I. Rejecting A Pauper Spirit
Too many of us are chained to a false perception, and Jesus wants to set us free.
I do not have much in the way of talent; I can’t do much;
I do not have any gifts; I am not that valuable; I am a terrible sinner
2. What is Revelation?
It’s God opening our inner eyes; showing himself, his power, or his plan to us
Eph 1:17-19 – Paul give us 4 points about Revelation
a. I keep asking God to reveal himself to you so that you can know him better.
b. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be opened so that you may know . . .
c. It’s the same power that God exerted when he raised Jesus from the dead.
d. It’s for this present age (his age) and the ages to come (our age).
3. Being filled with the fullness of Jesus
a. It a grace to realize who Jesus is and what Jesus did for us
b. It’s a grace that shows us the depth of God’s love
c. Spirit filling is God opening our eyes and what we see moves us to believe
d. Paul writes: “I pray that you may know how wide, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ. This love surpasses knowledge. I pray that you are filled with the fullness of God’s love – (Eph 3:19; Also see Eph 4:13; Col 1:19; 1:25; 2:9; 2:10)
4. So what does the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to us – Who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for us – this is the essence of Baptism in the Spirit
a. Faith explores what the Holy Spirit reveals:
b. Jesus has rescued us from darkness and brought us into the kingdom.
c. In Jesus we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
c. Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
d. Jesus has reconciled all things through his blood, shed on the cross.
e. Jesus presented us – “holy in God’s sight, without blemish or accusation
f. This is the gospel that I serve with all the energy of Christ that is powerfully at work in me (See Colossians 1). The inward grace moves us outward
Conclusion: Faith explores what revelation provides
Let’s reject the false notion that all we have is a pauper’s spirit
Let’s pray we all experience the Holy Spirit filling us up tonite and every day
Let’s spur each other on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)
Some Scriptures:
Matt. 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Also see Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16).
John 1:33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 1:5; 8 Jesus said, “John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses