The Reality of the Power of God

Good afternoon, everyone. Glad to be visiting with you again in Indianapolis. It's been a few years. But since we moved to Cincinnati, we've been here maybe three or four times. So it's good to be back again. I can tell Mr. McNeely that Mount Rushmore is all it's cracked up to be. They did a good job cracking that rock. And we were there about 25 years ago, Terry and I, on one of our drives across the country and enjoyed Mount Rushmore very much. And we're excited to be here, of course, for the Zimmerman's as we make wedding plans for July. So I appreciate everybody's hospitality this weekend very much. So thank you. I'll get right into the message for us this afternoon. There is something for us to think about. This Pentecost weekend, for sure. Many of us have heard of the term virtual reality, haven't we? It's a phrase that has thrown around a lot in conversation today, especially in just the last decade. And virtual reality is a way for a person to escape the present surroundings and become immersed in a different world. Often a world of cyberspace, an imaginary or a simulated world that is generated from within the memory of computers. But then it's reflected into a somewhat real form of oral and visual technology. Did you know there is actually a virtual reality society? If you go to vrs.org, you'll find the virtual reality society. It's an international society dedicated to the discussion and advancement of virtual reality and synthetic environments. The VRS is a registered charity and fosters a truly international membership through which it communicates and disseminates its collective knowledge. Now, the line between the real and the imagined is sometimes a little blurry. At least, this is the conclusion of one report on the business of cyberspace. Thousands of people have imaginary lives going right now in cyberspace. And many are actually making a living out of it. The creators of several popular online role-playing games completed a year-long study of the very real transactions that are taking place in their imaginary worlds. You can design what's called an avatar of yourself and live in this virtual world as a kind of a person. You create this little character that is you. The results portray a flourishing economy that is rapidly grabbing advertisers' attention. And if you go to the virtual reality society website, you'll find that the sellers are role players who have taken the time to find marketable goods in this virtual world. And they're clearly putting in their time, role players spend millions of dollars, real dollars, every year on virtual goods ranging from special swords to spiritual powers. In one popular game, a gnome is sold with a basic skill set for $214. Of course, it's virtual, it's not real. People will buy it. In another, a virtual cherry dining room set to put inside your virtual home is sold for $250. It's fascinating and maybe a little frightening. See how integrated the real and the virtual can become. Of course, this idea applies to far more than online games. What we imagine can become so enmeshed with what is real that we scarcely notice a difference. That is, until something reminds us otherwise. There are other presentations available today that allow you to pretend in a very realistic way that you are involved in affecting the outcome of something that is actually not existent at all. While immersed in the presentation, it does seem real to you. You are able to interact with the cast members, with other avatars of some very elaborate multimedia programs. The cast members respond to you as you navigate your way through this virtual world and pay real dollars to live in it. Some virtual reality demonstrations are so convincing that you may forget that what you are experiencing is not real at all. Perhaps you are wearing a sophisticated electronic helmet that provides all of these visual and aural senses. This is not the world of avatars, but actual online gaming.

Imagine what the computers could take you through. A thrilling roller coaster ride. Maybe put you in the White House for a signing of an important peace agreement. Maybe witness a war. Maybe be part of even a suicide bombing where your heart rate will really go up for real as you are immersed in this imaginary world. And there can be much misuse of such technology, but virtual reality can be good as well. Imagine an airline pilot training in a simulator for flying a large aircraft where he can be trained and go through various safety procedures and mess up and not really kill anybody.

The plane is okay. There are not really any real passengers on board. It is all part of the simulated program. So there is good use of a virtual reality or a simulated life as well.

Our lives on this earth are temporal. Eventually we die. We are told that we are just sojourners for a brief period of time in this life. And there does come a time when each of us returns to the dust of the ground. And in a way, our lives are not as real as we might like to think. Our lives can be snuffed out rather easily. We are not very permanent. And in some ways, our life is less real than we might like to think. We are living in this reality only because of an unseen power that holds it all together.

Our existence is possible because of an unseen hand that guides the very orbit of the planet we live on.

We've talked a little bit about virtual reality, the cyber space, the computer world. Something that we know is not really real. It's just our imagination taking us to another place, as we're simulated by the computer world by various effects. But there is something even more real than our temporary existence right now. Let's follow this thought through a little further and begin to see where we're headed today in the subject.

And I've titled this message, The Reality of the Power of God. We're going to begin to look at something that is infinitely more real and powerful than anything we can find around us. More real than anything we can even really properly imagine. There is an unseen power that operates in our lives as Christians and in the universe as a whole. And this weekend in particular, we know what that is as we focus on the power of the Holy Spirit. And this is a timely topic as we prepare for the Feast of Pentecost tomorrow.

Now let's expand our thoughts a little bit further beyond virtual reality for a moment to a subject often covered in movies, in books and on television. And that is the possibility of time travel and living forever.

Mankind has a fascination with the thought of never dying, with the thought of just living on. In fact, it's hard for us to wrap our minds around being someone who never has a beginning. We can imagine wanting to live on forever, but we had a beginning. It's hard for us to imagine God, who has always lived, never had a beginning. Something hard for us to wrap our minds around. But mankind has a fascination with eternity. Some people actually have their bodies preserved after their death, just in case the medical profession finds a way to negate their death and is able to bring them back to life again.

And it's called Cryonics. There is a Cryonics Institute at cryonics.org. You can go to their website. And on the website, the question is asked, what is Cryonics? Cryonics is a medical technique designed to save lives and overcome illness and suffering. It involves cooling patients to the point where molecular physical decay completely stops. In the expectation that scientific and medical procedures currently being developed will be able to revive them and restore them to good health later on.

A patient held in such a state is said to be in Cryonic suspension. I don't know if you know this, but as the website goes on to point out, they don't preserve your whole body. It's just the head that they preserve, hoping to bring you back at another time. I guess put a new body on you or something.

And negate whatever caused you to die, negate your aging, whatever it is. But mankind has a fascination with living forever. And these virtual worlds of trying to simulate something other than what we have. Science and science fiction often dwells in the possibility of humans finding a way to become immortal. To find a way to remove the causes of death. But what the majority of mankind does not realize is that it is actually possible to live on indefinitely.

And it's not cryonics. Now you'll have difficulty finding out how this is possible by reading scientific journals, modern magazines, or watching the Discovery Channel. They don't have the answers. In fact, it is impossible to find out how to live forever by any normal means. The secret to avoiding eternal death is not cryonics. And the truth has been well-disguised in our world today and throughout the centuries.

Cyberspace and virtual reality offers ways to escape the immediacy of this present moment. Become immersed in a temporal fantasy, perhaps. And it may be achieved through computer games or interactive video software, or some of the virtual reality software packages that are available. But there is something more real than our own lives.

There's something more real than any kind of virtual reality. There is a force and power at work of infinite power that cannot be removed that is permanent. And this is not recognized by mankind as a whole today, who has been blinded at this time from seeing this powerful reality. The powerful reality that there is a God who created the universe, who created us, and who has a plan that will enable each person to live forever, if that person so chooses, follows the rulebook.

The distractions of our modern life draw us away from the reality of our God and connect us with something called virtual reality, something temporary and not real at all. We have a handbook. We have a journal. We have a textbook that has been provided that helps us provide the connection to a true reality that mankind desperately needs. And this textbook is able to answer the great questions of our existence, something that the scientists are unable to respond to. And you won't find these answers in today's scientific journals. You all know what we're referring to here, our Holy Bible, but we find the real reasons for our life on this planet, for our presence in this city, and even why we're here in this hall today.

It's a spiritual plan, something that goes beyond human reasoning. I'd like you to turn to Romans 8 with me for a moment. Read verses 13 through 14. A very important sentence. This sentence has been preserved for almost 2,000 years in this book. And it begins to give us a perspective on the topic we're looking at today. This topic is the actual reality of the power of God, His Holy Spirit, which can be found connecting our life to His in a most real and profound way.

Let's read Romans 8 verses 13 and 14 for a moment. Think about it as we go through these words. Romans 8, 13, For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Verse 14, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.

So we start to get a glimpse here of what it means to live. Not die. How do we live?

It's through the power of God's Holy Spirit.

I've summarized nine points for us here to go through this afternoon of what God's Spirit can do in our life. And I think it's a good reminder to go through these things, especially this weekend, and see how God's Spirit works, what it does. And obviously, it's a large subject, but I've just narrowed it down to nine main points as we hear on this weekend of the Day of Pentecost on God's calendar, gather together here in this house, in this meeting place, to worship God and study these things. The Spirit of God, its identity, its nature, its form, and its value, as I've said, is not understood by most people. Even most sincere and professing Christians try to do their best.

Many assume they know, but they don't really understand. And the doctrine of the Trinity, for example, comes to mind as part of the confusing aspect of religion today when it comes to the Holy Spirit. The world is being confused by the false teaching that God's Spirit is actually a separate being from the Father and the Son.

This undermines an understanding of who and what God really is, which is part of our potential to be glorified in the fact that the Holy Spirit is the power of the Father and Jesus Christ that makes their work possible. It's how they get things done. Let's begin with the first point, which is God's Spirit permeates the whole universe.

God's Spirit permeates the whole universe. And this brings us to Psalm 139.

Turn over to Psalm 139 for a moment. This is one of the big visionary Psalms of David, written for the chief musician. Psalm 139 verse 1. Remember, God's Spirit permeates the whole universe. Verse 3. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word in my tongue, but behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

Verse 5. You have hedged me behind him before and laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain it.

David's trying to imagine the power of God. Verse 7. Where can I go from your Spirit?

Talking of the Holy Spirit. Where can I flee from your presence? Where can I go, God, and get away from you? Verse 8. If I send you to heaven, you're there. If I make my bed in hell in the grave, behold, you are there. Verse 9. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell on the uttermost parts of the sea, if I sailed off the end of the earth, God, you'd be there.

And verse 10. Even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

So God's Holy Spirit is so real that it exists everywhere. There is no place where it is not.

The Holy Spirit is spoken of as the power or mind of God that exists everywhere.

You may recall from Genesis 1.2 that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And in Psalm 104.30, that God's Spirit was sent forth and the earth was renewed. The power of God went forth and renewed the earth. Like I said, it's how God gets things done. And it's everywhere.

You can't get away from it. Imagine for a moment that even if the physical universe became vaporized and disappeared, imagine if the billions of galaxies were gone.

Nothing. Even space would be gone because space is something that is physical that you move between.

God the Father and His Son, and the power that they have, would still be there. There's no way you can go and get away from the power of God. If the very universe itself was vanquished, God would still be there. The physical universe is actually sustained by Him. He created it. And so God's Spirit is omnipresent. It permeates the whole universe. Let's move on after establishing this point. The second one, which is God's Spirit is a force that awakens our minds to His majesty and power. It awakens our minds to His majesty and His power. Psalm 8. Let's go back to Psalm 8 for a moment. Read the first nine verses.

Psalm chapter 8 and verse 1.

O Lord our God, how excellent is your name in all the earth who have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants, you have ordained strength because of your enemies that you may silence the enemy and the avenger. And then verse 3, David says, When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him?

For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and you have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the sea. Verse 9. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth. So King David starts to explain a little bit about the majesty and power of God, a force that is awakened in our mind to understand. God's spirit working in our minds leads us to understand just how awesome he is, including things we can observe about the physical creation in the universe as we gaze up into the heavens on a starry night. But don't forget about the awesome power and majesty that God works in each of us, too, when it comes to conversion. Here is something not possible without the intervention of God and his spirit.

Now, sure, we may be able to appreciate and study the universe and the heavens and the stars and the creation. We may be able to appreciate the majesty of God, but conversion is an even greater miracle.

Our minds become awakened to his plan, God's majestic and powerful plan. Let's go to the New Testament for a moment and read Ephesians 2.1. Ephesians 2 and verse 1.

Paul wrote to the Ephesian brethren, "'And you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sin.'" Ephesians 2.4, "'But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved, and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.'" Talking about being converted, having a mind open to understand God. Verse 7, "'That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God.'" The conversion process is not something we can ask for or get ourselves.

It is a gift from God. And he opens our hearts and minds to understand him and his plan when he imparts to us his Holy Spirit. The work of God in each of us is an incredible thing.

In times past, we're as good as dead, is what Ephesians says. And it's because of our sins, because of our weaknesses, because of our failings. But now we can be raised up to sit together with Christ in God's kingdom. You start to see how we can take on another nature, another reality, and we become imparted with the Holy Spirit. Our minds have been awakened to understand our hope and our destiny through God's Spirit, to stand in awe of the majesty of God and his plan for mankind. God's Spirit truly is a force that awakens our mind to his majesty and power. Not just the same universe, but the power he works within each of us upon conversion.

Now, a similar point, the third one, is that God's Spirit is a power that connects us with him, and provides spiritual understanding and discernment. Spiritual understanding and discernment.

I'd like to turn to 1 Corinthians 2, which is one of the classic passages regarding this spiritual understanding and discernment. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 6. 1 Corinthians 6. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. Paul's talking about a different kind of wisdom here. Verse 7. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. Paul says, we speak the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew, for they had known, but they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Verse 9. But as it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. And here's the key passage, verse 10. That God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. It's a special discerning, it's a special revealing that God gives us through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. Then notice verse 11. For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man which is in him? There is a spirit in us that we're born with, even so no one knows the things of God, except they have the Spirit of God. Verse 12. Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. And verse 13. These things we also speak not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual with spiritual.

Through the real power of the Holy Spirit, we can acquire the mind of Christ, the mind of God, and grasp His truth. These are spiritual things that require a spiritual connection.

Otherwise, you don't fully understand it. You can't. We can understand the things of God that are revealed to His people at this time. Back in Ephesians chapter 3 again, Ephesians 3, the first five verses. Ephesians 3 verse 1.

For this reason I, Paul, he writes to the Ephesians, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles, if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, verse 3, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery. As I have briefly written already, verse 4, by which when you read you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, verse 5, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets.

When the Holy Spirit was made available to the church in 31 A.D., things changed.

The mystery became known. As we read in verse 3 there, made known to me the mystery which had not been known before in the same way to large groups of people at a time. You should just be the individual prophets and kings. There is a spiritual understanding and discernment, the spiritual matters that comes from having God's Holy Spirit. John chapter 14. Let's turn there for a moment. Turn over to John 14 with me.

This is a passage we often read at the Passover service and in preparation for the Passover.

About this power that would come to the church after Christ ascended to the Father. John 14 verse 16. Christ reminded His disciples, I will pray the Father and He will give you another helper that it may abide with you forever.

Verse 17, The Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees it nor knows it but you know it and it dwells with you and will be in you. A promise of the Holy Spirit to be given to the church at Pentecost. Verse 18, I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.

Then verse 26 of John 14, but the helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, it will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

It provides an understanding, a discernment of spiritual things. Solomon asked God for an understanding heart and God granted this request and imparted great wisdom to Solomon.

And God's Spirit acted in Solomon's life to bring about a discernment of right and wrong, of judgment, understanding, how to deal with judging certain situations.

And it's God's Spirit that worked with Solomon to give him that understanding heart, that heart of wisdom, to discern justice. To read about that in 1 Kings chapter 3, Solomon was able to discern justice. It comes from the power of the Holy Spirit working in a person's life. God expects us to use the Spirit he's given us. He expects us to develop an understanding of what is right and wrong. We too should have that discernment of justice.

His Spirit interacts with our spirit and helps us discern. It's a discernment that builds over time as we exercise it, as we make God's truth a habit in our lives. We may have heard that we shouldn't judge. That's not completely true. God expects us to recognize when something's not right and to reject whatever that might be. He's not asking us to condemn other people or send them into the lake of fire ourselves, but he does expect us to discern when evil is present.

To notice when things are ungodly and to reject knowledge that's not based on his word. This discernment comes from the reality of the power of the Holy Spirit working within our hearts and minds. And we recognize sin and its consequences at that point. So now we're starting to get to the heart and core of understanding on the real power of the Holy Spirit. This is something we cannot see. And yet it is more real than any virtual reality game. In fact, it's more real than even our own temporary existence here on this earth at this time. What else does God's Holy Spirit do for us?

God's Spirit, number four, keeps us in tune with his wavelength and interacts with our spirit. The Holy Spirit keeps us in tune with his wavelength and interacts with our spirit. You see, there is a spirit in each of us that we're born with, and God's Spirit works with our heart and mind as well. As we can read in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11, there is a spirit in man. And many of you may recall several decades ago when Mr. Herbert Armstrong first started preaching about the spirit in man, it was a new understanding at the time. And quite honestly, most in the world today do not understand properly the spirit that we're born with as well. That makes it possible for God's Spirit then to interact with us. Human beings are not just animals. We're born with a special human spirit that God can then interact with and work with. God's Spirit connects our consciousness, our mind with him. God's Spirit brings us together on a spiritual plane, on a spiritual level. We are flesh, we're not spirit. There is an infinite difference between flesh and spirit. But God's Spirit carries his qualities of power and his character and mind, his very nature.

God is able to take his spirit and actually place it within us humans.

And when he does so, he puts a little bit of himself in us when we become converted and have hands laid upon us. He puts some of himself, some of his power, part of his mind, part of his character, part of his nature into us. His spirit interacts with our spirit. We start to operate on his wavelength, start to think about things, how he would think about them. He interacts with us. Romans 8, 16. Let's go back to Romans where we began.

Could please turn over to Romans 8 for a moment. Let's read verse 16. Romans 8, 16.

The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. You see, God's Spirit works with our spirit. We read it right there again in Romans 8 verse 16.

There is a definite interaction between the two spirits that puts us on a God-plan relationship.

1 John 3 verse 24. Let's turn to 1 John for a moment. 1 John chapter 3. If you'll flip over there for a moment. 1 John 3 verse 24. 1 John 4. Now he who keeps his commandments and abides in him, and he in him, you see the he in him, it's capital H, then lowercase h, it's God dwelling in us.

And by this we know that he abides in us by the Spirit whom he has given us. God actually dwells within us. His Spirit, his power, starts to influence our mind and our conscience.

The spirit that God gives to his people is a very real thing. It actually happens.

It's not something you imagine. It's real. When God first gave his Holy Spirit to the New Testament church at their first Pentecost service, he made it appear and be visible.

Remember, it was like tongues of fire coming down from heaven, and sitting upon each of them, each church member. God wanted to make sure that in this first instance everyone realized that he was imparting something very real to them. He made it visible, and they saw it happen when the church began. A very real source of comfort.

A very real source of encouragement and power to begin to live a godly life.

This spirit actually bears witness with our spirit the understanding that God wants us to have.

We begin to operate now on his wavelength as it interacts with our spirit. So, once we have the Spirit of God in us, and it starts to interact with our mind, prick our conscience, remind us when we're doing things we shouldn't, what does it then do once we have it? Fifth point, God's Spirit imparts the power to overcome sin and put to death the deeds of the flesh. God's Spirit then gives us the power to overcome and put to death the deeds of the flesh. Romans 8 again, we're spending a little bit of time in Romans, chapter 8 today. Romans 8 verse 13. If you make a note of that in your notes, and we'll read it, Romans 8 13, for if you live according to the flesh, you will die. We know that. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

So here, once again, is the reminder that we're given a power that enables us to overcome and to actually live, to put to death the deeds of the flesh, to put to death the deeds of the body.

It is through the Spirit that we put to death sin and are actually able to begin truly living.

This provides a reality that we never had before. This is talking about eternal life.

Forget about cryogenics. This is how it's done. And you'll be intact too, by the way.

Galatians 6 verse 8. Galatians 6, 8. I'll read it to you. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. If you live a fleshly life, you're going to die. But he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap ever-lasting life. When we put to death the deeds of the flesh and incorporate the power of God in our lives, we actually do away with a permanent death and reap an eternal life. And we understand the power of the resurrection, don't we?

Once we have that seed of eternal life in us, even after we die in this physical life, we will be resurrected as Spirit in God's kingdom, in God's family. The Spirit will reap everlasting life. That's what we're sowing today. That's the seed we're germinating and growing now. It's to sow and reap eternal life. As the Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1 verse 4, we become partakers of the divine nature. What does it mean to have God's Holy Spirit in you? It means to start to take on what is divine, to begin to take on something that is of God.

To the point that when we are resurrected as Spirit, we will be sons and daughters in God's family. We will be like God. You begin to partake of the divine nature.

Number six, God's Spirit prompts us to do His will in everyday examples and situations.

God's Spirit prompts us to do His will in everyday examples and situations. God's Holy Spirit prompts our conscience, our mind, to do it in a different way now, to act in a better manner.

Back to Romans 8 verse 26 this time. Romans 8 verse 26. Here we see how the Holy Spirit interacts with our mind and prompts us to do what's right. Romans 8.26. Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. See, the Holy Spirit starts to work in our heart and mind to live in a different way, ways we may not have thought of before. Verse 27. Now, He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

So, the Spirit of God works in our lives so that we will live in a way that is according to the will of God. Not our own will anymore, not the ways of this world, but according to God's will.

It starts to guide our heart and mind, our conscience, to do what is right and godly.

Christ intercedes for us through the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the will of God in each of us. And He does that. He that does the will of God will abide forever. Every day, examples of doing God's will are outlined in many places in the scriptures. I'm not going to turn there right now, but there's an interesting list of ways that God's Spirit influences our lives on a daily basis. It's Ephesians chapter 4 and 5. If you want to note it down in your notes, Ephesians chapter 4 beginning in verse 22, going on through Ephesians chapter 5 verse 10. I'll summarize them for you.

But here are some of the ways the Holy Spirit guides us in everyday situations.

Beginning in Ephesians 4 verse 22, we see, put off the corruption of the former self.

You're not selfish anymore. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put away lying. Paul says, speak the truth. Be angry, but don't sin. Steal no more.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.

He adds to the list, don't grieve the Holy Spirit. Put away bitterness and evil speaking.

Be kind to one another. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.

And so the list goes on. These are reminders that Paul wrote to the Ephesians of how you live a godly life when led by the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit prompts us to do His will, not our own will, in everyday life. So don't forget that.

Seventh, God's Spirit actually convicts our conscience when we stray backwards into sin. God's Spirit convicts our conscience when we're disobeying Him, when we're doing things we shouldn't.

Jesus Christ, who lives within each of His disciples, you and me, through the power of the Holy Spirit, purges our conscience to serve God in a better manner.

Hebrews 9, verse 13. Let's go there. Hebrews 9.13.

Here we see where our conscience is cleansed.

God's Spirit convicts our conscience when we backslide.

Hebrews 9.13. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? It's the eternal Spirit of God that works in our mind, that guides our conscience to make sure we're serving God and not ourselves and not this world and not serving sin.

Let's go back to Romans 6, Romans 6, verse 11. Notice Paul's admonition to church members to church members about submitting to God's will. We're not to stray back into sin.

The Holy Spirit convicts our conscience and reminds us when we stray. Romans 6, verse 11.

Likewise, you also reckon yourself to be dead, indeed to sin, but alive to God in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey it in its lusts, verse 13. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Paul reminds the Roman church we are not to let sin exist in our lives. Our conscience gets tweaked by God's Spirit in us and we become cleansed in our conscience by the power of God. So point seven, God's Spirit convicts our conscience when we stray backwards into sin. So that little reminder in the back of our mind.

Number eight, God's Spirit infuses us with God's love for the brethren and for our enemies.

God's Spirit infuses us with love for the brethren and even for our enemies.

How can you love your enemies? Pretty hard to do without God's Spirit working in your life.

And it's because you see the ultimate potential that your enemy has as a future son and daughter of God as well. God wishes that all will be saved. Without that vision, it's very difficult to truly love your enemies and want the best for them. God wants the best for them and so should we. And it's God's Spirit that enables that to happen. Not only do we have love for our brethren, but we have love for our enemies. How could it really be possible to love your enemy?

It's virtually impossible. But Jesus told us to love our enemies and not to hate anyone.

And we must remember that God wishes, as I said, for all to be saved. If God wants this for them, then so should we. What we need is the love of God to accomplish this task.

And when you're filled with the Spirit of God, you take on the godly attribute of love.

Romans 5.5. We see this very directly here in Romans 5.5, the fact that God's Holy Spirit infuses us with this kind of love. Romans 5.5. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which was given to us.

Here's the answer. This is how you have love for your enemies. It's because God's Holy Spirit imparts to you the same kind of love that He has. It's the Holy Spirit that imparts to us this love and concern for all of our fellow human beings.

And then finally, the ninth point I have here today, of course, is not a complete listing, but I've summarized a few that will help remind us of what we're about this weekend.

God's Spirit comforts and reassures us personally and continually that we are God's children and destined to be in His kingdom. The Holy Spirit gives us that personal continual hope that we are God's children and destined to be in His kingdom. You see, without the Holy Spirit, without having God living in you, you can't live forever. You won't be in His kingdom. And so this is a very comforting point, really. It's very reassuring.

Ephesians chapter 1. Let's look at our inheritance here for a moment. Ephesians chapter 1, beginning in verse 11. Ephesians 1 verse 11. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Verse 13. In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed you were sealed...

So where does this inheritance come from? You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Verse 14. Which is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory. It's the Holy Spirit that seals for us when we are filled with the Spirit that we will obtain that inheritance. Verse 17. If you'll skip down to verse 17. Therefore, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power.

So it's the Spirit that promised, that's sealed within us, that helps us understand why we're called and to understand and to have trust and faith and confidence in the inheritance that is to follow. We read earlier on at the very beginning of the sermon King David's words about all things being put under our feet. It's talking eventually, as you read later in the New Testament, about the whole universe becoming part of what we inherit. Notice Ephesians chapter 2. If you skip on down a bit further, Ephesians 2 verse 13, continuing on this same thought, the comfort and the understanding of our destiny, our inheritance. Ephesians 2.13, But now in Christ Jesus you who once were afar off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Verse 18, For through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Verse 19, Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Members of the household of God. Once you are called, chosen, converted, filled with the Holy Spirit, you become members of the household of God, awaiting the actual inheritance that's been promised. You're sealed by that Spirit that's been given to you. This gives us comfort and reassurance during difficult times and hard trials. The Holy Spirit is a very real power and force from God, and it reminds us of our calling and of our hope to come. The gift of the Holy Spirit, made possible to us today by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is not just a virtual reality simulation. It is part of the most real thing in existence, which is God. The universe could vanish, but the power of God would still be there.

Through Christ, by this one Spirit, we have access to the Father. We have access to the family of God.

And so in conclusion, the final result of being filled with God's Holy Spirit is to summarize a revealed greater depth of the knowledge of God. We understand things that we couldn't before. A deeper truth and clarity and purpose of life. We know why we get up in the morning. God's law becomes written in our heart. It's something we want to do. Our supreme desire becomes to obey God and please God and become more resistant to sin. Our contact with God becomes steady and our relationship with Him is heightened by His Spirit in us. Our love for others increases and our want to serve others increases when His Spirit is in us.

We become concerned about our shortcomings.

At one time, we may not have cared, but now we do. We become concerned about our shortcomings and we translate that concern into action. We want to change the way we live.

And we grow more and more like God Himself. And we take on His characteristics like joy and love and peace, patience and gentleness and goodness.

And we begin to partake in a life. We begin to partake in another world that is far more real than anything we can experience yet in this life. Our modern computers are a newer technology in the time span of civilization.

The virtual reality technology will continue to improve in such a way that it will become even more virtually real and people will escape into it.

But the Holy Spirit has always been in existence and always will exist. God is the ultimate reality and He makes the source of all that exists.

He makes Himself available to each of us through the conduit of His Holy Spirit.

This is the ultimate in reality for us in our lives today as we prepare for the magnificent future ahead as sons and daughters in His Kingdom. When the Father puts His Spirit into us, we are imparted the very characteristics of God.

The Holy Spirit is the key to eternal life. We must have it dwelling within us.

When God begets us with that Spirit, we are impregnated with the seed of eternal life to grow in God's qualities of mind and power until the Second Coming of Christ when we shall be born into God's family as His children.

So, let's not get swept up in the excitement of this world while forgetting where our calling and our reality really are.