Possessed by God: The Rest Where Storms Stay on the Outside

Sermon outline

There remains a rest for the people of God, and you enter it by being full of the Holy Spirit, so that your joy no longer depends on your circumstances and the storms of life stay on the outside.

1. There remains a rest for the people of God

   The rest of God means total dependence on the Holy Spirit, and one of the conditions for entering it is to be full of the Holy Ghost, which takes away fear and brings boldness. The word preached to Israel did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith, so there is an onus on every believer to hear the Word with faith, keep a soft and teachable heart and be diligent to enter that rest. In the midst of any storm there is a rest, and you can have peace in it.

   “It doesn't matter what challenges are out there in the world, but there's a rest for you.”

   • Hebrews 4:1-11
   • Mark 4:39

2. The word of God is living and powerful

   Anything living breathes, grows and is active, so the prayers, confessions and prophecies you release in faith are living words that cause change and get the attention of angels and of your high priest. He had to learn to rejoice before he sees, not after. The Word discerns the heart, so even if you mumble and fumble in prayer, God answers a pure heart full of faith.

   Illustration: He used to rejoice only when he saw something happen, until God taught him to rejoice before he sees.

   “Don't think because you don't speak like a professor, God won't answer your prayer.”

   • Hebrews 4:12-13

3. Hold fast your confession: you have a great high priest

   Because Jesus is our great high priest, do not change your confession when the storm comes or the wallet is empty; keep saying what the Word says. He sympathises with our weaknesses and understands when you are squeezed from every side, so come boldly to the throne of grace.

   Illustration: The person who says 'I'm financially well off' only while there is money in his pocket, then changes his confession when the wallet is empty.

   “So don't change your confession when the storms arise. Maintain it.”

   • Hebrews 4:14-16

4. You can be possessed by God

   Your joy is not dependent on circumstances or the economy but on being full of the Holy Spirit with your life centred on the Word. If a person can be possessed by an evil spirit, a believer can be possessed by the Holy Spirit: immovable inside like a concrete pillar, able to speak a word that changes someone else's life, and no longer living by his own plans and human effort. He then demonstrates it, praying for people to be filled, teaching them to 'drink' of the anointing, and telling the church that Jesus is the Word and the Holy Spirit is the bread, and you need both.

   Illustration: During the teaching he calls up people in pain; as they are filled with the Spirit they laugh, are healed and can bend and touch their toes, and he points out that they are no longer thinking about their problems. He adds that even a good degree will not carry you through life the way the rest of God will.

   “If a man or a woman can be possessed by an evil spirit, why can't we be possessed by God's Holy Spirit?”

5. Let another gird you and carry you

   Jesus told Peter that when he was young he girded himself and walked where he wished, but when old another would gird and carry him. He applies it to the Holy Spirit: once you are mature and understand His moving, let Him lead you, bear you and guide you, because you no longer belong to yourself. Jesus is the author of your faith and He is also the finisher, so what He started in your life He will finish.

   “You do what the Holy Spirit tells you to do.”

   • John 21:18-19
   • Hebrews 12:2
   • Philippians 1:6

6. The Spirit shows you where to go and where not to go

   Paul and his companions were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach in Asia and not permitted to go into Bithynia, and then the vision of the man of Macedonia showed them where to go. If the Holy Spirit fills you, He will lead you, so end every prayer time by asking the Lord to fill you and walk full of the Spirit and the joy of God.

   “If the Holy Spirit fills you, the Holy Spirit will lead you.”

   • Acts 16:6-10

7. Asleep in the storm

   Jesus was fast asleep in the ship while the storm raged, not because He lacked compassion but because He was full of the Holy Spirit. When you are full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, the storm stays on the outside and you can still it. He says he cannot finish the message and will continue another day.

   Illustration: He asks everyone who struggles to sleep at night to stand, and prays peace over their minds, souls and spirits.

   “When you're full of the Holy Spirit, the storms of life will always stay on the outside.”

   • Matthew 8:23-27