The Rejoicing Overflow of the Spirit

There has been much talk for some time now about the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. This third member of the Holy Trinity has always amazed me. How can we understand Him? How can we know how He operates? I believe we flirt with spiritual arrogance if we try to label
Him in a way that fits with our own framework. We must be biblical. We must also be worshipers in His powerful Name. Below are some of my notes that I recently used in the sermon I was allowed to preach at Summit's OIKOS (the HS worship service). I pray they will edify you as we rejoice in the overflow of the Holy Spirit. The "He" I am referring to is our glorious Savior in Acts 1:1-8.

1. Before He ascended, He promised the gift that leads us today. Take a few moments and read Acts 1:1-5. You'll see Luke mentioned as the author; connected to the book of Luke in verse 2. You'll see a glorious connection with 1 Corinthians 15:7-9 in verse 3. The rest of the passage gives us the promise of the Holy Spirit. We must be careful not to get so absorbed into our studying that we neglect the role of the Spirit. In case you want a quick overview of the role of the Spirit, here are some references that I found to be useful:


i. Genesis 1:2 – Spirit created the world.
ii. Judges 14:6 – empowered Samson to tear apart a lion
iii. Psalm 51:11 – begged for the Spirit NOT to leave him (David)
iv. Joel 2:28-32 – Spirit is poured on the people to communicate with him.
v. Matthew 1:18 – part of delivering the Christ to Mary.
vi. Romans 8:9-11 – key and central for our salvation.
vii. Ephesians 1:13-14 – Spirit seals our salvation
viii. 2 Timothy 1:14 – Spirit dwells in us, guards us.

A quote from Francis Chan that I find to be useful -
I’m willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can. The benchmark of success in church services has become more about attendance than the movement of the Holy Spirit. The “entertainment” model of church was largely adopted in the 1980’s and ‘90’s and while it alleviated some of our boredom for a couple of hours a week, it filled our churches with self-focused consumers rather than self-sacrificing servants attuned to the Holy Spirit….The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished, having largely sold out to the kingdoms and values of this world….We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God….shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not?”

The Spirit will NEVER lead us to say or do anything contrary to God’s Word…because it is the Spirit that gave it to us! (2 Peter 1:21) The Spirit CONNECTS us to the Word. An example from my own life recently was our recent mission trip to New Orleans. Brooke and I prayed for an opportunity to share the Gospel with a family. We believe the Spirit led a Hindu couple to us within seconds after we ended the prayer! The true Gospel was preached. So, the Spirit's role, in that situation, was connecting a couple to hear the Word...which the Spirit gave men thousands of years ago to write! Go back and read 2 Peter 1:21 for more insight on that. This makes sense…the author (God, the Spirit), would want us to know what the book is about!

2. Before He ascended, He gave the commandment that we live by today. Take a few moments and read Acts 1:6-8. In verse 6, we see the desire of the disciples was still leaning toward a military and political power to drive out the Romans. In Acts 1:7, we see a beautiful reminder of the sovereign control of our great Lord. May we not walk in our own ways of thinking that neglect to daily worship the Lord for His sovereignty! In Acts 1:8, we see our commandment given. We must live by this commandment daily! Part of millions of pictures of God's grace is His Spirit empowering us (with both the Word and the Opportunity) to preach His Gospel! Are you doing that? In verse 8, we see the word “witness” – martyreo – used. This word translates the idea of willing to live and die for the Gospel. It goes far beyond the simple command of witnessing…it's to live the Gospel! Romans 12:1-2. Are you doing that?

How does this apply to you? I believe C.H. Spurgeon said it best when he once wrote, "A sinner can no more repent and believe without the Holy Spirit's aid than he can create a world." May we as broken sinners, trust and rejoice in the overflow of the Spirit. May we submit to His leadership...which points us to Christ...which glorifies the Father.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Dave