Class Outline:
Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Wednesday,
April 20, 2011
Spiritual Gifts Part 111: The more broken we are, the more God can do with us.
The Doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
C. The Baptism of the Spirit is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in placing every new believer into permanent union with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Body the Church.
We must be brought to the point where we are convinced that in our flesh, in our human power, we cannot do it!
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Our confidence in our flesh - our talents, our solutions, our money, our connections, our personality, our family, our cleverness - needs to be broken and ended.
Our reliance on the old “us” must be broken so the new life of Christ can pour out of us.
And God our Father has a plan to break the old “us” so the new life can pour, and be life for others and blessing for us.
this knowing, that our old man was crucified with [Him], that the body of the sin may be made useless, for our no longer serving the sin; [YLT]
Eventually, one way or the other, the believer learns that there is one basic element which can enable a man to be useful before God: brokenness. (Pastor McLaughlin)
Brokenness means we place no confidence in ourselves, and therefore place all our faith and trust in the Lord.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.
God’s plan includes times of failure as well as success.
It is a moment by moment faith and trust in the Spirit to apply the power of the cross to our old self-life and to teach us how to walk as new creatures in Christ.
We have to be broken of our habit of relying on the flesh, relying on our power and our talents and our strategies and defense mechanisms.
You will have your very own Romans 7 experiences of absolute frustration and in fact despair about your inability to live this life by yourself, according to your own resources.
talaiporos means “enduring toils and troubles, afflicted, wretched”. It was used of a person who is exhausted after a battle.
But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."
We finally turn and rely instead on our position in Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The more broken we are, the more God can do with us.
