Getting to Know the Holy Spirit by David Wilkerson

I want to speak to you this morning about getting to know the Holy Spirit getting to know the Holy Spirit I'd like you to turn to John the 14th chapter if you will please starting at verse 16 I'll wait for just a moment till you get there John it's important that you see it in read these are the words of Jesus verse 14 beginning if you sho ask anything in my name I will do it if you love me keep my Commandments verse 16 and I will pray the father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever even the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it sees him not neither knows him but you know him and he dwells with you and shall be in you I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you you know him and he's going to come and live in you getting to know the Holy Spirit Holy Spirit it's impossible for me to preach this without your power without your anointing without you coming forth and manifesting this truth you've come to glorify Christ on this earth and in our lives and Lord you are here you are in this place Holy Spirit you are here testifying to the presence of Christ opening Christ to us but this morning will you lead us into a deeper understanding of your ministry there is a Ministry of the Holy Spirit and we have experienced that in this house from the day the doors were opened and even now Lord we come to this hour looking back over the years would you give us a clear understanding for what is ahead of us and how the Holy Spirit has come to minister to us as promised by our Heavenly Father and by his son Jesus Lord quicken our ears to hear we pray in Christ's name amen here time squirt search we sing a song hand clapping song that we love and and it goes Lord the very words of it send him on down Lord send him on down let the Holy Ghost come on down we need him Lord let him come now I don't know where that came from I'm not knocking this song and I hope what I say now would not cause the car to put it away truth is he's been here he came at Pentecost and he's never left he came and his residence is here on earth and in your body and in mine the Temple of the Holy Ghost we sing so many of these songs that are not theologically correct but still are a blessing to us he said but you know him for he dwells with you and shall be in you now I read that and this past week I couldn't shake it off now I've been preaching for 55 years now and I've preached a lot about the Holy Spirit you know we we we we know the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in measure not as we should but we know the doctrine we talked about the Paraclete the comforter we talked about walking in the spirit living in the spirit we talked about the revelation of the Holy Spirit we know the terms but you can know the theology you can know the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and not know him personally you're not really intimate with the Holy Spirit not really knowing what his ministry is if I were to ask you have you received the Holy Spirit many would say yes I have because you can't be saved unless the Holy Spirit opens your heart and it's the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us to Christ yes I've received the Holy Spirit because I've received Christ now that's true but there's more to it if I asked you that question some would say well I I know I no the Holy Spirit because I speak with tongues III I see that as an evidence speaking with tongues now I can say with boy speaking tongues more than you all every day in my daily devotions I I pray in another language and and believe that though I don't understand the Holy Spirit understands what is being said through my vessel through my tongue but you see the Holy Spirit is not received fully you can let me give you an illustration you can invite someone into your home and you can put them in the guest room and have them sign the guest register and you can say I've received them into my home but if this is a king of a very important person that's common that the house is his and you put him in a guest room and you say I well you can name him I've received him but you've not received him until he takes control and possession he comes as a temp our body is the temple the Holy Ghost he is not fully received until he's taken his place of ministry until he is ministering in the ministry God said he would have when he comes now I how do I know Jesus said you know him how well do you know the Holy Spirit what can you tell me about his ministry you say what he's a comforter well tell me how he comforts what are the marks what are the evidences so I can determine whether it's much human nature it's the flesh or it's the Holy Spirit at work in me for example some lonely child of God praying and seeking the Lord for comfort and loneliness is overtaken and overwhelmed and they they just can't seem to make it and you know say I can't make it all the Holy Spirit come you're the comforter common comfort may please and and so they wait for that feeling to come they wait for that moment where the Holy Ghost will give some kind of spiritual sedative a sweet dulling of the senses for a few hours and although I just want some relief so I can go to sleep or just give me some relief Holy Spirit common they they wait for that feeling folks the Holy Spirit does not manipulate our feelings that's not what the Holy Spirit is about the Holy Spirit is a spirit of truth and truth has to overwhelm all our feelings no matter how I feel there's a power that's at work in me and it's the power of the Holy Spirit I may feel dead I may feel the flame is going out I may feel all kinds of feelings and I can have the devil lying to us but there's a spirit of truth and until we come to the truth and understand how he comforts us and there are he has given us ways to to see how do I know the Holy Spirit I know him by what he's doing in my life the evidence is that he gives me I know him by the fruits of his ministry God has told us what he would do when he comes he's going to edify crises but he's going to teach Christ to me first of all and I know he's at work because he is planted in me a hunger and a thirst to get to know Jesus Christ more I know he's at work in me because I'm not the husband I used to be I'm not what I was because he's doing something and I can have I'll have Gwen come up here to tell you if what you think I'm boasting I am I'm boasting in Christ I'm boasting in the power of the Holy Spirit because he's given me evidence I'm getting to know him not by what I seek not doing in you thank God what he's doing for you but this is a personal work this is something that Holy Spirit is doing and he's changing us from glory to glory and when I see that when I can acknowledge that work of the Holy Spirit I'm getting to know him I'm getting to know him by his ministry by his work in me and you can know too when the Holy Spirit has not been allowed to accomplish his work and take full possession hivites of his temple when people are being spirited and gossiping and and all of those works of the flesh proving that there's very little knowledge of the holy spirit that he's not been able to take his place of ministry it's amazing thing the Holy Spirit has come down and the Holy Spirit abides in us and yet we live and act as though he's somewhere out in the cosmos we act as though here or not here because when we do get in trouble and when we do need the Ministry of the Holy Spirit though he wants to operate and though he wants to minister to us we walk off in the flesh doing our own thing as if he's not there we make telephone calls we always have a back door to our faith we don't have that leap of faith we don't have that faith that says I'm going to trust the Holy Spirit in me no matter what happens no matter what I feel God said he abides in me that he has sent him and the Holy Spirit jesus said will be to us everything jesus was when he was in residence here everything Jesus was to his disciples he opened the truth of the Father he comfort them he kept them he gave them resources everything that Jesus was to his disciples the scripture says that Jesus made the promise that's what he'll be to you he would be your teacher he would be your friend the Holy Ghost is not a spy from heaven he is the search of men's hearts but he does not come to search you or me to find something to get on us he comes because he is sent as our friend he is sent as one who searches our hearts to find the good and bring it out of us and present it to the heavenly father the search of the heart the Holy Spirit is to us jesus said everything is though Christ himself in body we hear leading guiding directing living at your home that's the holy spirit whose spirit is spread abroad to the whole world being Christ with all the resources and everything we need just as it was in the time of Christ Jesus said I send to you a comforter I want to speak about the the the two primary ministries of the Holy Spirit and I'm saying you can't know him personally until you understand his ministry or his ministries first of all consider first the ministry of comfort Jesus calls him a comforter III that's that's a phrase he's comfort you if I ask it who is those for you I answer force he's the comforter that's the word but you see we have to know how he comforts what are the evidence is that comfort I'm gonna get to the lessons the Holy Spirit's been teaching me especially this past week bring it a far more open to me than I've seen it before he is a spirit first of all of sonship but the comforter which is the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring your remembrance whatsoever I have said to you the Holy Spirit is going to come and as a teacher the scripture says and he's going to teach you sonship the spirit of his son the Bible he's called in Scripture the spirit of the Son of God and here's how the Holy Spirit comforts us by bringing us into the knowledge who we are the spirit of the son in what is it that he will bring to our remembrance is the proclamation of the Jesus made it was the proclamation Jesus made to the devil into the world and this is that that kept him above the trials and temptations of the world that that came to him in the wilderness and in his times of rejection here on earth he could boast there was a proclamation in his heart I am the son of God no matter what anybody said no matter what the enemy tried to cast on him no matter what the trial was there was a proclamation of the spirit of the Living God in him I am the son of God I have the father in heaven I have a father and I am the son of God folks the Holy Ghost has been telling me to lay hold of that truth and every time that I walked the street and the enemy comes in with a lie every time he comes in with a temptation every time he comes with discouragement fear shame whatever it may be there has to be something in your heart and you asked the Holy Spirit stop if you have to and say make the proclamation to me again Holy Spirit and you would hear the proclamation of the Holy Spirit because he abides in you as the spirit of the son that I am the son of the Living God what strength what power that is I am NOT alone I am NOT a victim that enemy cannot bring me down because I am the son I'm a son of the Living God that spirit of sonship that lays hold of the heart and I walk the street anymore and I don't let those lives of the devil come anymore devil I'm the son of the Living God I have a father in heaven who stands with me and he's given me the Holy Spirit to remind you to remind me to run my flesh I am NOT going down you cannot take control of this mind of mine because I have the mind of Christ in me because you are sons God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying have a father my father is he your father are you his son are you his daughter why don't you proclaim it wherever you are in temptation no matter where you stand say it out loud on the street everybody talks on the street anyhow you have a right to New York is full of street stalkers to talk everywhere on the elevators everywhere nobody knows who's insane and not insane well if this is insanity give me more of it I'm a son of the Living God [Applause] Jesus said God has loved you John 17:20 God has loved you just as he's loved me cookies of God if that doesn't put some holy zeal in your heart nothing will another source of comfort is to know and believe that the Holy Spirit has come to wage war against every lust and enticement of our flesh he has been sent to take over the battle let me read it to you Galatians 5:17 for the flesh lusts against the spirit the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary one to another so you cannot do the things that you would now you see you can say I I love God and I know I have access and I claimed this sonship and I'm going to walk in the faith of that sonship and and I know that I am justified I know that I am being sanctified through the power of the Holy Spirit you can sail that and it can be true but there's a war raging in the inner man there's a war fair going between the flesh and the spirit and let me tell you why the devil comes after you let me tell you what if white the devil comes to inflame your flesh he comes at you because you invited the Holy Spirit to come in and take control of your vessel and when you do that it stirs all the powers of hell folks I know that when I have made these commitments to the Lord and to walk in his righteousness and and began to seek him with all my heart and and and I'm allowing the Holy Spirit to change me and I have said Lord I'm going to walk with you I'm going to minister to you and I'm gonna allow the Holy Spirit to minister to me the devil will inflame everything in the flesh because the flesh is warring against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh you and I are no match to our flesh you've made promise they're promised and missed and failed on every one of them but God has sent the Holy Spirit through His Son Jesus Christ to wage war fair against the flesh folks this battle is going to go on as long as you live if you think the time is going to come that well I've reached a place by the way anybody tells me they don't have this spiritual warfare in the inner man it's already acknowledging pride so he needs as much help as I do you see this war is going to go on because flash is gonna be flatly gonna be flesh gonna be flesh places places flesh and always will be flesh but you see the whole Holy Spirit has been given to wage war against the flesh and this folks demands faith demands confidence in the Word of God he said I'm a spirit of truth and when he comes to me and he presents to me as it is now he's presenting to you in the power of his own name the Holy Spirit right now through the words of Jesus Jesus presented this that the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Truth he comes to remind you that he is there to do battle he's your prayer warrior he's your battling lawyer he is your strength and he is your might he is the living power of Almighty God we think thoughts we shouldn't think thoughts unworthy of Christ we look at things we ought not to we're tempted by things we should no longer be tempted by we listen to what we should not listen to and it makes us feel so unclean makes us feel very strange and the Lord said think it not strange for these fiery tests and trials that come you as if some strange thing has happened folks that battle that you that is raising in your heart that that battle against the flesh the folks you can't walk the streets of New York without seeing filthy signs you you turn on the radio you hear outlandish the charlyk you know I mean amazing meanness coming from what they call the Talking Heads you you see it everywhere you turn in society today and there is a battle that is raging and the thought life how the enemy comes to inject thoughts into the mind of discouragement and and all of these things that pound against the flesh and the inflaming Satan in flaming the evil desires of the flesh and it makes us feel that we are different than the others around us and when you go into a battle that makes you ashamed of your of of having to face that doubt because you thought you were stronger in the Holy Spirit you thought you were further up in the ladder you thought you knew more about Christ and his this this power of the Holy Spirit in you and now you say well I'm just not getting it everybody around me is getting it no I said the scripture says these temptations are common to all flesh common to all man so don't think it's strange and you can't win this battle until when you walk with Jesus and these things come against you you're going to have to say I'm not strange I this this is not unique with me this is common to all flesh so I'm not gonna let the devil tell me that I'm an unclean son of the Living God I'm going to trust the blood of Jesus Christ in its cleansing power in my life and I will not listen to this lie and the devil wants to isolate you and put you aside in a corner and say you are the stupidest you were the most unclean and you are the most unworthy of all servants you're not getting it everybody else is getting it that's a lie these things are common to all flesh don't build up men and look at men and say well well there is a man who never goes through a bow there's a man who never has an unclean thought well I don't know one on the face of the earth not on this stage not here lieutenant reaching at you we are all subject to the sin nature we're still not subject but still that that sin nature has to be dealt with you the power of the Holy Spirit but this this is what God has been helping me with there's no temptation taken you but such as common to all men but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted above what you were able he will with the temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to endure it he doesn't he said yes I'll make a way escape that you may be able to live under it you're able to bear it because you know that you have the Holy Spirit in you who will not let you know will not let you down he's going to be faithful in this warfare glory be to God and that's why after seventy six years of age and over many many years of serving the Lord I can say he is faithful he has fought battles by my side and he's poured strength in and folks this is not a fancy that when we tell you the Holy Ghost will come and give you power but you have to acknowledge that power you have to by facing I lay hold of it I have to take it and I have to receive it into my being yes there's a there's a Power greater than my flesh consider another aspect of the Ministry of the comfort of the Holy Ghost Victor says in Romans 8:26 likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered we've talked to you a few a few moments about prayer Paula saying we don't know how to pray as we should or as we ought to in folks there's a lot of confusion about prayer and what Paul's really saying here there's a lot of confusion about prayer and so many people don't know what to pray for they don't know how to pray and it's it's it's been so complicated by theologians and by by well-meaning people and maybe at times in my own understanding of prayer there's been so many formulas offered so many ways to approach the Heavenly Father and that's that I believe is something the Holy Spirit is dealing in my heart about prayer has very little to do let me put it like this I've got to get this out I know it's in my heart and I want to get it out for my own sake because I went back states before and said Lord I want to preach this to my own heart because I don't want it just to be another step in my theology I want this to be a part of my life because you see the one thing that concerns me probably more than anything else in my life is my prayer walk because the only you get is harder to dip it's discipline yourself and though there's discipline to it I don't want it to be something that condemns me because I I don't have the time but listen to me folks there are questions that arise in the Church of Jesus Christ about prayer with all that said and preached about it it there's still these questions what we the Holy Spirit says to eat the said the Holy Spirit is interceding for us before here on earth we have an intercessor in heaven at the throne we have an intercessor here in the temple when does prayer become intercession I here by the intercession this intercession explained by fervency loudness or the time that spent the energy when does prayer become intercession that's a question I get asked a lot and I've asked that a number of times you hear of Prayer intercessors and there are intercessors but there there are questions I'm to pray according to the will of God but how do I determine the will of God and folks you can be so bogged down in that is reason I believe many people don't pray there they're trying to get a handle on they're trying to get an understanding am i praying a Kourtney will have got it am i praying for what do you do but I heard recently - in Texas - Christian - a Christian high school football game this this team was Christian this is a secular football team and this Christian group over here praying for victory then you go to another school - Christian schools and they're both praying the same prayer lord help us to win you know which prayer is God going to answer that there's so many questions in what Paul's saying we don't there's so many questions we really don't know how to pray but there's the Holy Spirit in us bringing us bringing us simply to Jesus for communication and to just talk to him I'm finding that I I am enjoying taking walks here in New York and there's noise all around me and that becomes my secret closet and I shut the door by shutting out all the noise and the clamour and began to just talk and tell him what I'm going through and just it's his fellowshiping and talking to him and you see I believe the Holy Spirit the scripture said we're not to grieve the Holy Spirit and I believe that he as an intercessor can be grieved just as the scripture Paul Paul says all of creation is groaning in travail every all of creation is groaning and the reason for this groaning is the things that are happening in the world today never we've seen such turmoil never we seen such levels of stress as we're seeing now the ecologist for example or saying that the ice caps are melting and they're going to be floods in New York eventually it's going to be underwater and most of these ghosts now I'm not mocking this I know that sin is destroying the world and we need to be cognizant of all of this but you see they say the global warming is going to intensify so much that the world's everything's all that everything green is going to go and the world is going to become uninhabitable well folks what gloom what doom but these are the gloom and doom preachers and the everywhere you find people looking for hope this there's this groaning you you you look at the world situation today and all of the turmoil everything conspires today to take away hope take away any hope for the future and here's the Church of Jesus Christ living and walking in the spirit and what are we going to do how do we face this world but I have ministered all over the world and I've come home from so many trips from South America and from Africa and other places that I've been even somewhat poor European countries I've walked into the favelas and the slums and I've seen the poverty and I've seen the terror and the eyes of the children and you go back to your room and you just sit there stunned and so God how can this be reached how can we do anything about this and then you go to the minister's conference sit in the evening and I preach the pastors that are looking at me by the hundreds and sometimes by the thousands and their heads down and downcast and and marriage is in trouble and I said where is the authority where is the power Oh Holy Spirit there has to be something that you you do in these last days folks I don't believe that anything can be accomplished on the mission field if the Spirit doesn't give it birth if the Spirit doesn't move in it if the Spirit doesn't bless it it can't be done all of these movie stars that are going into Africa and all over the world into the slums with feeding programs and the raising billions and billions of dollars and after all these years of feeding and and and working with AIDS and all of these things it's just the band-aid it's getting worse all of the money in fact they're acknowledging it now you too or whoever he is I guess it you too there's something I read raising billions of dollars and former President Clinton raising billions of dollars now and but there's an admission now by you too and also by a former President Clinton not making any headway not making any headway at all the level the levels of stress keep rising folks there's only one power there is only one power there's only one answer and that is the power of the Holy Spirit and that power comes through the prayer room I believe this I believe it comes through the intercessor it comes through the Holy Spirit in us if we would allow him I this is my greatest concern Lord don't let me lose that urgency the Holy Spirit the Bible says all of nature is groaning and he said we too who are in the spirit or groaning running running our redemption in other words there's something is saying Lauren I've had enough I want to see Jesus and there's something the Spirit says even so the spirit and the bride say come there's a calling there's a groaning come Lord Jesus but folks were still here and as long as we're still here the Bible said the groans yes and we still groan but the Holy Spirit is groaning there's something in the Holy Spirit groaning because there's a new world coming there's a new world with new bodies and it's these are the birth pangs of a new age that are just coming upon us but in this last day the Church of Jesus Christ it going to be the same fire that fell on the day of Pentecost the same moving in the Holy Spirit what thousands were saved is the same spirit the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead it is the same spirit that is in this church that spirit too raised up Christ from the dead in the last days he's going to raise up a new awareness of the ministry and the work and the power of the Holy Spirit and I say all God rise up you don't have to come down you're here but rise up in sight of us O God and give us faith and confidence that you will do in the last days what you promise to do what God sent you to do begin it in me glory be to God the Son of the Living God I've got a warrior that stands by my side and I will not give in to the lies of the devil glory be to the Living God [Applause] what you said folks just a very simple word this message will have helped you if you can walk out this door this morning and hold your head high and proclaim in your soul I'm a son of the Living God I'm a daughter of the Living God and by the Spirit God and his son Christ abide in me the Holy Spirit manifests that proclaim it in our lives Heavenly Father thank you for sending the Holy Spirit we want to know him you said you'll know him because he's going to live in you and little by little you will see his work and you will come under the power of his ministry and as you do increase your faith rest in him rest in him but he will bring you to the Sun and the Sun will bring you to the Father hallelujah you be Lord you will manifest you will be manifest in us in all things that we face on this earth in our walk hallelujah the Holy Spirit would you speak to those that are within the sound of my voice now in this house and in the annex that have been troubled and spirited cast down and discouraged and feeling at the point of defeat because the enemy has come as a roaring lion as a flood bringing in so much pain so many things that they don't understand Lord their people here now listening to him who do not understand what they're going through there are people that are facing loved ones who suffer and can't understand Lord when we're without understanding just help us to acknowledge that there is one in us abiding living we don't have to go far Lord it's there in our innermost being come and manifest your spirit this morning bringing comfort bringing strength in Jesus name Amen if you're here this morning and you're if you don't know the Lord first of all you can walk down the aisle with those are becoming and stand here and surrender your heart and your life to Jesus but if you're here this morning and the enemy has come trying to bring you down and bring defeat into your life so many things are coming against you maybe you don't understand I want you can on your seat and come here and we're going to pray that the Holy Spirit will be manifested in your heart up in the balcony go the stairs on either side [Music] folks at Scripture the pray to the Holy Spirit and pray in the spirit and through the spirit would you just lift the hand or to lift both hands if you will and just begin to talk lowly spare Holy Spirit I trust your work Holy Spirit thank you thank you for coming thank you for abiding let's strength come into your spirit now you that came forward right now just let the Holy Spirit if he breaks you that's because he wants to fill you Lord Jesus come right now by your spirit come into our vessels with faith sends faith hallelujah talk to him just talk to him Thank You Holy Spirit for bringing me to Jesus Thank You Holy Spirit for reminding me and teaching me who I am in Christ Thank You Holy Spirit give him thanks give him this given fruit of your lips with the lips with the heart I'm not trying to work something out but with your heart with your lips given the sacrifice of the calves the lip the calves of our lips Father thank you for sending the Holy Spirit Thank You Holy Spirit for abiding in me Thank You Holy Spirit for coming to me thank you for filling me with the Holy Spirit Oh God thank you for the filling of the Holy Spirit if the Holy Spirit's in you he will be praising Jesus right now Lord we praise you Jesus we honor you [Applause] folks this is the Holy Spirit doing his work testifying of Christ he's doing his work in our hearts right now drawing us closer to him jawing as to his love and His mercy and His grace hallelujah Lord thank you Holy Spirit thank you for bringing us closer to our Blessed Lord and Savior for drawing us to the heart of the Father and his love we give you praise we give you thanks can you thank him now [Applause]

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Keywords: David, Wilkerson, Revival, Repent, God, Sermons, Jesus, SermonIndex

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Length: 41min 32sec (2492 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 01 2009