The Holy Spirit Part 3 of 8 Kathryn Kuhlman Spirit Filled Preaching

We've been having some good heart -to -heart talks regarding the person and the personality of the Holy Spirit. And I'm going to continue exactly where I left off. And you know by now that you're to have your Bibles out so that you can follow me in every scripture that I give. Because it is most important that I can back up every statement that I make with the Word of God. And it's just like that. The Word of God, the Bible, is the final authority. I would not dare give you my ideas. I wouldn't ask you to. When I inject something that is my own idea, I feel perfectly free to say to you now, you don't have to accept it. Now, this is the way I see it. But you do not have to accept it because it's my idea. But neither one of us dare deviate one iota from the Word of God. His Word is truth, and there is no greater authority. Well, yesterday we were talking about the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. And wasn't that sort of when you saw the Holy Spirit in creation? You never dreamed, did you, that the Holy Spirit had such an important part in creation. But he did. He had an important part in not only the creation of the earth, but in the creation of man. We should have seen that a long time ago. Because God said, let us make man in our image and after our likeness. To whom was he referring when he said, let us? He was speaking with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit. Then we saw the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was not universal in the way that he is universal today. He came upon a very few selected individuals. He came upon them for a very special purpose. He came upon them to give them special privileges. to empower their hands with skill and that to me is very revealing extremely revealing to think that the holy spirit came upon certain individuals to empower their hands with skill or to open their tongues to speak or to give them ability to lead When you realize that he came upon Moses and upon the 70 who assisted Moses to give them ability to guide the nation Israel. But remember, all of these experiences were a sovereign act of God. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was not... In each instance, it was a sovereign act of God. Neither Moses, nor Joseph, nor Samson, nor Gideon was indwelt because of some special thing within the man. Or that they could demand this special power because of some promise that was universal. No. They did not do something to get the Holy Spirit's presence. God gave them that gift sovereignly. They had nothing to do with it. Nor could they get it by asking for it. There was no promise that they could claim and say, now this is your promise. You promised it unto me. No. God chose them and made them his instruments. And the first important distinction to observe then is that the Holy Spirit's indwelling in the Old Testament was not universal for all believers. But today it is. That's what makes it so wonderful. That is why those words that Peter spoke after his wonderful experience on the day of Pentecost are so important. I'm going to give you something that is vitally important to every Christian listening to me this very moment. It's directed to you if you have been born again. If you are living this side of Pentecost, then this promise is yours. And if you have not received the promise, then you are missing one of the greatest experiences possible to a Christian. I repeat, if you are born again, whether you're Catholic, whether you're Protestant, whether you're Jew, whether you're Gentile, Your church membership, your race has nothing to do with it whatsoever. This is all inclusive. And if you are living on this side of Pentecost, for remember the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, and as surely as the 120 were filled as they carried and waited for him in the upper room, This same experience is for you today. That's the reason that Peter's words in the second chapter of Acts, the 38th verse, are so vitally important. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ. For the remission of your sins. He's talking about regeneration. He's talking about the new birth experience. The first thing is repentance. Regeneration. Repent. Be baptized. He's talking about immersion. Every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ. For the remission of your sins. For the forgiveness of your sins. and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This same person that we're talking about. The same Holy Spirit who came upon a very few select individuals in the Old Testament. But now this wonderful gift is universal. It is not just a sovereign act. of God. Don't stop there because I can prove what I'm saying. For the promise. What promise? The promise of the Holy Spirit. The promise of a life of power. This promise that only a few enjoyed during the Old Testament dispensation. For the promise is unto you. That's to those to whom He was speaking to your children. There goes your next generation. But he didn't stop there. Knowing human nature as he did. And remember, it was the Holy Spirit who was speaking. He was using the vessel of Peter. He was using Peter as the mouthpiece. But it was really the Holy Spirit who was speaking. Don't stop there. And to all that are afar off. And he didn't even stop there. He knew human nature. Keep right on going. Even as many as the Lord our God shall call. That's right up to this very moment. And if you have been called to be born again, if you've been called to be a Christian, if you have been called to... regeneration, the new birth experience, if you are this very moment born again, then this is a part of your inheritance. You have a right to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That's the reason anyone who says, that to be filled with the Holy Spirit is not for the believer today does not know the word of God. That one who says that only those on the day of Pentecost were to receive this wonderful experience do not know God's word. Nothing could be plainer. Nothing. What more could he have said? For the promise, what promise? That ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise, this promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Doesn't that do something to you? You say, oh, Miss Coon, all this time I've been just... Living on the surface, I've been eating cheese and crackers. When there's all of this wonderful roast beef and all this wonderful steak and lobster and mashed potatoes and gravy. And here I am just eking out a bare existence. Oh, my goodness. I know. What more can I do to tell you? But you would be amazed how the thousands whose eyes are being opened, and very quickly, and not only just here in the United States, but around the world, thousands of eyes are being opened to this glorious truth. And thousands are going after and claiming that which is their inheritance. And which was promised to them by Jesus himself before he went away. Oh, I get so excited. This is strictly. That's the reason I say to you, let's get back to the word of God. This generation, we seem to know about everything else under the sun. We seem to be reading everything else. Our mailboxes are filled with literature. We stand the daily papers and even read the obituaries and the want ads and the for sale ads and just for something to read. Why not get back to the word of God? You know, coming back again to the person and the personality of the Holy Spirit. For he is a person. Always whenever Jesus referred to him. Always whenever he is spoken of. There's always the use of the personal pronoun. He. The Holy Spirit is a definite person. with a definite personality. Now, the Holy Spirit's teachings and communications are not his own, but Christ's. I give you the word of Jesus. How be it when he, and there's your personal pronoun, and it's Jesus speaking, he, the spirit of truth, is come, and he's talking about his coming, and he came on the day of Pentecost. 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. He will glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. I'm reading from the 16th chapter of John. Here we have the office work of the Holy Spirit in this dispensation. And his office work is to reveal the things of the glorified Christ to the church. If only I could get you to see that the whole Bible is the revelation of one person. Right from Genesis all the way through to the book of the Revelation. The whole Bible is the revelation of just one person. Jesus. This is the Christian's message. This is what it's all about. This is the message of the church today. That's the reason we missed it. We have been revealing everything else from our pulpits but the person of Jesus, the very son of the living God. We have been talking about everything. From the weather to politics, you name it, we've had it. We've been talking about everything but Jesus. And sometimes those who have just discovered this wonderful person, the Holy Spirit, lose sight of the fact that the Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus. And if you've been filled with the Spirit, Jesus will be glorified in your life. He'll be glorified through you. Don't ever lose sight of Jesus. Sometimes I think we get so involved with doctrine, so involved with controversial things, that we lose sight of Jesus entirely. But Jesus said, he'll not speak of himself. But whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he'll show you things to come, still speaking the Holy Spirit. He will glorify me. That's the office work of the Holy Spirit. Today, now, in this dispensation, to glorify Christ to the church. And the work of the church. Is to glorify Jesus. There's not a message that's more important. Than to glorify Jesus. Everything complements Jesus. So to this end the preacher. The teacher of the word. Should be a Holy Spirit filled person. Peter said. we had preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. I believe that the man who stands behind the pulpit today should be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can rightfully teach the Word and reveal the Word of God to the hearts of men and women. That's the reason there are those who are denying the deity and divinity of Jesus. There are those whose doctrine is so wrong. Absolutely contrary to the Word of God. Because they are preaching man's interpretation. They are giving something that they were taught in the seminary. We need Spirit -filled men in our pulpits through whom the Holy Spirit can speak, for He is the revealer of the Word. I repeat what Peter said. We have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. And what did Paul say? And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Education is not enough. And don't you think for one second that I'm decrying education. I am not. With regard, I had more education than I have. Sometimes I think it could have been a detriment to me. Perhaps I would not have depended so much on the Word of God, though, if I'd had more education. But because of my lack of education, I had to depend completely and... solely on the Holy Spirit to be my teacher. The older I get, the more I think it was a blessing in disguise. Education is not enough. It's wonderful so far as it goes, but sometimes it doesn't go far enough. The disciples were in training with Jesus for three years. Think about it, for three years. They were with him constantly. And one would have thought that they had the best spiritual education that anyone in the world could have possibly had. But even after three years of training with Jesus, he forbade them to preach until they were endued with power from on high. Peter the fisherman. could never have preached the sermon that he did on the day of Pentecost without the help of the Holy Spirit. The preacher is to rightly divide the word. And Peter could not have done so in his apt quotations from the Scriptures if the Holy Spirit had not aided him. The instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to convict and convert Men and women is the word of God. And the Holy Spirit himself is the revealer of truth. God bless you.