The Blessing Of The Spirit - Part 6

And you say, well, if I could only see him, I would believe. That's what Thomas said. But you know what the Lord told Thomas? He read these words. Do you want to be more blessed than Thomas or not? I'll tell you how to be more blessed than Thomas who saw Jesus. You say there can't be anything more blessed than that. Yeah, there is. John 20 verse 29, Jesus told Thomas, Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are they who did not see, yet believed. Are you in that category? I can't understand that. Now, I'll tell you honestly, as a human being, just like you, with a flesh like you, in my childlike way, I say, God, I still feel it would be better if I could see you. I can't understand this. I mean, if you appear to me tonight physically, Lord Jesus, boy, that would boost my faith like anything. You tell me it's more blessed that I don't see you and still believe? I can't understand that. But you are right. I don't understand that. You must be right. Because everything you say is right. So I suppose there is something. I mean, it's like this other verse we have here. It's more blessed to give than to receive. How many people do you think really believe that? Do you really believe it? I mean, if somebody came and gave you some money, you'd say, great. You'd be quite happy. Now, how many of you believe that when you got 500 rupees from somebody, you add another 500 and give that away, you'd be more blessed? Anybody? Any of you ever done that? Or you say, hey, that's great. I didn't expect that. Thanks very much. You know, I don't understand that. Humanly speaking, I'll tell you, I'm like you. My flesh is like yours, in which nothing good dwells. And my flesh tells me, that's all nice to talk about. But really, it's more blessed to receive. You're really happier when you receive. And you begin to think, should I have given so much? Should I, etc., etc. It's a lie. The flesh is a liar. It's one of those things where I have to take it by faith. I say, Lord, it must be true. There is a greater blessing in giving than receiving. And I've certainly found that in different situations. You know, I think of my wife and I going down to these Tamil Nadu villages, and particularly the way she helps all those people medically. The joy that those people have when they are treated and healed. I tell you, any, even lakhs of rupees, earning lakhs of rupees couldn't duplicate that. There is a blessing in giving away something which is far better than receiving. And it's true. In the same way, it's more blessed not to have seen and yet believe. I don't understand it, but I believe it. It's true. Some blessing in that the Lord says, you trust me even though you haven't seen me. Peter says that, you rejoice with joy unspeakable. Imagine that. 1 Peter 1, he says, even though, verse 8, you have not seen him. 1 Peter 1:8, even though you have not seen him, you love him, and though you don't see him now, you believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. You would think that that joy would be greater if you could see him. No. The joy is greater when you don't see him. I don't understand that, but it's true. I'm certainly full of joy. And the result is the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. I think it is got to do something to do with faith, that if I see him, my faith will become less. Because then I walk more by sight. Sight is the opposite of faith. So if sight is the opposite of faith, the more sight I have, faith becomes less, I suppose. It must be something like that. So, when I don't have sight, I have faith. Then I suppose I'm stronger, really. So the Holy Spirit has come to make the presence of Jesus real. He's there. He's there to help me. He's there in every situation. He's there with me. He's going to be a helper, you know, that I sort of should have been lost, you know. Like sometimes when my wife is away somewhere, ministering somewhere, or away with somebody else, helping someone, and I'm all alone, I say, I don't feel very too happy. I sort of miss her. And I say, Lord, that's how I've got to miss the Holy Spirit. He's not there. It's like my wandering around the house, and I say, oh, she's not here. I've got to pick some things myself today. And to feel like that about the Holy Spirit, he's not here. What happened? Lord, I don't know. Do you ever sense that the Holy Spirit's withdrawn himself? I think he tests us sometimes. Do you feel I'm not there? Or do you carry along, yeah, yeah, that's okay, he's not there, so what? I've got to do my work. That would be like a husband and wife who don't love one another too much. Yeah, the wife's not there, so what? She minds her business and I mind mine, and we both get along fine. That's sad. I don't want a marriage like that, and I don't want a marriage with the Holy Spirit like that, where he tests me to see by withdrawing himself a little bit, will I sense the absence, come running to him and say, Lord, where are you? I'll say, oh, it's okay, I don't seem to miss anything today. I'll tell you this, we don't value the Holy Spirit enough. Think of the best husband in the world who values his wife so much. That should be nothing compared to the way we value the Holy Spirit. Lord, I can't live without you. It's like a husband-wife relationship. He's a helper. And so many things in my life to today I could have done better if I had sought his help, if I was too proud to seek his help. So what's the result? Failure. You know, I've been preaching for 45 years at least. I started preaching when I was 22. But even today, I feel so desperate and helpless when I'm cast to speak. You may not believe it, but it's true. I say, Lord, you've got to help me. I want you there with me, otherwise I won't be able to make it. I'll just waste people's time, I'll bore people. I'll bore people in five minutes. You've got to be with me. I want to live like that all the days of my life. Everything, not only preaching, but everything in life. I say, Lord, I can't do that. I'm a little child. You've got to help me. I want to encourage you, my brothers. Depending on the Holy Spirit like that, he will bless you. And without your trying to bless others, he will make you a blessing. Don't we want that? Think about it and let me know whether you want it or not. Do we want that? Let's just pray. Heavenly Father, help us to honor the spirit you've given us to dwell with us forever. Oh, Lord Jesus, you said that we pray the Father and he'll give you a helper, that he may be with you forever. Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful gift. I want to be more open to the Holy Spirit myself. I see a great need in my life. I want to be more open and more hungry and more thirsty. I want to cry out more, Lord, for the power of the Holy Spirit in my life, for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I want to never live a single second in my life without him near there with me all the time. Thank you, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen.