Father God, see that falling tear. Accept the
sincerity that's in that sigh. Speak peace to
that troubled mind. Give that peace to that one
that passeth all understanding. Everything else,
hear that prayer of confession. All have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. And the only
person whose sins you cannot forgive is the man
or the woman who refuses to confess their sin.
Just now, hear that prayer of confession. For
Jesus' sake we ask it. Amen. Never take your
blessings for granted. You know, all our discontents
spring from the want of thankfulness for what
we have. Look up just now. Thank God for two
good eyes. You're rich. You have something all
the money cannot buy if you have two good eyes,
two good ears, two good legs. If you have two
good legs on which to stand on, look up. Don't
take them for granted. Above everything else,
never take your salvation for granted. The peace
of... that fills your very being. It's something,
beloved, that material gain can never buy. I
have started a series of messages on the Holy
Spirit, and I feel that this is one of the most
important subjects that I could bring you because
I want you to know something. We are absolutely
dependent on this third -person trinity for every
bit of fruitfulness, for all of the manifestation
of God's power, and for the healing of sick bodies.
The Holy Spirit is the mighty power of the Trinity.
I shall continue exactly where I left off in
this series of messages on the Holy Spirit. You
remember that the last time I talked with you
on this subject, the fact was established All
of eternity. And when we speak of past eternity,
no human being knows or could even begin to fathom
that length of time in the past. I do not know.
No theologian can give you the answer to that.
No scientist holds that answer. All that we know,
we have in God's Word. And in Ephesians, the
first chapter, we have Paul, under the anointing
of the Holy Spirit, speaking and he says, according
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love. having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of
his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Paul here speaks of the Father, the Son, the
Holy Spirit having made plans for our redemption
before the foundation of the world. Going a little
deeper, in the 9th chapter of Hebrews, the 14th
verse, we have proof positive that when these
plans were being made for our salvation, our
redemption, before the foundation of the world,
that three persons were present. God the Father,
Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And
after that time, Jesus offered himself through
the Holy Spirit to the Father to come and pay
the price with his own shed blood. for man's
redemption. I read it to you. How much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God. Therefore,
we see that the plan began when Jesus offered
Himself through the Holy Spirit to God the Father,
and in turn, God the Father gave his only begotten
Son, that you and I might have life everlasting.
When I left you in the last message, we saw that
the Holy Spirit continued to carry out the plan
of God for man's salvation. She, Jesus Christ,
was conceived by the Holy Ghost. We saw that
the Holy Spirit was present at the time of the
baptism of Jesus Christ when God the Father spoke
from heaven in an audible voice and said, This
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
Now then, We're going to go a little deeper and
I pray again that the Holy Spirit shall make
this very real to your heart because it's most
important. We see that Jesus performed all his
mighty works by the power of the Holy Spirit
while he was here on earth. Whenever we think
about the miracles, performed here during the
ministry of Jesus, while Jesus was here in person
doing his earthly ministry here on earth. Whenever
we think about those miracles, the healing of
blinded eyes, when we think of him as he turned
the water into wine, when the leper was healed,
All of those glorious miracles, we always think
of them as being the manifestation of the power
of Jesus. And yet, do you want to know something?
At no time did Jesus ever say that it was his
power that did the healing or performed the miracles.
Always. He gave all credit. to the power of God
through the Holy Spirit. Always. Turn, if you
will, please, to Acts, the 10th chapter, the
38th verse. I give it to you. This is Scripture.
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Ghost and with power, who went about doing good
and healing all that were oppressed of the devil,
for God was with him. Again, we see all three
persons of the Trinity. We see Jesus, who is
God in the flesh. Jesus, the one who way back
there from the beginning of time offered himself
to the Holy Spirit, to God the Father, to come.
in bodily form and walk among men here on this
earth, we see Jesus fulfilling those plans in
the flesh on earth. We see the mighty miracles
done during his earthly ministry. But watch something.
The power that Jesus had during his earthly ministry
was given him. of the Father through the Holy
Ghost. And all of the supernatural power manifested
through Jesus Christ was literally the power
of the Holy Spirit working through him. And yet
that power was given by God the Father. Oh, to
me, that's marvelous. That's thrilling. Jesus
never boasted. of any power that he had in himself.
Never. Now, pause something and see it. This
is very vital. Jesus could not have performed
those miracles himself. Do you want to know why?
Because when he was here on earth, he was as
much man as though he were not God. I'll go a
step further. It was absolutely possible for
Jesus in this position to have yielded to temptation.
Somebody says, Ms. Coleman, be very careful.
I am. Every statement that I make, I can back
up with the Word of God. If Jesus could not have
yielded to temptation, Then that his temptation
would have been a farce when the devil appeared
unto him in his hour of temptation and begged
him to bow down to him, offering him the whole
world in exchange for that worship. When he was
tempted of the devil, Those temptations would
have been a farce. The whole thing would have
been a mockery. Had it not been possible for
Jesus to have yielded to those temptations. Remember,
the devil knew that Jesus could have yielded
to those temptations or he never would have tempted
him. The father was watching. He also knew. that
it was absolutely possible for Jesus to have
yielded. The Holy Spirit had that knowledge.
They were all watching. For remember, he was
tempted in the flesh, even as you and I are tempted
in the flesh. But he did not yield. Therefore,
Being as much man as though he were not God,
he had no power in himself to perform these miracles.
He was dependent on a supernatural power. He
was dependent on the power of the Holy Ghost,
on the power of God, in exactly the same way
that no man, no woman today has the power, has
the ability to perform miracles. I have no power
in myself to heal a sick body. No man, no earthly
human being has the power today to perform miracles,
to heal the bodies of sick folk. That takes the
divine power of a holy God. That's exact. what
happened during the earthly ministry of Jesus.
And he admitted it. I read it again. God anointed
Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power who went about doing good and healing all
that were oppressed of the devil for God was
with him. Every miracle that Jesus performed
here on earth, power was given him of God the
Father through the Holy Spirit. And never once
did he deny it. Now, let's go a step further.
Do you want to know something? The man or the
woman who says that the day of miracles is past
does not know the Word of God. For if those miracles
were performed by the power of God through the
Holy Spirit before the Holy Spirit had taken
residence here on earth, How much more should
you and I expect to see the supernatural manifestation
of God's power in this day and in this dispensation?
For we are living in the dispensation when the
Holy Spirit has come and has established residence
here on earth. For he came after the ascension
of Jesus, after Jesus Christ went back to the
Father again. He promised just before he went
away that it was necessary that he go back. Why?
That the Holy Spirit might come and take residence
here on earth. ended. In this dispensation, you
and I have a far greater right. The church has
a far greater right to expect even greater miracles
today than in the ministry of Jesus Christ. For
the power of the Trinity has taken residence
here on earth. The mighty Holy Ghost. whose spirit,
whose power quickens mortal bodies and who is
the power of the Trinity. I pray the Holy Ghost
shall make these truths real to your heart for
Jesus' sake. Amen.