Explaining the Holy Spirit: Unleashing the Power of the Holy Spirit

Explaining the Holy Spirit

Unleashing the Power of the Holy Spirit

By Douglas Hammett

Copyright 2013 Douglas Hammett

Smashwords Edition

All scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Note from the Author:

This book is a compilation of several sermons preached in our church on the subject of the Holy Spirit. I hope you find it informative and helpful. There is much confusion in our world today on the subject of the Holy Spirit. God has the answers in His Word, if we will take time to study and understand it. If you have any questions, my contact information is at the end of this book.

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Table of Contents

Chapter One: Victory is Possible!

Chapter Two: Do you have Power?

Chapter Three: Pentecostal Power

Chapter Four: The Gift of Tongues on Trial

Chapter Five: The Purpose of the Gift of Tongues

Chapter Six: Conditions for Power, Part One

Chapter Seven: Conditions for Power, Part Two

Chapter Eight: Conditions for Power, Part Three

Chapter Nine: Conditions for Power, Part Four

Chapter Ten: The Filling of the Holy Spirit

Chapter Eleven: Testing the Spirit-Filled Life

About the Author

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Chapter One

Victory is Possible

Do you enjoy losing or being defeated? I do not like losing. When my boys were smaller, it was always fun to play basketball with them. They were short so I could take the ball away from them and block their shots. I got as many shots as I wanted, because I could always rebound. Then they started growing up a little bit, and got better at playing basketball. I learned the best way I could win was to become the referee. The rules were made by me—on the spot—and they changed moment by moment. My feet became clubs. My body blocks like a football player were allowed, but theirs were not. With these rules, I could still win. Now they are as tall as I am, and they have become wise to my ways, so I can’t quite get away with that like I used to. But I still do not like losing.

There are some things in life I guess we have to adjust to losing at, but the Christian life ought not to be one of them. The life of victory for a Christian is not only possible, but the Lord has promised it to those who will walk with Him. In Joshua chapter one, God was speaking with Joshua. There the Bible says:

"Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:, for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:3-9)

For forty years, the nation of Israel had wandered in the wilderness, going basically in circles. They are now getting ready to cross over into the Promised Land. Moses had died and Joshua has just taken over. God promised to Joshua and the people that victory will be theirs if they follow God’s commands. There will be battles to be fought, but God promises to be with them and to fight their battles for them.

The Promised Land, or Canaan, is often mistakenly referred to as a picture of Heaven. It certainly is not a picture of Heaven, for in Heaven there will be no battles for us to fight. In Heaven there will be no faith, for faith will be turned into sight. Canaan, or the Promised Land, refers to the child of God and the life of victory that is possible as they live the Christian life.

Victory is the Goal of the Christian Life

It is possible for Christians to enjoy victory in their Christian life. That should be the goal of every Christian—to live a victorious Christian life. Then why do we see so little victory? Why are Christians so easily defeated? I am not going to be able to fully answer that question for you, but I do intend to do my best. Let’s look at some verses that talk about victory.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. (Matthew 12:20)

Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. (First John 4:4)

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (First Corinthians 15:54-57)

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (First John 5:4)

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. (Revelation 15:2)

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8:37)

God promised Joshua and the children of Israel that He would be with them as they entered into and conquered the Promised Land. God also promised them that as they progressed through the land, He would give them every piece of the ground they stepped upon. We know from reading God’s Word that God kept His promise that He gave to Joshua.

God has also given us as Christians the promise of victory in our Christian life. In fact, victory is one of the goals of the Christian life. The way we have victory is through faith. God intends for every child of God to be an overcomer. The word victory is used over and over again in the book of First John. Overcoming victory is what you and I ought to be experiencing in our Christian life.

How do you describe a victorious Christian life? Definitions are best seen, not just heard, so describing a victorious Christian life is better than defining it. What does it mean to have a victorious Christian life?

First of all, a person must be saved. Lost people in our world today are living defeated lives. They don’t know which way to turn—they don’t have a real purpose or goal for their life. Often they don’t have a reason to live, or their reasons for living are self-serving and short-sighted and soon pass away.

So for a person to have a victorious life, they must first be saved. But where do we go from there? I’m sure you know Christians who are living just like the world with no real purpose or goal, no real reason for living. What is involved in living a VICTORIOUS Christian life?

Entering into the Promises of God

First of all, it is a life of entering into the Promises of God. In Joshua 1:3, God told Joshua, Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

Notice the present tense verb have given in that verse. As Joshua was standing there, looking over the Jordan River, getting ready to move over into the land, God told him, I have given you that land. It is already yours. You have the Title Deed. It belongs to you.

Suppose someone had a million dollars in the bank, yet they refused to use it but rather existed by eating out of trash cans. That would be a terrible way to live in light of the fact that they have a million dollars in the bank and could eat like a king. But instead, they live like a beggar.

Many Christians are living their lives just like that. We have the Word of God which is full of promises from God. But Christians don’t take time to read it so they don’t know what the promises are. Maybe they read the promises but they just don’t believe them. Maybe they feel like the promises don’t belong to them. For whatever reason, they choose to eat out of garbage cans of the world instead of entering into the promises of God.

If you really believed the promises God has given you in the Word of God, it would transform your life. If you honestly believed that God would do whatsoever you ask in Jesus’ name, it would change the way you live right now. There are probably difficulties and problems in your life right now for which God has already given you promises that will solve the problems. But for whatever reason, you have not entered into those promises.

Experiencing the Presence of God

The victorious Christian life is not only entering into God’s promises but it also involves experiencing God’s presence. In Joshua 1:5, God promised Joshua, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

That in itself is a promise beyond all promises. God didn’t just promise to give him everything he needed, but promised that He would always be there with him and would never leave him.

The Bible gives New Testament Christians the same promise in Hebrews 13:5-6, He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Therefore, the victorious Christian life is not just to enter into God’s promises, but it is to experience God’s presence. That means that every moment of every day, every place we go, every situation we get into, we realize that what we are not alone. Whatever we are facing, the Lord is always there with us. One of the goals of the Christian life is for us to experience God’s presence every day. You shouldn’t read your Bible just to be reading, or just so you can write down some neat things. You should read your Bible to meet with the Lord.

When you are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, you are experiencing God’s presence moment by moment. When the Spirit of God is in charge of your life, His job is to show you the Lord Jesus Christ. He will always bring you into communion and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus will not just be some name, some doctrine you heard about, or some person who lived long ago—but Jesus Christ will be a person you are experiencing moment by moment fellowship with, if the Holy Spirit is in charge of your life.

God’s promise to Joshua was, As you enter into the Promised Land, not only am I going to give you the promises, but I’m going to walk with you every step of the way. All you have to do is just call, and I’m going to be right there. As we read the Bible, we know there were times when Joshua and the people of God didn’t experience God’s presence. That doesn’t mean that God wasn’t there. It just meant they weren’t taking advantage of the promises, and were not experiencing His presence.

Have you ever been in a crowd and felt lonely? Have you ever been with your spouse, your husband or wife, and yet, not really been with them? They weren’t paying any attention to what you were saying or doing, but they had you tuned out. They were in their own little world, lost in their own thoughts or whatever they were doing. You were in their presence, but you were not enjoying their presence. Then at other times, you can be with that same person, yet you experience their presence. You can be in a discussion with them, talking, interacting and enjoying their presence.

The Christian life is much the same. When you are saved, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live inside you. He takes up residence in your heart. In fact, it is impossible to be saved and not have the Holy Spirit living inside you. Yet, you can as a Christian have Christ living in you and not be experiencing His presence moment by moment. He lives inside you, yet you are not enjoying His presence.

Exercising the Power of God

Third, we are to exercise the power of God. The Christian life is not meant for you to just walk around and feel good and enjoy life. There is more to the Christian life than just claiming the promises of God, and experiencing the presence of God. The end purpose of the Christian life—the ultimate overshadowing goal—is to bring glory and honor to God. One of the ways God has for us to bring glory and honor to Him is by exercising His power, showing people that our God is real. There are different kinds of power that we can exercise. We want to look at some of these.

Reigning Power

For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)

What does the phrase, death reigned by one, mean? It is a picture of the lost man, who one day will die physically and spiritually. Yet it also is speaking about unsaved people who are today walking, talking, breathing, living human beings, but death is reigning in their life. Their life is overshadowed by guilt, by sorrow, by anger, by sin. Death reigns even as they are living. Sin and all that it offers is in charge of their life.

But notice the contrasting phrase, shall reign in life. This speaks of the Christian who has the power of Jesus Christ operating in