This is the manuscript to the final sermon in the "God's Incredible Gif to the Holy Spirit".
There are a lot of religious dropouts” in our churches today. They become dropouts because they have never established a pattern of spiritual growth. These “religious dropouts” are more than mere “statistics,” they have become spiritual casualties. Here’s what can happen to these people
They may experience a loss of faith or a weakening of their spiritual connection.
They may become more susceptible to negative influences or temptations.
They may struggle with feelings of remorse or regret over their past choices.
Often the fault lies with the church, because we fail to follow up with spiritual care and nurturing and we leave people floundering to take care of themselves!
Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Scripture Reading:
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 NIV [12] Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. [13] Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. [14] And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. [15] Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. [16] Rejoice always, [17] pray continually, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. [19] Do not quench the Spirit. [20] Do not treat prophecies with contempt [21] but test them all; hold on to what is 1. good, [22] reject every kind of evil.
Introduction
When someone says to you, “I wish for you God’s very best,” what does that person really mean? Most probably the sentiment behind that good wish is our friend’s desire that we experience happiness and freedom from all the troubles that come in life, or that we be blessed with an abundance of material things. From the human standpoint there is nothing particularly wrong with that.
On the other hand, when we think about “God’s very best,” we have to go considerably beyond these human concepts of what makes life worth living.
“God’s very best” for those who belong to him involves what is happening to them right now as it relates to preparing them for eternity, not just for the next day, month, year, twenty-five or thirty years.
The key word that opens the door to understanding God’s very best for us is the word yield.
The dictionary says that yield means “to give up, to surrender, to give place to.”
So the key to God’s very best for us is yielding to the Holy Spirit. When we yield our lives and lifestyle to the Holy Spirit God's eternal blueprint for our lives will be revealed, beginning today and continuing forever.
Text:
1 Thessalonians 5:19 NIV Do not quench the Spirit.
Before I go on I need to explain the difference between cooperating with the Holy Spirit, which I said we must do last week, and yielding. Because we have to do both in order to execute the divine plan and purpose God has for us.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV says For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We have to cooperate and we have to yield. So what's the difference?
Cooperating suggests working together towards a common goal. It implies a sense of partnership and collaboration. Cooperation often involves mutual benefit, where both parties benefit from the collaboration. Cooperation often involves agreement or consensus on a particular course of action.
Cooperating with the Holy Spirit involves an active partnership. It's about working together with Him to achieve His goals. It requires active participation in spiritual disciplines like prayer, Bible study, and service. It's a collaborative effort, where the believer and the Holy Spirit work together to produce fruit.
Yielding to the Holy Spirit involves a conscious decision to submit your will to His guidance. Yielding often implies giving way to something or someone else. It can suggest a sense of submission or surrender. It's about recognizing His authority and allowing Him to lead. It can involve surrendering personal desires or preferences that may
conflict with God's will. Yielding can also indicate patience or forbearance, especially in difficult situations.
In essence, yielding to the Holy Spirit is about submission and surrender, while cooperating with the Holy Spirit is about active partnership and collaboration.
Here's a simple analogy:
Cooperating: Imagine a team of athletes cooperating to win a game. They are working together towards a common goal.
Yielding: Imagine a driver yielding to a pedestrian. The driver is submitting to the pedestrian's right of way.
I. Here’s God’s proposition.
Let’s take a careful look at the proposition God makes to us.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV [1] Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. [2] Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
A.So what’s involved in this proposition?
“I urge you,” is not a command, it's a plea for believers to live the kind of life that will mark them as children of God. This is not something we do to be saved, it's something we do because we are saved.
Yielding comes from the heart, not just the mind. In other words yielding involves the soul, the seat of a person's identity, personality, and consciousness.
B. Now there are two areas that should be affected by this yielding.
1. First, is a dedication of the whole body as a living sacrifice to God.
Romans 12:1 NIV [1] Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
The fact that Paul, in this scripture, singled out the body suggests that we are total beings and not divided into “spiritual” and “physical” to the extent that our dedication to God is concerned. When we dedicate ourselves completely to God, Jesus will be reflected in everything we do.
2. Paul also tells us how this dedication of our bodies is maintained:
Romans 12:2 NIV Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Renewing the mind is not just about external actions or behaviors, but about a deep-seated change in thinking and perspective. When we yield to the Holy Spirit we will begin to develop the mind of Christ. We'll talk about what that looks like later.
Our perspective on everything will change and become like the perspective of God in that it is eternal, not temporary, and trapped in time and space.
Renewing the mind refers to a change in the way we think and perceive the world. It's about adopting a God-centered worldview instead of a worldly one. It's about letting God's Word and Spirit shape your perspective, leading to a life that reflects His will.
This means that there will be a radical change in us. This transformation is a lifelong process, but it's one that is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit through our yielding to Him. In essence, being transformed by the renewing of your mind means aligning your thoughts and beliefs with God's truth. It's about becoming a new person, shaped by God's will.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NIV [16] So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. [17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
II. God has given us a pattern.
God has provided a pattern, through his Son, Jesus Christ as to how this is to happen.
A. One of the many pieces of evidence of perfection in Jesus’ life was his complete dedication or yieldedness to the will of his heavenly Father. Jesus' life was a constant act of yielding to the Father's divine plan, even in the face of immense suffering.
Listen to some of the things Jesus is recorded as saying.
John 5:30: "I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent me."
John 6:38: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me."
Luke 22:42: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."
Jesus’ human body was the vehicle through which he carried out his Father’s will while he was on earth. We should think of our bodies as the “vehicle” God has provided for us so that we can carry out the will of the Father.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV says [19] Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; [20] you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
We must look to Jesus as our example. Certainly we are not perfect as Jesus was; so the issue with us is not our persistent determination to do it ourselves, but our willingness to let God do it through us by yielding to his Spirit that indwells us.
B. Because Jesus was dedicated to his Father’s will, three things happened in his life.
1. He was willing to go where his Father chose.
2. He was willing to be whatever his Father chose for him to be.
3. He was willing to do whatever his Father chose for him to do.
First, He was willing to go where his Father chose.
Jesus' life was a testament to his complete submission to God's will. Throughout the Gospels, we see him consistently seeking his Father's guidance and following His divine plan, even when it meant personal sacrifice.
Jesus said at John 5:30: "I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent me."
We Christians like to quote that scripture from
Isaiah 6:8 NIV Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Would we really go?
Next, Christ was willing to be whatever his Father chose for him to be. He was willing to take on any role, no matter how difficult or humbling, as long as it was part of God's plan.
He took on the role of a Servant: Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, a task typically performed by the lowest servants. This act demonstrated his humility and willingness to serve others, even in the most menial ways.
He took on the role of a Sufferer: Jesus endured immense physical and emotional suffering, ending in his crucifixion. He willingly accepted this fate, knowing it was part of God's plan for salvation.
He took on the role of a teacher: Jesus taught his disciples and the crowds about God's love and grace. He was a compassionate and effective teacher, sharing his wisdom and knowledge with all who would listen.
Jeesus showed us how to love our enemies, and trust in God's will. He laid aside the glory he had with the Father in heaven to come to earth; he was willing to be rejected, humiliated, spat upon, and crucified.
John 1:14 says: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Hebrews 2:9-10 says: "But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely, crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death, that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."
We like to say, “I’ll be what you want me to be, dear Lord. Would we, really?
And lastly Jesus became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:8 NIV And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
This was the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for humanity. He willingly gave up his life, even in the most painful and humiliating way, to redeem us from sin. It's a testament to his love for us and his complete obedience to God's will.
We like to say, “I’ll do what you want me to do, dear Lord.” Would we, really?
C. Now I don't want us to become discouraged with our own imperfection. Here's what i always want us to remember.
Philippians 2:13 AMPC [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
In other words, God tells us what he wants us to do; then by his Spirit within us He does it as we yield to the Holy Spirit. He energizes us, motivates us, and enables us to do his will.
B. So how are we to yield to the Holy Spirit?
1. First, It involves surrendering our own will and desires to God's guidance and control.
It is one thing to conceive some great, vague, far-distant will that God may have for our lives; it is quite another thing to say, “Lord, what would you have me do today, in the midst of this humdrum, routine, often monotonous life?”
2. God’s leading will always be in accordance with the Scriptures; there are no shortcuts.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and it provides us with guidance and direction for our lives. When we yield to the Holy Spirit, we can trust that His leading will always be consistent with the teachings of Scripture.
3. This divine leadership is provided by the Holy Spirit who indwells us. When we yield, and dedicate, ourselves to God, then increasingly we come to have the mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:5-8 NIV [5] In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; [7] rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Having the mind of Christ is about living a life that reflects His character and glorifies God.
The mind of Chtist is about
Humility: Jesus was humble, recognizing his dependence on God and the value of others. Having the mind of Christ involves a similar humility, acknowledging our limitations and the importance of serving others.
Love: Jesus' love for God and humanity had no boundaries. Having the mind of Christ means loving others as He loved us. It means even loving our enemies.
Self-denial: Jesus was willing to sacrifice his own desires for the sake of others and the kingdom of God. Having the mind of Christ involves a similar self-denial, putting the needs of others before our own.
Wisdom: Jesus was filled with wisdom and understanding. Having the mind of Christ means seeking wisdom from God and applying it to our lives.
Peace: Jesus offered peace to those around him, even in the midst of turmoil. Having the mind of Christ means cultivating inner peace and sharing it with others.
We start to think like God thinks. He is able not only to convince us of what is wrong but also to give us a clear understanding of what is right for us.
Conclusion
Yielding to the Holy Spirit brings a profound sense of joy and peace that cannot be fully explained. It's a joy that transcends earthly pleasures and provides a deep sense of contentment and fulfillment.
1 Peter 1:8-9 NIV [8] Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, [9] for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Here are some of the joy associated with yielding to the Holy Spirit:
A sense of connection with God: When we yield to the Holy Spirit, we experience a deeper connection with God. We feel His presence in our lives and experience a sense of peace and belonging.
We will experience increased spiritual growth: Yielding to the Holy Spirit is essential for spiritual growth. As we surrender our will to God, He can work more powerfully in our lives, transforming us into the image of Christ.
We will experience a sense of purpose: When we yield to the Holy Spirit, we discover a greater sense of purpose and direction in our lives. We understand that we are part of God's plan and that our lives have meaning.
We will experience peace and contentment: Yielding to the Holy Spirit brings a deep sense of peace and contentment that cannot be found in the world. We are no longer driven by our own desires and anxieties, but by the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.
We will even experience joy in suffering: Even in the midst of suffering, those who yield to the Holy Spirit can experience a deep sense of joy. They know that their suffering is not in vain and that God is using it to shape them into His image.
Romans 8:28-30 NIV [28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. [30] And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
There may be some pain along the way, to be sure; but the prevailing atmosphere will be that of joy and peace because as it says inIsaiah 26:3 NIV You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
The joy that comes with yielding to the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. It's a joy that is beyond words and can only be truly experienced through a personal relationship
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before You today, humbled and grateful for the Word we have heard. We thank You for the Holy Spirit, the divine Comforter who resides within us.
Lord, we pray that You would soften our hearts and make us receptive to Your Spirit's leading. Help us to yield our will to Your perfect plan. May we be filled with a renewed desire to follow You wholeheartedly.
We ask that You would empower us to overcome our weaknesses and live lives that bring glory to Your name. Grant us the courage to step out in faith and trust in Your guidance.
We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Benediction
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. As you go forth from this place, may you be filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to yield to His leading in your lives. May His presence be with you always. The Lord bless you and keep you; [25] the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; [26] the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Go in peace.
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