Receiving Christ Fully into the Life

SPEAKER B Welcome to. You shall receive power. I'm Ettienne McClintock and with me in the studio is my co host Colin Hone. He is the international director and speaker for Holy Spirit Ministries. Also. He is the north new south wales conference prayer director. Now, our current series of programs feature the book 50 Days Prayers and Devotionals to Prepare for the latter Rain and Christ Return by Pastor Dennis Smith. And as we start our program today, we pray that you would be blessed by it. And we want to just invite God's blessing on this program. So just bow with us. Gracious Father in heaven, it's such a privilege to just spend time in your word to understand the importance of the Holy Spirit, but also today in your topic, Father, to receive Christ fully into our lives. And we pray that as people are listening and as we talk, Father, we pray that your Spirit will work amongst all of us. May you revive and reform us and may we receive the fullness of Christ who is our hope of glory, and this we pray in his name. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER B So you are listening to you shall receive power. Jesus promised his disciples. And his promise is also for you and for me. And is recorded in the Book of Acts, chapter one, and verse eight, where we read 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. Colin, looking forward to our study today. We're on day ten in the book, so it's lesson ten saying receiving Christ fully into the life. SPEAKER D It's great to be here at the end. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Today we're going to look at receiving Christ full in the life or Christ living in the believer. This is one of the most greatest promises in the world. The Bible talks about in Revelations ten, verse seven, about the mystery of God. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Being revealed just before Jesus comes, before the 7th trumpet is blown. And we know that the mystery of God is Christ in us, the hope of glory. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D Colossians 127 and 129. So we want to look at how Christ can fully live in the life or how Christ lives in the believer. John 1412 says that we would do the same works as Jesus. This is Jesus speaking, saying you will do the same works as me. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D So we want to explore that what it means to receive Christ fully in the life and how Christ can live in the believer. SPEAKER B Yeah, that's such a wonderful promise. If we think of our closest, closest friend, it may be our spouse, it may be even a parent, or it may be a sibling or a twin brother or sister, when we can have this close intimate relationship with God that Christ will dwell in us. Nothing can measure, nothing can stack up against that. What a great privilege that the King of the Universe, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, wants to have such an intimate relationship with us and have that communion with us. That is just a wonderful promise. And I know if anybody really grasped that concept, who would not want to have this connection with God? SPEAKER D Yeah, I mean, you look around and you see all these movies and all these books out about possession, about werewolves and vampires possessing people, that's like Satan's counterfeit, you know what I mean? And zombies and aliens and they get. SPEAKER B Superpowers and they can do funny things. SPEAKER D And people wanting all these sort of things to be possessed by these things. But here is the Creator of the universe, and not only Jesus, but he also says the Father wants to dwell in through us. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And this happens through the Holy Spirit. The Father and the Son dwell in us. And I love what you said before, the Creator of the universe. Get your head around that. I mean, just our galaxy alone, that planet Earth lives in. But that's where planet Earth is. Scientists believe there's at least 100 to 200 billion suns or stars, right, just in our galaxy alone. Yes, 100 to billion suns. 100 billion suns. And now science believe there's at least 100 to 200 billion galaxies. SPEAKER C Galaxies. SPEAKER B So 100 to 200 billion times 100 to 200 billion, it's a lot of zeros. SPEAKER D And the Creator wants to come and dwell in us. It's just amazing thing that it just blows my mind how God wants to dwell in us. And he dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And it's through the daily baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus lives most fully in the life of know. Jesus gave a wonderful promise to his disciples just prior to returning his Father. He said he would send another comforter, which was the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And one very important aspect, if this Holy Spirit experienced that he would be in them. That's john 1417. Let's read that. SPEAKER B 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. SPEAKER D So the Holy Spirit will dwell with you, but be in you. So the Holy Spirit was with them. And here Jesus is prophesying about the day of Pentecost. Yes. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D And the Holy Spirit will dwell in you. SPEAKER B And as we've already discovered in previous studies, that Pentecost experience was to remain with the Church until the lateral reign. That was the former reign. And that is the power God offers us today. It's always been available to us if we would but receive it by faith. SPEAKER D And he said, another comforter. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D So Jesus is the comforter. And he said, I'll send another comforter, which is the Holy Spirit. And so one important aspect if this Holy Spirits is that he would be in them, and not only would they be filled, the Holy Spirit, but Jesus says, I will come to you. In John 14 eight, he says, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D So he's saying this is how he comes to you. SPEAKER B Yes, you were saying before there, and you made reference to the fact that it's not only Jesus that will be represented in your lives, it's also the Father through the Holy Spirit. And a few verses down, five verses down, John 1423, jesus answered and said to Him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love Him, and we will come to Him and make our home with Him. So you get the Godhead, you get the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER D He wanted to dwell in us. Amazing thing. And in fact, those who are ready for Christ's return, that God's Word says will be just like Jesus. And we believe that Jesus is coming soon. We see all the signs that are happening around the world that tell us that Jesus is coming soon. And in one John, chapter three, verse two, first John, chapter three, verse two. Let's read that. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER B Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is. SPEAKER D Amazing, isn't it? So what Jesus is saying here, or John is saying, is that those are ready to meet Jesus or the Second Coming will be just like Jesus. I mean, in the Greek, that's what it means. It says to be just like Jesus. SPEAKER B Okay, so that's actually a strong word, the word like there in the Greek. SPEAKER D Yes. So this happens through, again, the daily baptism or infilling of the Holy Spirit, which enables Jesus to live out his life in and through us. And so, you know, just imagine when Jesus returns, he's coming as king, and he's all his glory. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D I mean all his glory. And he's coming with all his angels. And there could be millions upon millions or 10,010 thousands. Everyone has a guardian angel. There must be billions of them. Yes. And they're coming with all their glory. And you can imagine that when one angel well, just think about it. One angel appeared to a Roman soldiers at Jesus tomb. Yes, one angel. And it says they fell as dead men. SPEAKER B Incredible. SPEAKER D One angel in the Assyrian army destroyed the Assyrian army of 120 or 150,000 soldiers. One angel. SPEAKER B And we know that angels are created beings, so that's created glory. Imagine the original glory, because Jesus says he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and in the glory of the angels. What an incredible day that will be. SPEAKER D And it says the wicked are destroyed by their brightness. By the brightness. So that's why the only way we can stand in that day is that if we have Christ living in us and have his glory living in us, so glory makes glory, you mean? SPEAKER B I love that analogy. SPEAKER D So we're not destroyed by the brightness of his coming. So that's why it's important that we're growing prepared to be ready to be just like Jesus. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And this happens again through the daily infilling of the Holy Spirit. And Paul describes out this description of his life with Jesus and this experience in Galatians two, verse 20. Galatians two, verse 20, paul's describing this experience, what it's like? SPEAKER B I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Now, interesting enough, I was talking to someone who is a Greek scholar, and he says that I am crucified with Christ is written in a tense which both covers the past and the present, but the present continuously. So I said, I said like present continuous tense? He says, no, it's more than that. It's a tense that we don't have in English, but they have it in Greek. So we are crucified with Christ and we continuous, daily are crucified with Him. That's what we talk about, their daily renewal and continual surrender to Christ. Beautiful text. SPEAKER D So what the text is saying is Paul's saying, I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. So Paul's still living, wasn't he? SPEAKER B That's right. So we're both dead and alive in Christ simultaneously. That is an incredible miracle. SPEAKER D But then he goes, yeah. He says, yet it's not I, it's not I that lives anymore. Yes, Paul was saying I'm dead to self, I'm dead to self. And now it's Christ that lives in me. And so here it is that Christ is living in Him. And we know that from John, that Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER B And it says that we live by the faith of the Son of God. So Christ is the author of our faith, we receive that faith, and by exercising the faith that God has given each man, we're able to live this life of death. But not only death, also resurrection in Christ and Christ living in us. SPEAKER D So there's another Bible verse that reminds me of God's people in the last days having the faith of Jesus. Yes, revelation, chapter 14, verses six to twelve. SPEAKER B That's correct. SPEAKER D This messenger or this people that give the three angels message, the everlasting gospel to the world, it says that they keep the commandments of God and they have the faith of Jesus. SPEAKER B That's right, yes. SPEAKER D So that means that we need the faith of Jesus, his faith. And the only way we can have the faith of Jesus is if Jesus is living in and through us, then we have his faith. And that's what Paul's, I believe, is describing here. And so it's through the daily or infilling daily baptism in the Holy Spirit that believers daily grow into the fullness of Christ. And what happens is, as we grow into likeness of Christ, his character will be seen more and more in our lives. The Bible says in one Corinthians, chapter two, verse 16, that they'll have the mind of Christ. SPEAKER C Wow. SPEAKER B Isn't that incredible? SPEAKER D Yeah. The mind of Christ. And also in Philippians, chapter two, verse five, it says, we'll have the mind of Christ. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER B Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER B And that reminds me of that text there, Colin, in Romans chapter twelve and verse two, where it tells us not to be conformed to the world. And then it says, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Now, quite interesting, it doesn't say the renewing of the flesh. We got to deny the flesh. The flesh stays as it is, but the mind is transformed and renewed. And by having the mind of Christ, we can actually subdue the flesh. We can be dead in Christ, yet alive because of the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER D Yeah, we'll have the same dislikes of Christ and his likes. We'll have the same likes of Jesus. SPEAKER B Who doesn't want to be like yeah. SPEAKER D I mean, I remember Paul saying, the things that I love, I won't love anymore. Things I don't love, I'll love. There's a whole new desire put in your heart that we just naturally don't have. Also, he'll give us a desire to obey God, obey the Father. I think we can read that in Psalms chapter 40, verse seven and eight. SPEAKER B Then I said, Behold, I come in the scroll of the book, it is written of me, I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart. SPEAKER D So here's Jesus talking about the Messiah here to come, that he will delight to do the will of God and to have God's law be in his heart. So you think about if Jesus is living in us and dwelling in us, and the Father through us, he'll put the desire in us to obey God. SPEAKER B Well, that's the covenant promise, isn't it? The everlasting covenant, the new covenant. SPEAKER D The new covenant found in Hebrews chapter eight and Hebrews chapter ten, where Paul says that under the new covenant that he was quoting in the Old Testament that God will write his laws. And he's specifically talking about his Ten Commandments. Here he'll write his laws on our mind and in our hearts. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And give us a desire to obey Him. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER B Just as Jesus did. SPEAKER D Yeah, just as Jesus did. So that's why when Jesus living in us, he'll give us a desire to keep his commandments. In actual fact, it's Jesus desire to keep the law. He'll put that in our hearts. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER B Beautiful. SPEAKER D Another incredible thing, we'll have the love of Christ. The Bible also talks about Holy Spirit, says the love of God is poured out in our hearts. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER B Romans five five. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER D So we'll have the love of God or his agape love on our hearts. To love know, I must admit, sometimes it's hard for us to love others. SPEAKER B Sure, there's some people that are easier to love than others. And the harder to love ones are the ones that actually show us whether we have agape or not. SPEAKER D I think they certainly do. But here's the thing is when you have Jesus living in you, what you do is you'll see past people's faults. Instead of reacting to people's faults, normally we react to people's faults or things that bother us. Yes, we naturally react. But when we have God's love on our hearts, we won't react to people's faults. Because you know why? God sees through our faults and sees our need. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER B Well, if we have Christ within us, we'll deal with people as God has dealt with us. He has not treated us according to our sins and the wrong things we've done. He's treated us in mercy. SPEAKER D That's right. So we'll be able to see through the eyes of Jesus and look past people's faults and see their need, just as God does with us. SPEAKER B Wouldn't that be wonderful? So you don't have that inherent natural reaction to respond that the flesh has that will be subdued because the love of Christ will be the controlling factor in our life. SPEAKER D It is a growing process. SPEAKER C Sure. SPEAKER B Understand that as well. SPEAKER D Growing process, yes. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D So we'll also have a Christ's love of righteousness. SPEAKER B Right doing. SPEAKER D Right doing. And we'll also have his hatred of sin. But we'll love sinners. Christ loved sinners, but hated sin. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And we will love sinners if Christ is living us, but we will hate sin. SPEAKER B It reminds me of that text where the father is addressing the Son and he calls him God. He says there in Hebrews, chapter one, verse nine, which is a quote from the Old Testament, it says, you have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Now, the word lawless says the same word is translated in the King James as transgression of the law. And he said, Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions. And we know the oil represents the Holy Spirit in the Bible. SPEAKER D Right. So also Paul was saying it, it was Christ who was actually doing the living in him. In other statements twelve two Corinthians, chapter 13, verse five, paul says the same thing. He says, examine yourselves. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D I mean, straight away that's be honest with yourself. Be honest with you. Examine yourself whether you be in the faith, prove your own selves, know you not your own selves. How that? Christ Jesus is in you. I mean, here he is examine yourselves to see whether Christ is living in you. And that's just that's a good admonition. SPEAKER B For all of us that we are to examine ourselves and we encourage by inspiration to do it, to test ourselves, to know that Christ is in us or not. And if he's not, that means we're not qualified. We're actually disqualified. And then this is one of the things by nature I am corrupt. So if I don't receive from God, all I can give is my own corruption. And I'm sure other people don't want my corruption. They have enough of their own. So we have to receive this fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit. And when we receive from God, then we're able to give virtue and righteousness and love and reveal the character of God to the world. SPEAKER D Well, we know that even our own efforts of producing righteousness is like filthy rag rags. SPEAKER B Indeed it is. SPEAKER D That's right. So we need Christ's righteousness and Christ living in us, then it's his righteousness, not ours. That's the difference. Again in Galatians four, chapter four, verse nine, and Paul says, my little children of whom I travel in birth again until Christ be formed in you. Here's he's wanting Christ to be formed in us. SPEAKER B Beautiful. SPEAKER D And in the above verse, Paul refers to the process of Christ being fully formed or manifest in the believer. So what's happening is Christ fully manifest Himself in one's life is a process from glory to glory. We've talked about that before. Yes, in two Corinthians, chapter three, verse 18. And so what's going to happen is those who are ready to meet Jesus will have fully grown into Christ, into the likeness of Jesus, allowing Christ to manifest Himself in them 100% in their lives. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Which is how they can be just like Jesus. SPEAKER B Well, that's that text we read in the beginning there, that they will be just like Jesus. And it's that promise in one John, chapter three and verse two that we read a little bit earlier where it says that, beloved, now you are the children of God and has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is. Then verse three says that everyone who has this hope in Him, so this is the hope of all we just read before, that we'll be like Him, purifies Himself just as he being Jesus is pure. SPEAKER D That's a great promise. Great promise. Numerous times, numerous times in the New Testament, we're told that Christ is to be our life, which means we are to have the experience Paul describes. We just spoke about in Galatians 220 yes. Where Paul stated that Christ lived in Him and the victorious life Paul was living was the how do you want to have a victorious life? This is the key to it all. The victorious life Paul was living was a result of having faith in Christ to live out his obedient, righteous life in and through Paul. There's the secret. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER D That's the secret to victory over sin. And note how clearly this truth is stated in the following Bible verse in John 14, verse six. And Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. And again in Romans, chapter five, verse ten. For if we were enemies, were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. You see, Jesus saves us from sinful temptations by living out his victorious life in Amen. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And so again, it's just right through the Bible. In Colossians three four, Paul says, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory. Remember when Christ, who is our life yes, who is our life? Christ is to be our life as a Christian. Again in Philippians, chapter one, verse 21, for the Christian to live in this world is to have Christ living in him. He says, for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. SPEAKER B So that's denial of self that he's. SPEAKER D Talking about, and there you and that's that wonderful mystery again of Christ in you, the hope of glory. And so in every verse, these verses, christ is to be our very life. He's to be living out his obedient life in and through us. Self is to be surrendered and crucified daily so that Christ's life can be seen. And so that's what that promise was in John, chapter 14, where he promised that he'll give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever. How long is the comforter going to be with us? SPEAKER C Forever? Yeah. SPEAKER D Will the abider be with us when the whole world goes crazy? They talk about the last final events in Bible prophecy, when it's going to go nuts. The Holy Spirit was to be with us even at the close of probation, when judgment has finished, just before Jesus comes, every decision is made, the Holy Spirit and Christ will still be living in the believer 100% through Him. SPEAKER C Amen. Yeah. SPEAKER B And we know that as people reject the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will finally let them be and he will withdraw from them. But he says, you'll never withdraw from his believers, from his faithful disciples. SPEAKER D That's wonderful news. So I love what Paul tells us, that the wisdom of God, which is the righteousness, sanctification holiness, is to be ours. SPEAKER B Right. Let's at that text in one Corinthians, chapter one and 30. SPEAKER D Yes. Look at that. Let's read that again. That's just a wonderful promise, says but. SPEAKER B Of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. SPEAKER D Wow. So Christ is what in other verses use our justification, our sanctification and our glorification. A lot of Asians, but basically the end of the day is Jesus is our justification. He paid the penalty on the cross and justifies us. He's also our sanctification. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Okay. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D When he lives in and through us, he's the one that sanctifies us, sets it aside for holy purpose. SPEAKER B Well, if you look at that list there, there's a few things mentioned. He's our wisdom, righteousness, our sanctification and redemption. There's not one aspect of our salvation that we do not find in Christ. He is the author of our salvation. As a matter of fact, I think it's Hebrews five nine that says that he became the author of eternal salvation. SPEAKER D To those who obey of our faith. SPEAKER C Yes. Amen. SPEAKER D Absolutely. And so what it's saying there is the redemption of Christ is ours as spirit filled Christians. And God's wisdom will be manifest in our lives every virtue, every quality of Christ. We to become more and more like Jesus every day as we are changed into his image from glory to glory, even by the Holy Spirit. So what happens is Christ living the believer through the infilling of the Spirit, causes the character of Christ to be fully developed in them. So what happens is the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit. In our next lesson, we're going to talk more about the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. When he dwells in us, we have his fruits and his character as we will take more and more of our life. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D In the end, the Spirit will take such control of the believer that they'll become like Jesus in every way. Remember, in one, john three, two those of you ready to meet Jesus, just like Jesus. I love this statement that author Ellen White says. She says this wonderful statement in The Desire of Ages, page 668, right? Just a wonderful book on the life of Jesus Christ. A beautiful book. And this is what she says all true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, there's the key, Etienne. If we consent, he will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to his will that when obeying Him, we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. SPEAKER B Incredible. Isn't that incredible? SPEAKER D She goes on to say, the will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing his service. When we know God, as it is our privilege to know Him, do you know it's a privilege to know Him? God wants us to know Him. She says, when we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience and how through an appreciation of the character of Christ through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us. SPEAKER B There's so many wonderful statements there the one that you started there the consent, obviously, that's got to do with free will. God wants us to choose Him. And the Bible says we love Him because he first loved us. So because of the goodness of God, we will be led to repentance. But we got to taste and see that the Lord is good. Sometimes the package doesn't look attractive to the natural heart. It says the carnal mind or the natural mind is not enmity against God, is not subject to his law, nor can it be but the talk to be refined and sanctified. What happens is we give ourselves to God and all our talents and abilities he gives back to us sanctified, which means he sets it aside for a holy purpose. And then the statement you read, our highest delight will be found in doing his service. Now, you think about the delight that you have in your life at the moment, dear listener. You think of your highest possible delight. God is going to offer you a delight even greater than that when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. It's a privilege to know Him, as it says there. And we'll have a life of continual obedience because Christ will be in us. And we'll appreciate the character of Christ, have communion with God, and the things that we used to love, we will no longer love. And the things that we never used to like so much before. Maybe the good stuff and the righteous stuff, we will now delight in. SPEAKER D So how does this happen, Eddie? And how do we get there to be like this great promise? And I guess we've got to spend time with Jesus. Remember, it says through an appreciation of the character. And I believe that daily baptism, Holy Spirit spending time in prayer and asking for the infilling or daily baptism, holy Spirit will bring the fulfillment of Christ's promise that believers would do the same works he did, and even greater works, according to John 1412. So I believe that Christ will do the same works today through believer as he did when he walked this earth 2000 years ago. This happens when believer receives the infilling of the Holy Spirit and continues to walk in the Spirit. In fact, Jesus said the believers will do greater works because Jesus'works will be manifested through every believer that receives Him fully. And so, like, in a real sense, every believer becomes as Christ to the world. He becomes Christ's mouth, Christ's hands, Christ's feet, doing the very works he did, preaching, teaching, healing, casting out of devils. And I must have since I started this journey. I started this journey probably 24 years ago, but I only really started praying for the daily infilling of the Holy Spirit and dying to self daily about eight years ago, right? And since that time I've seen miraculous things in the world. I've seen demons and devils cast out. I've seen incredible things around the world. SPEAKER B So your life has changed dramatically from what it was pre receiving the Holy Spirit and post. Receiving the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER D I've seen it in my own life, but it's not me, idiot. Sure, just like Paul said, it's not I that live, but it's Christ that lives in me. When Christ lives in you, he says you'll see the same things and do the same things. And I've been able to see Christ do the same things through me. I've been to 24 different countries around the world. I've seen demons cast out. SPEAKER C Wow. SPEAKER D I've seen amazing things. I've seen thousands come to Christ. I've seen people delivered from all sorts of problems in their lives. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Bitterness and unforgiving spirit and many things like that that will rob people of. SPEAKER B Their lives because so much energy can go into bitterness and anger and wanting revenge. SPEAKER D But thing is, there's a lot of bad things that happen to people. SPEAKER B Of course there is. SPEAKER D A lot of people are abused physically, sexually, religiously abused, especially as children. And that's not right. SPEAKER C No. SPEAKER D But because they're holding on to anger, bitterness and resentment. What happens in the Bible, it says we give place to the devil. In Ephesians chapter five it says we give place to the devil when we hold on to anger, bitterness and resentment. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER D And so we're going to look at that in one of the other lessons about how you can be delivered from that. And it's simply through a prayer of forgiveness from anything. Anything. God is powerful and can able to do that. So what we're needing is we need Christ to live out his life through us. And it's only through the daily baptism Holy Spirit that we can live a righteous life of obedience in and through us. And again, you want to have victory over temptation and sin. It's simply letting Christ's victory lived out in your life. There's the secret. You want victory over sin. Let Christ's victory live out in your life. Hence his righteousness will be seen in us when we choose to let Him manifest his righteous life in us. And then we've got to believe by faith that he will. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D This is true biblical righteous by faith. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER B It reminds me of that text there, colin Philippians, chapter two, verse twelve and 13, where it says therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. And then verse 13, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. So here we see that it is God working in us to will and to do so first of all the desire, because that's got to do with the will and then also the ability to perform that which we desire to do well. SPEAKER D It's just an amazing know we see this happen. Christ's words fulfilled at the day of Pentecost, didn't we? And onwards, his character was manifest through all who received the infilling in the Spirit in Acts chapter two, verse 46 to 47, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And right then, thousands were won to Christ. Another thing that will happen to you as you're daily filled with the Holy Spirit is you have a desire to see souls saved. You have a desire to see souls saved. And we see that at Pentecost. Thousands were won to Christ through the Spirit, anointing preaching of the Gospel. They were anointed with the Holy Spirit and preached, and thousands were won. Devils were cast out and the sick were healed and even the Deborah raised. I remember I was in Ethiopia one day, I was over there preaching, and one morning the Lord put on my heart as I was praying to fast that day, just to pray and fast. And so I didn't know why. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And I remember the people came to pick me up and they took me to a church just for a morning meeting that morning. And that morning, as we were speaking, someone brought in a man possessed by demons. His face was contorted, he could sell. There was something wrong. And they asked me, would you be able to help him? And so I said, well, let's ask God. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And so we asked God to reveal the strongholds in his life. And what God revealed is that and what anger he had been us he was holding on to. And he told us that his father and his father before were possessed by this demon, and his father wanted him to be possessed by this demon as well. And his life was destroyed because of this. Completely destroyed, yeah. And so we asked God to reveal the strongholds, and what we found is he revealed to this man that he was holding on to anger, bitterness and resentment towards his father. And that was giving place the devil and the demons in his life. And so we just took him through the prayer of forgiveness and we prayed over him and he was released. His whole face changed. It was like just lit up. He had the face of Jesus on him. SPEAKER C Wow. SPEAKER D He went out skipping out of the church that day as we asked for Jesus to deliver him from these bondage and burdens. And we just took him through the prayer of forgiveness, and he forgave his father, and he asked Jesus for his forgiveness through Him towards his father. And then we cast out then in the name of Jesus. We cast out these demons in the name of Jesus. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And he went out free. Well, the Son has set you free. You're free indeed. SPEAKER B That's incredible. If you look at Revelation 18, where it says that Babylon has fallen, has become the habitation of devils. God designed us to be the habitation of the Holy Spirit. We are to be the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. And it says there in one Corinthians chapter I think three and chapter six, that that is what God desires of us. But quite often people are sold the lie by the devil. He promises fame, fortune and everything else, but it doesn't bring them the happiness they think it would. And there's lots of people who've actually left that industry quite simply because they totally feel unfulfilled. They have the fame, they have the fortune, but they don't have the fruit of the spirit. There is no love, joy, peace. And I've seen sometimes videos of people who are famous stars crying, just saying that they thought it'd be different, they were offered all these things, fame and fortune. And we know some of these people have sold their souls to the devil and when they actually confront the thing, they realize that they had bought into a lie. We got to pray for these people. SPEAKER D It's very sad. And so we see this in the early church as casting out of devils souls being converted through their spirit anointed preaching. And I now look back at it and say, now I know why God asked me to fast that morning. Yes, because sometimes preparing you for that, sometimes things can only be cast out with prayer and fasting, as Jesus said. And so this wonderful work of Christ continued through the first centuries of the Christian era. However, we know, looking back at history, darkness came upon the Church with many false teachings that were accepted and propagated. The church lost her power. The great error of apostasy brought with it great weakness in the body of Christ. The character of Christ became obscure, soul winning, waned and healings all but ceased. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And so this great era of apostle brought with it great weakness in the body of Christ. And so the character of Christ became obscure, soul winning, waned and healing's. Orbit ceased, and a time of great spiritual famine and darkness gripped Christendom. SPEAKER B Yeah, well, it was prophesied by the apostle Paul. Then second, thessalonians chapter two where he said there will become a falling away first before the man of sin, the son of perdition, is revealed. So he, God, through the Holy Spirit had told him that this would happen within the church. SPEAKER D That's true. I mean, John Wesley, a famous preacher who started the Methodist Church, commented on why miracles stopped after the Roman Empire became Christian. He says this from his book the Holy Spirit and Power. John Wesley he says, I answer that after the empire became Christian, a general corruption of faith and morals infected the Christian Church. By that revolution, says St. Jerome, the Church lost as much of her virtue as it gained of wealth and power. And this very same reason was given by Saint Chris. Sotheum I can't even say that word. I'll spell it. C-H-R-Y-S-O-S-T-O-M. But he said these words. There are some who ask why are not miracles performed still? Why are there no persons who raise the dead and cure diseases. To which he replies that it was due to the lack of faith, virtue and piety in those times and the Holy Spirit. And you know, when I look at that and I think that's what happened in the dark ages. Christians today are not exempt from these woeful fact. That's true, you know, in God. And his message to the Laodicean church, which is God's last day church yes. Of the Christian era, is failing to reflect Christ's character. That is the problem with the Laodicean church. Revelations, chapter three, verse 14 to 22. And we'll read that in a minute. But how? Unfortunately, however, what the problem with Laticene church? Is she's even not even aware of her shortcomings? He doesn't even know? SPEAKER C No. SPEAKER D And the latest end christian think he has all he needs. SPEAKER B Well, this is the interesting thing. If you look at church history, whenever the power of God had waned and the revelation of the character of God and his people had waned systematically as the power ebbed out, not because God had withdrawn his power but simply because they refused to accept it by faith, then what had happened? After a while they realized, well look, the church is not having the influence in society that they want. So what do they do to make up the lack? They then start talking to government. Say government, you got to bring in legislation, you got to bring in people aren't keeping the Sabbath now whether they think it's Saturday or Sunday or whatever, then they start pushing those laws and they start trying to legislate morality. And that is always a clear sign when the church starts doing that, that they are having a form of Godliness. But they're denying the power because if the Spirit of God was in the church, the power of God would be in the church, thousands would be converted. But because they're not able to convert people now they're trying to coerce people by bringing in laws to try and force people into morality. And that never works. That's a sign that people have actually walked away from true morality. SPEAKER D So you've got that extreme where the church says hey, listen, we need to force. And on the other extreme as well, if you go to the other end of the spectrum, what the church can also do is saying hey, we need to conform to the world to have people come into the church. So let's lower the standards, let's change everything. Let's change everything so we'll be more accepting of that's right? SPEAKER B Let's be more like the world so that the world will feel more comfortable in the church, in the right. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D So that's the other extreme that happens in the know we're lacking the power of the Holy Spirit and the converting power of the Holy Spirit. So we lower the standards. We say, okay, well, we need to conform to the world so the world will come to us. SPEAKER B That's incredible. But we are admonished by Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In Romans, chapter twelve, verse two be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that acceptable and perfect will of God. So God wants to transform and change us by transforming and changing the mind, receiving the mind of Christ, having the power of Christ, doing the works of Christ, and of course, reaching out to those having that desire to reach out to those who have not received the good news of salvation yet. SPEAKER D That's right. When you look at the early church, the power was in. Was they repented? They repented and were filled with the Holy Spirit. That was the secret of their power. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D They didn't have to entertain people. There wasn't like, let's put a show on, let's put a picnic, let's do something here, let's have a carnival, have a carnival, let's just change the way we do worship, let's just change everything. No, they didn't do any of that. They just repented and were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with power. And that's what the Latice in church needs. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER B I agree. SPEAKER D The last Day church needs to be heated and become on fire for God. And who has this need fire? Jesus does. John the Baptist foretold that Christ were baptized with the Holy Spirit. And fire and the baptism of fire of the Holy Spirit is the only hope for the Laticean church. We don't need any more entertainment. We don't need it to change the worship styles and do all these different things that we're trying to reach people. And I understand why they do it, because there's lacking power. So we got to do something. SPEAKER B Yeah, got to get something else, do something. SPEAKER D Let's change the music, let's change the worship style, let's change this, this, this. And they've go through all the things, but still 65% of young people are leaving church. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D So it's not working. SPEAKER B Exactly. It's not working. And we all want our worship to work. We all want the presence and power of God. We all want a vibrant church and a church to be filled with people, not anybody leaving. But the thing is, you can't have the flesh substitute through excitement the power of the Holy Spirit. And quite often with some of the techniques used within the church, one of the things of music, for example, you've got rhythm, melody and harmony. Now, rhythm, if it actually drives the music and that beat drives the whole worship service, what beat does? It actually appeals to the senses. You take the beat out of the music, nobody really wants to dance. But when the beat is there and it's powerful and strong and that bass driving beat, the flesh is the one that gets appealed to primarily. And then what happens is because it creates an excitement within the body. People can think that is the moving of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works not through the flesh. It actually works through the mind. We have to be transformed by the Holy Spirit through the renewing of the mind. And that's why it's important that repentance comes first. Then we will have a joyful experience in the Lord, regardless of some of these other things. Now, we're not saying, of course you can't have a joyous experience in the Lord and you can't enjoy your worship. That's not what we're saying. But we're saying if you're substituting true worship, worshiping God in spirit and in truth, then you're actually putting something instead of God and that will never work. SPEAKER D That's true. SPEAKER B You will never experience the joy of salvation by doing those. SPEAKER D So what was the solution to the Laticean problem? Was that Christ wants in? SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Christ has pictured us knocking at the door of the Laticean church. He longs to become part of the lives of the professed believers, which is the only solution to their problem. The indwelling of Christ occurs only through the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Hence the message of Christ to the Laticeans is a call to receive the baptism Holy Spirit. SPEAKER B I agree. SPEAKER D Yes, because Christ is knocking door saying Let me in. Well, how does Christ come in? Through the Holy Spirit. So the message to the Latice is to receive the early reign or daily baptism Holy Spirit and dying to self daily. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER B Well, that text there in Revelation chapter three you mentioned from verse 14 through to verse 22 about the message to the church of the Laodiceans. Verse 20 there says, behold, I stand at the door and knock. Now, are we hearing the knock? Because then Jesus says if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with me. And our lesson today is all about receiving Christ fully into the life. So later, see, if Christ is standing outside the door knocking, it means he's not in. He wants to come in. And he says, if you hear my voice and you open the door, he will come in, he will dine with you and you will dine with him. And that's the promise we had in John 14. We read before that the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit will come and make their home. They will manifest themselves to you in your life. What a beautiful promise. And apparently Laodicea is totally ignorant of the fact that Christ is outside of the door. SPEAKER D They don't even know they think he's in. SPEAKER B But he's not in. He's saying, I'm outside knocking. SPEAKER D That's right. Well, how do you know? You'll know them by the fruits. Yes, there's the true evidence by the fruits. And we're not knocking this know. SPEAKER B Well, we're part of it. SPEAKER D We're all part of it. SPEAKER B If we're not part of the solution, we're part of the problem, I guess. SPEAKER D The first part of the solution is in realizing you have a problem to recognize that we're actually in Laodicea. You can't come out of Laodicea until you recognize that you're in Laodicea. And that's the problem with Laodicea. They don't even know it. So I guess our viewers we want to realize is, let's be honest. Let's look at ourselves and look at the early church. The early church was about repenting and being filled with the Holy Spirit and preaching the gospel. Do you know how much is about music in the New Testament? Nothing. SPEAKER B I'm just trying to think. SPEAKER D There's nothing about music in there. A revival of true Godliness is what we need, and that comes from people who are repenting. They said, what do we do to Peter when he preached his first sermon? They'll cut to the heart. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D They realize that we crucified Christ and so that's what we need in the church. So when last day Christians receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and continue to daily walk in it, they'll be witness a great revival and reformation is what we're wanting. Christ's character will be manifest in his perfection through his people, by Christ Himself, as we understand experience righteous by faith. God's Last Day message will be proclaimed with a power not before seen, the power of the latter reign of the Spirit. And many signs will follow. This is what we need when we let Christ in. We're going to see a revival of true Godliness. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D And the great focus of the prayers of God's people at that time will be. You know what our prayer will be? To receive more of Jesus, more of the infilling of God's spirit. The earnest desire of the heart will be changed. Instead of, like focusing on sin and lamenting our failures, we'll be pleading that I may know Him in Philippians 310, that I may know Him. They will have discovered this wonderful truth. To know Jesus is victory. This knowing comes through the influence of the Holy Spirit and victory comes by learning how to let Jesus live out his victory in the believer. Jesus had the victory for us, and so he wants to give it to us. As we let Jesus live in us, we're allowing Jesus to have his victory in and through us as well over sin. So victory comes by learning how to let Jesus live out his victory in the believer. And victory comes by full experiencing righteous by faith in Christ. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D So I believe that Christ wants to finish this work on earth, Eddie, and he wants to finish it. And I believe we're all invited to participate in this glorious climax where God is going to pour out his ladder ain't of the Holy Spirit. Revelations 18, verse one says God's going to light up this earth with his glory. And how is he going to do that? He's going to have his people fully having Christ live in them 100%. And I'm excited about that. SPEAKER B Yeah, I'm excited about that as well. I mean, if you think in a business world or you think in the sports world, how many people wouldn't love to go and work side by side with someone who's done it before? Someone has become successful, whether they be a person who's played in sports or on the track and field or whatever the profession. If they are a top coach and they've done it themselves, they might be Olympic medalist or whatever it is. People would do anything just to be trained and coached and work alongside those people. The same in the business world. And here you're saying that God wants to finish his work, but he wants to do it with us. What a privilege to be able to work with God, have the Holy Spirit work with us. And even we are told that holy angels will be by our side as well doing that work. The greatest privilege to be trained by God and then to be used by God. This is what God's calling you to do. I don't even know what your work is at the moment, but maybe you can do that work. Plus God will call you, maybe God will call you to full time ministry. But it all starts with that repentance, as you mentioned, Colin, receiving the power of God, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then God will direct your paths and you will be able to do a wonderful work with Him. And your highest delight would be in the service of God. Higher than the highest delight you've ever yet experienced in your own life. SPEAKER D That's right, Eddie. And the only way we can have Christ live out his righteous life in us is by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This is why Paul So said, commands us in Ephesians five, verse 18. Let's read Ephesians five, verse 18. Paul's saying, do not be drunk with wine. Yes, but be filled with the Spirit. And he's using the Greek continuous verb action. He's not saying this is a one off thing that you received at conversion. This is a continually daily. I mean, why would Paul say I die daily? Yes, I've said this before. We die daily, we need to be born daily. SPEAKER B That's right. SPEAKER D We need to be renewed and filled. He's saying keep on being filled with the Spirit and ignorance and refusal to enter this daily Spirit. Baptized experience is why the latter reign of the Holy Spirit has not fallen on God's people. It would be spiritual suicide for God to pour out his latter rain if people aren't ready. SPEAKER B Well, that's true. SPEAKER D He's waiting for us to grow into the likeness of Christ so he can pour out his latter reign of the Holy Spirit. And so God's purpose with the church has not been fulfilled and Christ has not returned. So we need this early reign of the Holy Spirit, we need to let Christ in. And so I really encourage those who are listening, we're living in the Day of Atonement, Eddie, and we are 1844 yes. When it says this marvelous promise that the sanctuary will be cleansed. And when you read the sanctuary being cleansed in Leviticus, chapter 16, it talks about the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement wasn't a day of celebrating. That was later on. SPEAKER B Another feast of tabernacles. SPEAKER D Yeah, that's when they did their celebrating. The Day of Atonement was actually time. SPEAKER B To afflict their souls. SPEAKER D Afflict their souls, because the Day of Atonement, the sanctuary was cleansed. All your sins had gone in. Every year, the record of your sins through the blood had gone into the sanctuary. And once a year, that sanctuary had to be cleansed. And now there's going to be this cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, a work of judgment. It was a day of judgment. You would afflict your souls and repent of your sins, and they were to be in the sanctuary. If you held on to your sins, you were cast down. And so this is a day, a solemn day, and we're living in the Day of Atonement. This is the time to go to your niece and ask God, is there anything in my life? Is there anything unclean in my life? Is there anything sins that I'm holding on to that need to be removed and then ask Him to remove them? Yes, so you can be cleansed. And this cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven is also corresponding to the cleansing of this sanctuary, our temple in our hearts, until God can't cleanse the sanctuary in heaven, the record of our sins in heaven until he has cleansed sin out of our own hearts. SPEAKER B That's right, yes. SPEAKER D He has to do that first, then he can do that. SPEAKER B There's many texts in the Bible that talk about that. Matter of fact, if you look at the Septuagint and the Greek word they use, therefore, under 2300 days in the sanctuary shall be cleansed. That word cleansed in the Septuagint is used often in the New Testament by the apostle Paul and the other apostles as well, about the work that God desires to do for his people. And even under the emblems of marriage, the husband and the wife, christ being represented by the husband and the wife representing the Church, he said that he wants to cleanse and purify his bride of every uncleanness without, so she'll be without spot or wrinkle. That word cleanse is the same word as unto 2300 days in the sanctuary shall be cleansed the same word. So God wants to do that. And even under the harvest principle we see there in Revelation, chapter 14, when the three angels messages have done their work, then immediately the harvest is ripe and God puts in his sickle under that harvest principle. We also read in a book called Christ object Lessons, page 69. It says Christ is waiting with longing, desire for the manifestation of Himself in his church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in his people, then he will come to claim them as his own. Now we read some text earlier. There Colin in John chapter 14, verse 23 where Jesus answered a question and he said to the disciple who asked him the question if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. So Jesus answered a question and said if you love me, you'll keep my word. My Father will love you and we will come. The father and the son will come. Through the Holy Spirit we'll make our home with him. Now, what was this question that this disciple had asked? Now we read it in the previous verse, john 1422 judas, not Judas iscariot another Judas said to him lord, how is that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? So Jesus had just said something to them and we got to go to the previous verse to see what Jesus said. And Jesus has said there in verse 21 of John 14 he who has my commandments, so he have the commandments and keeps them is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and manifest myself to Him. So Jesus then said there that he would manifest himself to his church. Then the disciple Judas asked him lord, how will you manifest yourself to the Church? And this is where Jesus answered the question in verse 23 if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with Him. So God manifests himself to us how? By making his home within us. And then if we look at that text there sorry, that verse that I registered in Christ's Object Lessons, page 69 it makes more sense. It says that Christ is waiting for longing, desire for the manifestation, same word, manifestation of Himself in his church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in his people, then he will come to claim them as his own. As soon as the harvest is ripe, Christ will put in the sickle and the earth will be reaped and we will be with our Lord and we'll see Him face to face. SPEAKER D So Eddie and basically Christ is waiting for us. SPEAKER B He's waiting for us. SPEAKER D Yes, actually he's waiting for Himself to be manifest in and through us and his character to be shown to the world. That's why Revelations 18 one says god's glory whose character will be light up the world. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D God's people will show God's character to the world. Jesus will be living them 100%. And we know what we're going to go. Through the seven last plagues. It's going to be crazy times. And I love what I'm going to leave you with this letter, 15, 1889 to Dr. Burke that Ellen wrote, right? And she says this is what the church needs to be ready. She says nothing. Is Ellen White saying that nothing but the baptism of the Holy Spirit can bring up the church to its right position and prepare the people of God for the fast approaching conflict? She says nothing. That's why this message is connected with the latice and message yes, is that letting Christ in comes through the Holy Spirit. So if you're listening out there, I just ask you, I implore you, please ask God repent of your sins and ask God for the daily baptism or infling of the Holy Spirit for Christ to live out his life of victory in and through you and you will be ready for the fast approaching conflict. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER B Thank you very much, Colin. Thank you for leading us through the study of the book 50 Days Prayer and Devotionals to prepare for the latter reign. And Christ returned by Pastor Dennis Smith. Now, dear listener, if you would like a copy of this book, you're welcome to contact us here at three AB in Australia. We also still have that other book available for you, which is called steps to Personal Revival. It's a slightly thinner book, but great material in it. Steps to Personal Revival being filled with the Holy Spirit by Helmut Haubeil. Now, if you would like a copy of this book, you can go to your nearest Adventist book center or you can contact us here at Three ABN Australia radio by phoning us on 024-97-3456. You can also send an email to [email protected]. You're welcome to contact us on our website, or if you like, you can even go to our Facebook page, three ABN Australia radio. And you're even welcome to message us there. Thank you for joining us today. On You Shall Receive Power. It is Colin and my prayer that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit that God would manifest himself in your life. And you'll receive that power to be an effective witness for him now and until he comes. And this we pray in Jesus name, amen. SPEAKER B You've been listening to a production of Three ABN Australia Radio.