Quench Not The Spirit

What does the present Kingdom of Grace consist of? 1st Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

Being apart of the Kingdom of God is not simply believing a certain creed to be true. It is not necessarily believing the Bible is true. You can believe the Bible is a true book and still be lost. The Kingdom of Grace that is now in the world is not a kingdom of words but of power.

What is this power? Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

The message of the Kingdom, which is the gospel, brings the power of God into every believer's life through the empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit. And what does the Holy Spirit bring into a person? Righteousness, peace and joy.

Far too many Christians, however, are not experiencing the power of God. For these believers it is simply a matter of doing the best they can to conform to certain expected standards. On the surface, some appear to be more successful at conforming to the rules than others, but if they are honest with themselves, and this is no easy task because of our bent for self-
deception, there is the ever present awareness that something is wrong.

In our attempt to rationalize, we may seek to find comfort in thoughts such as: "No one is perfect, we all have our weaknesses," or "I am doing the very best I can, and I am sure God understands."

Is doing our best, with our own strength what God wants from us? Colosians 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Is our best really what God wants? No! Our best works alone will only damn us. God wants us to place our faith in Christ, and he wants us to labor with the Spirit, who empowers us to labor, not in our own strength but in the strength of God.

In human strength, no one can live the Christian life. If we could, why did God give the Spirit? Why did God tell the Apostles not to begin their ministry until they received power from on high? I tell you friends, it is impossible to live the victorious life without the power of God's Spirit.

WHY MEN FAIL TO LIVE HOLY?

Yet you find so many who say that they "Cannot live it". Why can't they live it? Because they are not living it by the power of the risen Lord, but they are attempting to live as Christian by their own might, which is impossible. Except we labor with the Spirit, we will not accomplish anything. The Bible says:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

The only way to LIVE A CHRISTIAN LIFE is to stop living it in your own power, and to let Christ live in you.

What is the only way the righteous requirements of the law can be fulfilled in us?

Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The fruits of a life that is controlled by the Spirit of God are fruits of righteousness. It is POSITIVE righteousness. The Spirit will cause you to do righteously.

THE KEY IS BEING SPIRIT FILLED

This is why being filled with the Spirit is so critical to our fellowship with GOD and our obedience to God. Without being filled with the Spirit, we cannot function properly as a Christian.

Romans 8:13-14 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

So we see that the only way the lusts of the flesh can be put to death and overcome is by the Spirit of God.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FILLED?

What is the Holy Spirit?

Colossians 1:27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Ephesians 3:16-19 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.

The Bible teaches repeatedly that the Spirit is the invisible presence of Christ with us. It is through the Spirit of GOD that Christ comes and makes his abode with us.

Through the Spirit we have communion with the Father and Son.

Through the Spirit Christ changes our hearts and gives us a new nature.

Through the Spirit Christ destroys the works of the devil in our lives.

Through the Spirit Christ teaches us, leads us and guides us.

It is through the Spirit that Christ fellowships with us.

And of course it is through the Spirit that Christ empowers us.

THE SPIRIT DOES NOT:

The Spirit does not come to you as a third distinct person.

The Spirit never speaks its own words.

The Spirit never glorifies its self.

The Spirit is not to be worshiped or prayed to.

The Spirit will not give its own commands, but will deliver the Commands of Christ. [see Acts 1:2]

Any Spirit that does the above things is not 'holy'. And be warned Satan and his demons will OFTEN disguise themselves as a third 'person', and seek to be honored as God

SPIRIT FILLED

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Here being "Drunk with Wine" is compared with being "Filled with the Spirit". Notice the following: If we drink down a large amount of wine, we will become drunk, or under its influence.

In the same sense, to be filled with the Spirit, is to come under the influence of the holy Spirit.

That is through the Spirit, your thinking, your feeling, and your actions are brought under the subjection of the indwelling Jesus Christ.

The Bible commands us to "Be filled with the Spirit" and to "Walk in the Spirit" and that simply means we are to let Christ reign in our lives.

THE STEPS TO BEING FILLED:

You know I teach that to be "Spirit Filled" we must:

#1: Confess and forsake all known sin.

When we let sin have a place in our heart, we withhold that part of our person from Christ, and give place to the devil. We are refusing to let Christ have influence over this part of our life.

But when we confess and forsake our sins, we bring that part of our life under Christ's influence.

#2. We must lay aside everything that we doubt.

If we doubt if something is sin or not what is it? Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

If you are not SURE about something, get rid of it, because it is sin. And of course if we have sin, then we cannot be filled with the Spirit until it is laid down.

What happens if we do not forsake our sins? Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

#3. We must obey Christ when he speaks to us through the Spirit.

Acts 1:2 Until the day in which he [Jesus] was taken up, after that he [Jesus] through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Acts 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

We must obey Christ when he speaks to us personally. This is not referring to Biblical Commands, you are to obey the Word of God PERIOD, Christ has no need of speaking directly to you in Spirit, what he has caused to be written in his word.

But there are times when Christ will have us do a specific deed or work. And the Spirit will impress upon our hearts, what to do, and how to do it.

It may be a small thing, and usually it begins with very small commands. The Spirit might impress you to pray for someone. Or the Spirit might impress you to speak to someone about Christ. Or to sing a certain hymn or spiritual song during services. You may think it to be insignificant, but it is important to Christ. IF we do not obey in the small things, he will not trust us in the larger things.

TESTING THE SPIRIT

Now this is where we must test the Spirit.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

#1. The Spirit will NEVER tell you to do a work that is contrary to the BIBLE. If the Spirit speaks not according to this Word, then it is not the Holy Spirit.

#2. 1 Corinthians 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

The Holy Spirit does NOT possess you. The Holy Spirit does not go against your will. It will not TAKE control of your body, your tongue or your mind and do things outside of your will. The holy Spirit works with your will. The holy Spirit works with your mind. Evil spirits look to take control of your body. As you can read in the Gospels, evil spirits throw men down, shake them violently, or take over their voices and speak through them. The holy Spirit is gentle and never forces its will [James 3:17].

QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT