Title: The Renewing Spirit
Contents
the renewing spirit
Titus 3:3-8
Medically, after 5 years for men and 7 years for women, all the cells of the body except teeth are completely new. So every 5 years a man becomes a completely new person every 7 years a woman.
However, this change was made by God to be that way. No one can resist. And these changes have nothing to do with people's wishes. God sets a direction and leads in that direction. Also, these changes have nothing to do with people's will.
God made it happen by itself.
Our outward man is changing like this every day.
But what about our inner man? It's not like this kind of change. First of all, God does not directly intervene and leaves it entirely up to our will, so it is entirely up to us to change it.
It is not easy for a person to change, and although the outer human body changes by itself, the inner human heart and mind hardly change. So that's the problem.
In fact, all the misfortunes in our lives come from here. If I change, I can live a healthy life, but if I don't do it, it causes serious illness. If I change, the family will be peaceful.
Changing the inner person This is the problem.
There are stories of people changing in the Bible. Like the story of a sinner becoming a righteous person and the stone rejected by the builders becoming the corner stone, it is a story of people who were insignificant becoming precious servants of God.
There are stories of rapid change, when Saul is changed to become Paul, and there are stories of quiet but gradual change, such as Timothy changed.
As we carefully examine these stories, we need to ask a question. “How did these people succeed in making this change? How could these people achieve such a difficult inner person change so thoroughly?”
Anyone who has studied the Bible in depth can easily find the answer. The answer is clearly shown in verse 5 of today's text. “The renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
That's right. The answer is the Holy Spirit. These changes can occur because the Holy Spirit renews us. It is not something we can become a new person with our own efforts and our will.
When the Holy Spirit works in us and we obey Him, we can become new people.
what the Holy Spirit does
What, then, does the Holy Spirit do to renew us?
1. It changes the heart.
Ephesians 4:23 says that we must be renewed in spirit in order to become a new person.
Then, in the Jerusalem temple, the heart is the sanctuary in the center of the temple courtyard, and when you enter the sanctuary, there is a sanctuary and the Holy of Holies, another separate place.
So, the spirit is located deep in our hearts, and just as the Most Holy is a very special place that symbolizes the presence of God, our spirit is a very special place where we establish a relationship with God.
A husband who did not know Jesus was dragged by his believing wife and forced to attend a church service.
It was surprising to see so many people gathered here, and I thought that these people are really pitiful people.
I can't even go out to play on this fine day, so I'm thinking that I'm gathering here and shivering like this.
I happened to attend the prayer meeting, but this time, I wondered if these people were crazy.
However, as time goes by, many changes occur.
When I attend the worship service, I receive grace, I pray with my mouth, and I look forward to the Sunday and attend the prayer meeting, thinking that this is the place I should be.
What's even more surprising is that people who don't attend worship now feel pity for them.
The change that happened to this person was a change of heart. The Holy Spirit transforms our hearts in this way to draw us closer to God.
2. It changes hearts.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." It means that in order to become a new person, we must change our minds.
Of course, it also means that when the Holy Spirit renews us, it changes this heart.
So what is the mind? If you look at the Korean dictionary, it is said that “it dwells in a person’s body and acts as a basis for mental activities such as knowledge, emotions, and will”. In the original Greek, the word “nus” is used.
It speaks of our own personality and refers to the center of our being and what guides our very being.
But sometimes we look into our hearts and we are disappointed.
Sometimes I don't even know my heart. Sometimes I don't even know why I'm doing this.
Sometimes, my heart is so small that it upsets me. I wish I could embrace and embrace it with an open mind, but I get angry at myself because I can't. “I can only do this...” It is even sad.
Sometimes I am surprised to see that my heart is so evil.
Selfishness, hatred of others, feeling hungry when seeing others doing well, complaining when others see things go wrong, and even secretly hoping that others will go wrong.
The Holy Spirit changes our hearts. Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus...” He makes our hearts conform to the Lord's.
3. It changes lives.
Galatians 5:22-3 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” It is said to help you live a life of unity. It is the Holy Spirit who transforms our lives.
We remember what the Lord said to Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane. He said, “The heart is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41) No matter how hard we try, our lives are not as we please. Because we are weak. Because we lack the ability.
I also remember what the Lord promised His disciples. He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you… and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). When the Holy Spirit gives us power, we can live the life of a witness, that is, a changed life. It is saying that there is.
The Holy Spirit transforms our lives and produces in our lives the fruits of a life that pleases God.
He makes you love even when you can't love. He rejoices even when he cannot rejoice. He makes peace even in the midst of reconciliation. It's really hard, but you make it last a long time.
He has compassion on those in need and shows mercy. He makes it possible to bestow pure goodness without pretense. He helps us to live a meek life in humility.
He allows you to live a life of faithfulness to the point of dying for the Lord. He helps us live a life of harmony and temperance.
what we do
What are we to do when the Holy Spirit transforms us in this way?
What we need to remember here is that the Holy Spirit never works unilaterally. You work with us. He works through us. So what are we going to do?
1. You must accept the Holy Spirit.
John 3:20 says this. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.”
Our psychic door has only a handle inside. It can never be opened from outside.
It only opens when we open it from within. So even if the Lord wants to come into us, He cannot. You just stand outside the door and knock. And you just wait for the door to open.
Dear all! May we never forget that the Holy Spirit is knocking on the door of our hearts today. Let us not forget that the Holy Spirit is waiting at the door of our hearts.
Now we must open the door for the Lord to come into us. And I have to bring him into my heart. Then the Lord works in me.
2. You must be filled with the Holy Spirit.
There are two commands the Holy Spirit gives to those who have received the Holy Spirit in my heart.
First, do not quench the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 clearly says, “Do not quench the Holy Spirit.”
The word extinguished here means to put out the fire in one word. When the bonfire is still on fire, the fire is forcibly put out when the work is finished. Sometimes it is poured with water and sometimes it is covered with soil.
The burning fire is extinguished.
The Holy Spirit is transforming us in our hearts, so don't interfere. It means don't hit the brakes.
Second, it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 clearly says, “Be filled with the Holy Spirit.” To be filled here means to be filled with one word. So is the filling of the Holy Spirit,
And one more thing we should note is that this command to be filled with the Holy Spirit is a passive imperative in the present tense. This shows that receiving the filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event, but a continuous and continuous event.
So, being filled with the Holy Spirit refers to the condition in which the Holy Spirit completely asserts me, but this does not end with just one or two occasions, it means that the condition must be continued.
This means that we will be transformed.
When we surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit, the Lord transforms us completely. The Holy Spirit must come today in our church, in our homes, and in our hearts. Come and renew us. We pray that the Holy Spirit will come and work in us to the full.