The Holy Spirit: His Presence

SPEAKER 02 : 0:01

Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, August 19th. There is a lot of confusion about who the Holy Spirit is and what He does, yet understanding Him is vital for every believer. On today’s podcast, we continue our series, The Power of the Holy Spirit, and explore how you can rely on His presence every day.

SPEAKER 01 : 0:23

It is impossible to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ apart from the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, it is essential for the life that we live and the work that God has called us to do to have the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit in our life. He is a vital part of our life every single day as a believer. And so, if you have a very minute understanding of who the Holy Spirit is, if you have no real understanding of your personal relationship with Him, I want to encourage you to listen very carefully, not only to this message, but this is one of a series of sermons on the title, The Power of the Holy Spirit. And the first message was the Holy Spirit, His identity. Who is He? He is a person. He’s a part of the Trinity. He is the promise of the Father. He is the power of the life of every single believer. And the title of this message today is The Holy Spirit, His Presence. Do you have the Holy Spirit present within you? So I want you to turn, if you will, to John chapter 7. And in this particular passage, Jesus is giving an invitation. It is an invitation on the last day of a particular feast of the Jews. And beginning in verse 37 through 39, He brings up a point concerning His presence that I want us to discuss today. Verse 37 says, Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture said, from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this he spoke of the Spirit. whom those who believed in Him were to receive. For the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Now, on this last day of the Feast, the Scripture says, Jesus stood and offered an invitation, and He said, All of you who are thirsty… If you’ll come and drink, I’ll give you a drink of something. You won’t ever need another drink like it because it is good forever. So what I want to talk about in this message is the presence of the Holy Spirit. Now, in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came temporarily. for a specific task for chosen men to accomplish a given work, but not to remain or to indwell them permanently. Then we come to the book of Acts chapter 2. Turn there if you will, you know what’s happening. This is the moment in time when the Holy Spirit comes to begin a different work in the life of individuals. And so the Bible says in chapter 2, verse 1, “…when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place,” these 120, And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole place where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance. On that day, the Bible says there was a sound of a mighty rushing wind. God came down in the most unusual, miraculous way. And the Bible says the Spirit of God filled them. The Spirit of God baptized them. Now, here’s what happened at Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God baptized those believers into the Lord Jesus Christ, making them one with Him. And what happens is at Pentecost, that is the birthday of the church. It does not mean that they will not believe us before this time, but on the day of Pentecost, the church that is the body of Christ, when we say the church, the body of Christ, here’s what we mean. That all of us who are the saved sons and daughters of God, all of us make up the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s great body. The church is the physical, spiritual body of on this earth, in whom and through whom Jesus Christ is living his life. So when we say that this is a part of the body of Christ, Jesus Christ, who died, buried, resurrected, ascended, said, it’s expedient for you that I go away. If I do not go, I’ll not send him. But if I go, I’ll send him. He’ll be in you, with you, and upon you. I will not leave you comfortless so that today the church is the body of Christ, where His hands and His feet, where His eyes and His ears, working and laboring in behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ, fulfilling the Great Commission. He says, I’m going away. But He says, the work must go on. And here’s the way the work is going to be done. I’m going to send you someone who’s going to be in you, with you, and upon you, and who’s going to empower you for every single work that I call you to do. So that the church… Every single person who is a believer is a part of the body of Christ. Every single one of us remains here having been saved in order to carry out the great commission which God has given to the whole body of Christ. So at Pentecost, what happens? At Pentecost, we have a brand new relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship is that now we have been baptized into Him, into His Spirit, so that, as He said, the sap that runs in the vine runs in the branch. And the branch bears fruit. He says, you are the branch, I’m the vine. Jesus said, you’re the branch. We are now living in Him. His life is now living within us. He’s our Savior, our Lord, and our life. And it is the life of Jesus Christ moving through us moment by moment, day by day. And the only reason God leaves us down here once we’re saved is in order to fulfill a work… He left us here to fulfill and gave us the Spirit by whose power we could fulfill it. That makes every single member of the body of Christ somebody very special in the eyes of Almighty God. That’s what the church is all about. And at Pentecost, the church was born. At Pentecost, that’s the birthday of the church. At Pentecost, nothing was ever the same after that. And so what happens? They worship the Lord as we worship the Lord. On Sunday, the resurrection day of our Lord Jesus Christ, everything changed at Pentecost. And so what we find here is this, that from that moment on throughout the book of Acts, what is happening? We see the Spirit of God moving upon men who beforehand were afraid. men who were full of fear. Now we see them preaching the gospel, sharing the Word of God, dying a sacrificial death, dying as martyrs, looking in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ as Stephen, praising God and glorifying Him for the very privilege of dying in the name of Jesus Christ. Something happened to that body. What happened to that body was this. Listen, Jesus Christ, who no longer walked with them, was now doing something far more advantageous to them. And that’s why he says, it is to your advantage that I go away. Because when I go away, I’m going to send somebody who’s not going to be with you. I’m going to send somebody who’s going to be in you and with you. And he’s going to be in you forever and ever and ever. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come and go, specific men, specific task. In the days of Jesus, he operated out of the power of the Holy Spirit. In the days of Jesus, he said to them, wait, you’re not ready, you’re not prepared until the Holy Spirit comes. And then at Pentecost, he comes and he gifts these men and he sends them out to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ so that the dispensation or the age before the life of our Lord Jesus Christ in Pentecost, the Holy Spirit worked one way. And from Pentecost on until today, the Holy Spirit works another way. What you and I are interested in now is how does He work today? That is, can you and I claim the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life? So I want us to look at several verses of Scripture, and I want us to make very sure we understand that. The Bible says the Holy Spirit indwells every single believer. In Acts chapter 2, listen to how Peter puts it here. He’s preached that tremendous sermon. The way he ends it up, listen to what he says. They get under conviction, verse 38, And Peter said to them, Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promises for you and your children and for all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to himself. And the only reason you and I are saved today is the Lord Jesus Christ has called us. Now, here’s what I want you to see. If the Holy Spirit is a gift, what do you do to get it? What do you do to get this gift? One thing, receive it. The gift is the person, the Holy Spirit. What do you do to get the gift? Receive it. So therefore, there is nothing you have to work up to to get the Holy Spirit. Listen to what he says in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13 now. He says, Now look at the sequence of events. After listening to the message of truth. the gospel of your salvation, having also believed. So first you listened, then you believed. You were sealed in him, that is in Christ, with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession to the praise of his glory. And here’s what he’s saying. When you did what? First of all, you listened. Then you believed the truth about salvation. You believe the truth. And when you believe, the Bible says the Holy Spirit of God sealed you in Christ Jesus. Sealed you in Christ Jesus. And when he says, look at that, who that is the Holy Spirit, is given as a pledge of our inheritance. You know what that means? That the Holy Spirit living within you, listen carefully, the Holy Spirit living within you is God’s immovable, unchanging, unalterable, pledge and evidence of that pledge that you belong to him, that you are his purchased possession. And he says it is with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession. That is, he is going to remain in you all the days of your life because you’re the purchased possession of God until one day that you stand before him. When you got saved, you got all of the Holy Spirit you’ll ever get. I didn’t say there aren’t fillings. I didn’t say there aren’t anointings. I didn’t say there aren’t gifts of the Spirit in order to accomplish the work that God has given us. But what I want you to see is the presence of the Spirit of God indwells every single believer, and you are His forever, and the indwelling presence is the mark of ownership. You belong to Jesus. And so, when he’s speaking here of… The Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. He’s speaking of the Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost. And from that moment on, the work of the Holy Spirit would be completely and entirely different. Now, I want you to turn, if you will, to Romans chapter 8. Very clearly, he says it here and other places. But Romans chapter 8, look, if you will, at this verse. Verse 9. Now, there are many verses I’m going to go back to over and over and over again on purpose. I want you to hear them so many times. That in your mind, they become a part of your thinking so that built into your mental spiritual grid system is truth. So that when you hear error, you can spot it just like that and nobody can deceive you. Listen, verse 9. However, you’re not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ that’s dwelling in him, he does not belong to Christ. You don’t have the Holy Spirit? You don’t belong to God. When you were saved, the Holy Spirit came. You may be looking for some other experience, but when you’re saved, the Spirit of God sealed you forever as a child of God. You say, but now wait a minute. What about these folks who get into sin? Turn, if you will, to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. You remember 1 Corinthians chapter 6 says, Paul said the Holy Spirit is in us. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We’re His purchased possession, purchased by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let’s go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. And Paul’s having a problem with some folks here in the same church. And this is current. He says in verse 1, And I, brethren, could not speak to you as the spiritual men, but as the men of flesh, as the babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food. He says, I’m teaching you the simple things of truth because you can’t handle the heavy stuff. He says, I gave you milk to drink and not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you’re not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly? And are you not walking like mere men? And then he talks about how they had divided up all against some love of Apollos and some love Paul, and there was division in the church. Now, so the question comes, can a person disobey God and be in sin and Now listen carefully to the distinction. I didn’t say be filled with the Spirit. I said have the Holy Spirit indwelling them. That is, have the presence of the Spirit in their life. Yes, you can be saved by the grace of God and that’s when the Holy Spirit comes. And then if you get into sin, whatever that sin may be, that doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit leaves you because Jesus said He will be there forever. But you get into sin, that doesn’t mean that the Spirit of God is going to leave you because this group right here, they were causing all kinds of division in the church and living in the flesh and not in the Spirit. That didn’t mean the Holy Spirit left them. But what happens is the same Holy Spirit begins His work of discipline in the heart of the believer who is living in sin. I want you to turn to Acts chapter 5 because here is a verse that you may find and say, aha, aha, somebody forgot this one. Look, if you will, in verse 32 of Acts chapter 5. Now, you remember that Peter and the apostles have been preaching and teaching and they just said we must obey God rather than men. And verse 32 says, And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him. Now, if you just take that verse of Scripture out of context and isolate it, The implication would be the Holy Spirit is indwelling only those who are obeying Him. That’s not true. What Peter’s using here when he says he gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him, he’s just using obey here as a synonym for believe, that is, those who believe Him. That’s what Peter just preached at Pentecost, so he’s certainly not going to change his mind three chapters later. But what he’s saying is those who believe him. That is, we receive the Holy Spirit upon exercising faith in Jesus Christ, sacrificial, all-sufficient, substitutionary, atoning death at Calvary. And the moment we do, we’re sealed forever by the power of the Holy Spirit in the presence of the Lord God. So when he talks about obeying here, he’s talking about believing in him. Now, the big question is, Do you have the presence of the Holy Spirit in you? That’s the big question. There are only two answers, yes and no. You can’t say, well, I have some of the Spirit. No, you get Him all or you don’t have any of it. Listen, we must distinguish between receiving Him as a person and the exercise of the Holy Spirit and His gifts. That’s something entirely different. When you were saved, the Spirit of God came within you. We don’t say, yeah, I got part of Jesus. No. When you receive the Lord Jesus Christ, you got Him all. When you have God the Father, you’ve got Him all. When you’ve got God the Spirit, you’ve got Him all. Now, how He operates in your life, that’s a totally different situation. The question is, has there ever been a time in your life when in the confession and repentance of your sin you said, I receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I do believe that His death at Calvary paid for my sins. I accept Him as my Savior here and now. The moment you did that, you may not have felt a thing. The moment you did that, the Holy Spirit came into you, sealed you as a child of God forever and ever. He’s resided there ever since the moment you gave your life to Christ. And he’s been there willing to guide you, teach you, convict you, gift you for the things that you need to carry out the work that God has given you to do. The problem is most people are ignorant of what the Holy Spirit on the inside of them has been trying to do all these years they’ve been saved. And the purpose of this series is to get it out here where we can see what is God up to in your life and who is it on the inside who’s trying to do something miraculously dramatic and fascinating in the life of every single believer. But you see, if I don’t understand what the book says about the Holy Spirit, guess what’s going to happen? I’m going to get saved. I’m going to go through life trying and struggling and fretting and wishing God would use me and wondering why He doesn’t use me and why doesn’t God bless me and He blesses others and He doesn’t bless me and I feel so inadequate and so weak and so incompetent. I don’t feel like I belong and sometimes I don’t know whether God loves me. And all of that stuff you can put in one big pile and throw that in the spiritual garbage because once you understand… who the Spirit of God is in your life, friends, you’re going to get happy. There’s no way for you to be sad once you understand what the Spirit of God wants to do in your life. But it begins with His presence. And the big question is this. Do you have the Holy Spirit of God living within you, having sealed you as a child of God, having written your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life forever? That’s the key. You can say it any way you want to say it, but it must involve several things. Confession that you’re a sinner, the exercise of faith in Jesus Christ who died for your sins, and receiving Him as your Savior, your Lord, and your life. The moment you do that, you’ll know you’re saved. The Holy Spirit bears witness to your spirit that you’re a child of God. And I want to encourage you, if you’ve got any doubts in your mind, if you’ve been living in sin and you’ve not been convicted and troubled and you can sleep good at night living in sin, you need to get saved. But if you’re one of those persons, every time you do something, the Spirit of God flashes a warning in your life, that’s good news, brother. That’s good news that you’re indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And He’s not going to let you get away with it. And He’s going to keep on convicting you until you get right with God. It is a gift of God given to everyone who will believe in Him.

SPEAKER 02 : 19:35

Thank you for listening to The Holy Spirit, His Presence. If you’d like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.