Series: Supernatural

Title: Living Supernaturally by the Holy Spirit

So far in this series:

            Spiritual Warfare/Angels/Demons

Today we will be talking about the Holy Spirt.  Last year in April we did a whole series on the Holy Spirit. Just to recap a bit of what we talked about. 

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

We talked about His role in our lives as

• The Holy Spirit Works to Bring About Our Salvation, Helper, Teacher, Comforter
• We even talked about the power of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit

If You missed this series then you can always go to our website www.hcchouma.church

Click on the sermon series the Holy Spirit and then on the desired audio file also the transcript of each sermon is there for you to read at your own convenience. 

So today, we want to talk about being filled with the Holy Spirit to live a supernatural life.    

• What does it mean to live a supernatural life?
• How is it possible to do so?

Supernatural-  

1. of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe especially of or relating to God or a spirit even the devil would be a supernatural being
2. departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature

How do we as Christians live apart from the usual, or the normal, how do we live lives that counter the culturearound us?

Galatians 5:16-26

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 

Let’s keep in mind that the apostle Paul is writing this to the churches of Galatia.  He is urging the church, a group of believers, to walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of the flesh.  Because even Christians get tempted to walk according to the flesh and need constant reminders not to do so.

John Piper - Flesh is the old ego that is self-reliant and does not delight to yield to any authority or depend on any mercy. It craves the sensation of self-generated power and loves the praise of men. 

The apostle Paul goes on to say that the desires of the Spirit and the desires of the flesh are opposed to one another.  Much like how forces of light are opposed to forces of darkness. 

So not only is there a cosmic war going on in the heavenlies in the realm we cannot see involving demons and angels and the like, there is a war that goes on between our desires that are of the Spirit versus our desires that are fleshly by nature.  

For those who are perishing, they simply follow the desires of the flesh and give no thought to the desires of the Spirit.  But for those of us who are saved and who are being saved, we follow the desires of the Holy Spirit and so therefore we must put to death our fleshly desires every day.

To live supernaturally we must depart from what is usual, normal, or natural by overcoming the desires of the flesh even when everyone else lives by the flesh.  Which means we will need a supernatural power that surpasses our own strength to accomplish this.  Plainly put, we need the constant filling of the Holy Spirit to live according to the desires of the spirit.

Paul would say if you walk by the Spirit then you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.  For it is the Spirit who convicts us of sin and even keeps us from sinning that is if we are willing to listen to Him.  Then he proceeds to give us a few examples of the works of the flesh.

¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Living Supernaturally by The Spirit Defeats the Flesh

Though not every sin is mentioned in this text, The phrase “and things like these” include other sins not mentioned.  When you are led by the flesh, you do things of the flesh that are contrary to God’s will for your life.  Which ultimately leads to eternal separation from God.  

The aim of the list is not to instill some better behavioral patterns, as to say we can fix ourselves through self-help programs.  But in the following chapter, Paul talks about being a new creation.  So that new behavior patterns are the natural result of new hearts.

We must seek transformation from God in our hearts to rid ourselves of our depravity.  What we need is a supernatural encounter with a supernatural God, to transform our hearts supernaturally, so that we can live by the Spirit and not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

How do we Walk by the Spirit?

A “walk” in the Bible is often a metaphor for practical daily living. The Christian life is a journey, and we are to walk it—we are to make consistent forward progress

Ephesians 5:15-18

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 

¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 

Out of all the examples Paul could have used, he juxtaposes the idea of being drunk with wine against the idea of being filled with the Spirit.  Why is that?

When someone is drunk, they are under the influence of alcohol.  There is something else that is controllingthem.  They think differently, they talk differently, and they act differently. 

Some people look to alcohol to numb the pain of whatever heartache they may be enduring.

Some people look to alcohol to give them a shot of confidence to do something that they would not normally do or to become someone who they are not. 

The problem is that when you try to fill your life with any earthly substance then you have in fact settled for a false counterfeit of what the Holy Spirit can do in your life.

Instead of being drunk, go to the Holy Spirit.  He can comfort you in your hardships.  He can give

you confidence and the supernatural ability to do things that you could not do on your own.

With the power of the Holy Spirit, you will become someone who you never thought possible.  With the power of the Holy Spirit, you can overcome the desires of your flesh and fulfill the desires of the Spirit.

So, Paul tells the Ephesians not to settle for the counterfeit by being drunk with wine but rather to be influenced by the Holy Spirit.  He will cause You to think differently, talk differently and even act differently.  Every aspect of your life will be affected.

To walk in the Spirit means that we yield to His control, we follow His lead, and we allow Him to exert His influence over us. As we yield ourselves to His work in our lives eventually, we will see the fruit of the Spiritevident in us.

Living Supernaturally by the Spirit Produces Fruit

Galatians 5:22-26          But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

Those who walk in the Spirt walk in:

• love—they live in love for God and for their fellow man.
• joy—they exhibit gladness in what God has done, is doing, and will do.
• peace—their lives are not defined by worry or anxiety
• patience—they are known for having a “long fuse” and do not lose their temper.
• kindness—they show tender concern for the needs of others.
• goodness—their actions reflect virtue and holiness.
• faithfulness—they are steadfast in their trust of God and His Word.
• gentleness—their lives are characterized by humility, grace, and thankfulness to God.
• self-control—they display moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to the flesh.

²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another

These Fruits of the Spirit supernaturally become more evident in a person’s life as they continue to be filled by and walk in step with the Spirit. 

What does it mean to be filled by the Spirit? (Eph. 5:18 “but be filled with the Spirit”)

Filled – (plēroō) to make full, to fill up, to fill to the full, to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally, (ex. I am liberally supplied)

Let’s start off by saying, every believer has the indwelling Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit living in them. 

John 14:16

¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

If we look other passages, we can see that being filled with the Spirit is not a single event which only occurs at the moment of salvation, but it is a continual process, we are to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

To be filled with the Spirit requires us to relinquish control and to give God full control so that He can occupy everypart of our lives, and guide us in His truth

We relinquish control when:

• Open & Study His word. When we yield to the instruction of the Word of God, we yield to the continual filling of the Holy Spirit.
• Worship
• Prayer
• Serve someone

The more that we relinquish and the more we yield to the Holy Spirit the more spiritual growth we will see in our lives.  Again, this comes about supernaturally by the Spirit of God.

Regarding Ephesians 5:18, The MacArthur Bible Commentary says, “Being filled with the Spirit is living in the conscious presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, letting His mind, through the Word, dominate everything that is thought and done.”

There is more to living supernaturally than just overcoming your fleshly desires.   

Living Supernaturally Brings About Supernatural Results

Matthew 17:19-20

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰ He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jesus expects His disciples to cast out demons and operate in the supernatural through faith in Him.  He even alludes to the fact that it does not take much faith, as He says that “faith like a grain of mustard seed” will sufficefor moving mountains. 

Our prayer counselors love praying with you every Sunday and believing God for the supernatural in your life. But what we would love even more is that you would rise up, lay hands on the sick, on the depressed, on the fearful, and believe in faith that God has the power to heal, to deliver, and set people free. 

If it is by faith that people are made whole, then it is not about you nor is it about me, but it is the power of the Holy Spirit working supernaturally through you.

You must live supernaturally through the Holy Spirit

• Living Supernaturally by The Spirit Defeats the Flesh
• Living Supernaturally by the Spirit Produces Fruit
• Living Supernaturally Brings About Supernatural Results (you will be given opportunities to be used as an instrument in the hands of the Master to bring about healing and deliverance into the lives of others)