He Breathed on Them
Receiving the Holy Spirit is as simple as breathing, requiring us to empty ourselves and trust in God's ability to fill us.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes the simplicity of receiving the Holy Spirit, likening it to the act of breathing. He illustrates that just as stale air can suffocate us, clinging to our old sinful and spiritual lives prevents us from being filled with the Holy Spirit. Simpson encourages believers to empty themselves of past burdens and to continuously seek a fresh infilling of the Spirit. By maintaining the right attitude of emptiness, we can effortlessly receive the life-giving breath of God. The message is a call to constant renewal and openness to the Holy Spirit's presence.
Text
The beautiful figure suggested by the words "He breathed on them" is full of simple instruction. It is as easy to receive the Holy Spirit as it is to breathe. It almost seems as if the Lord had given His disciples the very impression of breathing, and had said, "Now this is the way to receive the Holy Spirit." It is not necessary for us to go to the isolation room of a hospital to have our lungs contaminated with impure air. All we need to do is to keep in our lungs the air we inhaled a minute ago, and it will kill us. All the pure elements have been absorbed from it, and there is nothing left but carbon and other deadly gases.
Therefore, if we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we must first be emptied not only of our old sinful life, but of our old spiritual life.
We must take a new breath every moment, or we will die. God wants us to empty out all our being into Him. Then we can take Him in-without needing to try too hard. A vacuum always becomes filled; an empty pair of lungs unavoidably breathes in the pure air. If we are only in the right attitude, there will be no trouble about receiving the Holy Spirit.
Sermon Outline
- The Simplicity of Receiving the Holy Spirit
- The Need to Empty Ourselves
- The Attitude of Receiving the Holy Spirit
- The Assurance of Receiving the Holy Spirit
- A vacuum will always be filled
- An empty heart will always be filled with God
Key Quotes
“It is as easy to receive the Holy Spirit as it is to breathe.” — A.B. Simpson
“We must take a new breath every moment, or we will die.” — A.B. Simpson
“A vacuum always becomes filled; an empty pair of lungs unavoidably breathes in the pure air.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We must let go of our old sinful life and our old spiritual life in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
- We must be in the right attitude and trust in God's ability to fill us with the Holy Spirit.
- We must take a new breath every moment, or we will die spiritually, and must instead take in the pure air of the Holy Spirit.