Sermon Tone Analysis

Power Supply

The Holy Spirit, Part 1   |   Shaun LePage   |   March 5, 2006

 

 

I.

Introduction

A.   In 1977, New York City was plunged into darkness—a city-wide blackout.

The result was city-wide looting.

Arson.

Chaos.

Disorder.

It is widely rumored that the blackout created a small baby boom with a huge increase in New York's birthrate nine months after the blackout.

This is likely an urban legend.

According to director Richard Donner, cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth mistakenly believed he had caused the blackout by plugging in a spotlight to a lamppost while filming the movie /Superman/.

But that was not the cause of the blackout.

Officials later discovered that all the power the city needed was there.

One particular substation—that converted high-voltage electricity into low-voltage commercial-use electricity—had one, tiny locking nut that was loose.

Because that nut was loose, a breaker was not able to work properly and the power—even though it was there—could not flow through the system.

This led to a series of failures because other parts of the system became overtaxed.

Because of one bad connection, the system was unable to provide the power the residents of New York City desperately needed.

B.

It is the opinion of many—including myself—that the Church in our day lacks power.

1.

We are generally weak and ineffective.

Especially in America, despite the fact that so many people are going to church.

More people attend church in one weekend than attend professional sporting events in an entire year (firstthings.com).

But we’re not seeing very impressive results.

2.     I heard Josh McDowell this week talking about how he witnesses so many high school and college students worshipping with incredible passion and gathering in enormous crowds for emotional and passionate worship, but when he speaks with them and has conversations with them about their beliefs, he finds that they either lack a clear understanding of God or they have very unbiblical views about God.

3.     Study after study by the Barna Group shows that there is no difference in lifestyle—statistically speaking—between Christians and non-Christians in America.

C.   Where’s the power?

For some reason, the power is not getting through.

The power is there—there’s a bad connection and we’re not tapping into the available power of the Holy Spirit.

The result is that we are in a state of chaos.

Disorder.

Darkness.

D.   Matthew introduces us to the Holy Spirit showing that the Spirit was very active in the ministry of Jesus:

1.

In chapter 1 telling us that Jesus was conceived miraculously—by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2.     In chapter 3, John the Baptist came along proclaiming that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Then, Jesus was baptized by John and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus “like a dove.”

3.     In chapter 4, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

4.     Did you notice all this activity of the Spirit?

The Holy Spirit often goes unnoticed.

He’s working behind the scenes.

It’s easy for us to forget Him or neglect Him or ignore Him.

There’s a certain amount of mystery surrounding this Third Person of the Trinity.

E.    Dorothy Sayers tells of a Japanese convert struggling to grasp Christian theology.

“Honorable Father, very good,” he said to his missionary teacher.

“Honorable Son, very good.

But Honorable Bird, I do not understand at all.”

F.    It’s true that the Holy Spirit is mysterious in some ways and has therefore been greatly misunderstood throughout history.

But Scripture does not leave us in the dark.

Scripture tells us all we need to know about the Holy Spirit and the great importance of understanding the Holy Spirit.

G.   In our study of the Gospel of Matthew, we’ve come to the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7.

1.

Last week, I explained that the Sermon on the Mount is for the disciples of Jesus Christ.

The standards of moral and ethical living presented in the Sermon on the Mount are only possible for the followers of Jesus Christ.

But the question then becomes “How?”

How are we supposed to live out the commands of Jesus in this sermon?

The answer is two-fold: Grace and the Holy Spirit.

a)    Last week we discussed the first answer: *By being strong in the grace of Christ.*

The Sermon on the Mount is law—a higher law.

A law for those who have been ushered into the kingdom of Christ.

We cannot hope to obey these commands apart from the grace of Christ.

The grace of Christ provides the strength we need to live out the Sermon on the Mount.

Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1, “*You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus*.”

We are to be strengthened by the grace of Christ.

The same Christ who saved us by grace—apart from our ability to earn His favor—receives as worship our imperfect attempts to live up to His perfect standards.

Be strengthened by the fact that no matter how many times you try and fail, Jesus will continually offer you His grace, His forgiveness.

So, first of all, if we are going to live out the Sermon on the Mount, we must be strong in grace.

b)    This week I want to begin explaining the second part of the answer to the question, “How do we live out the Sermon on the Mount?”: *By walking in the Spirit*.

(i)   The complete picture of salvation in Christ includes three phases or steps.

(a)  *First is justification.*

This is the point—the moment—when God opens our hearts and we trust Christ for salvation.

This is the point at which we are born again, regenerated, made alive in Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit forever.

We are declared “not guilty” and set free from the */penalty of sin/* and given the promise of eternal life.

The gift of heaven is ours and nothing can ever change that from the moment we are justified.

(b) *The Second phase is sanctification.*

This is a process that takes place from the moment we are justified (i.e., saved) until the day we enter heaven—either through death or the Rapture.

The word “sanctify” means to be made holy.

It is the process of being set free from the */power of sin /*in our lives.

As long as we are in these bodies—this flesh—we will not be completely free from the power of sin.

We will not be sinless.

But The Spirit of God is working in us to make us more like Christ every day.

(c)  *The Third phase is glorification.*

This is the final phase of our salvation.

We will be free from the */presence of sin/*.

We will live in glorified bodies that will never tire and hunger and get sick.

We see God now as though we are looking through fogged glass.

Then, we will be with Him and witness His glory in perfect clarity.

(d) We are “justified” or saved or born again through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are “sanctified” or made holy or mature by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(e)  The Galatian Christians were apparently trying to be sanctified or matured in their faith by keeping the Law.

They were real Christians—saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by their own works.

But they were trying to grow and mature and obey the commandments of Christ in their own power—by works.

In Galatians 3, Paul delicately addresses the situation.

Read Galatians 3:1-3.

1.     Verse 2 addresses their justification—when they “received the Spirit.”

The expected answer to the question is “We received the Spirit “by hearing with faith.”

By believing the gospel message—“Christ crucified.”

2.     Verse 3 addresses their sanctification—their “being perfected” in Christ.

That’s another way of saying “being completed or maturing in Christ.”

This is how Eugene Peterson paraphrased that verse in /The Message/: “*Are you going to continue this craziness?

For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God.

If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it?*”