HopeLives365

Guest (Female): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message, End Time Symbols of the Spirit, Part Two. Enjoy, and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: The Holy Spirit is poured out on a generation that has a passion for the word. I want to be part of that generation, don't you? There is no limit to the usefulness of the one who putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon the heart and lives a life wholly consecrated to God. It doesn't say you live a life of perfection. The issue is an undivided heart. The issue is the desire in your life to please God. The issue is seeking God's will. The issue is a life wholly consecrated to God.

The third criteria for the reception of the Holy Spirit is a mind saturated with God's word. So we want to go there. We're looking at John chapter six, verse 33. John six, verse 33. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with the word which the Spirit has inspired and to let every part of our being be guided by the word. John six, verse 63. It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life.

If you want life in your Christian experience, let the word of God come into your life because the word of God is not a dead word, it is a living word. You cannot separate the Holy Spirit from the word. The Holy Spirit fills the mind through the word. So it is not that the Holy Spirit's experience with the believer is a mystical experience that's kind of ethereal and if I could just get a grasp on it, I'd understand. No. As I pray and seek God with an undivided heart and open my mind to God, I open his word and his word saturates my mind.

As his word saturates my mind, he guides my life through that word as I base my life on the principles of God's word. So to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with the word. Be aware of any approach to the Holy Spirit that is based on music and testimony and not the word. It will be superficial at best and deceptive at worst. Music can help to set a tone to receive the Holy Spirit. But those people that are more interested in an emotional feeling after they've sung for 45 minutes rather than spend five minutes reading one devotional text, there is something about opening the word and allowing the Holy Spirit through the word to transform your character.

Now the word of God is different than any other word. Man's word is declarative, God's word is creative. Take your Bible please and turn to Hebrews chapter four. Hebrews chapter four and verse 12. For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of sword and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Verse 12, Hebrews four, for the word of God is what? Living and what? Powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.

The word of God is living and the word of God is powerful. So the word of God is alive. Do you remember David's prayer in Psalm 119 and verse 154? Psalm 119, verse 154. Plead my cause and redeem me, revive me according to your word. Revive me according to your word. So God brings revival as we study his word. Why? Because the word of God is living and it is powerful, powerful. How was this world created? By the word. Psalm 33, verse six and nine. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made. He spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast.

The Bible does not say he spoke and it was in the process of being done for a hundred million years. The Bible says, Psalm 33, verse six, by the word of the Lord were the heavens made and the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Verse nine, he spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. God's word is so powerful that what he says is so, even if it were never so before, because when he says it, it becomes so. God's word is so powerful that he speaks and the audible word that comes out of his mouth becomes tangible matter.

What God said is so, if it were never so before. What God said is, if it never was before. When God says, let the dry land appear and the word comes out of his mouth, his word creates that which he declares. Now this is a fundamental point about understanding the Bible. God's word is a creator. Now my word is a declarative word. I can say this is a podium. I can declare what is. God can say this is a podium and the word out of his mouth creates a podium. God can say, I can say this is a sun and point at it. God can say this is a sun and there was no sun, but the word out of his mouth is so powerful it creates the sun.

Creation speaks of a God that is all-powerful. Evolution has no room for the all-powerful God. Now here's why that's critically important to you and me. The same word that spoke worlds into existence at creation, the same word carries power in the written word today. God said at creation, let the sun shine and dispel the darkness. And in his word he says, let my sun of righteousness shine in the darkness of your heart and dispel. God created the fruit trees at his word and God creates the fruits of his spirit through his word.

God created babbling brooks that refresh the land and God creates the rivers of his spirit in our heart to refresh our hearts. Now follow me very closely. Other books may be inspiring, but the Bible is inspired. Other books may declare some truth, but the Bible has creative power to transform our hearts. And just as God created the world with his power and his word, he recreates our hearts with them. Now here is a concept that for many years I did not understand. I will not pretend that I fully grasp it, but I want you to begin to probe it with me.

When you accept any promise of God by faith, the promise contains within it the power of God to accomplish the promise you accept by faith. So when we read, for example, if any man or woman confess their sin, God is faithful and just to forgive the sin. That is not only a statement of legal declaration of what is in heaven, although it's that. It's not only a statement that God in heaven will cover your sins with his gracious blood and his righteousness and he'll never bring it up to you again. It's not only that.

But it's this. When I grasp that promise by faith, if anybody confess their sin, he'll forgive it, that creative promise, that promise carries with it the creative power to create within my mind a sense of peace, freedom from guilt and forgiveness. So every promise is a creative promise that I grasp by faith that creates divine reality within me. And the divine reality is I'm no longer guilty. The divine reality is I'm no longer condemned. But it's not only something I believe, it's a living reality that changes my brain cells.

So when I'm struggling with some sin in my life and I read in Philippians four, verse 13, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me, accepting that promise by faith, internalizing it in the mind, because this is not a dead word but a living word, it's like planting a seed in the soil of the mind that the Holy Spirit takes and transforms the brain cells and enables me to develop new neurological pathways in the brain, new synapses in the brain through the word of God and those old sins are dispelled because there's a recreation taking place.

Every time I get up and preach and every time you preach, every time you share the word of God with somebody else, creation is taking place all over again. God is recreating hearts. God is recreating minds. His word, the spoken word, is a marvelous statement in Education, I think it's page 263. The power that brought the worlds into existence is in the word of God. Every promise accepted by the will brings with it the power of the infinite one. This is wonderful. Every time I open the Bible, I say God, recreate in my heart, my mind.

Lord, for a long time your mind may be going in one direction and you saturated it with those TV programs, you saturated it with that pornography, you saturated it with that drug, that alcohol, whatever you saturated it with. But when you open God's word, this is not some psychotherapy that's taking you back to the past, that's a regression therapy that's saying what did you do. This is recreating new brain cells. This is recreating new pathways in the brain. This is the Holy Spirit working through the word of God.

If you want to be filled with the spirit, it's not tapping your feet and singing Hallelujah and no. It is opening the word of the living God and filling your mind with that word and letting God recreate in your heart and mind his very image. What are the steps to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Number one, we're pleading that God will give us the spirit. Number two, we're asking for a divine, undivided heart. We want to please him. Number three, we're saturating our mind with his word.

Number four, Acts chapter three, verse 19, verse 20, verse 21. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing— what are the times of refreshing? The Latter Rain. Your Spirit of Prophecy reference on that is Early Writings, page 85. Early Writings 85. Just write a little note if you want in your Bible or write a note to yourself to go back and read that. The times of refreshing are the Latter Rain. Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

And that he may send Jesus Christ who was preached to you before. What's Peter saying? He's saying Jesus was preached before, but he's going to come again. Repent so the time of refreshing can come, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his prophets since the world began. Is there going to be a restoration of all things, is there? Is the earth going to be made new, will there be a new heavens and a new earth? There'll be a restoration of Eden.

But that's not going to come until the work of God is finished on earth and that's not going to come until the Latter Rain falls. And that's not going to come until there is a repentance. Now there's an interesting word in the original language, the Greek language in the New Testament, it's called metamorphoo and it's the word for repentance and it means a change of mind toward. So what is repentance? Repentance is a change of mind toward sin. The things that I once did, I no longer choose to do because my mind is changed toward those things.

God takes away the desire to do them. There is a metamorphosis in my mind. Just like the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, my thought patterns and my thinking patterns are changed because I don't want to bring sorrow to the one that loves me by doing something that's contrary to his will. Wouldn't it be strange if a policeman is called to a home and a wife calls and says my husband has been murdered? And the policeman finds the fingerprints of some man in that home and he takes the body away of course and there's the funeral and the woman is all crying.

Then a counselor goes to help the woman and he sees that there's all dim lights in the home and he hears dancing music and she's dancing with the murderer. I mean, something's wrong there, right? For a woman who's been married to dance with the murderer. I don't want to dance with the murderers of Jesus. Lust, pride, anger, bitterness, resentment. I say Jesus, I don't want to break your heart by breaking your law. The greatest motivation for victory in your life is not the fear of hell or the reward of heaven.

The reward of heaven is a powerful motivation. The fear of hell is also a motivation. Fear is not as powerful as reward, but fear is powerful. But neither fear of hell nor the reward of heaven is sufficient enough. Because if all you do is fear hell, sometime you're going to say I'd rather have joy and the so-called joy's going to overcome that fear. And if all you want is reward, the immediate reward is going to take it away. See, the fear of hell or the reward of heaven is not sufficient enough, but love is. Love is.

The strongest motive in the universe is love. And if I know that the one that knows me best loves me most, and Christ will have an emptiness in his heart forever if I'm not saved. If I know that Christ longs for me to be in heaven, that he's brokenhearted and that he longs for me to be with him and if I'm not there, he'll miss me for eternity. If I know that my Lord who died for me, who gave everything for me, wants me there more than anything else and that he cares for me and he's doing everything he can to save me, I can't turn my back on one that loves me so much.

I can't walk away for one that wants me in heaven so much. I can't walk away from one that's doing so much for me. And if he shows me anything in my life that's not in harmony with his will, I want my heart to be in touch with him and in tune with him. So the Bible says repent. On our knees we're saying God, I'm asking you to give me your spirit. God give me an undivided heart. Lord, whatever you want me to do, I want to do that. Lord, please fill my mind with your word, saturate it there. And if there's something in my life not in harmony with your will, I repent.

Guest (Female): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of Scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence his life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Now what is the Latter Rain given for? What, remember we studied the early rain, but the Latter Rain comes when? At the end of time to complete the gospel commission. It's not by might, not by power, not by my spirit, says the Lord. The Latter Rain falls to empower our witness. Why would God give the Latter Rain if we weren't witnessing? If the Latter Rain comes to empower our witness, why would God give the Latter Rain if we were not involved in witness?

You would not need to be empowered for something you are not doing. You receive the spirit in Latter Rain power as you become actively involved in doing the thing that God has asked you to do. What did Jesus say about the early rain? Here we go, Acts chapter one. What did Jesus say about the early rain? What was the early rain given for? The disciples had a mission before them. They had a task before them. That task was to take the gospel to the world. Acts chapter one.

We look there at verse seven and eight. And he said to them, it's not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father has put in his authority. And I say to you, the issue is not the times and seasons. It's not the times or seasons. God has not called us to study end-time charts with such specificity that we think we know the dates of this, that, and the next event. But he says, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And what is the purpose of that power?

You'll be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, your city, in Judea, the neighboring province, in Samaria, the next province, and to the ends of the earth. God said to the disciples, the reason you pray, the reason you repent, the reason you seek me with an undivided heart, the reason you fill your mind with the word of God is one, and that is to preach the gospel to the world. The Holy Spirit will not be poured out on a church that has Laodicean complacency and no passion about winning the lost.

The Latter Rain power of the spirit comes to enable our witnessing, to lead us to proclaim the gospel. And that day is coming. Seventh-day Adventists around the world today, as I travel, I see them. Adventists today are rising to their destiny. There are prayer groups around the world. You may hear a lot about the church's Laodicean, the church's complacent, but there is a serious group of people that are praying for the Holy Spirit. There are people, young people all around the world.

I meet them in Brazil, I meet them in Russia, I meet them in Africa, I meet them in Inter-South America. There are adults, there are pastors that are leading their congregations. The Adventist church today is not all dead and Laodicean. Maybe your local church is, but that's not true. I see them around the world. There are young people, they're on their knees praying, they are seeking God, they're repenting of sin, they're filling their minds with God's word, they're studying the Bible, and these prophecies are going to be fulfilled. Listen, this gives us hope and courage.

Somebody said aren't you rather pessimistic about the church? No, it's God's church. Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Liberalism is not going to prevail, God's word is. Criticism and ultra-conservatism that sees something wrong in everybody else, that's not going to prevail, God's word is. Secularism is not going to prevail, God's word is. God's church is going to triumph. We're on the winning side, not the losing side. The Bible says Jesus said, I will build my church.

The reason I'm staying with the church is because Jesus built it. It's not some man-made bureaucratic organization. Jesus said, I will build my what? Church. If he built it, I want to be part of it. What do you say? And the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Oh, the gates of hell are not going to prevail against this church. Here's a vision of the future. You want to be encouraged this first day of the new year, here it is. The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening.

Pentecost going to be repeated, right? The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the former rain— this is Great Controversy, page 611. At the opening of the gospel, are again to be fulfilled in the Latter Rain at its close. Servants of God— are you a servant of God? What's going to happen? Servants of God with their faces lighted up. Why are they lighted up? They've been on their knees praying. They've been on their knees seeking God. And shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven.

By thousands of voices all over the world, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, signs and wonders will follow the believers. This is coming, but it's not coming until we take those five steps. On our knees, seeking God, asking for the Holy Spirit. Telling God that we want an undivided heart and do nothing that in any way displeases him. Saturating our minds with his word and asking God to fill every nerve and tissue and brain cell with his word.

On our knees repenting of any known sin and telling Jesus I don't want to do anything that hurts you and asking him to give us a love for other people. The Holy Spirit is poured out on a generation that has a passion for the word. I want to be part of that generation, don't you? I've got a few gray hairs here. I've been preaching 43 years, but I've got a few good sermons left in me yet. I long, I long for the day that the Holy Spirit in Latter Rain power is poured out.

The emphasis of our lives is to be filled with that spirit, to exalt Jesus and to live for him and share his grace with others. Let's pray.

Guest (Female): You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, a final prayer from Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Oh Father, we've spent just a few seconds opening our hearts to you, but this day we want to spend some time quietly, alone. We long as Sabbath comes for the Holy Spirit to be poured out here. We long for dramatic outpouring of the spirit. Father, as we leave this place this weekend, these days are going to go so quickly. Send us home to organize prayer groups and Bible study groups in our churches. Send us home different men and women and young people than when we came.

And may we be part of a final generation that receives your spirit and goes out to the world powered by your grace to share the last warning message of the remnant church with the world. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.