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Sermon: Walking on
Water
by Chris Cumming
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MP3 -2013
MP3 - 2014
MP3-2019
Today is the day of Pentecost. Notice as I read from our doctrine on
the Annual Holy Days.
Pentecost: Pentecost is the anniversary of the founding of the
New Testament Church. It initiates God's plan of salvation for the
world. Just as Pentecost marked the spring or first harvest, so
Pentecost symbolizes the first small harvest of individuals through
God's Church. In the salvation of the individual, Pentecost represents
his receiving of the Holy Spirit after baptism. This Holy Spirit
enables him to do what he could not do before, just as the disciples
were able to go forward in spreading the gospel in a way totally
impossible before the Holy Spirit came. An example is Peter's boldness
in proclaiming the gospel so soon after clear cowardice when Jesus was
betrayed. (A late Jewish tradition holds
that ancient Israel received the law from God at Mount Sinai on
Pentecost. This would make sense, since only through God's Holy Spirit
can a person keep God's law in its true spiritual intent.).
~end quote
The Day of Pentecost marks the giving of the Holy Spirit. All
firstfruits in this room or listening to the sound of my voice today
have this Holy Spirit in them. I have several questions for us today.
---Do we really grasp the concept of the Holy Spirit?
---Can we grasp it?
---What does the Holy Spirit do?
---How does it work?
---What does our doctrine say?
---Can anything be produced by this power?
---Can using the Holy Spirit result in action by us?
---What examples do we have of firstfruits invoking this power of God?
Today we are going to answer these questions and a whole lot more as I
encourage all of us to invoke the greatest power in the Universe.
Invoke the power!!
Let us begin in our doctrine. I have a list for you of many of the key
statements from our doctrine on the Holy Spirit. Mixed into this list
are a number of questions. These are not questions I or anyone else is
asking you. These are questions for you to ask yourself later in your
meditations and prayers alone before God.
---
It is the power of God, the mind of God and the extended means by which
God accomplishes His work throughout the universe.
Question 1: If God accomplishes all His work by the power of the
Holy Spirit, what can we accomplish?
Question 2: If the Holy Spirit is the mind of God, how can the
same spirit affect our mind?
Question 3: If this is the power of God, what power do we have?
Can this power somehow grow?
---
God uses His Spirit to accomplish all His work.
The key element here is that God uses the power. The previous statement
says that He accomplishes His work by this power. This statement
focuses on God’s initiative, desire, passion and will to use this power.
Question 4: Do we have that kind of initiative, passion and
desire to invoke this power?
--- God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate beings: each
maintains His own distinct identity and independent existence; and each,
therefore, utilizes His own "Spirit," though both the Father's Spirit
and Christ's Spirit are an integral part of the common Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit binds firstfruits together in common truth, purpose and
in salvation…the Plan of God.
--- God the Father was the one who begot Jesus Christ; He did so
through His Spirit, which is the same Spirit He begets spiritual
children through today.
That is, God begot the human Jesus Christ on this earth via the Holy
Spirit. Notice:
Matthew 1:18
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary
was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with
child of the Holy Ghost.
Question 5: We are all moved by the gospel stories of God
begetting Jesus Christ. Are we moved to the same degree with the
begettal He is doing with us?
--- God further states that He gives His Holy Spirit only to those
who obey Him (Acts 5:32).
Acts 5:32
And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is
also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Question 6: What does it mean to obey Him?
Here is what the Geneva Study Bible gives as the meaning for the phrase,
“to them that obey him.”
It is not sufficient for us that there is a proper goal,
but we must also according to our calling go forward until we come to
it. ~Geneva Study
Bible
How long have I described the salvation process as a room in which we
are moving forward all the time? We are in obedience if we are in the
salvation process and, in the overall sense, moving forward.
--- God's Holy Spirit is efficacious-it creates deep changes within
the individual, actually converting or changing the type of mind that
the person possesses.
Question 7: The ultimate question for this statement, of course,
is, “Are we allowing the deep changes to take place?”
The word, “converting” here is speaking to the process of conversion.
In nature, “conversion” is the act of something changed from one use,
function or purpose to another. We are in the process of conversion and
changing from a human purpose to a spiritual purpose. We are moving
from human to spirit.
In a chemical manufacturing process in which chemical transformation
takes place the product differs chemically from the starting materials.
The same is happening to us in conversion. We are being transformed
into something that differs spiritually from the starting materials,
which are the flesh, human nature and a sinful heart to a
spirit-begotten son of God. All this being accomplished by the Holy
Spirit.
--- The Holy Spirit generates within Christians its very fruit, which
"is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23).
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
This, of course, is a short list of these fruits. There are hundreds of
them.
Question 8: How is your fruit harvest coming? Is it
increasing? Are you ever-increasing your knowledge as a crop expert?
This is a very private question that only you can answer yourself to
yourself. Even asking the question and arriving at the answer is only
possible by unction of the Holy Spirit.
--- It encourages us through trials and empowers us to do the Work of
God.
Question 9: Are you encouraged?
What power does a trial have in the face of the power of God? None.
Question 10: Are you empowered?
In exercise of the human body, we become stronger. In exercise of the
Holy Spirit, we become increasingly empowered. The encouragement?
Invoke the power of God every opportunity you receive. Those
opportunities are a gift of God. He creates them for you. He brings
you to them. The more you invoke the power, the more work that gets
done. Notice the next statement from the doctrine.
--- Once a person receives the precious gift of the Holy Spirit, he
must use it in order to grow in the knowledge and grace of God.
Clearly we have a command from God to use the power of the Holy Spirit
in order to grow. As you are going to see, the more we use it, the more
of it we will have. The more we have, the greater the works that are
accomplished. The more we have, the easier the trial passes. The more
we have of it, the greater the strides we make to the front of the
“salvation process room.”
Question 11: Are you ready to use it?
--- God's Spirit gives Christians the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians
2:16) to enable them to view life from a godly perspective instead of
from a selfish one
[See sermon:
Optics].
1 Corinthians 2:16
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But
we have the mind of Christ.
The firstfruit developing the mind of Christ lives by three simple rules
for every decision we make:
1] What does the Word of God say?
2] What would Christ do?
3] Do all things and make all decisions as if Christ were looking over
your shoulder.
Take a look again at the last phrase of 1 Corinthians 2:16… “But we have
the mind of Christ.”
Notice a commentary or two…
The mind of Christ -
The views, feelings, and temper of Christ. We are influenced by his
Spirit. ~Barnes Notes
The mind of Christ - The understanding of the Lord. The divine
counsels or purposes which are the results of the divine thought.
~Vincent’s Word Studies
The more one is immersed in the Word of God, the more his/her views,
feelings and temper are like Christ. The more you fill your mind with
scriptures…the heart and meaning of those scriptures, the more you glean
knowledge and understanding, which gives rise to wisdom [action].
The more one is immersed in the Word of God, the more he/she knows
purpose and will…the purpose and will of Almighty God. God does
everything according to the counsel of His own will.
Ephesians 1:11
In
whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will.
The more our mind becomes like that of Christ, the more our will and
purpose will match His and it will ultimately be said of us that we do
everything according to the counsel of our own will, which is to say
God’s own will, for they will be one and the same.
Never forget that the Word of God IS the mind of Christ and, therefore,
God the Father.
Question 12: Are you developing the Mind of Christ?
Question 13: Are you immersed in the Word of God?
Question 14: Are you using the three rules for decision-making?
--- It is this power that gives us the capacity to obey God.
This is a concept that is almost hard to grasp. It is the most natural
idea to think and believe that if you do something, it is by your own
mind and power. Fact is, every firstfruit is conducting his/her life by
an entirely different power. The Holy Spirit that is in you can only
manifest truth and right actions. Surely, we being fallible human
beings, despite this Spirit, go counter to it at times. However, when
we invoke the power of that Spirit…only good can be the result. There
is no such thing as invoking a modicum or token amount of love or joy or
peace.
In your early going in your calling, you might stumble or even fall flat
on your face, but the more mature you become, the more the power of the
Holy Spirit will overcome your faults and lack of maturity and God will
be doing His will in and through you and every good thing you do will be
by His power.
Not only will you do these good things, such as obeying God but you will
acknowledge God in all your ways. You will know and understand that you
are doing these good things by His power.
Proverbs 3:6
In
all thy ways acknowledge him… [and what
will happen?] …, and he
shall direct thy paths.
Question 15: Are you acknowledging God in all your ways?
The questions, I suppose are, “How does this work?” “How do I move from
my human nature having all the say in my life and getting to a place
where God is having His way in and through us with good works are the
result?” Notice the next key statement of the doctrine.
--- The seed of this Holy Spirit, planted by God after baptism, grows
and develops spiritually within us as we grow in obedience and
submission to God's law.
Everything with God is process. We call it the salvation process. Each
element within that process is also a process and most all of these
processes take place across a lifetime. The statement uses the word,
“grow” twice and the word, “develops” once.
I cannot look at this statement of the doctrine and speak to lifelong
process without thinking of Romans 1:20
Romans 1:20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
Virtually everything in nature, chemistry, the sciences and even
mathematics is based on process and growth. Notice how the statement
uses the concept of seeds, planting and growth.
You are called of Almighty God. On that first day you are virtually a
lump of flesh with a mind full of mush. This is the ground where God
plants this seed of the Holy Spirit. He then gives you a lifetime of
days. He gives you a lifetime of spiritual knowledge and a lifetime of
spiritual opportunities that permeate our physical, mental and emotional
lives. We grow to maturity and there comes a day, in that maturity,
that you finally “get it.” That is, you clearly see then entire process
and what God has and is bringing you too…something called, “perfection.”
Question 16: Do you get it?
--- The Holy Spirit is dynamic: it flows from God to and through the
Christian and is expressed in his attitudes and actions.
Have any of you ever been to a manufacturing plant or a food canning
facility? Have you ever seen the huge and complex assembly lines? I,
in my early years worked in two different food canning facilities. When
I would come in, early in the morning, all was quiet and nothing was
happening. Then someone would throw the main power switch and the plant
came alive with activity. There was sound and movement and endless
energy. Tasks were accomplished and end products were produced and
stockpiled. It works the same way with us and the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is dynamic. Without it, we are like the manufacturing
plant with the doors locked and the lights turned off. But then, by way
of Godly Calling, God throws the power switch and our lives take on the
dynamic. We accomplish tasks and produce end products like fruit, works
and spiritual maturity.
Question 17: Are the lights on?
--- The more we use God's Spirit the stronger our new spiritual life
becomes.
The best way to discuss this statement is simply to give you scriptures
that demonstrate God giving us strength and making us stronger.
Philippians 4:13
I
can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Ephesians 3:16
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might.
Notice the commentary on this verse…
Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might - which is directed to partly on account of the things
before exhorted to [the previous verses
of Ephesians 6], which could not be performed in their own
strength; and partly with respect to their many and potent enemies
hereafter mentioned, against whom they had no might nor power of their
own; and therefore the apostle points out the Lord Jesus Christ unto
them, in whom are strength, power, and might, even everlasting strength,
to enable them to perform their duty, and to fight against every enemy,
sin, Satan, and the world; for though they are weak, and strength in
themselves, and can do nothing of themselves, and without Christ; yet
since there is strength in him, which is communicable to them, they may
expect it from him, and depend upon it; and they may come at, or
strengthen themselves in it, and by it, by meditation on it, by prayer
for it, by waiting on Christ in his own ways, by exercising faith upon
him, and through the Spirit, who strengthens them from him with might in
the inward man. ~John Gill
All this by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now a few more verses
speaking to God giving us this strength and power.
Colossians 1:11
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all
patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Notice the words after the word, “unto.” Those are fruits of the
Spirit…good works performed by Christ in and through us.
Isaiah 40:29-31
29
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he
increaseth strength.
30
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall
utterly fall:
31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and
they shall walk, and not faint
Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I
will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee
with the right hand of my righteousness.
Question 18: Are you getting stronger?
--- at the resurrection, this spiritual part of us becomes the
totality of our composition and essence and overtakes the physical, so
"that mortality [our physical essence]
might be swallowed up of [spiritual]
life" (2 Corinthians 5:4).
2 Corinthians 5:4
For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for
that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be
swallowed up of life.
I find this doctrinal statement most interesting. The actual device, if
you will; the actually element that makes one immortal is already in
us. What could possibly be more powerful than a measure of the Holy
Spirit performing a task we can hardly grasp or contemplate? I liken it
visually to what you see on Star Trek and in the Transporter Room. In
that series and later in the Star Trek movies we visually see the human
body turned into energy. The transporter process for those humans is
but for a moment until that energy is reassembled into human flesh
again. Ours is complete and for all eternity. In an almost blinding
flash of light the Holy Spirit in us, as a programmed device, expands
and cell-for-cell, changes the human flesh into a spiritual body that
lasts forever and ever. That’s power.
Notice what God calls the Holy Spirit in us prior to it making this huge
change in our lives…transporting us from flesh to spirit. Let us read
the next statement from our doctrine on the Holy Spirit.
Question 19 and keeping with this Star Trek analogy: Are you
ready to beam up?
--- God's Word reveals that the Holy Spirit is an "earnest"-a formal
pledge or assurance-of eternal life which God has implanted within us
making us sons.
Let us read the “earnest” scriptures:
Earnest
2 Corinthians 1:22
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our
hearts.
2 Corinthians 5:5
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath
given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Ephesians 1:14
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Definition of “Earnest”
---seriousness
---with purposeful or sincere intent.
So we see what the Spirit of God will do at the return of Christ. But
let us remember quickly now what the Spirit does in us until that
special and unique time:
Romans 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be
that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his.
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
God through the Holy Spirit leads us, directs us, educates us and
spiritually transforms us until that wonderful day when it expands to
change us into eternal spirit beings.
Question 20: Are you getting educated?
Question 21: Are you being directed?
Question 22: Are you being transformed?
--- Indeed, the presence of the Holy Spirit is the best criterion to
define the true Christian.
It is simple really. With the laying on of hands after repentance and
baptism, one receives the Holy Spirit. At the same moment, they enter,
for the first time, the salvation process. No one can separate one
having the Holy Spirit with that same person being in the salvation
process. Therefore, if you are in the salvation process, you are a
Christian. That probably means that at this moment on the earth, there
are only about 30,000 true Christians. Some are surely and clearly in
this room as I speak. This number could easily swell to over a million
or more in the few days just prior to the return of Christ with the
calling, at the last minute, of the 144,000 and the great multitude,
which could be a million or more.
Question 23; the question each of us asks on a regular basis: Are
you in the salvation process?
--- As long as we nurture the Holy Spirit, and continue to renew it
daily within us (2 Corinthians 4:16) through prayer and diligent study
of God's Word, then this earnest of God's Spirit is the absolute
guarantee that we will be resurrected to spiritual life at Christ's
return (Ephesians 1:13-14).
2 Corinthians 4:16
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man
perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Question 24: Are you continuing?
Question 25: Are you being diligent in the elements of the
salvation process?
Question 26: Are you holding unto that guarantee of eternal life?
One last concept I want to share as I ask the question:
Question 27, a multiple-part question: Are you finally ready to
get dynamically bold in your invoking of the Holy Spirit? Are you
getting ready to move mountains [insurmountable
obstacles]? Are you getting ready to bring down the walls of
Jericho like Joshua did? Are you getting ready to behold the power of
God as you part the Red Sea, as Moses did?
Please turn to Matthew 14.
Matthew 14:22-29
...we are
picking up the story right after Jesus had fed the 5,000 from the five
loaves and two fishes.
22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples
to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he
sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain
apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for
the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking
on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were
troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it
is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come
unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he
walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Now if you read on, the scripture speaks to Peter becoming afraid and
beginning to sink into the water but the point up to verse 29 is the
fact that Peter [as well as Christ surely]
WALKED ON WATER. Yes, Peter was sometimes rash and impulsive but he was
also quite bold. What makes this story so remarkable, if you stop to
think about it, is that, at that moment of Peter walking on water, he
did not yet possess the Holy Spirit within himself. He was able to do
it by the power of the Holy Spirit with him in the form of Jesus
Christ. Notice verse 29: Jesus says, "Come." He purposely invited
Peter to that bold action.
That same Christ is inviting you to boldly invoke the power of the Holy
Spirit. He died and was resurrected so that you could have it.
So the final question I have for you [Question 28] on this Holy Day of
Pentecost is...
“Are you ready to walk on water?"
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List of questions for your meditations:
Question 1:
If God accomplishes all His work by the power of the Holy Spirit, what
can we accomplish?
Question 2: If the Holy Spirit is the mind of God, how can the
same spirit affect our mind?
Question 3: If this is the power of God, what power do we have?
Can this power somehow grow?
Question 4: Do we have that kind of initiative, passion and
desire to invoke this power?
Question 5: We are all moved by the gospel stories of God
begetting Jesus Christ. Are we moved to the same degree with the
begettal He is doing with us?
Question 6:
What does it mean to obey Him?
Question 7:
The ultimate question for this statement, of course, is, “Are we
allowing the deep changes to take place?”
Question 8: How is your fruit harvest coming? Is it
increasing? Are you ever-increasing your knowledge as a crop expert?
This is a very private question that only you can answer yourself to
yourself. Even asking the question and arriving at the answer is only
possible by unction of the Holy Spirit.
Question 9: Are you encouraged?
Question 10: Are you empowered?
Question 11: Are you ready to use it?
Question 12: Are you developing the Mind of Christ?
Question 13: Are you immersed in the Word of God?
Question 14: Are you using the three rules for decision-making?
Question 15: Are you acknowledging God in all your ways?
Question 16: Do you get it?
Question 17: Are the lights on?
Question 18: Are you getting stronger?
Question 19 and keeping with this Star Trek analogy: Are you
ready to beam up?
Question 20: Are you getting educated?
Question 21: Are you being directed?
Question 22: Are you being transformed?
Question 24:
Are you continuing?
Question 25: Are you being diligent in the elements of the
salvation process?
Question 26: Are you holding unto that guarantee of eternal life?
Question 27: a multiple-part question: Are you finally ready to
get dynamically bold in your invoking of the Holy Spirit? Are you
getting ready to move mountains [insurmountable
obstacles]? Are you getting ready to bring down the walls of
Jericho like Joshua did? Are you getting ready to behold the power of
God as you part the Red Sea, as Moses did?
So the final question I have for you [Question 28] on this Holy Day of
Pentecost is...
“Are you ready to walk on water?"
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