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Subject 8 : The Holy Spirit
[8-5] Do You Wish to Commune with the Holy Spirit? (1 John 1:1-10)
(1 John 1:1-10)
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—
2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
What are the essential prerequisites for fellowship with the Holy Spirit? |
We must first know and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and through faith, we must be cleansed of all our sins. |
If you desire to fellowship with the Holy Spirit, you must first understand that even the smallest sin in your heart before God makes true fellowship impossible.
You may think, ‘How can a person be without even the smallest sin before God?’
However, if you truly wish for genuine fellowship with God, there must not be even a trace of darkness in your heart.
Therefore, in order to commune with the Lord, you must resolve your sins entirely by believing in the gospel of the remission of sins given by the Lord. Only then can you have fellowship with Him.
If you genuinely want to commune with the Holy Spirit, you must know and believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit and cleanse yourself of all your sins through faith.
If you do not know this gospel or fail to accept it into your heart, you should not expect to have fellowship with the Lord.
True communion with the Holy Spirit is only possible after you completely resolve all your sins by believing in the gospel of water and the Spirit.
All sins can be removed through the truth of the Word about water and the Spirit given by the Lord.
God grants the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within those who have faith in this beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit.
Do you sincerely desire fellowship with the Lord and the Holy Spirit? Then you must confess your sins and wash away all your sins by believing in the beautiful gospel. Only then can you have true fellowship with the Lord.
If you also desire fellowship with the Lord, you must cleanse all your sins by believing in the baptism Jesus received from John at the Jordan River and His blood. Only then can you have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
If you truly wish to commune with the Holy Spirit, you must first understand who the Holy Spirit is.
The Holy Spirit is a holy spirit, and only those who believe in the beautiful gospel and have no sin in their hearts can have fellowship with Him.
Now, let us hear the testimony of someone who has cleansed all their sins through Jesus’ baptism and blood and has come to have true fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
【There are various people living in this world, each with their own ways and thoughts about life, and I was one of them.
Living an extremely ordinary life, I attended church from a young age following my mother and naturally came to believe in God.
Although there were occasional persecutions from my father, who did not believe in God, most of my family believed in God and attended church. Attending church occupied a significant part of my life.
However, during my middle and high school years, watching my father bedridden due to illness since childhood made me think deeply about death and reflect on Heaven and hell.
Like most people, I was taught that believing in God and attending church would guarantee entry into Heaven and make me a child of God.
Yet, whenever I reached this point, I always felt uncertain. I lacked assurance of being a child of God.
Regarding Heaven, I learned that living a good life would lead there, so I tried hard to live virtuously.
Despite my efforts, there was always sin lingering in a corner of my heart.
Though I might appear virtuous to others, I could not overcome the sins within my heart.
Eventually, I began praying habitually whenever I went to church without even realizing it: ‘Please make me a child of God. Please help me know the truth.’ As I prayed like this, a thirst for something new arose in my heart.
Even when I listened to sermons or tried reading the Bible, I couldn’t fully understand its meaning.
The emptiness, sinfulness, death, and other struggles within my repetitive daily life weighed heavily on me.
And yet, in my heart, I constantly thought things like, “I want to be born again. If I were born again, I wouldn’t live like this.”
With such thoughts, I gradually began to attend church less and less, and eventually, my school years passed by.
After graduating, I had to start working, but everything began to go wrong when I tried to find a job. Because of that, my heart became even more burdened, and no matter how much I tried to smile, I just couldn’t.
Seeing how empty my heart was every day made each day feel incredibly depressing.
Then, through my older brother, I came to hear the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Acts 2:38 says, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
This was truly the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit.
What I had always heard in the churches I used to attend was that Jesus died on the Cross for our sins.
But this gospel told me that Jesus took on all our sins by being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, and then He was judged for those sins on the Cross.
Even though I had attended church for a long time and tried to act like a child of God, I never truly became one.
Even though I wanted to understand God’s Word, I couldn’t.
But when I heard and believed in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit, the sin that had always been in my heart disappeared completely.
Along with them disappeared all the struggles that had weighed me down, leaving only peace in my heart.
At that time, I thought believing in God, attending church services, and living virtuously would lead me to Heaven.
But God gave me the gospel of salvation through being wholly born again with water and the Spirit.
Moreover, He gifted me with the Holy Spirit in my cleansed heart after receiving remission of sins.
Looking back at the time before I received the remission of sins, when I was merely practicing religion—I didn’t know what the Holy Spirit was, what speaking in tongues was—I knew nothing.
I just went to church, thinking that if I lived kindly and worked hard at church, God would bless me.
However, through this beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit, I learned that receiving remission of sins leads to God gifting us with His Holy Spirit.
In the past, even though I believed in God, I still lived in sin and didn’t know whether I needed to receive the Holy Spirit or not. My life was lukewarm and uncertain.
However, when I heard and believed the Word through a servant of God who correctly preached the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit, I came to understand that the Holy Spirit dwells within my heart.
After receiving the remission of sins, at first, I couldn’t clearly tell whether the Holy Spirit was truly indwelling in my heart.
However, as I continued to hear and believe the Word, my faith grew within me, and I gradually came to understand that the Holy Spirit was indeed with me.
The Bible says the Holy Spirit came like a dove, and now I truly understand what that means! Through the remission of sins given by God, I learned that only those who are without sin can become children of God and that God’s Holy Spirit dwells within them.
I also realized that no amount of effort or striving to present myself as perfect or complete before God could earn me the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
God is the One who meets those who know they are sinners, who know they are weak and incapable of doing anything by themselves, and who earnestly seek and truly need Him.
I came to understand that simply believing in God, living virtuously, or working hard is not what leads to Heaven.
Instead, Jesus Christ came to this earth and saved me through the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit dwells in my heart and is always with me.
I give thanks to God who made me, a person who could not be satisfied because of sin, who had no choice but to fear death and was bound for Hell, into His child, and granted me the eternal indwelling of the Holy Spirit.】
In the same way, I too was once a person who believed only in the blood of the Cross and wanted to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit but could not. At that time, I believed in Jesus, but there was sin in my heart, and because of that sin, the Holy Spirit could not dwell in me. It was because there was sin in my heart.
It is impossible for a sinner to receive the Holy Spirit.
However, even now, many people are still trying to receive the Holy Spirit while they remain in a faith that contains sin.
If you truly want to receive and have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, you must believe in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit and receive the remission of your sins.
This gospel can only be heard from someone who has already received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through faith.
Anyone who desires fellowship with the Holy Spirit must have faith in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit within their heart.
The righteous can hear the words of the Holy Spirit through God’s Church.
The righteous live by hearing the beautiful gospel, but sinners live without ever hearing it—that is the reality.
Therefore, you must come to know what the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit truly is.
Why must you believe in this beautiful gospel?
It is because you must abandon a legalistic faith and instead have faith in the beautiful gospel that is based on the written Word.
This beautiful gospel is originally what Jesus and His disciples had and believed in, and now it is the faith held by the righteous who have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit that these people now believe in is the same beautiful gospel that the apostles of the Early Church had.
Every Christian must receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Only then can they truly become children of God.
However, those who do not yet have faith in the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit still have sin in their hearts. Such people cannot have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
To have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, one must first believe in the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit given by the Lord and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible Speaks in Detail About the Holy Spirit
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit was accomplished through the beautiful gospel after the resurrection of Jesus.
We are now living in the age of grace, where this beautiful gospel is present.
Nevertheless, it is unfortunate that many people live without fellowship with the Holy Spirit because they do not believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit.
Are you currently in fellowship with the Holy Spirit?
Or are you unable to have fellowship with Him because of your sins?
If so, I encourage you to seek and believe in the Word of the gospel of water and the Spirit given by the Lord. When you believe in this gospel, the Holy Spirit will dwell in your heart, and you will walk with Him.
The Holy Spirit dwells only in the hearts of those who believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit often reveals His will in the hearts of the righteous.
The ministry of Apostle Paul, carried out with the Holy Spirit, was also about spreading the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit.
How can we recognize someone who has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
It depends on whether they know and believe in the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit. If they know and believe in this gospel, then they are undoubtedly someone in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. We understand the power of this beautiful gospel.
However, the Holy Spirit does not dwell in those who do not believe in this beautiful gospel.
The Holy Spirit works and resides only in those who believe in the beautiful gospel of sin removal achieved through John’s baptism of Jesus and His blood on the cross.
Do you desire to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit?
Do you know what gospel you must have to receive the holy indwelling of the Holy Spirit and to commune with Him?
That beautiful gospel lies in faith in the baptism Jesus received from John and His blood shed on the cross.
Without believing in the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit, the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in your heart because of sin.
The Holy Spirit urges people to believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit so that He may dwell within them.
It is said that the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in sinners.
If you wish to host the Holy Spirit in your heart, you must first cleanse all your sins by believing in the beautiful gospel.
Additionally, those who desire fellowship with the Holy Spirit must always remain faithful to this beautiful gospel.
Those who seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit must love and strive to spread this beautiful gospel as they live their lives.
The Holy Spirit is with those who powerfully preach the gospel of water and the Spirit.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit belongs only to the righteous who believe in this beautiful gospel.
Only those who believe in this gospel can have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
The righteous are constantly communing with the Holy Spirit through the Word of this beautiful gospel.
The beautiful gospel acknowledged by the Holy Spirit is the gospel of salvation accomplished through Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood on the cross (1 John 5:3-7).
As Peter, Jesus’ disciple, said in 1 Peter 3:21, “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism” he too believed in this beautiful gospel.
In Scripture, ‘water’ refers to Jesus’ baptism by John.
A person who has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is someone who has received the remission of sins by believing in the beautiful gospel and has been freed from all sin.
Those who believe in the beautiful gospel can worship God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit helps the righteous who believe in the beautiful gospel to live a life filled with the Spirit.
Those who have the Holy Spirit in their hearts can praise the Lord and live eternally.
The Holy Spirit is the One who ultimately confirms that we are children of God.
We can live forever in the Word of the gospel of water and the Spirit given by God and in the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Cannot Walk with Those Who Deceive Themselves
The Holy Spirit spoke to sinners, saying in 1 John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
The Holy Spirit cannot dwell in the hearts of those who deceive themselves.
He will rebuke those whose hearts are filled with sin, saying, ‘Why did you not believe in the beautiful gospel of Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood on the cross?’
Those who think they have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit without the evidence of Jesus’ baptism and His blood must repent.
They must now believe in the beautiful gospel—the testimony of water and blood—and become people who have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
A person who has received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit cannot say they have sin before God.
No matter how long someone has believed in Jesus, if sin remains in their heart, they are someone who does not believe in the beautiful gospel given by God.
Such a person is deceiving both God and themselves and cannot be said to have truly met the Lord.
If a sinner desires fellowship with the Holy Spirit, they must first stop deceiving themselves and believe in the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit.
Those who do not know or believe in this beautiful gospel must honestly confess that there is sin in their hearts.
Only then will they be qualified to believe in this gospel. Only those who believe in this beautiful gospel can receive the Holy Spirit.
What does the Holy Spirit say to sinners? He urges them, “Believe in the beautiful gospel through which Jesus fulfilled all righteousness by receiving baptism from John and shedding His blood, and receive the remission of your sins.”
If you say you have no sin while your heart still contains sin, you must understand that you are not qualified to believe in the beautiful gospel.
Anyone who claims to have no sin without believing in the beautiful gospel in their heart is deceiving both God and themselves.
A sinner must know and believe in the beautiful gospel accomplished through the Word of water and the Spirit to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Only then can they escape God’s fearful judgment.
The Righteous Can Have Fellowship with the Holy Spirit by Confessing the Sins They Have Committed
I am speaking to those who have already received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by believing in the gospel of water and the Spirit.
Let us look at what God has said to the righteous.
1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
This verse means that even if a righteous person commits personal sins while living in this world, their heart can be cleansed again by recalling and believing in the beautiful gospel, which teaches that Jesus has already taken away all their sins through His baptism and shedding of blood.
The righteous must confess their personal sins to God. Only then can they restore fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
The righteous must always acknowledge their sins before the beautiful gospel they believe in and remain within their faith in this gospel.
Since the personal sins of the righteous have already been removed through Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood on the cross, those who believe in this beautiful gospel can be freed from all personal sins through faith in it.
The Lord has already removed all the sins of believers through the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit.
Therefore, those who believe in this gospel can experience true liberation from all worldly sins.
The righteous must confess and acknowledge their personal sins before God.
By recalling and believing in the beautiful gospel accomplished through Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood, they can be freed from all sin.
Thus, the hearts of the righteous are continually renewed, enabling them to live lives walking with the Holy Spirit.
Through the Lord’s work, regardless of their weaknesses, those who keep their eyes on Him can continue true fellowship with God within the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit.
Where Does True Fellowship with the Holy Spirit Come From?
There are countless people in this world who desire fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
However, they believe in Jesus without knowing how this fellowship can be achieved.
Everyone receives the Holy Spirit through faith in the gospel of water and the Spirit, and through this, they live a life of fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
In the same way, the only way for the righteous to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit is through faith in the true gospel of the beautiful remission of sins—the gospel of water and the Spirit. Fellowship between the righteous and the Holy Spirit can never be achieved by anything other than the truth of the beautiful gospel.
What is fellowship with the Holy Spirit? It is fellowship that is only possible within the Word of truth of the beautiful gospel.
God Says That All People Have Sinned before Him
1 John 1:10 says, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
Among all mankind, who is there that has not sinned before God?
The Bible also says, “There is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
This means that every person has sinned before God.
So if anyone claims that they have not sinned, they are a liar.
Because people sin throughout their lives, Jesus had to take on all the sins of the world by receiving baptism from John.
If we could live our whole lives without committing any personal sins, then there would be no need for us to believe in God as our Savior.
That would be the case if we were truly sinless before God.
The written Word says, “His word is not in us.” If one does not have faith in the true gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, that person is destined for destruction.
Whether one considers themselves righteous or a sinner—if they say they have not sinned before God, they are not qualified to believe in the beautiful gospel that God has given.
The Lord has given the beautiful gospel to all humanity.
We have confessed all our sins to the Lord and turned back to Him, receiving the remission of sins through the beautiful gospel He has provided.
We were able to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit by returning to the beautiful gospel of the removal of sin, which God has given us, and by believing in this gospel.
True fellowship with the Holy Spirit is found in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and only those who have the gospel of the water and the Spirit can have fellowship with the Holy Spirit before God.
Humanity became distant from God because of the sin committed by the first humans, Adam and Eve.
Since we have inherited the seed of that sin, in order to have fellowship with God again, we must return through faith in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus Christ has given us, and be cleansed of the sin that separated us from God.
Those who believe in this beautiful gospel will be washed from all the sins of the world, and to those who have received the cleansing of sin, God will give the Holy Spirit as a gift.
The righteous can have fellowship with God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, those whose fellowship with God has been cut off due to the sin of the world must return and believe in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit given by God.
Only then can they begin true fellowship with God again in the truth.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is received along with faith in the beautiful gospel.
We must believe that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is fulfilled only within the faith that believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The way has now been opened for us to come before God by believing in the beautiful gospel.
Now, humanity, which had its communion with God blocked by the wall of sin due to original sin and personal sins, can restore it again through faith in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We must restore our fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
True fellowship with the Holy Spirit can only be achieved by knowing and obeying the Word of water and the Spirit given by God, and believing in it. It is absolutely essential to understand that communion with the Holy Spirit happens within the faith that receives the remission of sins through this beautiful gospel.
Those who have not received the remission of sins cannot have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
In other words, without believing in the gospel of water and the Spirit given by Jesus, one cannot commune with the Holy Spirit.
If you have found it difficult to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit until now, it means that you have not believed in the gospel of water and the Spirit and have not received the remission of your sins.
Do you now want to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit?
If so, believe in the beautiful gospel of the removal of sin that has been completed through the baptism the Lord received and the blood of the Cross.
Then you will also receive the remission of all the sins of the world, and as a result, the Holy Spirit will dwell in your heart.
And this beautiful gospel will continually lead you to fellowship with the Holy Spirit in the Holy Spirit.
This sermon is also available in ebook format. Click on the book cover below.
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