-13

Jesus wants his churches to be motivated by love, founded on the truth, strong under pressure, and unashamed of his name. 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

How Much Sin Will God Forgive? - Psalm 51

If God forgave David, he will certainly forgive you. If a murdering adulterer could find grace, there is hope for you and me. More

Why We Never Give Up - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

You do the figuring. Which is greater? Your sorrows or the vast and immeasurable promises of God, made in his Word, guaranteed by the Spirit, and purchased for us in the death and resurrection of our Lord? 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

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

Why I Am Not a Pessimist - Ephesians 5:15-17

Christians are both pessimists and optimists, but we are much more optimistic because though we see what is happening in the world around us, we know that Jesus Christ conquered the grave. And because he lives, we too will live. 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

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

Dry Brook University - 1 Kings 17:2-7

Christ’s followers must all spend some time by the drying brook to prepare us for greater work God has for us later. It may be the drying brook of popularity, or the drying brook of failing health or a sick loved one or a failing career, or the drying brook of a friendship that is slowly fading away. God wants to teach us not to trust in his gifts, but in himself. He wants to drain us of self, as he drained the apostles by ten days of waiting before Pentecost. More

The Persecuted Church—Who Cares?

Contemporary headlines regarding the persecuted church are juxtaposed against frivolous comments of Christians who don’t care and can’t be bothered about the plight of their suffering brothers and sisters around the world. 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

Clarification of Certain Doctrinal and Practical Issues - Various

The following material is presented by the Elders as a means of clarifying the church’s position on certain issues. As you read this, please remember that this is not meant to be a comprehensive statement of wha 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 m 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 3 More

God's Multicultural Church - Romans 15:7-13

The term multicultural is much in the news these days. Politicians and social scientists use it to describe a certain approach to American society in which persons are treated in special ways depending upon their raci 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 persona More

What Angels Wish They Knew - 1 Peter 1:10-12

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ More

Remarried and Happy at Last! - Romans 7:1-6

In your marriage and in your Christian life, it’s not law but love that matters: The law says, “You must.” Love says, “I want to.” Before you come to Christ, you are on a continual performance standard, trying to do more in order to win God’s approval. But through Christ you discover that God loves you in spite of your failure. More

The Adventure Begins: How Jesus Works Through Ordinary People - Acts 1:1

Today we are beginning a brand-new sermon series from the book of Acts. I find myself excited as I think about this series because Acts is one of the most exciting books in the New Testament. It is also aptly named 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 theolo 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 aw More

Jesus Christ and Him Crucified - I Corinthians 2:1-5

"I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2). We have a word for people like Paul. We call a person like him a “one-note Johnny.” He was More

Judge Not! - Matthew 7:1-5

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do More

The Life God Blesses - II Timothy 2:14-26

Almost five years ago we started sending free copies of my books to prisoners across America. Through a partnership with Prison Fellowship, we have distributed tens of thousands of copies of Keep Believing, What a Chr More

"They Gave Themselves First to the Lord" Why Giving Begins with the Heart, Not the Pocketbook - II Corinthians 8:1-5

Last night some Moody students came over to our house for some pizza and to watch a football game. One of them asked what I planned to preach on today. When I told him, he said, “Too bad.” Then, “Too More

Never Be Surprised by Hard Times - 1 Peter 4:12-19

I begin with the words of British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, from an interview with William F. Buckley: “As an old man, looking back on one’s life, it’s one of the things that strikes you most fo 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; More

Asymmetric Spiritual Warfare

Are you familiar with term asymmetric warfare? It’s a concept that has received lots of news coverage in the recent years as a result of the war on terrorism. The word asymmetric refers to something that is out More

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 More

Samson and the Fine Art of Self-Control

In December 2004 I received an email that changed my life. Right after the tsunami that devastated Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, Ramesh Richard, a professor at Dallas Seminary, sent an email that contained More

Repent! The Forgotten Doctrine of Salvation - Acts 17:30

In 1937 the American Tract Society sponsored a contest in which they offered a prize of $1,000 for the best new book written on one of the “essential evangelical doctrines of the Christian faith.” Sixty-on More

What is a Christian? - 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10

A friend sent me an email telling about a question posed to her by a co-worker. Here is the exact text of the question:How is a Christian defined? It used to be that if you were not Jewish or Hindu or Buddhist, you we More

Jesus Christ and Him Crucified - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

“I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (v. 2). We have a word for people like Paul. We call a person like him a “one-note Johnny.” He was a man More

Courage: How to Face Down Your Fears - Proverbs 28:1

How much courage do you have? Would your friends, co-workers and family members call you a courageous person? My text this morning is one verse of scripture: Proverbs 28:1. “The wicked man flees though no one pu More

Good News for Poor Performers and Splendid Sinners - Luke 1:5-20, 57-64

This afternoon I read a bit from Faithfulness and Holiness by J. I. Packer. The book consists of Packer’s short biography of J. C. Ryle, the 19t5h-century Anglican bishop, and a reprint of Ryle’s justly-fa More

Four Cracked Pots - Hebrews 11:32

God honors faith, and he seeks it so much that he will honor people who otherwise do some very stupid things. He uses flawed people to accomplish his will so that when the victory comes, he alone gets the glory. More

Strength for the Journey - II Thessalonians 2:13-17

About six months ago I received a letter from Pat Williams, Executive Vice-President of the Orlando Magic (a pro basketball team in the NBA). Although I had never met Mr. Williams, I knew he was a brilliant sports exe More

The Hardest Doctrine to Believe: “The Resurrection of the Body” - I Corinthians 15

Thirteen years ago I traveled to Russia with John and Helen Sergey. For 17 days we traveled from Leningrad to Moscow to the Volga River. While we were in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), I met Art DeKruyter, the foundi More

Christ-Like Love in a World of Hate - Luke 15:1-7

This is the final message in the God Speaks Today series. As I look back on all that has happened, I am amazed at what God has done. In ways we could not have imagined, God opened doors for us to speak to millions of More

Great Joy in the City - Acts 8:4-8

Throughout history, God has grown and moved his church as his people scattered to diverse locations geographically. This pattern has not changed and believers are still called to grow and expand as a church today, whether we move across national boundaries, ethnic and cultural boundaries, or do church planting in our immediate communities. Beginning with the first generation of believers in the book of Acts, we hear of Phillip, who was emboldened and changed by the power of God as he moved out in obedience to spread the Gospel. Despite severe persecution, great joy descended on those who received the truth that came with power. In this present age, we have the account of the phenomenal growth of the church in China. In 1949 all Christian missionaries were evicted leaving less than one million indigenous believers behind. They faced relentless bloodbaths and eradication. Yet the church grew in the midst of that persecution when determined believers scattered and went underground. The challenge to believers today remains the same—to be willing to be moved out of our personal comfort zones, to walk in faith, to make personal sacrifices, and most importantly, to trust God for our personal well-being and needs. More

Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23

Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: “Isn’t it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?” I am thankf More

Bestseller and More

I submit to you that the Bible will stand the toughest test and the hardest scrutiny because it is indeed the Word of God. That’s why after 2000 years it is still the best-selling book in the world. No other book contains the plan of salvation. No other book can tell you how to get to heaven. More

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 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

God Guarantees Our Salvation - 1 Peter 1:3-5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance More

Reconciliation: Enemies No More - Various

The year was 1968 and America was a troubled nation. That summer the inner cities of America’s great cities burst into flames. That fall America’s campuses were filled with protest against the war in South 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 morni More