Participants: Dennis Smith
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000295
|
00:31 Welcome to Faith Chapel, I'm Dennis Smith,
00:35 Pastor of the New Haven, Connecticut, 00:36 Seventh-day Adventist Church. In First John 00:39 we are told that those ready to meet Jesus will 00:41 be just like Jesus. Is that your desire to be 00:45 like Christ? Would you like to have victory over 00:48 every temptation and sin in your life? 00:51 Would you like to have the power of God 00:54 manifested through you in your witness? 00:57 Would you like to have power and authority 00:59 over Satan as Jesus said that His followers would, 01:03 if that's your desire you definitely want 01:05 to hear today's message. Let us pray. 01:09 Our gracious Father in heaven, 01:12 I pray that you would draw near as we open 01:14 your word today. I pray that you open our eyes 01:18 and ears to hear your word, you know just 01:21 the blessing that we each need, 01:24 and I pray Lord you provide that blessing 01:25 and I thank you for that 01:26 promise in Jesus name, amen. 01:33 What if you heard that Jesus was going to be 01:36 coming to your church to spend 3 and half years. 01:39 I'm sure that be a rather exciting experience 01:41 for every Christian. Think of it, Jesus coming 01:45 to your church to minister in your community 01:48 for 3 and half years that what mean that every 01:50 day you could go and hear Jesus teach, 01:53 you could sit at the feet of Jesus. 01:56 Also you would be able to go out with Him 01:58 and see Him minister in your community and 02:02 then besides that you have opportunity to go out 02:05 in the name of Jesus to minister as well to others. 02:09 I'm sure Christians all of us would think that 02:12 would be such a wonderful experience, 02:14 in fact if I could just tell that experience 02:17 I'm sure I would become more like Jesus. 02:20 Well, that very thing happened 2000 years ago. 02:23 Jesus came to this earth and then He began 02:27 a 3 and half year ministry where he had called 02:31 twelve disciples and those disciples were very 02:35 close to Jesus day after day, in fact, 02:38 there were three of them that were especially 02:40 close and sort of the inner circle Peter, 02:41 James and John, those disciples would sit 02:45 at the feet of Jesus. They would hear the teaching 02:48 of Jesus and they could ask him afterwards 02:51 what He meant at times by his teaching. 02:54 So they received instruction directly from 02:56 Jesus everyday, also they went with Jesus 03:00 on His missionary journeys. They saw multitudes 03:03 respond to the ministry and teaching of Jesus. 03:07 They saw Jesus healed the sick, 03:08 cast out devils and even raise the dead, 03:11 and besides that Jesus send them out in his 03:14 name to preach the gospel. And he saw men 03:17 and women respond to their preaching and 03:19 teaching about Jesus and they even in the 03:22 name of Jesus were able to heal the sick 03:25 and cast out devils. Well, you might think those 03:32 disciples were certainly ready to serve the 03:35 Lord after that kind of 3 and half year ministry. 03:40 Yet, on that faithful Thursday night 03:43 in the garden, when the mob came, 03:46 they all fled in fear, and Peter who was one 03:50 of the inner circle, one of the ones that were 03:54 closest to Jesus, who made I say probably the most, 03:58 some of the most dramatic statements, 03:59 affirmations of his loyalty to Jesus. 04:03 Peter, he lingered outside the judgment hall for 04:06 a while when they took Jesus in for the mock 04:10 trial as he was standing and warming himself 04:13 around the fire, a lady came up to Him and said, 04:19 certainly you're one of those followers of Jesus, 04:22 and Peter replied, I don't know what you're 04:24 talking about, surely not me. I'm not one of those. 04:30 A little later some more time pass and 04:32 a little later another individual came and said, 04:36 I know you must be one of those followers of Jesus, 04:39 and Peter said, this time with an oath, 04:41 I don't know the man, and then it happened 04:45 a third time. We read of this incidence 04:48 in Matthew chapter 26 verse 73, 74. And 04:54 after a while came unto him they that stood by, 04:57 and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them; 05:01 for your speech betrays you. Then began he 05:05 to curse and to swear saying, 05:07 I know not the man. And immediately the 05:09 cock crew. Here we see a third time Peter 05:14 denying his Lord and not only simply denying 05:16 his Lord but denying his Lord with a curse. 05:20 How could such a thing happen? Peter was weak. 05:25 Peter had been going on his own strength. 05:28 This could have been very, very discouraging 05:30 for Jesus. He was at the very end of His ministry 05:34 and it could have been discouraging thinking 05:36 he knew he would be crucified, resurrected, 05:40 send back to the father, and he personally 05:43 would not be with him, but Jesus knew something 05:46 else was gonna happen that would change 05:48 things completely. When we read in the book of 05:51 Acts a few weeks later we find that Peter and 05:54 John are preaching about Jesus and this time 05:58 the authorities come to them and they command 06:00 them and threaten them saying you must stop 06:02 preaching about Jesus. This time we find a 06:06 different Peter and a different John? 06:09 They were changed men and we read about this 06:10 incidence in Acts chapter 4 verse 18 to 20, 06:15 "And they called them, and commanded them not 06:17 to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 06:22 But Peter and John answered and said to them, 06:24 whether it be right in the sight of God to 06:27 hearken unto you more than to God judge you, 06:31 for we cannot but speak the things which 06:33 we have seen and heard." In this scripture we 06:38 see that Peter and John could not be intimidated, 06:42 a few weeks before they were easily intimidated, 06:44 they were denying their Lord. Peter was denying 06:46 his Lord with a curse and oath. 06:49 Now they stood the ground what made the 06:51 difference, only a few weeks difference in time. 06:55 What made the difference in this men's life? 06:57 Pentecost made the difference. Before Jesus 07:00 left he had commanded his disciples to wait, 07:03 he knew they were not ready to go out and 07:06 minister in his name. He knew that they were 07:10 still weak and they needed something and that 07:14 something was the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 07:17 and that's why in Acts chapter 1, 07:19 He had told the disciples to wait, he said, 07:21 you're not ready yet, even though you have 07:23 been with me for 3 and half years and even 07:25 though you have ministered in my name and you 07:29 have even seen devils cast out and the sick healed 07:31 in my name you are not ready to go forth 07:35 and minister in my name yet. He said, 07:38 I want you to wait and he said, I want you 07:40 to wait because you heard the promise of the 07:42 Father that the Holy Spirit would be poured out 07:45 and you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 07:47 Now the disciples knew what that meant because 07:49 Jesus says, you must wait to receive the power. 07:53 He said, after the Holy Ghost has come upon you, 07:55 you'll receive power that's what they needed. 07:58 Power to remain firm and strong for the Lord, 08:01 power for witnessing and they knew what that 08:03 meant, they knew the waiting meant to wait 08:06 and pray, and they spent 10 days in prayer. 08:11 They didn't quit praying until they receive. 08:12 They prayed one day, two day, three days, 08:14 they kept praying and praying and claiming 08:16 promise, committing their life anew to Jesus, 08:20 and at the end of the 10 day prayer meeting, 08:22 the Holy Spirit was poured out in power and 08:25 these men and women went forth from that upper 08:27 room, no one can intimidate them. 08:30 The authorities could threaten to cast them 08:31 in prison, could even threaten them with death 08:33 and they would not back down. They remained firm 08:36 and strong and faithful to the Lord because they 08:39 were different men, they were filled with the 08:42 Holy Spirit. That must be the same experience 08:47 of those of us who live in the last days because 08:50 there will be great intimidation, great 08:53 intimidation as God's people go through 08:56 the great crisis that lies ahead. 08:58 Satan will do every thing he can to discourage and 09:01 to overwhelmed and overcome them. 09:03 He'll use temptations, he'll use force, everything 09:06 he can to get God's people to back off and back 09:09 down from completing God's work that he's called 09:11 them to do, and God's people in these last days 09:15 must be as spirit filled as those disciples were 09:18 on the day of Pentecost, and that is why the 09:21 baptism of the Holy Spirit is essential, 09:23 so important for those living in the last days 09:25 to be able to finish God's work in power. 09:29 Jesus is our example in all things and we read 09:33 about Jesus experience concerning the Baptism 09:36 of the Holy spirit. In Luke chapter 3 verse 21 09:39 and 22, we read of his baptism, Now when all the 09:43 people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus 09:47 also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was 09:53 opened, and the Holy Ghost descended 09:55 in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, 09:59 and a voice came from heaven, which said, 10:02 Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I'm well pleased. 10:06 As we read the scripture we find that when 10:07 Jesus went to be baptized in water He did 10:10 something out when He was being baptized 10:12 we are told in the scripture He was praying, 10:16 what was He praying for. The scripture tells us 10:18 His prayer was answered, the Holy Spirit was 10:20 poured out from the Father. He was baptized 10:22 with the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that He must 10:25 be baptized with the Holy Spirit. He must be 10:27 filled with Holy Spirit. If He was to go forth 10:31 and ministered in the power of the spirit, 10:34 to be victorious in the power of the Spirit. 10:38 The Holy Spirit was necessary the infilling of 10:41 the Holy Spirit was necessary in life of Jesus 10:44 for Him to be our example and live as we are to live. 10:48 It was necessary for Him to be filled with the 10:49 spirit in order to be victorious over temptation 10:52 because we read in Matthew chapter 4 10:54 verse 1 and 2, what happened right after he was 10:56 baptized in the spirit, then was Jesus led up 11:00 of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted 11:02 of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days 11:06 and forty nights, he was afterward hungry. 11:10 Jesus was not ready for these greatest temptations 11:14 in His life He was filled with the Holy Spirit but 11:18 after He was filled with the Holy Spirit He could 11:20 stand firm under any temptation that came, 11:23 and Satan could not take Him down. 11:25 He remained faithful to his Father. 11:27 The same is true with you and me. 11:30 We as Jesus need to seek the Baptism of the 11:33 Holy Spirit just like Jesus did. We must experience 11:38 that in front of the spirit because if we don't 11:41 we will not be empowered to gain the greatest 11:44 victories over the temptations, the 11:47 victories that we must have if we're to become 11:50 just like Jesus because those ready to meet Jesus 11:52 we're told we will be just like Him. Also we find 11:57 with Jesus ministry, He was filled with the Holy Spirit 12:00 we read about that now when you look at 12:02 our Luke chapter 4 verse 14, 12:06 "And Jesus returned in the power of the 12:08 Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame 12:13 of him through all the region round about." 12:17 We see after Jesus was filled the Holy Spirit, 12:20 He faces greatest temptations now He 12:22 came forth from that experience empowered by 12:25 the Holy Spirit, filled the Holy Spirit and His 12:29 ministry was a powerful ministry and His fame 12:31 went out all throughout the region. 12:34 A powerful ministry under the power, 12:37 direction of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus 12:41 in His first sermon spoke about this anointed 12:45 ministry that He had given in Luke chapter 4 12:48 verse 18 and 19, we read what Jesus said, 12:53 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because 12:56 he has anointed me to preach gospel to the poor; 13:00 he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, 13:04 to preach deliverance to the captives, 13:06 and recovering of sight to the blind, 13:10 to set at liberty them that are bruised, 13:13 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." 13:19 We see in these words of Jesus that He recognized 13:22 very clearly that in order to do His ministry 13:26 He had to experience the anointing. 13:29 The anointing was the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, 13:32 and as a result of being baptized by Holy Spirit, 13:35 He would have the anointing power to go forth 13:37 and do what he said he would in those verses, 13:40 to preach the gospel, to set the captive free, 13:42 to bring deliverance to those that are pressed. 13:46 Satan is on the prowl, men and women are 13:50 captives of Satan and he does not want let them go. 13:53 It was the same in Christ day as it is today, 13:55 and Jesus realized that He was filled with the 13:58 Holy Spirit, He could minister in the power 14:00 of the Holy Spirit and through the power the 14:02 Holy Spirit he would be able to deliver men 14:05 and women who are captives of Satan and 14:09 he did over and over again in his ministry. 14:14 We certainly need the Baptism of the Holy Spirit 14:16 for this very, very same reasons. 14:19 Jesus our example in all things, and as He 14:24 needed that experience, we need that experience, 14:27 we need the same experience if we want 14:29 to have complete victory over temptation and sin. 14:34 And let me tell you, the crisis that's coming 14:38 is no easy difficult time or crisis or tribulation 14:43 to get through. Satan will put all the pressure 14:45 on that he can to get God's children to give up 14:47 the faith. And as Jesus was victorious through 14:51 being filled with God's spirit, so we must also 14:54 have that same experience if we're going 14:57 to make it through that final crisis. Ellen White 15:00 in Desire of Ages, page 173 makes the 15:03 statement of the current showing this, 15:05 "when the Spirit of God takes possession 15:07 of the heart, it transforms the life. 15:12 Sinful thoughts are put away, 15:15 Evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, 15:19 and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. 15:26 Joy takes the place of sadness, and the 15:29 countenance reflects the light of heaven." 15:33 That's a very beautiful statement isn't it? 15:36 And that tell us very clearly the experience 15:38 that God wants us to have, to have the 15:41 peace of heaven in our heart. We need the 15:46 Baptism of the Holy Spirit to become just 15:47 like Jesus to have his character, just like 15:50 Ellen White described in that statement and 15:54 we find in Second Corinthians chapter 3 15:56 verse 3, another statement from scripture on this, 16:00 "for as much as ye are manifestly declared 16:02 to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, 16:06 written not with ink, but with the Spirit 16:08 of the living God; not in tables of stones but 16:13 in the fleshy tables of the heart." 16:17 You see the new covenant promise is to write 16:18 God's law on our heart and the way that takes 16:22 place according to what we just read. 16:26 That takes place by the power of the Holy Spirit 16:29 and I find it interesting when you compare the 16:32 writing of the Ten Commandments on stone 16:35 with the writing in the commandments on our 16:36 heart it's very similar because we know that the 16:39 commandments were written on stone by 16:40 the finger of God and if you compare a couple 16:43 of scriptures in the gospel where Jesus says, 16:45 I with the finger of God cast out the devil and 16:48 a parallel scriptures says I will the spirit of God 16:51 cast out the devil that indicates that really 16:54 the finger of God and the spirit of God referring 16:56 to the same thing. And so, when God wrote 16:59 the Ten Commandments on the tables of stone 17:01 it was really the Holy Spirit during that writing 17:03 and the same is today that as we receive 17:06 the baptism of the Holy Spirit, God began 17:08 writing his Ten Commandment law on our 17:11 heart by the Holy Spirit. You see, 17:14 the Ten Commandments is a transcript of God's 17:16 character. Jesus came to reveal the glory, 17:20 the character of the Father and that is how 17:23 we become like Jesus that we are filled 17:25 with the Holy Spirit and God begins writing 17:28 his law on our heart and we begin developing 17:30 the character of Jesus Christ. 17:33 And one thing I want to make clear here 17:34 sometimes as Christian we confuse our will, 17:38 giving our will to God versus will power. 17:41 We often thing well I have got to use my 17:44 will power to be victorious over temptation. 17:48 We don't have the power in us, 17:50 in fact in John chapter 1, we are told that 17:52 as many are to receive Jesus, God gave them 17:55 the power to become the Sons of God. 17:58 So when we accept Jesus and then accept and 18:02 receive the infilling of Holy Spirit that's where 18:03 we receive the power. You see it's God that 18:07 comes into our life and gives us the power 18:08 to change we simply say Lord change me and 18:11 then we corporate with God by simply choosing 18:15 to let Him come into our life and change us. 18:18 If there's a temptation we choose to let God 18:20 give us the power to be victorious over that 18:24 temptation. We look to God for the victory 18:27 it's not a matter of strong will power, 18:30 some may think it is but I tell you this I learned 18:32 through experience those that struggle with 18:34 strong will power they maybe to a degree 18:36 get some victories but not in the long run and 18:39 not the great victories. There is only one way 18:41 to have the true victory in Jesus Christ is to 18:44 receive the power of God through the Holy Spirit, 18:48 and so God wants to write those laws on 18:50 our heart and the character of Jesus that 18:54 character of Jesus in the New Testament is 18:56 also called the fruit of the spirit. 18:59 We read about that in Galatians chapter 19:00 5 verse 22 and 23, "But the fruit of the spirit 19:06 is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, 19:12 goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, 19:17 against such there is no law." 19:21 As we allow the Holy Spirit to write the law 19:23 of God in our heart, we start becoming like Jesus, 19:27 we start of obeying God from the heart, 19:28 internal motivation to obey not just the 19:31 external because the law says, obey. 19:34 We start wanting to obey from within, 19:37 a deep desire in our heart and so God begins 19:39 putting with in us what we just read here 19:41 in Galatians the fruit of the spirit, 19:43 it's a singular fruit. All of them are available 19:47 to us and when he begins with the fruit 19:50 of love that's where we have the primary 19:53 fruit because if we have love we will have 19:57 joy and we will have peace and the rest. 20:01 So the key to becoming like Jesus is to allow 20:06 the Holy Spirit to bring the fruit of the spirit 20:09 in our life and this fruit again is not 20:12 something we conjure up, we can't make 20:14 ourselves joyful, we can't make ourselves 20:16 at peace because if you recall in the 20:19 gospel Jesus said, my joy I give to you, 20:24 my peace I give to you. In Romans 5, 20:28 it says the love of God is shed abroad 20:30 in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. 20:32 So it is the love, the joy, the peace, 20:35 the faith and the rest of the list the fruit 20:39 of the spirit of Jesus because it's Jesus 20:42 living in us, manifesting those fruit 20:45 of the spirit, and Satan would do everything 20:48 he can to take you down on this matter 20:50 because He would try to take your joy, 20:54 and what he's after there is your strength 20:56 because the Bible says, the joy of the Lord is 20:58 my strength and so if we try going on our own joy 21:02 and own inner strength we can do it, 21:05 and we will go down but if we seek 21:07 the daily infilling of God's Holy Spirit 21:09 the fruit of the spirit will contain to be 21:11 manifest and it is a growing process, 21:13 we'll become stronger and stronger 21:15 in the Lord and the fruit of the spirit 21:18 become more and more manifest in our life. 21:21 I like the way Ellen White states 21:24 what happens within us as Christians, 21:25 as we're filled with God's spirit 21:27 in Desire of Ages, page 668, 21:30 "All true obedience come from the heart. 21:35 It was heart work with Christ. 21:38 And if we consent, He will so identify Himself 21:42 with our thoughts and aims, so blend our 21:45 hearts and minds into conformity to His will, 21:50 that when obeying Him we shall be 21:53 but carrying out our own impulses. 21:57 The will, refined and sanctified, 21:59 will find it's highest delight in doing 22:01 His service. When we know God, 22:04 as it is our privilege to known Him, 22:08 our life will be a life of continual obedience, 22:12 Through an appreciation of the character of 22:14 Christ, through communion with God, 22:17 sin will become hateful to us, 22:20 How clear that is. "Through the baptism of 22:24 the Holy Spirit we will experience 22:27 that inner change and our life will be a, 22:29 become a life of continual obedience to 22:31 God. And it's a progress of experience." 22:34 In Second Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18, 22:37 we read what Paul says along these lines, 22:38 "But we all, with open face beholding 22:42 as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed 22:45 into the same image from glory to glory, 22:48 even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 22:53 So I want to make it very clear to you, 22:54 don't get discouraged if you find that you're 22:56 not immediately change into the image of Jesus 22:59 and having victory after victory. 23:01 It is a growing process, remember we are 23:03 coming out of the Laodicea condition. 23:05 God is calling us out, and I like to look 23:08 at it this way, it's like a big glass of 23:10 water here and let's say there's rocks in it 23:12 and the water represents the Holy Spirit. 23:16 When we seek the baptism of the 23:17 Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit does come in 23:19 and what the Holy Spirit starts doing 23:21 and lets let these rocks represent self stuff 23:24 that's in our life that needs to get out. 23:25 The Holy Spirit begins moving in our life 23:27 and taking those rocks out. 23:28 He moves into this room in our life 23:31 and that room in our life and as the rocks 23:33 come out, as more and more self is overcome, 23:35 more of the spirit comes into fill, 23:38 so it is a process. It's a growing process 23:41 and that's why it's so urgent that we respond 23:44 to the call of God today to be filled with 23:45 his Holy Spirit because it's necessary for us 23:49 to begin that process, so we can grow into 23:52 the fullness of Jesus. So we'll be ready 23:55 for the final crisis and Christ second coming. 24:00 In First John chapter 3 verse 2, 24:03 this verse again describes those ready to 24:05 meet Jesus. "Beloved, now are we the Sons 24:10 of God, and it does not yet appear 24:13 what we shall be, but we know that 24:15 when he shall appear, we should be like him; 24:18 for we shall see him as he is." 24:23 That's the call to become just like Jesus. 24:28 We are to receive the character of Jesus, 24:31 we are to receive the same power Jesus 24:33 received for witnessing, we are to receive 24:37 power to defeat Satan just like Jesus received 24:40 that power. In fact, in John chapter 14 24:43 verse 12, Jesus told us about the minister 24:45 we are do, he said, "Verily, verily, 24:47 I say to you, He that believes on me, 24:50 the works that I do he shall do also; 24:52 and greater works than these because 24:55 than I do because I go the Father." 24:59 Here we see very clearly Jesus says, 25:01 we were in order do the works he did because 25:04 he went to the Father, what that had to do 25:06 with it because when he went to the Father, 25:08 the Holy Spirit be poured out and made 25:10 available to us, and we are to do the same 25:12 ministry he did. And over in Luke chapter 10 25:15 verse 17, we read, "And the seventy returned 25:20 again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils 25:22 are subject to us through you name." 25:26 The seventy were so excited when they saw 25:29 in the name of Jesus, he thought they had 25:31 over Satan and Jesus clarified even more 25:34 clearly the authority they would have in 25:36 Jesus. We read about that, in verse 19 25:39 of the same chapter, "Behold, I give unto 25:42 you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, 25:44 and over all the power of the enemy, 25:46 and nothing shall by any means hurt you." 25:49 In this scripture we see the Jesus is saying 25:52 very clearly that the disciples in the name of 25:54 Jesus would have power over Satan. 25:56 I used to think that it was more or less God 25:59 and the devil and me. I knew God was over 26:01 the devil but the devil seemed to have a 26:03 lot of power in my life but what I've 26:05 discovered through the baptism of the 26:06 Holy Spirit and understand the authority 26:08 we have in Jesus, that it is God, 26:10 me and the devil. It is God, you and the devil. 26:13 The devil is under you when you're in Jesus. 26:15 Because Jesus says, I give you power to tread 26:18 on serpents and scorpions. 26:19 How many times you might feel you're being 26:21 run over by the devil. You don't have to be 26:23 if you are filled with God's spirit 26:25 and you understand the principles in God's word 26:30 of how to be free. That is God's desire for you 26:34 and me, and I have seen, you know 26:37 there was a time when I doubted the power 26:40 of the God's power, I never told anybody 26:42 I was a Pastor but I didn't see it. 26:43 I know it was supposed to be there 26:45 but I didn't see it. But praise God 26:48 I can tell you, I've seen it. 26:51 I've seen men and women who have accepted 26:53 Jesus and who were shrugging their life, 26:55 able to be free from the oppressions 26:58 of the enemy in their life. God wants to free 27:01 you and me from every oppression, attack, 27:05 temptation of Satan in our life. 27:08 He wants to free us from addictions, 27:10 from any and every stronghold 27:11 that's within us, and through the baptism 27:14 of the Holy Spirit that freedom can begin. 27:17 It can begin in no other way. 27:18 It is only through the baptism of the 27:20 Holy Spirit that we truly become like Jesus, 27:24 empowered as Jesus was to overcome all 27:28 temptations, empowered like Jesus 27:30 was to minister unto the anointing of the spirit 27:34 to lead men and women to accept Jesus. 27:36 Empowered to become just like Jesus. 27:41 That is why God's given that call today 27:43 to come out of Laodicea, be filled with 27:48 the spirit become just like Jesus, 27:51 and I pray you will accept that call 27:53 that God is giving to you this day. |
Revised 2014-12-17