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Life in the Spirit: 6 Transformative Keys 0:00 Welcome to the men's global livestream. If you have a Bible, I want you to hold 2 spots we're gonna be looking at today. 1 in Hebrews chapter 6 and the other in Galatians 5. We're doing a series right now called Where0:12 the Light is. God's word commands God's men to walk in the light as he is in the light. In fact, Jesus, we're gonna see in your downloaded notes, there's an0:23 invitation by Jesus himself for you to walk in the light. So in this series, we're looking at 5 keys to having a strong relationship with God and staying where the light is. And to0:35 get us thinking about this 4th key that we're going to talk about in today's session, I want you to think about how early in life, you got to start making some basic connections0:47 with the basic elements of life. For example, water. Water is wet. Right? Sometimes I need to drink water. Sometimes I swim in water. I can0:59 drown in water. I could slip and fall wherever water is. Water is wet. That's a basic connection with a basic element of life that drives basic choices for the rest of1:11 your life. You gotta understand that water is wet. It's part of everyday life. Same could be said for fire. Fire is hot. That can be positive. That can be negative. And I have to make choices when1:23 I'm around fire because it's a basic element of life. Cement is hard. Ouch. Right? You ever taken a hard fall off a skateboard1:35 or just fallen and tripped and, hit the cement? You discover very quickly it's harder than your body and things break. But cement also is used to pour foundations1:47 and build stuff and you know, these are the basic kind of elements of light. You start making these connections. Now the big idea here is that everyday life as a human being living1:59 life, you got to make basic connections through contact with stuff to make basic choices. Now before leaving Earth, Jesus told his men that in order for2:10 life with him to continue in his absence and before his return and to be where the light is, the man of God has to make conscious2:22 contact with the most basic element of a relationship with him, and that's with the spirit of God every day, moment by moment. I'm2:34 gonna repeat that again. In order to have a relationship with Christ that is vibrant, activated, you have to make conscious contact with the spirit of2:46 God on a daily and moment by moment basis. In fact, Jesus said to his followers, everything about knowing him hinges2:58 on your relationship to the Holy Spirit. In other words, our life in God does not happen apart from the Spirit of God. Everything3:11 depends on this 1 powerful spiritual element that we have to understand, that we have to make contact with, and that we have to integrate into our3:22 life. So here's the question. As we enter in to today's study, are you, man of God, making conscious contact with the Holy Spirit on a daily and3:34 a moment by moment Jesus? If so, Jesus says, you're gonna have a strong connection to him, and you're gonna be where the light is. Alright? The opposite is3:46 also true. Even though you might be fooling yourself that you're having conscious contact with Christ apart from conscious contact with the Holy Spirit, the opposite is3:58 true. If you don't have conscious daily contact with the Holy Spirit, according to Jesus, you can have a strong relationship with God because your whole relationship with God hinges on that contact4:09 with the Holy Spirit. So I hope I made my point. And in this session of where the light is, we're gonna get into how to make practical conscious contact with the spirit of Christ. So here's4:21 where we're headed. We're gonna get God's mind as we always do in each part of the study on why walking in the light is super important and what the dynamic of it4:33 is and then we're going to dive into how a proactive and conscious partnership with the Holy Spirit keeps us in the light. So, you can take out your4:45 downloaded notes. Look at the theme verse for our study at the top, John 8 12. Let's read that. Ready? Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have4:57 the light of life. So there's an invitation from Jesus to follow him. So if you're watching this, that's still his invitation on a daily basis initially and ongoing is follow5:09 me, and the promise if you do that is you're not going to walk in darkness, but you're going to have the light of life, which means you're going to see life through God's eyes, and you're going to5:20 experience eternal life. Now I want you to listen to a man, David in this case, describe this spiritual phenomenon that Jesus talks about, but David talks about it in5:32 2 Samuel 22. He says this, You, Lord, are my lamp. The Lord turns my darkness into light. With your help,5:44 I can advance against a troop. With my God, I can scale a wall. Can't you just sense what David is feeling and sensing this phenomenon5:56 of knowing god and having it be transformational, and and just what that that involves. So let's just unpack a little bit from what God's word6:08 describes right there in 2nd Samuel about just how it feels to walk in the light. Alright? Number 1, you get some new sight. You get new sight. And it's just simple6:19 metaphor, right? David says, You're my lamp and you turn my darkness into light. See that transformational aspect, that metaphor6:31 of darkness into light? David gets new sight. Number 2, David gets new help. He says, with your help. Now, he knows God, he's in a6:43 relationship with God, He gets help. He gets support. He gets assistance. Now think about help in a real simple way, guys. Help makes6:55 things easier for someone, right? So David's saying, hey, not only do I have new sight, there's this transformation. I'm starting to see life through god's perspective but man, then7:07 I get god and it's me and god, right? And I get his help and getting help from God makes my life more enjoyable, more7:19 easy, less painful. Why? Because I get his wisdom and his insight and his direction. 3rd, we see that knowing God and having him be your7:30 light involves new courage. He says, with your help, then he says, I can advance against a troop. So there's David, I,7:42 and then he's looking at a troop, which is a bunch of guys, and he's saying, let's see now, me plus God. Let's go, right?7:54 It's just against all odds, you know. You plus God, nothing's impossible. Jesus would say that. With man, this is impossible, but with God, say it with me, all things are possible,8:06 right? So when you're when you're in the light and you know the lord, you're getting new sight, new help, new courage to go into situations that maybe you would have been8:18 afraid of prior and then lastly, just from that verse in 2nd Samuel, you get new power. He He says, with your help, I can advance against the troop. There's the courage. With my God, I8:29 can scale a wall. Now, if you're watching any of the, the Marvel movies, you know, these these these people have amazing power to just get over stuff, but8:41 that's fantasy, right? In real life, David's saying, you know what? I have new power, and the metaphor of scaling a wall is just I have supernatural8:53 ability to overcome the things that look bigger than me. Why? Because God is bigger. Right? And a big God provides9:05 big courage and big power. You see why this whole idea of walking in the light as he is in the light is so transformational, right? And that9:17 life, according to Jesus, just comes through being willing and open and believing and trusting in God. He talks about that in our next verse, Luke 11 359:29 and 36. He says this, if you live wide eye, in wide eyed wonder and belief, your body fills up with what? Light. If you live9:41 squinty eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty seller. Keep your eyes wide open, your lamp burning so you don't get musty and murky.9:53 Key sentence. Keep your life as well lighted as your best lighted room. So Jesus is comparing and contrasting this whole idea of,10:05 okay, there's me, there's God, and I can have an open, believing, trusting heart posture toward God, and then that keeps me in the10:17 light and at full power. But if if I'm, like, squinty eyed, if I have a closed, fearful heart posture, or I want to take control,10:30 I can't walk in the light. And then the admonition and the encouragement is, hey. Keep your life life as as as well lighted as your best lighted room. Right? The10:41 encouragement is to stay in the light. Keep your life well lighted. And that's the whole purpose of this series. We're trying to keep our lives well lighted with the light10:53 of God. So here's the big idea. Write this down here at the top. Life in God involves transformations through God, right? There is thereTurning Points: Move into God's Light 11:05 are transformations. When you have life in God, you know, this whole idea of walking in the light, darkness to light, having help, courage, power, that all11:17 transforms your life from what it was to what God intends for it to be. And that's where a lot of us are, guys. There's your life as it was and as it is, and then there's your life the way God11:28 intends it to be, and you can't experience that life unless you're open, willing, believing, trusting in Jesus11:40 and keeping your life well lighted and transforming. Alright. So that's a little bit about God's mind on being where the light is. Now let's look at the next key. And11:52 if you remember, in part 1, the 1st key was, hey, we gotta understand God's character. And the Bible says that he is light, and he doesn't blend12:04 darknesses with his life. Can't do it. It's against his nature, right? So that's a key to staying in the light, God's character. Then there's God's word. His word is a lamp to our feet.12:16 He provides us with his word to keep us in the light, right? The light of his word. It is the flashlight. It is the floodlight for all issues that you12:28 can shine into the different facets and dimensions of your life to stay in the line. Right? And then 3rd, we look at the 3rd the 3rd key, which is12:40 the people of God. So character of God, word of God, people of God, that if you want to to to stay in the light, you gotta be with people of light. You have to be around other men. You have to be12:51 around other men of God, men of light, men who are seeking Jesus, men who are responding to Jesus' invitation, transforming and having him turn their13:03 darkness into light. That's another key to having a strong relationship with God and staying in light. Now 4th key is God's spirit, right? Talks about this in Hebrews13:15 chapter 6 and it says this, once people have seen the light, gotten a taste of heaven, and been part of the work of the Holy Spirit.13:28 Once they personally experienced the sheer goodness of God's word and the powers breaking in on us. If then they turn their backs on it,13:40 washing their hands of the whole thing, well, they can't start over as if nothing happened. That is impossible. So do you see here in God's word how13:52 experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit is mission critical to staying in the light. You see the light, you're starting to experience these transformations,14:04 and you're participating, listen, in the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, because it breathes God's word. The Holy Spirit, because he's God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The14:16 Holy Spirit in people, right, Coming into people and through people and to you and encouraging you, right, to stay in14:28 the light. And that's a powerful experience. That's why I'm glad, that the wording is in God's word. Once they personally experience, you know, because I know a lot of us out there were like, yeah, I would say14:40 I have faith in God. I would say I have faith in Christ. I would say I believe in father, son, and Holy Spirit, but you've never experienced or had a validating encounter with the14:52 holy spirit. But that's what God wants for you, personally experiencing the holy spirit. Or maybe you have in your past. Well, personally experiencing the Holy Spirit is15:04 not a 1 shot deal. It's not an event. Experiencing the Holy Spirit is a day by day and a moment by moment15:16 partnership. That's what we're going to look at. It's a lifestyle. So what we're going to do is we're going to unpack life in the spirit and kind of make some connections to our daily15:27 life and then that'll help us to make some choices to partner with the Holy Spirit. So number 1, life in the spirit is a life that pleases God. You wanna stay in the light?15:40 You wanna be connected to God's spirit? Look at what it says in Galatians chapter 5. It says, my counsel is this, live freely animated and motivated15:52 by god's spirit. Might wanna circle that 1 on your notes. Then, you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the16:04 spirit, circle that 1, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in16:15 every detail of our lives. You know, that's really the challenge, of the Christian on a daily basis to work out what God has worked in. If you're watching this livestream, this men's global livestream, and you're a16:26 Christian, you cross the line, you you believe in the person of Christ, that he's God, and the work of Christ, that he died for you, and you've say said yes16:39 to the person of Christ as your Lord and the work of Christ as your savior, The Bible says that god has deposited the spirit of his son, poured out the spirit of his son16:51 into our lives, right? Galatians 4 6. That reality now has to be worked out, and that's why I like the language here in Galatians chapter 5.17:03 See, you have this lifestyle that's free and animated and motivated by God's spirit, which has been deposited in every believer, but we have to access it17:15 and you know that you're accessing God's spirit when you're becoming less compulsive, less indulgent, less selfish. You're not17:27 responding in, a fleshly way. You're responding in new spiritual ways. And I love the the admonition here. It's just don't hold it as an idea17:39 in your head. It's nice to believe in father, son, and holy spirit, but really, we're understanding right now that, oh my gosh, we have to activate this transformational power. And when we do that, we live a life17:51 that pleases God. How many of you right now wanna live a life that pleases God? Well, you gotta have, you gotta live your life in the spirit, alright? So that's the 1st dynamic. Life in the spirit involves a life18:03 that pleases God. Secondly, life in the spirit is a life that experiences God, and I want you to focus on that word, experiences. Right? When you have an18:15 experience with someone, it validates who that person is. Like, if I don't know you but I hear about you or my friends talk about you and like, oh, you should meet this guy. He's a great guy. You'd really love18:27 him. But it's not until I actually experience that person, connect with that person, talk with that person, interact with that person, maybe do some sports with that person18:39 or do an activity of some kind. Now, I get to know that person. That experience with that person validates, right, what I think18:51 I know about that. And you know, guys, that is where our experience with God hinges on our partnership with the Holy Spirit. Look at what it says here in Galatians 519:02 22 and 23. This is the validating encounter. Says this, the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy,19:14 peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. There is no law against these things, right? So, what the19:26 Bible says is that when you encounter the Holy Spirit, you encounter love, god's love. You encounter God's joy and it leaks on you. You encounter God's peace. These are all validating encounters.19:38 You encounter and experience more patience. You become more kind when you are in conscious contact with the Holy Spirit. You become more good. You become more faithful. Right? You19:50 become more gentle when you could be harsh. And guess what? This is the best 1 of them all, at least for me, self control. You mature. You get some self control in your life.20:02 See, those are all validating encounters, validating experiences with the Holy Spirit. So now we're really raising the20:13 value of living life in the spirit because it keeps us in the light weeks. We please God. We experience God. Number 3, life in the spirit receives the power of God.20:25 And what I love about scripture is that it really encourages something that we can get in an authentic, healthy way from God versus20:37 a synthetic way from broken male culture, and that's power. You know, 1 of the big issues right now in culture is don't give a man power. Why? Because it drives him20:49 into self. Right? He's gonna abuse it. He's gonna abuse his wealth or influence or position, and others are gonna suffer because he has a synthetic relationship, an unhealthy relationship to power.21:01 That is not what the Bible talks about. When you have an active conscious partnership with the Holy Spirit, you have the healthiest power in the universe21:13 working inside you, bringing out the good that is in you. Look what it says here in Ephesians chapter 3. It says, my response right? This is coach Paul, and he's talking about21:25 other Christians. He says, my response is to get down on my knees before the father. This this magnificent father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to21:37 strengthen you by his spirit, not a brute strength, but a glorious inner strength that Christ will live in you as you open the door21:49 and invite him in. Anybody need a little bit more strength to be a better man? See, to compare and contrast, he's praying that God's22:01 spirit would strengthen us from the inside out, and you notice the compare contrast. Not a brute strength, right, but a glorious inner strength22:12 through Christ dwelling in us. See, that's what the world needs, man. That is what the world needs right now. Not the broken male strength, the synthetic thing that22:24 takes power and uses it for self. And when we use it for self, others suffer. Just take a look in the headlines with all the men who are22:36 getting outed because they have a synthetic cultural version of what power is. It's it becomes brute brute strength. Doesn't care about other people.22:47 But god has available to us glorious inner power through the holy spirit. And who doesn't want that? Right?22:59 So life in the spirit is a life that pleases God. Life in the spirit is a life that experiences God. Life in the spirit is a life that receives the power of God. 4th, life in the spirit is life that is23:11 guided directly by God. My guess right now is that probably 100 percent of you watching this digital live stream have a smartphone.23:23 You're either watching it on that or a tablet or maybe your computer, maybe you're in a church hall, around tables at your church, which is cool. But hundred percent of you have a phone.23:35 And on that phone are your little apps and you scroll right and left to get to the right 1. Well, the 1 that is so mission critical is that is that is that is that maps23:46 app. Whatever you use, Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, I don't know what you use, but you click on it, guess what? You get guidance,23:58 right, in areas where you don't know where to go, where to turn, where something is. All you gotta do is plug in an address or a business name, or a residence,24:10 and that app will guide you directly to your destination. Do you know that God has deposited the Holy Spirit? It's supernatural technology,24:23 and all we have to do is activate it and listen. And that's what Jesus said. He said, I'm gonna give you this spiritual technology that's gonna guide you. Listen to24:34 what he says in John 16 13. He says, but when he, the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you, circle that, into all truth. He will not speak on his24:46 own. He will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. Isn't that how getting directions works?24:59 You're told, alright. In a couple miles, you're gonna make a right turn. Here, I'm telling you what is to come. Why? Because that technology is gonna get25:10 you to your destination. Listen to me. God has a destination for you today and tomorrow and ultimately toward heaven. But for now, right, he has a destination for25:22 you. And if you're not doing life with the Holy Spirit, you're missing out on that guidance. And you know how frustrating it is not to get to where you wanna go. I mean, guys are25:34 notorious. Right? Then in pride, we try to figure out where we're going. We don't ask for help, which is totally foolish. Right? It's just pride. But for people25:46 who access the technology available or even just ask someone. Right? They get to their destination faster. Men, this is what god wants for you this morning. He wants you to get to that destination25:58 as as efficiently and smoothly and quickly as possible, but you are not gonna get to his destination for your life apart from the guidance of the Holy Spirit.26:11 And so that's why we have to live life in the spirit. Number 5, life in the spirit is a life that receives revelation from god, right?26:23 God knows stuff we don't know. Then he reveals what he knows to us. In John 14 26, Jesus says this, but when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you26:35 into all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. So not only do we get26:46 guidance, but we get revelation. Right? The spirit of God speaks the mind of God to us. Okay? And that's what we need. The Bible says this isn't in26:58 your notes, but you can write down Deuteronomy 29 29. It says this, says the secret things belong to God, but that which is revealed belongs to us so that we27:10 may follow all the words of this law. So God's not gonna tell us everything. That would be too overwhelming, But he tells us the the right things we need to know27:22 for the right issue at the right moment so that so that we can experience what he knows. The Holy Spirit takes from God27:34 and he reveals it to the believer. How many of you guys would love to hear what God knows? Well, you're not gonna hear what God knows unless you have a proactive27:47 conscious contact with the Holy Spirit and understand that that's what his mission is, is to tell you what God knows and what you don't27:58 know so that you can follow what God knows. Amen. Saved my life so many times. And God wants to save you in your situation right now.28:11 Alright. Let's go to our last and 6th key element of life in the spirit. Life in the spirit is a life, listen, that is born of God,28:22 right? When Jesus is describing, life in and through God, he he puts it into a context every under everybody understands because28:34 100 percent of people watching this, 100 percent of the 7000000000 people on earth have been born. Right? And it's mysterious, and it's beautiful,28:46 and we see it. But then he he takes it to an even, better level, and he says this in John chapter 3. He says, so don't be surprised when I tell you that28:58 you have to be born from above, out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that.29:10 You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is. With everyone born from above by the29:22 wind of God. Listen, the spirit of God. So he's talking about what happens to a person, how transforming it is. It's like29:34 knowing God is like being being born and given life from above. Right? And that life from above comes from the spirit of god.29:46 And just like, the wind, which is mysterious, you you can't see where it comes from, but you see branches move, you see things29:58 fall over, you see its effects. It is real, wind is real, wind is mysterious. You can't see it, but you can see what it does. You know, 1 of the30:10 greatest things about this men's community, this global livestream, the hundreds of thousands of guys that are a part of Everyman Ministries is that I get to see this30:21 very thing happen every day. It it just it is the most awesome and wonderful and mysterious and cool thing. As men's lives30:34 are born from above, god comes into their life. The holy spirit comes in, and then all of a sudden in this mysterious way like the wind, I don't know30:47 how it happens exactly, but I just know the Holy Spirit is real. I start seeing parts of their lives start to move and shift and transform.30:59 And I see evidence that god's spirit is working in their lives. Just like I see evidence when I go outside and the wind's blowing. I can't see it. I don't know where it's come from. I I don't know where31:11 it's going next, but I can look at the I can see things swaying. I can see things blowing. I can see things when it's powerful. I could see it blow over stuff.31:22 Right? And that's the way it is with God. That's life in the spirit. And what I want you to hear very clearly is if you want to have a strong31:34 relationship with God and you want to be where the light is, which is a command in scripture, walk in the light, right? You have to understand that that involves life in the spirit31:46 and life in the spirit creates these transformation or what I would call these turning points, right? Where you move as Jesus promised out of darkness and into31:58 light. Okay. That's a transforming picture that he presents. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. He moves us, transforms us, and32:10 the landscape changes, right? So on your notes, it says turning points equal points of light. What's a turning point? It's a moment in time when decisive32:22 change happens, when decisive change turns. And I know that I'm talking to a lot of men right now and you're at a turning point. Just think.32:34 Just think about it. Accept it. That's what God is speaking. God is saying right now to thousands of guys watching this right now. I don't know where you are. Some of you guys are in your home. Some of you guys are in32:45 your car. Some of you guys are on a run. Some of you guys are out on a hike. Some of you guys are seeking the Lord, but you're listening to this message right now, and God is speaking to you right32:57 now. You are at a turning point, and that can apply to 100 percent of us. But some of you are at more critical turning points in relationships, in marriages. I know that there33:09 are men right now where their marriages are on the line, it's a turning point. I know there are men right now where they're about to make a decision that could damage their33:21 reputation for the rest of their lives and they're tempted. Right? There are men right now who are hearing a voice that's rationalizing the wrong thing. Alright? You're at a33:32 turning point. There are men who are are getting called right now to give generously. Alright? And they're they're wondering if if they should do it. If they should do it in faith, they should be33:44 generous. And you're at a turning point because God wants to show himself strong for you. There are there are men who are deciding whether or not to start businesses right now and have a partnership. There are men33:56 who are deciding right now watching this and you're at a career transition. You're at a turning point. And what you need is you need the Holy Spirit34:08 to speak into this moment of your life. And and God encourages us in his word to make sure that we34:20 need to to move from the darkness and the cloudiness of not knowing to being in the light and experiencing his plan. Look at what it says. Is god speaking to34:32 every man who's at a turning point? Alright? Ephesians 5 says, don't waste your time on useless work, mere busy work,34:45 the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose those things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness34:57 when no 1 will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep. Climb out of your coffins.35:09 Christ will show you the light. So watch your step right now. Use your head right now. Make the most of every chance you get right now. These are desperate times,35:22 turning points. Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the master wants. Don't drink too much wine that cheapens your life. Drink35:33 the spirit of god. Huge drafts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking drinking songs. Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything. Any35:45 excuse for a song to God the father in the name of our master Jesus Christ. Do you see the power and the change in that encouragement?35:58 It's like, guys, we're at a turning point. We gotta leave the darkness. We need to expose, right, and confess that darkness and get out of thatShow more In this video 0:00 Life in the Spirit: 6 Transformative Keys11:00 Turning Points: Move into God's Light36:00 Prayer & Challenge: Activate Faith Now40:00 Prayer & Challenge: Activate Faith Now
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