Prevailing in the Power of the Spirit
Message Notes 6/07/26
"If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference."
– A.W. Tozer
The Two Camps
The "Word" Side
The Theological Camp
The "Spirit" Side
The Charismatic/Pentecostal Camp
"If these two would come together, the simultaneous combination would mean spontaneous combustion."
– R.T. Kendall
1. Grounded in Deep Need
We need the Holy Spirit to remind us that Prayer is grounded in deep need.
“I have many more things to say to you, but they are too much for you now." John 1:14-18
We only truly learn to pray when we run out of our own strength.
2. The Goal of Prayer is Jesus
We need the Holy Spirit to remind us that the goal of Prayer is Jesus.
"The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me. He will take what I have to say and tell it to you. All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take what I have to say and tell it to you. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you into all truth." John 1:14-18"He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he hears and will tell you what is to come." John 1:14-18
The goal of the Spirit is to exalt Christ.
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." John 16:17"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper. He will give you this Helper to be with you forever." John 14:16
Word Studies:
● The Greek word for "another" is allos, and it literally means "another of the same kind" or "another one of me."
● The word for "advocate" is parakletos, and it can be translated as "helper".
"O churches, take heed lest ye trust in yourselves; take heed lest ye say, 'We are a respectable body,' 'We are a mighty number,' 'We are a potent people;' take heed lest ye depend on your ministers, or on your elders, or on your wealth, or on your charity; for if ye do, the Holy Spirit shall depart from you, and leave you as an empty vineyard, a fruitless field."
– Charles H. Spurgeon
3. He Prays When We Can't
We need the Holy Spirit to remind us that He prays when we can’t.
"Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." John 14:16"And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints," John 14:16