This blog is talking about the Holy Spirit and the scriptural base for him being a change agent in your life.

 Three powerful Scriptures on the Holy Spirit.

John 14:15-18

¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

 Acts 1:8

⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 Acts 19:1-6

 ¹ And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
³ And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”
So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
⁴ Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

How the Holy Spirit Brings Change (2 Cor. 3:18)

Quote: Everything continues in a state of rest unless it is compelled to change by forces impressed upon it.

Issac Newton, First Law of Motion.

“And all of us, as with unveiled face, because we continued to behold in the Word of God as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into HIs very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another for this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18)
As human beings we normally do not like change, but it is inevitable. We all have to realize that we are either going to change for the better or for the worse, it is really a matter of choice.

 WHY DO WE RESIST CHANGE?

Let us now consider the fundamental reasons why we resist change:

• We      are creatures of habit. We long      for stability in our lives which represents a comfort zone we want to live      in. Any proposed change to this comfort zone is greeted with suspicion.      This is perhaps the biggest reason for resistance to change.

Fear of the unknown. Going into a dark room is difficult even for the bravest of souls. As human-beings, we have a natural tendency to want to be in control of our actions and behaviour. As such, the unknown is terrifying and causes us to invent rationales for why we shouldn’t do something; even worse, ignorance leads to fabrications of the truth and gossip.

• Human      emotion. Humans are capricious, and tend to do      only what pleases them. We may elect to cooperate or stubbornly resist for      no apparent reason. As such, we must recognize man as a political animal      who will only do those things they feel are in their best interest. We do      not like our authority or territory challenged whereby we might lose      control. Consequently, we will sabotage any change coming our way.

• Ignorance.      We are either unaware a problem exists or that a better solution can be      found. Many people are comfortable operating in a state of ignorance, they      do not want to know about problems or anything affecting their      environment.

 A person’s age also affects resistance

 There are three degrees of change:

• Subtle – representing minor changes occurring daily which we accept (either gladly or grudgingly). Subtle changes can be as insignificant as a change in our speech, form of address, a new hair style, etc. We will either like and embrace such changes or we will simply tolerate them.
• Moderate – representing significant modifications to the status quo. This includes such things as upgrades to our systems and procedures, changes to our policies, and material changes affecting our way of life. Moderate changes are either mandated or requires some tact or diplomacy to implement.
• Radical – represents changes upsetting the status quo. This includes complete overhauls of systems, the introduction of totally new ways of conducting business, and such things as mergers, diversifications, closings, and divorce.

If anything in life is constant, it is change.”
– Bryce’s Law

The following are nine ways to allow the Holy Spirit to bring about changes that will please the Lord and allow you to bear greater fruit:

1. The Holy Spirit catalyzes change in people, situations and organizations.

A catalyst is someone or something that precipitates change without being altered in the process. The Spirit has a clear view of every person’s heart and mind so that He knows what changes are necessary. Paul wrote,

“And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Romans 8:27)

Application: Ask the Lord for help in catalyzing positive changes in the people, situation and organization you are working with.

2. The Holy Spirit uses a variety of gifts, and abilities to affect change.

  God is able to harmonize a wide diversity of gifts and  talents for the most effective change in people and organizations. Paul wrote,

(Talking about the gifts of the Spirit)
“There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (I Cor. 12:6,7)

Application: Ask the Lord to help you understand and cooperate with the way the Spirit is harmonizing a wide variety of peoples’ gifts, abilities and personalities to effect His changes in you and the church.

3. The Holy Spirit acts as an effective power broker in bringing about spiritual changes.

  The Holy Spirit’s authority is able to influence people with the wise use of His power in affecting change. Paul wrote,

“God has not given us the spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power, love and discipline.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

Application: Ask the Lord to help you appropriate the power given to you in the Spirit and in His precious promises

4. The Holy Spirit acts as a solution giver so that His changes will cause Christ’s kingdom and righteousness to grow.

The Spirit does not quickly offer solutions to problems until people are really ready to obey His directives. Paul wrote,

“To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit.” (I Cor. 12:8)

Application: Ask the Lord to connect you, by the Spirit’s empowerment, to people who are able to supply you with the wisdom, knowledge and skill to accomplish the very best of God’s purposes, plans and processes.

Illustration: Everybody thinks of changing Humanity and Nobody thinks of changing Himself.
L. Tolstoy.

5. The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of tongues and that gift builds up and strengthens our spirit

Acts 19:6

6And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and  prophesying.

1 Cor 14:4

4One who speaks in a tongue  edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church.
6. The Holy Spirit is able to bring a victorious collision between the flesh and the sprit
Gal 5:19-23

19Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,

20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, ⁽strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,

21envying, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is ⁽love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

7. The Holy Spirit changes what we say which has the power to change our destiny and the direction of our lives

Eph 5:18-20

18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is  dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

Mat 12:34 – Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

Many verses talk about what comes out  of our mouth – it is very powerful both in the positive and in the negative.

The Holy Spirit changes what comes out of our mouth and this can change the direction of our lives

James 3

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Eph
and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Eph 4:29

29Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Eph 4:29 msg

29Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
8. The Holy Spirit is our coach and so effects change by his constant encouragement, the words he speaks into our spirit and the guidance that he brings.

25If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Walk  – to march in military rank – that is to keep step

Inference – the Holy Spirit is our coach and he encourages us to walk in step with Him

He is our coach in life.

John 14:26

26″But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
9. The Holy Spirit changes us by infusing us with strength and boldness

Peter was a coward before the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came upon him….

Acts 2:14
But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.

Acts 3:4
But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!”

Acts 4:8
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ” Rulers and elders of the people,

Conclusion

Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit to be our teacher, our strength, our peace, our comfort and our encourager. For those who need to be released from the Prison that they are in – there is no greater source of change power than the Holy Spirit

Let’s Prayer

Holy Spirit, I ask that each person who reads through my notes today, would experience a fresh transformational encounter with you. You know us all individually and so Holy Spirit, I prayer for the reader right now, that you would give them the change they seek. I thank for the incredible power of prayer.

Amen

Categories: Sermon Notes