Prayer:

Heavenly Father, perhaps this will be the most important message I will preach in this revival series. Please anoint Your Word, and anoint me, Your messenger for without the anointing of the Spirit my efforts will be ineffective and my voice as a clanging cymbal. Bless those who are baptized and help them to constantly yield to the influence of that baptism. Cause those who have not been baptized to reject anything which keeps them from yielding to the Spirit; give them an insatiable hunger for your Spirit tonight.

May we all leave this place full of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Introduction: I have two objectives for this message tonight.

God wants you to experience the wonderful and glorious language which He has provided for you through the Holy Ghost. It is a language which thwarts the devil’s efforts to eavesdrop on your spiritual life. Every time Satan thinks he has you figured out, your heavenly language short circuits his efforts.

When you pray in your natural language, the devil understands what you are saying and calls together his devilish forces in order to obstruct your prayers.

Dan 10:12 (KJV) Then said he unto me, fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy god, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

Dan 10:13 (KJV) But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

God gives us the opportunity to be baptized in the Holy Ghost and receive a heavenly language which the devil cannot understand and over which he has no power or influence.

Unbelievers, and some Christians, may say it is foolishness and the utterances are mere gibberish. But why should you care what anyone says who has not tasted of the glory and power of the Spirit and who has no personal knowledge or experience in the Holy Ghost.

Do not be bounced around by those who reject the reality of the baptism. Do not allow them to intimidate you by their mockery and scorn. Do not let the batter you with accusations and sarcastic remarks. Don’t become a spiritual coward, refusing to allow the Holy Ghost to minister through you because you are afraid of what someone will say about your language or behavior.

He is to be in you with power and authority. He is a communicating Spirit whose person and being has been given to us by our Heavenly Father to anoint and enrich our lives.

Of all the gifts which God has given us, none can outshine the Holy Ghost for power, anointing, and comfort. (even our salvation is administered by the Holy Ghost!)

Jesus told his disciples He was going to leave them. They were terrorized by the thought and did not understand what the Lord was telling them. Even though He promised them another Comforter, they could not receive the message for their minds were dulled by their emotions of distress and loss.

After the Lord was resurrected, and the tomb was found to be empty, they knew He was truly the Son of God.

He told them to go to the upper room and wait for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Having promised them another Comforter, now He promises them a clothing of power by the coming of the Spirit. He would not just be a Comforter but would also be an anointer of great power.

Because you are fighting the forces of hell and the only spiritual help you have on this earth is the Holy Ghost. The Father is in heaven and the Son is there with Him, at His right hand. They have sent and authorized the Holy Ghost to perfect all that Jesus did for mankind. They are all involved in the plan but the Spirit is the agent of action.

The unique (and uncomprehended by man) relationship of the Trinity places the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect unity and purpose. No human relationship can match this heavenly and holy unity and therefore we have nothing upon which to base comparisons and judgments. This lack of experience of such unity and purpose creates an attitude of doubt and suspicion in the hearts of men. The concept is: "if i don’t understand it, then it must be disqualified."

We must not fall into this trap of distrust and foolishly require the Trinity to function in the same deceitful and selfish way as we humans.

Whereas we argue, debate, fight, and divide over our ideas, doctrines, and interpretations .......... The Holy Spirit is in total agreement with the Father and Son and performs His ministry in harmony and peace.

We must understand this fact in order to be surrendered to the influence and control of the Holy Spirit. He will always work in agreement with the written Word of God (historical) and the living Word of God (Christ in the present and future).

The Holy Spirit gives no utterance, no tongue, no revelation, no prophecy, no "Word" which is not in harmony with the written history of God’s Word.

Likewise, we must understand that the only knowledge we have about creation, the human species, heaven, hell, sin, salvation, judgment, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and everything else which is important to the human heart and has eternal consequences, comes from the written Word of God.

When He administers the Word of God in your heart and life, He does so by the authority of the Father and the direction of the Son.

John 14:26 (KJV) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 15:26 (KJV) But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13 (KJV) Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

Everything the Holy Ghost does in the life of the believer is by instruction of the Lord. He does not dream up new fangled ideas which circumvent God’s Word. He does not inspire new doctrine which steps beyond the borders of God’s Word. He does not come up with silly inconsequential and dumb ideas to make us giddy. He is not the instigator the inane claims and practices of the modern day Pentecostal and Charismatic movement which places great emphasis on material gains and treasures.

Guard against the divisive spirit of the world and the church and allow the Holy Spirit to work the purpose and plan of God in you. God's precious Holy Spirit has been given to us as a Comforter and helper. It is His purpose and ministry to fulfill the will of God in our life. We have been commanded by the Word of God to allow the Holy Spirit to function in us so that we may be better and more effective sons and daughters of God.

A. How does the Holy Spirit minister to you?

1. In your spirit, which is who you truly are. The Holy Spirit witnesses with your spirit that you are a child of God.

2. In your conscience.(mind; intellect)

Prov 23:7 (KJV) For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Rom 12:2 (KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The battleground in which Satan fights you is your mind. If he can control the way you think, he will control your flesh causing you to minimize the Spirit’s influence and maximize your feelings. When your flesh is in control, the Spirit cannot minister the blessings of God to you. Your mind and flesh will work in tandem because they are the soulish part of you. When your mind is transformed and renewed by the power of God, you will then be able to clearly see the relationship which God has with your spirit.

3. Through the word of God.

Read the Bible. Every problem we have in life is resolved in God’s Word.

4. By prayer

If you don’t talk to God, His Spirit cannot minister to you. Spend some time in prayer if you want spiritual blessings. You who are baptized in the Holy Ghost need to give ample time and opportunity for the Spirit to speak and pray through you.

* He is not like a faucet which you turn off and on.

* He is not moved by our emotions.

* We do not control the Spirit. We co-operate with Him.

* He does not anoint according to our hyper state of mind. He is ever present to bless if we will respond.

B. What hinders (grieves) His ministry in you.

Eph 4:30 (KJV) and grieve not the holy spirit of god, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

1. Willful sin and transgression of God's Word. Repent and receive forgiveness.

2. Stubbornness and a heart of stone. You must be a yielded and pliable vessel.

3. Evil speaking (gossip, lies, hateful speech, etc.) He will not anoint you in spite of your wicked speech.

4. Selfishness; self-centered; wants to be pleased; everything must go their way.

5. An unloving attitude. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by your unloving attitude toward others while expecting Him to bring God’s love to you.

6. Hatred and malice toward others. A heart of hate violates God’s law and prohibits the Spirit’s work except in conviction and condemnation.

1. Submit yourself to God.

Consciously determine to be surrendered to Him. In your worship, your praise, your adoration. John 7:38 (KJV) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. John 7:39 (KJV) (but this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

  2. Practice obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Learn how to hear the voice of the Spirit. Learn how to feel and sense the Spirit of God working in you. Remember how you felt when He touched you before and use that experience to recognize Him the next time.

3. Be sensitive to His touch in you life and learn how to respond to His leading.

Don’t be afraid of the Holy Ghost. He isn’t going to hurt you

John 10:4 (KJV) And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

  4. Immediately seek forgiveness for any wrong you have done.

Don’t give harbor and shelter to wrong behavior.

5. Become acquainted with the way in which He deals with you so you don't have to waste valuable time questioning whether it is His voice. If the enemy can keep you questioning long enough, he will distract you.

6. Memorize and establish in your heart this scripture:

Luke 11:13 (KJV) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Now, let me spend a few moments to encourage you to validate the gift of tongues in you life.

Some people believe that speaking in other tongues is not an evidence of Spirit baptism and is therefore unimportant. I want to show you what the Bible says and allow God’s Word to set the precedent for Holy Ghost baptism and the gift of tongues.

Two (2) of the examples do not specify tongues but infer that this baptism is a deeper dimension of power with some sort of spectacular accompanying anointing. They are:

The promise was for a new dimension of power and anointing.

The initial outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost was accompanied by fiery tongues and a violent wind. All further occurrences are occasions of receiving the gift which was once and for all given on the day of Pentecost.

What did Simon witness which he wanted to buy?

Tell story of Brother Pennington, American Baptist pastor, who received a wonderful baptism in his own office. When asked how he had missed this gift for more than 30 years of ministry he confessed that he simply ignored the scriptures which spoke of this anointing.

What if there were only one story of tongues (upper room)? Would your faith be hindered? If so, what about:

*only once was He resurrected yet we believe.

*only once will He come for the church-- we wait!

Why do people get hung up on the doctrine of tongues? I believe it is because the baptism in the Holy Ghost requires the surrender of our entire being. Our heart, our mind, our attitude, our selfishness, our pride. Everything!! We must give Him our will and be submissive to his authority.

If I offered you a $100.00 dollar bill, would you scream, sweat, fight and kick over the altar before you took the money.

No! You would reach ouT and accept the gift and be thrilled to get it. That’s what I’m asking you to do in order to be baptized in the Holy Ghost. Reach out and receive the gift.

Sweet, sweet anointing,

Flowing down to make me clean,

Like a mighty, rushing stream;

Sweet, sweet anointing,

Pouring out the oil and wine,

All over me.