Knowing the Holy Spirit Personally Week 5 – The Power of the Spirit

Knowing the Holy Spirit Personally Week 5 – The Power of the Spirit

Stuart Hannah – The Water Carrier and the God Breathed Life | 28/03/21

Scroll down to view Stuart’s sermon on YouTube.

I often hear preachers say that God speaks to them through the people around them. In this Covid season when I’ve been locked down for most of the year, God would have to speak to me through yet another question from one of my boys.

Last week’s question went like this:

Dad, Dad, Dad – who was better? Zidane or Henry?

In my mind I replayed the highlights reel of Zidane receiving the ball on the half turn and gliding past an opponent. Then Henry bursting clear of the defence and firing past the keeper.

But then God spoke. Clear as anything. I remembered another player. Didier Deschamps.

Eric Cantona once called him the ‘water carrier’. I’m not sure if it was meant as a complement. But in the World Cup winning team of 1998 he was the most important player. He didn’t have the pace or power of Henry – or the sublime skill of Zidane. But he was the man who made it all possible, who made everything work, who transformed the team from skilled underachievers to world champions.

Every game, time after time, relentlessly, he would drop deep, receive the ball and then play it forward. Receive and give, receive and give. Passing it on then dropping back so that he was ready for the next opportunity to receive it again and pass it on. The water carrier – steadily doing his job of receiving and giving out only to receive and give out again.

And that’s us guys. The water carriers. We get filled up with the living water Jesus spoke of to the woman at the well. We are refreshed, we pour out our lives in service to him. Time and again – never running dry. Receive and give. Receive and give.

Like Abram we are blessed to be a blessing. Time and again. Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit receiving and revealing Jesus in our lives.

Being refreshed in Him and then bringing that refreshing presence into our everyday situations making everything sacred.

I find that exciting. That’s a picture of REVIVAL.

The revelation of Jesus by the Holy Spirit :

To our lives
In our lives
Through our lives

Carriers of the living water – living a God breathed life.

So lets get on with the life we’ve been called to.

Imagine for a moment your world of business, sport, family, entertainment, education – revived and refreshed by the power of the Holy spirit.

See yourself bringing that change, making that difference, carrying His presence, His power, His refreshing, His love, His compassion, His wisdom, His courage, His strength.

Revival bringing transformation to every life you touch.

And don’t wait until you think you are ready, until you think you are good enough. Jesus sanctifies, the Holy Spirit empowers.

Receive and give.
Breathe in breathe out.

Receive the refreshing of the Holy Spirit and bring it into your everyday God-breathed life….….. and be the kingdom change in your family, your workplace, your community.

 

The new testament shows that God’s power enables us believers to:
− be a witness to Jesus (Acts 1:8)
− be a witness to the resurrection (Acts 4:33)
− do great signs and wonders (Acts 6:8, Romans 15:18-19)
− do good and heal (Acts 10:38)
− abound in hope (Romans 15:13)
− speak and preach (1 Cor 2:4-5)
− endure difficulties (2 Cor 6:6-10)
− rejoice in weakness (2 Cor 12:9)
− know the fullness of God’s love (Eph 3:16-19)
− stand against the enemy in prayer (Eph 6:10)
− announce the gospel (Phil 4:13, 1 Thess 1:5)
− be patient (Col 1:11)
− share in Christs’ sufferings (2 Tim 1:7-8)

Back to Deschamps the water carrier – at the other end of the pitch great things happened, world cups were won, history was made – all because he passed it on.

GLORY to GLORY

Colossians 1:27

God wanted his people throughout the world to know the glorious riches of this mystery—which is Christ living in you, giving you the hope of glory.

The glory days are not in the past. The glory days are yet to come.