WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS
We live in an age of advanced technology, and most of us have come to be very dependent on the technological tools that we use daily. It used to be just the telephone or television, and now we’ve added the internet and cell phones with all sorts of capabilities. We are almost paralyzed if one or more of them breaks down on us. It is hard for some of us to imagine how we ever managed to get by before we had these newer tools, which for many of us was only about ten years ago!
Suppose for a minute, though, that all of the technological tools we have become so accustomed to were to be taken away from us permanently. Even if we were reduced to living only without the technology that was developed in the past quarter century, and had only the land based telephone and network television, we would still likely feel deprived.
To some degree, there are some Christians who have in a similar way deprived themselves of the full blessings of the Holy Spirit. Some Christians think they should be content with the equivalent power of land based telephones and network television when it comes to letting the Holy Spirit empower their daily lives as well as their service to the Lord.
Dwight L. Moody, who was the preeminent evangelist of the nineteenth century, had been like that for a while. Moody related how he had at one point been offended by a couple of women who attended his evangelistic services and who were praying for Moody to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. He thought he had enough power of the Holy Spirit, but later on, when he really was empowered in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, he realized what he had been missing out on.
The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel had a vision about the Lord’s people trying to function apart from the Holy Spirit. The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD."’"
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."’"
So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
"Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.’"
There are at least two lessons we can draw from Ezekiel’s vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. One lesson is that without the Holy Spirit actively functioning in our lives, any of us are "dry bones." Notice that the Lord said, "these bones are the whole house of Israel." Believe it or not, there are some Christians who actually think that if the Holy Spirit does not guide them, they can rely upon themselves. That is like saying a car can be driven with an empty gas tank. Not!
Secondly, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to and through individual people. Some Christians wish the Holy Spirit would move more dramatically in their churches, but they themselves are not willing to yield to the Holy Spirit individually. A church is only a collection of individual people. We can’t pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and then sit back and wait for something to happen, as though we were watching the rain fall from the safety of the house or porch.
Indeed, when the Holy Spirit stirred the early church on the Day of Pentecost, He moved, not on the group, but on individual people. When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Some Christians are hesitant to yield themselves fully to the Holy Spirit, because they have seen some Charismatic Christians acting in ways they consider to be odd. Perhaps such Charismatics are as much "enthusiastics" as anything else. There is a song that pretty accurately describes what happens when we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit. It is called, Where The Spirit of the Lord Is.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is love. There is comfort in life’s darkest hour, there is light and life, there is help and power, in the Spirit, in the Spirit, of the Lord." (Words and music by Stephen Adams, 1973)
Rather than be frightened away from yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we ought to realize that we need the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Bible says the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
There is really no reason to be hesitant to yield ourselves fully to the Holy Spirit, because Jesus Christ, who was Himself fully yielded to the Holy Spirit, commends the Holy Spirit to us. "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
"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. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." Jesus went on to reassure us when He said, "I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you."
Suppose for a minute, though, that all of the technological tools we have become so accustomed to were to be taken away from us permanently. Even if we were reduced to living only without the technology that was developed in the past quarter century, and had only the land based telephone and network television, we would still likely feel deprived.
To some degree, there are some Christians who have in a similar way deprived themselves of the full blessings of the Holy Spirit. Some Christians think they should be content with the equivalent power of land based telephones and network television when it comes to letting the Holy Spirit empower their daily lives as well as their service to the Lord.
Dwight L. Moody, who was the preeminent evangelist of the nineteenth century, had been like that for a while. Moody related how he had at one point been offended by a couple of women who attended his evangelistic services and who were praying for Moody to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. He thought he had enough power of the Holy Spirit, but later on, when he really was empowered in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, he realized what he had been missing out on.
The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel had a vision about the Lord’s people trying to function apart from the Holy Spirit. The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD."’"
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."’"
So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
"Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.’"
There are at least two lessons we can draw from Ezekiel’s vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. One lesson is that without the Holy Spirit actively functioning in our lives, any of us are "dry bones." Notice that the Lord said, "these bones are the whole house of Israel." Believe it or not, there are some Christians who actually think that if the Holy Spirit does not guide them, they can rely upon themselves. That is like saying a car can be driven with an empty gas tank. Not!
Secondly, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to and through individual people. Some Christians wish the Holy Spirit would move more dramatically in their churches, but they themselves are not willing to yield to the Holy Spirit individually. A church is only a collection of individual people. We can’t pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and then sit back and wait for something to happen, as though we were watching the rain fall from the safety of the house or porch.
Indeed, when the Holy Spirit stirred the early church on the Day of Pentecost, He moved, not on the group, but on individual people. When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Some Christians are hesitant to yield themselves fully to the Holy Spirit, because they have seen some Charismatic Christians acting in ways they consider to be odd. Perhaps such Charismatics are as much "enthusiastics" as anything else. There is a song that pretty accurately describes what happens when we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit. It is called, Where The Spirit of the Lord Is.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is love. There is comfort in life’s darkest hour, there is light and life, there is help and power, in the Spirit, in the Spirit, of the Lord." (Words and music by Stephen Adams, 1973)
Rather than be frightened away from yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we ought to realize that we need the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Bible says the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
There is really no reason to be hesitant to yield ourselves fully to the Holy Spirit, because Jesus Christ, who was Himself fully yielded to the Holy Spirit, commends the Holy Spirit to us. "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
"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. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." Jesus went on to reassure us when He said, "I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you."
posted by Pastor Monahan at 7:58 PM
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