Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and told them to enter into His Spirit of service. Let us pray much. Believe much and pay attention for God is at work. (John 13:13-20)

Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller, Pastor Gary Groenewold
Sermon # 11251
7:30 PM on 4/26/2017

P. Schaller

Jn 13. The kind of song was good, wasn’t it? And she is so good singing. It got a punch to it.

Prov 16:32, the spirit, prayer, concentration, the spirit of a woman or woman, the Holy Spirit, the spirit. Read about it in the Scriptures and we also experience it. It’s very sensitive part of your being, the spirit. The spirit of a man, small s and filed with the Holy Spirit, the capital letters, and the heart of a man or person and how Satan can put it in the heart of a person.

Acts 5:4 Satan put it in the heart of Ananias and Sapphira. But God has put it in our hearts. We have the Word of truth that is able to set me free. I have to pay attention to the fact that there are many spirits in the world and many lies in the world.

A believer could have a strange spirit or a passive spirit or Rom 12, fervent in spirit. The believer that has the H.S. is able to respond to God in the H.S. in faith and he can sense the authority and rules his spirit. He that his slow to anger is better than the mighty. That’s a great word for people that get angry.

Our theme for the Marriage Getaway is how a sense of humor in a marriage helps us a lot. It will also be a fun day. Friday night here in the panel we have three couples. Ryan does such a good job. We’ll have a great time. It’s free Friday 7 to 9 and Saturday it’s $20. If want to eat lunch it’s $29. Just come and be with us it will be a great time. The spirit.

vs. 32. Anger is a problem in marriages. It’s a problem at work, with our friendships, in church life, but if you are slow to anger, it means that the immediate circumstances are subject to something higher. I have a relationship with God, a spiritual life. He that rules his spirit. To be quiet in spirit, fervent in spirit, Spirit filled, to have a spirit of joy, a spirit of thanksgiving, a spirit of praise. Wow! Praise! That’s an amazing theme.

D. L. Moody said there are people that prayer but don’t praise.

Prayer and then there is praise. Every day realizing and recognizing and responding to God for all his goodness all around us. I want to preach a message on cows. Remember I said that. I wanted it tonight but didn’t get there. I think it’s amazing we have cows, animals, birds, fish and so much of it and grass and air and all parts of life. Praise God. Let praise be continually in your mouth.

Ps 34:2. It is a part of ruling our spirit. God is a God that has given us so much. He is anticipating our attitude. Attitude has a lot to do with life. Remember catitude and dogitude. It has a lot to do with my life. My spiritual life is a relationship. It’s very simple. It’s a simple attitude of concentration on a person that loves us.

Ps 114:1 I will extol him. I will highly exalt him in my attitude. By the study of the Scriptures and the presence of God in my life, all kinds of things have been given to us and we are showered with it. Praise is a big part and response and faith is a big part.

Jn 13:12, Satan put it in Judas heart. It’s much better to wait on God and get ahold of what the Spirit is doing. I praise God and commend the Body for gathering all the time faithfully and anticipating freshness. Anticipating the Spirit to speak to us and something beyond ourselves. Being prepared for meeting Christ one day. Being prepared to have an answer. Resist evil. Disagree with what the world is saying is important. You say I should seek my own life. Let’s lose our life and seek him. We will find a new life. Judas was targeted by the devil. He had the target and receptacle. It was Judas’ heart and mind unregenerated. He was sitting next to Christ so was a perfect target. Satan could put in his heart to betray Christ. Jesus said do what you have to do. He left the room. Jesus has his eleven and this is the group he wants to talk to. Judas is gone. Christ didn’t point him out. Who is it, Lord? It is he that put bread in this cup. Judas made the decision. Christ didn’t make the decision and did not point him out.

Jn 13:12. Very powerful statement. Do you know what I have done to you? No, Lord, we really don’t know. You washed our feet but don’t really know what it means. Life is like that. I don’t know really Lord what is going on. What have you done here washing our feet? Tell me. The H.S. is our teacher. Even when you think you know something you don’t know it as you ought to know. We don’t go to God with our hearts and minds filled with ourselves. We go to God and say I don’t know what is happening. I don’t think we realize what we’re doing exactly but it is big and powerful. Salvations every day around the world. Men and older men and people doing this and that and the women and the mothers and pastor’s wives and team members and single ladies and guys living in faith. All the folks working 50-60 hours a week and doing a good job by faith and having a great attitude. We want to know God. I want to know and the Spirit is saying I want to show you. Be fervent in spirit. Don’t back off in spirit. We are funny.

vs. 13-16. We should rehearse it even if you lived in it that many years of your life. Have this ability in Christ to focus in the Spirit on truth. We get worried about this thing and that. Quiet down and focus on important things the Lord says. I want to teach you to be a servant. The H.S. is a Spirit that serves. The H.S. glorifies God. We have been called into this where we glorify God. We are here on earth to bring glory to God. Here that the H.S. would lead us, show us that everything we do and everything set before us is so we can find the way that God has in him being glorified and being here for his great purpose. We find it in life.

I’m thinking about praise and prayer and focus. I’m thinking about our gifts and capability as believers to be fervent in spirit and Satan cannot. He throws something into our heart but it can’t stay. The Spirit of truth is in us. He throws a spirit of bitterness, a spirit of envy, a spirit of jealousy, a spirit of lust for another woman. That could be thrown into the heart of a man or into the heart of a woman for a man. Strange but suddenly it comes into the heart of a person and it is something from Satan. We are fervent in spirit. Yes in the meeting but also in a home, in private, in quiet. This kind of attitude. Jesus, show me. Jesus, stir me. You got to show me what is going on. He says do you know what I have done for you? Show me and put it in my heart. Motivate me in that thing. There are many teachings. Forgiving people. Not caring what the world is doing. Fear not little flock. This is the Spirit of God in me.

David’s mighty men, 37 of them. The first three were very aggressive. The first one killed 800 men by himself. The other guy two lion-faced men and killed two Moabites and a lion in a pit on a snowy day. The third one in a bean patch would not give up when others ran away. This is not their personality. It is being fervent in spirit. It’s being Spirit-filled.

I don’t care what others are saying or doing. I’m ruling my spirit. The H.S. is leading me so I can lead others. The H.S. is teaching me something so I can help others and lead them. What happens is I’m not fervent in spirit and then I move along in the routine. I personally don’t want the routine. I don’t mean our daily duties, and I mean spiritually there is no routine. There is God. God is not a routine. God in your spirit. What is God going to do today? I don’t know. He made whales! He has red and yellow and other colors. He made a mosquito and an angel. How can you put God in a box? Be fervent in spirit, the H.S. loving the enemy, people, yourself. Not giving up, digging in. I could care less about my past. The Spirit is in me and speaking to me about who I am. That’s how it is. Prayer isn’t maybe it will happen. Prayer is not a form of worry. I have a prayer request and I can’t pay my bills and I worry about it for an hour. I wonder, did I pray? God knows. Wouldn’t it be amazing if I was able to say the Lord Jesus Christ is yeah and amen? Be serious with me and I have to get serious in my heart. God, I don’t know what I want. Be quiet and listen to me. I know what you need before you ask me. Be thankful for me and who I am. Recognize I am God and not like other gods. Do you realize who I am? I say no, I don’t. He goes, I can show you. Are you ready to give it all up? All your nonsense and craziness and selfishness. Let’s get going. Get your wings going. You’ll fly with me. I will teach you. That’s the idea.

vs. 18. It hurts when your friend lifts up his heel against you. It can happen in the church. It’s hard. It cannot destroy you. It cannot take you down. You have to be fervent in spirit. Rule your spirit. Be Spirit filled. Say this hurts a lot but it won’t separate me from God. This is painful but I will get through it. Weeping endures for a night but joy comes in the morning. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Be fervent in spirit and live in the Spirit, pray in the Spirit, rejoice in the Spirit, be thankful in the Spirit, attend the assembly in the Spirit, and wait on God in the Spirit. Nothing better than assembling together. We drink the same spirit.

vs. 20. Some of these folks going to these countries those people are going to receive Christ. He that receives whomever I send, receives me. He that receives me, receives him that sent me. That’s amazing.

We have more than a 40-year history in Finland and the same men we met when we lived there are the men pastoring for 38 or 40 years. God did it. We were sent by this assembly. They received Christ and they are in the ministry. It’s a miracle of God. It doesn’t happen except by the H.S. Walking in the Spirit, fervent in spirit, believing God in the spirit, praying in the Spirit, we will stand our ground and not be ashamed. Lie down in peace and thank you God I did the right thing. He that believed is not ashamed. That’s our calling.

I believe the things we see around here and doing are of great value. Don’t underestimate the value of it. Don’t live in your flesh. Don’t become careless in your spirit. Don’t let Satan sow in your heart something destructive. Let God lead and guide you all the days of your life. Pray for us and one another a lot in these days. The devil doesn’t like our spirit.

In Maine, P. Stevens was preaching fire. We had church meetings, angels came, and outreaches. The witchcraft capital was Salem, Massachusetts where they burned witches in 1680. It became a mecca for witches. There was a meeting there for one summer for America and they handed out a paper. They were not to go to this church. They had a paper not to go to this church and one of them was the Bible Speaks church. That’s amazing. Why? The devil knows who we are. The devil cares about it. The devil targets it. The devil wants to take it down. Satan sows things in the hearts of our own people. Not because they are bad people but the believer who is greater than a man who takes a city must pay attention because many spirits in the world and many ideas.

I must pay attention and be a man that prays. If I pray in the Spirit, there’s a good possibility I will fellowship in the Spirit. When he tempts me, I will recognize it. When lies are all around, I will recognize what it is. I will renounce it, resist it, not embrace it and walk on in God.

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