Title: The Power of Holy Spirit

Hi everyone. My name is Catherine, I am one of the leaders here in ICA Young Adults.
It’s nice to see all of your faces here. Today, we are not going to continue the series
#BlessedLikeThis because once in a while, we, leaders, have to come up here and
share something with you guys. So, the title for today’s message is THE POWER OF
HOLY SPIRIT.

Last month we were talking about life issues about how we deal with alcohol,
smoking, tattoo, LGBTQ, porn addiction. And for the past months I’ve heard a lot of
life stories that are kind of similar to these topics. Then I remembered that actually
it’s not something new. If you read the book of 1 Corinthians, we could see that
Corinth was the most problematic church recorded in the New Testament, and
founded by apostle Paul. You can name all the life issues that we’ve been dealing
with.

I was wondering why problems like this keep happening in our life. It sounds like
we’re being attacked with the same pattern, but we don’t realize it. We want to get
out from all of this but it seems we fall again and again. And at some point you ask
yourself:

[SLIDE 1] What’s wrong with me?

What’s wrong with me? I’ve been asking the same question recently. So, as a leader, I
am a human too who can feel the same way as you do, but it’s not an excuse to do
nothing about this. I want a transformation in my life.

The next question is:

[SLIDE 2] How do I transform myself?
Then how? How do I transform myself or even help others to change?

[SLIDE 3] HOLY SPIRIT, THE POWER OF CHANGE

When we ask what’s wrong with me, the answer is ourselves. Because the problem is
us, that’s why you need the Holy Spirit.

[SLIDE 4] Who is the Holy Spirit? How’s he changed us?

[SLIDE 5] 1 Corinthians 2:12 (NASB)

12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.
[SLIDE 6] 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NASB)
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually
appraised.

In this room, there are three kinds of person in the Church:

1. Natural man
2. Spirit Filled person
3. Believer (Christians but they are not controlled by Holy Spirit)

[SLIDE 7] Who is the Holy Spirit?

It’s not force, He’s a person. So how can our God is one but three persons? Three in
one. When you hear 3-in-1, what comes to your mind? Coffee mix? It’s deeper than
coffee. He’s one but distinct.

[SLIDE 8] “If you try to fully understand the trinity of God, you will lose your mind. If
you deny the trinity, you will lose your soul. – anonymous

So, how? It’s only by faith we understand God’s trinity. We cannot define it with
physical properties, because we are dealing with the Spirit world.

[SLIDE 9] John 14:16-17 (NASB)

16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you
forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does
not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be
in you.
“Another” in greek has 2 definition:
1. Alos → another of EXACTLY the same kind
2. Heteros → another of different kind
The one used in this passage is the first one, it’s the same as Jesus
“Helper” here means somebody to assist you.

When you receive Jesus, who enters your life? HOLY SPIRIT
And what does He do?

[SLIDE 10] John 16:13-14 (NASB)

13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He
will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will
disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and
will disclose it to you.

So when the Holy Spirit enters your life he will help you to glorify Him. Sometimes or
maybe we barely listen to the Holy Spirit. Let’s read Ephesians 4:30

[SLIDE 11] Ephesians 4:30 (NASB)

30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption.

Do you know that you grieve the Holy Spirit if He tells you something and you don’t
do it or He tells you not to do it and you do it?

[SLIDE 12] Grieve is a language of love. If you don’t grieve for people, you don’t love
them.

If I tell something to my loved one and they don’t do it, I grieve. (give examples)

[SLIDE 13] Natural Man vs Spirit-Filled Christian

Jesus
Look at this picture, a natural man is like the picture on the left side. Jesus is outside
of the car. They depend on the circumstances. If good, they are happy, If bad, they
are sad.

[SLIDE 14] 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NASB)

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose
case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they
might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

If you don’t understand the Gospel, it’s not because your IQ is low, perhaps you need
to pray and ask Jesus to come into your life so your eyes will be opened and receive
forgiveness of sins.

(back to slide 13)

Next, on the right side, we can see that the one who is in control is Jesus. You’re in
the passenger seat. How do you know that Jesus is in charge of your life? OBEY

[SLIDE 15] To submit the Holy Spirit = To trust God

You will only obey the Holy Spirit if you believe that God has your best interest at
heart.

[SLIDE 16] 1 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NASB)

15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the
mind of Christ.

In another version appraises means discernment (know how to analyze). It means

we are given the ability to see things from God’s perspective. And without the Holy
Spirit you cannot see the truth.

When we have the Holy Spirit, the first thing that will change is YOUR MIND.
We should have the desire to read the Bible because we have the mind of Christ.

Do you read your Bible? Has your life been transformed?

How can you think and act like Christ if we don’t read the Bible?
We got to read the Bible daily.

[SLIDE 17] You will not have the appetite to read the Bible or even share the Gospel
if you don’t have the Spirit of the Lord
[SLIDE 18] God’s Word + God’s Spirit + Obedience = Change (Transformation)
But the problem is this: when the Holy Spirit enters your heart, it doesn’t mean he is
in control.

[SLIDE 19] Carnal Christian (ABNORMAL/SICK)

You have Christ in your heart but you don’t let Him control you. You still want to live
as you please.

[SLIDE 20] 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NASB)

And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but only as
fleshly, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were
not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still
fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are
you not walking like ordinary people?

Paul says Carnal Christian is like an infant in Christ. And babies are identical with
their self-centeredness.

I believe we don’t want to be considered as this kind of person.

Then how do we get over this?
[SLIDE 21] ASK HOLY SPIRIT TO CONTROL YOU BY SURRENDERING YOUR ALL.
Starting with your mind.

[SLIDE 22] THINKING - EMOTION - ACTION

The way you think will affect your emotion and result in a different action. So please
guard your mind.

[SLIDE 23]
INDWELT BY THE SPIRIT FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

Upon Salvation when you trust in JESUS Upon full surrender

Ephesians 1:13-14, Acts 2:38 Ephesians 5:18

Permanent – Moment-by-Moment
Identification, Belonging to Christ Empowerment, Character Change
Hebrews 13:5, Romans 8:6 Galatians 5:16, 22; Acts 1:8

Gift of God by Grace / Faith Command – Trust and Obey

Galatians 3:14, Acts 2:38 Galatians 5:16
[SLIDE 24] Galatians 5:16-17 (NASB)
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for
these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you
please.

As we close, I need you to think about this

[SLIDE 25] 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NASB)
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I
laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he
builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver,
[d]precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the

day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test [e]the
quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he
will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he
himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Salvation is given but reward is another thing. Not everyone gets on this.
If you want a life of reward, no regret, you have to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Questions:
1. What kind of person are you? Natural/Carnal/Spirit-filled? And how so?
2. What challenges are you facing right now in your spiritual life so far? What do
you think goes that way?
3. What are you going to do with your life to serve the Lord better? Share it with
your group.