Bishop Barron – Why the Holy Spirit Will Never Force You to Accept Him

0:00 Today's topic, my beloved, we'll be reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke. And chapter 4, it'll be verses 1, verse 14, and verses 18 and 19. So we'll be jumping today, and there is a reason for it. So it is Luke chapter 4, verses 1, 14, 18, and 19. And the Holy Bible teaches us and says... Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Verse 14.

0:38 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of him went out through all the surrounding region. Verse 18 and 19. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. To set at liberty those who are oppressed. Now verse 19. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and all glory be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever and ever. Amen. So now.

1:21 To give today's topic a title, we will call it the Holy Spirit painting. The Holy Spirit painting. St. Luke was a physician, was a philosopher, and a painter. If you did not know this, St. Luke was a physician, a philosopher, and a painter. The Holy Spirit chose him to write the Gospel of the Servant. The Holy Spirit chose him to write the gospel of the servant. Who is the servant in the gospel according to Saint Luke?

1:57 The one and only, our sweetheart, our beloved, our Lord, our God, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. All glory to his holy and mighty name. And I want to hear a huge amen. The gospel according to Saint Luke can consist of 24 chapters. 24 chapters consist of 13 paintings. Gospel of Luke, according to St. Luke, consists of 24 chapters.

2:30 The 24 chapters consist of 13 paintings, which St. Luke painted himself by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Now, the first chapter... Is one painting. The last chapter which is 24. Is one painting. Now two chapters. Deducted from 24. We left with 22 chapters. 22 chapters, each two chapters, one painting, one painting for two chapters. That's out of the 22, we have 11 paintings plus the first and the last 13 paintings for 24 chapters. Today, my beloved, we will take a look at the painting number three.

3:21 And the painting number three is consists of two chapters being chapter 4 and 5. Saint Luke is the only one out of all the gospel writers, when he came to write, he did not write in a historical order. Probably today's words might be slightly, you know, I don't know, I hope it's not hard. The Holy Spirit will help us all. Believe me, I'm the most ignorant of all, don't worry. So the Saint Luke, out of all the gospel writers, when he came to write, he did not write in a historical order. Saint Matthew wrote in a historical order. Saint Mark wrote in a historical order. Saint John wrote in a dogmatic order. But Saint Luke wrote in a way called deductive order. Deductive or deductive way.

4:18 Deductive way. Now, what does that mean? Deductive way. I'll give you an example. It's like a painter coming He wants to paint this beautiful portrait So he goes searching for places to get an idea what to put in this painting so he find let's say a place that is Two years old And he paints it and makes that two year old place a portion of his painting.

4:50 Then he goes and searches elsewhere and he finds a place that is 2,000 years old. And he also puts it and makes it part of his painting. So the two-year-old place he painted and the 2,000-year-old place painted. He put the two together and came up with an absolutely magnificent, beautiful painting combining 2,000-year-old and a two-year-old place. That's called deductive way. So... Two places with a humongous gap as far as time is concerned between them. But when he put them together, this beautiful painter, the painting came out stunning.

5:38 You couldn't tell there was a huge difference or a gap between the two. And since Saint Luke is a painter, the Holy Spirit chose him to paint the gospel of the perfect servant. Jesus Christ of Nazareth. So. Saint Luke's gospel. Is about. A painting put together. About the perfect servant. That's why. When you read it in the gospel according to Saint Luke. The stories are not matching. Like he's jumping.

6:21 It's not a historical order. It's not a chronological order. It's all over the place. But. When you understand the concept, you will see a perfect picture of the good, of the perfect servant. And the gospel according to Saint Luke. So now, my beloved, today we will be taking painting number three, which we said consists of chapter four and five.

6:47 Today we'll be talking about chapter four. Well, we can call this painting number three, the Holy Spirit painting. Firstly, what the Holy Spirit has taken from Christ, he will give to us. Because the Lord Jesus made this promise. The helper, the comforter, the Holy Spirit, when he comes and dwells in you, he will take everything from me and give to you or reveal unto you. So whatever the Holy Spirit took from Christ, he took it to give it to all of us, my beloved. Let us come now and see St. Luke. What St. Luke is saying in Luke 4 verse 1. In Luke 4 verse 1.

7:36 Can we have that on the screen please? Thank you very much. In Luke 4 verse 1. Then Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. In this verse we find two things. The Lord Jesus, number one, being filled and number two, being led. The Lord Jesus here we find he is being filled by the Spirit and being led by the Spirit. Two things. So here we will be talking about filling of the Holy Spirit and leading of the Holy Spirit. Now we're going to go to verse 14, if we can have that on the screen as well. Verse 14. Verse 14 happened after our Lord Jesus was tempted by the devil. This took place after the Lord was tempted by the devil. Now

8:35 verse 14 says, So now we have three things. Number one, filling of the Holy Spirit. Number two, leading of the Holy Spirit. Number three, power of the Holy Spirit. Three things. Now we're going to go to verse 18 and 19. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel. I won't read all of it because I read it at the beginning.

9:06 But verse 18 begins with this. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed Because he has anointed me. The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Upon me means is controlling me fully. Is dominating over me fully. The spirit of the Lord upon me. The word upon me means the Holy Spirit is in total control, in total control.

10:00 These four things about the Holy Spirit, filling of the Holy Spirit, leading of the Holy Spirit, power of the Holy Spirit, control or dominance of the St. Luke put it for us in an absolutely beautiful way. It's a painting. It's a painting. He put it in an absolutely beautiful way. And then St. Luke, he confirmed it more so later on in chapter 5. In chapter 5. Now, my beloved, let us come and take the first point, which is the filling of the Spirit. And Jesus was filled by the Spirit. And then he was led by the Spirit.

10:50 So we'll go at number one, point number one. Filling of the Holy Spirit or being filled by the Spirit. Question, what is the filling of the Spirit? Please, just, you know, be patient with me. It will get very clear towards the end. After 10 hours, okay, I promise you. After 10 hours. What is the filling of the Holy Spirit?

11:14 It's a question. Filling of the Spirit is for the building of the human being. Filling of the Holy Spirit is to do with building the human being. There is a very beautiful verse, St. Paul, he writes it with absolute clarity in 1 Corinthians 12, 13. St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 12.13 says it beautifully in absolute clarity what St.

11:52 Luke is talking about here in chapter 4. He says, 1 Corinthians 12.13, For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. Wow. For by one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. Therefore, filling of the Spirit is baptism of the Spirit. Baptism of the Spirit. There are some beloved And I'll call them beloved. I love them. There are some beloved Christians who do not understand what is really the baptism of the Spirit. Baptism of the Spirit is the birth of the church. My beloved, I'll ask you this question. Please be with me, huh? I don't want

13:09 to lose you. I ask you this question. Now this question is in the general sense. Don't tell me specific areas now. It's just in general sense. When the baby is born, when a baby is born, is the baby born missing an arm or a leg? Or is the baby born complete? Isn't it? When the baby is born, it's born complete with all the members that make up the body. True? Absolutely. Absolutely. But what happens? Now this baby that is born complete, what does this baby need?

13:44 It needs to grow and develop. That's what it needs. It doesn't need an arm. It doesn't need an eye. It does not need a nose, nothing, no leg, no nothing, because it was born complete, perfect. But it needs one thing. It needs to grow. True? Therefore, my beloved, when the church was born on Pentecost... That's when the church of Christ and the New Testament was born on the 50th day which 50th in Greek means Pentecost. Pentecost means 50th.

14:19 So when the church was born on Pentecost or on the 50th day the church was not born incomplete it was born complete like the baby is born complete. Trust me it's going to get clearer as we go. Now why? So that None of us think for a moment that when we are baptized today after 2,026 years gone by, So that when somebody is baptized today, they don't fall into this mistake and think that now the Lord Jesus, let's say this person was baptized, the Lord made him the hand, and the other one was baptized, he made him the leg, and the other one was baptized, he made him the nose, the eye, and the rest of the members, and the Lord, as if he started gluing all these members together to make up the body now. No. No.

15:15 the body was born complete with all the members on Pentecost, 50th day. So now, my beloved, the church is complete from the moment she was born on Pentecost. But when the baby is born, what do we do? We make the baby grow. Isn't it? And how do we develop that baby and make it grow? By feeding the baby.

15:47 So as the church needs to be fed in order to grow. The church does not miss any hands, legs, or members. But it needs one thing. It needs to grow. From a baby to a mature figure. So now, see my beloved, some will come and say, will ask this question and they don't even understand what they're asking. They will come and ask you, have you received the baptism of the Spirit? Have you been baptized by the Holy Spirit?

16:21 What do you mean being baptized by the Holy Spirit? See, if somebody comes and asks you, have you received the baptism of the Spirit or have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit? You say yes. And if they ask you when, say when the Holy Spirit descended as tongues of fire on the 120 people in the upper room.

16:39 On that day, I received the baptism of the Spirit. Because the baptism of the Spirit is the filling of the Spirit, which is the birth of the church. So there is no such thing as are you baptized with water or are you baptized with the Holy Spirit? Are you on fire? Relax. Baptism of the water, you receive the Holy Spirit and you should be on fire thereafter.

17:07 So there is no such thing as baptism of water, one thing, and baptism of the Spirit, another sort of concept. No. Baptism of the Spirit is the birth of the church. When was the church born? On Pentecost, the 50th day. And when were we all born? On the day the church was born. Because just like the baby is born with all complete body, so was the church born with complete body on Pentecost. I'll come to it more and more.

17:38 I could see you're still saying, where is the bishop trying to lead us to? Now, my beloved, the Holy Spirit does not give birth to the church every day. Because birth is only once. You don't get born every day, do you? You only get born once and that's it. After you get born, you need to grow. That's all you need. You don't need to be born again and again and again and again. And born again is not Oh, my beloved, birth is only once. Later on in the near future, we'll do topics about the sacraments of the church so you understand. I'll bring you biblical references. I'm not talking out of my own thinking. I'm talking out of the Gospels, the Holy Bible, and the church fathers, which are so vital. Church fathers, the only strike of

18:30 them ever. Now, my beloved, the Holy Spirit does not give birth to the church every single day. As soon as you believed in the Lord, you become a member in the mystical body of Christ, which is the church. The church is the body of Christ. As soon as you believe in the Lord, you become a member in that mystical body or in that church. And as long as you are in the faith, therefore you have been baptized into one body. St. Paul says it, 1 Corinthians 12, 13.

19:10 As long as you're in the faith, you've been baptized into one body. You have joined the body of Christ, in other words. And at the same time, you have become a member in the one body. So as long as you are in the faith, you have joined the body of Christ. And the body of Christ, St. Paul says, the church is the body of Christ. So the moment you're in the faith, you've joined the body of Christ.

19:45 And at the same time, when you join the body, how did you join the body? You join the body as one of the members of the body. This body has many members. One is a fingernail. The other one is a finger. The other one is the hand. The other one is the leg. The eye. The nose. The ears. The mouth. The lips. The tongue. The heart. The kidneys.

20:10 The lungs. The veins. The blood. All of these members come together, make up the body. So we became... We joined the body and we became members in the body of Christ. Now, what does that mean? I'll make it more simple. I'll go to the doctor. I say, G'day doc. G'day doc. And then he says, G'day bishop. And then the doctor holds my hand. And he says, By the way bishop, This hand of yours was born before your leg.

20:57 Would that work? Can the doctor say that? This hand was born before the leg. Of course not. Why? Because when I was born, the hand, the leg, and all the other members were born together at the same time because the baby was born complete. So all these members were born together as one body at the same time.

21:22 And when the body started growing, when the body started developing, guess what? All the members grew together and developed together at the same time. So there is no one before the other. No one before the other. Now, what does this mean? There is a lot of questions today and the word what will be mentioned a lot today. What does that mean? That all of us grow together. This means, my beloved, that when Simon Peter entered in the body of Christ, guess what? You also entered with Simon Peter at the same time. Not today. You entered with him at the same time. Even though you came 2026 years later.

22:31 The day Simon Peter entered the body of Christ, you entered with him at the same time. Not now. Back then. When was the church born? Pentecost. That's when you were born. Now you may say, how? Well, I'll say to you, this is the work Of God. This is the work of the divine. And the work of the divine is what? Mystical. Mysterious.

23:02 It's a mystery. How does that work? I don't know. But God knows. You can't fathom it. God can. You can't do it. God can. God can. Don't ever say no that's impossible. Because the moment you say it's impossible when it's to do with God, you have stripped away from him the title almighty. Now, please bear with me.

23:33 It's going to get harder. I mean, easy. And this is what we call filling of the spirit or the filling of the spirit. Now, how do we receive the filling of the spirit? We said earlier that when the baby is born, what do we need to do with the baby? Feed it in order to grow and develop. Well, so is the church. So is the church. And that's where St. Paul again in 1 Corinthians 12, 13, he says, all being made to drink into one spirit. So all of us drank from the same spirit because when the baby is fed, it's fed from one mama. Are you going to have many moms? Can't be. Only one can feed the baby. You with me? So we all drank from one spirit. We were all baptized into one body.

24:38 So now what does that mean? See, I told you the word what will be mentioned a lot. So what does that mean? What does it mean to drink into one spirit? As St. Paul puts it, To drink into one spirit. One spirit, I'll put it to you in this way so we can try and make it as easy and as simple as possible for us to all understand.

25:06 Like these words are really big, you know. Theologically speaking, they're very big. But I'm telling you a story. I'm not giving you a lecture. So now, what does it mean that we all drank into one spirit? One spirit. What is one spirit? Let's take the example of electricity. I'll ask you this. Does electricity differ? Is there different kinds of electricity? Or is electricity just one? It's electricity, isn't it? Yes or no? Please be with me, huh?

25:42 And please tell me yes. Yes, are you sure? Thank God for that. So electricity is one. There is no types of electricity, no different kinds. Electricity is electricity. You grab the cable, you're in deep trouble, brother. So now, however, however, when electricity enters a fan, electricity gives us air. When the electricity enters a fridge, electricity gives us ice. When the electricity enters a motor, electricity gives us movement. Question, is the electricity that entered the fan different to the fridge, different to the motor? No, it is all one electricity same.

26:29 It is only one electricity. But when it entered the fan, it gave us air. When it entered the fridge, it gave us ice. When it entered the motor, it gave us movement. So now, what am I trying to say here? Or what is the Holy Bible trying to teach us here? You see when that electricity entered the motor, it gave us movement. The motor started moving. Now, but... According to the motor's capacity to accept electrical input, this determines the extent of its operational performance. I'll put it in simple terms.

27:21 How much the motor allows electricity to enter it, that much it can work. No more, no less. If the motor allowed electricity to enter it for one minute, the motor will work for one minute and it will stop whether it likes it or not. But if another motor allows electricity to enter it for an hour, that motor will run for an hour, for a day. for 10 days, for a year, depending on how much the motor allows electricity to enter it, that much it will perform. However, the motor, regardless how long it runs, it will always be a motor. I don't know if you're getting the drift.

28:12 So it can run till kingdom come, but it will never be anything else but a motor. So what does that mean? I'll put it this way. I went to Harvey Norman and I bought the most expensive and the best fridge ever. The best and most expensive fridge I bought from Harvey Norman. I brought the fridge home and I wanted to cook red rice on it. The fridge did not do what I wanted the fridge to do.

28:56 I get so angry because I paid a lot of money for it. I took it back to Harvey Norman and I said to them, take this fridge. It is good for nothing. You have deceived me because the fridge could not cook red rice for me. Well, my dear consumer, the fridge can never cook red rice because the manufacturer, when he came and manufactured the fridge, he did it in a way to act as a fridge to cool things for you and to give you ice. Cannot cook because the manufacturer never made it to cook. He made it to cool things and freeze things. Are you with me?

29:46 Everyone or anyone who tries to be another one, very wrong. anyone who tries to imitate to be someone else, this will never happen. Why? Because the manufacturer God, when He created you, He created you to be you, not anyone else. That's why the Holy Bible says, and that's why it says it this way, Do not be envious of your neighbor.

30:32 Do not be jealous of no one. Because you are not them. They are not you. And they will never be you. Neither you will be them. Because the motor, no matter how long it runs, will always be a motor. The fridge will always be a fridge. The fan will always be the fan, but the electricity, which is the Holy Spirit, enters the fan, the fan will give air.

30:56 The fridge can't be jealous of the fan and say, why can't I give air like the fan? Habibi, you're not a fan, you're a fridge. Are you with me now? This is all about the filling of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus returned and he was filled by the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit. Man, man, man, man. Wow. The Holy Bible is just incredible. It's just incredible. Incredible. Alright, now.

31:33 So instead of trying frantically to be someone else, you can never be. So if you've got a big nose, don't be envious of someone with a little nose. Thank God. Because their nose is a four-cylinder car. Your nose is the good old Holden V8 under the bonnet. Eight ladies, mate. When you breathe, you'll breathe much more air than the four-cylinder.

31:59 What is the problem with the big nose? Be happy and get on with your life. Stop going to Istanbul and chopping it down. It ain't gonna work. Thank God you laughed. That means you're getting the drift now. Very good. Very good. All right. So what do you need to do? Go to the Lord and say to him, Oh Lord, you are our father. We are the clay and you our potter. I am the clay and you are the potter.

32:32 And all we are the work of your hand. We are nothing but the work of your hand. Who says this? Isaiah 64, 8. Isaiah 64, 8. Go to the Lord and say, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay and you are the potter, our potter. And we are all the work of your hand. The potter chooses what to make out of the clay. The clay can never say to the potter, why you made me this way or that way. Not up to you to question the potter. The potter has authority. Full authority, full right to make whatever shape out of you. So the potter decided to make you a fan. And he decided someone else to make them a fridge. And he decided for someone else to be a motor. Stop being jealous.

33:26 Stop trying to imitate the motor. Be happy being a fan. So what do you need to say then? You go to the Lord and say this. I do not wish to be Peter or Matthew or Thomas. I don't want to be none of them. But I wish, Lord, to be the one I erased in order to live you. I don't want to be Peter. I don't want to be Thomas. I don't want to be Andrew. I don't want to be none of the apostles. I don't want to be none of the church fathers because you made them different to me. But I came to you, Lord, to say, I want to be the one who denied himself and erased himself to live you. I want to be that person. I live, but no longer me, but Christ who lives in me. I want to be this person.

34:27 Not anyone else. I want to live for you, Lord. Not be Peter. I want to be you. Because I gain nothing for being Peter. But I gain everything for being Christ-like. Stop focusing on you, on people around you. Start focusing on the Creator. The Manufacturer. The potter. Say, Lord, mold this clay and make it like Jesus Christ. The moment we do this, you will see the Lord Jesus working in every member to serve the entire body. You will see the Lord Jesus working in every member to serve this entire body. If all were the eye, where would we put the ear? And if all were the ear, where would we put the nose? You see, these are members in this body. We are what? When we received baptism, we entered into the body of Christ and we became

35:50 members in this body. So Christ, the creator, the manufacturer, when we were baptized in his holy name, in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God in nature, one God in essence, God chose for one to be the nose, for the other to be the ear, for the other to be the eye, the fingernail, the nail, this, that, everything. Why?

36:15 Because not all the body is just the eye. Not all the body is just the ear. The eye, the ear, the nose, the mouth, the lips, the hands, the legs, the heart, the kidneys, all of them put together make up the body. So when God chose for you to be the nose in this body, Don't ever be jealous because your brother is the eye and the body. Thank God for whatever he's given you. And even if you try to be the eye, you'll never be able to.

36:52 Because what God created, no one can change. No one. So you can call yourself God John and then Joanne, ain't gonna work. Ain't gonna work. You're trying to change something that is unchangeable. And not only that, you can't be someone else. Don't be jealous of no one. Imitate no one, but imitate your Lord. Therefore, my beloved, the filling of the Spirit is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

37:42 So when somebody says, have you received the baptism of the Spirit? Yeah. When? On 50th day, mate. You must have been asleep. On Pentecost, I received the baptism of the Spirit. What are you talking about? With all love and respect. Now, when did the baptism of the Holy Spirit happen? On Pentecost. And you, my beloved, through faith entered in the filling of the Spirit from the time of Pentecost, the birth of the church. Not now when you're baptized now. It was back then. All of us were baptized onto one body. We drank from one Spirit.

38:29 Let me ask you this, my beloved. The body is made out of all these different things. Members. Like we said, one is the nose, one is the eye, the ear, the face, the cheeks, the forehead, the foot, the toe. When you have a cut on your finger, does the eye say, I don't care, it's not me, thank God? Huh?

39:08 Do you say, you know what? Anyway, I didn't like this finger got on my nerves. And I'm so happy that it got cut. I'm going to throw in a party as an eye. I'm going to say hallelujah. The finger that I could not stand is cut and bleeding. Do you do that? Or do you run to the doctor personally? stitch it up for me because the whole body is mourning the whole body is in pain the whole body is saddened equally equally and when somebody comes and says Oh, you look beautiful. Does the face say, yeah, thanks.

39:55 It's only me, okay. Legs, shut up. If it wasn't for the legs that are carrying your face, nobody would have cared about you because nobody would have seen you unless those legs took you there. So now, which one is more important? The eyes, the face, the legs. No, they are all equally important, as important. Why? Because if any member ceases to function, the whole body will collapse.

40:39 If any member ceases to function, the whole body will collapse. And guess what? Who came first? All of them came together at the same time. When the baby was born, the baby was born complete with all the members in this body. So no one is better than the other one. No one is superior to the other. All of us came together at the same time. And all of us put together, the body is beautiful, is perfect. A piece of information along the way. The most pure member in the human body is the face. And the most impure member in the entire body is the nose. But we spend much more time looking after the nose than the face.

41:45 I know some of my daughters, they spend a lot of hours looking in the mirror to put the foundation, the mascara, the mascara and all the rest. That's all right. That's okay. But no matter how much time you spend you know, putting all this makeup on your face, but the nose, you are dealing with it 24-7. And especially when you're around people, you want to make sure there is nothing around the nose area. It's a clear passage.

42:15 So all the time. And you don't even realize it. It comes naturally. Straight away there is a handkerchief. Or there is a tissue. Straight away with the nose. In front of people. At home. All the time. You're spending time the most. Cleaning the nose. Than the purest. And the cleanest member of the body. The face. Now let's put it in the biblical perspective. St. Paul is saying, if there is someone in you who is a member in the body, we're all members, but if there is a member in you that is the face, that means that member is the most faithful, is the closest to the Lord, he is on fire for the Lord Jesus, and there is another member who is like the nose, big sinner, slipping, sliding all the time, drifting away from

43:16 the Lord, denying the Lord Jesus, doing everything wrong under the sun and before the Lord Jesus. He says, but if you are truly followers of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, then you need to spend time with the greatest sinner amongst you more than with the greatest saint in the midst of you. But what do we do as Christians?

43:41 When somebody makes a mistake, we chop them. And we start writing on social media platforms, did you know what so and so did? We blow the trumpet before the whole world and tell the whole world what this poor member in the body of Christ, who is supposed to be my brother in Christ, I have done. told the whole world about what they've done wrong. Yet I should have paid attention the most to the weakest member than rather to the strongest member. Isn't it, my beloved? Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13.8 I've said this story, true story, and I'll say it again. There was this saint in the third century called Saint Macarius of Egypt. Saint Macarius, my beloved, he was held extremely highly by his students,

44:53 the monks. To them, he was the saint of the centuries. So one day Saint Macarius, who was the abbot to this monastery, to this group of monks. He was the head of these monks. Saint Macarius decided to go one day and pray with his brother monk in his cell. So Saint Macarius went, opened the door to enter the cell of the monk to pray with him. He found the monk with the woman in the cell in the monastery.

45:28 Straight away. There was a big box in that cell. Straight away, Saint Makarios took this monk and the woman and put him in that box, closed it, put a little cloth on it. He sits on that box, closes his eyes and tilts his head down as if he is in a very deep contemplative prayer with the Lord Jesus. Because he knew that other monks would have noticed him going to that cell. They would have followed him to receive his blessings. And shortly thereafter, the other monks arrived, opened the door to enter and pray. And they see their teacher, their master, their abbot, spiritual father, closed eyes, head tilted, in total silence. They said to each other, We cannot disturb our teacher. Come on, let's go back

46:24 to our own selves. He is in deep prayer with the Lord. They go to their cells. Saint Makarios picks himself up. He is in charge of the monastery, meaning he had the right to barbecue this monk, to shred this monk. He picks himself up, walks out of the cell, going to his own cell with absolutely nothing uttered From his blessed mouth. While he was walking to the cell.

46:56 The Lord Jesus spoke to him from heaven. He said blessed are you Makarios. For you have hid the sin of your brother. I will not remember your sins on judgment day. My beloved as Christians. We should not be fighting against one another. Destroying one another in public. Behind closed doors, yes. But not before the whole world. And as a church family, we're all members in the body.

47:31 So if one of us is the nose, be happy. And if the other one is the eye and it's beautiful, I be happy. But don't say, look at me, I'm the eye, look at you, the nose. And you start ridiculing your brother because the Lord will be upset. Will be upset. Cannot. None of us are better than the other. None of us came before the other. All of us were born together and all of us grew together. When the body grows, all members grow together. And when the body is born, all members are born together. And all members are not the same, but members together make a perfect body. Now we come to the second point. The second point, leading of the Holy Spirit. This was all about filling in the Holy Spirit. The filling of the

48:19 Holy Spirit, sorry. The filling of the Holy Spirit is the baptism of the Spirit, which is the birth of the church. We are all members in the body of Christ and all of us are the same. We need each other. Stop fighting. Embrace one another. Because one member goes, the whole body collapses. Forget it. Forget it, my child.

48:43 The second point, leading of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus was led by the Spirit. leading of the Spirit. After the Lord Jesus came out of the River Jordan, now the word Jordan means death. The word Jordan literally means death. After the Lord Jesus had come out of the River Jordan, and he was, and baptism is death. Baptism is death, burial, and resurrection. So baptism is death, burial, and resurrection. And all of us, okay, out of the holy baptism. So when we were baptized, what happened? We died with the Lord, we were buried with the Lord, and we rose in Him.

49:30 That's baptism. Every soul that is baptized died with the Lord, got buried with the Lord, and then rose in the Lord. So now, all of us came out of the holy baptism. Just like the Lord Jesus came out of the river Jordan. He was baptized in the river Jordan. So what is required of us when we come out of the holy baptism? Well, one thing is required. To be led by the Spirit.

50:00 Jesus came out of the river Jordan and was led by the Spirit. Now where was he led? He was led into the wilderness to do what? To be tempted by the devil. Luke 4, 1-2. And was led by the spirit into the wilderness being tempted by the devil. So what happens when you come out of the holy baptism? You'll be tempted by the devil. Ha ha. Some people think, when I receive Jesus Christ, He's going to make me a king. He's going to make me a queen. All my problems will disappear. I'll live happily ever after. My illness will go. My poorness will turn into richness. My weakness into strength. I'll live like a king. When they come and receive Jesus Christ in the holy baptism, after the holy baptism, all hell breaks loose on top of

50:59 their heads. And they say, why? Why? Well, whatever happened to the Lord Jesus will happen to whoever follows in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus. So the Lord was baptized in the River Jordan. He came out being led by the Spirit into the wilderness. The moment he came out of the baptism of the River Jordan, Satan attacked him.

51:21 The devil tempted him. We will go through the same thing. After the baptism, we get tempted by the devil. The wilderness... Is your life on earth. That is the wilderness. The wilderness is the world. Now. Who hasn't been tempted by the devil here? I believe all of us. In one way or form or shape. All of us have been tempted.

51:54 Who hasn't been persecuted by the world. Which has been placed in the bosom of Satan. We all get persecuted by the world. If you're following the Lord. If you're carrying the Lord, the world will hate you, will despise you, will ridicule you, will persecute you. What they've done to your master, they will do to you as the students.

52:12 No one is greater than the master. You follow the Lord, whatever happened to him will happen to you, my child. It's only normal, isn't it? Am I scaring you? Don't change your mind and walk away from the Lord. So when we receive the sacrament of the holy baptism, which is the second birth, born again, you'll be tempted by the devil. Now, for this very reason, since we will be tempted by the devil the moment we come out of the holy baptism, then what do we need? We need to be led by the Spirit. Because I can't win with the devil. So I need to be led by the Holy Spirit. Look how the Lord He was filled, then he was led. Well, if you're not born and you grow, you can't go out. And to go out, you can't go out on your own. You need to

53:12 be led by the Spirit. Why? Because there is somebody out there waiting to tempt you. You can't win with him on your own. You need the helper, the comforter. You need the Holy Spirit. Now, Please pay attention, I won't be that long. We are in need of the leading of the Spirit. Now, why are we in need of the leading of the Spirit? Why? Because whoever enters a wall must comprehend the following. Whoever enters a wall Must comprehend the following. When a nation decides to enter a war, that nation needs to ask itself four questions which are referred to as war tactics. Four questions the nation has to ask itself before it enters the war.

54:11 Number one. Who is the enemy? Number two, what are his weapons? Number three, what is his experience? Number four, what is the ground on which the battle will be fought? I'll say it again. Number one, who is the enemy? Number two, what are his weapons? Number three, what is his experience? Number four, the ground on which the battle will be fought. These four questions are called war tactics. Now, if I saw myself as superior to the enemy, I'll go for it, brother. I'll enter the war and I'll chop him. If I see myself as superior to the enemy, however, if I saw myself as inferior, then I will do either of one or two things. Number one, I'll either surrender and make peace with the enemy, or I will

55:18 seek another power to help me, and that power must be much greater than my enemy. Now let us come to the four questions and put ourselves in those four questions against our enemy. Compare ourselves with the enemy. Who is the enemy? The devil. Okay, the devil was created, he was an angel before, spirit, so he was created out of fire. We are created out of dust. The enemy is superior. Fire, dust, no comparison. Number two, what are his weapons? The devil's weapon is wisdom. Very wise.

56:02 He was from the angelic order called the cherubims. And when you read in the Holy Bible, the cherubims, the Holy Bible says about them that they were full of eyes inwardly and outwardly. And the word eye, biblically speaking, means knowledge. Every time. You see the word I mentioned in the Holy Bible. Take the word I and put the word knowledge. So this devil who was an angel from the cherubims, which was the highest rank in the angelic orders, the cherubims, he was full of eyes, meaning he was full of knowledge, extremely wise. His weapon is wisdom.

56:45 What is my weapon? Ignorance and simplicity. the enemy is superior. Number three, what is his experience? Biblically speaking, without going into details, 6,000 years of experience. He fought against our father Adam. He fought against all the fathers of the Old Testament. He fought against every human being that came to the face of this earth till the day I was born. He won over all of them, except one, but I'm I'm talking about the devil and normal humans, not Jesus Christ, the perfect man, okay? He won against all of them. His experience is over 6,000 years. What is my experience? My experience is according to my age.

57:33 I'm 10 year old, I have 10 years of experience. I'm 50 year old, I have 50 years of experience. I'm 969 years old, I have 969 years of experience. Nowhere near 6,000. He will swallow me before I blink my eyes. Therefore, my son, my daughter, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 years of age, 21, 25, 30, 40 years of age, 50 years of age. My son, my daughter, don't ever make the biggest mistake of your life and say to someone older than you, wiser than you, leave me alone.

58:18 I know what I'm doing. I can handle it. You cannot. Satan will devour you before you blink your eyes. That's what the teenagers do. Mom, dad, none of your business. Leave me alone. It's a free country. I'll do as I wish. They go out. They destroy their life. Because who is out? The devil. Where is out? The desert.

58:45 The wilderness of this world. And the temptations of this world. I want to dance with somebody. Yeah, yeah. I want to feel the heat with somebody. What heat? I've been barbecued with this heat. Can't take the devil lightly. Cannot afford it. Too smart for you. Too powerful for you. Too wise for you. When you walk alone. Without being led by the spirit. He'll play football with you. He'll make you that football. And he'll shoot you everywhere. Trust me.

59:29 You can't win. Now. What is his experience? 6,000 years. My experience is nothing compared to his. The ground which the battle will be fought on. They always say, my beloved, those who are on an elevated grounds are in control to those who are in the low grounds. Because the ones who are above can see those who are below.

59:57 But those who are below cannot see those who are above. The devil sees us We can't see him. He is superior. In all four questions, it's a lose-lose situation if we enter the war with Satan. We've lost. So now what do we do? Either one of two things. When you are inferior to your enemy, you either surrender. Which is out of the question. You are a child of God.

1:00:31 You've been baptized into Christ. You have put on the Christ. How could you as a Christian surrender to Satan? That is an absolute ultimate defeat to you as a Christian. So therefore... The first option is out of the question. You can never surrender to Satan. Then you're only left with one and one option only. Call upon another power that is much greater than your enemy, the devil. That power is the Holy Spirit. And he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

1:01:09 If Jesus had gone without the Holy Spirit, it would have been a problem. He's given us the perfect example of how a human should live their life on earth. Without the leading of the Holy Spirit, we're all dead, devoured by Satan. So now. And he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted by the devil.

1:01:39 And every one of us, after receiving the second birth baptism, we will be tempted by the devil. That's why we need to call upon another power much stronger than the devil, the Holy Spirit. And this is called the leading of the Spirit. Because in 1 John 4.4, the epistle of St. John the Beloved, 1 John 4.4 says, Because he who is in you, Who is in us? The Holy Spirit.

1:02:14 How did we receive the Holy Spirit in us? Through the sacrament of the holy baptism. Galatians 3.27, St. Paul says, you who have been baptized into Christ have put on the Christ. And Christ is the temple of God. When we put the temple of God on us, the spirit of God will dwell in this temple because the temple is pure as God. We're not But the temple of Christ is. And the spirit of God can never dwell in a house that is filthy. It has to dwell in a house that is holy, pure as God. That's the temple of Christ. You who have been baptized into Christ have put on the Christ. And the moment we received Christ in the holy baptism, the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit dwells in us. And that's where John

1:03:07 in his epistle, the first chapter four, verse four, he says, because he who is in you, meaning the Holy Spirit, is greater than he who is in the world. Who is in the world? The devil, Satan. And who is in you? The Holy Spirit, God. So I need to call on the second option. The Holy Spirit, much powerful, much more powerful than the devil. So now, earlier I compared myself with Satan in relation to those four questions, the tactics of war. Now let's compare the devil with the Holy Spirit in relation to these four questions. Question number one, the devil is created from fire. The Holy Spirit is the creator. The devil is a creation, but the Holy Spirit is the creator. The Holy Spirit is superior.

1:04:02 Second one. The devil has wisdom. His wisdom compared to the Holy Spirit wisdom. Satan's wisdom is absolutely ignorance. Holy Spirit is superior. Third question. The devil's experience is 6,000 years. The Holy Spirit's experience is infinite. No beginning, no end to his experience. Holy Spirit is superior. Fourth question. the grounds upon which the battle will be fought. Well, those who are above can see those who are below, but those who are below cannot see those who are above.

1:04:36 We can't see Satan, the devil, but the devil sees us. The Holy Spirit sees the devil, but the devil cannot see the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is superior. The Holy Spirit wins. Holy Spirit, lead my steps in the wilderness of this world. lest I be tempted by the devil and be crushed. But when you lead my life, I will crush the devil through you, Lord. Amen. Be equipped before you leave home. Be equipped. How do you become equipped? By being close to the Lord. By invoking His name all the time. By saying, Lord, I love you. Lord, I want to be with you. By coming to church.

1:05:25 By receiving his body and blood and the truth. By reading the Holy Bible. By praying. By fasting. By doing charitable deeds. By being kind, nice, humble, meek. Be equipped. Put on the full armor of God. Otherwise, you're entering a war. can't win it unless you are ready for it. And the only time we're ready is when we are led by the Spirit. Amen? Alright. Very good. Very good brother.

1:06:01 Very good. Alright. Now this is why my beloved when we do something wrong when we do something wrong that Wrong thing we've done grieves and quenches the spirit that dwells in us. Grieves and quenches the spirit that dwells in us. The moment we grieve the spirit, Satan starts hurting us. That's why when you do something wrong, we need to come run straight away quickly to the Lord and say, Lord, please forgive me before Satan takes over you.

1:06:42 Because the moment you do something wrong, you have disconnected yourself from the Lord. You left in the open of this desert before the roaring lion, Satan. Before the vicious wolf, Satan. He's going to come and devour this little lamb. The lamb needs the good shepherd. So when you make a mistake, don't run away from the Lord. Run to the Lord.

1:07:12 As fast and quick as possible. Otherwise, Satan now says, I got you. Confession of sins. Foundational. Foundation. Foundation. confess your sin, that is your comeback to the Lord. That is your comeback. But when you say, I didn't do anything wrong, Satan has devoured you. Even if you're a saint, he's devoured you. We must hold on to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. We need to go back to Him, seeking Him in leadership and in advice. Seek the Holy Spirit in leadership and in counseling. Holy Spirit, source of life and wisdom, tell me what shall I do. Teach me what to do. I'm praying, seeking your guidance. I'm praying, seeking your leadership. Please, Holy Spirit, don't let me go out on my own. You lead the way, Holy Spirit.

1:08:45 Holy Spirit, lead me to the Good Shepherd. Holy Spirit, open my eyes on the Son of God, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, teach me what the Lord Jesus said. said and did. I want to learn. I want to get to know the Lord. But I can't get to know Jesus Christ of Nazareth only through you, Holy Spirit. You are the teacher that teaches the subject.

1:09:14 And the subject is Christ the King. Teach me everything about the Lord. Because the Lord promised that when I receive you through him, the Lord Jesus, from the Father, that when you dwell in me, you will take everything from the Lord and reveal to me. Reveal what the Lord says, what the Lord teaches, what the Lord wants from me. Teach me and lead me. So that I'm always following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd. Because the Good Shepherd leads me to green pastures and still waters.

1:10:00 Plenty of food and plenty of drinks. Not alcohol. Not 7-Up. Not Coca-Cola. Not orange juice. Not apple juice. Not any other drink. The water of life. The water of life. And let me leave you with this. The Holy Spirit will not work in you until you ask Him. When you ask Him, this is called leading of the Holy Spirit.

1:10:41 And lastly, the Holy Spirit Will not be interested in anything you ask him. That is not interested to Jesus Christ. Meaning. The Holy Spirit will only do things you ask him. That will glorify Jesus Christ. He will do those things. If you ask him for something that is not going to glorify Jesus Christ. He won't do it. You know why?

1:11:11 Because the role of the Holy Spirit. Is to. represent the king in us on earth, through us on earth. He is the ambassador to the king. Who is the king? The son of God, Jesus Christ. So the Holy Spirit only says what Jesus says, only does what Jesus does. So the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to the son and teaches you Who the son is, what the son has said, what the son had done. Why? Because unless you get to know the son, you will never know the father. And this is the eternal life. That they may know you, God alone, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. You want to gain eternal life? That's John 17, 3 for your reference. John 17, 3. And this is the eternal life. Jesus Christ is talking here. Not John

1:12:18 the Beloved. And this is the eternal life, that they may know you, God alone, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. So the question to every human being, not just Christians, every human being, do you want to live? Everyone will say yes. Do you want to live forever, never die? Of course I want to live forever, never die.

1:12:38 You want to gain eternal life? You need to know God, and you need to know Jesus Christ. Now, to know God, the only way to knowing God, Is Jesus Christ. No other way. Forget it. No Isaiah. No Jeremiah. No Malachi. No Daniel. No Ezekiel. None of the prophets. They will not tell you who God is. They get a message which is not even a drop. In the divine ocean.

1:13:08 Of the Trinitarian God. But it is the son who revealed fully God. To us. Who is in the bosom of his father. He told us everything. So to know God the father. The only way to that is the son Jesus Christ. And the only way to know Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit. That's another topic. To know Jesus Christ you need the Holy Spirit. And to know God the father you need Jesus Christ. See the Holy Trinity is one. Together. Together. Without the Holy Spirit, you'll never know the Son. Without the Son, you'll never know the Father. But to gain life, you need to know God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. But this is where Christianity is so different to everything in this existence, in this world. When you get to know a person,

1:14:11 before you live, you love them. When you know a person, you don't live. When you know a person, you fall in love with them. Isn't it? Prior to knowing a person, you can't claim that you love them because you cannot love someone you do not know. You can only love the person that you came to know first. So what leads to love is knowledge. So to know God, the Father and Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, is to love.

1:14:43 Because when I came to know the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit, I fell in love with the Lord Jesus. When I fell in love with Him, He took me to knowing the Father. When I came to know the Father through the Son, I loved the Father through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. When I loved, that day I lived forever. The moment love seizes, life seizes.

1:15:15 There is no life unless there is love. But there is no love unless there is knowledge. And there is no knowledge unless the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to the Son who is the subject and the book of the Father. Being filled by the Holy Spirit, being led by the Holy Spirit. Being filled, we are all born together.

1:15:38 We are members in one body and no one member is better than the other one. So please as Christians get on with your life Love one another. Don't go against each other. Don't stab your brother or sister in the back as Christians. That is a shame. That is an embarrassment. That is a sin. That is not nice.

1:15:56 The Lord is upset. We must love one another because all of us are members and not one member is identical to the other. So don't imitate no other member in this body. If you are the nose, well, God chose you to be the nose because He has His reasons. You better trust in the Creator. He knows what He's doing.

1:16:20 Don't be jealous of the ear or the eye. Thank the Lord for the nose because if it wasn't for you, the nose, the body would have suffocated and died. You can be saved by the weakest and the dirtiest member of the body if you focus on the Lord, not on the nose. Don't ever judge lest you be judged. Don't ever say, I know this person. You know what this person has done in their life? How could they come to church? They have no shame. They should be in the street, not in the church. What are they doing here? How dare you, my child? Don't ever judge.

1:17:12 If one of God's children comes out of the brothel and walks into the church, I will kiss their feet. That person is purchased by the blood of the Lamb of God. You don't know what happened to their life for them to end up in that place. Be merciful. Be kind. Be loving. Be caring. Be sharing. Because my son was dead and now He's alive. My son was lost and now he's found. The other son didn't want to come and marry with his father for embracing his lost son back. The older brother didn't want to come and join the father's joy. Don't do that. Rejoice with your heavenly father. When one lost soul comes back, don't ever be a stumbling stone for nobody. Christians, love one another.

1:18:26 Pray for one another. Extend a helping hand. Not a hand with a knife. Not a hand with a sword. Not a hand with judgment. But a hand with mercy. With mercy. With mercy. God bless you. Next week, we'll continue this topic. And God willing, the week after, we'll start Relationship in Christ. Now, you've got an idea now that when Relationship in Christ comes, this topic is paving the way. We need to live for one another, not against each other. We're members, yeah? Say, honey, make me money.

1:19:21 And if you don't make me money, I'll divorce you. Doesn't work in the Christian marriage. Your Christian marriage is not based on materialism. It's based on Christ, the King. That's why I'm saying this to you, my beloved. Don't be upset with me. When we talk about the relationship in Christ, if you're going to hear things and you say, oh, it's too late now. Why didn't you tell me before and pre-warned me? I would have never married that girl.

1:19:57 I had a feeling she is trouble. Too late. Don't come and stone me, please. Relax. I don't have life insurance here. and let's stand for the finale prayer. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Whether it's hatred, let me sow love. Whether it's injury, pardon. Whether it's doubt, faith.

1:20:26 Whether it's despair, hope. Whether it's darkness, light. Whether it's sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. Amen. May the Lord Jesus bless you, guard you, and protect you all the days of your life, now and forevermore. Amen. Go in peace. The peace of Christ be with you always, my beloved. God bless. you