Empowered by the Holy Spirit Part 4 — Phil Beach Jr.

The Holy Spirit as the Source of Christian Life

Chapter 2, and we will look at the New Testament counterpart to this Old Testament revelation. It is so comforting as a Christian when we come to the full realization that we are not alone. God has not left this job of living the Christian life and perfecting our walk with God to ourselves.

He has not left it to ourselves. He has not left it to you to perform. The word that Zerubbabel or Zechariah spoke to Zerubbabel is the same word the Holy Spirit is speaking to you and I in this 20th century day to this generation of the church age.

And that is, hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, or ho, the Holy Spirit is saying, hey, I want your attention. Listen, it is not by power, it is not by might, but it is by my Spirit, saith the Lord. Therefore, it is so important that we learn about the superintendent who is charged by God the Father to initiate, perform, and perfect this great work of salvation that you and I are partakers of the moment we believed.

New Birth and Spiritual Growth in First Peter

1 Peter chapter 2, beginning in verse number 1. Therefore, whenever you see a therefore in scripture, you know that because of what has just been said. So, we know that 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 1 is in reference to what has just been said.

So, let's go up to verse 22 of chapter 1 so we can get the full picture. Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.

For you have been born again, not of seed, which is perishing, but imperishable. That is, through the living and abiding word of God. For all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord abides forever, and this is the word which was preached to you. Therefore, in light of this tremendous salvation that you and I have experienced, in light of the fact that you've been redeemed by the precious incorruptible blood of Jesus Christ, therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

Wow! Can you see what the apostle is saying here? Because you've been redeemed from heaven's blood, because the divine presence of God Himself abides in your life now, because you have been made clean, you have been justified, you have been sanctified and set aside and washed and made acceptable to God.

Because of these things, let's put aside all these things. And in putting these aside, let's go to verse 2 now. Like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the word. Another version says, crave the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

So, immediately we see the setting. As Christians, we are to remember that we've been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we've been sanctified by the Spirit of God, we've been declared innocent and justified by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We have been made acceptable in the Beloved. God has washed our sins away. He has placed His Spirit within us. We are a new creation. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. All things are passed away.

Behold, all things have become new. In light of all of these beautiful facts that have taken place in the life of the true believer, Peter says, put off those things that have to do with your old life.

Malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. We put that off, then we go forward and we desire the sincere milk, the pure milk. We crave the pure milk of the Word of God that we might grow thereby. If so be that you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

The Church as God's Spiritual House

Once Peter sets in order our responsibility as Christians, now he begins to remind us in verse number four of the spiritual facts that are in line with what Zechariah was saying. This is the New Testament fulfillment of what Zechariah was speaking to Zerubbabel.

Verse number four. And coming to Him as to a living stone. Now, let me just ask you, why would he call Christ a living stone? What significance is there in a stone? Stones made up the temple. You see, to a Jewish mind, this is really significant.

The Holy Spirit, the apostles, are taking the church and showing them that before Jesus came, God dwelt in temples that were made by the hands of men. But now, the glorious fact of salvation, God no longer dwells in houses and temples, but now the Holy Spirit says, You are the temple.

Christ is the cornerstone. And we are living stones. Wow. And coming to Him as to a living stone rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God. You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For this is contained in the Scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone. That's Isaiah chapter 28. And he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed. This precious value, then, is for you who believe.

But for those who disbelieve, the stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. For they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and to this doom they were also appointed.

Now listen, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

For you were not a people once, but now you are the people of God. You've not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. So in light of this glorious revelation, church, it is very, very important as I continue to reiterate on what I have said so that it can become so clear to us, God is calling us to become acquainted with the Holy Spirit, to know Him, to fellowship with Him, to love Him and to cooperate with Him.

We've learned what we shouldn't do. This morning we learned what our responsibility was as Christians, to steadfastly look to Jesus Christ, to gaze upon Him and fix our inner faith and eye upon Him. That will ensure that we will be changed on a daily basis into His image and into His likeness.

The Holy Spirit's Ministries in the Believer

Now tonight we want to look into several different ministries or several different works that the Holy Spirit is assigned to perform in the life of the believer. These works are performed by the Holy Spirit in the life of those who are yielding themselves unto God.

Now you will find that as we go through this list, these are things that you and I are concerned about. We are desirous to accomplish these things. But it would be important for us to remember from the very beginning that these works, these ministries, can only be initiated and performed by the Holy Spirit Himself.

And it is your responsibility and my responsibility to come before God on a daily basis and by the grace that is available to us as believers, yield our members unto Him. Yield our heart unto Him. Yield our mind unto Him.

And as we have yielding, obedient hearts, God does this work. Let's begin by looking at John chapter 3 verse number 3. You and I know the scripture and we've quoted it before. But it's important for us to understand each one of these works is that which God does through the Holy Spirit.

And we need to learn to walk in cooperation with the Holy Spirit as He seeks to perform these things in our life. John chapter 3 verse number 3. Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he? Jesus answered, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

So we find from the very beginning of the Christian life, the Holy Spirit is the performer. The Holy Spirit is the initiator. He's the performer and He is the initiator. He is the builder. He is the power.

He is the link between you and God. He is the source of everything that has to do with our salvation. We can take credit for nothing. So the Holy Spirit becomes the performer of our salvation and the initiator of every step for growth.

Consider the lily. They neither toil nor spin, yet they grow and they blossom and they become beautiful. Oh, would to God we could learn the lesson of the lilies. They neither toil nor spin, yet God causes them to grow.

I submit to you tonight that the more we can understand this divine revelation that the Holy Spirit is the performer of the salvation that we received and He is the initiator of every step for growth, the less we will find ourselves frustrated and in despair over what we can't do anyway.

You see, as long as we know that we are walking in the light and that we are coming to God on a daily basis, submitting ourselves to Him, that's all we can do, then He will in fact perform and initiate everything that pertains to you.

So from the very beginning, we're going to remember this as our central theme tonight, I would like you to memorize this truth because I promise you that as you continue on in the Lord and if Jesus should tarry for 20, 30, 40 years, this will become one of the most precious truths to you.

The Holy Spirit is the performer of all of God's promises. The Holy Spirit is the initiator of all of my spiritual growth. It is God's responsibility to watch over my life. It is God's responsibility to perfect the salvation that I have partaken of since I believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

God likes it when we recognize it's His responsibility. He likes it. He wants you to acknowledge that it's His responsibility. It is His job. He has appointed the Holy Spirit for this very purpose, to do what you cannot do, to perfect what you cannot perfect.

That's why this morning's message is so essential. All we have to understand is our responsibility to look, to gaze, to behold, and to yield. And then God does the rest. What a joy. So the first work is the new birth.

The new birth is initiated by the Holy Spirit and is performed by the Holy Spirit. And the part that we play in the new birth is absolutely nothing but I receive Lord Jesus. I yield myself to the initiation.

See, God initiates it. He's the one that woos us. He's the one that draws us. Then He waits for a response. As we respond to the initiation of the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit performs the work and we become children of God.

We are translated out of the kingdom of darkness and brought into the glorious kingdom of God's dear Son. All by the working and power of the Holy Spirit. And the only reason why we can respond to God is because God initiates and God draws us by His love and draws us by His goodness.

So you see now how we cooperate with the Holy Spirit. You see how this great work of salvation is being done by God in those who are cooperating with Him. I want you to see tonight that you've been called to work with Christ.

We're co-workers together with Christ. I want you to see that tonight God has called you to learn to walk with and work with and cooperate with and participate with the Holy Spirit. You're not alone.

God will do it all. But you must submit to Him. As you submit, He'll do it all. Isn't it great to know that He's not left us comfortless? We have to submit. We have to submit. We have to yield ourselves to God.

As the Scripture says, Yield ye selves therefore unto God. Amen. That's it. It is wow. There's no earthly words that can explain it. And listen, as we continue to yield, this great work of the Holy Spirit continues to flow in our life perfecting that work of salvation that was raw the moment we believed.

Brother George, Amen. This comes out of my prayer in the past. But now they were waiting to be regrouped with that power. And of course, in 1 John 3, we see that they didn't just give Him the word. The man that was born of God, the one in her lair, like Jesus and the mother.

The church today, the one that believed, understood the word of God, the spiritual Lord Moses, and provided a way to walk with God. But there they saw that man healed by the power of the Almighty God and what's left of the church today is the power of God.

Amen. So, the new birth, a work of the Holy Spirit as we yield ourselves to God. Next, let's turn our Bibles to Galatians chapter 5, verse number 16. Galatians chapter 5, verse number 16. Let's begin in verse number 13.

For you were called to freedom. Brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

But if you bite and devour one another, take care, lest you be consumed by one another. Now, here we go, verse number 16. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

So, not only do we find a new birth that is performed and initiated by the Holy Spirit, but we see a walk that is wrought by and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, let's turn our Bibles to Galatians chapter 2, and we'll see another scripture here in reference to this very thought regarding walking by the Holy Spirit.

Now, remember, each one of these aspects is a distinct ministry of the Holy Spirit that God wants us to participate with and cooperate with so that we can find the power to do these things. The power to be born again is by the Spirit as we submit and cooperate with Him.

The power to walk the Christian life is given by the Holy Spirit, it's initiated by the Holy Spirit, but we must cooperate and submit ourselves to it. So, we're not alone, but neither can we assume that God will do it without our participating with Him.

And there's that fine balance that we want you to see tonight. Colossians chapter 2, verse number 6. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. Colossians chapter 2, verse number 6.

So, another ministry of the Holy Spirit that the Lord wants us to learn to cooperate with is the ministry of walking in Christ. And as we cooperate with the Lord, we learn to walk by and through the Spirit.

Being Filled and Walking by the Spirit

Next, I'd like to invite you to turn your Bibles to Galatians chapter 5, verse number 25. What we're going to see is we're going to see every aspect of our Christian life is unfolding before us. Every aspect.

You'll find that every concern in your life as a Christian will be revealed eventually up here on the board. The important thing to realize is there's provision by the Holy Spirit to fulfill each aspect.

And all we do is learn to cooperate and participate and yield ourselves and submit ourselves. Galatians chapter 5, did I say? Thank you. 25, 21? Okay, verse number 25. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

So there we find that by the Spirit, we can walk and we can live by the Holy Spirit. Next, Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Let's turn to verse number 17 and 18. Let's begin with verse number 15.

Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise. Now, didn't we just see that we can walk by the Spirit? Now, see, if we're walking by the Spirit, I think we'll be wise men, won't we?

So see, every aspect of the Christian life is seen by the Holy Spirit performing and initiating. This is really, really encouraging when we can see this. Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil.

So then, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. So therefore, we look to the Holy Spirit to fill us on a daily basis.

Now, it's interesting to note that when the Scripture says, be filled with the Spirit, it is implying that we are to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit. In other words, it is a continuous tense, a continuous action in the Greek, which means that it is not a one-time experience.

Although we do get it after we believe and receive it, it's a continuous action of being filled by the Holy Spirit. So you'll notice here, every aspect of your Christian life. Now, you try and find, as we continue on down here, find the particular aspect of your Christian life that you might be stumbling over, and you'll see that there's a spot in this where the Holy Spirit can become the initiator and the performer of that area in your life.

Prayer in the Holy Spirit

Amen. Not only do we need to be filled with the Spirit, but we need to pray by the Spirit. Now, we've got several Scriptures on this, and this is a really good one. And of course, none of this is exhaustive.

We're just laying the foundation for you. And then you can get on this foundation and build upon it. And that's what we hope that you do. Alright, let's turn our Bible since we're in Ephesians. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 6.

Now, the children this morning quoted this verse for us. Now see, Ephesians chapter 6, we find in verse number 18, with all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit. And with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

Turning our Bibles also to Jude, which is in the back of your Bible, Jude verse number 20. There's only one chapter in the book of Jude, so it's Jude chapter 1, verse number 20. And here's an exhortation from Jude.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Romans chapter 8, verse number 16. Romans chapter 8, verse number 16. We find another scripture that suggests our dependency upon the Holy Spirit for an effective prayer life.

Romans chapter 8, verse number 26, excuse me. And in the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

How many have experienced that? Groanings too deep for words. There is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in prayer, making up our lack. How encouraging. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

And also, 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse number 15. Just want to remind you again, the purpose of this lesson is to provoke you, not to jealousy, but to provoke you in that you will be stirred to want to get acquainted with this precious Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse number 15. What is the outcome then? I shall pray with the Spirit and I shall pray with the mind also. So there again the Apostle Paul is showing us that in relation to prayer, the Holy Spirit plays a vital and important role.

Singing, Reading, and Worshiping by the Spirit

Now, let's jump on down to another one here. Not only do we pray by the Spirit, but number six, we sing by the Spirit. Now you keep your Bibles right where you just turned them, 1 Corinthians chapter 14.

Let's read the entire verse of verse number 15. I shall pray with the Spirit and shall pray with my mind also. Listen, I shall sing with the Spirit and I shall sing with the mind also. So even in the ministry of singing, the Holy Spirit has a place and wants to be a part of our singing.

Now also, we find in Ephesians, I believe, where, Brother George, where is it where it says make melody in your hearts and sing one to another spiritual hymns and songs? Can you remember offhand? I believe it's maybe number, excuse me?

Okay, that's Ephesians. Yeah, Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians 5, number, okay, there you go. Ephesians 5, 19. Actually, it begins in verse 18. Do not get drunk with wine, for this is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.

Now, my friends, here's a tremendous message right here. We just stumbled across a message. The fruit of being filled with the Spirit is speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, number two, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, and number three, always giving thanks for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a good acid test to see whether or not you're daily being filled with the Spirit. The Spirit-filled life is characterized by speaking to one another, encouraging, edifying words of psalms and hymns and spiritual praises.

Number two, the Spirit-filled life is characterized by singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. And number three, the Spirit-filled life is characterized by always giving thanks for all things.

Wow, that's pretty neat, isn't it? Don't we need to be filled with the Spirit? Because you know as well as I do that without being filled with the Spirit, we cannot do these things. We can't be encouragers, we're discouragers.

We can't edify, but we criticize. We can't thank God, but we complain and bicker. Boy, how we need to be filled with the Spirit of God. Here's one that's going to really shock you. Not only do we sing, ready?

We read by the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3. Verse 1 through 6. Are we beginning to commend ourselves again or do we need as some letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter written in our hearts, known and read by all men, being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.

And such confidence we have through Christ toward God, not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit.

For the letter kills, but the Spirit giveth life. So, unless we learn to read the Word of God by the Spirit, the letter will not bring life, but death. So therefore, it is necessary for us to understand that there is a ministry by the Spirit in our reading and studying of the Word of God.

Worship in Spirit and Truth

Now, how many of you ever thought about that? Here's another one. We worship by the Spirit. John chapter 4. John chapter 4. I hope that you take this list down and that you go through this list on a daily basis, and when in your Christian life you come to a crisis, in one of these areas you'll recognize that no doubt your crisis is because you're not depending on the Spirit in that area, but you're trying to do it yourself.

Amen to that. I know I go to it often. John chapter 4. Now, this is Jesus Himself teaching. John chapter 4, beginning with verse number 21. Jesus said to her, and that is the Samaritan woman, Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem shall you worship the Father.

You worship that which you do not know. We worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. Here we go. An hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth.

For such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. Now, verse 24. God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. Isn't it interesting how this seems to be tied in with being filled with the Spirit?

For the fruit of being filled with the Spirit is psalms and melodies and worship and songs to the Lord. So it's closely tied in. Worship is by the Holy Spirit. Now, I'd like to show you that not only is worship by the Spirit, listen to this now.

Overcoming Sin Through the Spirit

Power to overcome. Here we go. Sin. Power to overcome sin is by the Spirit. I want to invite you to turn your Bibles to Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6. And then we'll turn to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 6, verse number 15.

What we're discovering tonight is our sufficiency and our dependency upon the Holy Spirit. Thank God. That's a good thing to come to realize, isn't it? What time is it, folks? Oh, it's ten after eight.

We'll be done just in a few minutes. We only have like three more categories here. And then we'll give you an opportunity to pray if you have time. John chapter 6, verse number... Romans chapter 6, verse number 15.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? May it be so. Obedience resulting in righteousness. Now, verse 17 is the secret in overcoming daily sin. Verse 17. But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed.

And having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. This I say therefore, walk ye in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. So power to overcome sin on a daily basis.

Power against the works of the flesh which don't go away the moment we believe, do they? All of this lies in an ongoing relationship and an ongoing cooperation with the Holy Spirit of God. Wow. He does truly become everything that we need, does He not?

He is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord that healeth thee. He is Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. He is Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace. He is everything. Every need we have, the Lord becomes our answer.

Revelation of Christ Through the Spirit

Now, number 10. Revelation of Jesus must come by the Spirit. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. Beginning with verse number 6. Yet we do not speak wisdom among those who are mature. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature.

A wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory. The wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood, for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But just as it is written, Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit.

For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the Spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

Now, we have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, listen now, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. So our revelation of Jesus Himself is by the Spirit of God.

Resurrection and Final Transformation

And one more, and this of course is something that we're looking forward to, and that is our final resurrection and change. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and we will close on this Scripture, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and the reason why I chose to include this Scripture is to show you that from beginning, new birth, to end, resurrection morning, we are wholly dependent upon the Spirit of God to do and to initiate His work.

1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 50 through 58. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep or die, but we shall all be changed.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Friends, we are blessed. God is with us. The Holy Spirit is the performer, and He is the initiator. He is intricately and intimately involved in each one of these aspects of the Christian life. And all we must learn to do is to cooperate, participate, participate, yield, submit on a daily basis, and God will perform and initiate and perfect our Christian life.

Hallelujah. Jesus is able. Amen? Amen. God bless you.