Title: The Inner Special

Date: 2008-07-27

Reference: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

"One of the letters on a restaurant marquee had blown off. A single letter gone, which resulted in quite an offer. With a D missing the sign read: “Complete Inner Special, Tonight.$7.95.”

The Holy Spirit actually has the power to grant us a complete inner special. When the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts we are changed, from the inside out. This week we have picked some of the first fruit from our garden. The Holy Spirit has fruit as well. Paul wrote to the Galatians saying: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness orgies and the like. I warn you,” said Paul, “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit, the inner special the Spirit brings is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” The Spirit filled person is also a hopeful person.

Christ has always wanted to make His home in our hearts. When the Spirit came to us, Jesus gave us all the power to life the life had exemplified and called us to live. Through the fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we receive a complete Inner Special and God is present to guide us and strengthen us. The Holy Spirit is the God of all creation who wants to transform us and give us power to live the abundant life revealed in Jesus. This Inner Special is available to us now.

To be Spirit Filled means to live as if you are standing in the presence of Jesus Christ. We give each day to God reminding ourselves He is with us all through the day. When we are troubled, tempted, afraid, uncertain, His strength is available. This gives us a hope the world does not have.

Hope is a wonderful word. Hope is one of the greatest words in the Christian vocabulary. Paul said: “These three things are the greatest.faith, hope and love.” A mature faith must include a strong hope. Hope shines like light in the darkness. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for people to live with false hope or no hope at all.

The Bible says our hope is to be in God and God alone. The Psalmist wrote: “You are my God and Savior and my hope is in you all day long.” (Ps. 25:5) In another Psalm he writes: “Why am I discouraged? Why am I restless? I trust in God. My hope is in God who helps me.” (Ps. 43:5) Later he says: “I will hope continually in the Lord. (Ps 71:14)

In the book of Romans we read the following benediction: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13) Today’s Scripture reading reminds us how “God loves us and is kind. God gives us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope.” A final reference for this morning from I Peter, “Praise God who has given us new life and a hope that lives on.” Each of these verses describes the Inner Special available to us from the Holy Spirit.

One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to convince us we have hope for the future. Hope produces joy. And with joy usually comes happiness.

But hope doesn’t always guarantee happiness. Hope transcends happiness and expresses itself in a deep inner joy.

Years ago, on a bright warm, Summer morning Dr. Ernest Fremont Tittle, Pastor of First Methodist Church in Evanston Ill. Slumped forward while sitting at his desk and passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly. His Bible was open before him as he worked on a sermon for the next week. Only three days before he died he stood in his pulpit and preached on Hope. The closing words of his very last sermon were: “Blessed is the person who repents of sins and seeks the forgiveness of God. He shall have hope. Blessed is the person who dedicates himself to God’s purpose in the world for he shall have hope. Blessed are they who trust in God’s care, and who know from personal experience that God works with those who love Him, to bring about what is good. Blessed are they, for even in the darkest hour, they shall have hope.”

Martin Luther once said: “Everything that is done in the world is done by the hopeful.” I believe he was right. Hopeful people try to make a difference and to leave the world a better place.

A few months ago my aunt gave me one my grandmother’s Bibles. Underlined in her Bible was Psalm 146:5" Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for His help.who hope is in the Lord his God.” My grandmother was a devout Christian woman.Her life was not always easy by any stretch of the imagination. And so I’m sure this verse gave her encouragement the day she read it and marked it in her Bible. This verse promises everything the Christian needs.help, hope, and happiness.

We all depend on others for help.each and every day.

Everyone needs a little help from time to time. People are usually very good to offer us a helping hand. But there is one who is far above all others. He is the God of Jacob. God can do for us what no one else can do. God sends His own spirit to live in our hearts, to offer us an inner special, to give us hope for our lives.

There are people all around us who have sadly lost hope. They have no hope and nothing to look forward to or to live for. We know God is the hope of the world, and believe me the world needs all the hope it can get. As we read the papers and live our lives we sometimes wonder where the hope is.

Jesus Christ is the hope of this sad, tired, sin sick old world of ours. And the local church is called to point to Jesus by being light, salt ,and leaven in the world around us.

We are called to be light bright enough to shine in the darkness. When one knows Jesus, and one has the Holy Spirit in his/her heart, one always has hope.

The person of faith knows the difference between hope and blind optimism. Hebrews 6:19 reminds us that our hope in Christ is an anchor that will never slip or fail, even in the storms of life. No matter how dark the day becomes we have the light of God’s Word and the presence of God’s Holy Spirit to encourage us.

Magellan took 35 compasses with him as he started on his voyage around the world. He knew a ship without a compass is doomed. We know a life without hope is also doomed. Only in a relationship with the God of Jacob will we find hope.

There is a strange idea going around churches today that a believer will somehow be exempt from all the problems of the world. Not true. We Christians have not been given immunity to the pain and suffering of life.

What sets us apart is how we deal with the pain of life. When we face various trials we know God is with us, through it all.

Many things happen in life for which I cannot give a rational explanation. But I don’t need an explanation. I need to give it over to God and say: “I don’t know why this has happened, but God does. And that is enough.”

In addition to help and hope we are also promised happiness. There are many shallow, simplistic definitions of happiness. We know happiness, true happiness and joy is a by product of being in a personal relationship with God who offers us an inner special. Jesus warned us not to look for happiness in all the wrong places. Some believe they can purchase happiness. And yet some of the most miserable people I know are depending on accumulated wealth and possessions to make them happy. There is nothing wrong with having nice things and enjoying the fruits of our labors, but true and lasting happiness cannot be found in possessions.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn suffered depravation of all money can buy. In his Prison Choice he writes: “Don’t be afraid of misfortune and do not yearn after happiness. The bitter doesn’t last forever and the sweet never fill the cup to overflowing. It’s enough in life if you don’t freeze in the cold and if hunger and thirst don’t claw at your sides. If your back isn’t broken, if your feet can walk.if your arms work, if your eyes can see and both ears can hear then whom shall you envy? And shy? Our envy of others devours us most of all. Rub your eyes and purify your heart and prize above all else in the world those who love you and wish you sell.” As he knows only a relationship with the living God will bring us ultimate satisfaction and hope.

A spirit filled person is a hopeful person. Only the power and love of Jesus can bring us the hope we need. When the Spirit of God is present we have hope. God’s spirit offers a complete inner special. "