Good Shepherd Community Chapel

Sermon delivered by Jerry Johnson, Sunday Morning Service  --  Nov. 6, 2005

“Living In The Spirit”

 Scripture quotes are from the King James Version unless otherwise indicated.  “ESV” is the abbreviation for English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved. 

1)  For all of us, when we are born in the flesh, our human heart is

___deceitful_____ above all things and desperately

__wicked/sick_______: who can know it?  Jeremiah 17:9

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  KJV

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?  (ESV)

2)  But, the good ground in the parable of the sower, according to our Master, is a ___good________ and _____honest________ heart!  Luke 8:15

Luke 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

3)  Therefore, something must happen to us to even be able to be good ground and bear fruit to the Lord.  Ye must be __born_____

__again_______  or, __born_________   __from_______

___above_________!  John 3:5-7

John 3:5-7  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

4)  This is a _spiritual____  ____   ____transaction______ for which there is no ___substitute_____ : “Ye __must______ be born again.”  John 3: 7

John 3:1-8  There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:  2  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.  3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  4  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

5)  It is in the context of John 3 that Christ gives us the most quoted verse in Scripture:  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that _whosoever________  __believes____

in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting (__eternal___)

life.  John 3:16

6)  Where does the faith come from?  It is a _gift_____.  Eph 2:8-9

Eph. 2:8-9  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

7)  Faith without __works___ is ___dead______.  James 2:20 

James 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

8)  What kind of works?  Faith working through __love_________.

Galatians 5:6

Gal. 5:6  For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

9)  Well, where does the love come from?  The _   _Holy__   _

___Spirit_____ , who is ___given_____ to us, __pours___ the love of God into our hearts!  Romans 5:5

Romans 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

10)  And if we love Jesus, we will keep His __commandments___  John 14:15 

John 14:15  If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ESV)

11)  And if we keep His commandments, He will __manifest____ Himself to us!  John 14:21

John 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

“Manifest” means:  v. readily perceived by the eyes; evident, obvious, apparent; plain.  vt. to show plainly, prove, put beyond doubt or question.

12)  This is eternal life: that we ___know__________ the Father and the Son!  John 17: 1-3

John 17:1-3  When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,  2  since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.  3  And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

13)  Now, a word about fruit (remember the parable of the sower):  Fruit is the ___character________, or the ____nature_______ of the Holy Spirit reproduced in you by ___abiding________ in Him.  Galatians 5:22-23; John 15:4

Gal. 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Jn 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 

14)    ___ALL_______ the fruit is for ____ALL_______ of us!

15)  Now, a word about gifts:  They are also a _manifestation___

of the Holy Spirit.  1 Corinthains 12:7-11

1 Corinthians 12:7-11  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9  To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10  To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

16)  We each have at least __one______ gift, but none have all the gifts.  We ___NEED__________ each other!

Being in fellowship with a local Body (church) is vital to our own health as a child of God and to the health of the church.  With all its faults and shortcomings, participation in a local church is the way God has chosen for it to be for us.  Hebrews 10:23-25  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

17)  The Holy Spirit ___empowers__________ us to exercise these gifts.  Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 12:11 

Acts 1: 8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  1Co 12:11  All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. (ESV)

18)  So, how are we to understand this supernatural life in the Spirit? à We are ____LEARNING_________ !  The sons of God are ___led______________ by the Spirit of God.  Romans 8: 14 

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

19)  Jesus’ sheep ____hear_______________   ___His_______  _____voice______________.  John 10:27 

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

That inner voice, that drawing, that sense inside – you know:  the voice you responded to when you repented of your sins and asked Jesus into your heart – that intuitive, still, small voice in our heart, that is the voice of Jesus within you. 

This is what the song writers are talking about:

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the SOUND!....I once was blind but now I SEE…..Twas, grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relived!”

(“Grace: a special gift from God” – Billy Graham)

“I come to the garden alone…and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses…And He walks with me, and He talks with me…and He tells me I am His own!” ….in your heart, the “garden”.…where He walks and talks with you by His Holy Spirit who lives within you.

20)  Behold, even among us Christians sometimes, He still stands at our door and knocks.  Revelation 3:20  (Notice that this passage is a message to a local church!)

Rev. 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

21)  You cannot serve ___two______ masters!  Matthew 6:24 

Matthew 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (money, possessions, riches, wealth, or…the god of riches).

22)    ___Quench________ not the Spirit.  1 Thessalonians 5:19

1Th 5:19  Quench not the Spirit.

23)    _____Grieve____ not the Holy Spirit.

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

May we not grieve our precious Lord by ignoring his priceless, pleading call to each of us to walk with Him in intimate fellowship and love in each moment throughout every day!  I pray that all of us will consider what He has done for us and open ourselves up to what He desires to accomplish in and through us even now as we abide in constant communion and fellowship with Him.  Why would we want to walk through the wilderness and morass of struggles and circumstances and trials in this life on earth without a constant, firm grip on our Master's hand? 

Love in Christ, Jerry Johnson