You Are In The World But Not Of The World

John 15:18-21 (NKJV)
¹⁸ "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
²¹ But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

John 17:13-19 (NKJV)
¹³ But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
¹⁵ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
¹⁷ Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

The Scriptures Speak Of The World In Three Distinct Ways - The World Of Nature, Men, And Order.

World Of Nature

·         The world of nature demonstrates God’s power and moves us to recognize God’s greatness.

·          We must be careful to worship only God himself and not what he has created (Psalms 104)

Psalms 8:3-4 (NKJV)
³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
⁴ What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?

Job 31:26-28 (NKJV)
²⁶ If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness,
²⁷ So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand;
²⁸ This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above.

Deuteronomy 4:15-19 (NKJV)
¹⁵ "Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
¹⁶ lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female,
¹⁷ the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air,
¹⁸ the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth.
¹⁹ And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.

The World Of Men

·         This is the world that “God so loved”.

·         This is the world that we must learn to love and win.

John 3:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

2 Corinthians 5:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;

2 Corinthians 5:20 (NKJV)
²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

The World Of Order

·         This one controls the thinking and behavior of mankind. 

·         Satan is the mastermind (the prince of this world).

John 12:31 (NKJV)
³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

John 14:30 (NKJV)
³⁰ I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

·         His fallen angels are described as the rulers, the authorities the power of this dark world. 

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)
¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

·         This is the world we are commanded not to love. 

1 John 2:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

·         This is the world that hated Christ, crucified him, and hates us.

John 7:7 (NKJV)
⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.

John 15:18-19 (NKJV)
¹⁸ "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

·         Why are we here?

John 15:18-19 (NKJV)
¹⁸ "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

·         Why, since we are born again, doesn’t God just take us out of this world and take us on to heaven?

The Reason We Are Still Here!

·         We are members of the resistance living as strangers in a land that was made and given to us.  It is our land. 

·         Another reason is; this very situation of conflict is designed to shape us and make us what God wants us to be. 

·         We, must decide if we are going to conform or be transformed.  The very thing that God uses to make us, the devil can use to mar us. 

·         The question is how are we going to handle conflict?

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

J.B. Phillips translates this verse “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let
God remake you so that our whole attitude of mind is changed.”

There Are Two Opposing Kingdoms

·         The kingdom of this world

·          The Kingdom of God.

John 18:36 (NKJV)
³⁶ Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."

·         The Kingdom of this world is ruled by human reason and human wisdom;

1 Corinthians 1:17-20 (NKJV)
¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
¹⁹ For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."
²⁰ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

·         It is passing away 

1 John 2:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

·         Its rulers are coming to nothing.

1 Corinthians 2:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

·         Those who live in it are shortsighted; one day it will be destroyed.

Daniel 2:44 (NKJV)
⁴⁴ And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Revelation 11:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵ Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"

The Kingdom of God

·         In this sphere, God is Center 

·         God’s revealed will, not human reason, is the rule and measure of all things 

·         Men enter by means of the New Birth

John 3:3 (NKJV)
³ Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

John 3:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

What Is The New Birth? 

·         This means changing sides.

·         Coming under God’s rule.

·         Submitting to a new order.

·         Before, the spirit of this world motivated man, now we have received the Spirit who is from
God

1 Corinthians 2:12 (NKJV)
¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

What Is Acting Like The World?

·         Christian tradition has sometimes presented a view of worldliness that is not strictly biblical.

·         How a believer dresses, engaging in certain habits, enjoyment of certain entertainment or pleasure, what he eats or drinks, and how they act on Sunday are not often firm criteria for judgment of worldliness.  

·         The scribes and the Pharisees had similar list of rules by which they judged the piety of others.  They were careful about trivial things but overlooked the vital of important actions.

Matthew 23:23-26 (NKJV)
²³ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
²⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.
²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

·         We know it is possible to be born into the Kingdom of God and still behave as though you still belong to the world.

1 Corinthians 3:3 (NKJV)
³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

·         The bible defines Worldliness as: lust of the flesh, Lust of the eye, and the pride of life.

1 John 2:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.

The Lust Of The Flesh - Your Body

·         If your body is not under the rule of the Holy Spirit it will be ruled by the cravings of the flesh

1 John 2:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.

1 John 2:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

·         Paul speaks of worldly passions as the major motivations of all the worldly man does.

Titus 2:12 (NKJV)
¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

The Lust Of The Eye – Your Mind

·         Consider the modern man hunger for viewing.  Notice the massive industry that exists to satisfy our hunger for seeing or viewing.

Isaiah 55:1-2 (NKJV)
¹ "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
² Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

The Pride Of Life -- Your Spirit

·         If our spirit is not ruled by the Spirit of Christ it will be ruled by the pride of life or the boasting of what we have and have done.  This type of attitude is always self centered.

Philippians 1:21 (NKJV)
²¹ For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

The Answer To Worldliness 

·         Do not love the world

1 John 2:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

·         Do not be a friend of the World 

James 4:4 (NKJV)
⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

·         Do not be confirmed to the World 

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

How Can You Live In The World And Not Do Any Of These 

·         You can’t do it by rules and regulations 

·         You can’t escape from the world by moving to the wilderness.

John 17:11-15 (NKJV)
¹¹ Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
¹³ But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
¹⁵ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

·         You are not called to a live among the Christian only. 

Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

·         You can’t do it by dealing with the externals praying for God to take away pride, jealously, and selfishness. 

The Only Remedy For The Believer, To Have Complete Freedom From The Spirit Of The World Is The Cross.

Galatians 6:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

1 John 2:15-16 (NKJV)
¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
¹⁶ For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.

Maintaining The Fullness Of The Spirit

Acts 6:1 (NKJV)
¹ Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.

Acts 6:8 (NKJV)
⁸ And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

·         The “Baptism in the Spirit” is not a spiritual experience from which we can never lapse. 

·         Experiencing the “Baptism in the Spirit” doesn’t immediately lock us into a place of spirituality and effectiveness from which we cannot move.

·         We have become a grave threat to the enemy- notice what happened to Jesus after the Holy Spirit came upon Him.

Matthew 3:16-4:3 (NKJV)
¹⁶ When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
¹⁷ And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

·         Is it sad but believers in some cases do lose the blessing of the Holy Spirit’s anointing.

·         Example was David’s fear after his escapade with Bathsheba.

Psalms 51:11 (NKJV)
¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

·         Sampson, one of Israel’s judges once full of the God’s Spirit and power.

Judges 14:6 (NKJV)
⁶ And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

Judges 16:20-21 (NKJV)
²⁰ And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.
²¹ Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

·          King Saul, Israel’s first King, lost his anointing.

1 Samuel 10:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹ So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.
¹⁰ When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

1 Samuel 16:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.

What Is Important Charisma Or Character?

·         Charisma: means a gift of grace that emphasizes what we do.

·         Character: emphasizes what we are.

Receiving the “Baptism in The Holy Spirit”.

Luke 24:49 (NKJV)
⁴⁹ Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

The “Baptism In The Holy Spirit” Has No Special Requirement Except The New Birth.

·         There is no special standard or performance. 

·         You are not required to be mature before you qualify. 

·         You need no specific amount of knowledge.

·         You don’t have to reach a special standard of Holiness, or become mature or knowledgeable before you receive the Holy Spirit in Baptism.

Acts 2:38-39 (NKJV)
³⁸ Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

Acts 8:14-17 (NKJV)
¹⁴ Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
¹⁵ who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
¹⁶ For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
¹⁷ Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

·         Jesus promised that His heavenly Father would send HIM (The Holy Spirit) and would give the Holy Spirit to those who asked him.

Luke 11:13 (NKJV)
¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

·         We must understand clearly how this blessing is to be maintained. 

·         As we go on living the Christian life, we receive more light (understanding of the truth).  God then requires us to walk (conduct our daily lives) in the greater light we have received.

John 1:6-7 (NKJV)
⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
⁷ This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all through him might believe.

·         The process of maintaining;

·         As we receive more understanding or revelation from God, then our walk with God will reflect the new revelation that we have received. 

·         The renewal of the Spirit is not a-once-and-for-all experience.  The experience must be renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

The Holy Spirit and the Ephesians:

·         We are told how the twelve founding members of the church have this experience through the laying on of Paul’s hands immediately following their water baptism.

Acts 19:4-7 (NKJV)
⁴ Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."
⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
⁶ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
⁷ Now the men were about twelve in all.

·         There is no doubt the Ephesian church has such an experience.  They had been marked with the Spirit’s seal.

Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV)
¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

·         What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?

Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

·         Being filled is connected with the Holy Spirit – to be filled with the Holy Spirit is emphasizing quality rather than quantity.

·         When we say that a man is full of the Holy Spirit, we are not describing measure of how much he has of the spirit but rather how much influence does the Holy Spirit have over the man and his daily walk. 

·         To be Spirit-filled is to be Holy Spirit possessed.

Some questions we can ask of ourselves: What are some characteristic of a Holy Spirit filled individual.

·         If a person is not walking with God anymore are they still Spirit-filled?  

·         Thought they may attend church and participate in meetings, if they are not witness for Christ and if their life lacks power and effectiveness are they Spirit filled? 

·         If a person engages in many forms of Christian service, but produces little or no lasting fruit, are they spirit filled?

·         If a fellow believer is as hard to get along with after they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit as they were before, are they filled with the Holy Spirit? 

·         If a person emphasizes the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but has little or none of the fruit of the Spirit, are they Spirit filled?

The Corinthian Church Had Received The Power Of The Holy Spirit And Was Moving Strongly In Spiritual Gifts.

1 Corinthians 1:4-7 (NKJV)
⁴ I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,
⁵ that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,
⁶ even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
⁷ so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Corinthians 3:1 (NKJV)
¹ And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

·         Note* in 1 Corinthians 3:1 Paul says we can receive the Holy Spirit baptism, operate in the gifts and sill be immature.  He encourages us to press on into greater gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:31 (NKJV)
³¹ But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 14:1 (NKJV)
¹ Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

1 Corinthians 14:12 (NKJV)
¹² Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.

·         He said reprovingly I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly mere infants acting like mere men.

1 Corinthians 3:1 (NKJV)
¹ And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:3 (NKJV)
³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

The Marks Of A Spirit Filled Person Is Seen In Our Lord Jesus “Jesus, Full Of The Holy Spirit”.

·         The Spirit Led Him. 

Luke 4:1 (NKJV)
¹ Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

·         He does not initiate Christian activity and then ask God to bless it.  He lets God do the initiating and He does the responding.

John 5:19 (NKJV)
¹⁹ Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

·         After the wilderness temptation, “This Spirit filled man” returned to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit”. 

Luke 4:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went throughout all the surrounding region.

What A Change After The Jordan Experience.

·         There are no places in the New Testament where Jesus displayed his power until after the Holy Spirit came upon Him.

Acts 10:37-38 (NKJV)
³⁷ that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

·         He had told his disciples….

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

·         The power of God being manifested is an indispensable mark of being Spirit filled.

Acts 9:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

Acts 9:20-22 (NKJV)
²⁰ Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
²¹ Then all who heard were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?"
²² But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

·         The Fullness of the Spirit must be coupled with the individual’s Character.  Power related to anything less than Godliness may produce, but it will not last.  

·         Any ministry built on personal gifts such as organization skills, personality, musical and oratorical ability, personal experiences or the ability to work and move a crowd will be short lived. Any fruit produced with be short lived. 

Jesus said, “I will build my church”!

Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

·         We must not judge a man based on his abilities in the pulpit.  In his ministry you might see people healed, baptized in the Holy Ghost and miracles related to the gifts of the Spirit.  But you must watch his daily walk.  How does he treat his wife and family?

·         Balaam was a prophet and had a reputation of predicting things that would come to pass but look what happened to him.

Numbers 22:6 (NKJV)
⁶ Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."

Numbers 22:29 (NKJV)
²⁹ And Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!"

Joshua 13:22 (NKJV)
²² The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them.

Even As Jesus Demonstrates The Perfect Sprit Filled Life, He Also Reveals The Open Secret Of How It Must Be Maintained.

·         You must love righteousness and hate lawlessness. 

Hebrews 1:9 (NKJV)
⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions."

·         All through this earthly course of his life Jesus never deviated from it.  He never compromised his convictions. 

Luke 3:22 (NKJV)
²² And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

·         Jesus lived by faith just as you and I are required to do.  Look what David who was speaking of the coming messiah said.

Psalms 110:7 (NKJV)
⁷ He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head.

·         There is a constant supply of the Spirit. This is the supply of the Spirit needed for living as well as for serving. 

·         He was living out of what He taught the Woman at the well. 

·         The “Holy Spirit would bring a spring of water a welling up to eternal life”.

John 4:4 (NKJV)
⁴ But He needed to go through Samaria.

John 7:37-38 (NKJV)
³⁷ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."