Acts 19:1-7
(sermon outline for March 7)
In 2010 we are aiming to help people connect with God and others through Jesus Christ.
During March, I am challenging all of our First Baptist Family to connect with the Spirit.
Introduction:
1. The Holy Spirit is perhaps the most misunderstood and underrated member of the trinity.
2. The primary way we experience God in this life is through our connection with the Spirit.
3. In Acts 19, Paul encounters a group of religious persons who have knowledge of John’s message of repentance, but they have not yet discovered the good news of Jesus. It is only after they commit their lives to Christ that they receive the Holy Spirit.
3. Anytime we study or discuss the Holy Spirit within small groups, a Sunday School class, or a worship service, there are some preliminary things we should remember:
- Not everyone uses the same language about the Holy Spirit.
- We should never believe that our experience with the Holy Spirit makes us spiritually elite or superior. (One sure sign you’ve got the wrong spirit is that you have an inflated ego.)
- The Spirit will never lead us in a direction contrary to what we know from the Bible about God and Jesus.
- Be careful not to confuse the Holy Spirit with emotions. Emotions should not be perceived as a synonym or a substitute for the Holy Spirit.
Outline:
1. Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the presence and power of God in our world, the very personality or Spirit of Jesus who resides within the life of the Christian. When we trust in Jesus as our Savior, it is not a miniature replica of the human Jesus who comes to live within us, it is the Spirit of Jesus, who is also the Spirit of God.
2. What does the Spirit do?
The following are among many items included in the job description of the Holy Spirit:
- To convict us of sin. (John 16:8)
- To confirm (assure) our faith. (Romans 8:16)
- To comfort our grief. (John 14:16)
- To guide our decision-making. (John 16:13)
3. How should I respond to the Spirit?
- To agree (confess) when the Spirit convicts us. (I John 1:9-10)
- To obey by following the Spirit’s leadership.
- To receive what the Spirit gives….for example, spiritual gifts, encouragement, guidance, reconciliation, healing, etc.
Conclusion:
1. When a believer is motivated by the Holy Spirit, that believer moves to a more effective level of Christian service.
2. The Holy Spirit is at work to unify and motivate God’s people to serve cooperatively and courageously in our world and in our community.
3. There is a fresh breeze of the Spirit blowing across our First Baptist Family. Will you set your sails to that wind?
