Participants: Pr. Mark Finley
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000091
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00:12 Welcome To Anchors Of Truth from the 3ABN Worship Center.
00:18 When The Spirit Falls with Mark Finley. 00:22 Well we welcome you to this Anchors Of Truth series 00:27 coming to you live from the Worship Center here 00:31 in West Frankfort, Thompsonville. 00:33 And we're just so happy that you could join us 00:37 by television and by radio. 00:40 And of course, we are so happy that those that are here 00:44 in the auditorium are with us tonight. 00:47 We're looking forward to this series. 00:50 We've been anxiously awaiting Pastor Mark Finley's coming 00:55 to be with us and to present this five part series 01:00 on the Holy Spirit. 01:02 And I believe with all of my heart that we are 01:05 going to be blessed. 01:07 Most of you know Pastor Finley. 01:10 But he is a man of great experience in God's work. 01:14 He's been a pastor, he's been an evangelist, 01:18 and then he was the speaker and director of It Is Written. 01:23 He had the great pleasure and thrill of being one of the very 01:30 first to preach in the former Soviet Union. 01:35 He held a crusade right there in Moscow. 01:39 And the second crusade they held was right in the Kremlin itself. 01:44 And what a massive and beautiful event that was. 01:50 We look forward to hearing from him this few nights 01:54 that he's going to be here. 01:55 And we believe that we are going to receive the Holy Spirit 02:02 as we study about the Holy Spirit. 02:07 Before Pastor Finley comes, we're going to have 02:10 Dr. Yvonne Lewis sing for us that beautiful hymn, 02:16 In Christ Alone. 02:36 In Christ alone my hope is found; 02:42 He is my strength, my light, my song. 02:47 This Cornerstone, this solid ground; 02:52 firm through the fiercest drought and storm. 02:57 What heights of love, what depths of peace; 03:02 when fears are stilled, when strivings cease. 03:08 My Comforter, my All in All; 03:13 here in the love of Christ I stand. 03:26 In Christ alone who took on flesh; 03:31 fullness of God in a helpless Babe. 03:36 This gift of love and righteousness; 03:42 scorned by the ones He came to save. 03:47 Till on that cross as Jesus died, 03:52 the wrath of God was satisfied. 03:57 For every sin on Him was laid; 04:03 here in the death of Christ I live. 04:28 There in the ground His body lay; 04:34 Light of the world by darkness slain. 04:39 Then bursting forth in glorious Day, 04:44 up from the grave He rose again. 04:49 And as He stands in victory, 04:54 sin's curse has lost its grip on me. 05:00 For I am His and He is mine; 05:05 bought with the precious blood of Christ. 05:18 No guilt in life, no fear in death; 05:24 this is the power of Christ in me. 05:29 From a life's first cry to final breath; 05:34 Jesus commands my destiny. 05:39 No power of hell, no scheme of man, 05:44 can ever pluck me from His hand. 05:52 Till He returns to take me home, 05:57 here in the power of Christ I stand. 06:02 No power of hell, no scheme of man, 06:08 can ever pluck me from His hand. 06:18 Here in the power of Christ 06:26 I stand. 06:40 Amen. 06:41 I particularly like the phrase of this song that says, 06:45 "No power of hell, no scheme of man, 06:50 can pluck me from Christ's hand." 06:56 The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the ministry of Jesus Christ 07:01 in our hearts. 07:02 We're going to begin a five part series on the Holy Spirit. 07:07 Tonight, we'll look at the person of the Holy Spirit 07:10 and the work of the Holy Spirit. 07:11 Then we'll deal with the urgency of receiving the Holy Spirit. 07:16 We'll talk about true manifestations of the 07:18 Holy Spirit and counterfeit manifestations 07:20 of the Holy Spirit. 07:22 We'll talk about being filled with the Holy Spirit 07:24 and how God finishes His work with the outpouring 07:27 of the Holy Spirit. 07:29 So you won't want to miss one of these broadcasts. 07:31 Those of you who are here in the live audience, 07:33 you will want to be here every single night. 07:36 Let's pray as we open God's Word in this first topic, 07:40 The Holy Spirit And Its Role In Revival. 07:43 Father in heaven, we thank You so much 07:45 for the gift of the Holy Spirit. 07:47 And we pray Thee that as we study this precious gift tonight 07:52 that we would not merely enter into an intellectual exercise, 07:58 that this would be more than the study of the biblical truth 08:03 of the Spirit, as important as that is, 08:06 but that tonight we would have an experience 08:10 with God through the Holy Spirit that is far closer 08:15 and more intimate than we can possible imagine. 08:19 So come, touch our hearts. 08:23 Do something in our lives significant. 08:25 We pray Thee in Jesus' name, amen. 08:29 I had just finished preaching on The Holy Spirit and Revival. 08:35 And after the sermon, a man came up to me 08:38 and he said, "Can we talk?" 08:40 I said, "Sure. I'm always happy to talk." 08:44 And he said, "I have some questions for you 08:47 about the Holy Spirit." 08:49 "Well, what are your questions?" 08:51 And he went round and round and round 08:54 for the first 5 minutes. 08:56 I was waiting for him to come down for a landing 08:59 to ask me the question. 09:00 And after about five minutes, I said, "Now sir, 09:02 did you tell me you have a question?" 09:04 You know, some people after a meeting come up and 09:06 they say they have a question, but they want to 09:08 preach you a sermon. 09:09 They want to convince you of what they think is right. 09:12 So after this guy went round and round and round 09:15 and preached his little sermon to me, 09:18 I said, "Now by the way, did you have a question, sir?" 09:21 And he said, "Yes, I do. 09:23 Is the Holy Spirit a force or is the Holy Spirit a person? 09:30 Is the Holy Spirit a power that emanates from God 09:34 or is the Holy Spirit really a divine being?" 09:39 That question is incredibly important. 09:42 Now it's important for this reason. 09:45 If the Holy Spirit is merely a person, rather merely a power, 09:53 if the Holy Spirit is merely a power, and if the Holy Spirit 09:57 is not the divine third Person of the Godhead, 10:02 if the Holy Spirit is just some kind of impersonal force, 10:06 what will that lead me to do? 10:09 Look at it on the screen. 10:10 If the Holy Spirit is a mere influence or power, 10:12 we're likely to try to grasp this power and use it. 10:16 In other words, if I believe the Holy Spirit is simply a power, 10:20 then I'll be asking the question, 10:21 "How can I use this power? 10:25 How can this force empower me?" 10:29 But if the Holy Spirit really is the divine third Person 10:34 of the Godhead, I will be on my knees saying, 10:37 "Oh Jesus, fill me with that Spirit 10:40 and use me through the Spirit and by the Spirit." 10:45 So it makes all the difference in the world 10:48 what you believe about the Holy Spirit. 10:53 I was really interested in a statement that was made by 10:57 Bill Bright in the "Campus Crusade For Christ." 11:01 Bill said this, he said, "I'm personally convinced 11:04 that if today's Christians better understood 11:08 the Bible's basic teaching about the Holy Spirit 11:11 and then invited Him to release His power in their lives 11:15 each day, they would experience unprecedented 11:19 joy and personal fulfillment. 11:21 More than that, our verbal and non-verbal witness for Jesus 11:26 would sweep the world." 11:28 I'm interested in that statement by Bill Bright 11:31 where he says that if we allow ourselves to be filled 11:36 with the Holy Spirit, there'll be unprecedented power 11:40 in our lives, and unprecedented joy. 11:44 Would you like to experience unprecedented intimacy 11:49 with God in your own spiritual life? 11:52 Would you like to have an experience with God that is 11:55 far closer than you possibly could imagine? 12:01 Would you like to receive Christ's supernatural power 12:05 to live a victorious Christian life? 12:08 Are there sins in your life that you've struggled with? 12:12 Temptations that have seemed to just overwhelm you 12:17 that you wish you could get victory over? 12:19 Understanding the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life 12:25 is the answer to victory. 12:27 Being filled with the Spirit is the answer to victory. 12:31 Overcoming sin in our life is not gritting our teeth 12:36 and clenching our fists and just hoping by some magic 12:42 formula of physical stamina that we can overcome. 12:48 The devil is stronger than we are. 12:50 What do you say? 12:52 But Jesus is stronger than the devil. 12:54 And understanding the power of the Holy Spirit 12:58 makes all the difference. 13:00 Would you like to be a powerful witness for Jesus? 13:03 Would you like to have the Holy Spirit working in your life 13:07 to enable you to touch others with the grace 13:11 and kingdom of God? 13:13 Understanding the Holy Spirit makes all the difference. 13:27 And that's what we want to study about this evening. 13:31 That's what we want to focus on in this presentation. 13:34 Who is the Holy Spirit? 13:36 How does the Holy Spirit work in an individual life? 13:40 And how can I be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit? 13:44 In the book, Gospel Workers, Ellen White makes 13:47 this penetrating statement. 14:01 Now that statement is powerful on two accounts. 14:04 First it says, "It is the Holy Spirit that quickens..." 14:07 That is, makes alive. 14:10 "...the deadened faculties of the soul." 14:12 So it's the Holy Spirit working in us that gives us 14:15 spiritual longings. 14:17 We would never come to Christ initially unless the Holy Spirit 14:20 was working in our life. 14:22 We would never desire to pray unless the Holy Spirit 14:25 was working in our life. 14:26 We'd never desire to read the Bible unless the Holy Spirit 14:28 is working in our life. 14:30 And we would never appreciate divine things unless the 14:34 Holy Spirit is working in our life. 14:36 So understanding the ministry of the Holy Spirit, 14:38 understanding who the Holy Spirit is, 14:40 makes all the difference in the Christian life. 14:43 So let's look first this evening in this first presentation 14:46 at who is the Holy Spirit. 14:52 Is the Holy Spirit the divine third Person of the Godhead 14:56 that's eternal omnipresent everywhere? 15:01 Now that's a difficult concept to grasp. 15:05 And that leads some people to have this idea: 15:09 "If I cannot fully understand how the Holy Spirit can be 15:14 present everywhere and still be a divine Personage, 15:19 that must mean the Holy Spirit is some kind of power. 15:24 It must mean that the Holy Spirit is some kind of force 15:27 if I can't grasp it." 15:29 Because often we equate divine personality 15:32 with visibility. 15:34 In other words, in heaven, someday I believe I'm going to 15:37 see God the Father. 15:38 In heaven, I believe I'm going to see Jesus. 15:41 But will I actually see the Holy Spirit? 15:43 You know, the mind has this way of playing tricks on us. 15:47 That if I can't really grasp something in my mind, 15:51 then it must not be reality. 15:53 Now thinking of the Holy Spirit as a force rather than a 15:56 divine Being has two major problems. 16:06 Because I can't explain something, does that mean 16:08 that something which I can't explain does not exist? 16:12 Augustine said this once... 16:19 Now I recognize the word "Trinity" is not in the Bible. 16:21 The Bible uses the term "Godhead." 16:23 We use the word "Trinity" like we use other words 16:26 to describe reality. 16:28 We use the word "millennium." 16:30 It's not in the Bible, but the Bible talks in Revelation 20 16:33 about the thousand years. 16:34 So we use the word "Trinity" to describe, not three Beings 16:38 in one God, but three distinct separate Beings. 16:43 The Father is a Being, the Son is a Being, 16:46 the Holy Spirit is a Being. 16:47 That's the way we use it. 16:49 You know, one time one of the great religious philosophers 16:52 was walking on the beach. 16:54 And as he was walking, the tide was coming in. 16:56 And as this tide came in, he saw a little boy 16:59 who had dug a hole. 17:00 And he had a pail and he was running out to the sea 17:03 dumping water in the pail. 17:05 And this religious philosopher was walking along trying to say, 17:08 "How can I understand the Father, the Son, 17:10 and the Holy Spirit, three separate Beings? 17:12 And how can I understand the Holy Spirit's work in nature?" 17:15 He saw this little boy trying to put this water in the hole. 17:19 And he said to the little boy, "What are you doing?" 17:21 The little boy said, "You know what I'm going to do, mister? 17:23 I'm going to put that ocean in this hole." 17:29 And immediately, the religious philosopher thought, 17:31 "That's what I'm trying to do. 17:33 I'm trying to put the infinite wisdom of God 17:36 into this little brain." 17:39 By faith we understand that which the Bible says, 17:43 even if we cannot fully understand it. 17:47 And the Bible uses numerous terms to describe 17:51 the Holy Spirit as a Person. 17:52 It says you can grieve the Holy Spirit. 17:54 You can't grieve an influence. 17:55 It says the Holy Spirit pleads with you. 17:57 How can a power, a force, a non-being, plead? 18:01 The Bible says the Holy Spirit comforts you. 18:03 The Bible says the Holy Spirit teaches you. 18:05 Does a force teach you? 18:07 When you read the Bible clearly, the New Testament, 18:10 John chapters 14, 15, and 16, the Bible talks about 18:15 the Holy Spirit as a divine Being, a divine Personage. 18:18 It talks about the Holy Spirit as "Him," 18:20 the third Person of the Godhead. 18:22 We live in a world where many say, "Seeing is believing. 18:25 I can't see the Holy Spirit, so I don't believe it necessarily." 18:29 Well if you can't touch it, if it's not material, 18:31 if you cannot quantify it, the idea in many minds is 18:36 that it just does not exist. 18:39 But when you really think of it, that's not intellectual at all. 18:42 Because you don't have to understand everything 18:46 about something to appreciate the something we may not know 18:50 everything about. 18:52 Do you understand light waves in television tonight? 18:56 For those of you watching at home, can you explain to me 19:00 exactly how a TV picture is contained on a light wave 19:07 bringing this 3ABN program into your home? 19:09 Can you explain that? 19:10 Can you explain how there may be a hundred, two-hundred, 19:12 different things that people call channels? 19:15 And you have a little button like this and you push them 19:17 and they come on the TV screen? 19:18 Now please explain the mathematical 19:20 formula for that, huh? 19:22 Can you do that? 19:24 Can you explain the internet? 19:26 Can you explain the intricacies of having an iPad? 19:31 Can you explain all that? 19:33 Now you're never going to use a television again, 19:34 never going to use a computer again, 19:35 never going to use the internet again, 19:37 because you can't explain all that, right? 19:38 Is that right? 19:40 Not at all. 19:41 Can you tell me exactly what happens 19:45 when you eat Mrs. Finley's healthy granola? 19:51 Can you tell me about how the vitamin B gives you thiamine 19:54 so it stabilizes your nervous system? 19:56 Can you do that? 19:57 Can you tell me how... 19:59 And you're going to see Mrs. Finley on Hope Ch... 20:02 ...on 3ABN television... 20:04 You know, sometimes this old brain. 20:05 They all work together anyway. 20:07 You're going to see Mrs. Finley on 3ABN television 20:10 doing some of those cooking demonstrations. 20:12 How does all that work? 20:13 How does all that work? 20:15 But because you can't explain the benefits of granola, 20:19 that doesn't mean you're not going to eat it, right? 20:22 We accept all the time things that we cannot fully explain. 20:28 And it's true that way about the Holy Spirit. 20:32 There are two real problems about thinking 20:33 that the Holy Spirit is a force. 20:34 One, it's a human attempt to explain divine things. 20:37 But second, it's contrary to the Bible. 20:39 Now you say, "Pastor Mark, that's a pretty strong statement 20:41 that believing the Holy Spirit is simply a power. 20:43 Can you prove that from the Bible?" 20:45 Well let's look at three extremely plain 20:48 New Testament texts that describe the divine Trio 20:52 in the Godhead. 20:53 Let's look at them clearly. 20:55 Well one of course is Matthew chapter 28 verse 19. 20:57 Jesus says... 21:06 The name of the Father; that's not the name of some force. 21:09 The name of the Son; that's not the name of some force 21:12 or some power. 21:14 The name of the Holy Spirit. 21:15 So the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 21:17 If you say the Holy Spirit is simply a power or force, 21:19 non-personal, then you have to say that the 21:22 Father and the Son are. 21:23 And that would deny the existence of the living God. 21:27 I love the way Ellen White puts it. 21:29 She leaves no question about it. 21:31 Look there, here's the statement. 21:33 Can you read that with me, 3ABN audience? 21:36 And on television, 3ABN audience. 21:37 Read it together with me. 21:42 "Three living..." What, audience? 21:44 "Three living..." What, audience? 21:46 Persons. 22:08 Now notice how plain it is. 22:10 "There are three living Persons of the heavenly Trio." 22:14 We need not have any questions in our mind 22:16 about whether the divine Son of God is a living Person, 22:21 whether the Holy Spirit is, and whether the Father is. 22:24 Now look at Ephesians 2 verse 18. 22:26 Unites again the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. 22:28 Here we have it. 22:37 So the Bible talks about the Father, the Son, 22:41 and the Holy Spirit in multiple passages linked together. 22:47 In fact, if you notice that throughout Scripture, 22:51 the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cooperate to accomplish 22:57 heaven's purposes in the plan of redemption. 23:00 The Father designed the master plan of redemption 23:03 in heaven's counsel. 23:06 The Son left heaven and came to earth 23:09 to live the perfect life that we should have lived 23:12 and to die the death that we should have died. 23:15 Through His righteousness we are saved. 23:18 Our guilt is gone through Him. 23:20 But it's the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, 23:23 that draws us to Christ, that awakens within us 23:27 a desire to follow Jesus, and then when we accept Christ, 23:30 transforms our lives. 23:32 It is through the Holy Spirit that Jesus lives within us. 23:38 Notice 2 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 14. 23:52 Now this text is very, very plain. 23:55 It describes three things about the Godhead. 23:59 It talks about... 24:07 So when you look at Scripture clearly and objectively, 24:13 there can be no question that the Holy Spirit is the divine 24:17 third Person of the Godhead. 24:24 Tonight, wherever you are watching this telecast, 24:28 the Holy Spirit is working on your life. 24:31 You may not be a Christian, you may have come across 24:34 Three Angel's Broadcasting by accident, 24:37 but the Holy Spirit is working in your life. 24:39 It's no accident that you're watching this telecast. 24:42 God has drawn you to it. 24:45 And those of you in this live audience, 24:46 God has brought you here. 24:48 And during this presentation, you'll sense the ministry 24:52 of the Holy Spirit in your own life. 24:54 You'll sense Jesus drawing you closer and closer 24:57 and still closer to Him. 25:09 And this Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts. 25:12 This Holy Spirit comforts us in sorrow. 25:15 This Holy Spirit convicts us in sin. 25:19 This Holy Spirit leads us to righteousness. 25:22 This Holy Spirit teaches us. 25:23 In the book, The Coming of the Comforter, on page 41, 25:26 by Leroy Froom, notice this penetrating statement. 25:49 And to that statement, I say amen. 25:51 What do you say? 25:53 The Holy Spirit comes to earth to take the vacated place 25:58 of Christ who ascended back up into heaven. 26:02 Ellen White puts it this way in Testimonies To Ministers, 26:06 writing to pastors so they would be clear on this subject, 26:09 page 392, she says... 26:25 So when Jesus ascended to heaven, He promised His 26:30 earthly followers the gift of the Holy Spirit. 26:32 We need not fight the battle of Satan on our own. 26:37 I love this phrase that says, "with no modified energy." 26:40 The fullness of the Holy Spirit is yours tonight. 26:44 The fullness of divine power, the Christian life, 26:47 is not this battle, this struggle, against the devil 26:51 where I simply try to clench my teeth and 26:54 fight off the evil one. 26:56 As I open my heart to God, Jesus lives in me through His Spirit. 27:01 Jesus empowers me through His Spirit. 27:03 Jesus transforms me through His Spirit. 27:06 And things I never thought possible, victories I never 27:09 thought possible, are possible through the power 27:12 of the Holy Spirit living in me and living in you. 27:15 What do you say? 27:17 I love the way Jesus puts it. 27:19 Jesus says in John 14 verses 6 and 7... 27:22 Read it together with me please from the screen. 27:49 Jesus said to the disciples, "I'm going to ascend to heaven. 27:54 I'm leaving you. 27:56 But I'm not leaving you alone. 27:58 I'm not leaving you powerless. 28:00 I am going to send the gift of the Holy Spirit to you. 28:05 And the Holy Spirit will live in you." 28:07 And Jesus says, "I, through that Spirit, will live in you." 28:11 So the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us is the personal 28:16 presence of Jesus promised to those disciples. 28:20 And He says, "This Spirit will abide with you forever." 28:25 The first and second Person of the Godhead, 28:29 the Father and the Son, take up residence 28:33 in our hearts through the third member of the Godhead; 28:38 the Holy Spirit. 28:40 Now this is an incredible thought. 28:42 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28:46 Jesus wants to dwell in you. 28:49 Jesus wants to live in you through His Holy Spirit. 29:02 My heart is to be a temple just as there is a temple in heaven, 29:08 a sanctuary in heaven. 29:11 And the Shekinah glory of God's presence fills that sanctuary. 29:17 So Paul says, "You are the temple of the Holy Ghost." 29:23 God, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, 29:27 longs to dwell in us and have His Shekinah glory 29:32 dwell through us. 29:34 Remember what Jesus said in that marvelous passage in Luke 11? 29:39 Where Jesus said, "If you then being evil 29:43 know how to give good gifts to your children, 29:47 so much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit..." 29:51 To those that do what? 29:53 To those that do what? 29:55 Are you on your knees asking God every day to 29:58 fill you with His Holy Spirit? 30:00 Are you saying, "Jesus, make my heart Your home. 30:06 Lord, make my life a temple. 30:09 Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit." 30:11 Ask, and it shall be given to you. 30:14 Seek, and you shall find. 30:16 Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 30:18 All the promises of God, Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 30:23 verse 19 and onward, are yes. 30:25 God's promises are not yes and no. 30:28 God's promises are yes. 30:29 Has God promised to give you, as a believer, the Holy Spirit? 30:32 Has He? 30:33 Has He promised that? 30:35 Is God a liar? 30:36 Is there anything impossible for God to do? 30:39 Yes there is. 30:41 The Bible says that. 30:42 Didn't you know that? 30:44 It is impossible for Him to... 30:47 You know, Pastor Finley was a teacher for a while. 30:49 You know I'd get you on that one, right? 30:51 So is there anything impossible for God to do? 30:54 The Bible says, "It is impossible for God to lie." 30:59 Will God lie to us? 31:00 Did He promise us the Holy Spirit? 31:03 Will He send the Holy Spirit as He's promised as we ask for it? 31:07 Can you by faith say, "Jesus, You promised me Your Holy Spirit 31:10 and I feel so powerless in my life. 31:13 But You stand behind every promise You've made. 31:16 And I accept by faith that the Holy Spirit is coming 31:19 from heaven for me right now." 31:22 The Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost. 31:24 And it will be poured out just before Jesus comes 31:27 in abundant power again. 31:29 We're going to be studying about that in this series. 31:31 Look, here's a marvelous statement again 31:34 from the pen of Ellen White. 32:03 Now I don't want you to miss the last sentence, 32:04 so read it with me. 32:13 Do you grasp the significance of that? 32:16 What if you knew tonight that Jesus was going to come 32:22 right here in this auditorium? 32:24 What if you were living 2000 years ago 32:27 and you could go on a walk with Jesus? 32:29 What if you were living 2000 years ago 32:33 and Jesus put His arm around you sitting on the shores of Galilee 32:37 and said, "I have something to tell you." 32:39 Would that be thrilling to actually have a personal 32:43 audience with Jesus, to actually have Jesus talk to you? 32:47 But notice our statement. What does it say? 32:49 "Their union with Him through the Holy Spirit 32:53 was closer than when He was with them personally." 32:58 Jesus has something amazing that He wants to do through you. 33:04 Is it possible that in the Christian life at times 33:08 we have less than God wants to give to us? 33:11 I read a story some time ago about a man who, all his life, 33:15 wanted to go on a cruise. 33:16 You know, one of these luxury cruises. 33:18 He was a poor man, didn't have much money. 33:20 And he said, "Before I die, I want to go on a cruise." 33:23 So he saved for about 20 years from the time he was in 33:25 his 20's to his mid 40's. 33:26 And he chose the Mediterranean cruise he wanted to go on. 33:30 Now he was only worried about one thing. 33:32 He bought the cruise tickets but he didn't have enough money, 33:37 he thought, to eat in that great dining room. 33:42 And so he would walk into those huge buffets on the cruise 33:45 and he would smell the food. 33:47 But he had brought a lot of cheese and crackers with him. 33:50 So the first day, he ate cheese and crackers. 33:53 The next day, he ate crackers and cheese. 33:55 And the third day, just to vary his diet, he ate only crackers. 33:58 By the fourth day, he looked to see if he had any money left. 34:01 And he found that he had saved a little money for souvenirs. 34:04 But the wafts and the smells from that buffet 34:08 were so great that he went down and said to them, 34:11 "How much would it cost if I ate in the buffet just for today?" 34:16 And they said, "Could we see your ticket, please." 34:17 They looked at it and said, "Didn't you know 34:19 that when you signed up for this cruise, 34:20 all the food was free?" 34:23 He was living on cheese and crackers 34:27 when he could have been feasting on the banquet hall. 34:31 Are you living on cheese and crackers in your Christian life? 34:36 You feel powerless, you feel defeated. 34:39 And you feel at times alone. 34:43 You need comfort, you need strength, 34:45 you need hope, and you need courage. 34:48 When you committed your life to Christ, 34:50 Christ committed His life to you. 34:53 When you made a decision to follow Jesus, 34:55 He promised to give you the Holy Spirit. 34:58 Not a few drops, but in abundance. 35:02 I don't want to live on cheese and cracker 35:05 in the Christian life... 35:07 ...when I can feed on the banquets of eternity. 35:12 I don't want a few drops of rain and live a half-hearted 35:16 Laodicean complacent Christian life 35:20 when through the grace of Jesus I can be filled 35:23 by His Spirit. 35:26 Isn't that your desire as well? 35:28 I love the statement in Review and Herald, 35:30 November 29, 1892. 35:48 So the work of the Holy Spirit is what? 35:50 It's immeasurably great. 35:53 This is for you, this is for me. 35:56 These are promises that Christ Himself has given to us. 36:00 Now what is the work of the Holy Spirit? 36:01 We've seen that the Holy Spirit is the third Person 36:04 of the Godhead. 36:05 We have seen also that the Holy Spirit is not some force 36:08 or power, but it is the divine presence of Christ in the soul. 36:12 We have noticed as well that God wants to give the Spirit 36:14 in abundance. 36:16 He wants us to live an abundant Christian life. 36:18 What is the work of the Holy Spirit? 36:20 What does God want to do in your life 36:22 through the work of the Holy Spirit? 36:29 What promises are yours and mine through Jesus Christ, our Lord, 36:34 and the grace of the Holy Spirit? 36:41 What promise does He make to you? 36:42 Not for tomorrow, not for next month, 36:44 not for next year, but for tonight. 36:50 Look at this text, John 14 verse 16. 36:53 Here we go, let's read it together. 36:54 At home, the 3ABN audience, let's read. 36:56 The local audience, let's read. 37:04 So the Holy Spirit is your what? 37:06 Is your what, everybody? Helper. 37:08 Now that word in the Greek, the word is "paraclete." 37:11 Can you say that word with me tonight? 37:15 Now what does the word "paraclete" mean? 37:19 The word "clete" is a word that comes from, "called." 37:24 And the word "para" is, "alongside of." 37:26 So the word "paraclete" is, "one that is called 37:30 alongside of us to help us." 37:34 So here's the Holy Spirit. 37:35 You're struggling with sin, you're struggling with 37:37 some temptation. 37:39 The Holy Spirit is called alongside to give you strength. 37:41 Here is somebody that is sorrowful. 37:43 The Holy Spirit is called alongside of you to give you 37:45 courage and hope. 37:47 Here's somebody that feels lonely. 37:49 The Holy Spirit comes to fill your heart with the 37:51 presence of Jesus to give you that sense of love and intimacy. 37:55 So the Holy Spirit is the divine third Person of the Godhead 37:59 who is called alongside each one of us. 38:02 Now this is a very interesting word. 38:05 In Leon Morris' commentary in The Gospel According to John, 38:08 page 665, Leon Morris makes this very, 38:12 very penetrating statement. 38:14 He says... 38:23 In the days of ancient Rome, when a person was tried, 38:26 they all would be appointed a paraclete; 38:30 one who would come. 38:32 The paraclete would provide them food in prison. 38:34 The paraclete would provide them a robe if they were cold. 38:37 He would provide them a wash basin. 38:38 The paraclete would be one that was appointed by the Roman court 38:43 to meet the needs of the prisoner. 38:46 So Jesus borrows that very word and He says, 38:49 "I'm going to go away, but I'm going to send the Holy Spirit. 38:52 And He is going to be by your side to meet 38:56 your deepest needs." 38:58 You and I are never alone. 39:01 The gift of the Holy Spirit is there to meet our deepest needs. 39:05 Lying on a hospital bed with few weeks to live, being diagnosed 39:11 with cancer, the Holy Spirit is there to strengthen you. 39:14 Going through some natural disaster and tragedy, 39:17 the Holy Spirit is there. 39:19 The Holy Spirit is there throughout our life. 39:21 In our times of joy, in our times of happiness, 39:25 in our times of jubilation, we're on the mountain peak, 39:28 the Holy Spirit is there to say, "Hallelujah, praise God. 39:31 Look what has happened in your life." 39:32 In the times when we walk through the valley 39:34 of the shadow of death, the Holy Spirit is there 39:36 to give us hope, to give us confidence, 39:38 to give us courage. 39:39 I thank God that we are not alone in this world. 39:43 That the Holy Spirit works with us and beside us. 39:46 Now the Bible says, "And I'll pray," John 14 verse 16, 39:49 "the Father and He'll give you another Comforter, 39:51 that He may abide with you forever." 39:53 The word "comforter" is an interesting word as well. 39:56 If you look at this word "comforter," 39:58 what a fascinating word. 40:01 For example, in Latin... 40:12 So if you take the Latin derivation, Jesus said, 40:16 "I've come to give you a Comforter." 40:18 In Latin, "comforter" means, someone who'll strengthen you. 40:22 In every step we take in the Christian life, 40:26 the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, the personal presence 40:30 of Christ is there to strengthen us. 40:35 Jesus has never lost a battle with Satan yet. 40:41 Not one. Not one. 40:43 There never has been a time that Jesus has fought against Satan 40:48 and Satan has won and Jesus has lost. 40:52 Right? 40:55 As you and I open our hearts to Jesus, 40:58 as the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, 41:01 the Paraclete comes alongside of us 41:03 to supply every one of our needs. 41:06 The great Comforter comes to strengthen us. 41:09 Are you struggling with something tonight? 41:12 Some attitude, some habit? 41:15 Something that you cannot seem to overcome? 41:22 Open your heart to the Holy Spirit. 41:25 The Holy Spirit will enter into your life. 41:29 The Comforter will come and strengthen you 41:33 through divine supernatural power. 41:36 What we are powerless to do, the all powerful God can do. 41:42 We are weak, but He is strong. 41:44 We are frail, but He is almighty. 41:46 We are not invincible, but He is invincible. 41:55 We come and He strengthens and encourages us. 41:59 Look, Christ's Object Lessons, page 96, read it with me please. 42:03 What a hopeful sentence. 42:04 "None are so vile, none have fallen so low..." 42:31 "None are so vile, none have fallen so low," 42:34 that without the Holy Spirit cannot be transformed. 42:38 Whoever you are, wherever you are, 42:42 the Spirit is for you. 42:44 To change you, to make you over again, 42:46 to transform your life. 42:48 Who is the Holy Spirit? 42:49 What does the Holy Spirit do in our life? 42:51 The Holy Spirit comforts, the Holy Spirit strengthens, 42:55 the Holy Spirit meets our needs. 42:56 Also, the Holy Spirit is our personal Teacher. 42:59 As we open God's Word, the Bible calls the Holy Spirit... 43:02 What? The Spirit of truth. 43:05 So the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. 43:08 I thank God that when you and I open the Bible 43:12 and turn the pages of the Bible, we are not left alone 43:17 to figure out complex meanings of Scripture. 43:20 But when you come to the Bible with a sincere heart, 43:23 understanding God's Word is as much a matter of the heart 43:29 as it is of the mind. 43:32 You can approach the Bible thinking that you will 43:38 know everything about it, and you can approach it 43:41 arrogantly, and be baffled by what you read. 43:45 Didn't Jesus say to the scribes and Pharisees 43:47 who spent all their lives studying God's Word, 43:50 didn't He say, "The truth is hidden from the wise 43:53 and the prudent, but revealed unto..." What? 43:56 "...babes." 43:57 And you remember what Jesus said in John 7 verse 17 43:59 when He put it this way, when He said, 44:04 "If any man will do my will," John 7 verse 17, 44:09 "If any man will do my will, he shall know of the doctrine." 44:14 How do we know truth? 44:16 By having a willingness to do whatever Jesus wants us to do. 44:21 When you approach the Bible with an open spirit. 44:24 And every day as I open God's Word in the morning 44:27 and in the evening, I say, "Jesus, teach me. 44:29 Jesus, You be my teacher. 44:31 Jesus, come with Your Holy Spirit to teach me." 44:36 Opening God's Word, I say, "Lord, I cannot 44:39 understand this Book, I can't understand 44:42 Your plan for my life, unless You become my teacher. 44:46 Lord, You teach me. 44:48 Lord, You instruct me with Your Word." 44:50 Steps To Christ, page 114, says, "We can obtain 44:54 to an understanding of God's Word only..." 44:56 What does the word "only" mean? 44:57 No other way. 44:59 "...through the illumination of the Spirit by which 45:01 the Word was given." 45:02 If you are a truth seeker tonight, and you've 45:05 turned on Three Angel's Broadcasting, 45:08 open God's Word with a sincere spirit. 45:11 Whatever your belief system has been before, 45:14 say, "Jesus, I need Your Spirit to teach me. 45:17 Lord, my heart is open. 45:19 And Lord, if You teach me by Your Word, 45:22 whatever You ask me to do, I will do that." 45:37 I've conducted evangelistic meetings around the world 45:40 for 45 years now. 45:42 I've stood on the great platforms of the world in 45:45 inter America, South America, Europe, Asia, the former 45:49 Soviet Union, Africa. 45:52 We've seen thousands come to our meetings. 45:54 And here is what I have discovered. 45:57 If you have a longing for truth, God's going to reveal it to you. 46:01 But if you come to the Bible with a spirit of debate, 46:04 if you come to the Bible with a spirit to prove yourself right 46:08 and everybody else wrong... 46:10 I have seen even Christians... 46:13 Dare I say the next thing? 46:16 Dare I not say the next thing? 46:18 I have even seen some Seventh-day Adventists 46:22 that have approached the Bible with a spirit of, 46:25 "I know it and nobody else does. 46:27 And I've got this light that I want to prove 46:29 everybody else wrong." 46:31 I will say to you tonight, very openly, 46:35 every one of us, this man included, 46:39 must come to the Bible with an open spirit 46:42 and an open heart, and the willingness to be taught 46:45 by the Holy Spirit. 46:47 And if we are, God promises to be our Teacher. 46:52 I love the way Psalms puts it. 46:54 Psalm 119 verse 107. 46:56 Read it together with me from the screen again. 47:05 Now don't miss this, don't miss this. 47:08 Any so called revival that is focusing on emotionalism 47:13 and sentimentalism is not the genuine revival that 47:20 Christ is going to send through His Holy Spirit. 47:22 What did David pray? 47:24 "Revive me, O God, through Your..." What? 47:27 "...Word." 47:29 And if you have a worship service that is largely filled 47:32 with high powered, high generating music 47:35 that ramps people up to some emotional hype, 47:39 and they spend three and a half minutes, four or five minutes, 47:42 with some ditty from the Word of God, 47:45 I say to you tonight that it is not the genuine revival, 47:49 that it does not come from heaven. 47:51 All genuine revival leads us back to God's Word. 47:55 All genuine revival leads us back to God's truth. 47:58 All genuine revival leads us humbly to our knees, 48:02 that says, "Oh Jesus, teach us from Your Word." 48:10 I pray this prayer... 48:44 We do not look to a man sitting in Rome by the Tiber River 48:51 as the Vicar of Christ. 48:53 We look to the throne room of God. 48:57 We look to the sanctuary in heaven. 49:00 And we open our hearts to receive the outpouring of the 49:04 Holy Spirit, first to change our lives, 49:09 and second to reveal the truth He wants for us. 49:12 I've seen God do that all over the world. 49:15 One night, I was preaching in Moscow. 49:19 Preaching in the Kremlin auditorium. 49:22 You know, Nikita Khrushchev once made this statement. 49:26 In fact, he was speaking in Kiev in Ukraine. 49:29 I preached in that auditorium as well. 49:31 And Nikita Khrushchev, he gave a lengthy speech 49:36 about dialectic materialism. 49:38 He talked about humanism. 49:40 This was given in the 1950's, the early 1950's. 49:43 And Khrushchev said, "Humanism will triumph over the world. 49:48 Christianity will be stamped out." 49:50 And then he said, "In 25 years, there will not be one Christian 49:55 in the former Soviet Union." 49:57 Then he laughed and he said, "Oh, there'll be one. 50:00 And when he dies, we'll stuff him, take him up to Moscow, 50:04 and put him in a museum so future generations 50:08 can know what a Christian looked like." 50:11 I walked into that same former KGB prison, 50:16 which is now a cultural center built over the prison 50:19 in Ukraine, stepped on those same boards 50:22 where Khrushchev made that statement, 50:25 and preached to thousands and thousands 50:28 in the former Soviet Union. 50:29 And you know what I thought to myself? 50:31 What would Khrushchev have thought 50:33 if he knew that the Word of God had been preached 50:36 in the Kremlin auditorium where you have the 50:38 palace of Communism. 50:40 If I didn't believe in the state of the dead, 50:42 that the dead know not anything, I'd think Khrushchev was 50:44 turning in his grave. 50:46 But I know that's not true. 50:47 He's going to have to wait until Jesus 50:50 when he see something in the panorama skies 50:52 and he's going to be amazed, in the final judgment. 50:56 I was preaching in the Kremlin. 50:58 Two sessions a night, 6500 people every session. 51:02 Between the first and second session, I went into my 51:05 little room to get a little Russian Borscht, 51:08 to get some energy for the second session. 51:10 I was younger in those days and needed energy. 51:12 Now I'm old and don't need any. 51:15 So you know, I was eating my Borscht and 51:18 a man burst into the room. 51:20 Beard, scruffy beard, a guy late 20's or early 30's, 51:23 scar down the side of his face. 51:26 And I thought, "Wow, who is this guy?" 51:27 He was ranting in Russian. 51:29 You know, when somebody is saying something in a 51:31 foreign language, you always wonder what are they saying. 51:35 You know, I don't understand this. 51:36 I thought the guy was going to attack me; who is he. 51:38 And he had his hands going. 51:40 My translator stood up quickly between us. 51:42 I was thankful for that. 51:44 And you know, the guy said... 51:47 My translator started translating and he said 51:48 to the man, "Slow down. 51:50 I've got to translate for Pastor Finley." 51:51 The man said, "I was sitting in the audience tonight. 51:53 Something happened in my heart. 51:54 I cannot explain it. 51:57 But there was this strange feeling. 51:59 I need to know Jesus. I need to know Jesus. 52:02 I can't leave this place without knowing Jesus." 52:04 Who was doing that in this man's life? 52:06 In the Kremlin auditorium where Communism was exalted, 52:11 where atheism was propagated, where it was said that there was 52:16 no God, here now is a young criminal who had been 52:19 in and out of court 28 times, who was known as the 52:22 thief of Moscow, but the Spirit of God worked in his life. 52:26 He opened His heart to Jesus. 52:29 We talked about Jesus. 52:31 We talked about the grace of God. 52:33 We talked about the power of the Holy Spirit. 52:36 We talked about how the fact that Jesus could come 52:38 and change your life through His Holy Spirit. 52:39 And that man knelt that very day on that floor, 52:42 cried his eyes out. 52:43 He gave his heart to Jesus. 52:45 A year later, I came back to Moscow. 52:47 There was a choir singing and my host said, 52:49 "Pastor Mark, you're going to love this choir. 52:51 They all were baptized in your last evangelistic series here." 52:55 I sat there looking at the choir and there was this 52:56 one guy that was just singing, beaming. 52:58 I said, "Who's that guy?" 52:59 "You don't know him? 53:01 He's the guy that broke into your study. 53:03 He was the thief of Moscow transformed 53:06 by the grace of God." 53:08 What He's done for others, He can do for you. 53:11 You may be an Adventist Christian, 53:13 you may be a Christian of a various denomination. 53:17 But God has more for you through His Holy Spirit. 53:20 You may not be a Christian at all, but Jesus is speaking 53:23 to you through His Holy Spirit. 53:25 You know, a number of years ago, there was an Arab that was 53:31 called, the birdman of the desert. 53:34 The birdman of the desert. 53:36 This man could get home from any place in the Sahara Desert. 53:43 I mean, this guy could be miles, and all you could see was 53:47 desert sand, desert sand, desert sand; he could get home. 53:52 Never lost his way. 53:54 And they said, "How do you know?" 53:58 And one day, he took his robe and flapped it open. 54:02 And as he did, he came and showed them 54:07 in his hand a pigeon. 54:11 And this pigeon was tied to a long string. 54:14 And he said, "This is a homing pigeon. 54:17 Wherever I am in the desert, I throw him up. 54:19 And as I throw him up into the sky with this long string, 54:23 he begins to fly toward home. 54:25 And I just follow. 54:26 I just follow him and I get home." 54:31 The divine heavenly Dove will lead you home. 54:37 Listen to the convictions of the Holy Spirit on your heart. 54:43 Develop a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. 54:47 When the Holy Spirit convicts you to do something, 54:50 don't say, "Oh, that's not important." 54:52 Don't deny that inner voice of the Holy Spirit. 54:57 Day by day, open your heart to the Spirit. 55:00 Ask Jesus to fill you with His Spirit. 55:03 And Him to convict you of any sin that might be in your life. 55:08 Ask Him to teach you and to instruct you. 55:12 I love the way that old song puts it. 55:15 Holy Spirit, Light divine; 55:19 shine upon this heart of mine. 55:24 Chase the shades of night away, 55:27 and turn my darkness into day. 55:31 Is that your prayer? 55:32 Oh Holy Spirit, shine upon this heart of mine. 55:38 Chase the shades of night away, 55:41 and turn my night into day. 55:43 Would you like to open your heart to the Holy Spirit now? 55:46 God's going to touch somebody right now in this audience. 55:48 God's going to touch somebody watching on 3ABN. 55:52 Would you like to open your heart to the Holy Spirit? 55:54 Would you like to say, "Jesus, convict me of anything 55:57 in my life that's not in harmony with Your will 56:00 through Your Holy Spirit." 56:03 Would you like to say, "Jesus, fill me with Your Holy Spirit. 56:07 Lord, I'm struggling with some temptation. 56:09 Empower me by Your Holy Spirit." 56:12 Maybe you're right on the verge of making a decision for truth. 56:15 Maybe you've been watching 3ABN. 56:18 And as you've watched it, you've heard these programs 56:21 and you're convicted. 56:22 But right now, you want to say, "Jesus, teach me Your truth 56:26 through the Spirit and empower me to take 56:28 the next step in my life. 56:31 Strengthen me." 56:32 Would you like to say tonight, "Jesus, my heart is totally 56:36 open to the Spirit." 56:38 Maybe you're a Christian. 56:39 Maybe you're a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. 56:42 But you want a fuller, more intimate, 56:45 closer experience with Jesus than you've ever had before. 56:50 Would you like to say, "Jesus, abide in my heart 56:53 through Your Holy Spirit." 56:54 Why not do that as we pray. 56:56 Dear Father in heaven, thank You for the Holy Spirit. 57:02 Thank You for the divine third Person of the Godhead 57:06 that gives us comfort and hope, that strengthens us, 57:09 that encourages us, that empowers us, 57:13 that teaches us. 57:14 Oh, fill us with Your Spirit. 57:17 In the name of Jesus, we believe it. 57:21 Our Savior and Lord, amen. 57:26 God bless you tonight as you go. 57:30 Go with the sense of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. |
Revised 2014-12-17