Possessed by the Spirit
Pastor Dusty Mackintosh
Called Out • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 48 viewsWe have a clear picture of what it would look to be "possessed" by an evil spirit. We see it all over tonight on Halloween. We have very low expectations for what it would look like to be "possessed" by the Spirit of Christ. We cannot "expect too much." Let's be possessed. Let's be Supernatural.
Notes
Transcript
Halloween
Halloween
Spoooooky.
The idea of “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows Eve” which is the night (eve) before Hallowmas or (Holy) day… because November 1st is All Saints Day in the Catholic liturgical calendar. The “demons” get one more day to play, I guess.
But demon possession is a real thing. And it can be scary. I’ve seen it… it’s creepy.
I’ve had this mental image in my head, from a Francis Chan sermon awhile back, actually. If you came into the church building, or right now on the live stream, and I was possessed by an evil spirit… wouldn’t that be something to talk about!
We all have an idea of what that would look like. Maybe formed by movies, like the Exorcist or something. Maybe just imagination.
Maybe you have actually dealt with some spiritual warfare. You have encountered folks afflicted or “possessed” by evil spirits. Jesus certainly did. I have… spiritual warfare is all-the-way real.
But we all have expectations on what it would look like if I was “possessed”. My behavior would be radically different.
My demeanor, my words would be different.
and I would exhibit power, strange and unexplainable. Maybe I could fly or spin my head. Maybe I would say things, things I couldn’t possibly know. Maybe I’d be freakishly strong! Or fast?
Possessed by the Holy Spirit
Possessed by the Holy Spirit
Do we have anything like the same level of expectation for “possession” by the Holy Spirit?
Do we expect strange and unexplainable behavior?
Do we expect unusual powers? Words that couldn’t be human? Knowledge that must be supernatural? Strange strength?
Who is this Spirit?
Jesus was Possessed by the Spirit
Jesus was Possessed by the Spirit
Our greatest example of what a Spirit-filled person can be like is Jesus. Yes, He was God. But he did everything by the “will of the Father” and by the “power of the Holy Spirit.”
It was by the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit that Jesus did every act of power.
you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
He was anointed by the Spirit, with power, and by that Spirit did all the good and all the healing, including power over the devil and demons!
Matthew and Luke tell us it was “by the Spirit” that the incarnation of Jesus began, the reason for the season, Christmas!
Hebrews says it was “by the Spirit” he lived a perfect life.
Romans says it was “by the Spirit” he went to the cross… and “by the Spirit” he was resurrected.
The apparent testimony of Scripture is that Jesus in taking on humanity, Jesus emptied himself of every advantage and power of His Godhood, taking on humanity in full… and every “extraordinary” act was by the very same Spirit that He gives to you and I.
Are our expectations too low?
Possessed Disciples
Possessed Disciples
Recall how immediately people noticed something different about the disciples when the Holy Spirit was upon them.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
People thought those “filled with the Holy Spirit” were filled with a different kind of spirit. This actually isn’t the first time this parallel comes up at all. There is a thread of this in Scripture, my favorite in Ephesians:
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
What’s the parallel? Don’t get drunk on wine… instead be “filled” or “drunk” or “filled completely”, “overflowing” with the Spirit.
That kind of giddinness, free joy. That kind of singing, full throated, unabashed and unashamed… if if maybe we should be a little quieter. Think Karaoke near the end of the night.
Are our expectations too low?
Could it be that our level of expectation is too low?
I’ll say this: it is impossible for our level of expectation to be high enough.
Certainly the Holy Spirit can be subtle. It isn’t about the drama… it is about God accomplishing exactly as He wills. His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. His will be done in me as it is in heaven.
We recognize the Spirit at work by fruit within us. In our character:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
This is the outcome of the Spirit at work in your life.
But also in the supernatural effectiveness, giftedness in Kingdom ministry.
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
Some of those we are comfortable with. Some we have seen abused and so we feel uncomfortable. Some we have simply never seen.
To be His church, to follow His mission, His call on us… we need
Supernatural wisdom
Supernatural knowledge
Supernatural faith
Supernatural healing
Supernatural miracles. (What’s your spiritual gift? The gift of miracles *poof*)
Supernatural prophets, discerning spirit, and tongues.
Praying for someone with the gift of hands for sign-language.
This list isn’t exhaustive, Paul is just getting the Corinthians to dream big… and to realize that the same Spirit has empowered each of them, all of them, specially, uniquely, and the church needs that gift in play.
Our expectations are too low. Way too low.
“I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Sprit. I want people to look at my life and know that couldn’t be doing this by my own power”
- Francis Chan, “Forgotten God”
Is our church “explainable” without the Spirit?
Are our lives “explainable” without the Spirit?
Are we waiting on the Spirit, filled up by the Spirit, dependent on the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit?
When you prepare to go to be the church… are you prayed up, ready for the Spirit to use you supernaturally?
Is that the way you walk into the “church” building... or the grocery store… or family dinner?
We can (and will) study the gifts. We can and will have more sermons and studies on the Holy Spirit. But, as in so many things, great study isn’t required here. That isn’t the way any of the disciples understood the Spirit.
They saw the Holy Spirit of Christ at work in Christ.
They took hold of Jesus’ promise to send His Spirit upon them, into them… and they waited with eager expectation.
And when they were filled with the Holy Spirit they rushed out on mission, to do what they had been supercharged, empowered, equipped and enabled to do.
We have been talking about who we are and what we are doing. This is part of our absolute basics. We are to love God and love others. But we can’t do any of this, not really, without the same Spirit that empowered and enabled Jesus, Jesus’ first disciples, the early church, and the church throughout the millennia.
As disciples of Jesus we covenant together to love God and love others, inside and outside the fellowship, by the Spirit of God, in sacrifice, submission and trust, we are on mission: to encourage and equip one another to take the next bold step in being and making disciples of Jesus.
Here’s the good news. This isn’t something we have to manufacture. It isn’t something we have to or should pretend to.
We ask and we wait with expectation. He will pour out His Spirit upon us. He will and has already supernaturally gifted us, prepared us for the work He is calling us into.