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The main ideas from this information are: - The Christian life is filled with struggles and opposition. - The world hates Christians because they are not of the world. - Christians should not seek the acceptance of the world. - Christians need the help of the Holy Spirit to overcome the world. - The Holy Spirit is referred to as the comforter and is essential for the Christian life. - The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. - Christians should not grieve or quench the Holy Spirit. - Christians have access to true joy through the Holy Spirit. - The Christian life requires discipline and obedience to God's commandments. Overall, the main message is that Christians will face opposition and struggles in the world, but they have the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit to overcome and find true joy in their relationship with God. If you have your Bible, turn to John's gospel, please. Chapter 15, I want to look at some of the struggles of the Christian life. And we all know that there are many. There's much opposition. There are many enemies. And there are a lot of things that oppose the Christian lifestyle and Christian progress. And there's no way, with all the enemies that we have and all the opposition that faces us from the time that we wake up and the time that we go to bed, there's no way that we will be able to overcome the world without God's help. And I'm going to read to you some scriptures that highlight and point our minds to the help that we need and to the help that we must have if we are ever going to get through this world saved. And we go to John's gospel. And let's turn to chapter 15. I'm going to jump here and there just for a moment. And I want to start with chapter 15 and verse 18 and 19. That's correct. OK. You got it? John 15, 18. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were in the world, the world would love his own. But because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Sometimes that verse gets overlooked and we really don't understand. Because one of the natural desires and attributes of humanity is we all want to be loved and we want everybody to like us. But don't think for a minute that the world that Jesus is talking about loves you. The world hates you. The world views our anti-God, anti-Christ. And because we want to be accepted, sometimes we become vulnerable. And sometimes we make friends with the wrong kind of people. And sometimes we take up with the wrong kind of ideologies, the wrong kind of philosophies, because we want to be liked by the world. But never forget what the Lord said here. If the world hated me, Jesus said, and you know what He was saying? I was a perfect individual. I was loving. I was kind. I was compassionate. I was long-suffering. I was everything good, but the world hated me. Understand what's happening here. Same thing that happened way back in the garden. Able smoke went up. Cane smoke didn't go up. And there's always going to be those two sides. Those who are pleasing God and those that are not pleasing God. And those that are not pleasing God are not going to want to be around you who are pleasing God. But they don't want to be reminded that they're not living right. You ruined their day. And I want to drive that point home to make it clearer. Jesus doesn't want us going around hating people. But you've got to know that the world is not on your side. And the world and the cosmic forces out there, those spirits of evil, the devil, those demons, they all have a way of subtly trying to get you to love the world. Now listen, we've got to treat everybody right. We've got to love our enemies. We've got to do good to them that despitefully use us. But at the same time, don't let them fool you. We need a lot of help to overcome this world. Now listen, verse 26 and 27. But when the Comforter is come, the paraclete, the helper, the one who wants to come up alongside of us, the one who wants to stand with us, when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me, and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. Now John 16, chapter 16, verse 7. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient. It's necessary that I go away. Jesus knew he couldn't stay in the world, and he knew that he had to go back to the Father, but he dare not leave his disciples unarmed and prepared and equipped to face the world without his presence, without his physical presence I'm talking about. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It's expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come to you, to me, to all of us, he will, through us, convict, reprove, the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin because they believe not on me, of righteousness because I go to my Father and you see me no more, and of judgment. There's no way that this world will ever be convicted of their sin. We've got millions of people running our streets saying it's OK to murder our babies. We've got men marrying men and women marrying women. How in the world are you going to convince people like that in a world that's so full with ungodliness and wickedness? How are you going to do it? You're not going to do it. I'm not going to do it. Nobody ever anywhere is going to do it except He that is in us. So when we testify, when we preach, when we sing, when we share a testimony, when we witness, we have got to have a living, powerful Holy Spirit alive in our bosoms or we'll never convince anybody. We'll never persuade anybody. We'll never win anybody to the Lord. And then go to John 14, and let's look at verse 16. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever. From the moment we come into this world, come to the age of accountability, give our hearts and lives to God, from that moment until the day that we die, if we're still holding on to Jesus, we've got the comforter in us all the way, every day, 365 days a year and 52 weeks a year. He's with us. You know why? Because we need Him every day that we live. Verse 26, but the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach us all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you. Oh, if there ever a time the church, the world needed peace, peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. That's Hannity's favorite line. These verses are talking about the same subject. They're all talking about that wonderful, infinite, divine being we call the Holy Spirit. And in all of these verses, he's referred to as the comforter. The English word comforter in these texts represent the Greek word which means one who is called alongside of us, one who wants to be our strengthener, one who comes to stand by us, one who is our advisor, one who is our guide, one who shows us the right way. And this wonderful heaven-sent comforter is ours and nothing, there's no other power in this world that can overcome or match the power of the Holy Spirit. And nothing in this world can stop him from carrying out his ministry and his blessings and his power in our lives. Nothing, nothing can slow the church down. Nothing can slow the children of God down. One thing, disobedience. Don't you dare grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Don't you dare quench the Spirit of God, because without him, you have no defense. Get a hold of this. Sometimes we hear it so much, we just take it for granted. We just assume it's going to happen. We Christian believers are the only people in the world who have found the secret to true joy. The world's got happiness, but it's all circumstantial. But we've got something inside of us through the Holy Spirit it's called joy. And when things don't go well, and we hit the hard places in life, thank God we don't lose our joy. Oh, we go through moments where we're heartbroken, someone dies, something happens here, something happens there. There's going to be ups and downs, but what we have in us is not circumstantial. The devil, the world, the situations out there can't take it away from us. Oh, thank God for that. It's the Holy Spirit that keeps our experience with God alive. We all know that. Jesus explained it as a deep well down in the soul of believers, and he put it this way. He said, out of our belly shall flow rivers of living water. This he spake of the Holy Ghost, which they that believe on him should receive. He says, when you receive this comforter, out of your belly is going to flow living waters. Your relationship with God is going to be alive. It's going to be powerful. I've never found the Christian life easy, but it's a whole lot easier than being in sin. And our future is a whole lot better than those that don't know God, unfortunately. But as long as we are in these bodies, as long as we have this treasure in our earthen vessels, as long as we have those things, it's going to take some discipline. It's going to take walking the chalk. It's going to take walking the line. And here's the chalk line. It's what you've got to walk on the whole time you go through your day. Jesus didn't give us commandments so we could ignore them. He didn't give us principles. He didn't tell us to live holy just so we can ignore them. We've got to walk the line. Who am I thinking of saying that song? Was it Cash? Cash, huh? I don't know that he meant what I'm meaning, but it's a good title. Anyway, there are many struggles and enemies. Kim's not here. OK. She went out, didn't she? I have a little ADD here. We need to find out whether we're going to have our food thing on Wednesday. Can somebody kind of sneak out and ask Kim? I think we want to do that. I know we have a first-time devotional speaker. So yeah, we'll find out before the service ends. OK, coming back to Earth. There are many struggles, as I've already mentioned. There are many enemies in this world who want to scandalize our faith. There's the cultural opposition from school boards and governments and medias and the entertainment world, not to mention the cosmic opposition of sin, Satan, and all the demons and all the spiritual wickedness in high places. And there are also many challenges of commitment and of spiritual growth and fear, overcoming fear. There are all kinds of enemies, but I want to look at just a couple in a different way. So what are some of our struggles as Christians, as indicated in the verses we read? One of the struggles we're all up against as believers is we are all unliked, unwelcomed, unwanted, and unloved by the world. And let me tell you something, we need to face up to that. We need to realize that. We need to get it deep down in our soul. If you think this world loves you, you go ahead and live with the world and follow the world, and you'll end up missing heaven, I guarantee. That's why the Bible said, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. All that's in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. That's what took Eve out, and that's what took Adam out. As believers, we are unliked, unwanted, unwelcomed, and unloved, while Christians all over the world, they're everywhere. But Christians will always remain a social minority. We are always going to face a spiritual, dead, worldly-minded world. But most of us understand that as believers, we are respected by many people, but we're resented as Christians. You know why? Because the world knows how to use people. The world knows how to take advantage of people. The world wants us as neighbors, because we are clean. We keep our properties clean. We are friendly, we are cooperative and peaceable, and we are helpful to our neighbors. They don't only want us as neighbors, they want us as employees, because we have a good work ethic. We are men and women who are honest and have integrity. We work hard for our employers. We are wanted as business partners, because they can trust us when they are absent. They know we're upright. That's what the world wants from you, not your Jesus. And if you don't get a hold of that, you're going to get messed up. This world never was and never will be my friend or your friend. Now, I don't mean to go out there with an attitude. Just know that if the devil gets an opening and he gets the world into your heart and into how you act, into how you talk, and in how you dress, he's got a hook in you. Wake up! They like us because they know we won't steal. We won't lie. They respect us as persons, but they don't want us as friends. Because they resent us as Christians, because we remind them how they ought to live. And that makes them uncomfortable. You ever notice when you get around worldly friends or get in the office and get around fellow employees and somebody says a curse word or uses the Lord's name in vain? They look at you and say, excuse my French. Why do you think they say that? Because they know. They know they're wrong. Sister Geralds, it's good to see you. God bless you. They know it's wrong. The world knows more about how to live sometimes than a whole lot of Christians. Amen? They are. Sure they are. And here, now I want to talk to some of the young people, but everybody. Here's the struggle that follows those sentiments. It brings upon Christians, and especially young Christians, the problem of loneliness. At times, and oh, the devil wants to get you cornered with this, at times you feel excluded, ignored, and rejected by school friends or social gatherings or parties, because your lifestyle doesn't fit. Friends seem to fall away. And on the weekends, you find yourself sitting all alone while the crowd rushes on. And you sit there, and you feel rejected. You feel lonely. And I'll tell you, loneliness can tear you up. And loneliness can take you to the point where you will step over a line because you're so lonely. And you'll compromise your principles. And you may do something that you regret for the rest of your life. For 18 months, that's the way it was for me in Korea. I had just gotten saved before I had orders to go to Korea. Everybody ran to the bars and the clubs. All these GIs ended up in the hooches, couldn't wait. Guys that never had a date, guys that didn't know what's going on found a woman that was willing to cooperate, got them pregnant, had to bring them back to the States, all kinds of problems, all kinds of trouble. And they ran to all the clubs and the hotspots, not to pray, but to play. I thank God for the comforter, because it was more thrilling for me than to going out into a hooch with a pooch. Amen? Amen. To stay in my barracks, and God schooled me for 18 months. I'm not bragging. But when I got out of the service, I had a grasp on Church of God theology. I had a grasp on the revelation. And I came home and my peers, and I would talk to them when I ended up in Newark. I said, hey, what's one of the best messages Brother Wilson ever preached? What's one of the best this and that? They'd look at me, they didn't know. They grew up in it, but they didn't know. Was there a pull? You betcha. But there was also a pull from heaven's side, and the comforter. No loneliness can be a weary, loneliness can be a very weary, worrying, and woeful experience in the mind. Have you ever read in Genesis upon creation where God saw all that he had made and said, behold, it was good? But right after that, the very first dark shadow showed up in the garden. And God said, it's not good for man to be alone. Loneliness. Now, I don't think he was referring to a bad wife, but you know, there's problems. But loneliness, loneliness can push you right off the cliff. Even Jesus said, I am alone. But he added, my father is with me. And then upon the cross, there came an agonizing loneliness upon Jesus when he cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Jesus knew what it was to be betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, abandoned by disciples, disbelieved by his family, rejected by his own race, crucified by the world, forsaken by the Father. There has never been a loneliness like Jesus suffered when he was on the cross. You and I don't know what loneliness is when you think of the Savior, and when all the sins of the world and the darkness was laid upon him. So you and I would never have to be lonely. He died so you wouldn't be lonely. That's why we are exhorted all over the book, walk in the Spirit, live in the Spirit. Sometimes the world, and even those who claim to be the holy brethren, can freeze you. But only if you let them. Most all of us know what it is to stand alone at times in the world, but thanks be unto God, we never had to feel alone because the Comforter is with us. I want to challenge you. Are you making the most of this amazing Comforter by not grieving him and resisting him? I want to ask you, do you talk to him? Do you love him? Do you listen to him? Do you obey him from morning till night? The Holy Spirit is just as personal as the Father and the Son. He is co-equal with the Godhead. And don't forget, I'm winding down, don't forget the Holy Spirit loves us just as much as Jesus and our Heavenly Father loves us. Stop and think what Jesus did when he said to his disciples, it's expedient that I go back to heaven, but I will send you a Comforter. Carry in Jerusalem until you are endued with power. And when the Holy Spirit comes, the Comforter comes, ye shall be witnesses unto me. And not you, but the Holy Spirit through you, and the Holy Spirit through me, and the Holy Spirit through us will be the one that convicts the sinner and convinces them what's right and what's wrong. Amen? It's the Holy Spirit. These people out here that are just up in the air and just so lost their common sense, lost their moral way, don't even know right from wrong, don't know what a woman is, what a man is, what's right, what's wrong. Only the Spirit of God. That's why we're not seeing as many souls one, because we're trying to win them with our own ingenuity, our own wisdom. We need the Comforter. He's the one that can get a hold of a sinner and open his eyes, and open his heart, and open his mind. It isn't going to happen any other way. Don't forget, the Holy Spirit loves you. What would you say is another struggle we're all up against as Christians, and we'd all agree? It's that clock. You want to see a powerful text? I've written it down. You can turn there if you want. 1 Corinthians 12. You don't have to. I'll read it to you. 4, 6. Here's a powerful text. Now, there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. Listen carefully. Listen carefully. There are different kinds of services, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, in other words, different ways to accomplish things, but it's the same God, which worketh all in all. Do you see it? When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, He does not come alone. The same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God, all three end up in you and me. Think about that. You've got a force in you greater than the greatest armies in the world. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. You've got the Spirit, and you've got the Lord, and you've got the God. There are going to be times, there are going to be times when trouble comes, and we're in troublous days. And there's going to be times you don't know what to do. You don't know what to say. You don't know what to think. Sometimes when you're dealing with opposition, sometimes when you're trying to deal with teenagers, sometimes when you're trying to deal with neighbors, sometimes when you're just trying to deal wherever trouble comes from. Now, listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 10, 19. But when they deliver you up before enemies, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same moment what ye shall speak. For it is not he that speaketh, but the Spirit of the Father which speaketh in you. Here's a testimony, a true testimony. This has happened millions of times. Perhaps it's happened in some form or another in our own lives. I know it has mine. I'm sure it has yours as well. Here's a testimony during a time when Christianity was under persecution. A young maiden was on her way to the Bible study. As she went, she heard the sound of horses and a young officer leading a persecution squad. Seeing this young lady out and about at an early hour on Sunday morning, he yelled out, where are you going this early in the morning? Well, at that moment she didn't know what to say. Knowing that if she said the wrong thing, she would very likely be hauled off to jail or else put to death. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. And if she had lied, she would have seared her conscience and dishonored her Lord. But not knowing what to say, suddenly, thank God, suddenly, the comforter showed up. And he spoke in her soul. And with perfect composure, she replied, this is great. Oh, sir, I'm on my way to our father's house. Our elder brother died, sir, some time ago. And his will and testament is to be read this morning. And I go to hear it, for I have a vital part in it. She told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. How would you like to live like that? How would you like to have answers come to your mind or scriptures come to your mind or some bit of wisdom to come to your mind? It's all encapsulated in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost who's inside of every one of us. Do I need to remind you of this verse, which I just read a while ago? It shall be given you in the hour what ye shall speak. For it is not you that speaketh, but the spirit of my Father. He shall teach us. How many of us know about this teaching ministry of the spirit? Justin, if you'll come. Brenda, if you'll come. I'm through. I'm not finished, but I'm through. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf this year. A lot of evangelism, a lot of sermons just fall to the ground because of longevity. They just don't go anywhere. And this coming year, and I'm going to need the Lord's help, when I stand behind the pulpit to preach, I want to get at it. I want to make the case, and then I want to call for an immediate response. I think somewhere along the line now, some sermons, when the preacher's on fire, you better stay on fire with them. But for the most part, we need to get it said, say it quickly, and close it. You know why? Why? Because 95% of audiences everywhere, they don't hear much more that you say beyond a half hour. You've taken them past their ability. Because they got so much on their mind, and so many burdens, and so many other things other than spiritual. So maybe we'll try another strategy. We'll try to get it said, so mothers and fathers, like Adam and his wife, can take care of that hall of kids that they haul around with them every day. Now say it softly. Somebody will think you're not saying. Can I have an amen? I got a lot more to say on this subject. Amen. The Holy Spirit will fill us. The Holy Spirit wants to fill us. Pastor, are you saying nobody has the Holy Spirit? No, all I'm saying is you're not full. You've got too many other things on your mind that are filling you. The Holy Spirit will fill us. And guess what? We don't have to beg Him. We don't have to claim it. We don't have to get loud. And we don't have to have any eruptions of gyrating emotions. That's all bedevil. People acting unseemly and unbecoming when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and doing crazy things. Better get your head and eye and mind and heart in the book and know exactly what kind of a person the Holy Spirit is. He's like no other. It's Christ in the Spirit. It's God in the Spirit. So here's what I want to say to you. Let Him get you. Let Him catch you. And He never lets a surrendered vessel get away empty. If you want Him to catch you, just say, Lord, here I am. What wilt thou have me to do? Just let Him catch you. And when the Holy Spirit fills us, He moves us. Not through all that commotion emotion. He moves us rather through our intellect, no matter what level it's on. Remember, the Bible says, The fool, though a wayfaring man, shall not err therein. That's why people can come into God's house, not be intellectual, never graduate high school, don't even know how to talk correctly in English, but they love God, and let them get up and give a testimony or sing a song, and the Holy Ghost will blow the people right out of their seats. See, it's the Spirit that we need. One young girl came up to me and said, I walked away from my career. I said, why? Because I didn't want to sit there and listen to what was being said by professors that was anti-Christ. You can have it. I'll keep walking the line, and I'll keep walking in the Spirit, and I know God will take care of me. And that's something that a lot of parents don't understand. Oh, honey, you've got to have a career. Oh, brother, you've got to have a career. You'll never be able to go anywhere. College today is poo-poo, because they're all snowed, brainwashed, trying to teach you how to be a good anti-Christian force. I don't know about you, but I'm sticking with Jesus. I'd rather run around with His crowd than gain the whole world and then, in the end, lose my soul. Amen? Don't let the world fool you, young'uns. It's got one agenda, to drag your soul right into hell with no escape. We're free, church. And if we want to stay free, let the Comforter catch you. Let Him catch you. Some of you are out trying to outrun Him. You've got to slow down and let Him catch you. I listened to this pastor this morning. What's He going to do with me when He catches me? He's going to love you. He's going to use you. He's going to fill you. He's going to fulfill you. And you're going to find something that this world knows nothing about. Would you like to stand? Who wants to help the Holy Spirit catch Him this morning? While Brother Sherm sings. It's only a third of the message, but it'll do. Number 175. God bless you this morning. The Lord has sent the Holy Spirit to thy hearts an honored guest to deliver us from evil and to bring us peace and rest. He has filled within us heaven's purposes so blessed. He wants His way in me. Heal unto the Holy Spirit. Let Him have His way with me. Be thou ready to obey. He leads to victory.
