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Post Falls SDA Church

Willard Santee

God’s Amazing Gift

Today's sermon is entitled God's Amazing Gift.

Today we want to talk about the Holy Spirit, probably the greatest gift that God has given to us outside of his own son Jesus Christ who died on Calvary's cross.

Before we get into our study today, I'm gonna invite you to pray with me for just a moment.

Father, we wanna thank you for this wonderful and beautiful gift that you've given to your church, to your people, to the world, the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Bless those that listen to this on radio and also bless Father those who listen to CD.

Thank you for your presence with us today and I just pray that all of us might receive of your spirit this day in Jesus name, Amen.

Millie was from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

She was about to commit suicide and had just finished writing a note to that effect.

It was then that she began to pray and tell God that she really didn't want to die.

It was at that very moment that she remembered having seen Pastor Kin.

She had seen him on television once and for some reason she reflected back on that moment at that time and felt impressed to call him.

But she didn't know how to get in touch with him and didn't know of anyone that could help her, but strangers that may seem some numbers just came to her mind.

She looked at the numbers and thought, wouldn't it be wonderful if a miracle from God somehow had just come to me and this number that I have is actually Pastor Ken's number.

She picked up her phone and dialed the numbers that she had scribbled down.

Now that same day, Pastor Ken was driving on I-75 near Dayton, Ohio with his wife and children.

Perhaps you've heard this story, but it's worth repeating.

Pastor Ken and his little family turned off the highway for a rest and some refreshments.

While his wife Barbara and children went into a restaurant, Pastor Ken decided to stretch his legs.

And as he walked toward a little Dairy Queen, he heard a telephone begin to ring.

It was coming from a phone booth on a corner near a service station.

Now, you realize that you don't find many phone booths around much anymore because of the cell industry.

So this was a few years ago, but it's still a story that relates to you and me today.

As Pastor Ken heard this phone ringing, his first reaction was, why doesn't somebody answer the phone?

But noise from the busy intersection seemed to silence the sound.

As he looked around, he discovered that No 1 was paying any attention to it except himself.

And so he stepped inside the booth, picked up the phone and said, Hello.

And an operator responded, long distance for Ken Gobb.

As soon as Pastor Ken identified himself as the operator, the woman on the other end of the line said, that's him operator, that's Pastor Ken.

After accepting her call, Millie identified herself And said, I can't believe I'm talking to you.

Pastor Ken said, I don't have an office in California.

Don't you know, Pastor Ken said, you're the 1 that made the call.

To that Millie responded, I don't even know what area I'm calling.

I just dialed a number that I had scribbled down on this piece of paper.

Well, Millie, you just dialed a phone booth in Dayton Ohio and I just happened to be walking by when it rang so I answered it.

These are Pastor Ken's words concerning that experience And I quote, Knowing this encounter could have only been arranged by God, I began to counsel the woman.

As she told me of her despair and frustration, the presence of the Holy Spirit flooded the phone booth, giving me words of wisdom beyond my ability.

And in a matter of moments, she prayed the sinner's prayer and met the 1 who would lead her out of her situation into a new life." End quote.

What were the odds of that conversation ever taking place, beloved?

With all the millions of phones, the innumerable combinations of numbers, only an all-knowing God could have caused that woman to call that number on that day at that time and at that special phone booth.

It's no wonder Pastor Ken couldn't keep that secret very long to himself.

Leaving the phone booth with an overwhelming sense of the presence of God, he said to his wife as soon as he saw her, Barb, God knows where I am.

Well, beloved, God knows where you are too this morning.

In fact, He knows all about you and He knows all about me and He loves us with an everlasting love." In John 14, Jesus was telling His disciples that He would soon leave them.

But He didn't want them to worry about that because He had an amazing gift that He was going to give to them.

Of all the things that God could have given His disciples that day, He chose to give them His divine presence in the person of the Holy Spirit.

In other words, even though He was leaving, He would never forsake them.

I'd like for you to take your Bibles, if you would, just for a moment, and turn with me to the Gospel of John, and we'll take a look at chapter 14.

I'd like for you to follow along as I read, beginning with verse 16.

Notice what Jesus said to his disciples that day.

And I will pray the Father and He will give you another helper or comforter that He may abide with you, how long?

I will not leave you orphans or comfortless.

Verse 22, 1 of the disciples responded to Jesus and asked him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself or reveal yourself or make yourself real to us?

If you're going away, how can you do that?

Notice verse 23 Jesus answered and said to him if Anyone I like that you need to underline that if that hasn't been underlined in your Bible if anyone loves me He will keep or guard my word and my father will love him and we will what?

That means that God the Father, Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, will come and dwell with you and be in you.

But this promise, beloved, was not only given to the disciples, Notice again, to anyone, that means you and me, who will love God and guard His Word or hide it in our heart and not allow it to be lost, God says, I will come and dwell in you and I have a hunch that He means I'll come and speak to your mind.

He left this beloved to every 1 of us if we will Accept it.

I'm reading from the Amplified Version because it makes it rather clear and rather powerful.

It says, "...but the Comforter, or counselor, or helper, or intercessor, or advocate, or strengthener, or the 1 who stands by.

The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, or in my place, to represent me and act on my behalf, He will teach you all things.

In other words, will remind you of and bring to your remembrance everything that I have told you.

God will not only lead us into all truth, He will bring back truth to our mind when we need that truth.

May I suggest, it was the Holy Spirit that responded to Millie's prayer when she cried out in desperation, not wanting to die.

It was the Holy Spirit that brought to her remembrance the God of her childhood and encouraged her to pray.

It was the Holy Spirit that reminded her of Pastor Ken in the TV program that she had seen him on.

It was that same Holy Spirit that encouraged Pastor Ken to stretch his legs that day and walk toward a specific phone booth.

And it was God's amazing gift that spoke through Pastor Kin and changed the heart of a woman in Pennsylvania.

In our first study in this three-part series called, Why Pray?

I outlined 4 ways that we can know the voice of God when He speaks to us, and I think you might want to write them down.

4 ways we can know the voice of God when He speaks to us.

Number 1, probably the most common way that God speaks to us, it's through His Word.

First, we can read His Word and as we do we should accept it as the voice of God speaking directly to us.

In this way we will find inspiration and wisdom which is divine.

And that, by the way, is a little thought taken from Volume 7 of the Testimonies, page 205.

Notice also this statement from Desire of Ages, page 390.

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God’s Amazing Gift

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