Not a Goal but a Gateway: The Same Wind That Parted the Sea

Sermon outline

The Holy Spirit is not a goal but a gateway: once you partake of Him and taste the Word, the supernatural becomes the normal way you live.

1. The Holy Spirit has been given to us

   Had Jesus stayed physically, He would have been limited to one place at a time, so He ascended and sent another Comforter. The Holy Spirit never goes on holiday and never sleeps; He is always with you and always speaking, and you must become sensitive to listen.

   “He never goes on holiday and He doesn't sleep.”

   • John 14:16-18
   • John 14:26
   • John 16:13-14

2. Made partakers of the Holy Ghost

   Hebrews 6:4 shows a New Testament standard: believers have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost. You are not trying to get the Holy Spirit; you already have Him, just as a guest at a laden table is a partaker of the meal.

   Illustration: He invites you to a table of roast chicken, roast lamb, curry and rice and biryani, and tells you to eat as much as you want: you are a partaker of lunch.

   “It's not you trying to get the Holy Ghost. You have him.”

   • Hebrews 6:4

3. Tasted the good Word of God

   There is a vast difference between admiring the food and tearing off the drumstick. The Bible is not a reference manual to support what you want to say; it must be tasted. You were born again by the Word and live by it, so when the doctor or people say otherwise, you re-echo what the Word says: by His stripes you were healed, and He became poor that you might be rich.

   Illustration: Some people stand and admire the roast chicken; others grab the drumstick and taste it.

   “So I merely re-echo and reiterate what the word of God already says about me.”

   • Hebrews 6:5
   • Matthew 4:4
   • 1 Peter 2:24
   • 2 Corinthians 8:9

4. The powers of the world to come

   Having partaken of the Spirit and tasted the Word, you begin to taste heaven's powers and operate in that realm here. Jesus cursed the fig tree when nothing seemed to happen, and when He returned He never went to inspect it: He was fully convinced it heard Him the first time, and simply said 'Have faith in God'.

   Illustration: A neighbour watches you through the window speaking to a bill in the name of Jesus and tells her husband you are talking to paper.

   “If Jesus did it, it's okay for us to do it.”

   • Mark 11:12-14
   • Mark 11:19-22

5. The Holy Spirit is not a goal but a gateway

   God intended believers to stop living the natural life and transcend it. Walk in the supernatural long enough that it becomes the natural order of things: praying and getting answers, speaking to things and having them obey.

   “The Holy Spirit is a gateway to the supernatural.”

6. God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul

   In Ephesus Paul laid hands on the disciples, they received the Holy Ghost, and God wrought special miracles by his hands, while 'Mr and Mrs Clever' hardened their hearts like the Pharisees who said Jesus cast out devils by Beelzebub. You cannot take the supernatural out of Christianity: signs follow believers, and wherever God shows up people are healed, find jobs, are promoted and prosper.

   Illustration: A boxing announcer introducing a 200-pound champion: he introduces Jesus as weighing mega trillions of tons.

   “How can you take the supernatural out of Christianity?”

   • Acts 19:5-12
   • Matthew 12:24-26
   • Mark 16:17
   • Psalm 23:6

7. A rabbit trail: take responsibility for your life

   People forget God's miracles as quickly as Israel did and stop coming once their prayer is answered. Nobody should need phoning to get to church or cell group; cast your cares on the Lord, not the pastor, whose job is to feed the sheep and inject faith, while yours is to hear and do the Word. Take responsibility for your marriage, health, appearance and work, and stand like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who would not bow even if God did not deliver them.

   Illustration: Nobody phones you to remind you to take a bath; it is your own responsibility, and so is getting to church.

   “My responsibility as a pastor is to teach you the word of God. And to inject faith into you.”

   • Ephesians 4:14
   • 1 Peter 5:7
   • John 21:15-17
   • James 1:22
   • Daniel 3:17-18

8. The same wind

   At the Red Sea God did not act until Moses raised his hand; then an east wind parted the waters, and later a wind brought down quails by the thousands to feed a murmuring people. That wind is the Holy Spirit, who came as a rushing mighty wind at Pentecost and came upon you when you were born again, so stop murmuring, start believing, and refuse lack, sickness and unhappiness.

   Illustration: Israel asking Moses for Nando's, and the quails landing on top of each other: some hot, some mild, some lemon and herb.

   “The same wind that drove the water apart is the same wind that blew the birds to the Israelites. It's the same wind that came upon you when you were born again.”

   • Exodus 14:15-28
   • Exodus 16:13
   • Acts 1:8
   • Acts 2:1-4