Valley Church Clinton
July 5th

      • Romans 8:9-10CSB

      • Romans 8:11CSB

  • Give Me Faith
  • How Great Thou Art
  • Good morning Valley Church Clinton!
    So glad you’re here with us this morning.
    I want to start off with something a little bit different today, a little out of the ordinary,
    I want to start off by reading a poem, or a hymn, this morning.
    It’s called “Veni Sancte Spiritus”, which is a Latin phrase meaning literally “Come, Holy Spirit”.
    It’s a hymn that was written sometime in the late 1100’s or early 1200’s, and it’s become one of the most famous traditionally sung hymns throughout Christian history and across denominations.
    This is an English translation from the 1800’s, so take that in mind when listening to the language,
    But I just want you relax this morning, clear your mind, and sit in a receiving posture, and just absorb these words.
    Come, Thou Holy Spirit, come! And from Thy celestial home Shed a ray of light divine!
    Come, Thou Source of all our store! Come, within our bosoms shine!
    Thou, of comforters the best; Thou, the soul’s most welcome Guest; Sweet refreshment here below;
    In our labor, rest most sweet; Grateful coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe.
    O most blessed Light divine, Shine within these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill!
    Where Thou art not, man hath naught, Nothing good in deed or thought, Nothing free from taint of ill.
    Heal our wounds; our strength renew; On our dryness pour Thy dew; Wash the stains of guilt away;
    Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray.
    On the faithful, who adore And confess Thee, evermore In Thy sev’nfold gift descend;
    Give them virtue’s sure reward Give them Thy salvation, Lord; Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleuia.
    What a beautiful reminder, that prayer, “Come Holy Spirit”.
    See, as the Church of Jesus Christ, I think we’ve lost our way on this.
    I think we’ve forgotten about the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, who lives in us.
    I think, honestly, it scares us. It confuses us. The person of the Spirit, who is God, who is the power of life,
    We treat Him, the Spirit, more as a concept then as a reality.
    More of a force than God Himself dwelling inside us.
    But to Paul, not only was this real, was this Spirit God in us,
    But it was the source of all life and power and The Spirit is what raised Jesus from the dead.
    So, let’s walk through together, today what exact the Spirit of God is…
    And I think the best place to start is in our passage today: Romans 8:9-11.
    Look at what Paul writes, and I think we should start with verse 8 to remind ourselves of what’s going on,
    Because remember, Paul started this chapter by saying
    There is no condemnation for those in Christ
    Why? Becuase we’ve traded the sin-death law for the life-Sprit law.
    How? Because God condemned sin and death in the flesh through Jesus Christ.
    Why? So we could be right with God, what we call righteousness.
    And then, the so what is what Dillon preached on last week - we now have our entire outlook shaped by the Spirit rather than the flesh. Because our biggest problem in life is our flesh, our sin nature, and we need to spend a lifetime learning how exactly to walk with the Spirit, which yields the fruits of the Spirit
    Love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self control.
    So, here’s how that section ends:
    Romans 8:8 CSB
    8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
    So, those who are still under the law of sin and death, they cannot please God, no matter how much they try,
    No matter how many good things they do,
    I used to be a boy scout, and our motto was “Do a good turn daily”,
    But the problem is, not matter how many good turns you do, no matter how many old ladies you help across the street,
    Your flesh cannot please God.
    And now, Paul writes this:
    Romans 8:9 CSB
    9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.
    Paul turns, he shifts his attention, and starts talking more about the current reality of genuine believers,
    He says….
    You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.

    You are not in the flesh, You are in the Spirit

    Yes, the flesh cannot please God,
    But that’s no longer your worry, Paul says, because you are in the Spirit.
    And I want to be very crystal clear about something this morning,
    The Holy Spirit is not a New Testament concept. It’s not something the early Christians came up with to describe God’s power.
    It’s not something new Jesus introduced.
    The Spirit of God is eternal. He is a member of what we call today the trinity, the third person of a singular God Yahweh.
    And Paul, and the Jews, thought of the Spirit of God in the same way.
    In fact, this was a huge concept in Judaism, so let’s take a brief jog down historical lane….
    Remember back to Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, the account of creation and God’s first run at making covenants with humanity.
    Adam is created, along with Eve.
    This is what Genesis says:
    Genesis 2:7 CSB
    7 Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
    So, God formed us, mankind from dirt. That is not a highly regarded being, if you think about it.
    The other week we were at my parents house, and they have a little creek that I spend hours at in my childhood, and my son Titus said to me :Dad, can we go to hiking?” which means “Can we go down to the creek”. And of course I said yes.
    And down in the creek, his shoes got just caked with mud. And even today, they’re sitting in my garage waiting to be sprayed off with the hose. They’re gross.
    God formed man, and he could have made the best mud sculpture ever, but if the verse ended there, there wouldn’t be any more Bible to write.
    But it doesn’t end there, God breathed the neshemah of life into the man, and only then did he become a living being.
    The neshemah, the Hebrew word for the breath of life, it has connotations of us breathing, literally, it’s where the word came from and naturally leads us to.
    The breath of life. Take a breath in, it proves you’re alive.
    Back in the day, doctors used to hold up a mirror to someones nose, if it got foggy, they were still breathing and therefore alive.
    Not many things in this world don’t breathe. Animals, plants, fish, reptiles, even the water intakes air.
    It is the source of all life in the created universe, neshemah, and it comes from the living and active God.
    So, this is where it all started. God gave the Spirit to us, this breath of life, to keep us and sustain us.
    It makes all the sense in the world why Paul so painstakingly and systematically makes the point that the Spirit is life.
    Because it is. It’s the source and the origin of life.
    But this source of life, it was rejected by man, by Adam and Eve, it wasn’t good enough for them. They were enticed by more.
    And this is exactly what leads to sin and death, it led to them getting kicked out of Eden.
    And it’s why we’re here today, struggling in the flesh.
    And here’s the neat thing about the Bible - I think I can sum it up in just a few words….
    The entirety of the Bible, the whole thing, it can be summed up in one thought -
    It’s the story of God trying to be with us.
    That’s it. At every turn, we see God trying to be with us, but we reject him time and time and time again.
    I mean, I could be up here all day pointing out how every story is just God reconciling us to Him,
    And I won’t keep you all day, so let’s just look at one really good example here in Exodus chapter 20,
    And just to give you the context here, this is right after God speaks to the entire assembly of Israel, he gives them what we call today the ten commandments, the core of the laws that Moses would work with God on to communicate to Israel,
    This is how the people react to God trying to reach them and give them wisdom:
    Exodus 20:18–19 CSB
    18 All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 “You speak to us, and we will listen,” they said to Moses, “but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.”
    They said - we don’t want to speak to God. He’s scary, we’re afraid.
    And I can’t blame them to some degree - I mean this is God appearing to His people. This is what theologians call a theophany.
    And notice - God doesn’t tell them that he is too righteous and holy in this moment and that they’ll die if they approach him.
    God doesn’t say only Moses the great prophet can seek me.
    The people decide that themselves. They willingly distance themselves from God and they put poor Moses in between them as a mediator.
    This is a telling time in Israels history, but it goes to show that over and over, when faced with God, we don’t have the power to choose Him. We will always willingly distance ourselves in our flesh because that is our carnal desire.
    So, God has to intervene.
    And within this same Exodus narrative, later, God does come to dwell once again with His people, and he told Moses that they needed to build something called the Tabernacle, which just literally means dwelling, or a habitation or abode.
    And it’s also called the tent of meeting.
    And this is a place where the presence of God can come live to be with the people.
    This is what Exodus says:
    Exodus 31:1–6 CSB
    1 The Lord also spoke to Moses: 2 “Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft 4 to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every craft. 6 I have also selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be with him. I have put wisdom in the heart of every skilled artisan in order to make all that I have commanded you:
    This is a really traditional way that the Old Testament handles the Spirit of God.
    Look - this guy, Bezalel, it doesn’t say he was the best of the best, most trusted, best trained,
    No, he was appointed because he was filled with God’s ruach. With God’s Spirit.
    And this word, ruach, it’s a synonym to our last word neshemah, it means the breeze, the air, breath, wind.
    This is the Spirit, the source of all life and wisdom, coming down on Bezalel for a specific task, which is building this tent of meeting, the Tabernacle.
    And my favorite part of this is that the Spirit filled him with wisdom and understanding, and the ability to do his craft perfectly.
    Bezalel had a task ahead of him and was divinely commissioned and empowered to use those gifts for the glory of God.
    And he wasn’t called into ministry. To be a pastor. To be a prophet. To write a book of the Bible, to be the next great theologian,
    He was gifted to craft and build.
    Oftentimes, I think we assume the Spirit gifts those called to full time ministry,
    But a tradesman named Bezalel was called to build the literal house of God.
    God’s ruach is not limited to our human standards, so don’t you dare let any kind of pastor or minister limit your gifts of the Spirit, including me.
    Eventually, God does come down and dwell among his people, the Israelites, but it’s a very dangerous thing to approach the inside of this tent without proper authorization and cleansing.
    And eventually, there’s a scene where Moses needs some other leaders, so God tells Moses to gather 70 men, to be elders, to come stand around this tent of meeting, and they all start prophesying because some of the Spirit in Moses was transferred to them,
    Again, a specific Spirit task,
    But there were two men after they stopped prophesying that continued to do so, and Joshua, Moses’s assistant, took this as a great offense to Moses’s leadership, and told him to make them stop,
    And this is how Moses responded:
    Numbers 11:29–30 CSB
    29 But Moses asked him, “Are you jealous on my account? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets and the Lord would place his Spirit on them!” 30 Then Moses returned to the camp along with the elders of Israel.
    And unbeknownst to Moses, this would be the start and continuation of a broader prophecy found in Joel:
    Joel 2:28–29 CSB
    28 After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 I will even pour out my Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days.
    The intent of God’s ruach, The Spirit of God, was always for all people.
    It was never meant for priests, or prophets, or any hiererchy,
    God’s Spirit was meant to be available to all.
    Sons, daughters, old, young, slaves, males, females,
    The Spirit is meant to be available to all.
    And this is final concept, the culmination of the entire Old Testament that is carried out in the New, by the power of Jesus,

    The Spirit is for Everyone

    And I know it can be unclear why this is so important, because it’s more than we all need to get along, and were all equals,
    It’s more than that. Let me tell you why….
    It’s because God’s dwelling place is now here, it’s us.
    God’s dwelling place is in us.
    See, the tabernacle, the temple, it was never going to be good enough.
    It was never the final plan.
    It was built by human hands.
    Remember?
    But what temple wasn’t built by human hands? What temple was formed in by God, in His image, and declared as good?
    Humanity. Our bodies.
    Jesus proved that he himself had the power to give this Spirit of God to people.
    John 20:21–22 CSB
    21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
    Receive the Holy pnuema. If you remember our word for Spirit, breath, wind, breeze, it was ruach. This word, pnuema, is the direct Greek translation of that Hebrew word.
    So, Jesus showed he had the power to give this, just like God.
    But, it was absolutely proved later on the cross.
    After Jesus was tortured and put on the cross, after struggling for his life, finally he gave up, and this is what happened:
    Matthew 27:50–51 CSB
    50 But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. 51 Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
    Jesus gave up his pneuma. He gave up his spirit.
    And then, the curtain of the sanctuary, which was to the temple where God’s presence was,
    It was the thing that separated the people from the inner sanctuary where the presence of God lived in the tabernacle,
    It ripped from top to bottom.
    The inner sanctuary was completely revealed.
    For the first time in history, the God of Israel was now available to any and all.
    Joel’s prophecy was in full effect.
    And why is this important?
    Look back at our passage in Romans today:
    Romans 8:10–11 CSB
    10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.
    God is finally with us.
    Church, God made good on his promise.
    And the event that made it happen was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
    Because trust me, if Jesus Christ hadn’t walked out of his tomb, I wouldn’t be up here preaching to you today.
    There would be no religion called Christianity,
    There would be a much shorter history of martyrdom for Jesus Christ’s name….
    Because the death and resurrection of Christ fulfilled every one of God’s plan to be with us.
    And as Paul says, that Spirit, that pnuema, it’s in us.
    1 Corinthians 3:16 CSB
    16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
    The same power that allowed Jesus Christ to rise from a horrific, brutal death, it’s in you.
    The resurrection event, in our history and timeline, is the event that started the new age. It started what we can call the end times,
    And church let me be frank with you - if I ever start preaching a gospel that does not center on the resurrection of Jesus Christ….
    You remove me from this pulpit as fast as you can.
    Because that event is what allows us, man, woman, child, slave, free, gentile, Jew, poor, rich, old, young,
    It allows free access to Christ’s Spirit, if we bend the knee and make Christ our Lord.
    And Jesus Himself gives us the Spirit.
    Come, Holy Spirit.
    See, I don’t want to make you doubt whether you have the Holy Spirit or not.
    If you claim Christ this morning, Paul says you have been given the Holy Spirit.
    It doesn’t really matter so much how you feel, or what you experience that dictates that.
    When you give your life to Christ, the text says you receive the Spirit. End of discussion, that is truth.
    There are lot’s of denominations out there that say you must do this or that to experience the power of the Spirit, or to prove that you’re in, and I’m not saying you won’t experience these powerful spirit movements because you certainly will,
    But don’t let another man tell you if you haven’t experienced XYZ then you aren’t filled with the Holy Spirit. That’s is not their call, is it solely the call of God in heaven who sits on the throne.
    If you do not claim Christ as Lord, you do not receive the Spirit. End of discussion, that is truth.
    What matters is not that you are or aren’t filled, because as Paul turns his attention to believers, he says “but you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit”.
    What matters to any follower of Christ is your willingness to admit that the Spirit is in you, that your flesh is hindering you, and that the Spirit is the only thing that can create your faith and loyalty in Jesus Christ as Lord….
    So we pray,

    Come, Holy Spirit

    This is not a prayer to fill me as a believer. That is done. You are the temple.
    This is a prayer of availability.
    I really like how Tyler Staton puts it:
    God has never cared much for the qualified, but he’s shaped history through the available. This isn’t about being qualified. It’s not about being skilled, practiced, or trained. Are you available?
    - Tyler Staton, The Familiar Stranger
    Listen, I know there’s a lot of baggage and misunderstanding about the word “Pastor”. I know that.
    I know people have abused that title and there are countless victims of various ways around the world and throughout history.
    But let me again make something super clear:
    There is no clergy. There is no laity. There is no hierarchy.
    We are all one in Christ Jesus.
    Pastors are not above anyone spiritually, priests are not better than their congregation,
    The Spirit of God is available to anyone and everyone, equally.
    So, what does that make me?
    Well, to sum up my job as a pastor, I use these verses:
    1 Peter 5:1–3 CSB
    1 I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed: 2 Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
    Ephesians 4:11–12 CSB
    11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,
    I, or any of the pastors or leaders or staff members at this place,
    None of us have any Spiritual gusto over anyone else.
    You know what we are? We are sheep. Just like you. Who have a chief shepherd.
    God’s Spirit dwells in all who profess Christ, and all have different giftings and things to offer.
    And besides, if Ephesians says I am supposed to equip, who are the real ministers in this room?
    We are all on the same level, every single person in this room, in that we are all foot washers, servants, and humble slaves of Jesus Christ our Lord….
    The book of Hebrews promises that we are all priests directly to the most high God…
    And I need the same prayer as all of you, we should all be praying the same prayer
    Come, Holy Spirit.
    Because the Spirit have given us all the same task in this new age: to build the Kingdom of God.
    Acts 1:8 CSB
    8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
    The Holy Spirit has come, just like in the Old Testament, with a specific task: build His Kingdom.
    So you can only build stuff, your a tradesman.
    So you can only stay home with you kids.
    So you can only provide meals for those in need.
    So you don’t know deep theology,
    So you aren’t called to be the next Billy Grahm
    So you can only sit in your inner room and pray
    Who gives a rip.
    You are filled with the Spirit of God who’s given you abilities beyond your wildest dreams,
    You have the power of the resurrection inside you,
    Don’t you dare diminish your gifting.
    Instead, just pray this simple prayer:
    Come Holy Spirit.
    I am available, and I am under your influence,
    All Moses did was say yes to a burning bush.
    All Joseph did was almost die in a hole.
    All Bezalel did was know how to craft.
    All Lydia did was tell others about Christ.
    All Priscilla and Aquila did was build tents.
    All Peter did was jump out of boat and swim to Jesus.
    There is no big or small impact to the Kingdom, there is only saying yes and being available to God’s Spirit working through you.
    This is how the Kingdom of God is built. Through simple obedience, through small acts of availability.
    Through His people being His dwelling place,
    And by His people saying:
    Come, Holy Spirit.
    All of human history has been waiting on this moment.
    All of the prophets have been looking and waiting for this reality.
    God is finally with us.
    The Spirit is available to all.
    You have that power inside you, and He is the source of life itself.
    Use it to build His kingdom.
    Come, Holy Spirit.

      • Romans 8:8CSB

      • Romans 8:9CSB

      • Genesis 2:7CSB

      • Exodus 20:18–19CSB

      • Exodus 31:1–6CSB

      • Numbers 11:29–30CSB

      • Joel 2:28–29CSB

      • John 20:21–22CSB

      • Matthew 27:50–51CSB

      • Romans 8:10–11CSB

      • 1 Corinthians 3:16CSB

      • 1 Peter 5:1–3CSB

      • Ephesians 4:11–12CSB

      • Acts 1:8CSB

  • Holy Spirit
  • Doxology
Valley Church Clinton
3 members