Holy Spirit.

Sermon Notes - Ps. Jim White

Sunday 30th July, 2023

This morning I want to continue on from my message last week about being anointed with fresh oil.

And very quickly - just to remind you - our main scripture came from:

Ps. 92:10 - Passion Translation.   

This is David - who had originally been anointed by Samuel as King of Israel - but now, is declaring God’s fresh anointing over his life for a new season of triumph.

“Your anointing has made me strong and mighty. You’ve empowered my life for triumph by pouring fresh oil over me.”

And as much as I would imagine every one of us would love the idea of being refreshed by the presence of God - like standing under an invigorating waterfall on a really hot day…. That’s not the primary purpose of having the fresh oil of anointing poured out over our lives.

Being anointed is not just a passive, lay back and soak it in time.

As David said - the Anointing made him strong and mighty.  The anointing empowered his life for triumph.  There’s nothing passive about that!

The fresh Anointing is the Holy Spirit coming upon our lives with a fresh empowering to fulfil our calling in life - to equip us spiritually, supernaturally - to enable us to become our true identity - and to fulfil our God appointed destiny.

And if we look to the Word of God to clarify what that means for us - then a fresh anointing seems to come when we are about to face some kind of new opportunity - or to face some new kind of battle.

This morning I just want to speak about the Holy Spirit - because He is the One who Anoints us.  He is the Anointing!  He is God!

The Holy Spirit is a Person.  He is One with the Father - and One with the Son.

And in the end - the reason He has come to be with us - to live in us - to express Himself through us, can be found in the words of Jesus:

John 16:13-15

New King James Version

“…when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

The Holy Spirit is here, ultimately, to glorify Jesus.  He is here to do that through you and I.  The Holy Spirit wants Jesus to be lifted up - to be glorified - by the Holy Spirit’s presence in us.

When I read that again this week, I thought - wow - what a privilege - what a responsibility - what an overwhelming thought.

But this is the very reason we are Anointed.  We can’t do it.  But the presence of Christ in us - the presence of the Holy Spirit and His Anointing empowerment - can!

Again, it reminds me and brings me back to that scripture:

Romans 8:11

New King James Version

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit and the Anointing that raised Jesus from death.

But this always blows my mind.  The same Holy Spirit dwells in me!  And in you, if you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour - and given your own life over to Him.

That’s an incredible amount of divine, supernatural power.

But remember - this is not about us.  This is about Jesus!  The Holy Spirit hasn’t come to glorify us - He has come to glorify Jesus.

I want to ask you this morning - and challenge you, as I challenge myself:

What are you giving the Holy Spirit to work with?

Are you living by the Spirit, walking in the Spirit?  Have you allowed the refreshing new oil of the Spirit to Anoint you for what is ahead?

I know that when you confessed Christ as the Son of God - invited Him into your heart - laid down your own life in exchange for His - that you were forgiven of your sin, you were cleansed, you were washed, as the word says.

And yet I also know that our walk with Jesus is dynamic.  His mercies are new every morning.  We are continually being changed.

2 Corinthians 3:18

New King James Version

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

And this fits so perfectly with what Jesus says - that the Holy Spirit will come to glorify Him.  We are going from one level of glory to another - but it’s not our glory - it is Christ’s glory!

When I repented of my sin - I was saved - I was cleansed - I was washed - I was redeemed.

And yet, as I continue on that journey of being transformed, I’ve been convicted of unconfessed sin - the Holy Spirit has shown me things that I’ve said or done along the way that I need to repent of.

Having a humble, surrendered, submitted heart means you aways remain open to being transformed and changed and realigning yourself with God’s righteousness.

You look into the mirror and see the glory of the Lord reflecting on your on life, and sometimes you might need to say - I’m sorry Lord - those words or that behaviour doesn’t line up with the image of Your glory.

I’m sorry.  I repent.  I’m turning my life, my heart away from that thing - and fully walking with You.

And that scripture I also quoted last week comes to life.

Acts 3:19

New King James Version

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”

Of course, to be converted means to be saved.  Conversion happens at salvation.  But the Greek meaning of this word also means “to return”, by faith to the love and obedience of God.  It means to turn from one course of conduct to another.

Sometimes it’s good things that can take us off course - and distract us from the main thing or the very thing that God is calling us to.

This this part of our transformation and sanctification.

And when we keep those short accounts, we can confidently say, I am right with God.  He is my righteousness.  My heart is at peace.

So the Holy Spirit imparts power - the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.  That’s resurrection power working in and though us.

The Holy Spirit makes us more like Jesus - taking us from one level of Jesus’ glory to another.  The Holy Spirit is primarily into glorifying Jesus.

He wants to present Jesus as amazing, magnificent, worthy of being praised and exalted.

The Holy Spirit also empowers us to be witnesses of Jesus.

One way we are witnesses is as we display the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-25

New King James Version

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

So as we walk - we witness.

But we also carry the power of the gospel so that we present it with words - Anointed words.

The gospel, by the way is sometimes described by Paul as “the gospel of the glory of Christ.” (2Cor 4:4).

When we’re talking about Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we are talking also about the glory of God.

Romans 1:16 New King James Version

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

There is supernatural power behind you and with you as you speak out the gospel - as you share your testimony of Christ’s glory also in your own life.

As John has shared recently, it’s about continually sowing seed - seed of truth and life.  Only the Holy Spirit can convict and change a person’s heart - but our job is to sow the seed of the gospel and of the Word of God - became faith comes by hearing - and hearing by the Word.

Paul encouraged Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:7

New King James Version

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

He’s encouraging Timothy to stir up his faith and the gifts with which He has been Anointed.

Which of course is something else the Holy Spirit imparts to us - spiritual gifts - things like wisdom, words of knowledge - faith, which is itself is a gift - healing, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, plus a number of others, including gifts of various types ministries, like teachers, pastors, evangelists, apostles, prophets….

It may seem like this is a whirlwind of information about the Holy Spirit - but just talking about Him stirs our own spirit and welcomes Him into this place and into our lives in a fresh way.

We need something fresh to happen.  We need our own lives to be refreshed.  We all need fresh oil from heaven for the journey ahead.

The Holy Spirit is so vital to our lives as Christians.  He wants to do so much more with our lives, for the glory of God and of Christ.

The Holy Spirit also wants us to know who we are.

Think back to when you were saved.  When repentance caused you to both confess your sin as you were convicted and broken before Him - but also as you were cleansed and set free and made whole and were filled with joy.

Everything changed in that moment.  And I love what Paul says to the Corinthians as they repented.

2 Corinthians 7:10-11

New King James Version

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”

When Christ enters your heart - when the Holy Spirit fills you and transforms you from the inside out - all these things mentioned here become who you are.

You become a person of diligence.  This means a person who earnestly and eagerly and carefully desires to be right with God and walk with Him.

There is a clearing of yourself.  Those ways that the devil had you bound are completely destroyed.  You have been vindicated - pronounced “not guilty.”   That in itself brings a sense of refreshment.

Then it says - what indignation.  This is such a strong awareness of injustice - even an anger at unrighteousness and evil.

And then - what fear!  A fear of offending God or doing anything that would bring a separation between Him and you.  And included in that, is a fear of offending or grieving the Holy Spirit.

What vehement desire!  Which is a strong desire for righteousness and justice.

What zeal!  Zeal is passion.  Passion to know God and follow after Him.

What vindication - which is similar to that clearing of yourself mentioned before.

This is all the work of the Holy Spirit.

And we need to seriously meditate on these things, because this is the Holy Spirit’s quickening of our spirit - this is who we are.

And if this is not what our life looks like, then we can ask the Holy Spirit to fan the flame again - do that transforming work - help us to align ourselves with what we see in the glory of God in the mirror of the Word.

Jesus said:

John 10:10

New King James Version

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

The Passion Translation calls it life in its fullness until you overflow.

The Holy Spirit so wants to pour out fresh oil - newness of life - abundance in every area - to the point that it overflows….  So that your cup runs over - so that every part of your being is saturated and empowered - just like the oil did as it flowed down over Aaron is Ps. 133.

I feel like this has been an intense and whirlwind kind of message - but I also feel like it was meant to be that way this morning.

It’s an injection of faith - of truth - of encouragement - of the Holy Spirit filled Word of God.

It’s meant to empower you to do the things God has called you to do - and to remember that in it all, it’s about shining forth the glory of Jesus Christ - making Him famous.  Making Him known.

If I come back to all Ray was sharing this morning - that’s what I see.  I don’t see so much of Ray - although he’s a top bloke.  But what I see is the glory of Jesus Christ abounding forth in his life.  And Mari-anne’s too by the way - she has been on this journey and shone through it just as much as Ray has.

That’s what a true testimony does - it always points to Jesus.  The gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ.

Amen!