Christian conversion is more than a change of religion or joining a church; it is a spiritual awakening brought about by the Holy Spirit. This awakening involves a conviction of sin, a turning to Christ as Saviour, and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. The process of conversion is often contested by Satan, but Christ intercedes on our behalf. True conversion results in a transformed life, described in Scripture as being 'snatched from the burning'. The need for genuine conversion applies not only to individuals but also to entire communities and nations.
A more comprehensive view of the Gospel includes not only Christ's death for our sins but also His incarnation and resurrection. It highlights the critical role of the Holy Spirit in transforming believers' lives and providing spiritual assurance. By understanding and embracing the full Gospel, Christians can experience deeper spirituality and recognise the world's need for the ministry from “the Spirit of Truth.”
In the sermon, the preacher explores the significant role of glorifying God in experiencing His presence, drawing parallels between Old Testament practices and New Testament teachings. Focused on the manifestation of God's presence through unified worship, as seen in the Old Testament with the temple dedication, the sermon connects these events to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as described in John 7. Emphasising that glorification of God and Jesus enables believers to experience the Holy Spirit's power today, the preacher expounds on how this spiritual understanding can transform personal faith and communal worship. This sermon encourages believers to recognize and participate in the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit, inspired by a genuine acknowledgment of God’s glory.
This sermon explores the profound shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant and the critical role of the Holy Spirit in this transformation. The preacher delves into biblical instances of God’s manifested presence, such as the cloud filling the temple, to illustrate God’s continued desire to be amongst His people. The message highlights the need for genuine spiritual revival which often comes when heartfelt worship from God’s people occurs. This talk is especially relevant for those interested in understanding how historical biblical events in the Old Testament apply to modern faith practices and church life.
"He claimed to be the good shepherd. He claimed to be the one that spoke from God. He did it with authority as we've been learning in the morning surfaces. And, looking at the Beatitudes there, and Jesus, this one, was somehow not accepted by the Jewish leaders, and they couldn't grasp the fact that when they challenged Him. Tell us plainly tell us plainly whether you are the Christ or not and his answer was basically don't my works display when you see the Father's works turning up through me, when you see I'm doing the works of my Father, doesn't it show you who I am. My identity with the father. By identity I mean that the Father's the Father, and He's the Son."
"In our church we have been talking about in the morning services the old covenant led by Moses the law and the new covenant Led by Jesus and the biblical statement. That's The law came by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ This morning particularly we are looking at the word grace and the fact that grace is when God pours out His love love and does something for you totally undeserved. That's his grace."
"In our church, we've been learning about the Old Covenant and the move into the New Covenant. And so, history has been divided as far as God's promises, and particularly the covenants that he made with his people, Israel. And both the Old Covenant, through Moses, and then eventually Jesus, through Jesus, the New Covenant was made. But both of those covenants were made with Israel, God's people. Where do we come in as those who are in the church? We come in because in the making of the New Covenant, it was made available on a different basis than that which followed the Old Covenant's reliance on the Mosaic Law. But rather, the New Covenant entrance point was in your attitude to Christ. And Jesus, and belief in him, and trust in him for the forgiveness of sins, was the entrance door. The entrance door into the New Covenant God gave to Israel. And by everybody being invited to come in who were prepared to believe in Jesus, it formed a new body, not just people who were Jews, but a new body, both Jews and non-Jews, anybody, in fact, who was prepared to put their faith in Christ. That's the New Covenant."
"Now those Old Covenant, Old Testament, New Covenant, New Testament are very much connected but they're not exactly the same meanings. The Old Testament contains the Old Covenant but also has many promises of the coming New Covenant which actually happens in the New Testament though there are plenty of prophecies in the Old Testament of those coming days. And up on the screen we have from Joel a prophecy which is a very important prophecy about how there's going to come a change in what God is doing by his spirit. And actually it is the change from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. And my talk this morning is about that difference between the Old and the New Covenants and some of the things that we can learn about the fact that we're in the New Covenant in the fulfilment of many of the promises of the Old."
"The book is about Pilgrim's Progress. And what is actually the progress that we make in the Christian life that's later than when you first get converted to Christ. Being converted to Christ is when you find the forgiveness of sins, when you receive eternal life. But it's post that, after that. But it's before you get to the River Jordan and go over and receive the benefit of Jesus' resurrection, helping you be resurrected to go to heaven. The book's all about the progress of the Christian."
"So while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said you heard from me. Then there is what amounts to a clue, is to understand this, he says, for John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days, the old version said hence, and the modern version says from now."