This month of July is such a peculiar month, it is special, it is divine. There is something wrapped around this month that God in His mercy, and in His grace, commanded that we should experience and walk into. This month of July, by the instruction of the Holy Spirit, is a month of DEEPER DIMENSIONS. It is a month of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is synonymous to deeper dimensions. He is always the deep calling unto our own deep. It is the Spirit of God connecting to our own human spirit, calling us deeper into deeper walk and experiences with God. So, when we say this month is the month of the Holy Spirit, we are not mistaken, because it is a month of deeper dimensions. And I pray as the Holy Spirit is calling us deeper, we would respond in faith in the name of Jesus.
Listen to podcast: DEEPER DIMENSIONS
One of the things I want us to start by looking at this morning, is what the Lord wants to say to us in Romans 5 and we will read verse 5, then we will skip and read verse 8. “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” There is no disappointment in hope for this reason, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Verse 8: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In Verse 5, the Lord is saying to us that; hope in Him does not disappoint. There is no disappointment in God because, the love that God has for us, is poured out.
So, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is a sign and it is a demonstration of the love of God to us. The question is; How many of us have accepted that love of God? How many of us are conscious of that love of God? Anytime God wants to show or demonstrate His love towards man, He pours out the Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit is a demonstration of God’s love to mankind. The love of God is shown and demonstrated to mankind, in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That is why the Bible says “through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” So, the Holy Spirit is a gift.
The Holy Spirit is a gift to mankind. The Holy Spirit is a demonstration of the love of the Father. And that's why Apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit would want to finish his letters, he will commend the people to the love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Because fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit is a demonstration of God’s love. The same way we read in that Romans 5:8 that“ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The death of Christ is the show of grace. And the show of grace is the demonstration of God love. God before we knew Him had sacrificed and shown us the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when we accept that grace, what we do is we accept the love of God. Everything is intertwined; you can't separate the love of God from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; you can’t separate the fellowship of the Holy Spirit from the love of God.
They are all intertwined, they are three connected as one. And that is why in That 1 John 5, the Bible makes us to understand. It says; “these three agree in heaven the Father, the word and the Holy Spirit.” The love of the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, they agree as one. So, when we know that the Love of God is been demonstrated to us, is that the Holy Spirit is poured out.
So, God clearly proves and shows to all His children by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is love. God loves us, and that is why He pours out to us His Spirit. That is the point of view in which we are going to start this morning. When we are talking about the Holy Spirit don't think the Holy Spirit is a feel-good Spirit, don't just think the Holy Spirit is that voice that keeps talking to you, don't feel the Holy Spirit is that Spirit that when He comes around, there is always something supernatural or spectacular. The Holy Spirit is beyond that. The Holy Spirit is an evidence of God's love to you.
So, this morning we are looking at deeper dimension and introduction. The Holy Spirit is introducing us to a deeper dimension. There is a deeper dimension that God is calling you to. So, when we sing this song: “take me deeper, deeper in love with you, Jesus hold me close in your embrace” what you are saying is “Lord I want to experience a deeper fellowship with the Holy Spirit.” Because, a deeper fellowship with the Holy Spirit is a deeper love walk with God. A deeper experience with the Holy Spirit is a deeper experience of grace. That's how it works. You can't walk deeper, in fellowship with the Holy Spirit and not enjoy more grace. That's why the Bible says God gives grace. Why?
Because He has poured His love, He has shared His love abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. So, for us to receive the love of God, we receive the Holy Spirit. You cannot as a believer as a child of God not believe in the Holy Spirit. Because that is the means through which God pours out His love to you. If you refuse the Holy Spirit you refuse the love of God. We are just going to do an introduction this morning, as the Holy Spirit leads us and in subsequent weeks, we will be going deeper in this dimensions that the Holy Spirit will want us to come into experiencing the love of God. The primary purpose this morning is to make you understand that the Holy Spirit is vital to your work with God. You can't separate yourself from Him. You can't separate the love of God from the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
James 2:26. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Now what is the Bible saying to us here? Your body without your spirit is as good as nonexistent. Your body without the spirit is as good as that body not even functioning at all. The same way, you as a body of Christ, cannot function, without the Holy Spirit. And that's why Paul at a point was very displeased with some of the churches, that said “you know what me I am for Paul, another one says I am for Apollos; another part says we are for Peter.” And he made them understand that we are but fragment, we are not the full picture. The full picture if you will sit down let us analyze it to you, is that Christ is the head. And that's why you will see Apostle Paul will take a lot of time in his Epistles to break it down to the churches, how this body operates.
As a child of God, you cannot be separated from the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the head. And as the church we are the body, but we are individual members in the body. We are not even the full body. But that body cannot even function except by the Spirit. Is there any church anywhere, any gathering of believers anywhere, and you are shouting, and you are excited? You are the body of Christ; your body cannot function without the Spirit. Your body without the Spirit is dead. And that's why we have dead churches in so many places, dead gatherings, you gather together without the Holy Spirit. You call together body without Spirit.
In Ezekiel 37 when God led Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones, when he prophesied and the bone came together, the sinews and flesh covered them, the bodies were laying there without any movement, no functioning. But when God said prophesy to the four winds, the breath, which is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, because breath is not the Holy Spirit. It is the symbol of the Holy Spirit; it is part of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Came into them. So, the Holy Spirit entered into the bodies and the Bible says they stood up an exceeding great army.
So, the army of God that God is building together, bone to bone cannot rise up an exceeding great army without the breath of the almighty. The Holy Spirit is not a feel-good Spirit, He is the expression of God's love. How do we know that God loves us? By His Spirit within us. How do we know we belong to God? By the witness of His Spirit in us. 2 Corinthians 13:14. We can't live for God without the Holy Spirit. You can't say you belong to God without the Holy Spirit. And that's why be I want us to see that Scripture again. 2 Corinthians 13:14.“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the [d]communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.”
Until these dimensions be with us all in the church, we can't walk in the fullness of the life that we have been called to live. This threefold, they have been bearing record from the beginning. And they must bear record in our individual lives, and in our collective assembly for us to experience the various dimensions and the realities that God wants us to experience. The love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Are we ready for this deeper dimension? Are we ready for this encounter? Are we ready to become all that God wants us to be? Are we ready to take our stand on the earth as kingdom citizens, as ambassadors of God? The Bible says as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God. Does that Scriptures not portend to us that it is not all, it is not all that will be led, but as many. And that is the invitation of the Holy Spirit this morning, this is the invitation of God. As many that will be led by the Holy Spirit, do you want to join that train this morning? Do you want to join the train of the many that are led by the Holy Spirit or you want to continue to live your life without Him? You can't go far without Him.
I want us to see Ezekiel 47. We are just doing an introduction this morning. I will read verse 1-5 very quickly. The Bible says;“Then he brought me back to the door of the [a]temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.3 And when the man went out” Do you know What I love about this? When I was reading this Scripture, it didn't say and when the angel. It said; “and when the man” and was repeating it. “And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand” Because the Holy Spirit is a personality.
The Holy Spirit is not a thing; it is not wind. It is not fire; it is not a dove. Those are symbols of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person. And that's why over and over again every time I read this Scripture; it reinforces the truth that the Holy Spirit is a person. And this activity that happened here with Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 47 is something that happened between him and the Holy Spirit.“And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters” Now let's pause a little bit there. Because while we are reading this, I want to introduce you to what the Holy Spirit is actually saying. Because one thing is very critical and clear. The Bible says as many as are led by the Holy Spirit they are the Sons of God. So, it is not everybody that have the privilege, because some of us think that this our salvation is common placed.
In fact, many people, children of God feel that they are even second-class citizen, it is not true. You have the premium package, which is Christ Jesus. So, when we are talking about the experience of the Spirit, or we are talking about life in the spirit, it is not a second-class life, it is the real deal. This is the life that every human being is looking for and they don't know it. That's why when Jesus met the woman by the well, He said “give me to drink" and the woman said who are you? Where are you coming from? Because that is what they say to you when you go on evangelism, forget it I am already born again, forget it, is it not Jesus? I can even quote the Scripture, I was raised in a Christian family, that's what this woman is saying.
Jesus was reaching out to her she was forming, she felt the life she was living was good, she felt she was living a premium life, not knowing that she had nothing. And Jesus said “give me to drink” and this woman was saying who are you to tell me to give you a drink? You don't even have something to fetch. You are not even living the life. You don't have the resources, you don't have a car and you are preaching to me, you don't even live in a fine house, my house is finer than yours. That is what some unbelievers will say, not knowing that they are the ones that are living the reached pitiful life. You have the premium package and Jesus said to her.
Because Jesus came to model a life to us, Jesus came to model who we are to us, we didn't have a picture, we didn't have a clue until Jesus came on the scene. Because He came full of the Holy Spirit, He came with the complete package, He came to tell us a story of whom we are for 33 and a half years. And Jesus said to the woman, if you know who you are talking to, if you know who is asking you to give me a drink, you will know that what you are about to give me is not equal or match with what I have. And that was the kind of conviction that Peter and John had, when they looked at the man at the beautiful gate. You are asking us for silver and gold, silver and gold we don't have, the water of the well of Jacob is not what we have, we are coming with a stream, with a fountain that never runs dry. Such as we have, we give it to you, we know what your needs are.
We know what your need is; silver and gold cannot solve your problem. What you need is the power of the Holy Ghost to fill you and your lame legs start to walk. The Bible says the man was looking at them intently expecting what he used to receive, the same way with the woman at the well, she was expecting the same conversation she used to have with men, the same men that she had changed over and over again, she thought Jesus was the same guy, Jesus was one of the same guys that had come to her, that had approached her, that had toasted her, but Jesus was different, He came with a life, a life she was lacking.
Can we turn our Scriptures to it? John 4, I will love to read from verse 10 because we have paraphrased the others. Jesus answered and said to her, “Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God” What do you call the Holy Spirit? The gift of God. Woman if you know the Holy Spirit, if you know the Spirit of the living God, and who it is. Jesus said “if you know the gift of God and who it is who says to you” If you know the Holy Spirit and you know Jesus that is filled with the Holy Spirit, that says to you, give Me a drink, You would have asked Him, in fact you would have made a request, not Him making a request.
But do you know the love of God? The way the Love of God is; while we were yet sinners, while we were yet ignorant when we did not know what we really needed, God has given us a provision. Because Jesus is saying to this woman, you are the one that need me I don't need you. I came to you as though I need you so that you can need Me. And that's the same thing that happens, when the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is being preached to you, and you are resisting it, it is you that need Jesus. You are the one that needs the Holy Spirit, but He is coming to you so that you will see a need for Him.
He said “you would have asked Him and He will give you living water” All these discussions we have been having, all this discussion we have been having, all these conversations back and forth there is a gift of God. There is such as we have. Why is a gift because we don't own Him? You steward Him. And this is it child of God, you steward the gifts. There is difference when you are given a gift, and it's a bread you eat it, and you are given a gift and it's a seed, what do you do with it? You sow it, but the gift was given to you.
But you have to understand the nature of the gift. That is how the nature of the Holy Spirit is; that is why Peter and John recognized this; they said see this is not a gift given to us by God for us to spend on ourselves, this is a gift to share. If you are given a carton of malt and they say finish it in a day, will you sit down all by yourself and finish 24 cans? What do you do? You share! That's why when God is calling us to a deeper dimension, we don't have the Holy Spirit as one can of malt, for one day. It's like we have Him in excess every day and what we need to do is to pour Him out. Such as we have, we give.
When you have something in excess they overflow, you shear it by default because you know you can't exhaust it. “The woman said to Him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?” She was confused, see the way you are even talking, you came to a well that is very deep. Because this same question is what the world is asking us as children of God. You have come to the earth, it is very deep and you have nothing to draw with, and you are talking about living water, you are talking about an experience, you are talking about stewarding the power, the riches, the wisdom, the might, the honor, the glory and blessings of God. Do you have something to draw with?
That's the question the world is asking. Remember the response of Jesus, what did He say? “You do not know the gift of God.” You don't know that God is able to draw without a fetcher that's the Holy Spirit, rather instead of drawing and laboring, what happens in the kingdom is that there is a springing. There is a springing forth so that you can collect without fetching. Don't labor.
That is why Jesus said come into Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest that's what He was saying to this woman. I will give you rest. Because if you know the gift of God, the out pouring of the Holy Spirit is available. let’s continue the conversation to see what Jesus was saying to her. See what this woman was saying; “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock? 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again”
Whoever collects or draws from the world will thirst again, but there is a spirit of God, the inspiration of the almighty, that gives us understanding, there is a spirit in man that springs without a fetcher. The person of the Holy Spirit is deeper than the well of Jacob. But still we don't labor to fetch from Him, see what Jesus was saying to her in verse 14. “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst” Remember the Holy Spirit is a gift and Jesus is not saying to her I will give you myself, even though Jesus was going to die on the cross of Calvary what was Jesus saying? I shall give you of a water, he said the water I shall give him will never thirst again.
“But the water I shall give him will become in him” so the gift of the Holy Spirit becomes in us a reservoir. And that's what Peter and John understood. Such as we have, has become in us. But the water I shall give to him, will become in him a fountain of water see what Jesus said "springing up" you don't need to fetch. When a difficult situation comes your way, you don’t need to do like the herbalist. They start drawing because what they have is the well of Jacob. They say all those things they want to say, making incantations. The same thing that happened to the prophets of Baal, call on your God's and they are trying to fetch, laboring, cutting themselves but Jesus said to us, this water will be springing up.
So, you come and face a situation and the Holy Spirit springing up inside of you, say to that woman let her sit down sing this song, lay your hands on her, pray in the Holy Ghost and it's settled. Immediate result, that is what happened to Peter and John, immediate result. He looked at them intently, expecting to receive the usual, then the unusual came such as you have, what is springing in is right now is that you will walk. And he was expecting the usual, give me the Anastasia that has been keeping my situation in the same situation. The people just try to make me happy with silver and gold. Since I can't get the real thing let me manage the fake. But they said to him we live in a real of unusual things. We live in the realm of the supernatural, we belong to the generation of the deeper dimensions and such as we have, we give to you.
Rise up! they didn't come back after two weeks to find out if the man had actually risen up, the Bible says in the same instant they helped the man up and he was walking. Why? There is a springing up. There is a springing up. It is about the gift of God. The gift of God is not a postdated cheque. It is now and there. And Jesus said of the water springing up into everlasting life. And this woman was about witness it firsthand. See what happened in verse 15, “The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water” This thing you are talking about now I am interested, like some of us, I am interested in the Holy Spirit right now, I am ready for an encounter, I want my life to change. This woman quickly got it at this point. She said; “that I may not thirst” This woman quickly got it at this point. “She said sir that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” I don't want to labor again. Then Jesus said to her; Jesus wanted her to experience it first-hand. Because she asked, she was going to receive right now and see what happened to her.
Jesus said to her, Go call your husband and come here, you are about to experience the gift of God. I have not seen you before, I don’t know you, I have not been to your house, I have not been to your village. I don't know your background, but you are about to experience the gift of God. “Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” I have seen the gift of God. Sir I have seen the gift of God, from giving me a drink you are now telling me about an issue. This woman is not satisfied moving from man to man. That was one issue in her life that was her secret tears and Jesus addressed it in one minute without knowing her, Jesus did not have informant, because at this point you will realize that the disciples had gone to buy food so they were not around.
In fact, when they came it was so obvious, they don't know the woman. They said why is he talking to this woman, and see how he is talking as if somebody has given Him food, and when we were going, He said He was hungry. Immediately this woman became Spiritual. In verse 19 she said; “The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain.” This has been my issue, religion has been my issue sir in our church our doctrine we can't speak in tongues, and that was the church they gave birth to me. So that I will not offend my people, I stayed there. Religion has been the issue, I love this experience, it is unusual, it is uncommon, you are really dealings with the issue about my life that they have not dealt with.
She said; “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” See the response of Jesus gave “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.” Because the love of God is about to be demonstrated to you. And God is not allowing His love to be boxed by religion. It said; “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is” and this is a word for you and I, the hour is coming, If Jesus said the hour is coming in His days over two thousand years ago. Then the hour is already here, the hour is among us long ago.
It says; “when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” When the true worshippers will connect to the Father in Spirit. James 2:26. The body without the Spirit is dead. So, what this woman has doing all her life was dead worship she had not come into the experience of a deeper dimension. What this woman was doing all her life was a dead worship without the Holy Spirit. Body without Spirit, church without the Holy Spirit, fellowship without the Holy Spirit, the love of God without the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
It said; “for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” This is the invitation of the Father, spiritual experience. Verse 24 "God is Spirit" God is not man, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” God is Spirit and the Holy Spirit is God. So, to connect with the Holy Spirit is connecting with God. God is Spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. This woman in this John 4 had such an encounter with the gift of God, for the first time in her life she was called into a deeper dimension. She had been coming to the well of religion to draw, and she has been laboring. If only you know the gift of God. God is not a man that He will lie nor the son of man that He will repent. There is a deeper walk in God, it is called a period of springing. Jesus said whoever drink of the water I shall give him, whoever drinks of the water I shall give him, the water of the Spirit, will never thirst, but the water I shall give him will become in him, a fountain of water springing up.
What is springing in you? Are you still at the well drawing, or have you received the gift of God? Have you received the gift of the Holy Spirit? Are you still at the well of Jacob, at the well of religion are you still trying to draw or you have received the gift because the Holy Spirit is a gift? Some people find it difficult to understand but it's as simple as that. The Holy Spirit is a gift you receive. Jesus said; I am going but I will not leave you as orphans. The Holy Spirit will come, He will be released, He will be poured out, because you will receive Him because He is an expression of the love of the Father. Are we ready to receive?
It is a good time to pray.
