Sermon Notes from 9/19/10

The sermon this past sabbath was so powerful to me because it explored the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. The sermon presentation was also very engaging being that Elder Aaron didn't speak from the pulpit like most pastors or speakers. He came down and spoke with the congregation in a manner that was almost like sabbath school. He encouraged feedback and even allowed questions and answers from the audience, which I thought was a nice touch! So I will share highlights from the sermon that were meaningful to me. I hope you are blessed. Again, all comments and are appreciated!

Church: Praise Fellowship Seventh-Day Adventist

Sermon topic: The Holy Spirit
Speaker: Elder Aaron Sikhosana

The Holy Spirit isn't bound by a body like we are. Yet the bible refers to the Holy Spirit as a he denoting person hood. There is a misconception among some in the christian community the Holy Spirit is some how not equal with the other members in the God head which include God the father and Christ. Being that we as humans are limited by our finite minds we can't truly comprehend who God is or how powerful He is. So Elder Aaron brought out that God used the terms father and son when speaking of the God head in terms we as humans could understand. That said, there is much for us to explore and learn about who the Holy Spirit is.

Genesis 1:26 Speaks about our creation and how we were made in the image of God

Matthew 26:19 Highlights how Jesus wants to make Disciples of all nations

2 Corinthians 13:14 Emphasizes that the Holy Spirit will be with us

John 16:12 Speaks about how the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth

Genesis 6:3 This text points out that the Holy Spirit is the means by which God speaks to our hearts

Psalms 139:7-10 Asks the question where can I go that God isn't there

One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to draw us closer to God. The Holy Spirit being the vehicle by which God motivates and moves us.

*The Holy Spirit specializes in the work of the heart!

There will come a time when God will withhold or withdraw His Spirit from earth. But that time is not now.

Ephesians 4:30 Warns us not to grieve the Holy Spirit

Elder Aaron brought out that the Holy Spirit has feelings too and that He is hurt by our constant rejection which can lead to the Spirit being grieved.

When we recognize the magnitude of God's love and what intensity God puts into trying to draw us closer to Him we will begin to see what affect our sin has on Him.

The next part of the sermon focused on the different roles and attributes of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit comforts us- if you can imagine Him wrapping arms around us in time of grief or trouble.

The Holy Spirit is the the Still small voice which is not to be confused with your conscience. Your conscience as defined by Elder Aaron is the moral capacity to understand or conceptualize right from wrong which is essentially your world view.

One of the main functions of the Holy Spirit since the time of Christ is to be a teacher.

The Holy Spirit also intercedes on our behalf through prayer. Elder Aaron gave the analogy of his son wanting a game station and how the particular game station was at the lower end when compared to other game stations. Simply put the Holy Spirit is able to discern our needs better than we can verbalize them. So when we pray the Holy Spirit becomes the vehicle by which our concerns are submitted to God. The closer we get to God in our relationship the more in line our request will be with God's will for our lives.

We often get in the way of the work the Holy Spirit is trying to do on our hearts.

The Holy Spirit also convicts us of sin. As a result of our sinful nature we don't have the capacity to even repent of our sins. So it is ONLY by the work of the Holy Spirit that we are moved through His conviction of our minds that we are in need of repentance. Further more, repentance isn't automatic! Repentance is a gift! I thought that this was quite POWERFUL because I had never heard it explained so plainly. Basically our sinful nature prevents us from even being aware of our sin so it is only through the Holy Spirit that we are moved to remorse or regret of our sin.

The Holy Spirit works in capacities as we allow God to come into our lives.

It is the absence of the Holy Spirit that makes our lives as Christians powerless. Conversely the Holy Spirit unfortunately in many of our lives is an untapped resource. We were urged to pray in earnest for an out pouring of the Holy Spirit into our lives. We were encouraged to pray first for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives before we ask for anything else in our prayer lives.

I was truly blessed by this message! I hope that you too are blessed and encouraged!