Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. And here is, I think, the first and most important gift of the Holy Spirit in the Christian's life. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ in His glory. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series Filled, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource today. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.
So as you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastoralan.org. That's pastoralan.org. Or call 877-544-4860.
That's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program. But now let's get started with today's teaching.
Here is Alan Wright. Let our hearts and minds be focused on what God has promised to us. Because the power of God flows not by people making vows and promises to God. The power of God flows by the vows and promises that God has made to His people. And as His people yield their hearts and come into agreement with God's promises and God's word, that's where the powerful and victorious Christian life is ignited.
Psalm 23 verses 5 and 6. And at first I dismissed it. I thought it's too familiar. And then eventually I became convinced, well, that's all the more reason why it should be so powerful. Because when the familiar takes on new meaning to us, then that which maybe once we said only as a comforting thought at a funeral or recited with a sense of like the baby lambs and the shepherd. But then you begin to see that there may be something deeper and richer here.
And that's what's happening. And so we're drawn into those verses that start with you prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. And David follows this with some victorious, celebrative language that fits someone who's been treated as an esteemed guest at a great banquet of a king. You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows. Surely goodness and steadfast love will follow me or pursue me all the days of my life. Now today I want to begin what I hope will be a number of weeks of talking about the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. And I hope that whether you have been familiar with the work and the move, the anointings and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for many years, or whether you are brand new to seeking out what the gospel is all about and everything in between, I hope that in coming weeks that what you will discover is that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. So some people get a little concerned. You start talking about the Holy Spirit.
They go, oh no, that sounds like that's going to be weird or something. And I just want to start by saying the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and He is a person. He's personal. In the same way you speak of Jesus personally, the Holy Spirit is spoken of personally in the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit can be grieved for example. And so what we're really talking about when we talk of the Holy Spirit is we're talking about what we mean when we say I have Jesus in my heart. You don't really have a miniature Jesus in your heart. You have the presence of God by means of the Holy Spirit. And for the Christian, the Holy Spirit, the Bible remarkably says He is our Helper, our Counselor, our Teacher, our Guide. It's almost hard to imagine that the God of the universe would come up with a plan, send His Son to die upon a cross with this aim and mind that you and I could receive the Holy Spirit.
It's astounding. But that is the plan of God. I want to call the series Filled. I want to talk about the anointing, which I think is pictured in the psalm, the anointing of oil upon my head, and the indwelling, my cup overflows, the anointing and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. I like the word filled also, I must just say, because at a very important point in my life in 1993, in which I received prayer at a Pentecostal meeting from a Pentecostal evangelist, and here I was Presbyterian, and my life had so touched and I became, this is one of the things you'll discover in your walk with God. You can have growth in the Lord and experiences of God that are so wonderful that once having experienced that measure of God's grace, you look back and go, I'm not sure I even knew Him before this.
But you did. But there are many in fillings of the Holy Spirit. And anyway, but this Pentecostal evangelist, who became such a dear friend of mine, his basic prayer ministry is he prayed for people and lined them up by the hundreds, and this was his ministry, to lay hands on them and say filled. And that was the extent of his intercessory prayer, really, for most people.
I'm accustomed to standing there for a long time and trying to figure out all the problems. He would just say filled. My life got touched by that, and I still can hear it in my mind.
He would say it with different expressions. Sometimes it was just filled, and sometimes it was filled. I have been times where I've been in meetings and hundreds of people there and he's just praying for people, and the sound over the speakers coming forth, filled. And it still sort of intoxicates me just with the presence of God. That's how I got touched.
So the series is called Filled. I want to speak to you today about the first and most important gift of the Holy Spirit in the Christian's life. So turn with me to Romans chapter 8. The crescendo of Paul's brilliant, theological exposition of what God has done in Jesus Christ. How God has made his own son, Jesus, to be our sin. He didn't just take the penalty.
He didn't just take the punishment. He didn't just take the wrath. The scripture Paul exposes to us literally says, Jesus became our sin, and the transfer was that all who are in Christ become the righteousness of Christ. And he has been laying out God's plan, his provision, and the means by which he has done this through the cross, and he's not mentioned the Holy Spirit hardly at all until Romans chapter 8, and now he can't stop talking about the Holy Spirit.
And this is moving towards the great crescendo of Romans in chapter 8 at verse 15. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. The literal rendering of this should be you received adoption as sons.
Now lest I forget to say this later, a side point. The reason that it is best not to change the language of sonship here is because it is important in the first century to understand that Jesus really was extremely radical in his view of acceptance and honor to women, and he would have been viewed as a radical feminist in his day because this was a culture in which women were not valued as is still the case in certain cultures around the world. And in that culture, it was the first born son who would receive a double portion of the inheritance.
So if there were two sons, the first born son would get two thirds of the inheritance because he would be expected to oversee the estate. And that first born son was the delight and crowning prize of the family and the whole community celebrated the first born son. So what Paul is saying here is the adoption that you receive in the Holy Spirit.
He's not being gender specific here to leave out women. This is saying that in a culture that the most prized person, the person who was elevated and given the great inheritance and who would run the estate was the first born son. What he's saying is in the spirit, you must understand your adoption is like that of a first born son, whether male or female.
That's the image he's conveying. So the language is that we did not receive a spirit that makes us a slave to fear, but exactly the opposite of that. A spirit that has shown you your adoption like a first born son. And by him, by the spirit, here is what the spirit does. By him, we cry Abba Father.
That's Alan Wright and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Why does prayer seem to be a struggle? Many people recognize the importance of prayer in their lives, yet struggle with feelings of powerlessness and disconnect in their prayer practices.
Why do so many Christians feel their prayers are powerless? This common challenge leaves many wondering how to cultivate a more meaningful and impactful prayer experience. This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is a digital bundle, including an ebook, Great Prayers from the Bible, along with six audio messages on spiritual prayer, guiding you toward a deeper understanding of what it means to pray in the spirit. Drawing from biblical insights, Pastor Alan offers practical steps to enrich your own prayer life, making it a source of strength and joy rather than a struggle.
Deepen your connection with God and experience the profound impact of prayer in your life today. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.
That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. The Spirit Himself, and here is, I think, the first and most important gift of the Holy Spirit in the Christian's life. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. In order to paint a picture of what has happened with the coming of the Holy Spirit upon every believer's life, I turn with David to the image of a king with a great banquet and David and all of us come as the guests who are highly esteemed. You, David said, you prepared this table. King David, he's such a remarkable man, it's mind-boggling because he was a king, he was a musician, he was a poet, he was a warrior.
There are not many people like that. He was the youngest of Jesse's sons and when the Lord said to Samuel the prophet, it's time to anoint the new king. Samuel goes to Jesse's house and looks over all the sons, none of them is the right one, and do you have any other sons?
He says, well I have my youngest David, he's just, but in a sense he was saying it couldn't be him, he's just out in the field keeping the sheep. And Samuel says let me see him and when he sees David, the Lord speaks to the prophet and said he is the one and Samuel pours out the oil on David's head. So in the first place, when David speaks of you anoint my head with oil, he does not speak theoretically.
He speaks as one who was anointed as the king. And I love the translation, the English Standard Version, what it says, what happened to David when the oil was poured upon his head? It said the Holy Spirit rushed upon him from that day forth.
That's good, that's what we need because there's time short and we need the Spirit to rush on us today. The Holy Spirit kept rushing upon David. Now this anointing that David had, this presence that would come upon David would enable David to do miraculous things. He was able to slay Goliath, his brothers and all the army were cowards, Goliath was taunting them. A wonderful vivid picture of spiritual warfare where there's a whole army and then there's one giant who's so intimidated to them by the things he's saying that they've sat around figuring out how much Goliath's armor weighs and how big a sword is and David comes in and says who is this uncircumcised Philistine that mocks the army of the living God?
And he says what will be done for the person that kills this giant? I like David, he's a real man and he was interested in the reward. He wanted them to repeat to him exactly how much he'd be paid and what about the king's daughter's hand in marriage and all, he wanted the reward and David said I'll fight him. So Saul, they put the armor on David and David kind of clanks around in this armor and says I don't like it and take it off and they're kind of, you're going to get just smashed anyway but now without armor but they let them go and it's a picture that David is not going to win this battle naturally but supernaturally.
In fact David as he has his confrontation with Goliath he finally just says to Goliath the battle belongs to the Lord. As the Holy Spirit had come upon David this was one of the revelations that he just understood is that there is a power from on high that can somehow clothe the people of God such that they could do what only God can do. And so David had his victory over Goliath and he became famous for that. He was a musician and he played music that was so accompanied by the Holy Spirit that it would drive out evil spirits that afflicted King Saul. So Saul had David come and play music for him.
David experienced God and somehow out of his experience of God David also came to understand the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. I'm saying is that David though a king he was incredibly prophetic and he saw in the spirit things that would come a thousand years later and part of it was this God made a covenant with David that was unlike the covenant that he had made with Moses. With Moses and with the people in the Mosaic Covenant God had said if you will obey me and keep my commandments then you'll be my treasure nation and I will bless you. But when God made a covenant with David he didn't put any requirement on David's obedience in order for David to be blessed. Instead he just said to David someone from your house, your lineage will be the king forever. No matter how much sin and it turns out there was a lot of sin.
But no matter how much sin I will establish your throne forever and he said and I will never take my steadfast love from you. That's the covenant David was in with God. I mean here he is in the midst of the Old Testament the old covenant but this is the Davidic Covenant and so somehow David in both the experience of the Holy Spirit coming upon him for power and for ministry and revelation. David experienced the nature the true nature and heart of God. It is the revelation that enables David to say surely God you are not pleased with the sacrifices of burnt offerings and rams that I bring.
But it is a contrite heart, a submitted heart that pleases you. He knew this. So Psalm 23 is David the king, David the shepherd and it is David the prophet who sees astoundingly a vision that only would fully make sense a thousand years later at the cross of Jesus Christ. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. He might have to the shepherd seen a plateau of green grass for his sheep and it looked like a table. But God had been giving little foreshadowing feasts along the way. The thing that's so exciting about reading the Old Testament is because on every page something is pointing eventually to Jesus and the banquet is there everywhere. The banqueting table is being prepared and God's giving little insights.
He's letting us see it in a thousand different ways. Abraham who was the father of Israel and was called by God up out of the earth the Chaldees and God said look at the stars of the sky your descendants are going to be as numerous as the stars of the sky. And he kept wanting Abraham to know that it's real. And so he came and he said he told me you're going to have a child.
Your wife's going to be a child in your old age. Well Abraham was believing this. Not exactly sure if Sarah believed it right off but three guests came.
And the Bible makes it clear that two of them are angels and one of them was probably the Lord himself. In Genesis chapter 18 look at it sometimes it's a funny story. These three guests come and they eventually one of them the Lord himself says to Abraham where's your wife Sarah? And he said well she's in the tent. And then they say obviously Sarah is listening to all of this and one says well she is going to bear a child in her old age. And the Bible says Sarah laughed to herself. And so I don't know how loud she laughed but she laughed. And then the Lord says to Sarah why did you laugh? And now she lies and she said I didn't laugh. And it's just so funny because the Lord says you did so laugh.
Did not, did so, did not, did so. And while she is laughing what Abraham has done is he sent his servant to kill the fatted calf and prepare the table so that they would have a meal, a feast there. Sarah is in the tent laughing in unbelief and the Lord is preparing a table. Alan Wright and today's teaching as we kick off this series called filled it's the Spirit's most important gift. And Alan is back here in a moment with additional insight on this for your life and our final word today. Why does prayer seem to be a struggle? Many people recognize the importance of prayer in their lives yet struggle with feelings of powerlessness and disconnect in their prayer practices.
Why do so many Christians feel their prayers are powerless? This common challenge leaves many wondering how to cultivate a more meaningful and impactful prayer experience. This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is a digital bundle including an ebook Great Prayers from the Bible along with six audio messages on spiritual prayer guiding you toward a deeper understanding of what it means to pray in the Spirit. Drawing from biblical insights Pastor Alan offers practical steps to enrich your own prayer life making it a source of strength and joy rather than a struggle.
Deepen your connection with God and experience the profound impact of prayer in your life today. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.
That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website pastoralan.org. Alan is this a myth? Is there one gift that rises above the rest? Well, I think that when you start talking about the person and the work of the Holy Spirit, it is so important to know the first, the primal, the fundamental work of the Holy Spirit once you've become a Christian. And that is he begins to convince you that you're a child of God. He bears witness with our spirit that we are children and if children then heirs then co-heirs. And really in many ways Daniel so much of Christian growth is growing into a greater confidence that we are God's own heirs and the spirits whispering that to us and shouting it and leading us and luring us in every other way to convince us. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.
