The Holy Spirit in His beautiful providence and love has preached my sermon for me. We've been speaking about Jesus being the golden key with Him God will freely give us all things. Our first message on this key was the blood of Jesus, which brings assurance. We know that we can count on Him because if He loved us this much when we were His enemies how much more now that we are His children. Real assurance, we can count on Him. And last week we spoke about the great authority that God has given us the power of the name of Jesus. And today my message is on the third of the doors that are unlocked that God chooses to minister through Christ. And this is Jesus' Spirit or the Holy Spirit.
God has given us a complete plan, a beautiful plan and I feel that the Holy Spirit today has unlocked hearts so that God could pour into His life and His love. The Holy Spirit will unlock this week the lives of your friends as you go to them. Even if it may not be a specific effort, just being you with Jesus' spirit in your life, doors are going to be unlocked. For the world today needs Jesus. There is probably no subject taught or given in the Bible that is understood more than the message of the Holy Spirit. Many people have a very incomplete view of the purpose of the Holy Spirit or who the Holy Spirit is or why God gave us the promise, why He wanted us to have the Holy Spirit.
When John was speaking by inspiration of God he said, "One is coming after me far greater than I am. I'm not even worthy to tie his shoes," he said, "but this person that comes will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. He will give you His Spirit." And you know what Jesus' Spirit did when He was here in this earth. His Spirit went to people who were down, people who were hurting and lifted them up. He loved them. People that felt like they were worthless suddenly felt like they had a friend. There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one. So when He went away God's plan was that the whole world would know what Jesus is like. So when Jesus went away God took this Holy Spirit, the Spirit that was in Jesus, the Spirit that made Jesus what He was and He poured Him out so that every individual who accepts Him turns their life over to Him can literally be a temple where the Holy Spirit dwells within. There are a lot of good benefits, a lot of bonuses of having the Holy Spirit within us but the great purpose that God has is that the world might come to know Him because they're seeing Jesus in us, His Spirit. Now there are many people who are trying to put on an act. They want to be like Jesus and they're trying to do some of the things that Jesus has done but there's no way in the world that you can just put on an act and be like Jesus. In order to be like Jesus you have to have His nature. That's the reason for the message that Paul gave in Galatians 5:22. He said the Spirit within you will produce the very nature of Jesus, his love.
Do you know that the greatest need in the whole wide world is love? I've asked a lot of different people and they seem to feel this way. They need love. It's the greatest need in the world. There are some who are quoting scripture at people and saying for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, but the people still are cold and empty because they're hearing a quote. God said I give you His Spirit, which is the spirit of love and instead of quoting the verse let them see Jesus' love in you. Instead of saying for God so loved the world you can say I love you. Instead of just saying I love you we can show them that we love them by the true compassion that comes from the heart.
The world needs love. Jesus' work was lifting people up from their low estate. Where they felt worthless and He said, "I want you to see how much you're really worth." That living soul in you is worth more He said than all of the gold that is buried in this earth. For it could crumble and turn to dust but your soul will live on. He said, "It's worth more than all of those valleys of gems." They will disappear and lose their value but your soul will live on. He said, "It's more enduring then the stars," those heavenly bodies that we see out there that Columbus saw and that others down through the history of thousands of years have seen the same stars. They look like they would last forever. But he said, "The stars may dim and go out but your soul will still be young." You're worth something to God.
So God is saying here I am giving you the Spirit of Jesus to make you like Him. So in Acts 1:8 where he said, "you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost shall come upon you and you shall be witnesses." He's telling us, the highest purpose in giving us his Spirit is to make us like Jesus. You will be witnesses, witnesses of His life. Then the other truths are there, also that you may be able to do the work of Jesus. So there's power then in His Spirit. Then to be able to speak as Jesus spoke, there's the power to speak. So if we get it in the right order, there are many people who are looking for power, power to do. And there commanding God to do this, and this and this. At the same time there's harshness and a bitterness in their heart and resentment. God I claim this because you said you would do it when the Holy Ghost comes and there's often times such harshness. God said you've got the truth all right but you have it upside down. You better be witnesses and then have the other things that come with it. Have his love, his nature within, love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, meekness, longsuffering, faith. All of these things are the nature of Jesus.
When Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians the 13th chapter he said, "if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and I don't have love, if I'm not being like Jesus what good is it going to do? If I discover the secret of performing some great miracle and I don't have love, what good is it going to do?" He said, "I just become a clanging cymbal, that's all." But he said, "I give you my spirit so that you can be like Me." Don't you want to be like Jesus? That's what God wants us to be. It's a key; it will unlock storehouses of God's goodness when the Holy Spirit is within us, His Spirit.
Do you know that His Spirit within us, the Word tells us, you read it in 2 Corinthians 3:18, he tells us that we are changed into His image by the Spirit of the Lord, By His Spirit? And the world needs the beauty of Jesus more than anything else. We can feed them, we can clothe them, these are good, that's what the Lord wanted to do but if we don't have love for them we've missed the boat. Aren't you thankful for what God is doing today in pouring out His Spirit? And literally the fruit of the Spirit is growing all over the world in places that have been so barren. People that have had a nominal religion could have cared less about their neighbors suddenly because of the flow of the Holy Spirit in their life; they're beginning to care. That's why He tells us in His Word in those last days I will pour out of My Spirit and Jesus, the likeness of Jesus will again be seen in the land.
Let's take that key and not only are we a blessing to somebody else, it becomes abundant living to us. I mentioned last Sunday that I had received an unusual experience right from God. I've had many people ask me if I would share it. Last week I was almost dazed for part of the day because it was so real and so awesome. And I know that I can't convey the impact of this experience but I'm going to read what I marked down which is a brief outline of what happened which again portrays the great love of God in a way that I have never ever witnessed. And so God has been letting me see each time, it seems to grow the greatness and the impact and the weight and the breath and the height and the depth of the love of God in ways that I hadn't seen in the past. So I'm going to read this from the book that I keep these in. "One of the most profound and inspiring encounters I have ever experienced occurred last Sunday morning August 26, 1979. I was awakened about 1 a.m. and was ministered to by God through angels that He had sent. In the course of this ministry God allowed me to witness again his great plan in operation of making us acceptable in His sight. This was from Colossians the 2nd chapter, oh that beautiful truth of Jesus snatching all of the authority and power that Satan had and spoiling him never giving it back to him. And that tremendous work that He has done and accepting us in all that Jesus has done. Coming alive before me was the message of Paul in Colossians 2:9-17 concerning the greatness of Jesus. He is the head of all of God's forces. I saw the believer not only sharing in His life but in His accomplishments. The fulfilling of the law, the keeping of every letter was applied over to us. We kept the law completely when Jesus kept the law. His death, His resurrection became ours because of faith in God's operation."
I was a little amazed, I've read the Bible so many times but I didn't even know the word operation was in the Bible. But he did mention it that we have so often endeavored to put our faith in man's operation, all of the things that we can plan and do and all of the neat little tricks that we have. But he said, "All of these are made available when we quit putting our faith in our operation and put it in God's operation." It's written right there in the 11th verse of that chapter. I saw Him strip Satan of his authority, never restoring it. He clothes us with confidence, forgiving every sin.
"Then something happened, I was escorted into the presence of Jesus by His angels, literally translated into the presence of Jesus. Like Paul I am not sure if I was in body or in spirit. Seemed like I was in body. I saw Jesus, I met Him, and I talked with Him for the first time face to face. His appearance was identical to that described by John in Revelation 1:13-18. He appeared as the great judge of all. It is possible that he will take on a different appearance upon His return. What I was allowed to see was His eternal appearance. His white hair hung to his shoulders, His face shone like pure white light. He wore a wide gold belt that was contoured to partially cover his chest. His shoes shone like polished copper. His eyes were much like those of Gabriel. Could it be that these garments and this appearance are characteristic of those who dwell in God's presence?"
My spirit leaped within me as He stated that His servants, these angels have been sent forth to compel men and women to come to this point of choice. He made reference to the word that He Himself has said that when His angels said there's still room, he said go out into the highways and the hedges and compel them to come in. This is what He's doing now, God's last call to the feast. This is all because of the Father's great love for them. He also spoke of the numberless host sent into the entire world to help prepare the precious fruit of the earth of the harvest, the redeemed souls that He has purchased and prepared. He them summoned representatives from every part of the world. I saw some that had the appearance of Eskimos working among the Arctic circle; I saw them from different spots of the earth. Several of these I recognized as ministering angels I had previously met. There was one that had been in my home three times from Russia, he was there. I saw Shaloma, the one that God brought to me from the Arab countries. I saw the ministering angel representing the multibillions of angels in Red China. He was there. There were many black angels, there were from India, from the islands of the sea. God had said that these were summoned from among the forces that had been sent out into every corner of the world in preparing the harvest. His purpose he stated for this meeting was to remind me and to remind the world of the urgency and the importance of linking arms with Him and of telling the world that He really cares, telling the world, telling the workers around the world that they are not alone. There are missionaries in many places that feel that they're working all alone and He wants them to know there are workers sent forth with sickles ready to work beside them in the preparing of the precious fruit of the earth of the harvest. I'm still not sure whether or not I was there in body but it seemed like I was. When I returned I stood alone by the stream almost like I was between two worlds. I was dazed but more aware than ever that the countdown is nearly finished; the sickle has been thrust in. We must be alert, awake, full of faith, alive with His Spirit and make each breath count for God. While in the presence of Jesus I was allowed to see the terrible days of tribulation ahead from God's viewpoint. I realize that there are many different views and concepts about the tribulation but I'm just telling you what God allowed me to see from His viewpoint. I can't tell you everything in detail but from His viewpoint it's going to be a terrible time in this earth. I met many of Gabriel's angels who have been assigned to these tasks all of them wearing the same type of garment that he wears who will be extremely active at that time. And God let me see at that time and made reference that what I was looking at in this tremendous activity of angels was not something that He had assigned for them just at that particular moment but it was part of His great plan and great purpose. And that we may not have been aware of but the angelic host has been just as active when it hasn't been a time of tribulation, they've been active in God's great unfolding plan. This is just another phase of His plan but they have been active all along.
I was allowed to visit briefly with Michael who also has an important role to fill at that time. Jesus stated that even tribulation would not separate men from His love and that millions, this is something that almost jolted me because I have taken a view I didn't know how in the world anybody could ever possibly make it through that time if they couldn't live for God now but God let me see something real special here. That millions would be saved through death in standing for God in those days. He said that the prayers of those who love God for their loved ones will still be effective and that these will die for their stand and be united at the resurrection at the close of these days of sorrow with their loved ones who were taken before these awful days. His love goes beyond human comprehension.
Then he gave me references to read and put in my heart and said I could understand better in reading Revelation 7:9-14 where he allowed John to see thousands, he said there was a multitude that no man can number. And John said, "Who are these?" And the angel said, "these are they who failed to make a stand for Jesus before the days of tribulation but are members of families who have and are people who have heard but have put it off, but by their own death they're going to prove to God their acceptance of Him and His plan and that the prayers of Jesus even include these people that God loves them and that even tribulation will not separate them from His love. It is a multitude that no man can number from every nation, tribe and tongue. From every part of the world there are going to be people in this number who are going to die for their testimony.
But over in the 19th chapter of Revelation he said when the tribulation days come to a close there's going to be a great resurrection. And these people are going to be united with the remainder of the body of Christ and are going to rule and reign and live with Jesus, the thousand years of the millennial reign. Now this does not encourage people to suffer the days and to have to feel the searing heat of the outpoured wrath of God but He's letting us know that even there God cares.
He let me see and hear some of the messages that will be given by the angels before the wrath is outpoured and a message will go out to the earth. God is righteous. And then they will explain God's righteousness before His wrath is poured out. God is righteous. And I felt that even though I have to leave a page or two that I can't read to you now that these words and the message on this tape need to get out because there's such confusion that people have. Some have seen this verse of scripture of these people that are there and feel that God has failed or will fail in His promise but He isn't going to fail.
Those who have put their faith and their trust in Jesus, their faith is in His blood and His covering, one of these days, and it may not be very far off, are going to find themselves moving right into His presence. And I had a little experience of that; I know it's good. You don't want to miss it. Don't put it off and say I'll get along over there in the tribulation time. Somebody told me well you have a risk there, you're going to make people want to wait and go through all of the suffering and so on if you tell them there's going to be a chance there. I'm not giving you my own message when I give you this; I'm giving it from God's heart. He said this is the way it is. Let's stand and lift our hands and worship the Lord. He wants the world to know that He's righteous, that He's doing the fair thing to them, that He loves them.
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