Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is
an international church in Bangkok, Thailand,
with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.
We invite you to connect with us from wherever
you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our
mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed
by this week's sermon. Starting in March, we
began this series called Above All. And today
we will continue on this series and we're going
to finish it. It's the last study on the whole
series. So I pray that the Lord will use this
time to really consolidate your understanding
of what Jesus has done. Before we enter into
this time, please join me as I pray. Lord, as
we were singing, the very same power that raised
Jesus from the dead is the one that lives in
me. That is so profound, so true. It is true.
It is true. I will get to see that even more
today as we study your word. I'm asking you,
Lord, you know that I can only open the word
and preach a sermon, but only you can reach the
heart. I'm asking you, Lord, reach the heart.
Use me in your power and in your grace. to take
us where you want us to be. In Jesus' name we
pray, amen. I would like to start this last study
of the series by doing a quick summary. And what
we discover at the beginning is that when the
book of Hebrews talks about what Jesus came to
accomplish in our salvation, we discover that
Jesus Hebrews says, had to become a human being,
flesh and blood, because by only becoming a human
being, he could die, and only by dying, he could
break the power of Satan over humanity. And as
we started the studies, section by section, what
emerges is that the problem that humanity had,
it was, classified in these three distinct areas.
First is that there's a spiritual being called
Lucifer or Satan, who is the one that leads the
opposition against God, and he's called the prince
of this world. He is the prince of the kingdom
of darkness, the kingdom that humanity was under
after... the first humans decided not to love
God and follow Him. And because after those humans
became sinners and mortal, sin and death spread
to everyone. And as sinners, now Satan had the
power to accuse because we were guilty. And he
could use that against us to separate us from
God. But not only that, The Bible says that after
dying, Satan had the power over death, and therefore
he had the power to separate us from God. And
therefore, when Jesus comes to do his ministry,
and he dies and he resurrects, what the Bible
describes is Jesus accomplishing a salvation
that addresses all these three areas right to
the core. First, as a human being, Satan was
not able to control Jesus, to compromise Jesus,
to dupe Jesus into becoming under his power.
Satan tempted him, tried to deter him from his
mission, but he couldn't. And because Jesus died
and resurrected never, ever, Engaging in any
form of sin, Satan had no power over Jesus, and
therefore Jesus breaks the power that Satan had
over humanity. And now Jesus has all authority
instead. Secondly, by dying on the cross, we
discover that Jesus took away the account of
the record against us. And by dying on the cross,
then he took away the power that Satan had to
accuse us because there was nothing anymore that
he could accuse us for because Jesus had paid
for it. And that's why Jesus now breaks the power
of Satan to accuse. But then after Jesus dies,
before he resurrects, the Bible says that he
went into Hades. the place of the dead. And in
it, he broke the power that Satan had there.
And he opened the way to heaven so that people
now, God's people can go and be with God instead
of being separated from him. And at that moment,
through his death and resurrection, Jesus breaks
the power that death had to separate. And one
day, death will be the last enemy to be destroyed
at the end of human history when Jesus returns.
So by doing these things, Jesus accomplished
a salvation that addressed all of these different
things. And now he is inviting us to walk in
the victory that he has accomplished. If all
of this is new to you or you missed some of the
studies, I encourage you to go to our ECB app
or our ECB website. at ecb .asia, and you can
access all these studies, including the videos,
the audio, the PowerPoints, the study guide,
all of that available for you. So this is the
summary of what we have covered so far. Today,
I want to turn to a very different part of the
study. But before doing that, I want you to read
this verse with me because this verse from Colossians
summarizes beautifully What we just said. In
the previous slides. Let's read it together.
For he has rescued us. From the kingdom of darkness.
And transferred us. To the kingdom of his dear
son. Who purchased our freedom. And forgave our
sins. That's it. Simple. Profound. This is the
victory that Jesus has accomplished. And after
understanding that, we need to dig a little bit
deeper today to really understand the very last
part of what Jesus has accomplished and what
he's inviting us to experience. And I would like
to ask this question. How is your heart? I don't
mean, what are you doing? What are your plans?
I'm talking about... The deepest part of you.
How's your heart? How are you really, really
doing? And you might realize that depending the
day I ask you that question, your answer might
change. Because there's something of all these
inner part of our lives that seems to be a little
bit kind of Complicated. In fact, Jeremiah, the
prophet, reflecting on this, put it very simply.
And he says, you know, the heart is deceitful
about all things and beyond cure. Who can understand
it? Yeah. Complicated. And at moments it feels
as if it's beyond cure. Jesus was talking about
this aspect of our lives to the people during
his ministry. And in the Gospel of Matthew chapter
15, he observes two things. One of them is that
when people are not doing well in their heart
level, they can still play the religious game.
And he says, you know, these people honor me
with their lips, but their hearts, it's a different
story. Their heart is far from me. Have you ever
felt that way? You read the Bible, you did the
prayer, you sang the song, but it's like somehow
there's like a disconnect. You feel distant.
And Jesus says, yeah, sometimes people want to
worship God, but their heart is not in it. And
not only that, Jesus said in the same chapter
that the heart gets a little bit uglier. Because
he says, for from the heart come what? Evil thoughts.
You have evil thoughts? Yeah? Comes from the
heart? Murder. Adultery. All sexual immorality.
Theft. lying and slander. All of this comes from
the heart and these are the things that defile
you, that contaminate you, that compromise you.
It's like, okay, Jesus, you're getting a little
bit too personal here. It's like, you are reading
my mail here. But it gets even worse because
the Apostle Paul tells us, that our inner life,
all of these things, when they get worse and
worse and worse, it's a reality, especially if
Jesus is not your Savior. He says, Satan, who
is the God of this world, has blinded the minds
of those who don't believe, and they are unable
to see the glorious light of the good news. It's
like not only there's an internal thing, but
there's this external spiritual thing. And all
of it combined, it's like, okay, how is my heart?
Based on what we just read, I can tell you, you
know, your heart is broken and can be distant
and even blinded. And depending on where you
are in your relationship with God, those words
will change. But the heart is a complicated thing
and it's not pretty. But the good news is that
God cares about your heart the most. Your inner
life, that deepest part of your being. And the
Word of God says that God wants to do something
in there. He heals the brokenhearted. And he
bandages their wounds. What God is interested
in doing. Is in reaching that deep place that
is broken. And entering into a process of healing.
Now hear me right. I'm not saying God is interested
in fixing you. He is interested in healing you.
And there's a big difference. When the bike needs
fixing, you go, done, okay, let's use it again.
But when your arm is broken, you don't go, okay,
fixed, let's use it again. It's like, oh, you
have to enter a journey, a process that is more
complex, and there are many more parts of the
body compromised here, so the whole thing is...
And takes time. And God is interested in inviting
you. With your broken heart. And the mess that
is inside. To enter into a journey. Where he.
Not you. He can heal the broken hearted. And
he can bandage their wounds. That's why. As we
enter this study today. How does God heal a broken
heart? What has Jesus accomplished. That can
reach that deep part of our being. And what is
he inviting us to? In order to understand this.
We will have to understand. What Jesus. After
his resurrection. Because after Jesus resurrected.
Remember. He just have come out. Of dealing with
Hades. And opening the way to God. And taking
the power from Satan over that. So he comes there
victorious. And now he comes on a mission. To
start moving things forward. First part of the
plan done. Second part of the plan done. Now
the third part of the plan has to come in place.
What was the first part of the plan? Well, get
to the cross and die. Second part of the plan,
go to Hades and destroy death. Third part of
the plan, heal the heart and allow people to
start experiencing God's healing. And therefore,
he appears to the apostles. And in the words
that he's going to start describing to them,
he is going to give us the hint of the beginning
of this healing plan to heal the broken heart.
Now let's read. What the book of Luke tells us
happened after Jesus resurrected. The apostles
are there gathering. Some of them have seen Jesus
resurrected. Some of them haven't. They are confused
about what's going on. It's just everything was
so vivid. The cross, the crucifixion, seeing
Jesus being carried now to the tomb. All of these
things were so fresh in their minds that the
idea that Jesus was alive was... Was so confusing
still. So as they are talking about all of these
different things. While they were still talking
about this. Jesus himself stood among them and
said to them. Peace be with you. And they were
startled and frightened. Thinking they saw a
ghost. A ghost like that. And Jesus says to them.
Why are you troubled? Why do doubts rise in your
minds? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. It
is myself. Touch me and see. A ghost does not
have flesh and bones as you see I have. He is
resurrected. His spirit came out of Hades. Enter.
His body. His body resurrected. And now. He is
going to. Prepare to go. And ascend. To the father
in heaven. And at that moment. They are trying
to figure out. What does that make any sense.
What's going on. And even though Jesus is inviting
them. To see the evidence. For them to realize
this is true. Jesus is like. What can I do to
make you get it? I'm not a ghost. So then he
says to them, he showed them his hands, his feet,
and how they still did not believe it because
of joy and amazement. Then he asked them, do
you have anything here to eat? And they gave
him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and
ate it in the presence. So you can imagine Jesus
appearing to them and saying, a ghost. No, I'm
not a ghost. Look, I'm not a ghost. No, a ghost.
And Jesus says, no. Do you have anything to eat?
Fish, give me the fish. You see, I'm not a ghost.
And at that moment, he says to them. This is
what I told you while I was still with you. Don't
you remember? Everything must be fulfilled that
is written about me in the law of Moses, the
prophets, and the Psalms. Basically, the entire
Old Testament has prophesied about me, the Messiah,
coming and fulfilling all of these things that
you have seen happen. Why are you acting so surprised?
I told you this before. And at that moment, he
opens their minds so they can understand. Then
he opened their minds so they could understand
the scriptures. And he told them, this is what
I mean. This is what is written in the Old Testament,
in the first half of the Bible, ancient writings.
Before Jesus was even born. This is what was
written. The Messiah will suffer and rise from
the dead on the third day. And repentance for
the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his
name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. Right
here where they are having that conversation
at that moment. And before reading the next verses.
Here is the outline. It's highlighting all these
things. What Jesus came to accomplish. He says
look. I had to suffer. I had to go through the
cross. Because by dying on the cross. The record
against us was cancelled. And the power of Satan
to accuse removed. But not only that, I had to
rise from the dead on the third day. Because
I had to go to Hades and spend time there to
break the power of Satan. And I rise now. I am
alive. So that the power of Satan over death
could be destroyed. But now there's a new phase.
And that phase hasn't happened yet. It's going
to happen now. So he tells them. Repentance.
For the forgiveness of sins. Would be preaching
his names. To all nations. Beginning at Jerusalem.
And from that point on. He's going to start explaining.
How this is going to happen. And he tells them.
Then in the next verse. You are witnesses. Of
these things. And you will. Be my witnesses now
and proclaim the forgiveness of sins that I have
now achieved. But I'm going to send you what
my Father has promised first. So you will have
to stay in this city until you have been clothed
with power from on high. Because for you to be
able to do this and enter the new... of this
salvation that I have accomplished, this has
to happen. What is Jesus talking about? What
is this power from on high that they need to
experience first? Well, Jesus had already talked
about this a little bit earlier. During the last
supper, he told them lots of things before he
was crucified. And we can find that exactly in
the book of John. In John chapter 14, He told
them this, I will ask the Father, and He will
give you another what? Another advocate. God
is going to give you someone like me that is
going to be for you. And this someone is going
to do something very specific. This advocate
will never leave you. When will this advocate
leave them? Never. Once he comes, he will never
leave you. And who is this advocate? Who is this
person that will never leave them? He says in
verse 17. He is the Holy Spirit. Who leads into
all truth. He tells them look. I'm going to ask
the Father to send you someone. Who is named
the Holy Spirit. And he is going to lead you
into all truth. And this Holy Spirit. The world
cannot receive him. Because. It is not looking
for him and does not recognize him, but you know
him. Because he lives with you now, later will
be in you. Jesus had told the apostles that there
was going to be a moment that the Holy Spirit
was going to come. And until now, they had experienced
a dimension of that reality because the Holy
Spirit was with them. Right? If they are with
Jesus, and Jesus has the Holy Spirit, then the
Holy Spirit is with them too. But something is
going to change. At a point in time, the Holy
Spirit now is going to be in them. And when Jesus
talked about this later in the same chapters,
he tells them, I have to leave. I have to ascend
to heaven before the Holy Spirit can come. And
I know that is going to sadden you, but believe
me, it's better that this happen because if I
stay, the Holy Spirit won't come. I have to leave
first for the Holy Spirit to come. So this is
what he told them. In the book of Luke. This
is the promise that the Father is going to send
you. And did you notice by the way. That when
Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit. He didn't
say. The world cannot receive it. Because it's
not looking for it. The Holy Spirit is not an
it. Or a something. Or like an energy that is
impersonal. It describes him as a person. And
this person is the one that will reach the inside
of you, will be in you. And in order to understand
how this works, we have to go back to the beginning
review. We saw how Jesus overcame Satan and sin
and death. But I want to explain something about
the reality of sin in the human experience. Because
the Bible says that ever since the first humans
disobeyed God, all humans after that were born
sinners. And you and I have this condition in
our being. that has this dual issue. One of them
is that being a sinner, having this condition
in our lives, means that sin has the power to
accuse, and this is what Satan would use. We're
guilty, and we carry the guilt, and we feel that
we are so undeserving because of the things that
we have done. Wouldn't it be great if there was
a way to remove that guilt so we don't have to
live through life feeling that we are so undeserving?
The second dimension of sin is that it has the
power to control, has the power to direct, or
I should say misdirect. And therefore, it causes
us to have all this shame because... We do things
that we shouldn't and we say things that we shouldn't
and we think things that we shouldn't and yet
it's there. Where is that coming from? Well,
Jesus said it comes from the heart. And we experience
shame, fear, and we withdraw because that place
is so ugly that if people just knew, wouldn't
it be great? If there was a way to live life
without shame and without being controlled by
these things, that would be awesome. Wouldn't
it be great if there was a way? Welcome to the
good news of what Jesus has accomplished. Because
that's exactly what salvation will do. When Jesus
comes and dies and pays for our sin and cancels
the record against us, he takes away the power
of sin to accuse and to make us walk in guilt.
Because we have been forgiven. And this forgiveness
of sin is what Jesus says needs to be now proclaimed
to the nations so that people know that there's
a way to be forgiven, that even though they have
guilt they carry, that can be removed from them.
But then, to get to the deepest part, which is
the controlling one, how do you get there? This.
It's the Holy Spirit's role. The Holy Spirit
that the Father promised will be in you. And
when He is in you, He will begin this healing
process in your life. And that healing process
will last the rest of your life until it's complete.
And this process will be complete. On the day
that we are glorified. When Jesus comes back.
And at that time. The Holy Spirit will complete
his assignment. To remove the whole thing from
us. I shared before when my mother was diagnosed
with stomach cancer. All the treatment that she
had to go through. But it was very complicated.
Until the day that she was declared. Cancer free.
And one day you and I will be declared sin free.
Guilt free. Shame free. Why? Because the Holy
Spirit will complete the treatment inside of
us. And when that day comes, the Apostle John
says we will be like him. This is what Jesus
is talking about when he told the apostles, look,
I had to suffer. I had to resurrect. But now
the forgiveness of sins has to be proclaimed
and the Holy Spirit has to come. Because this,
it was the plan for the healing of the broken
heart. And therefore, what we have to understand
now, It's how Jesus meant for this strategy to
be accomplished. And so it happens that there
are three things that the Holy Spirit is going
to do in the life of anyone that follows Jesus.
The first thing that he has to do is to enter
the heart. How is the Holy Spirit going to enter?
That broken heart to start the treatment of healing.
How is he going to do that? What needs to happen?
There are many people that live in fear because
they do not know whether they have the Holy Spirit
or whether the Holy Spirit has left them. And
maybe you are one of them. So it's very important
that we understand what the Bible says here.
I want to ask you to read out loud with me. Ephesians
chapter 1 verse 13. This is a letter that the
Apostle Paul writes to these first Christians
in the city of Ephesus. They worship pagan deities.
They channel spirits. They were involved in all
of these different things. And they heard the
gospel. And they learned about forgiveness of
sins. And now the Apostle Paul writes to them
to explain to them so they can understand more
about their salvation and look at what he tells
them. Together. And now you Gentiles have also
heard the truth, the good news that God saves
you. And when you believe in Christ, He identified
you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit
whom he promised long ago. He's telling these
Christians, look guys, I know you are not Jews,
you are Gentiles, but the gospel and the forgiveness
that God gave is for all. And something happened
in your life. You were given the Holy Spirit.
that have been promised long ago. You have been
given the Holy Spirit now to be in you. But the
question is, when were you given the Holy Spirit?
When? When did the Holy Spirit enter them to
now start reaching that deep part of the broken
heart to begin this healing process? When? Now
it's your job to look at the verse and give me
the answer. When? And when you believed in Christ.
It doesn't get any clearer than this. If you
were ever wondering, what do I need to do to
have the Holy Spirit come into this broken heart?
What you need to do is that you need to believe
in Jesus. And when you give your life to Jesus,
Jesus says, sure, here, Holy Spirit, in. I had
a friend many years ago that was a colleague
of mine and she came from a church that they
were teaching her that she did not have the Holy
Spirit. Because she hadn't had certain kinds
of manifestations that she thought she needed
to have. And she's asking me, and she says, you
know, I'm feeling discouraged today because they're
telling me all these things, and I try everything
they tell me, but nothing happens, you know.
They have even given me a little phrase that
I need to repeat, repeat, repeat, so my tongue
will get loose. They say that will help me. And
she says, all confused, and she says, you know,
I... I believe in Jesus, so I don't understand.
And I started explaining to her, this is what
the Bible says. You see it? I knew it. She was
so excited to realize that the Bible says that
when you believe in Jesus, you are given the
Holy Spirit. And she says, Pablo, you have no
idea what this means to me. Could you come and
teach my family about this? So sure, we organized
a meal together and I went to visit her home.
And the whole family was there together to do
the study. And at the end, everybody was so comforted
to know that they didn't need to memorize all
these things for their tongue to get loose. That
they did not need to fall on the ground to experience
some kind of experience to prove something. That
simply Jesus said, I will give you the Holy Spirit
the day you give me your life. So I do not know
if you are wrestling with this, but I'm here
to tell you. Jesus, when he talked about the
promise of the Holy Spirit coming to be in us,
he said very clearly, from the very beginning,
to avoid any confusion, He said from the very
beginning, this Holy Spirit that will come to
be in you will never leave you. The moment he's
in, he's in to stay until the day of our glorification.
So if you are a follower of Jesus that has been
confused and living in fear, thinking... Oh,
I thought the Holy Spirit left me. Or maybe I
don't have the Holy Spirit. Or maybe this or
that. I want you to stop. Don't freak out. Just
stop. And simply answer one question. Do you
believe that Jesus is your Savior? Have you repented
of your sin and given your life to Jesus? Yes
or no? If the answer is no. then you don't have
the Holy Spirit. You are under the domain of
the prince of this world, the kingdom of darkness.
But if the answer is yes, then you have been
transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the
kingdom of the son he loves, Jesus. And Jesus
has given you the Holy Spirit to be in you to
begin this healing process for the rest of your
life. And you can put that doubt to rest. Okay.
So, phase one is the Holy Spirit has to enter
the heart. What is the next thing? Well, the
Holy Spirit now is going to clean the heart.
Because the heart is broken. The heart is filthy.
This inner part of our being is wrestling with
lots of things. That are not what God wants us
to experience. He wants us to experience his
life. So this is what the Bible says. That the
Holy Spirit came to accomplish. Let's read it
together. When God our Savior revealed his kindness
and love. He saved us. Not because of righteous
things we had done. But because of his mercy,
he washed away our sins, giving us a new birth,
a new life through the Holy Spirit. Oh, he saved
us because we were good people. And we tried
very hard, so we deserved that he saved us. Is
that what we read? It's like the wife that needed
to take the car to do car wash. But before she
took it to the car wash, she was cleaning it
a little bit. Because she felt that it was too
dirty. And it's like, wait, that's what the car
wash is for. You don't need to try to help the
car wash to clean it. He saved you. Not because
you were good enough to be saved. He saved you
not for the things that you have done. Actually,
he had to save you because of the things that
you had done. He saved you out of his mercy.
Nothing more, nothing less. And when He saved
you, He gave you the Holy Spirit to give you
a new birth and a new life and starts washing
all your sins away. Washing it away. Washing
it away. Because when the Holy Spirit moves in,
He begins a transformation that only he can do.
I entered pastoral ministry when I was 29 years
old. And I remember that part of my salary package
at the church was that the church owned a house.
We call it the parsonage, if you heard that word
before. It's a house that a church owns and then
they provide the housing for the pastor to live
there. Except that not only the church was dying,
but also the house. And God called us there.
I was out of the question. So that's what we
were serving at the beginning. And I remember
I walked in that house and it was like, oh, this
house is not livable right now. The ceiling has
a hole. Things look horrible, smells old. So
we began fixing certain things, painted the walls,
and did a couple of things, brought the furniture
in. And the old smell, that's not something we
could do anything about, the house was old. So
we just moved in. And when we moved in, we did
not move in because the house was great. It was
because the house was what was given to us. But
you know how long I lived in that house? 18 years.
All our kids were born there, made in Texas.
But that house was nothing like the house I lived
in once I left. 18 years gave us plenty of time
to remodel that house completely. I mean... We
opened the kitchen, did new cabinets, changed
floor, all counters were new. The TV room, we
changed the carpet, we retextured the walls,
we put nice soft carpet. The laundry room, we
changed the dryer, the washer, we put new dryer
and washer. We painted, put a cabinet on top,
the bathrooms. The bathrooms, we changed all
the tiles. We brought glass. We removed the curtains,
put glass. It was very nice. You could take in
the shower, and it was beautiful. We removed
the counters. We put big windows, I mean, mirrors
in the hall, covering the whole wall, so even
though it was a small bathroom, it looked big.
And the living room, well, we changed the flooring,
and we put wood flooring that was like bamboo
color. It was nice. It looked so nice with the
new color walls. The windows were old. You could
hear every car driving by. We changed the windows.
You know that you can have windows that are sealed
and that you don't hear anything on the other
side? Amazing. And the outside, well, the outside,
we changed the roof, completely replaced, put
a new roof in it. And then after that, actually,
the outside, we had the front yard, we had the
backyard, we planted grass. And then I had to
water with the hose and realize what were we
thinking. We need to put sprinkler system. So
we put a sprinkler system all over the front
and the back of the house. We trimmed the oak
tree in the front, the oak tree in the back.
We built a deck in the backyard. We put one of
those trampolines that you jump on, you know,
for the kids. And then the fence that were all
dark, all gray, fading, all wood. We removed
all of that. We built a whole new fence. And
with a very nice design on top. So it did not
matter where you walked into that house. It looked
nice. But that took 18 years. And it didn't matter
what contractor I was working with. It didn't
matter what project I was in, I would tell the
people, you have to remember that this house
is not mine. People are going to live here years
away after I move from here. So make sure you
do a good job. When the Holy Spirit moved in
my heart, it wasn't livable. Not nice. The things
he found in there, not nice. And so your heart,
same story. But he's going to wash away the mess.
And the good thing is he's not limited to 18
years. The rest of your life. He's going to do
one room, then the other, then this one, then...
Because you cannot take all of it at once. And
he is going to make your life become something
that is not yet. Because the healing process
is a process that will last. The Lord is not
done with you. He doesn't think you are disgusting.
He knows that you were broken. That's why he
needed to move in. Just let him do his job and
trust patiently in what he's doing. After that,
what the Holy Spirit is going to do, as he enters
and as he starts washing away, he is going to
fill you. He wants to fill your heart so that
it doesn't smell anymore like the old house.
It's going to have a fresh smell. What is that
smell? What does he want to fill you with? Let's
read it together. Romans 5, 5. And this hope
will not lead to disappointment, for we know
how dearly God loves us. Because he has given
us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his
love. What? He wants to fill my heart with what?
With his love. That is what he's interested in.
I wish we knew this earlier. Because people like
Jennifer, for instance, that grew up going to
church since they were little. And she was always
told, don't do this thing. Don't do that. God
is going to punish you. So she grows up trying
to be good. And then she's told, don't go to
the movies. That's where sinful people go. So
she never went to a movie theater. And then she
was told, don't listen to music that has drums
in it. Because drums is the instrument of the
devil. So she never listened to any drums. And
then she was told, don't wear any pants because,
you know, prostitutes wear pants. So it's like,
okay. And she loved Jesus. But that little girl
became an adult. And that adult became a missionary.
And she was spokeswoman. for the gospel of love
and grace of Jesus, except that love and grace
was anything that was in her heart. Because she
kept feeling that she was a disappointment to
God. Because all of her life following Jesus
was about, did you check the list? Huh? Huh?
Don't do that. Do this. That was her Christian
experience. She had never realized that Jesus
has sent the Holy Spirit into her heart not to
fill her with good behavior, but with His love.
And that is where everything flows. And one of
the things that we do at home with our kids,
since they were little, is that when birthday
time came, they will give us a card, but they
will make it. And I remember the first cards
when they were little toddlers, you know, all
these drawings, cute drawings, you know, stick
people, right, and dad with a face and everything,
and love you, puppy, and all these different
things. But at the very beginning, they did not
know how to spell. And some of the words were
just misspelled, or a letter is backwards, and
they're not coloring right. It's outside the
lines, you know? So when you take that card from
your toddler child that loves you so much, and
they're trying to put it in that card, you don't
go like, well, you don't know how to spell, do
you? You know, this is not colored right. Try
again. Try a little bit harder. That's not what
you would do. And we are like that toddler. Anything
I can do for God, as long as I'm not glorified,
anything I can do for God is like that card.
I don't want to misspell things. It's not going
to be colored with the right combinations of
this and that. But God loves me. And he wants
me to experience that love. And therefore I understand
that my love for God is a broken love. It's an
imperfect love. But that is the love that I can
give. And that is the love that God welcomes.
If we are not filled with the love of God, then
something else will fill it. And if it's not
love, it's going to be these feelings of shame.
And these feelings that you are unworthy of God.
And that is not from God. The Holy Spirit wants
to fill you with His love. And that is the freedom
that Jesus accomplished. So with this, now we
understand what Jesus has done. As he overcame
the power of Satan, and as he ascends, he sends
the Holy Spirit now, which by the way, in May
we'll get to celebrate Pentecost Sunday when
we celebrate the fulfillment of the promise of
the coming of the Holy Spirit. So Jesus made
a way. For the Holy Spirit to come. Enter our
hearts when we believe. Begin washing away our
sins. And removing things from our heart. And
remodeling our home. Until the day of redemption.
And until that he's going to fill us with his
love. And you know I picture that with like a
glass that has dirty water in it. And instead
of going, let's replace the water. No, he starts
filling us with his love. And before you know
it, the water looks cleaner and cleaner and cleaner
and cleaner. And you become so transformed that
you never saw it coming. Because God has filled
you with his love. And you know what that is
going to look like at the end? Glorified. Sinless.
Immortal. As we learned last week. So I want
to conclude this study with a couple of things.
First of all, Jesus is inviting you to walk in
the victory he accomplished, and that means seek
deeper intimacy with the Holy Spirit he sent.
And if you come from a place where you worship
spirits, so when you hear Holy Spirit, it's like,
that freaks me out. I am afraid of spirits. This
is not like that. The Holy Spirit is holy. It's
good. And when Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit,
he used certain words. He is the advocate. He
is for you, not against you. So you can trust
him with your future. As he guides you, trust
him. He is your advocate. Secondly, Jesus said
that the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit of truth.
He's going to speak truth to you, even when you
don't want to hear it. He's going to convict
you. And when the Holy Spirit is convicting you,
He's doing that not because He's disgusted with
you. He's doing that because He loves you and
He wants you to walk in truth. So you can trust
Him when He convicts you. You can obey Him. It's
for your good. He's not trying to enslave you.
And Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is the comforter.
As the comforter, he's there to comfort you when
you are in pain and in suffering. So when you're
in pain, don't walk away from God. Walk to him
instead. You can trust him with your pain. So
if you are feeling that you need to walk away
from God because you cannot trust that he's for
you. Or that you cannot trust that what he's
convicting you is going to be better if you obey
him. Or you cannot trust God because you don't
think that He cares about your pain. That is
from the enemy. Jesus accomplished this salvation
so that you can experience life with the Holy
Spirit. And that's exactly what the new series
is going to be about starting next week. Life
with the Holy Spirit. So are you walking with
the Holy Spirit? Is Jesus your Savior? Have you
believed in Jesus? If not, you cannot walk with
the Holy Spirit because you have no Holy Spirit
in you. But if Jesus is your Savior, then walk
with the Holy Spirit. Let Him lead you into this
healing journey and trust Him with all of it.
And finally, as the last study of this series,
in this series we have explored what Jesus accomplished
from his earthly ministry to the cross, to the
resurrection, to his ascension, to his return.
And what Jesus has accomplished for us is huge.
Are you walking in the victory of Jesus? That
is something that I pray will be true of all
of us as we continue this journey of following
Jesus together. Lord Jesus, you are above all.
And as we declare this from our hearts, if Jesus
is not your savior, I invite you to tell the
Lord, Lord, I give my life to you. I will follow
you. I do not understand what this will look
like, but I don't need to. I'll just trust you
where I am today. Follow him. Lord Jesus, thank
you for this amazing salvation you have accomplished.
So intricate, so complex. But you did it. And
you found a way to reach the hardest place to
fall. our hearts. Fill us with your love. Teach
us what it's like to live in your love. In Jesus'
name I pray, amen. Thank you for tuning in to
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