In preparing the current sermon series on the influence of the Holy Spirit on our lives, I have found that there are two important works that He does in us.
1. He is the Comforter – He is the Comforter which reminds us that life will have its bumps and bruises – and some unthinkable trials and complications. So we will need God to bring comfort in our lives to help us grasp hold of the peace. He comforts so we can keep going.
2. He is the Empowerment – Beyond the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (which is the initial evidence of the empowerment that God promised through Jesus), the Holy Spirit empowers us to live day to day and week to week. He also gives us a cause for living which is to share the gospel message. On top of it all, this empowerment helps us to live with determination. I like to call this the Wow factor.
We live in a time in which we really need the presence of and a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. I am afraid the new generations of Christians may slip away from the wonders of God's miraculous if not.
I believe the book of Judges is a good example of a people that just hears about the miracles but no longer shares in the miracles of God. This week's sermon will concentrate on Samson and what was happening during his lifetime. The people needed the presence of the Holy Spirit but they were too far drawn into their lives and their troubles to recognize it. They needed inspiration, and God tried to give it to them through the life of a very fallible man – Samson.
God gives the Holy Spirit to inspire our lives, therefore we should respect His presence.
- We should respect His agitation (Judges 13:24-25)
- We should respect His power (Judges 14, 15)
- We should respect His absence (Judges 16)
I. We should respect His agitation.
Judges 13:24-25 (NIV)
- Notice that it says he grew and the Lord blessed him. This does not mean Samson looked like Hercules – a muscle head.
- The Spirit began to stir him. Israel had suffered for forty years under the thumb of the Philistines. Israel was in such dire straights that Samson's parents did not even know how to raise a child in the Nazarite vow. The people suffered and had fallen from God.
The Spirit of God compels Samson to act. This call to action drives people to not be satisfied to accept things as they are. - Dr. Stanley Horton
The entire political process happening in our nation shows what an agitated people can accomplish. Agitation should awaken us not drive us. A problem arises in our ability to separate the desire to act from the emotions that call us to action. Emotional responses can lead to regret – that tongue getting involved where the mind should be.
Living with the presence of the Holy Spirit will inspire us to action in some area in our lives. Whether we are called to action for the unjust or the homeless or the sick and the lame or a desire to help people through difficult situations. The inspiration intensifies as the Spirit of God helps us match our spiritual gifts to the task at hand.
The agitation in our soul should become a springboard to learn and to act. We need to pray, read God's Word, and learn about what we are compelled to do.
You thought research was done once you left school? Good research helps us focus our full attention on God's task and gives us a better understanding on how to achieve what the Spirit is moving us to do.
God does not ask us to blindly go into something. At the same time, research should only enhance our actions not stop them. There are some things that do not require research; they only require a willingness to obey.
The Comforter will bring quiet to the heart of those who moves as He calls. They say you will never work a day when you love the work you do. The same is true of our response to the unction of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will agitate us or inspire us to action. When we act, he will also empower us.
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