Honor God's Spirit
Honoring the Holy Spirit is essential for a life that bears the fruit of the Spirit and reflects the divine Godhead.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the need for Christians to honor the Holy Spirit, urging believers to reflect on their attitudes towards Him and to seek forgiveness for any disrespect shown. He critiques Bible teachers who misrepresent the Holy Spirit's role, asserting that the Spirit speaks and acts with the authority of the Godhead. Tozer reminds us that the Holy Spirit's guidance is essential for living a life that bears the fruits of the Spirit, and neglecting Him leads to spiritual deficiency.
Text
I think there are great numbers of Christian believers who ought to go home and go into their places of prayer and apologize to God for their demeaning attitudes toward the Holy Spirit of God. Included in their numbers are Bible teachers who are guilty of leading us astray. They have dared to teach Christians that the Holy Spirit will never speak of His own person or position, as though the third Person of the Godhead may be ignored and His ministry downgraded! Jesus said, "[When He comes] He shall not speak of himself, but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak" (John 16:13b).
Jesus was actually telling His disciples: The Comforter will not come to stand on His own, to speak on His own authority.
He will guide you into all truth-He will speak and act on the authority of the divine Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you do not yield and honor the Holy Spirit, your lives will not show forth the blessed fruits of the Spirit!
Sermon Outline
- The Need to Honor the Holy Spirit
- The Holy Spirit's Ministry
- Yielding to the Holy Spirit
- The importance of surrender
- The blessings of honoring the Holy Spirit
Key Quotes
“If you do not yield and honor the Holy Spirit, your lives will not show forth the blessed fruits of the Spirit!” — A.W. Tozer
“The Comforter will not come to stand on His own, to speak on His own authority.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must yield to the Holy Spirit and honor His ministry in our lives.
- Neglecting the Holy Spirit will result in a life that does not reflect the blessings of God.
- The Holy Spirit speaks on the authority of the divine Godhead, guiding us into all truth.