These Signs Shall Follow
Scripture: Mark 16:17Devotional Series: The Spirit of Truth
Teaching: The Spirit Of Truth pt. 1 (SUN_AM 2021-09-12) by Pastor Star R Scott
It’s a great gospel that’s available to all men. But what we want to talk about isn’t the witnessing through power, through signs, through wonders—and that should be manifesting in our hour. “These signs shall follow them that believe;”—Amen?—“In My name they shall,” praise God. So, there’s no question it’s the will of God; it’s the expectation of God. To live contrary to or to live beneath that is to grieve the Holy Spirit. During our study on the Person of the Holy Spirit, we saw that the Holy Spirit is not an essence. The Holy Spirit is a Person; He’s the third Personality of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit has feelings; the Bible says that we can grieve Him. What is it that primarily grieves the Holy Spirit? Your and my willful disobedience to the commandments of Jesus grieves the Holy Spirit. His job is to bring to remembrance in us everything that Jesus spoke; amen?
We’re the temple; we’re indwelt by the Holy Ghost Who is ever bringing us to the remembrance of the commandments of God and ever bringing to us the remembrance that Jesus has already fulfilled the law. So that in you and me right now, if we would yield to that Person of the Holy Spirit in us, we would walk in the Spirit and thus not fulfill the lust of the flesh. What will keep you from being in the flesh is to be alive, to be zealous, to be hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, and that will always keep us on a course opposite of this carnal man. “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh”—not “try not to walk in the flesh, and you’ll walk in the Spirit.” So that promise that He already indwells us, if these things are lacking in our lives, then it must be because we’re not hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying at this time. In the very life of Jesus, we see the necessity of this infilling of the Holy Spirit for each and every one of us.
I want to look at just a couple of verses here, and we’re familiar with them, but again just to establish these great truths. Isaiah, Chapter 61, and as you look over there in the first verse—and a very great revelation comes later on in the ministry of Jesus, in Luke, Chapter 4, verse 18—and the prophet speaks and he declares this truth, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me….” Hallelujah! Now, Jesus said, “The things that I did shall you do.” Well, if we’re going to do the things that Jesus did, we’re going to have to do it by the same power that He did. Amen? That’s the problem with why so many churches are so weak today. We’re trying to reach the world with human effort. We think that somehow if we can get enough computer information about people and do all of the different surveys of communities, and just like the salesmen of Madison Avenue, if we check out the demographics and then we give people what they want, and if we can provide this type of a music program and these kinds of buildings and 12‑step support.
Beloved, that’s not how the church was founded. It’s not how the church was built. It is not the will or method of God. Paul said, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel; it’s the power of God unto salvation.” Only one way to reach people today, and it’s not to reach them as they demand, with tickling ears, to hear some smooth message. It’s not to seek out and look to somehow draw them into the kingdom of God but not offend them. Jesus said, “I am the Rock of Offense.” Oh, I’m not talking about offending them with our method or our personalities. Let me remind you, the Word of God is sufficient to offend the majority of men, because there’s none that seek after God, no, not one. Amen?
We have to bring the same message, but it’s got to be in the same power. You know, you can hear the Word of God, and then you can hear the Word of God presented by a man under the unction of the Holy Ghost, and it makes a difference. I am so longing, in this last hour, to draw upon what God has promised is available to me and be one of those people. I want to be used in these last days for the glory of God. Just like the apostle, to be able to finally be able to take a sigh of relief and say I’ve finished the course; I’ve kept the faith, praise God! I want to continue on that course—Paul said, “lest having preached to others, I be cast away.”
We’re the temple; we’re indwelt by the Holy Ghost Who is ever bringing us to the remembrance of the commandments of God and ever bringing to us the remembrance that Jesus has already fulfilled the law. So that in you and me right now, if we would yield to that Person of the Holy Spirit in us, we would walk in the Spirit and thus not fulfill the lust of the flesh. What will keep you from being in the flesh is to be alive, to be zealous, to be hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, and that will always keep us on a course opposite of this carnal man. “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh”—not “try not to walk in the flesh, and you’ll walk in the Spirit.” So that promise that He already indwells us, if these things are lacking in our lives, then it must be because we’re not hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying at this time. In the very life of Jesus, we see the necessity of this infilling of the Holy Spirit for each and every one of us.
I want to look at just a couple of verses here, and we’re familiar with them, but again just to establish these great truths. Isaiah, Chapter 61, and as you look over there in the first verse—and a very great revelation comes later on in the ministry of Jesus, in Luke, Chapter 4, verse 18—and the prophet speaks and he declares this truth, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me….” Hallelujah! Now, Jesus said, “The things that I did shall you do.” Well, if we’re going to do the things that Jesus did, we’re going to have to do it by the same power that He did. Amen? That’s the problem with why so many churches are so weak today. We’re trying to reach the world with human effort. We think that somehow if we can get enough computer information about people and do all of the different surveys of communities, and just like the salesmen of Madison Avenue, if we check out the demographics and then we give people what they want, and if we can provide this type of a music program and these kinds of buildings and 12‑step support.
Beloved, that’s not how the church was founded. It’s not how the church was built. It is not the will or method of God. Paul said, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel; it’s the power of God unto salvation.” Only one way to reach people today, and it’s not to reach them as they demand, with tickling ears, to hear some smooth message. It’s not to seek out and look to somehow draw them into the kingdom of God but not offend them. Jesus said, “I am the Rock of Offense.” Oh, I’m not talking about offending them with our method or our personalities. Let me remind you, the Word of God is sufficient to offend the majority of men, because there’s none that seek after God, no, not one. Amen?
We have to bring the same message, but it’s got to be in the same power. You know, you can hear the Word of God, and then you can hear the Word of God presented by a man under the unction of the Holy Ghost, and it makes a difference. I am so longing, in this last hour, to draw upon what God has promised is available to me and be one of those people. I want to be used in these last days for the glory of God. Just like the apostle, to be able to finally be able to take a sigh of relief and say I’ve finished the course; I’ve kept the faith, praise God! I want to continue on that course—Paul said, “lest having preached to others, I be cast away.”