All right. Once again, we've gone through the personality of the Holy Spirit, the deity, names and titles. And now we are going to finish up the emblems of the Holy Spirit today. And then the few weeks I have before camp meeting, we'll go through the work of the Holy Spirit. And so last week we went over the last thing we touched on was the fact that it is a seal. Let me get my page here. It secures. Security is defined as the quality of state of being, safety, assurance, safeness, freedom from harm, freedom from danger, safekeeping, something given to guarantee repayment or fulfillment of an obligation. And I like that word safety. I mentioned last week about having security systems in our homes, and of course there is no such thing as a security system. And that's similar to there's no website on earth that's unhackable, amen. And the idea is that even your, was that alcohol stuff you wash your hands it's ninety nine point eight percent effective is not a hundred percent just not and there are many things up uh... that we can count on this world but thank god we uh... have a holy spirit of god that we can count on him and he died all the way and then he rose all the way I would want to be a part of a religion that required something of me to complete that process in my heart. And I don't have to work, amen. I don't have to work for my salvation. I don't have to do... Thank God we're under grace, amen. And I mean, when he was on the cross, he didn't say, hey, it's partially finished, or I did the best I could. He said, it is finished. And so we this morning what we live off of what we breathe off of and live our Christian life is a finished work of Jesus Christ. And that's the reason why we can brag on him. We can brag on the Lord because he finished it and it is done and he rose again. Amen. And that's so that's my security. That's my security. now i mentioned last week uh... you know what what what i was going to show you this list again uh... is what a blessing it is thirty eight things and then here's all thirty eight of them uh... you might can add to this list but on all the things that took place the moment you got saved what you gain i mean a a benefits package if you will i heard the testimony of many people that got saved they had no idea what although all they knew is there was a heavy conviction from the Holy Spirit of God on their hearts, they knew they had to be saved. I've said this before, but I've sat across the table many times from many people who have been under conviction, and I've seen them under heavy conviction make a choice to get saved or not to get saved. uh... but to see those of the struggle and they finally released and that's what it is that you're you're taking your will and you're saying lord not much of the same thing about it uh... uh... jesus did in the garden not my will uh... he had a little he said i i i will but not my viewers uh... your will And so often that is the struggle in our lives. You get up in the morning and you say, Lord, whatever it is, whatever it is, not my will, Your will. And you know what? Lord is so wonderful because sometimes our will is His will. uh... god as david he said hey i mean uh... there is a lot of this is uh... what i'd like to do for you know you'd like to build this temple and he said you're a bloody man but but but because you want it i'm gonna have a bill and uh... oftentimes in my life i said lord would this be acceptable with you say yes it would and he's a it's such a wonderful thing And I think God, He deals with us like that. When we lived in Taiwan, and you'd see these people lined up at these little Buddhist temples, and they had little, we'll call them ATMs for the Buddhists there. But they were just these small little places, because He's a God of convenience. I mean, that's what He is. He's a God of convenience for them. And you don't have to travel halfway across town. We'll just put these little Buddhist kiosks all over the place. But I've got a thing at the house. I should have brought it next time. Maybe I will if I think about it. But it's got these little bamboo sticks, and they're numbered 1 through 50. And there's a little page inside there. And what you do is you pop the top there, you take them at an angle, and you shake them. I forget how many times you shake those things. But you shake them however many times you're supposed to. And the stick that's out the furthest, you grab it, and it's got a number on it. And it may say, you know, 26. All right, let me look at 26. Well, you may have good luck. You may have bad luck. And it's all right, luck of the draw. You're going to have bad luck today, or it could be bad luck for the rest of the week. And then you just, you know, then you're in turmoil, because obviously Buddha's mad at you. And I've heard people say before that, you know, it's indentured servitude. And it's the idea that these poor Christians don't know any better. They give money to God so he won't be mad at them. That's not true at all. That's someone who's ignorant and doesn't understand what they're talking about. The reason I give money is because the Lord told me to, and it's an honor to do so. And when you change your perspective on life and when the Christian life no longer becomes difficult and hard to live. But it is a struggle. Amen? The roots of this world and the roots of your will is so wrapped around your heart. And taking those roots and ripping them off the heart and the foundation of who you are is a tough thing. And you can't do it on your own. You can't. Every process in your life requires the Holy Spirit. The wonderful thing about the Holy Spirit is you say, well, he's a specialist. Well, what does the Holy Spirit specialize in? He specializes in exactly what it is you need. Have you ever prayed? I don't believe I have in this manner Lord send your Holy Spirit to comfort me No, I mean in times of desperation, you know, it lost people and say people say alike I mean in times of great pain in my life, whether it be a situation or just physical pain My for the first words on my mouth are Oh God. I god help me i imagine brother mackie back here when he couldn't even uh... get up without throwing up his words were probably old god help me but at least that he prayed specifically lords in your holy spirit because i need a comforting what he happens to be a specialist in comfort all orders in your holy spirit i don't know what to do he has been specialist in that whatever you need that's what he is and so uh... what was the issue the issues time So listen, you may have a prayer this morning that you pray that will not get solved till Jesus comes. Till you die or he comes back. That prayer is still answered. Can you imagine that? I mean, I don't know how much time we have left, but that might be the answer to your prayer. It might be your death or his return. That's tough to think about. Why? Because we live in an instant world. I can't imagine. I've tried to put my mind in the mind of many people many, many years ago and think how they viewed things. i'm move so slowly back there i think about taking a stagecoach halfway across the country and took you know weeks months to get somewhere or a letter you have to send a letter i mean if you're a if they're out in you know during the war you you you wrote a letter i think about the anticipation of a letter that's coming in weeks weeks and you're just all i would just love to hear it just a single word for for my husband that would be over war and just anticipating that letter we live in a instant An instant gratification right now. And so the devil's in part of that. Amen. Because the Bible says to be still. Be still, that's a hard thing to do. Have you ever turned off everything? I mean, just everything. With our phones, you say, I'm not going to look at my phone. Well, there's been times in my life where I don't just, OK, it's still on. I want to turn it off. I want it off completely. I want to turn off my brain. I want to turn off everything in my life to be still and know that he is God and get a word from the Lord. And the problem is that nobody's looking for a word from the Lord. They're looking for a message and something to get them, you know, on to the next day. But God is working our lives. He doesn't work just today and tomorrow. It's the rest of our lives to make us what we ought to be. That's what he's after, to be conformed to his image. All right, the next one here, number three, again, we're talking about the seal. It secures, it identifies, and number three, it authorizes. An official seal cannot be broken without violating the power and authority of the one who set the seal. Three examples of this, when Darius placed Daniel in the lion's den. Daniel 6.16. Somebody grab Daniel 6.16 and 17. Amen. All right, we got Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday today. Somebody grabbed Matthew 27, 66. i think that they say made it made it sure well one sure at all and there's nothing sure when it comes to god he can disrupt uh... something as soon as he wants to a man and that's the only is that is the uh... is the uh... the official feel it's something that again authorizes the it shows authority uh... his field in place in our life he sealed us with a redemption thank god for that all right at the authorizes the next of all uh... it sanctifies seal sanctifies All right, the word sanctify means to set apart or shut up. We see in the Bible several notable occasions of God sealing something shut. When he does, something is shut in and something is shut out. And man, good fences make good neighbors. I've said this before, it bears repeating, God is the great separator. When you hear people start talking about unity and coming together, watch out. watch out uh... there's liberty in christ we we also hear this morning though we could probably uh... debate argue about uh... philosophy and many other things in life and and and disagree but there's unity in the fact that we believe the same book and we believe the same god and we worship the same god that's our common ground With all the woke nonsense is going on today You get these people that go to the these big hearings and they want to they want to give their two cents That's more than two cents probably three dollars. Amen And they would they want to air their grievances and there ain't a single one that can agree on anything It's complete total chaos and God is not the author of confusion All right, something's shut in and something's shut out In Genesis 7 16 the Lord sealed shut the door on Noah's Ark. He did it He did it. Did any water get in? No. Hey man, listen, you need a fresh anointing every single day. A shepherd will take oil and put them around the eyes of sheep. And what that is for is to keep the flies off of it, amen? And the fact is, there's some, I can't think of the verse in the Bible right now, but there's a passage that talks about our eyes being the window to our soul, amen? And the mouth is the same way, but keep it like a gate, amen? It's a gate. And again, you come up to it and you have to there needs to be authorization. OK, well, something's coming or going out. I mean, something going in your in your eyes and coming out of your mouth. There should be a game. And you say, wait a second, what I'm about to see and what I'm about to say or what I'm about to hear. Is this acceptable in the eyes of the Lord? Yes or no. OK, it is. All right. Then you pass. Go ahead and pass. and then uh... where we go wrong is saying something of because that's the way we believe it is and we haven't run that by the holy spirit and then and oftentimes that's the best way to do it you'll never go wrong stopping and saying lord is this pleasing to you you know i'd be looking at it all things are lawful but not all things are expedient and then we need the filter of the holy spirit uh... you might say that nobody in the first shot in a man In Daniel 12, 1 through 4, the prophet Daniel is told to seal a book shut. You're familiar with these passages. Revelation 7, 2 to 4, the 144 servants of God are sealed. Revelation 23, a seal is set upon Satan when he is cast into the bottomless pit, that he should deceive the nations no more. Amen. All right, it authorizes, it sanctifies. are the next after a feel you've got wind the next one is wind emblems of the Holy Spirit he's like wind okay so I'm gonna grab a axe axe too and read if you've ever been in a really good service, what they otherwise would not do and behave in a manner and what they otherwise would not behave. And it's easy to get critical of stuff like that. It is. But you don't know what's going on in people's lives. Amen. And when I see somebody, I see people saved and some of them are just quiet. And then some of them run a lap and scream and shout and act a fool. I mean, that's good. I like that. At least they're doing something. I mean, the waters in our lives need to be disrupted. uh... we don't need to get stagnant stagnant water is not good for anybody it's unhealthy i mean it breeds uh... uh... uh... bacteria amen god needs to come down inside of our soul and stir us up a little bit we need soul stirring hymns amen by what means the holy spirit the holy spirit all right in john three eight we read the wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and wither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. You look at a flag that's flying in the wind, and you're like, well, that flag is flying. Well, no, it's the wind around it. The influence is the wind. The motion of the flag is the influence of the wind around it. That's what it is. And so when you get somebody that's full of the Spirit, you're like, well, that guy, I mean, he's got it going on. No, all he's done is yielded himself to the Holy Spirit to be used of God. That's what that is. It's not of us. And that's the dangerous thing, is you, God forbid we steal glory from God. Amen. And I've seen that. I've seen young men that they desire the accolades. Amen. They look at what preachers in front of people and you get all that nonsense. And it's just God's called each and every one of us to a certain task. And there's not one greater than the other. It's simple obedience regardless of what it is. It doesn't matter what it is God's called you to do. That what's important is that you heed the call and do what he'd have you to do regardless of what it is. And oftentimes we don't know what's best for us. I mean, if you've got a talent and you can use it for God, fine. But don't let that talent fill you with pride. I know several preachers this morning. I'm not trying to rail on them, but there's some preaching this morning that they're preaching on talent. now use your talent but talent with god with god and you have got a mix of that they know you've got something but oftentimes we can we can say uh... when you when you can rest on talent uh... i know uh... many people who can seem very very well will seem well but the ask god the blessing and put yourself down before you get up there let god lift you up don't let yourself up and then let him do it all right we have this powerful that when we don't have to prove it's been proven often has been proven recently and some of the members here in the wind is powerful when the strange things very strange things now what we like to do as as uh... Human beings make sense of what's going on. You can't help it. If you're born in this world, you're flesh and blood, your mind wants to make sense of what is happening. We live in a day and age where you are not going to make sense of what's happening unless you know the Bible. There was a time in this country, I mean, I remember when I lived in China in the late 90s, and we would talk to people. There were people that would try to garner our favor in China. They would bring us food. They would bring us money. They would do whatever they could to find some way so they could get to America. They wanted to get to America. We discouraged all of them. You do not want to, God forbid, you go to America. We knew what would happen to them. Amen. Become westernized and become fleshly and all that kind of stuff. But what they used to say to us is America is heaven. America is heaven. They believe that. And it is a land of opportunity, but there was a time where you could live in this country, and you could be a Christian, and you could do all these things, and the world didn't think much. You don't have the persecution that there is coming. It's already started, and it's going to get worse. but uh... things to make sense back then you don't have to worry about persecution uh... this morning as we prayed out what i was thankful for is the fact that uh... we have a religious freedom you know right now not get off topic too much right now in canada they're trying to pass a bill that you can't say anything against lgbtq plus if they set the rules and if you say something against them that's against the law on the opposite side of that is they come in here and say that gives them carte blanche. And if that book says something against them, wrong. That's what's coming. And right now, this morning, listen, today I can serve God. You understand that? Today you get to serve God. You don't know about tomorrow. You have no idea. No clue. And in China, it's a little bit different over there for the fact that they could be thrown in jail tomorrow. they got a little bit more precious to them because I mean we got one that's a that was put in jail recently I mean go from everything's fine you're paying your bills and join your family next thing you know you got legal problems because you want you're a Christian that's why you don't know serve God while you can anybody who's been in a hurricane or tornado knows that wind is powerful the Holy Spirit does things that you don't understand you come across a situation doesn't make sense to stop may talk about about ask our questions more why that's fine let me speak to you well you don't know and i think attorneys have done very odd and and weird things you have one half of the house uh... seem to be undisturbed on the outside no shingles messed up the shutters deciding but the whole thing was shifted about a foot off its foundation and just twisted does very odd things. The Holy Spirit in our life, when you go to God and you say, Lord, work in my life and make me acceptable, just hold on for strange things. And why is it strange? Because it doesn't make sense to you. But his thoughts are not our thoughts. Amen. If it lines up with what you think, then it's not God. Amen. Ezekiel 37, 9 through 14, we read that Ezekiel told the wind to come and breathe upon the slain. Breath came into them and they lived, and stood upon their feet an exceeding great army. And there in Genesis, he said that he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. I mean, he inflated him right there, amen? The breath of life, the Holy Spirit is wind, it's breath, it's life. In verse 14, when God interrupted these things to Ezekiel, he said that his spirit would enter his people. It is the Holy Spirit that grants the new birth, quickens from the dead, and brings the Christian back to life spiritually. And this same Holy Spirit will one day bring the dead body of the Christian back to life. Now, if you think about that, I heard a preacher say that one time, that we just, you know, you come to church, you get filled up, and you deflate, and you've got to be inflated again, amen? And we do that. And that is the Christian life. And the fact is that that is where prayer comes in. When you bow your head to pray, the longer you pray, the better off you'll be. uh... if nothing else just to recognize god in your life inlet and i i i i don't have to pray about something that's completely unrelated to what's going on uh... in my life and let me pray for somebody and then the lord speak to me appreciate one time that uh... of christ praise intercessory prayer for us we know that we went over that Okay, you're in that place of... Christ is in a place of intercessory prayer. When you intercess for someone's behalf, you're at the same place Christ is. That's where you meet him. You meet him where he is. He's not going to. Now, listen, he does. He came where I was and he picked me up and he saved me. Amen. And now listen, when I was lost, that's Christ pursuing you. When you get saved, it's up to you to him. He saved you. All right. Now, follow me. He's not following us. He's not trying to chase after us. Amen. You left him. Why is my life in disarray and such a mess? And I can't pay bills and everything's going wrong because you left him. He's not gonna follow you to all the terrible places and the things you've been doing, but he'll offer forgiveness when you're ready to come back to him. Thank God for that. Romans 8, 11, but if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken, make alive, amen, your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. All right, number two. when is independent the wind bloweth where it listeth the Holy Spirit does whatever he wants to do it goes where it wants to go I meant to show you a clip and I may I may still do that maybe next week or something but you get the you get a bunch of not headed people who don't know the scripture and they think that they do some kind of incantation or so this repetitive christian music and i know brother carl will get on that but uh... it's very very odd job ritualistic chance have this repetitive thing uh... you know that uh... african drums repetitive and it's the status is conjuring type of thing and that's not that's not godly music uh... and if you look at it if you don't know the difference and then ask the holy spirit he will show you he will show up promise you that that's a bunch of nonsense and then he does what he wants to do i'm not going to summon the holy spirit of a rubber magic lamp and it's and have had the holy spirit to do my bidding no sir that's not how it works is not he's a third person the godhead and he obeys god's will he does not obey your or my order them in somebody grab a mayhem one three Nahum, 1-3. While they're looking for that, we'll go ahead. The wind is invisible but effective is the next one. Invisible but effective. Yes, Nahum, 1-3. Amen. He will not acquit the wicked. He's not going to let them off. Amen. And he hath his way in the whirlwind. God can bring judgment by any means necessary. Now, he did it by the worldwide flood. He said he'd never do a worldwide flood again. Amen. But he'll use nature. He'll use whatever means necessary to do so. Amen. The Holy Spirit can convict. And that's the interesting thing. We always expect a friendly God. and you know uh... they love them as a lamb they don't like him as a lion that's the tough part you stand before people and you say he's a roaring lion and he's gonna uh... wipe out his enemies and the blood's gonna come up to the girdle of the of the horse amen and drenched in his enemy's blood You ever seen what a lion does? Rips apart their enemies? A lion, he's the king of the jungle, he's got authority. They love him as a lamb, just a little lamb. We got today's resurrection Sunday, you're gonna have a little... I'm sure somebody can tell me the origin story behind that, but a bunny... and all these pastel colors and eggs. I mean, I'm not trying to be a jerk about this kind of stuff. It's just that we don't serve a pacifist God who's going to overlook our sin. That's not what he's going to do. I mean, I enjoy dressing in the festive part of this and the camaraderie and the friendship and all that stuff. That's not who God is. They conveniently go to the Bible and skip over all the times that God executed judgment Now, I'm not cowering in fear because of God. My fear of his is respect. And the idea that if he has to come in my life and stir the water and shake up my little playground and it's for my good, that's what I need. A mature Christian recognizes that and say, God, do it. But Lord, help me while I'm going through it. And we do. We need help. I mean, when he chastises us, do not despise God for his chastisement on your life. And it's going to come. Do not be surprised. The Christian who is surprised by these things is the immature Christian. Just is. That's immaturity. When it happens, stop. That's what Job did. He didn't charge God foolishly. His entire world was falling apart. He sat down in ashes on his head in complete disarray, and his whole world was turned upside down, and he prayed. That's what you do? I don't understand these things, but we are so blessed, and we expect good things to happen to us all the time. And so you know what we do as humanistic Christians? I'm going to go to a preacher that tells me what I think should happen to me, and he's going to tell me how good I am and what good things are going to happen to me today. Nonsense. he's comes from that's not reality it's just not reality is a book that tells me who i am what to stay away from you imagine that the garden you can have all these things don't do that you know we go to god and say lord i want this is what i want lord you don't need that he told the people in the in the old testament many times you don't They got what they wanted and lost what they had. What the Lord doeth, he doeth well. And there's, he addeth no sorrow with it. Amen. He can, Lord, Lord, if I don't need it, take it away. But if he gives it to me, I can enjoy it. Amen. All right, the wind is invisible, but effective. We just read Nahum 1.3. All right, F, fire. An emblem of the Holy Spirit, fire. So my grandfather was 1229. Good. God, take the things in my life. You know, that's what's going to happen one day, your works. Well, I don't have any works. Yeah, you've worked for something. You've done something. Amen. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine working? I heard the other day a guy worked his whole life, retired. I forget how old he was when he retired, but he had amassed all these things. And he died of a heart attack, did not enjoy any of what he had worked for. Can you imagine working your whole life, not having insurance on your home? You go home today, your house is on fire, and everything you worked for is gone. That's a terrible thing. We have things in our life that are personal. You ever think about that? If there's a fire in your house, what would be the first thing you'd go for? I mean, nobody in the house, I'm talking about things. and something goes in your mind immediately. Oh, I have to get what? This. It's things that are precious. It's a token, amen? But everything we have is up in heaven, amen? Where rust doesn't destroy and moth can't corrupt. You think about that, amen? I enjoy the things I have. But you know what God has to do sometimes in our lives? Come in there and consume it with fire. and it's a tough thing you know that there's not going to let me go through that with that with you and joe's friends didn't miserable comforters his life was destroyed he had to go through that alone and sometimes that's what you're going to have to do but don't despise the chastening of the lord and when you come out you know what happens in a fire sometimes you have a forest fire that's nature's way of vacuuming and sweeping it up you burn all that stuff up and you know what comes out of a fire after a big fire new life new growth it's cleaned out that's what god does in our life that's who he is but you have to let him you have and It's a tough thing to ask, but listen, the thing is that when that happens, he'll be there with you going through this. And it's the right thing to ask for. It's the right thing to do. Deuteronomy 436, out of heaven, he made thee to hear his voice that he might instruct thee, and upon earth he showed thee his great fire. And thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. All right, number one here after fire is the presence of the Lord. Fire light. There is light in the presence of God, and the Holy Spirit gives spiritual light to reveal truth. First John one five. This then is the message we have heard of him and declaring to you that God is. and in him is no darkness at all. I don't know why I keep bringing up music, but Brother Carl's going to teach on it pretty soon. No darkness at all. I don't understand. You take rock and roll and all the great things about rock and roll from a human perspective, and you take all that away and add Christian lyrics. Why would I want to be a part of that? There's no darkness in him at all. Not a bit of it. What you need is something that appeals to your spiritual side. You shouldn't feel bad for being flesh and blood because you are. But it's understanding who you are in Christ. Fire gives light. The first time God speaks to Moses, he speaks from the burning bush and reveals his will. spirit of god gave a light for the nation of israel in the wilderness by pillar of fire the holy spirit gives uh... given to believers in fulfillment of the lord's promise he gives evidence of his presence by fire we read that earlier uh... the holy spirit of or or god in the in the uh... in the fire in the cloud and once again he was what they needed when they needed it now the uh... All the armies there with Pharaoh, when they saw the fire, they were afraid. As long as they stayed by the fire, they were protected. And we see a great example there. You stay by the stuff. You stay in church. You stay with God. That's your protection. You stray from the fire and you no longer have protection. That's how it works. Fire affords protection. Exodus 13, 21. The pillar of fire was a fearsome sight to the enemies of Israel. In the circle of its light, they were safe in his presence. Number two, the approval of the Lord. God sent a fire to show his approval of a sacrifice or of a man of God many times. And call ye on the name of your gods, and I'll call the name of the Lord. And the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, it is well spoken. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water. Boy, I tell you, when God does it, Hey man, listen, you don't need five million dollars, what you need is God's provision and then let Him bless what He's given you. You see here, what He does, He doeth it well, and I have no sorrow with it. Okay, He didn't consume just to burn off the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and lit the water up, He doeth it well. completely. What's he trying to do with you? Be conformed to his image, right? Entirely in every aspect of your life. I mean, every aspect, that's what he wants. All right, it is 1029 and we are stopping. For the car, would you lead us in prayer, please?