Brother Gary Kelly Sunday Morning 4/14/13

Brother Gary Kelly Sunday Morning 4/14/13

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

In John the first chapter we read where Jesus had come.  In verse 14 it tells us that “to as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God.”  There were those that rejected Jesus. 

We are creatures of choice.  We can respond either way to the wooing of God.  In John 6:44 Jesus said that no man could come to Him except the Father draw them.  We are blessed to know that God the Father draws upon souls.  John the evangelist said that Jesus went to His own and they received him not.

Jesus was with His disciples for three years, taught them, and performed miracles.  We see in this scripture that Jesus was preparing to leave.  God gave Him these words that “It is expedient (or very profitable) for you that I go.” 

Jesus came for us.  Jesus went through His lifetime for us.  Now we see that He is about to go to Gethsemane and to the cross.  He told His disciples that it is very profitable for you that I go away, “for if I go not away then the comforter will not come.”

It has been an edification to my soul to grasp a greater understanding of the Holy Spirit of God.  I don’t feel that I have all understanding.  Go uses his body, His people, to teach us.  There is no minister of man in the world that would have attained it all of himself.  We desperately need one another. 

Those things that God has helped us to learn we are getting a hold on in this thought:  We desperately need God, the Son, and His Holy Spirit in 2013.

There are four things concerning the Spirit that have so warmed my heart.  The Holy Spirit is another comforter.  This doesn’t take from the thought that Jesus is a comforter.  He is a marvelous comforter and advocate for you and me.  It is the thought that He is another comforter and another advocate.

An advocate:  When the Holy Spirit, sanctification, and consecration are taught upon, many times the emphasis is on what we give up.  I’m not taking away from the power of the Hoy Spirit to cleanse us from our carnal nature and our sin.  There is another part that I want us to grasp and that is the Holy Spirit as an advocate. 

We are so happy for those that are here, from the youngest to the oldest.  There is one thing that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt.  There is not one, (that has reached the age of accountability), in this audience that the Holy Spirit doesn’t want to be an advocate for.  There is not one that is too old for Him to advocate for.  There is not one here from the youngest to the oldest that would not need the Holy Spirit as an advocate.

The Holy Spirit pleads for you.  There is only positive attributes of Him being an advocate.  He will not put up with any nonsense or foolishness, with any playing church, or being careless.  The Holy Spirit is not an any way an advocate for that which is wrong and is not truth.  He pleads for you and for me. 

We know that Satan is loosed out of his prison.  The enemy would destroy every one of us that are here if he would have that ability to do so.  The Holy Spirit is an advocate that defends us. 

In Isaiah 31 we see where there is the marvelous expression of a lion and it’s cubs that come to a sheep fold and despite the shepherd with a staff and a rod doing his best to scare the lion off, the lion will jump the fence and take a sheep out of the fold. 

It is not that way with the Chief Shepherd and the Holy Spirit of God.  God himself will defend your soul.  The Holy Spirit of God will defend you.  “When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will life up a standard against him.”  That is the Holy Spirit of God.

When you confess and repent and become a new creature, whatever your weakness was you don’t have to go back to that sin.  You can be saved, sanctified, and be endued with the Holy spirit.  You can have the Holy Spirit cloth you and be wrapped around you and defend you from the enemy when he comes in like a flood.  This is what the word ‘endued’ means.

The Holy Spirit supports you.  Even the youth and the strong will become weary.  The Holy Spirit and God will be there to support you, “I will be God to you, strength you and help you.”

He is an advocate.  I don’t know what you are faced with on your job or what the young are faced with in school.  I don’t know what the aged are faced with.  If you and I will be rightly related to God and have the Holy Spirit in our lives, the Holy Spirit will work to promote the right things.  He will help you to be at the right place at the right time. 

We are thankful for every father that is here, and sad for each one that is not here.  The Word of God gives instruction to the fathers.  As a literal father and grandfather I thought of this:  The Bible teaches the fathers to bring the children up in the nurture and fear of the Lord. 

As a father and lover of souls I asked myself, “Do I know how to nurture?”  I had a marvelous experience last week.  I was thinking about souls. 

Tuesday we were invited into Missoula and there are some little souls there.  We have some little grandchildren that are five years old and younger.  I like to play with children.  I cannot throw the ball very well and that is ok, but do we know how to nurture souls. 

Do we know how to nurture our brothers and sisters in Christ? 

The needs of a one year old:  How big is the heart of a one year old?  This is what I learned.  The heart of a child is the same size as their little fist.  How big is their soul?  Do we know how to nurture little souls? 

In just a month sister Sue and some of the technicians will show us pictures of moms that loved us and cared for us.  We really love and appreciate them.  Do we know how to show love to children?  You ask this brother from Italy whose Italian grandfather loved him, “How profound would it have been if your grandfather that loved you so much would have nurtured your soul?” 

A real seriousness comes upon us doesn’t it?  There are so many people that have such fences up and there are still souls that are hungry and thirsty for God. The Holy Spirit promotes and works in our lives to cause you and me to hunger and thirst not for the tangible, but for the intangible and eternal. 

I’m so thankful that I’m an American.  We paid quite a bit of taxes and we don’t make a lot of money and that is ok.  Every night when I bow my head I thank God for what we have.  I am glad that we have a car, I really appreciate it.  I’ve found pleasure in simple things.  There are a few fishing trips that I take every year.  But it isn’t tangible things that the Holy Spirit is promoting me for.

For the one whose life is so broken and ruined the Holy Spirit is promoting me to somehow pray. 

In Acts, when Paul and Silas were busy, they found Timothy whose father was a Greek and then they went a little further and God said, “this is not the place.”  Don’t beat yourself up when you try to reach out to a soul and God says, “No, this is not the place.”  The Holy Spirit knows what He is doing.

Paul was letting God lead Him and guide him and direct him.  He had a vision and in this vision a call came for them to go over to Macedonia.  God knows how to promote us and counsel us and direct us. 

The Holy Spirit is not a critic.  That doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit will not correct us.  There is a vast difference between correction and criticism.  God help me and us as a congregation to be delivered from the spirit of being critical of everyone. 

The Holy Spirit is not an opponent working against you and suppressing you.  It is not trying to take the bible, your family, and loved ones away from you. 

The Holy Spirit is not an adversary out to destroy you.  Jesus said, “It is profitable for you that I go back to the father and I send the Holy Spirit.”

From Jesus concerning the Holy Spirit:

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

You may be here doing your best to be saved.  I want to help you to know that the Holy Spirit is working with you.  You may be here and know that you are not saved; there is sin, attitudes and things that God is not pleased with in your life.  The Holy Spirit is working with you.  Jesus came to save, forgive you and give you a new life.

The Holy Spirit will be there to work with you and bring you to full consecration, to help you to be cleansed from the inbred sin, and to help you to know how to walk with God.

Luk 24:49  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Wait until you are full of or clothed with the Holy Spirit.

I ask this audience, “Who will tarry for the Holy Spirit?” 

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. (Matthew 5: 6)

God honors men and women that get saved and hunger and thirst after righteousness for “They shall be filled.”  We need the Holy Spirit today.  We need to be full of the Holy Spirit.  We need to live in the Spirit. 

We need to know how to walk in the Spirit, and how to keep our bodies so that we do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.  We need to know how to draw good lines so that we can please the Holy Spirit of God.

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

Among the things that God has prepared for us is the Holy Spirit of God.  Everyone that is saved in this audience this morning has experienced in their individual life a drawing close to God and the hunger for more of God. 

Brother and Sister Butler sang, “More of Jesus and less of me.”  They were still singing it after they had found more of Jesus.  After they found more they came back and sang it again and again.

Everything that we need or acquire that is tangible we need to be thankful for but don’t ever think that the tangibles will fill the hunger and thirst in your soul.  As much as we enjoy Montana and the spring flowers, right now the weather is perfect for us to get to enjoy them for 5 times as long as usual.  Every time it warms up, it snows and they are refreshed and refreshed again. 

The marvelous thing about what God has prepared:  However deep you may feel that you are with God, with truth, with a burden, and with understanding, the closer that you live for God the more that you will cry out, “More depth, deeper in the love of God and compassion!  Deeper into self denial!  Deeper, so that the mind battle is not about things that are of no avail but the mind energies are deeper.”

As you study and the Holy Spirit draws near it is saying, “Let’s go deeper, deeper with God, deeper with consecration and with praise.”

The Holy Spirit gives us things so freely.  People will offer you a lot of things with strings attached, lots of bondages.  “I will let you have this but there are things…  I want to let you know… “

The Holy Spirit says, “Son my treasure house is full, I have riches, pleasures, joys, thrills, excitements, and adventures.”  The Holy Spirit gives them to us freely.

1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

It is a wonderful thing when you find yourself and the Holy Spirit dealing with you and you are dealing with spiritual things.  Not, “I was hurt.  They have that and I don’t.”  No you are dealing with spiritual things.

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

The Holy Spirit gives us the mind of Christ.

Isa 41:17  When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

Isa 41:18  I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

How many times since I was saved and sanctified have I felt, “God I feel dry.  I need the living water.”

How many times have the pressures of life left me so dry, and sickness left me so thirsty spiritually?  How many times has a broken heart or disappointment left you dry?  How many times have you reached out to those that should love you and you got the stiff arm?  You wrestled with it and wrestled with it and you came to the realization, “I’m so dry.” 

How many times have you taught yourself empty or labored with families and loved ones until there was nothing left?  How many times have mothers prayed and prayed and prayed and then realize that they have carried this burden until they were dry?

When you’ve exhausted all your resources and realize that you need a visit from God, “I the Lord will hear them.”  You can tell God how poor and needy you are and He will hear he will be there and help you.

He will open rivers in high places.

Rev 22:17 and the Spirit and the Bride say come.

Come.  The message goes out to those that have never been saved and to any that would be struggling.  Come, to any that feel that life has left them dry.  Finances may have left you dry.  I understand Montana and making ends meet.  I also understand how this leaves you dry. 

School, it has been a while, but God understands.  Young moms, young dads, young people, He understands.

“Let him that hears say come.”  Come.  Come.  “Let him that is athirst come.  Let Him take the water of life.” 

“It is expedient” Jesus said, “that I go away.”  I hear Him say this morning, “Come my son.”  I am so happy to be his son.  I get so homesick for mom and dad.  I am happily married but there is nothing like your mom or dad.  There is a voice that says, “When you are thirsty, come and take of the water of life freely.  Just drink.” 

This morning if God has spoken to you, however God leads you to do, do.  If you need to come to the public altar there is one here if you need to pray at the front pew there are two here if you need to say, “God I need to drink, and I am drinking.”

Don’t gamble; make sure that what God says to you, you grasp.

I couldn’t help but think of my dad this last week.  One Sunday morning my dad told my mom that “I’m going to church with you today.”  My dad got saved on a Tuesday morning march 19, 1949.  He went to church that Sunday morning. 

This morning may God make it real to me and to you what he left for us to follow.