Introduction:
Before I read the Word of God, just a thought:
In a seminar a professor told the students that they found a piece of paper in the desert on which stood one sentence, these words: “The one who wants to be the greatest among you, be everybody’s slave”. The professor looked at the students and after a pause said, “If this would be the only word of Jesus in the New Testament, it would be enough for me to become a Christian or stay one”.
O dear friends, if we take that to heart, that we don’t grow big and tall in our spiritual lives. Samuel spoke to king Saul and said, “When you were still small in your own eyes, God could still speak to you and you obeyed. But when you became great, you didn’t need God anymore in your life. You though you know everything, you can do things on your own”. And that is the problem with so many Christians. We know so much, we know what the Word of God says, we know God’s commandment, we know how a Christian should behave and talk. We know so many things, and this knowledge has become a problem to us Christians. We become dear Christians, dear brothers in the Lord. But we don’t know the Holy Spirit, or better said: The Holy Spirit has no room in our lives. We have become independent. We are not dependent upon the leading and guiding of God the Holy Spirit anymore. We do things because we know. We know God’s Word, what God says, and that is our direction sign. It is true, it is right, but it is dangerous if God the Holy Spirit isn’t in it.
I was in Australia these past few weeks. Dear Christians, like you, dedicated to the Lord, truly wanting to serve God with all their heart. That is what we experience wherever we go, whether in Europe, America, Australia, Asia. We see so many Christians, dedicated Christians, but the question arises: Has God the Holy Spirit still got full sway in our lives? Where people are led and guided by God’s Spirit, where He leads us into holiness, where He draws His people closer into His image. That we Christians have an ear to hear. Where we enter into a personal relationship with the Lord, that He is in full control of our lives.
We so often forget that. We do our thing, we know how it is to be done. We don’t even ask God the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us anymore.
Illustration:
A beautiful car, a Rolls Royce or even better than that: it is perfect, perfectly made, according to plan. Everything is in the car. It is perfect, perfectly made, but there is no gas (petrol) in it.
That is the trouble with so many of us Christians. We put our own petrol into that car instead of allowing God the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to lead and to guide us.
When I was before the Lord, He gave me 2 messages. I got up early this morning and thought: “This is what I am going to speak about!” And when I prepared the message, my eyes fell upon something which shook me. This is what I read:
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 81:11-14
Psalms 81
11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
How true this Word applies to your and my lives today.
verse 11: Israel had no time for God, because they would not heed the Word of the Lord. Dear friends, that is the problem with Christianity today. The Holy Spirit is something that is just written on paper for many Christians. The Holy Spirit is not a living experience which we have had and which we continue to have daily.
POINT 1: Seeking revival.
In 1966 when the Revival started here at Maphumulo we were exercised and we realized that God the Holy Spirit was something which we only had in our head and on paper, but He truly didn’t have right of way in our lives. We realized that we need God the Holy Spirit in our lives, so that we could attain that which God had for us.
This made us seek God with all our heart. Because we heard that if we believe as the Scripture says, “streams of living water will gush forth out of (our) innermost being” (John 7:38). This made us seek God, “God, we need Your Spirit”, not just any spirit.
It didn’t take long and the Lord revealed to us through His Spirit that His ways are not our ways. Yes, we were Christians; Yes, we profess to be Christians. With all our hearts we tried to be those Christians. Only to be disappointed. So that many of us came to that point where we said, “Let us give it up! What is the point of it? The more we try, the more we fail.” We wanted to be good Christians. We attended Bible studies. Wherever there was a well-known preacher from America or Europe or wherever, we attended with that hope that our heart would get that what we were yearning for. There was something missing in our lives. That beautiful car, nothing was missing, except there was no spirit in that car. That was something which brought us onto our knees because we had no power to overcome sin and the lusts of the flesh. Through that we started making laws for ourselves thinking that the Word of God wasn’t enough, and we added something here, took away something there.
When we read in the Old Testament, we always see that God told the people to obey His Word. Obedience was the prime aim of God for His people. But the more we tried to obey, we failed. We realized we need God’s Spirit.
POINT 2: The Christian life without God the Holy Spirit.
It is still exactly the same today. If we don’t have God’s Spirit in our lives, we will start fighting each other. We will start pointing the finger at others. We will start fault-finding. We say, “This is how the Lord led me, this is what God’s Word says”, and if the next person doesn’t do it the way I think, I start pointing the finger at that person. Then I start finding fault with my brothers.
That is so often the problem if we deviate from the leading and guiding of God’s Holy Spirit. If we can differentiate between what is right and what is wrong, that is why we fall into the trap of finding fault with my brother and sister. We take the place of God the Holy Spirit. We are not dependent upon the Holy Spirit anymore because we know. We don’t need the Holy Spirit – we can do it the way we think is right.
We forget that God’s ways are not our ways. We push God the Holy Spirit aside. We start doing our own thing. Then something happens in our heart: grudges come into our heart, hatred – because we don’t understand what that brother or sister is doing. Instead of leaving it over to God the Holy Spirit to convict. In John we read that when the Holy Spirit, the Comforter will come, He will convict the world of their sin. Instead of leaving that person over to the Lord, saying, “Lord, You can deal with that person far better than I can do”, that I leave that over to God the Holy Spirit. God’s Word says He is going to lead us into all the truth. He will convict me and you of things which aren’t pleasing to Him. We say, “No, God Holy Spirit, You can’t do it on Your own – I will help You”. God’s Word says, “Then I will withdraw and leave you over to your counsel” (v.12).
12. “So I gave them over to their own stubborn hearts.” I gave them over that they do and feel as they like and I have no rule any longer in their lives.
That is the danger of us Christians. God the Holy Spirit is, I will term it in our language which we understand: He is very, very sensitive and touchy. He will never argue with you or press the point. If He can’t have free sway in our lives, He withdraws. He leaves us over to our mind, our thinking, our way of worship and doing things.
Then we are not dependent upon God the Holy Spirit anymore, that He leads and guides us. “No, God Holy Spirit, I will help You there, because I am more than the Holy Spirit.” How often do we try to convert a person to Christianity. God says: “Carry on, I will leave it over to you, to your stubborn hearts”.
POINT 3: The Biblical alternative.
Rather, if we seek to save a person from his sin, let us pray in our hearts and say, “God Holy Spirit, You can do it far better than I can – I leave that whole situation over to You”. And over and over we have experienced that He then works and He changes the person.
Example:
I had a wonderful experience this morning. I had a phone-call from a certain person overseas. A few days ago this person phoned me and said, “I have been invited to a certain person but I am afraid – I know how vicious that person is. Pray with me that I will have the right words and will be able to help that person. I have written a whole page full – I am going to confront and help him and show him.”
I said, “Just be careful that you don’t take the place of the Holy Spirit. You don’t even know what that person wants. You are preparing a whole page full of answers and questions. Throw them into the rubbish bin. Burn that piece of paper. Let us depend upon God the Holy Spirit Who is going to lead us into all the truth. He can prepare the way, that by the time you get there, he can be as soft as butter in the sun. May God grant you an ear to hear.”
This morning he phoned and said it went very well: “I didn’t have to say a word! He spoke so much and in the end he got up and shook my hand and said: “Thank you, brother, please pray for me”.
I once again thanked God that He has taught us to leave things over to God the Holy Spirit. He can do it much better than we can do it. We start organizing. We start arranging meetings. We have certain conditions that have to be met, and if it doesn’t go exactly as we think, we create division. Instead of bringing together, we are pulling apart. All dear Christians, all want to follow the Lord, but somehow they disagree, there is no unity, because the Spirit is lacking.
POINT 4: The servant of all.
What did this professor say? He said, “If there was only one sentence in the New Testament, and that sentence said that we should be the slaves of all, something would happen. If you want to be the greatest among you, be everybody’s slave”. That is the most difficult thing for a Christian to do. To bow and submit one to another and respect the view of our brother. Because I am the least, the slave and I honour that person and I think higher of him than of myself. If we do that, there would be peace amongst us. There would never be fighting or division amongst us. There would never be bitterness or hatred in our hearts if we allow God the Holy Spirit to have His way.
At the beginning of the Revival we experienced that God literally went into the homes of people and brought them to the Cross. We feared that we might sin against God the Holy Spirit. It was our prayer, “Lord, may we have an ear to hear what You have to say”. It was wonderful to see how God was working in the midst of His people.
POINT 5: Personal application.
I want to become personal now: Do you know that, Brother? Sister? Young students at school and college? Do you know to be the slave of everybody? Does God the Holy Spirit lead and guide you? That day by day you experience God’s leading and guiding? The way you talk to people, the way you behave towards the next person, is God the Holy Spirit evident in our lives? Or is there stubbornness in your heart? That you can’t bow or submit or honour the next person?
O that the Holy Spirit has got complete sway in your life. That the holiness of God will be seen in us. That we have got perfect peace and rest, perfect love one to another. That we can forgive freely, that we hold no grudges against a brother or sister, but that everybody becomes a dear brother and sister to us. That we love them the way Jesus loves them. That we completely forget ourselves and have only one desire: That I might be a blessing, encouragement and help to my brother and sister. That I don’t live for my own gain anymore or that I will experience the advantage of this or that, or that I will gain by this. No, that my brother will gain, that my brother or sister will have an advantage. That I will be a help to them and lift them and be able to give, that I am prepared to give my life for the next person as long as he gains and profits of it. That the Holy Spirit might have perfect liberty and free sway in our lives.
Wherever I go, I always ask that question: Has God the Holy Spirit absolute dominion, His Kingship, in my brother and sister?
That is my desire and prayer that God the Holy Spirit might attain His rightful purpose in every person. Then the natural thing will be that the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be there in your life.
POINT 6: Result.
13. O that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways.
14. I would soon subdue their enemies and turn My Hand against their adversaries.”
Has the enemy been subdued in your life? Have the things of this world been subdued in your life? Has sin been subdued in your life? That anger that rides me, subdued already? That jealousy in your life? That bitterness, subdued already? Talking behind the back of people, pointing a finger at your brother? The spirit of division, has it been subdued already?
“O that My people would listen to Me, and that they would walk in My ways. I would soon subdue their enemies.” You know your sin. You know what has come between you and the Lord – subdued already? The Lord says that if we listen and obey, He will subdue the enemy “and turn My hand against their adversities”, those that go against you and talk evil about you. Has God’s Hand subdued those already?
“But My people would not heed My Voice, and Israel would have none of Me.” (v.11) May that not be found in my and your lives. But that we will have an ear to listen to that small Voice here in our lives where God the Holy Spirit will lead us into all the truth.
But if they don’t do that, “I will give them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own ways” (v.12).