The Fullness of the Holy Spirit

My desire is that all throughout the month of May we can spend some time laying a firm

foundation regarding the Holy Spirit in your life., (how to be Spirit formed, Spirit filled,

and Spirit Led) Truly learning to know Him.

Paul spent two years in Ephesus, let’s see what happened.

Go - Acts 19:1-7 Paul is at Ephesus for the first time….Did you receive the Holy Spirit

when you believed?

-Like these believers so many people live with a partial understanding of the word

of God and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

- They were not just filled and then went about their business..they literally set the

city on fire.

-I love this passage because they were hungry and immediately wanted more.

Go -John 14:15-17 Jesus promised, if you love me, obey my commandments (repent

and be born again). And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another (just like

me) Advocate (helper, comforter, instructor, consoler, intercessor) who will never

leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive

Him…..

- Vs 26 But when the father sends the Advocate as my representative- that is, the Holy Spirit- he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Church…we need the Holy Spirit.

To begin our discussion about the fullness of the Holy Spirit, I want to talk about what I

call the first or initial work of the Holy Spirit. The beginnings of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Spirit Formed - The first (initial) work of the Holy Spirit: (the Holy Spirit in you)

The Holy Spirit – Greek word “Pneuma”= wind, breath, spirit

He is the third person of the trinity. (There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the

Holy Spirit.) 3 in 1

-You will never understand this fully until you get to heaven but it is how

God has decided to reveal himself to us.

-Luke 3:21-22 A clear reference to this is when Jesus is getting baptized, the

Spirit descends on him, and the Father speaks from heaven.

Once we realize everyone needs a savior…The first step after we confess and repent of

our sin is to receive God’s salvation and be Born again. He then makes you a new

creation… and as you receive Christ, Jesus breathes His Spirit into your spirit.

Let’s look into some scripture to back this up.

-Go - John 3:3 NLT you must be born again, you must be saved, you enter into

an eternal relationship with God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the

cross, not your own works or goodness.

-Go - John 20:19-22 NLT Then He breathed on them and said receive the Holy

Spirit, at that moment they were born again.

-Just as when God breathed into Adam. He became a living

breathing being.

-I want to keep laying this foundation.

-Go - Romans 8:15-16 NLT At the new birth…His Spirit joins with our spirit, the

Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit, (assuring us) that we

as (believers) are God’s children.

o The Spirit enters you at salvation and you become a new creation. The

blood of Jesus has been applied to your life. (Making you holy in the

eyes of God.)

-Go - Titus 3:3-7 He declared us righteous.

-Romans 8:1-2 tells us The Holy Spirit comes as the life giving Spirit,

conviction begins, the power of sin is broken, love for God and His people

floods into your heart.

-Remember that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your

God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself, the greatest

work of the Holy Spirit would be to give you the ability to do that.

-Romans 8:5-11 NLT The Spirit also begins the process of liberating you

from your old sinful nature and old ways of thinking as you embrace the

work of the cross.

-At your day of salvation your body is not new, your soul is not new,

but your spirit is made new as the breath/Spirit of God comes into

you.

-We must be willing to surrender, give up control, and trust His

leadership!

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJ If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation, behold old

things pass away and all things become new. (to become, come into being, developing)

It is the Holy Spirit that raises us to this new life and develops us in it.

-This becoming new is a process we see in Romans 12:2 NLT don't

copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform

you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will

learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and

perfect.

-We are in a lifelong process of transformation until we step

into heaven when that process is complete. But from the day

of your salvation you are completely forgiven, loved, and holy

through the blood of Jesus.

-He saved you the way you are but does not want to leave you that

way!

I want to say, you may not know the exact day but there had to be a day you were born

again…just like the day you were physically born or baptized.

-Some people say, “well I have been a Christian all my life” is just not true.

-Next week we are having a baby and children dedication but we do not do baby

baptisms…why …the bible says you must first believe and then be baptized…if

you were baptized as a child it did not save you.

-Remember if His spirit is in you, you will love God and you will love people.

-How many of you want to be certain you have been born again and allow Jesus

to breath His Holy Spirit into your life? How many of you want today to be the

day? How many know you need to still get baptized?