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Subject 8 : The Holy Spirit
[8-6] We Must Have the Faith That Allows Us to Receive the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 25:1-12)
(Matthew 25:1-12)
1 Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 ‘And at midnight a cry was heard: “Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!”
7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Who does the Holy Spirit dwell in? |
The Holy Spirit dwells in those who have received the remission of sins through faith in Jesus’ baptism and His blood on the Cross. |
The Bible speaks of five wise virgins and five foolish virgins.
In the Scripture, the foolish virgins asked the five wise ones to share some of their oil.
But the wise virgins replied, “No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.”
The following passage records that while the foolish virgins went to buy oil, the Lord came, and only the five wise virgins who had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit entered the wedding feast.
Then how can we prepare the oil and wait for the Lord? We must wait after receiving the remission of sins.
Among those who live a life of faith, there are two types of beliefs.
One group lives a life of faith with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in their hearts through the gospel of the remission of sins given by Jesus Christ.
Another group lives a religious life faithfully without caring whether Jesus has removed all their sins or whether there is sin in their hearts.
Their faith is based on their own steadfast will, similar to an old saying that “sincerity moves heaven.”
To those who are devoted to religious life in this way, the beautiful gospel received through faith may seem rather burdensome.
Just as the foolish virgins went out to buy oil until the very moment the bridegroom arrived, many today, too, busily go from one prayer house to another revival meeting trying to obtain the Holy Spirit through their own zeal—this is the foolish and pitiful faith they hold.
These people do not know that they must have faith in the beautiful gospel within their hearts before Jesus returns to this earth.
Instead, they mistakenly live a religious life thinking that by offering their zeal to God, they can move His heart and receive the Holy Spirit.
Now, let us listen to the testimony of a certain deacon who once tried to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through his own zeal, but later met the beautiful gospel and received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by faith.
This testimony will be of great help to you.
【I was someone who struggled desperately to receive the Holy Spirit.
Believing that I had to strive and make every effort to receive the Holy Spirit, I visited prayer mountains, prayer centers, prayer caves, and all the well-known prayer retreats across the country.
One time, I visited a particular prayer center. There, people played electronic organs and drums to set the atmosphere, and the pastor leading the gathering called up people one by one to receive the Holy Spirit.
The moment he touched their foreheads with his hand, speaking in tongues would break out. This pastor also ran around holding a microphone to his mouth, shouting ‘Buruburu! Receive it!’ and laid hands on people. Many of them fell backward and even foamed at the mouth.
As I watched all these manifestations, I questioned whether this was truly the work of the Holy Spirit.
Yet at the same time, I kept trying to receive such a Holy Spirit and became addicted to attending these kinds of gatherings.
However, such powers never manifested in me.
After such meetings, I would climb a mountain, hold onto a pine tree, and pray.
I even covered myself with plastic sheets and cried out in prayer all night. I also went into caves to pray, but still could not receive the Holy Spirit.
Not stopping there, I even attempted a 40-day overnight prayer vigil in hopes of receiving the Holy Spirit, but I still did not receive Him.
Then one day, I was invited to a Holy Spirit seminar. The seminar continued for seven weeks.
It was a seminar about God’s love, the Cross, being born again, repentance, the laying on of hands, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and spiritual growth.
When I received prayer through the laying on of hands, I followed the instructions of the staff: I relaxed my whole body, turned my palms upward, and repeated “lalalala.”
Then suddenly, the “lalalala” sounds began to form words, and I started speaking fluently in English. Many people who witnessed it congratulated me, saying I had received the Holy Spirit.
But when I was alone at home, I felt empty and afraid.
From that time on, I began serving as a volunteer. I believed I had to serve a lot, so I traveled all over the country doing volunteer work. Then, when I laid hands on people, those who were sick and afflicted began to be healed. However, the healings didn’t last long.
I also saw visions and even began to prophesy what I had seen. Amazingly, some of those prophecies started coming true.
Before I knew it, I was being taken around everywhere like a popular celebrity.
Yet despite all this, my heart was full of fear and anxiety.
One day, I heard a voice say, “Stop going around like that and help your family be saved.”
But I didn’t know what salvation really was.
I had only heard other volunteers say that if we didn’t use the gifts of God, they would be taken away—so I couldn’t stop doing it, and doing it brought only fear.
One day, I visited the home of a shaman who said she wanted to believe in Jesus.
We didn’t tell her in advance that we were coming, but she already knew and was standing at the door.
She said, “I was waiting for you because I knew you were coming,” and suddenly sprinkled water on us.
Then she shouted, “What difference is there between Eastern shamans and Western shamans?” and cried out, “You Jesus shamans!”
Pointing at each one of us, she said, “This one is scary, and that one is not.”
When I heard those words, it felt like I had been struck on the head with a hammer.
Watching what was happening, I started to think, “Am I acting like a shaman too?”
Just like that, even though I had tried everything, I had never truly received the Holy Spirit—because there was sin in my heart.】
Through this deacon’s testimony, we can see that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can never be received through human effort.
Such a kind of faith is not a faith prepared by believing in the beautiful gospel of God, and that is why their lamps have no oil.
In the Bible, the lamp refers to the church of God, and the oil refers to the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says that whether it is God’s church or a human-made church, those who attend church without receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are all considered foolish. It is written that the faith of the foolish ones burns their emotions and flesh day by day.
Before God, the emotions of the foolish burn together with their zealous flesh.
If a person’s emotional capacity before God is 20cm, even if they burn just 1cm a day, it will all be gone in 20 days.
Their faith relies on receiving new emotions through early morning prayers, overnight prayers, fasting, and revival meetings—and they spend their entire lives burning these emotions.
They have become addicted to the act of burning the emotions of the flesh. Their emotions are being consumed in the name of Jesus.
Though they go to church and burn their emotions, their hearts remain in confusion, always seeking something.
This is because their faith stems from emotional experiences felt through the flesh, and so they must continually fuel those emotional feelings so that their faith does not go out.
However, such faith is not one that can bring about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—because the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is not something received through the burning of human emotion.
We all must prepare a faith that receives the Holy Spirit before God.
By doing so, we become qualified to receive the Holy Spirit.
So then, how can we have a faith that allows us to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
The truth is that if we believe in the beautiful gospel that came through the baptism Jesus received from John and His blood on the Cross, we will be able to receive the Holy Spirit.
God called mankind “A brood of evildoers” (Isaiah 1:4).
We must acknowledge ourselves before this Word. Human beings are born into this world with twelve fundamental kinds of sin.
From birth to death, people are beings who cannot help but commit sin.
In John 1:6-7, it is written: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.”
John the Baptist testified of Jesus after baptizing Him, having passed all the sins of the world onto Him.
He then said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Through the testimony of John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus, we can believe in Jesus Christ and receive the removal of all our sins.
If John the Baptist had not testified that Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world by baptizing Him, then we would not have known how Jesus bore the sins of mankind and went to the Cross.
Moreover, even if we believed in Jesus, we would not have been able to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as our sins would not have been removed.
However, because of John’s testimony, we can now believe that Jesus took on the sins of the world through His baptism, and we are able to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
With this faith, we all have become perfectly prepared brides who can welcome the Bridegroom.
Those who believe in Jesus and are prepared with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are the wise and happy virgins.
Have you believed in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit with your heart?
Do you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ received baptism from John and took on the sins of the world?
The Bible says, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).
We must receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through faith in the baptism Jesus received from John and His blood on the Cross.
We must know that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes through faith in Jesus’ coming in the flesh, His baptism from John, His death on the Cross, and His resurrection.
Even today, among those who believe in Jesus, there are two types of people when it comes to faith, just like in the parable of the ten virgins in the main passage.
Which side does your faith belong to?
All of you must believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Are you still living a religious life and merely waiting to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
If so, then you must first come to know the truth of how to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
With what kind of faith do we receive the Holy Spirit? Is it by emotional experiences like shamanistic faith?
Or must we reach a state of religious frenzy to receive Him?
Is it through many prayers of repentance that we receive Him?
The Bible tells us that after Jesus was baptized by John, as He came up from the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove.
Jesus was baptized by John in order to take on all the sins of you and me. His immersion in the waters of the Jordan River symbolized taking on the sins of the world and being judged and dying on the cross.
Jesus being baptized by John and bearing the sins of the world to the Cross is the truth that saves us from sin and enables us to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was baptized by John, bore judgment for sin on the Cross, and rose again.
We all must receive the removal of our sins by believing in the baptism Jesus received from John and in His blood.
God shows us that the Holy Spirit descends like a dove upon those who have been washed of their sins through Jesus’ baptism.
The path to receiving remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is through faith in Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood shed on the cross.
The Holy Spirit meekly descends like a dove through the faith that believes in the Word of the remission of sins.
Those who have received the Holy Spirit have done so because they believed in the Word of the remission of sins.
The Holy Spirit is given to those who believe in the written Word of the remission of sins.
Jesus Christ came to the people of this world as the bread and wine of life.
When Jesus was baptized and came up from the water, a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Believing in the Triune God is easy when we believe in Jesus Christ.
God the Father is the Father of Jesus, Jesus is the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit is also the same one God. This Triune God has become the one and same God for us.
You must understand that if you believe only in the blood of Jesus on the Cross, or if you try to be sanctified through your deeds, you can never receive the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit only comes upon those who believe in the baptism Jesus received from John and His blood on the Cross, and who have had all their sins washed away through that faith.
How simple and clear this truth is! The remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ is not difficult.
God spoke to us in a simple and clear way.
The average human IQ is about 110-120.
If God had made the truth of how the Holy Spirit comes to us difficult, would we be able to understand it?
God righteously fulfilled the remission of sins for mankind and gave the Holy Spirit as a gift to those who believe.
The Bible clearly states that the Holy Spirit is not received through prayers of laying on of hands or repentance.
Nor is the Holy Spirit given through fasting, striving, mountain prayers, praying a lot, or through a forty-day fast without eating.
Then what is the faith that receives the Holy Spirit?
It is the faith that believes Jesus came to this earth, took on all of our sins by being baptized, died on the Cross, and rose again on the third day.
When we believe this, we receive the remission of our sins and at the same time receive the true Holy Spirit as a gift.
Must We Believe Exactly like This?
Why must we believe in Jesus, receive the remission of sins, and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
Because without the Spirit of God, no one can become a child of God.
That is why we must receive the Holy Spirit, who comes upon those who believe in Jesus as their Savior and believe in His baptism and the blood of the Cross for the remission of their sins.
Why does God give the Holy Spirit to those who have been washed from their sins?
The reason is so that He can declare, “You are My child.”
To prove that one has become a child of God, He seals and confirms those who believe in Jesus correctly by giving them the Holy Spirit.
How many people are there who misunderstand and wrongly believe in the Holy Spirit?
Believing in the baptism and the blood of Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit is very easy.
Because I have received the Holy Spirit, it is very easy for me.
But for those who believe in Jesus yet have not received the remission of sins, it is extremely difficult—no, it is impossible.
Because they do not know the truth, they desire a trance-like, mystical kind of faith. Because they lack understanding, they fall into confusion and emptiness due to the tares sown by Satan and develop a superstitious belief.
Everyone, the Holy Spirit only comes upon those who have received the remission of sins by believing in the baptism of Jesus and His blood on the Cross.
Only those who believe in this gospel of salvation can boldly confess, “I have no sin.”
A person who does not believe in the gospel Word that grants the remission of sins cannot say, “I have no sin.”
In this way, God gives the Holy Spirit as proof that the person who believes in Jesus’ baptism and blood and has received remission of sins has become a child of God.
Who testified that the baptism and blood of Jesus have blotted out all our sins?
The disciples of Jesus, Jesus Himself, and the Holy Spirit testified to this.
Who planned to save people from their sins?
It was God the Father.
Who carried out this plan?
It was Jesus. Who guarantees the fulfillment of this plan?
It is the Holy Spirit.
In this way, the Triune God planned the remission of sins through the baptism and blood of Jesus in order to make mankind His own people.
Therefore, who guarantees our final salvation?
All three Persons of the Triune God confirm and testify to the removal of our sins.
Matthew 3:17 says, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Everyone, the person who has the Spirit of God—the Holy Spirit—dwelling in their heart is a child of God. They are one of God’s people.
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus is, by nature, God.
And God speaks to us, saying, “If you want to receive the remission of sins, receive the Holy Spirit, and become a child of God, then believe in this way. I, the Son of God, have taken away the sins of the world through water and blood. Believe in this truth.”
To those who believe this, God the Father grants the Holy Spirit to confirm them as His sons and daughters at the same time as they receive the remission of sins.
The remission of sins comes when we remember and believe in what the Lord did—receiving baptism and shedding His blood for us.
If a person does not humble their heart and misbelieves the gospel of the blotting out of sin, they end up misunderstanding and believing that original sin was taken away, but their personal sins are removed only when they pray prayers of repentance.
If they believe this way, they will not understand the Bible, and it will become confusing and burdensome to their minds.
This is why, even among those who believe in Jesus, false beliefs different from the faith of the apostles in the Bible have emerged.
Some people believe that the Holy Spirit is received “through prayer.”
However, we must not believe this way.
Friends, while this idea might sound plausible, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit descended at the moment Jesus came up from the water after being baptized.
This means that in order to receive the Holy Spirit, we simply need to believe that Jesus came to this earth, took all our sins upon Himself through baptism, bore the judgment for our sins on the Cross, and was resurrected from death—and that this Jesus is our Savior.
Then, we are told, we will receive the Holy Spirit. God Himself showed and testified to this truth so that we may understand it.
When a person believes in this truth and the Holy Spirit comes into their heart, God the Father looks upon them and says, “You are My Son. You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
What God the Father said to Jesus Christ is also what He will say to those who believe in Jesus Christ and have received the remission of sins: “You are My son.”
This truth is God’s promise that He will give the Holy Spirit to those whose sins have been removed, and that He will make them His children.
Many people mistakenly believe that the Holy Spirit is received through prayers of repentance or mountain prayers, holding onto superstitious faith.
Do you think the Holy Spirit comes because people cry out loudly?
Do you think the Holy Spirit comes because of human insistence or tears?
God only gives the Holy Spirit to those who have been cleansed of their sins according to His will.
God says, “I had My Son baptized to take all your sins upon Him. I had My Son judged and crucified on the Cross for your sins, and I raised Him again to give you new life. I have established My Son as your Savior. If you believe in the remission of sins that My Son has accomplished, I will give the Holy Spirit to those who believe.”
God the Father fulfills His plan exactly as He intended.
Even if a person kneels all night until their knees bleed, cries out “Lord, Lord” with a hoarse voice, and pleads for the Holy Spirit until their liver aches, God will not give the Holy Spirit that way.
Instead, He rebukes them, saying, “You believe and act wrongly because you do not have correct knowledge from the beginning. Will you continue to build and tear down with your actions endlessly?”
While human history may repeat itself in this world, the way to receive the remission of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which God has accomplished once for all, does not change.
It is said that if one holds onto an incorrect belief instead of faith in Jesus Christ, it becomes difficult to return to the correct faith.
According to the Bible, Jesus becomes “a stone of stumbling” to those who say they believe in Him.
If someone believes in Jesus but does not know the true reason why He was baptized, and believes only in the blood of the Cross as the gospel of the remission of sins—a half gospel—then they will surely go to hell even though they claim to believe in Jesus.
Therefore, when we believe in Jesus, we must know from the beginning that His baptism and blood are the true gospel of the remission of sins.
By believing in this truth and receiving the removal of sins, we also receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.
We must have the correct faith based on this clear truth from the very beginning.
Everyone, today let us think about Jesus.
Because Jesus became a human being and was baptized to take on all the sins of the world—our sins—and because He died on the Cross and bore the judgment for our sins, He has given the remission of sins to those who believe.
And those who believe have received the Holy Spirit as a gift.
The one who has the Holy Spirit has become a child of God. In this way, God has given the Holy Spirit as a gift to those who have received the remission of sins through the baptism and blood of Jesus.
Therefore, everyone must reconsider how they receive the Holy Spirit and turn back to the truth.
You must learn to think according to the Word of truth.
Then Jesus will help you, hold you, and bless you.
The one who empties their heart and believes in the Word of God can dwell in the truth, dwell in the peace of the remission of sins, and be led by the Holy Spirit.
And by being led by the Holy Spirit, they can guide others in the right path.
Believe in the remission of sins that came through Jesus’ baptism and His blood on the Cross.
When we believe, we can follow Jesus in faith, and through the remission of sins He has given, we can enjoy the blessings of sin removal, the receiving of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life.
Jesus is the Lord of the remission of sins, who once and for all took away the sins of the world through His baptism and the shedding of His blood.
Jesus has removed the sins of the world and has given the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to those who believe in the gospel of truth in their hearts.
You too can receive the Holy Spirit by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit in your heart.
This sermon is also available in ebook format. Click on the book cover below.
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