The Character of Abba Father’s Heart – Holiness and the Holy Spirit

Last week I was blessed to speak to a group of men in Chino State Prison. It was one of those times where the tangible presence of God’s Spirit was unleashed. After sharing a message on Abba Father’s love several men came forward for prayer. One man shared with me his painful story and how God had used prison to humble him and during this time the precious work of Jesus was revealed to him. He asked me to pray over him as he goes back home, tries to be a father to his four boys, and desires to live Jesus before them. He said to me “I can’t do this, I need God’s Spirit.”

This man was so right, he can’t do it, but the Holy Spirit of God can. This is where the Holiness of the Father leads us, where we know we cannot “do life” without the Holy presence of the Father invading our heart. The last few weeks we have discussed the Holy Heart of our Father and how first of all His Holiness humbles us and reveals our sin. As Isaiah found out in the presence of His glory and proclaimed, “woe to me!…..I am ruined” (6:5). Second, His Holiness brings us to repentance that leads to healing; healing that is only found in the blood of Jesus Christ, which is sprinkled over our sin stained hearts.

And the third gift of Holiness is that it leaves us hungry for the filling of the Holy Spirit. The man I prayed for had been humbled in prison, healed by the blood of Jesus, and now realized that he needs the filling of the Holy Spirit to live for Christ in his home. The Holy Heart of the Father always leads to a desire to live for Him in the world, to be His voice, to share the story of His love and glory. This is evident with prophet Isaiah as well. After he is humbled and healed he hears the voice of God say, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And Isaiah responds, “Here am I, send me!” (6:8). And what you have in the rest of the book of Isaiah is a man filled with the Holy Spirit who prophesied about the death, resurrection, and the breaking forth of the Kingdom of God through the coming Messiah, Jesus.

In a few weeks on the church calendar we will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This is the story of when ordinary men and women who had been humbled and healed by the Holy work of Jesus Christ, were filled by the Holy Spirit to share the message of the Father’s love. If you recall Jesus told them not to move forward until they were filled full with the gift of the Father (Acts 1:4-6). So they waited 10 days and prayed that The Father’s Holy Presence would fill them. The Father filled them with His Holy Spirit and they transformed the world!

There are 12 days until Pentecost, wait and pray with me that once again we would encounter the Holy Presence of the Father, to humble, heal, and to fill us a new with His Holy Spirit. How our world needs to see a Holy Father and His Son Jesus in us. Come Holy Spirit!!!!!!