What a week it has been! These are confusing and challenging times we face. Over the last few days, we have seen every major event in life of our country come to a halt. Schools have been canceled, students have been sent home from college, sports teams have canceled their seasons. Our President has declared a state of emergency. We aren’t really sure what the future, what even the next few days and weeks will hold.

I know for me, like many of you, this past week has been has brought stress and anxiety. As I have asked the Lord to settle my heart these past few days, I’m driven to the truth and comfort in God’s Word. It’s been a balm to my heart. So then, the best thing we can do is soak in the truth and security from God we find in His Word. 

The amazing truth of the Holy Spirit presence and power in our lives is the most comforting news we can hear anytime, but especially when it seems like our world is turning upside down.

The Holy Spirit is the main character in every part of our spiritual life, sustaining and empowering us to receive all the promises we have through Christ.

“The Christian life is essentially life in the Spirit, that is to say, a life that is animated, sustained, directed and enriched by the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit true Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, indeed impossible.”-John Stott

As we have all found out this week, we live in very uncertain times, and we must cling to the truth that we have a God who sustains, who is near to us, the same God who is in complete control of the universe, and nothing is outside his purpose and plan, no matter how upside down it seems.

How does the Holy Spirit sustain us from start to finish?

Romans 8:10-27 shows us some key truths: 

• The Holy Spirit pulls us from death to life, uniting us to Christ. 

Our salvation is administrated by God the Father, accomplished by the Son, Jesus Christ, and applied by the Holy Spirit.

All the elements of salvation are brought forth in our lives by the Holy Spirit. As we look at this passage, we will see that the Holy Spirit brings us from death to life, regenerates us, he applies our justification (our right standing with God), He indwells us and unites us to Christ, He brings us into God’s family (our adoption), he sanctifies us, allows us to grow in our faith, he preserves and protects us--- continually pointing us back to Christ and the gospel, pointing us forward to the future hope when we are glorified and seated with our Lord forever.

Because of what He has done for us, Romans 8:12-13 tell us that we have no obligation to the flesh. Our calling is to live according to the desires and leading of the Holy Spirit. Don’t flirt with death when you have life. 

While we always have the Holy Spirit, the Bible tells us we can grieve, quench, frustrate the Spirit’s work in our lives through our own sinful choices. As we intentional put off sin, we must choose to walk in the power of the Spirit. In midst of our struggle to please God, we must always remember what our lives can be when we follow the Spirit’s lead.

We have confidence. The hope we have in God overwhelms our fears. We have peace that passes understanding. Living in light of those truths transforms every part of us.

There’s more. When the Holy Spirit makes us alive, we become children in God’s family. He adopts us into His family.

• The Holy Spirit brings us from lost sinners to children of the King. 

When we are made alive in Christ, we have a new relationship, a new identity. We are brought into God's family. Adoption is one of the overlooked aspects of our salvation. We are coheirs with Christ. We have been adopted as sons and daughters of the king.

Even more, Paul uses the word “Abba” which he then translates as “father.” Abba is the same word Jesus used in Mark 14:36 when he was praying in the Garden before he was crucified. It is a word that shows intimacy and a close relationship.

The Holy Spirit empowers this new relationship with God. The text doesn’t just say we are adopted. It says that we have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out Abba Father. The Holy Spirit is with us every step of the way, prompting and pointing us to the goodness of God, pointing to the truth and power of his word, that he is our loving father. The Spirit stirs up in us a deep love for God.

We did not receive this Spirit so that we might fall back into a slavery of fear, to be crippled with fear. 

I say it again, this week has shown us that we don’t know what the future will hold. This whole Coronavirus is like nothing we have ever seen before. While we must be wise and  prudent to care for our neighbors, we cannot live in fear. 

Think about this today: No infected molecule can enter your lungs, or those you love, unless allowed by the hand of a heavenly Father.

We know that we have a great inheritance, the Holy Spirit reminds us that we have a heavenly father who love us more that we can fathom. We must also remember that this father is also all-powerful, unchangeable, and in complete control. Nothing is outside of his purpose and plan.

• The Holy Spirit causes the growth in our lives as He points us toward God’s perfect plan for us.

As we rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us through the hard times of life, he brings growth in our lives. I’m sure we can all agree that our faith is at its strongest when we get to the other side of a trial. Mostly it’s because we realize that we must depend on God—on his Holy Spirit to give us the strength to endure. He uses those opportunities to grow us. As we face life’s struggles, the Holy Spirit continually points us to God’s perfect plan for our lives.

• The Holy Spirit continually reminds us of our hope through Christ as He intercedes for us in our weakness. 

We see the Holy Spirit works in our lives to strengthen us to look forward to the hope we have through Christ as we eagerly await the full fulfillment of God’s great promises.

Hope, by definition, is something that is not seen. Once you receive it in a tangible and real way, hope is no longer the right word to use. Hope sees with a different set of eyes. It looks beyond our present circumstances, with the eyes of faith. It looks to the work of God, the big picture of what He is accomplishing, and a plan that is beyond the reach of our limited minds.

The Holy Spirit continually reminds us these truths. He also intercedes for us through it all.He intercedes for us and brings our prayers before the throne of God, even we don’t know what to prayer about. He knows us better than we know ourselves!

How should this truth impact our lives this week?

• Flee from a “transactional” view of God’s work in your life.

It is so easy for us to think about our Christian life as a transaction. Jesus died for us, we don’t spend eternity in hell. He gives us a ticket to heaven. He makes a transaction with us, and then we are on our own. Just like when we walk out of Costco or the grocery store.

But that’s not the whole picture of the Christian life. It is relational, not transactional. Our salvation is much more than just a ticket to Heaven and an escape from Hell. When God saves, he gives us His Holy Spirit forever. We live with the Holy Spirit driving us toward a growing and vibrant relationship with God, in and through His power.

• Embrace our God who sustains us in the midst of fear.

A.W. Tozer once said: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” How quickly do we cling to God in times of trouble? When we face uncertainty, do we go to God in prayer or do we panic first?

We must remember the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.In times of weakness, He intercedes for us. He intervenes, he steps in to comfort us, to encourage us. In our weakness, he points us to God’s truth and power. He settles us down in the midst of fear. He reminds us of God’s character.

When we think about it, through the uncertainty are facing and will face in the coming days, we may think we’ve lost control of our lives, but really we’ve just lost the illusion that we ever had control in the first place. God is still on His throne. He has every detail in the palm of his hand.

Think about what it will look like to others, to our neighbors, our co-workers when we surprise them with our confidence and joy because of the truth of the gospel, the hope we have in Christ as the HS leads us.

I pray whatever comes our way, I know God will use it to bring more glory to him. Think about it, people will be looking for answers; they are looking for hope. We have it! And we will have clear opportunities to share that hope with others. In the midst of uncertainty, I pray God would use us to bring more to know Him.

• Pattern the relationships with your church family after the Holy Spirit’s model.

We can’t let “social distancing” stop us from maintaining and caring for each other. Now more than ever, we need each other’s encouragement. Even in physical absence what does it look like to care for each other. To check in, to come alongside each other, to encourage and grow together in our faith. We can’t let isolation take over. We must share God’s heart for our relationships.

As we face uncertain times, let’s lean into the gifts and blessings we have through our Lord and Savior. We have his Spirit, who leads and guides every aspect of our lives. May we trust him. May we not lose hope, may we point others to our only hope.

Have a great week! 

Pastor Sam