The Power of Truth
John Follette's sermon explores the transformative power of truth through the Holy Spirit and the necessity of personal faith and surrender to God's will.
John Follette preaches about the process of being made ready for the day when we will be released from our earthly limitations and fully experience God's presence. He emphasizes the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit to move within us, making God's presence a personal reality that can be shared with others. Follette encourages surrendering to God's will and allowing Him to work within us, even if it means breaking down our self-life and submitting our will to His. He highlights the difference between merely acknowledging spiritual truths and truly internalizing them through faith, making them a living reality in our lives.
Text
Presently, we are being made ready for that greater day in which we will be released from the Adamic
and moved into our right habitat - that for which we were designed and are now being trained and
disciplined. Then the Lord will become all in all and we will see Him as He is.
It would be nice if the Lord could be visible through us, with ourselves hidden. Rather, He brings us
into a lovely moving of the Holy Spirit in which His presence becomes a personal reality within us, and
then we are able to make Him known through us.
A true moving of the Holy Spirit will agitate those who are balanced half in religious form and half in
emotionalism, and they will upset the delicate balance between the Word and the revelation of His
presence. When this happens, many do not know what to do. It is better to stop and allow the Lord to
work things out than to try to maintain something that has gone off.
The Lord greatly desires to be given "room" in our meetings, as well as within our personal lives, so He
might initiate a creative moving of the Holy Spirit until He is able to find and establish an adequate
dwelling place in which to make Himself and His purpose known.
Each of us who presently are being stirred by the Holy Spirit have within us a spiritual urge, or hunger.
This can be compared to a baby who nurses; the mother need not teach her child to receive, as the urge
to live is basic and only needs the right contact, and satisfaction results.
We should not be disturbed if our appetite is not as large as we would like it to be. If we are unable to
sustain a prolonged moving of the Holy Spirit, or if we cannot handle the problems that arise due to
this spiritual stirring, we should receive all we are capable of, and then wait upon the Lord to enlarge
our capacity.
We should be careful to allow the Lord to do within us as He desires, and not what we would like Him to
do. It often requires much time for us to move beyond our attempts to get the Lord to do as we feel He
should. Much of our prayer time is used explaining to the Lord why He should do as we desire, and all
the good things that would happen if He would.
At times, we respond to the Lord with a "pout" in our spirit, saying, "I will do it Lord, but I do not like
it." The important thing is not the fact that we are doing His will, but rather, the state of our spirit in
acceptance, while we are doing the will of God. When all is said and done, our prayer should be, "Lord,
bring me more perfectly to the place where I can accept your will, with grace."
We should not do the will of God merely because it is a command. Rather, we are to wait upon Him
until our spirit is in alignment with His will, even though we are unable to bring our emotional range
into agreement. We can make the decision and choose earnestly from the depths of our heart, and yet
many tears may flow at the same time.
At times I have had to say, "Lord, do not listen to this, it is my emotions. Rather, look to the deep
yes
were not tears of resistance or rebellion, but of my self-life. The law of self-preservation within me was
being broken and my will brought into submission.
This was not my will being broken. We should never say, "Lord, break my will." He does not desire a
broken down will. He wants us with a strong will which is fully surrendered to Him. He can do much
more with a strong will that is dedicated, than a weak floundering one. People sometimes say, "he has
never had his will broken." The Lord does not break anyone's will, but works tremendously within us
to cause it to be surrendered.
There is a vast difference between a judicial, or potential statement of truth, and the realization of it.
For example, we may say, "Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world." This is a judicial statement of truth.
It is a fixed truth, a value which will never change.
Many feel that if they mentally believe this, all will be well with them because they are convinced of
this fact. But this is not all that is necessary. The devil knows that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the
world, and he believes it. But, his believing this fact does not save him.
This truth, or any spiritual truth, is never ours until faith has laid hold of it and it has been personalized
within us. Only then does it become ours. Now we can say, "Jesus Christ is my personal Savior." This
is quite different. We can push out under the impact and power of this truth, not because we gave
mental ascent to it, but because something in our heart grasped it and it has become a personal reality,
a living truth within us.
As we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit, His Word will become a living dynamic in our lives, even
though He may have to slay us. But life is born out of death. Knowing this, when our old creation has
to be subjected to its death, we do not mourn.
There are still vast territories in each of our lives over which He desires to rule and reign. When we say
yes to this, He will come and begin to take possession, but it will be a slow, patient work. We cannot
force God, nor can we make Him hurry. Our spirit must be continually conditioned to receive spiritual
truth.
It has been so in my own experience. After a most terrific dealing, I have said, "Lord, I have always
believed this, but now it is a reality within me." We also will be able to say this, if we rightly respond
and allow the Lord to do it His way.
Sermon Outline
- I points: - Introduction to the power of truth - The role of the Holy Spirit in our lives - The importance of personal reality in faith
- II points: - The agitation caused by true spiritual movements - Allowing God to work in our lives - The hunger for spiritual growth
- III points: - The significance of aligning our will with God's - Understanding emotional responses in faith - The difference between belief and personal faith
- IV points: - The process of surrendering our will - The dynamic nature of spiritual truth - The gradual work of God in our lives
- V points: - The necessity of personalizing truth - The relationship between death and new life - The ongoing journey of spiritual possession
Key Quotes
“A true moving of the Holy Spirit will agitate those who are balanced half in religious form and half in emotionalism.” — John Follette
“This truth, or any spiritual truth, is never ours until faith has laid hold of it and it has been personalized within us.” — John Follette
“Life is born out of death.” — John Follette
Application Points
- Reflect on how you can create space for the Holy Spirit to work in your life.
- Consider the areas in your life where you need to align your will with God's desires.
- Embrace the process of spiritual growth, understanding that it may require patience and surrender.