Stop Playing Church

This is the manuscript of the sermon preached at Christ Church, Sunday October 29, 2023.

John‬ ‭4:23‭-‬24‬ ‭NIV‬ [23] Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. [24] God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

To worship God in spirit and truth means loving Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength.  

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:34‭-‬38‬ ‭NIV‬ [34] Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. [35] One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: [36] “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” [37] Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. 

True worship must be “in spirit,” engaging the whole heart which is the source of our emotions.   Unless there’s a real passion for God, there is no worship in spirit. At the same time, worship must be “in truth,”.  We must know who we worship.  Unless we have knowledge of the God we worship, there is no worship in truth.  We get that knowledge of the truth from the Bible, God’s Word.  

Jesus said that it's the truth that makes us free.

John 8:31-32 NIV To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Scripture:

‭John‬ ‭4:15‭-‬26‬ ‭NIV‬ [15] The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” [16] He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” [17] “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. [18] The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” [19] “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. [20] Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” [21]  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. [22] You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. [23] Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. [24] God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” [25] The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” [26] Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

Text

‭John‬ ‭4:23‭-‬24‬ ‭NIV‬ [23] Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. [24] God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The scripture that I read this morning and our text for today was from part of a conversation that Jesus had with a woman at a well in Samaria.   In the conversation, Jesus revealed that He knew this woman had been married five times, and the guy she was living with now was not her husband. This made her uncomfortable, so she changed the subject from her personal life to religion, asking why the Samaritans worshiped at Mount Gerizim and the Jews at Jerusalem.  Jesus’ response was that a day was coming when it didn’t matter WHERE a person worshiped God.  What mattered was HOW they worshiped Him. Jesus said that they must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

The definition of worship is “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity”.  To worship then, is to show reverence, adoration and honor.   The deity we are talking about is of course God Almighty.

To worship God in spirit and truth means loving Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength.  

‭Matthew‬ ‭22:34‭-‬38‬ ‭NIV‬ [34] Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. [35] One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: [36] “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” [37] Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. 

True worship must be “in spirit,” engaging the whole heart which is the source of our emotions.   Unless there’s a real passion for God, there is no worship in spirit. At the same time, worship must be “in truth,”.  We must know who we worship.  Unless we have knowledge of the God we worship, there is no worship in truth.  We get that knowledge of the truth from the Bible, God’s Word.  

Jesus said that it's the truth that makes us free.

John 8:31-32 NIV To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

That freedom is what allows us to worship in spirit and truth.

That is what we should all be striving for but so many of us are just playing church.  We are just going through the motions we aren’t really worshiping in spirit or in truth.  

We often hear people say” You need to stop playing church”.  

Well, what does that really mean?

It doesn’t mean those times when we were children and we would set up the chairs and somebody would get up and sing, somebody would get up and pray, and somebody would preach.  The kids I played with would really be imitating the adults in the church.  A lot of times one of the kids would pretend that they got what we used to say “the Holy Ghost”.  

Then we would all get bored and start another game.  Playing church was fun, when we were kids, but it’s not fun or funny now that we are adults and call ourselves Christians. 

Let me let you in on a little secret.   Every Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday whatever day, churches are filled with folk “playing church” playing games with God.  

People show up to watch the show and if it’s good enough they stay and even come back occasionally, some even come every week.   But when they are no longer entertained then they stop coming or find another show.  

Playing church isn’t a new phenomenon. Folks have been playing church for centuries.  

When Moses led the Israelites from Egypt and God changed them from a ragtag group of former slaves to the nation of Israel, He gave them instructions on how to worship Him.  That’s what the entire books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are about.  

In other words, He told them how to have church.  If they did it the way He wanted them to the results would be blessings that couldn’t be described in human terms.    

The 28th chapter of Deuteronomy verses 1-14 give a list of the blessings that would come to them if they obeyed.  There’s also a list of things that would happen if they didn’t obey. That list is in verses 15-44.  Notice the list of curses is much longer than the list of blessings. 

When our actions don't match the guidelines set forth for Christians in the Bible, then we are reduced to just being religious or "playing church."

There's an enormous difference between being religious, which is what many people think about if you go to church, and being a Christian.

Being religious is simply following a certain list of dos and don'ts, usually whenever it is convenient, and usually because you have been taught or trained that it is the proper or acceptable way to behave. But living that way is just playing church. And if you think that pleases God, you're only deceiving yourself. 

Being a Christian means that everything you do or don't do is because you genuinely love the Lord and care whether you are pleasing to Him. Being a Christian means that you want to be like Christ and serve His purposes. Being a Christian means leaving your selfish, worldly desires behind and staying focused on Jesus, what He wants you to do, and who He wants you to become. 

There's a world of difference between being a Christian and just playing church.  

“Playing church” is serious business to God.

This is what God said through the prophet Isaiah about Israel playing church.  

‭Isaiah‬ ‭29:13‭-‬14‬ ‭GNT‬ [13]  The Lord said, “These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized. [14]  So I will startle them with one unexpected blow after another. Those who are wise will turn out to be fools, and all their cleverness will be useless.”

They were just going through the motions.  It’s like singing loud and dancing during Praise and Worship yet not loving your neighbor as we love ourselves or not acknowledging God as our source.   

Here's another example of Israel “playing church” and the results from that.

‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:8‭-‬14‬ ‭GNT‬ [8] God told me to write down in a book what the people are like, so that there would be a permanent record of how evil they are. [9] They are always rebelling against God, always lying, always refusing to listen to the Lord's teachings. [10] They tell the prophets to keep quiet. They say, “Don't talk to us about what's right. Tell us what we want to hear. Let us keep our illusions. [11] Get out of our way and stop blocking our path. We don't want to hear about your holy God of Israel.” [12] But this is what the holy God of Israel says: “You ignore what I tell you and rely on violence and deceit. [13] You are guilty. You are like a high wall with a crack running down it; suddenly you will collapse. [14] You will be shattered like a clay pot, so badly broken that there is no piece big enough to pick up hot coals with or to dip water from a cistern.”

In this instance they were doing what we see a lot of today, when a church congregation wants their leaders to make their sermons the kinds of messages that speak to the desires and preferences of the people, rather than preach from the Bible something that’s unpopular like homosexuality, or fornication, or adultery, or racism.   They don’t want the hear the whole story of the God the Bible, but only of a God of grace that allows for any and everything.  Grace isn’t a license for immorality but when you’re “playing church” that’s what you want to hear.  

In verse 14 of the scripture I just read, God said that He would shatter their iniquity like pottery that had been smashed to bits.  

Let me read it again;

‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:14‬ ‭GNT‬ [14] You will be shattered like a clay pot, so badly broken that there is no piece big enough to pick up hot coals with or to dip water from a cistern.”

Well, you might say that’s just  Old Testament stuff.  Okay, you want the New Testament?  Let’s look at what Jesus says about “playing church”  

‭Matthew‬ ‭15:1‭-‬9‬ ‭GNT‬ [1] Then some Pharisees and teachers of the Law came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked him, [2] “Why is it that your disciples disobey the teaching handed down by our ancestors? They don't wash their hands in the proper way before they eat!” [3] Jesus answered, “And why do you disobey God's command and follow your own teaching? [4]  For God said, ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ and ‘If you curse your father or your mother, you are to be put to death.’ [5] But you teach that if people have something they could use to help their father or mother, but say, ‘This belongs to God,’ [6] they do not need to honor their father. In this way you disregard God's command, in order to follow your own teaching. [7] You hypocrites! How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! [8]  ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. [9] It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’”

You want more?  What about;

‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21‭-‬23‬ ‭GNT‬ [21] “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. [22] When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ [23]  Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’

Every Sunday, churches are filled with people who are simply “playing” games with God. They come to watch the “show”. If it is good enough, they stay and even come back occasionally. However, if it is not entertaining, they will drift off to play some other game.

Every Sunday countless people all over the world sit in church buildings with a false sense of security. They assume that their morality, lifelong church membership, or baptism will earn them a place in heaven. While many of these people desire to please God, they are confused about what the Christian life is all about. They think in terms of doing rather than being. So, they imitate the actions of good Christians: going to a weekly service, praying, reading the Bible, and trying to be decent people. The world values action, but God prioritizes relationships--specifically a right relationship with Him. People who run around flaunting religiosity are missing out on the deeply satisfying and joyous intimacy between a believer and the Lord. These are people who know the truth intellectually. They can quote chapters and verse, but their hearts are far from God. They know the truth, but they have refused to receive the truth so that it transforms their lives.  Being a Christian means leaving your selfish, worldly desires behind and staying focused on Jesus, what He wants you to do, and who He wants you to become. Indeed, there's a world  of difference between being a Christian and just playing church. An effective church—one that poses a real threat to the Enemy—is a body of discipled people who have been taught the truth of Scripture, trained for service, and helped to mature spiritually. But all this is accomplished for the purpose of going out into the world, not for becoming a self-contained sanctuary of Christian comfort. The urgency of the Lord’s command and the desperate condition of humanity should motivate us to leave the safety of our Christian fellowships and deliver the message of salvation through Jesus. To avoid this responsibility is to miss the Father’s plan for your life and the opportunity to help build His kingdom. ‭Matthew‬ ‭28:18‭-‬20‬ ‭GNT‬ [18] Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. [19]  Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, [20] and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” Conclusion The longing to be holy is not what makes us Christians. We should long be holy because we are Christians. This longing to be holy, to be more like Jesus in every aspect of our lives, whether it be in our speech, our care for others, will help us to avoid playing church and give us confidence about our spiritual condition because of who we are in Christ We have to do better. God is not pleased with us just playing church.  How can we expect others to come to Christ when they see us faking it.  Jesus didn't die so His people could play church and be comfortable doing it. There is no limit to God’s power displayed through His people if we could just stop playing church and start being the church!

The Holy Spirit Invites You

This is the manuscript of the fifth and final sermon in the "Recognizing and Responding to God's Gift of the Holy Spirit" series.

‬The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life (‭Revelation‬ ‭22:17‬ ‭NIV).

Our greatest need is to know God through faith in Jesus Christ. Because our deepest need is spiritual, God sent his Son to die on a cross to show his love for us and to conquer death that he might demonstrate to us the reality of eternal life.

Following this great redemptive activity accomplished by Jesus Christ, God sent his Holy Spirit into the church and into the world to invite all nonbelievers to come to Jesus Christ through faith that they might receive the gift of eternal life and become the children and servants of God. The purpose of the church and of the Holy Spirit is to invite you to come to Jesus Christ.

Scripture Reading:

‭Hebrews‬ ‭3:7‭-‬19‬ ‭NIV‬ [7] So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts as you did i

L.n the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, [9] where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. [10] That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ [11] So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” [12] See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. [13] But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. [14] We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. [15] As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” [16] Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? [17] And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? [18] And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? [19] So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Introduction 

Our greatest need is to know God through faith in Jesus Christ. 

‭Galatians‬ ‭2:15‭-‬16‬ ‭NIV‬ [15] “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles [16] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

‭Romans‬ ‭3:21‭-‬24‬ ‭NIV‬ [21] But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. [22] This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 

Because our deepest need is spiritual, God sent his Son to die on a cross to show his love for us and to conquer death so that he might demonstrate to us the reality of eternal life. 

‭John‬ ‭3:16‭-‬17‬ ‭NIV‬ [16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

We were redeemed and reconciled to God by Jesus’ great redemptive work.  

‭Colossians‬ ‭1:19‭-‬20 ‭NIV‬ [19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, [20] and through him (Jesus ) to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood (Jesus's blood)), shed on the cross. 

Following this great redemptive work accomplished by Jesus Christ, God sent his Holy Spirit into the church and into the world to invite all nonbelievers to come to Jesus Christ through faith that they too might receive the gift of eternal life and become the children and servants of God. 

Here's what Jesus said to His disciples just before His ascension back to heaven.

‭Acts‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NIV‬ [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

So here's our text for today 

Text: 

‭Revelation‬ ‭22:17‬ ‭NIV‬ [17] The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

The words of our text declare that the purpose of the Holy Spirit and the church is to invite you to come to Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the fountain of the water of life we just read about in Revelation 22:17. "Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."

Jesus is the only one that can quench the thirst of your soul. 

Here's what he said to the Samaritan woman at the well. 

‭John‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭NIV‬ [10] Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

And then later on;

‭John‬ ‭7:37‭-‬39‬ ‭NIV‬ [37] On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. [38] Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” [39] 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.

The scripture that Jean read this morning from Hebrews urges us to listen attentively and responsively to the Holy Spirit as He  speaks to our innermost being. 

‭Hebrews‬ ‭3:7‭-‬9‬ ‭NIV‬ [7] So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, [9] where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. 

Jesus, in the closing days of his ministry, detailed some of the activities of the Holy Spirit.  

One of the primary functions of the Holy Spirit was to bear testimony to people’s consciences regarding who Jesus Christ is and what he came to do.

‭John‬ ‭14:26‬ ‭NIV‬ [26] But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 

‭John‬ ‭15:26‬ ‭NIV‬ [26]  “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 

I. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit because He is a divine person. 

I’ve said this before, but the Holy Spirit is more than just an influence. The Holy Spirit is more than just a power like magnetism, electricity, or gravity. The Holy Spirit is the divine person of God and He uses various means of communicating with you. 

A. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures.

First of all, the Holy Spirit speaks to us through His Word. He is the Author of Scripture, and He illuminates Scripture to us. The more we know Scripture, the more we think about it, the more we memorize it, and the more we repeat it to ourselves, that is the voice of the Holy Spirit.

‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16‭-‬17‬ ‭NIV‬ [16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 B. The Holy Spirit uses the church. 

The Holy Spirit communicates through the church.  In the book of Acts, for example, the Holy Spirit speaks to the church while they are worshiping and fasting. 

‭Acts‬ ‭13:2‭-‬4‬ ‭NIV‬ [2] While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” [3] So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. [4] The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.

C. The Holy Spirit uses individual believers as his spokespersons. 

Here’s how that can happen;

God puts a Bible verse or a thought into the mind of a person and immediately that person knows the message is for someone else. So, in obedience to the sense of urgency that person gets from God, they share what was received. They may share it  through a phone call, text, e-mail, or in person.

Another way God speaks through other people is during a conversation.  They share what they have learned from their own walk with God. They talk about Scripture and share how God kept His promises in their lives. They have a way of refreshing and reviving your spirit. 

D. The Holy Spirit uses the events of life to interrupt your thoughts and to speak to you.

God permits circumstances in our lives that will mature us and grow our faith.

‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:6‭-‬7‬ ‭NIV [6] In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [7] These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 

What may appear at first to be a “stumbling block” may, in actuality, turn out to be “steppingstones”.

As we develop our personal relationship with God, we will understand that He loves us and we can trust Him  with every aspect of our life.  Sometimes our circumstances will take us out of our comfort zone, but we can be assured we are not in them alone.

‭1 John‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭NIV‬ [4] You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 

Next time you feel “under your circumstances”, ask God what He is saying to you.   

II.  We need to listen to the Holy Spirit because of his divine purpose for speaking.

 

A. He speaks words of comfort and assurance.

‭Romans‬ ‭8:15‭-‬17‬ ‭NIV‬ [15] The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” [16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. [17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

It is the plan of the Father God to communicate the relationship that follows faith to each believer that they are now His children and part of the family of God.

The Holy Spirit comes to speak words of encouragement and to aid with living the Christian life. God does not want us to attempt to live the Christian life in our human strength alone. 

‭Romans‬ ‭8:31‭-‬39‬ ‭NIV‬ [31] What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? [33] Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. [34] Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? [36] As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Holy Spirit provides the power that is needed to overcome evil and to reap the harvest of the Spirit.

‭Galatians‬ ‭5:17‭-‬18 ‭NIV‬ [17] For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 

The Holy Spirit will also speak to us who are saved about the needs of those who do not yet know Christ as Savior. He will seek to enlist us in leading people to become believers in Christ. 

‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:18‭-‬20‬ ‭NIV‬ [18] All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: [19] that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. [20] We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 

III. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit because of his divine purpose and His divine power. 

A. Only the Holy Spirit of God has the power to produce the miracle of the new birth in the believer.

Listen to what Jesus told Nicodemus 

‭John‬ ‭3:3‭-‬6‬ ‭NIV‬ [3] Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” [4] “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” [5] Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. [6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 

‭Titus‬ ‭3:4‭-‬7‬ ‭NIV‬ 4] But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, [5] he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, [6] whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, [7] so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 

B. The Holy Spirit has the divine power to enable us to develop a Christian disposition and character. 

The Holy Spirit begins his good work within us at the moment of conversion and will continue this work of seeking to produce within us the very character of Jesus Christ throughout our lives.  This is the process of sanctification. 

‭Philippians‬ ‭1:3‭-‬6‬ ‭NIV‬ [3] I thank my God every time I remember you. [4] In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy [5] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, [6] being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23 NIV [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

C. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to assure us of our victory over death and the grave 

‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:1‭-‬5‬ ‭NIV‬ [1] For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. [2] Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, [3] because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. [4] For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. [5] Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 

The indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that one day we will have complete victory over death and the grave. 

‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:11‭-‬14‬ ‭NIV‬ [11] In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, [12] in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. [13] And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Heavenly Father, 

I thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit who comforts us and guides us into all truths. It is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of Your Words, Your commands and Your goodness and He empowers us to walk in love and in obedience. Thank You for sealing us with Your Spirit as an assurance that we are Your children and that You will never leave us or forsake us. It is Your Holy Spirit who fills us with the Your love that we may grow in wisdom and in knowledge of Your love so that we can demonstrate your love and be a blessing to the world. We are thankful and blessed that Your Spirit dwells inside us and our utmost desire is to always be in fellowship with You and experience Your wonderful presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Conclusion 

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior you may be shocked to learn that the Holy Spirit of God is inviting you  to become a believer in Jesus Christ. He comes to convince you that the sin of unbelief is the sin that separates a man from God.

It is the Holy Spirit that can convince a person of their sinfulness and of their need to stop rejecting God’s love. The Holy Spirit does not come to convict you and convince you of your unsaved and lost condition just to make you feel bad and feel negative about yourself. He comes to convert you from unbelief to belief and from rejection to acceptance. Only the Holy Spirit can take an X-ray of your heart and soul and reveal to you your lost condition. He does this to attract and persuade you to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 

Listen to the Holy Spirit now. He invites you to receive Jesus Christ today. Nowhere in all of God’s Word do you find encouragement to believe in Christ for the forgiveness of sin and the gift of new life tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation.

‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:2‬ ‭NIV‬ says [2] For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Today is the day God wants to forgive your sins. Today is the day God wants you to become his child. Today is the day Christ wants to give you the gift of eternal life. Today is the day the peace of God can be yours. The Holy Spirit invites you. Come to him today now while you have time and opportunity.

If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, say something like this to God. Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. Only believing in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross for you can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Him and thank Him for providing for your salvation. 

Say this or something like it; “God, I know that I have sinned against You and deserve punishment. But I believe Jesus Christ took the punishment I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I receive Your offer of forgiveness and place my trust in You for salvation. I accept Jesus as my personal Savior! Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness—the gift of eternal life! Amen!”

If you have expressed your faith in God and thanked Him for salvation by praying something like this then you have done what it says in 

‭Romans‬ ‭10:9‭-‬10‬ ‭NIV‬ [9] If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 

If you have done this let us know so we can rejoice with you and then find a church and we can maybe help you with that.

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