How Does God's Holy Spirit Work in Our Lives?

We're just less than a week removed, actually, from the Feast of Pentecost in one of the holy days in God's plan that shows us so much of what God is doing and how He is doing it. I'll address the message today with a question. How does God's Spirit work in our lives? How does it work? We know how important it is. We know that it's absolutely vital as we rehearse some of the things in the Feast of Pentecost, but how does it work in our lives? Let's turn over to Acts 2, verse 1. Even though the Feast of Pentecost has come and gone and we rehearse the meaning of the day, I think it's important for us to take some of these lessons with us. There are so many different aspects to Pentecost and so many different lessons to it. We talk about peeling back an onion and getting to another layer of the meaning. As we look at Acts 2, verse 1, we see here that this is when the church was founded. There were some extraordinary things that were going on as God was trying to make an impact and extraordinary evidence of what He was doing and what He was about to do. It says in Acts 2, verse 1, that when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all in one accord in one place, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And then there appeared to them divided tongues as a fire, and one sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak with other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance. So we see here in chapter 2 of the book of Acts, we see the manifestation of the pouring out of God's Spirit in a very, very dramatic way.

And thousands of people ran up and said, what is all of this noise? What is all of this commotion? And God got the attention of a lot of people that were there. And then they saw these disciples that were basically manifesting the Holy Spirit, a very powerful Spirit of God. The disciples were speaking in other languages. They were speaking in tongues, as it says in the Scripture.

And it says that everyone heard them in their own language, even though there were multiple people there, multiple languages, and tribes and peoples, they all heard these wonderful words of God in their language. It was a miracle that was taking place. And the disciples immediately began to talk about God, and about the Messiah. And the words of God were spoken in a very, very powerful way, and the results were amazing. And Peter, who had doubted, in a sense, Christ in certain ways, and even had denied Him not long prior to that, denied Him three different times that He even knew Him, and all of a sudden He is filled with strength and with power and with faith. And upon receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter was a changed man. He was different than what he had been before. He was filled with God's Spirit. He was a changed man. Now, he had seen the resurrected Christ. He had seen Him ascend into heaven. And now Peter knew, and knew that He knew, that this was the Messiah, the one that God had promised for generations. And God was real to Him. And He knew that Jesus was the very Son of God, and had ascended up to the throne, was now sitting at the right hand of the Father. And Peter had a type of conviction and boldness here that he had never had before. It was because of something that had been given to him by God. You know, if we read through the next few chapters here of Acts 2, we realize that after the Feast of Pentecost here, there was an explosion in the church. There was an explosion of growth. There were 3,000 that were baptized in one single day. Individuals that had responded to Peter's message, and the other disciples that were there as well, they responded in a very dramatic way. They repented of their sins, they became baptized, and then they too received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now in the past, they had known of Jesus. They knew who He was. They had seen Him, but they had not accepted Him as the Christ. They had not accepted Him as the Messiah. And now they did. They knew that He was the Christ.

The result of this was huge growth within the church. It started off with 3,000 and continued to grow. It was a huge impact and a huge growth that began within the church. This was used, brethren, to plant first fruits all over the place, all over the known world at that time. It started there in Jerusalem. There were people from other nations, other countries, other tribes that were there for that particular purpose, and then they went back. And so it all began here. The first plantings of the first fruits got scattered all over the known world at that time. And so now here we are, nearly 2,000 years later from the beginning of what took place back then, 2,000 years away from those events, and we are still the plantings of what God started back then.

I think sometimes we forget that the same power that was given to them has been given to us, for those of us that have been baptized and received that gift, that the same power that they had has been given to us. I think sometimes we think maybe it's gone to a lesser power. It's not there like it was, and as the generations and as the decades and as the centuries have gone by, it's been less and less and less.

That over the years, God gave less and less Holy Spirit to His people. But, brethren, that's not according to Scripture. That's not according to Scripture. It's to the same power that the Apostle Peter had, that same power of love, of sound-mindedness, and that it's been given to you and I, for those of us that have made that commitment. It's been given to you and I.

As we look at that power that's been given to us, the Holy Spirit that's been given to us, let's look at a prophecy in the book of Matthew here. A prophecy about the church at the end of the age. Let's go over to Matthew, Chapter 24. I think it's familiar with a lot of us here, known as the Olivet Prophecy, because this was a time when Jesus Christ was sitting on the Mount of Olives.

His disciples came to Him, and Jesus was a prophet among many other things. He was a prophet. And He began to talk about the future, about things that were going to happen. So, I want to go to a prophecy about the church at the end of the age. We look at Matthew, Chapter 24, and verse number 3. We'll pick it up there. Matthew, Chapter 24, and verse 3, it says, And He sat upon the Mount of Olives.

So, this is why it's called the Olivet Prophecy. And the disciples came to Him privately, and they said, Tell us, when are these things going to be? And what shall be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age or the end of the world? So, then Jesus goes through many things. As a prophet, He talks about many things that were going to come in the future, before the end of the age.

But now, let's jump to Chapter 25, and we'll pick it up in verse 1. And there's really no chapter break, in a sense. So, this is all part of the Olivet Prophecy here. And these are parables. They're all part of the prophecy. Let's understand that there's a coming of time when this is what the church is going to become. This is what the firstfruits, in a sense, are going to become at the end of the age.

Jesus prophesies this. Matthew, Chapter 25, verse 1. It says, In the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps, and they went out to meet the bridegroom. So, we see here that it's talking about virgins. And I think most of us know what that means when the Bible uses the term virgins here. We're talking about people that have submitted to God. They have God's Holy Spirit. They're virgins, in a sense. They're firstfruits. False Christians are utilized with the term prostitutes or harlots. But we're talking about virgins here. They symbolize those who are spiritually pure.

They have received God's Spirit. So, this is the firstfruits. These are people who had received God's Spirit. All of them. And it says, So, we know also from Scripture that oil is a symbol or symbolic of the Holy Spirit. And a lamp is something, of course, that burns that Holy Spirit so that there can be a light. And, of course, Jesus talks in other places about being a light to the world. And so, it's the visible manifestation, in the sense, of the oil.

It's the use of the oil. And it says, And we know the bridegroom refers to and is symbolic of Jesus Christ. So, the meaning of what is covered here, and if we read through the New Testament, you know what these symbols represent as we go through here. Verse number two. Now, five of them were wise and five were foolish. Remember, they're all virgins here. They're all members of the church, if you will.

They're all firstfruits. Five were wise and five were foolish. And those, verse three, who were foolish took their lamps and they took no oil with them. So, they, in a sense, were not responding to the Spirit of God. In a sense, they weren't filled, in that sense, with that Spirit. They had some oil, so they had some of God's Spirit. They had oil in their vessels, in a sense. But they took no oil with them, in a separate vessel.

There were some in the lamps, itself, but no none in the vessels. It says, verse four, But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. So, not only were their lamps filled with oil, but also their vessels were filled with oil. And as we look back at that time, in the culture of that time, you know, that was very meaningful for them because lamps was something that they used every evening and every night. You know, for us, we can go flick on a light switch and we have light. But for them, a lamp is something that provided them their light.

And they would, of course, they'd trim their lamps so that it would burn brighter. And they would have oil in their lamps, but they also had these vessels, these separate vessels that would be with their lamps, so that when the lamp began and ran out of oil, they'd have a vessel.

They could refill it. And so, you, archaeologically, you can see these different vessels, these separate vessels that have been found. They were very common. So, when Jesus Christ is talking about this to that generation, this made all the sense in the world to them. That oil was very important, not only in the lamp, but also to have in the vessel. And all that these vessels were very common. So, he was speaking to a culture of the time that understood this concept.

So, the wise have their lamps full of oil. In other words, God's Spirit is active in their lives. The light is burning in their lives. They're interacting with God in that sense. And so, this oil comes from God. And we know where the Holy Spirit comes from. It's a gift from Him. It came from Him. It's in their lives. It's filling their lives, and their lamps and their vessels are filled with it. Verse number five, But while the bridegroom was delayed, it says, they all slumbered and slept. We talked about that in the past, too. You know, notice that they all were sleeping, in a sense. I want you to notice there's a belief in the Church that at some point in the end time, that some are thinking, you know, that Christ just isn't coming. There comes to a point in the time, I think, when a lot of people in the Church just think, well, it's going to be some time in the future. It's going to be delayed.

It says, they all slumbered and slept. You know, they're thinking, well, I've been waiting and waiting. And people begin to lose sight of His coming in the way that they live their lives. And it isn't just the five foolish. It says, they all slept. So it seems like the entire Church, the first words come to a place where they lose something. They lose its enthusiasm. They lose their dedication. Their commitment, in a sense. And in this parable, it points out the relationship between the members and God, that it's not exactly what it should be. The relationship between the first fruits and God is not exactly what it should be. And everyone sort of falls asleep. Verse 6, in at midnight, a cry was heard. At the time, at least expected. Behold, the bridegroom is coming. This is at midnight. Go out to meet them. It says, all the virgins arose and they trimmed their lamps. Now, all of them have some oil burning in their lamps, don't they? They all have some. They trimmed their lamps. But then the five foolish begin to realize, wait a minute. I don't think I've got enough. I don't think I have enough. I don't think I understand what's going on. My life is messed up. I haven't been interacting with God's Spirit. I haven't been stirring up the Spirit of God. And I need that power. I need that power of love and a sound mind. And something is missing in my life. I'm not prepared. I'm not ready. And I'm not what I am supposed to be.

Verse number eight, and the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. I think there's a point where they realize I'm not prepared. I'm not prepared spiritually. I'm not ready for what's going on in the world. I'm not ready to face the trials that are coming. I'm not prepared for the bridegroom's coming. You know, I'm not prepared for the fact that my life is falling apart. I'm going to have to trust God on a level I've never had to trust Him before, and I am not prepared to do that. And I am missing something, and I need something that I know that you have.

And my flame, my lamp is going out. Verse nine. But the wise answered and said, No, thus there should not be enough for us and you. But go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves. The wise version said, But we can't give you oil.

You're going to have to get right with God. I can't obey God for you, because where does that oil come from? Somebody else can't give you that oil because that oil doesn't come from them. It comes from God. It comes from God. Because He's the one that we have to go and buy from, in a sense. He's the one that sells the oil, so to speak. It all comes from God. So in that sense, none of us can carry anyone else on our backs into the kingdom of God. That's as clear as Scripture can be.

None of us can carry somebody into the kingdom of God. Verse number 10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding, and the door was shut. And afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, Well, Lord, Lord, that's an emphasis there when you say it more than one time.

Lord, Lord, open us! But He answered, and He said, I say to you truly, I do not know you. That's a pretty sobering thing to think about. And so Jesus says, Watch therefore, verse 13, For you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man is coming. There's a reason that God inspired Jesus Christ to give us parable. There's a reason. It says, we had better be right with God all the time.

We better be right. We better be ready all the time. It's important that He uses the analogy of the oil and the land. You know, He uses both of those analogies here. It has to do with an interaction with God's Spirit. These are not people who are living lives totally in the world. They're virgins. We see that here. But remember, everybody sleeps.

And so He says to watch, because we have to make sure that we don't go into a deep sleep here. We have to be awake, because the time is coming, and maybe it's coming quicker than what we realize. And even if it doesn't, we can't sleep. So, brethren, how do we respond to this gift? For those of us that have received it, how do we respond to this gift? How does God's Spirit work in our lives?

Today, what I'd like to do specifically is to cover seven points of what God's Spirit will do in our life and what God does in us through His Spirit. We're going to cover seven points of what God's Spirit will do in our life, how it works, and what God does in us through His Spirit.

So, the title of the message here today is, How Does God's Spirit Work in Our Lives? Let's begin with the first of seven points here. First of seven points. This may be a review for some, but for others, it may be something they've heard for the first time. Number one, the Holy Spirit gives us a down payment on eternal life. The Holy Spirit gives us a down payment on eternal life. Let's notice that over in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse number 1. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse number 1.

Because Paul begins to explain to our brothers and sisters here at the Church of Corinth, he starts to talk about a physical body and then he talks about a spiritual body. He talks about a physical tent and then a spiritual building that comes later. And I think sometimes this is a misunderstood concept, but I think it's very important because really, it's very encouraging to understand this.

He says basically, as we begin to read here, that we all want a spiritual body. You know, this physical body isn't the greatest to start, but as we get older, we begin to realize that our life is going to end in this physical body. We begin to have pains and we begin to have difficulties and we begin to have physical trials. And we know that they're there or will be there sometime in the future. We want to be resurrected. We want a spirit body. But how does that happen? 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 1. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, talking about our body, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. So God is going to give us something else. That's His promise. That's His plan. He's going to give us a body that is spiritual, in a sense. Verse number 2. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven. He says we really desire a spiritual body because sometimes we groan in this life. There's limitations. There's sickness. There's pain. We grow old. Verse number 3. If indeed, then, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed. You know, we want a spiritual body, in a sense, to be further clothed. But why? That mortality may be swallowed up by life. Wow. And then in verse 5, this is really the verse I wanted to get to and focus on, he says this.

Now, some people misunderstand what this is saying. They go, oh, it's a guarantee. So good. Once saved, always saved. Now, I've been baptized. I've received the gift of the Holy Spirit. That's it. It's locked in. I'm guaranteed. No matter what I do with the rest of my life, once saved, always saved. Well, that's not according to Scripture, brother. And there's a lot more to this word, guarantee, as we look at the original Greek and how it's translated into English here. So we're going to focus here on this word, guarantee, here just for a moment. Do a little exegesis here. This is a very ancient word that actually comes to us through a couple of different languages. And it eventually gets translated, at least in the New King James, it gets translated as guarantee. I'm not sure what the translation is or what the word is with what you have on your lap there. Some English translations of the Bible will translate this word, pledge. Some translate it guarantee. Some translate it earnest payment. I think it's the Old King James, if you have that. It translates it as an earnest of the Spirit. And I think earnest payment, I think, is probably the clearest translation of what this really means. An earnest payment. Let me read from one Greek dictionary what this word actually means. It says, the earnest money deposited by the purchaser and forfeited if the purchase is not complete. You know, the earnest money that is given by the purchaser, but it's forfeited if the purchase is not complete. You're not only given by the purchaser, who purchases us? It's God, Jesus Christ. But it is forfeited if the purchase or the agreement is not complete. You know, the word he picked had a very definite meaning to the people that he wrote this to at that time, in that sense. Guarantee in modern English doesn't have the same meaning. It's not the best translation. Paul is, or God is inspiring Paul to actually tell them you're going to be in the resurrection. You're going to receive a spiritual body, and you've already have the earnest payment or the down payment of that right now. You've been given that right now as long as you don't forfeit it. It's already been given to you. That's what's been given to you. The down payment of your eternal life, eternity, has been given to you and to me. Now, you and I don't give that down payment. That comes from God. He's the purchaser here. He's the one that's given the down payment. But it also means that if we don't complete our part of the transaction, it can be withdrawn. The deal never goes through in that sense. So it's encouraging that it's been given to you. And for those of us that have been baptized, we've already been given that down payment of eternity.

You know, when Jelena and I bought our home 21 years ago, we put down a down payment towards the purchase. We were the purchaser of that home. We put down the down payment. And even though we didn't live in the house yet, we thought of it as ours. You know, we were very excited. This was our first home. The only home we've ever owned, as a matter of fact. And this was back in 1993. So when we purchased that home, we were excited. And I said to her, we have a house. It's ours, in a sense. Even though the deal was not yet complete. And it could have both fallen through, I suppose. But, God, and that's how God feels. Like, you're His already. You're His son. You're His daughter. Now, the deal isn't complete yet, because we have a responsibility. You know, you've been given a down payment of His Holy Spirit, which is eternal life. And when God gave you the Spirit, you know, we know that God didn't call us to fail. We know that. When He called you, He knew exactly what He was doing. He didn't call you to fail. No, the power for our success has already been given to us. God has already given that to us, for us to be successful. The only way that we can fail is if we decide to pull out of the deal, in a sense. Or we decide that we don't want it anymore. Or we give it back. Or we grieve it. And eventually, it disappears. And we go to sleep. And we let the fire die. That's the only way that this won't work. We no longer obey His commands. We decide to go to sleep. We decide to slumber. We are the ones that do that, not God. God is giving us everything that we need. He's done His part. He's not going to fail us. God's Spirit will not fail us, because it's His Spirit. God has given it to us as a down payment. He says, it's my desire to give to you eternal life. And I will do this as long as you keep your part of the agreement. So that's point number one. The Holy Spirit gives us a down payment on eternal life. Let's look at point number two. The Holy Spirit literally impregnates us with God's divine nature. The Holy Spirit literally puts something in us that was not there before. It literally impregnates us with God's divine nature. The Holy Spirit is involved in transforming us from our human nature to a divine nature. Let's go to 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1. We know that God's not going to give us eternity with the way that we are.

He has to transform us. That's kind of part of what conversion is. He begins to change us and he utilizes the Holy Spirit to begin to convert our human nature into his divine nature. That's a very vital part of the plan of God that's involved in that. God's not going to give us eternity as corrupt, sinful beings. Now, he's forgiven us. We know that. But that's really only the first step that we rehearse and pass over in the days of 11 bread as we examine ourselves and we realize we're forgiven and we begin to change. But the next step involves something in us that was not there before. A gift of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit pictured by the Feast of Pentecost. That's the next step in God's plan. It has to go to another level where God says, Christ is in you. For the Spirit of God is in you, in a sense. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ who is our life. As it says in other places. Christ who is our life. You know, I heard a story from John Ewell. He's an elder over in La Crosse. He was talking about a project that he had. They live in a nice little neighborhood, a small town in Wisconsin. You know, a lot of times the neighborhood kids come over and they talk and things and that. And he's painting his garage door. So there's a little girl that comes over. She's very intrigued by him painting his garage door. And so she wants to help. So he hands her a brush and she starts painting as well. And she's working pretty hard. This goes on for quite a long time. Where she's helping him to paint this garage door. And after a while he says, you know, you may want to take a break. Because you've been doing this for quite a long time. And she goes, oh no, I couldn't do that. Because painting is my life. That was her passion. You know, that's how she put it. Painting is my life. Of course, that kind of struck him just like it struck you when you heard it. You know, wow, I didn't expect that as an answer. Painting is my life. Christ, who is our life, in so many respects, in so many ways, literally and figuratively.

And we talk about eating the bread of life, as we heard in the opening prayer. Eating Christ, in that sense. Becoming like he is. Eating of the Word of God. And so we see that's the next step. God takes some of his nature and he puts it inside of a corrupt human being. That's the difference. Something that's there that wasn't there before. When God gives you and me his Spirit, we're corrupt at that time. So the work of the Spirit is to change that nature. It's to change. And this is where it begins. And this is why we begin. When we first come into Christianity, we begin by doing some of the simple things. Like keeping the law, like obeying the commandments, in a sense. And yet, if we're still at the point where we struggle with the desire to steal, if we're still at the point where we struggle with committing adultery, or breaking the Sabbath, or if we're still complaining, or if we're still judging others, or we still are lacking joy in our life, or we think of ourselves better than others, we're still at a very low level, a kindergarten level, really, spiritually. God's goal for us is to have our nature changed into a divine nature. And he's willing to take that on. He's willing to take that project on. And begin to, and that's part of the meaning of the Holy Spirit, part of the reasons why God gave it to us, and how it works in us. It's his goal to have our nature change into his divine nature, and this isn't something I can do of myself, nor can you do of yourself. We cannot do it of ourselves.

You know, if you've got an alcoholic problem, or you've got a problem with pornography, or you've got some other issues, I can't give you the seven steps to change your nature, into the divine nature. I can't give you the seven steps to change a carnal nature into God's divine nature. Well, I can point you to some things in Scripture. You know, if you're having problems with stealing, you know, I can point you to some resources and scriptures that talk about what God has to say about that. Or for advice on how to keep the Sabbath, you know, we could look at a few scriptures about how to do that. Or any other problems you may have with alcoholism. We know what God's Word has to say about that. We can look at those scriptures, or I can point you to resources that may be helpful for you to be able to recover from that addiction, or drug addiction, or what have you. You know, I can offer all of these things. You know, if you look it over, we'll get to 1 Peter 2 here. But if we look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, verse 22, keep your finger in 2 Peter. So let's go over to Galatians 5, verse 22. Galatians 5, verse 22. You know, the message that I gave on Pentecost was entitled, The Fruits of the First Fruits. And it talks about these fruits here in Galatians 5. But this is the way that God's first fruits manifest the fruits of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5, verse 22, there's 9 different fruits of the Spirit here that are mentioned. Galatians 5, verse 22. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And against these fruits there is no such law. You know, we talk about, you know, that this is something that you and I should be emanating. If we have God's Spirit working in our lives, that this is how it's going to be noticed, this is how it's going to be manifested, this is how it's going to be seen. And, brethren, I can tell you, I can preach sermons, I can give messages, I can encourage you and myself, you know, to manifest these types of fruits in our lives. I can't change your nature. I can't. As a pastor, I can't change your nature any more than I can change my own. I can only submit to the work of God in my life in changing my nature, following the lead of the Holy Spirit of where it tells us we need to go.

And then, trusting God in faith that I'm going to do what it tells me to do. And then, these fruits will be manifested. 2 Peter 1, verse 2. How is this done? 2 Peter 1, verse 2.

That says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

Brethren, this statement is either true or it's not true. When you receive, if you receive God's gift of the Holy Spirit, when you receive that, you were given everything that pertains to life and godliness. Brethren, what did God hold back from you and me? What did He hold back? You know, if God's not holding anything back, then we have to ask ourselves, then what are we holding back from God?

God has given us everything that we need that pertains to life and godliness.

Once He's given you and me that gift. It's everything. It's not less than what we need. It's everything. He's given us He's not holding anything back. So we have to ask, what am I holding back? You know, where is the Spirit of God leading you or me that we are holding back or not yielding ourselves to following the lead of that Spirit?

You have to ask the question, where is God taking you that you don't want to go? I'm going to hold on to my own thoughts on this matter.

For I don't have to change because that's just the way that I am.

I know God tells me I need to do something different, but that's just the way that I am.

Where's God trying to take you that you don't want to go?

You know, sometimes Jelene and I think, wow, do we really want to go to India? You know, that's probably one of the least countries that anyone wants to go to.

We have a hard time getting some pastors to help us during the feast. It's just not the favorite place that a lot of people want to go to, whether it be church-related or whether it even be in business.

There's a lot of people that don't want to go there. But God says to go to every nation that's in the Scriptures and to preach the gospel to every creature.

And so, somehow, someway, we don't know why, but God has told us, Dave, Jelenda, I want you to go.

Where do you want to go? Where does God want to take you that you don't want to go?

You know, we have to ask that question. Why do we hold back? Well, because I think we say, well, God, it hurts sometimes to do it your way.

It hurts to do it your way.

Or I don't understand your way.

It takes faith, doesn't it? It takes faith to do it God's way, even though you don't understand it or you don't want to go. It takes faith. So we hold back. This is what God gave you. He does not hold back. And for those of you that are contemplating baptism, this is what God will give you. All things that pertain to life and godliness. We talk about the divine nature. We talk about a down payment of eternal life. Those two things in this one verse. That's pretty powerful. Verse number four. By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises. These promises are not only great, they are exceedingly great. Do we understand that? I think sometimes true. This goes right over my head.

But that's not what God says through Paul or through Peter. He says these are exceedingly great and precious. That you through these may be partakers of the divine nature. So we see where he's taking us, utilizing God's spirit here. Having escaped the corruption that is in the world where the world's been corrupted.

Save yourselves from this wicked generation is what God inspired Peter to say way back in Acts chapter 2. So, when God gives us that Holy Spirit, we become partakers of a divine nature that was not there before. That means there's still work to be done. We know that. We have to stir up the spirit. We have to follow its lead where it takes us. We have to do all of these things. It has to be rooted in us. And it is a struggle that we have to struggle with sometimes. Because we have our part to play, don't we, in the deal. Because we can grieve it. We can quench it. And God says, don't do that. Stir it up. Follow with the lead. So this down payment, this earnest payment that's been given to us, we have a part to play in the agreement right now. The kingdom has been prepared for us. All this is being done. And then we have to become prepared to adapt ourselves to God with His help. Because we can't do it ourselves without that gift. Let's notice 1 Corinthians 6. Let's go over there for 1 Corinthians 6.

We have to become prepared. We can't do it ourselves. So that we become prepared for what He's going to give us. Because remember, He won't give eternity to us if we're in a state of rebellion against Him. He just won't do that. We have to come into the accordance of His will. 1 Corinthians 6. And we'll pick it up in verse number 9 here. 1 Corinthians 6.

And verse number 9.

He says, don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? He says, don't be deceived because He knew there'd be an opportunity or possibility that that would happen. Don't be deceived because fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners are going to be there. They're not going to have this inheritance in the kingdom of God. But notice verse 11. And such were some of you. So some of them were in that particular category of one of these lists here. And there's other verses that we can read that have other lists of various things. And we could probably say, if we went through all those lists, that some or all of us were that way. You know? That such were all of us in one of those categories or another. Well, what changed them? What changed us? What changed these people? Well, he goes on to say, but you were washed. You were cleaned up. You were sanctified, which means set apart for holy use. You were made holy, in a sense. But you were justified, meaning made right with God, brought back into a right relationship with Him, in other words. In the name of the Lord Jesus. In a sense, we came to repentance and accepted Christ as our sacrifice for our sins. And notice, and by the Spirit of our God. And so this is part of how we are changed, is because of the Spirit that God gives to us. This is what the Holy Spirit does. It battles our nature, in a sense. It speaks to us. If we listen to it, it speaks to us. It speaks to us through God's Word, in that sense, as well. God is always talking to us through His Spirit. It's leading us as we read the Word of God. He's speaking to us. These are living words. These words are life, in a sense.

So He's communicating with us. Our problem is, sometimes, we're not listening. We're not listening to it. We're not submitting to it. We're not yielding to it. We're not following it. And that's why we have problems. That's the problem with us. It's not God. He's given us everything that we need. We have the Word of God, and God in His love and mercy tells us what we should and what we should not do. But sometimes, we close the book, and we don't listen. And so we have to submit to God's Spirit. We have to be sensitive to it when it's speaking to us. That we know that God is wanting me to do this, and He's wanting me to refrain from doing that. And how do you know whether God's leading you to do something? You look at His Word. That's why He's given it to us. It's been inspired. It's been God breathed. We know, and I'll just refer to the Scripture, we know that Paul said in 2 Timothy 1 and verse 7, For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. So this is something that God has given to us, sound-mindedness, as it begins to lead us in the divine nature. God's given us this sound-mindedness, and we follow it. We follow it. When our lives reflect Christ, and we put on the mind of Christ, we begin to reflect the divine nature.

And then our human nature, our corrupt human nature, slowly begins to change. A miraculous change that God refers to as conversion. We change from what we were to what we're going to be. That's why in studying the Gospels and the example of Christ, we ask, Okay, how would Christ handle this situation? What would He do? What did He do?

We look at some of the examples. What did He do here? What did He do there? You know, we have that there for us. What am I supposed to do? And that's also why we pray daily asking for God's Holy Spirit to give us strength, to help us through. You know, the more we submit to, the more we yield to, the more we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, the more our nature will begin to change. There's so much here in the Scriptures that guide us, that can help us begin to change. So we see point number two is the Holy Spirit literally impregnates us with God's divine nature. Something that is there that was not there before. A power that's there that was not there before. A nature that was there that was not there before. Given to us from God.

Let's look at a third way in which the Holy Spirit works in our lives. Point number three. Through the Holy Spirit, we become the children of God. Through the Holy Spirit, we become the literal children of God. We come into a father-son relationship. And we come into a brother-brother or sister-brother relationship with Jesus Christ. God is creating children. He's having a family. And when we are changed, we are then the eternal sons and daughters of God. You might say, well, I'm not changed yet. I haven't come to that point yet. I'm not in the resurrection yet. So am I really a son or a daughter of God right now? Yes, we are. Let's go notice that in Galatians chapter 3. We've entered into this relationship. It is already there right now. It's already there. Galatians chapter 3.

Paul is communicating this to the church at Galatia here. Galatians chapter 3.

And we'll pick it up in verse number 26. Galatians chapter 3 verse 26.

He says, for you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He says we're already in that relationship at this point. At baptism, after the laying on of hands, God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit, and at that time, you become His child. You're His. You become His child. The relationship has begun. Verse 26. You're all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and your heirs according to the promise. Let's continue on with chapter 4 verse 1. He says, now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all. But he is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the Father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman under the law, to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So we're talking about a very close relationship here. A close relationship. Verse number 7, therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. So already a son now, at this time. And I think at verse number 5, I think that it's really noteworthy how Paul brings this into the Galatian church where he talks about the adoption of sons. I think that's noteworthy in a sense. Paul uses the term adoption because the other writers of the New Testament wrote predominantly not to Gentiles but to the Jewish Christians. And they would talk about, you are of Israel. You have this birthright, so to speak. You are Israelites. You are God's sons and daughters and all of that. But Paul is talking to a people that didn't come from that type of culture here. So most of the Gentiles that he spoke to and wrote to, including Galatia here, these were mostly Gentile Christians. And so he uses the Roman term adoption, which is different than what the other New Testament writers would talk about when they were addressing Israelites who were the children of God. They already thought of themselves as a special people, but these Gentiles, in a sense, didn't necessarily think of themselves as a special people. But Paul is talking about this Roman term adoption, which means that it was a very special relationship in that culture.

You know, you could have your own son that you were grooming to be an heir of yours, but if that was a deadbeat son, then you would...maybe there was a neighbor's son, or maybe there was a slave that you had, and you saw the potential in them, and so you began to groom them, and then you adopted them, and they became like blood. They were family. And they became the heir then. Instead of your own son, it would be this adopted son or this adopted slave that became your son. And so that meant something maybe a little different in that culture. And when he was talking to the people in Galatia, they knew what that meant. That that adoption meant you were just like blood. You became blood.

And so then he'd give them everything, because now you are my son.

So Paul is telling those in Galatia, you're now blood. You know, you see this in the Roman world, this adoption idea, and this made more sense to the Galatians. You know, they may have felt they didn't measure up to the Israelites. No, they weren't God's chosen people in that sense. Because, in a sense, the Israelites thought they were God's people by birth, and the Gentiles didn't feel that they measured up. And he said, no, no. No, you are like blood. You're like sons. And Paul says, you're children of God just as much as any other Israelite.

For them, because that's what the church is. That's what the firstfruits are.

It doesn't matter about your physical birth. It has everything to do with being impregnated with the Holy Spirit. And regardless of the nation, regardless of the people, regardless of the language, the tribe, it does not make a difference to God. You become the Israel of God in that sense, which is the church, the firstfruits.

And your future spiritual birth into the kingdom of God, it has to do with you being impregnated by God's Spirit, and then you are adopted. You are His sons, literally. You're blood.

And you come into the church, and you're a firstfruit, and God calls you. You become a part of the body of Christ. It does not matter what your background is. It does not matter what it is. It doesn't matter what your ethnic background is. It doesn't matter what sins you have committed.

When you're brought in, you're blood. And this is how God looks at it. You come into that relationship with God as a father, a relationship with Jesus Christ as a brother, and the relationship that we have with each other as brothers and sisters in the same family. That's what our congregation is, is a family. And we're blood-related. It's God that makes us a family, the Holy Spirit that makes that happen.

So that's the third point. Through the Holy Spirit, we become children of God. Let's go on to point number four. The Holy Spirit helps us to get through our human weaknesses and to communicate with God when there are times that we can't. The Holy Spirit helps us to get through our human weaknesses, to communicate with God when there are times that we can't.

Let's notice that over in Romans chapter eight. There have ever been times in your life when things got so bad that you couldn't even talk to God, that you had a hard time praying, communicating with God. There are different reasons why that could happen. This life isn't going very well, we're hurting, we're confused, and we've suffered a lot of losses, people we care about.

Sometimes God doesn't make sense to us, we can actually get angry, in a sense, that God doesn't make any sense to me. Sometimes we're not even sure how to talk to Him about what's going on in our life. Other times the reason is because we just don't want to pray. We aren't doing what we should be doing, so we feel bad about it, we feel guilty about it, and we don't like the answer that God's probably going to give to us.

So days can go by, sometimes longer weeks can go by, and we feel that God's hand is heavy on us, we know there's something wrong, and maybe we find ourselves in those times when it's hard to talk to God. Maybe we wake up in the middle of the night and we say, okay, God's not going too well. I'm not even sure what to say.

I'm not even sure what words are even coming to my mind to talk to God about what's happening in my life.

At these times in our lives, have you ever thought about the fact that the Holy Spirit can help you through this time?

Let's take a look at Romans 8, verse 26. The Holy Spirit can help us when we find ourselves in these times of weakness, confusion, or helplessness. Let's take a look. Romans 8, verse 26.

It's not going to communicate to God what we are going through, even when we can't communicate it ourselves verbally. The God's Spirit within us is groaning and it's communicating to God. Verse 27. Now, he searches the hearts, knows what the mind of the Spirit is because it makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Brethren, it's okay to go to God and say, you know what, God? I don't even know what I should be talking to you about right now. I'm having a hard time with words to even communicate to you, but please help me. Help me. This is overbearing. This is a burden that I'm having a hard time carrying. I'm in the midst of chaos and confusion in my life. Can you help me?

And God says, I know what you're thinking. I know what you're going through. And we'll work this out. We'll work this out. We still have to go to God. Don't get me wrong. We have to admit, I don't even know how to communicate what's going on, but I need your help. Sometimes God doesn't even supply an answer. Sometimes He just supplies comfort. He just helps us. Sometimes that's all He does. And that's sometimes all we need is comfort. Sometimes there's a calm that comes over us. And we think, where did that come from? It came from God. It came from God. It's because we went and we asked for help. So the Spirit does the talking for us because we don't know what words to verbalize ourselves. It's because we went to God and asked for it. The calm comes over us. God's Spirit. Remember half of those versions. The lamp wasn't burning right. The oil got all burned up somehow. It never got replaced. And they weren't on their knees and going to God and saying, God, help me through this. This is more than I'm able to take. Instead of running to God, they ran away from God.

Brethren, I've not been in the ministry that long, but I can tell you with what I have seen, the thing that can destroy us faster than anything as Christians, faster than anything, is being offended by fellow Christians. It's being offended, getting bitter, getting angry, getting envious, not getting along. That will destroy us faster than anything. I've seen it. Why?

Well, there's a root of bitterness that begins to enter in. When that root of bitterness begins to get into us, it affects...we begin to grieve the Holy Spirit. And our lights are not going to shine. When that begins to happen, the root of bitterness enters in, anger enters in, we begin to judge one another, condemn one another. It begins to diminish the love that we have for each other. And that's one of the fruit of the Spirit. It's one of the nine fruits that we talked about. Our light begins to burn out. And yet, I suppose we could be keeping the letter of the law, keeping the Sabbath, not committing adultery, all of the ten things that we talk about. We can do all that. But the power of love and sound-mindedness begins to fade. And the fruits, those nine fruits that we talk about, begin to fade. With God's Spirit in us, we're going to have trust that God will work it out. We're going to respond to the lead of the Holy Spirit and begin to all manifest that Spirit.

We have to trust God that He'll work it out. He may not fix the situation, but He can fix us. He can fix us in the way that we respond to the situation. It's really a great gift when we talk about God's Spirit. We fall down on our knees and say, God, I don't even know how this could work out. I don't see a way out of this. I've got deep resentment. I've got some anger issues that I'm experiencing. Or I'm hurt. I'm unsettled. I have a bad relationship with my boss or with my spouse or with a fellow church member or a husband or a mother or a brother. I don't even know how to define it. I don't even know how to verbalize it. God Almighty says, I know it's hard. It's okay. We will work this out. We'll work it out. Because this is what God has given to us, is this gift.

So the fourth point, the Holy Spirit helps us to get us through our human weaknesses, to communicate with God even when there are times that we can't. Let's go to a fifth point. This is not all inclusive. This is a fifth point here. God's Spirit leads us to truth. God's Spirit will lead us to truth. Through the bonding of God's Holy Spirit with our Spirit, we're able to understand spiritual truths that we could not understand before. It would have been impossible for us to understand before. So this gift helps us to understand the Scripture, the truth, as God originally inspired it. Things that we couldn't understand on our own. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. This is a Scripture that we've read in the past and are encouraged here by what the Apostle Paul writes here. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. We'll pick it up in verse 9 for the context, but I'm going to focus on verse 11. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse number 9. But as it is written, I has not seen nor ear heard nor has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. And that's a pretty meaningful verse right there in its own. Verse 10, But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. So God's gift, and He's given to us, helps us to begin to get an understanding of what God is up to and how magnificent that it is. But God, verse 10, has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

So there are things in the Scriptures we can't understand without the Holy Spirit. It's impossible. Sometimes you wonder, why can't people see this? You know, it's so clear to us. Well, that's because either God's Spirit is working with you or it is in you that you begin to see some of these things. So we can't be too hard sometimes on other people because if we do, we're really condemning ourselves because we were in the same boat that they were in before God opened our eyes with His Spirit beginning to work with us so we could begin to understand enough to repent and then receive that gift and then understand even more. So we can't be too hard on other people because in a sense we'd be condemning ourselves because we were in the same boat as they were. God just hasn't opened their eyes yet. Verse number 12, now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God. And so it comes from Him, no other source, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. So many promises that He's made to us. We can't even comprehend what they all are without God's Spirit. Verse 13, these things we also speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. And so God's Holy Spirit helps us not only understand the truth, it begins to teach us. It begins to help us to understand. It leads us, it teaches us, and it helps us to understand the truth of God. Verse number 14, but the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for their foolishness to Him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. And so we realize that we can't understand certain things without God's Spirit.

Jillan and I were on a visit with a new prospective member, I suppose it's been a few, actually maybe over a year or so ago, and she went on to tell us the things that she was beginning to understand. She began to understand the festivals, and she began to understand the days of 11 bread and what they meant, which is pretty significant. And she said she was all excited. She wanted to tell her neighbors that she had coffee with.

Some of you are smiling because you've had similar experiences, that you want to share that. And she said the conversation went quiet. Everything went quiet. She was very enthusiastic, and she wanted to share that. But once she did, she said that she brought it to her friends, and there was a quiet, and they were uncomfortable.

And so we know, for those of us that have been through that experience, that unless God's Spirit is either working with them or in them, that it's just not time yet for them. And that without God's Spirit, we wouldn't be able to understand at all. We wouldn't. It's that important of a gift.

You know, we talked about, there was another gentleman, too, that he was beginning to understand the Trinity. He had a phone conversation. It probably lasted about an hour and a half. He was beginning to understand the Trinity in the sense that it wasn't a Trinity. That there was God the Father, and there was Jesus Christ the Son, and He was the Word. He was reading through John 1, and he was all excited about the fact that he began to realize that the Word was Christ, and the Word became flesh, and the Holy Spirit is just the power of God, is not a person. And he was in tears, and he was trying to share this with his wife. And she did not understand it. He was so excited. He was moved to tears. He said, this makes so much sense to me. I've never seen this before. You know, like the scales were taken away from your eyes. And then he tried to share it with his wife. You know, someone he's close to, that you want to share things like that with, and it didn't make any sense at all to her. People just can't see. It reminds me of a story I heard about a couple of boys, age 8 and 10. Parents were having a lot of trouble with these two kids. And if there was any problem in the town, she had a pretty good indication it was her own kids.

So she finally went to the minister and said, can you help me? Can you help me with these two? I've just had so much trouble with them. So he met with the 8-year-old first. The 10-year-old was going to meet with him one at a time. He brought the 8-year-old into his office and tried to talk about, you know, hey, you know, where are we in this situation?

Why is this happening? And he said to the boy, he said, well, where is God? The boy didn't respond. And so then the minister asked him again, this time a little louder, he said, where is God? He kind of was sheepish and he didn't say anything. So finally the minister did it a third time a little bit louder and he said, where is God?

An 8-year-old got up and he ran out of the office and he ran a block down to his house and he went into the bedroom where his brother was. And he says, you know what, he says, we're in big trouble. God's missing and they think we did it. I'm not exactly sure how that tied into this point. But you know, unless God's Spirit is working with someone and understanding something, it's foolishness.

It doesn't make sense to them. It's foolishness to the world. It's not foolishness to God, but the natural person, it doesn't make sense. It's foolishness. So that's point number five. God's Holy Spirit leads us to the truth. It's a gift that he gives us that leads us to the truth. Let's go to point number six.

God's Spirit will give you the power to endure even when you think you cannot endure anymore. God's Spirit will give you the power to endure even when you think you cannot endure anymore. Brethren, if you haven't come to that point yet in life, you will. You will. And it's going to take that gift to help see you and I through. Let's notice 2 Corinthians chapter four.

Let's turn over there. 2 Corinthians chapter four. That Spirit will give you the power to go through things that you think that you cannot do and that you cannot do on your own. There's things that you and I cannot do on our own and only God can do in us and through us, through His Spirit. Notice that it involves submission to God's Spirit. Let's notice 2 Corinthians chapter four. We'll pick it up in verse number six. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels. So Paul goes back to that thought. You know, he talked about our bodies as being a tent. We have this gift in an earthen vessel. It's a tent, if you will. This tent. But we have this treasure that has come into it. That the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. Brethren, he says, you and I cannot do certain things. But the excellency of power may be of God and not of us.

But God can do it in us, through His Spirit. Verse number eight. Notice some of the things that Paul went through. We are hard-pressed on every side, and yet we're not crushed. We are perplexed. We don't even know what to do sometimes. But we're not in despair. We are persecuted, but not forsaken. We are struck down, but we're not destroyed. Always caring about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. Well, how is it manifested?

Verse number 11. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same Spirit of faith, that same Spirit of faith, what are we talking about here? That same Spirit of faith. You know, whom do I have that same Spirit of faith of?

Well, we talk about in verse 10 Jesus Christ. We talk about in verse 11 here Jesus Christ. We have that same Spirit of faith that Christ Himself has, and that God the Father has. We have that same Spirit of faith, one of the fruit of the Spirit.

You know, brethren, God doesn't want us to do things because we're forced to do them. He wants us to do things eventually because it's us. It's us. You know, if you came to the Feast of Pentecost last Sunday and you'd rather been doing something else or you'd rather been somewhere else, you know, then you're not doing it because you love God.

You're doing it because it's being forced on you. He says here we have the same Spirit. We do it because Christ did it. We do it because we want to. That means our nature has changed. Verse number 13. It says we have the same Spirit of faith according to what is written. I believed and therefore I spoke. We also believe. And we speak in the same way. We do the same thing. We are a chip off the old block. Verse 14. Knowing that he who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will present us with you. The same God that raised up Jesus Christ is going to be the same God that raises us up.

Verse 15. For all things are for your sakes. Wow! God created all of this for us, for his family. For all things are for your sakes. That grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

So when we are thankful, we are glorifying God. We are saying thank you. What you are doing in me. What you are building in me. The gifts that you have given to me. And I am becoming like you. Verse 16. Therefore we don't lose heart. So we have this in front of us, this vision in front of us as we go forward here from the Feast of Pentecost 2015.

Therefore we do not lose heart. And why don't we lose heart? Because we go to God and we say that through your Spirit that you have given me that same Spirit of faith that Christ had.

We go forward. What Spirit of faith that Christ had? Well, he has the Spirit of God. It is the same Spirit. It is his Spirit. It is the Spirit of God. Of absolute faith. Brother, he has also showed us that as a human being he understands how hard it is. Christ came as a human being. He understands how hard it is. He knows how hard it is. But we have the same Spirit that he has. It has been given to you if you have been baptized. We did not have it from birth.

Verse 16. Therefore we don't lose heart even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day for our light affliction, which is but for a moment. It's amazing how the vision that Paul had with all he was going through. This light affliction which is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Paul says whatever you're going through right now, remember you're being prepared for an eternal, you're being prepared for eternity. Eternal life in the family of God. And you've already been given the down payment. Or, of course, we can break the agreement on the Spirit that's been given to us.

And now the last point. We just finished point number six. God's Spirit will give you the power to endure when you think you cannot endure anymore.

Now the last point, number seven. The Holy Spirit brings us into unity with other people of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit brings us into unity with other people of the Holy Spirit.

Let's turn over to Ephesians chapter four.

When there is disunity in the body of Christ, that means we are not submitting to the Spirit of God. It is that simple. We are not following its lead. We're not submitting to the Spirit. It's that simple. Because if we were submitting to the Spirit, it wouldn't happen.

When there's disunity, that means we're not submitting. When we gossip or we talk down about somebody or belittle someone else's character.

One of God's chosen sons or daughters, or when we sow the discord among brethren, we are grieving the Holy Spirit. Ephesians chapter four and verse number one.

Ephesians chapter four and verse number one.

I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of this calling with which you were called.

To walk worthy, and he tells us how to walk worthy with lowliness and gentleness. Some of the fruits of the Spirit here. With long suffering, bearing with one another in love. We're in Ephesians chapter four and verse number two.

So he talks about walking worthy. In many lists, actually, several fruit of the Spirit. Bearing, of course, means putting up with. He didn't say it would always just be a walk through the park. But we have to forbear, bearing with each other. Sometimes family, that's what we have to do. We don't always agree on various things. We don't see eye to eye. We could be pretty dysfunctional at times. But we're still family. We still have to work together.

Verse number three, endeavoring, which means to put forth effort. To work hard at something. Endeavoring, it's an endeavor that we partake of. To keep the unity of the Spirit. So that takes work.

It's not a unity of the friendship. If we're just through the unity of the friendship, no congregation is going to last. It has to be more than that. I mean, there's going to be groups of people. Usually that happens. If there's a congregation, if there's just a unity of friendship, you're going to end up with three or four different congregations. If that's what binds us together, it's a unity of friendship. That's not what it's talking about here. It's talking about a unity of the Spirit. We're all blood. We've all been called from different backgrounds, different personalities, that type of thing. We have to endeavor to work together to keep that unity of the Spirit. It's not a unity of friendship. That doesn't take much work.

It's a unity of the Spirit. We do it because we're submitting to what God is doing. Without God's Spirit working in us, then all of the exercise is an exercise of futility. If God's not involved, all of this is for nothing. It's an exercise of futility. If God's Spirit isn't working in us, everything we're trying to do, we're not going to bear the fruits of the Spirit. There isn't going to be good fruit. The tree is known by its fruit. It's all an exercise in futility. That's all it is. Verse 3, "...endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace..." Bond means you put the things together like glue. "...the bond of peace..." So peace, unity, all part of the fruit of the Spirit here. Verse 4, there's one body and there's one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. There's one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God, and the Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. Brethren, you and I, we've been baptized, have living within us the power, the love, and the mind of God. God's Spirit leads us. It will never push us. It will never force us to obey. He gives His Spirit to those who love Him and obey Him. So remember that first Pentecost. Remember when it was observed back there almost 2,000 years ago? Remember the thousands who responded that first day, in a sense, on that day of Pentecost? And we saw how that awesome Spirit changed the lives of people that were fishermen, people that were tax collectors, how it changed them, the ability to do mighty works and perform great miracles. It gave the first century Christians the ability to stand up in the face of persecution and difficulty at that time, even martyrdom. It's that same power that is within you and me today. God has given us everything that we need. He's given us that gift. It's a gift that God wants to give, or has already given to some, and wants to give to the rest of us that have not yet received it. From the time is going to come when each of us will need that powerful Spirit to carry us through.

It's time for each of us, going forward, as we leave here in Pentecost 2015, it's time for each of us to go forward to think seriously about this gift that He's given to us. And I believe that right now is the time to trim our lamps and to stir up the Spirit of God that's been given to us.