Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days (audio)

This episode of "Be Filled With the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)" focuses on the importance of having a pure heart to see God and be filled with His Holy Spirit. As we align our heart with God's Word and live a life of holiness, we maintain a heart open to God's presence, and enter into greater spiritual fullness. The BEATITUDES (Matthew 5:3-10) describe the key HEART ATTITUDES that are necessary for us to be FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT in our soul. The WORD of God imparts FAITH to our HEART (Ro 10:17), so we can SEE God’s love, grace & blessings through our spiritual eyes of faith. When we SEE that God’s Spirit lives in us, and is willing to fill us, then we can connect with Him by faith and receive Him to fill us. Our spiritual eyes & ears are in our heart. Our capacity to hear and see God and know God is determined by the condition of our heart (Prov 4:23, Acts 28:27). It is through FAITH that we SEE God, and connect with God, who is Spirit. PURITY of heart is not just CLEANNESS (freedom from moral evil), but HOLINESS (a heart devoted to the Lord). Heb 12:14: “Pursue peace with all people, and HOLINESS, without which no one will SEE the LORD.” Matt 5:8: “Blessed are the PURE in HEART, for they shall SEE GOD.” PURITY of HEART is a single-eyed devotion to God, living for His glory, looking to Him alone for the supply of His Spirit. It means keeping our eyes, focused on Him (James 4:4,8). HOLINESS is measures the quality of our UNION with God. It happens through our DEDICATION to God and our CONSECRATION by God, by His HOLY SPIRIT filling, anointing and possessing us. The more we are FILLED with the SPIRIT, the HOLIER we are. It means to be set apart from sin and set apart to God, where He takes possession of us by His Holy Spirit, setting us apart from anything else that might claim our heart. Only the Presence of Holy Spirit within us makes us holy, so the more we surrender to Him, the more His Spirit can take possession of our heart, and so the holier we become. We must make a quality decision to put God first, that is, whenever there is a conflict between God’s will and some demand from something or someone else, you have it settled in your heart that God comes first. To have a PURE HEART is to have a single-minded devotion to God - this is HOLINESS. A key spiritual law is that God will possess whatever is offered to Him for His possession. The more of your soul that you offer to God, the more of your soul God, through His Spirit, will possess. Only GOD is HOLY in and of Himself, so whatever HOLINESS you have comes from the HOLY SPIRIT (the Presence of God) within you. Your HOLINESS is produced by God’s PRESENCE in your soul. So, surrender your soul to God and He will set you apart to Himself by filling you with His Spirit. Your SPIRITUAL GROWTH is determined by how much of your soul is filled with His Spirit. In the OIL MIRACLE (2Kings 4:1-7), God FILLED with OIL (symbolic of the HOLY SPIRIT) all the empty vessels that were presented to Him to be filled. The flow of oil only stopped when there were no empty vessels left to fill. Thus, how much we are filled with the Spirit depends on how much of our hearts we offer and surrender to God, asking Him to fill us. He will fill whatever we offer (surrender) to Him. Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s HEART is in the HAND of the LORD (the HOLY SPIRIT), who is in him as RIVERS of WATER; He turns it (his heart) wherever He wishes.”

The Rapture of the Church is a Mystery, only revealed in the New Testament (1Corinthians 15:51-52), first of all by Jesus (Matthew 24:36-44, Luke 17:26-30, 24:34-36, John 14:1-3). Pastor Derek explores the teaching of Jesus on the Rapture of the Church, a concept often attributed to Apostle Paul. As well as John 14:1-3, he studies passages from the Olivet Discourse, and the parallels of Christ's Coming in the Rapture with the days of Noah and Lot, to understand the Rapture's significance and its imminent nature. This detailed discussion encourages spiritual readiness for this event.

Understand how we can be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), by asking and receiving His presence, grace, wisdom, power and strength in our lives. Learn how to live a Spirit-filled life, empowering you to fulfil God's will with ease and divine strength. Discover the role of prayer, faith, and the Holy Spirit in breaking the yokes of oppression and manifesting God's love and power in your life. The indwelling Spirit of God is the Administrator and Communicator of God’s blessing and grace to us in Christ ( John 16:13-15). He takes what Jesus is giving us and reveals, imparts and manifests them to us and in us, for example God's love, wisdom and power (Romans 5:5, Ephesians 1:17-20). We access this POWER in the HOLY SPIRIT through PRAYER, through waiting on the Lord and looking to Him, and asking Him to fill us with His Spirit to empower us to know and do His will. We have to choose to take the YOKE of the HOLY SPIRIT upon us, by asking for Him to fill us. (Matthew 11;28-29). Then, if we come under the YOKE of the HOLY SPIRIT, that will break the power of all the other yokes. Whatever you offer up (surrender) to God for Him to fill with His Spirit, He will surely fill you. But He will not violate our free-will, so we have to come to Him, and ask Him to fill and empower us. The POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT is freely available to us and is working in us: “Now to HIM who is ABLE to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we (1) ASK or (2) THINK, according to the POWER that WORKS IN US.” We limit God by (1) our ASKING and (2) our THINKING. (1) If we do not ASK, we will not RECEIVE. Also, (2) the more we MEDITATE in God’s WORD, the greater will be our FAITH when we ask, enabling us to draw upon more of His grace. However much you grow in your thinking, asking and believing, you are not coming close to taxing God’s resources. You are only scratching the surface of what God is able and willing to give you through His Spirit, because He can do exceedingly more. Ephesians 3:21: "to HIM be GLORY in the CHURCH by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” When you allow God to fill you and flow through you, then He will get the glory for the results. When we receive the fullness of His Spirit, so that He empowers us to do God’s will, then the result will be God’s glory, for He will have done it through us, rather than us doing it ourselves in our own strength.

Join Pastor Derek as he delves into one of the most important events and greatest miracles in biblical history - the Annunciation and the Incarnation. When Gabriel announced to the virgin Mary that she would conceive Jesus, the Son of God, in her womb, she submitted in faith to God’s Word, releasing the Holy Spirit to perform the miracle in her. Discover the profound announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary, explaining the miraculous conception of Jesus as the Son of God. Explore the theological implications of this event as he explains its fulfilment of prophecy and its significance in the Christian faith.

Join Pastor Derek as he explores the concept of being filled with the Holy Spirit, based on Ephesians 5:18 and the Beatitudes. This insightful teaching connects openness to the Holy Spirit with key attitudes of the heart. Learn how cultivating a merciful heart enhances your spiritual journey, allowing God's love, power, and wisdom to fill your heart and flow through your life. Discover practical applications through biblical examples and deepen your understanding of forgiveness and mercy as vital components of your spiritual growth.

Join Pastor Derek as he delves into Psalm 95, exploring the stages of coming into God's Presence through thanksgiving, praise, worship, and listening to His voice. Go on a spiritual journey through this Psalm, which calls us to draw nearer to God, with the result that we will then be able to enter our Promised Land of blessings. Psalm 95 tells us how to come to God and receive from Him. He calls us to draw near with (1) praise & thanksgiving (v1-5), then (2) worship (6-7a), then we will be able to (3) hear His voice and receive His word to us, when He speaks (v7b-11).

Join Pastor Derek as he expounds the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 23:37 - 24:31, Luke 21:20-24) focusing on the place Israel plays in the end time events leading up to the 2nd Coming of Christ, exploring her central role in Bible Prophecy. He points to the everlasting covenants God made with Israel, their prophetic implications, and the exciting order of events leading up to the 2nd Coming of Christ. Discover how both the Old and New Testaments highlight Israel's pivotal place in God's Plan for the end times, and why the 2-stage Regathering of Israel is a major fulfilment of Prophecy.

Join Pastor Derek as he explores the centrality of praise and worship in a Christian's life. He emphasises that worship is not optional but a fundamental aspect of our relationship with God. We were created to glorify God, through (1) worship and (2) service. God seeks true worshippers. Romans 1:18-32 reveals that when we stop worshipping God, we fall into idolatry, and then immorality. Learn how regular worship can strengthen your spiritual life, helping you to prioritise God above all else. Discover practical advice on incorporating worship into your daily life, and understand the consequences of neglecting this vital spiritual discipline.

Learn how to be filled with the Holy Spirit and live a Spirit-filled life (Ephesians 5:17-18). The exalted Christ has poured out His Spirit upon His people. When we were born again, His Holy Spirit indwells us, and is ready to help and empower us, but we must ask Him to fill us (Ephesians 5:18). He is continuously available to fill believers, and empower them to live in alignment with God's will. Discover practical steps for inviting the Holy Spirit into your life and the transformative power it brings to overcome sin and produce the fruits of the Spirit.

Based on Ephesians 5:18, this series explores how believers can live a Spirit-filled life, and discover the keys to spiritual growth. Understand the importance of the Holy Spirit in empowering us to live according to God's will. This message emphasises developing a hunger for God's Word and a thirst for God's Spirit, as He imparts His righteous life to us through His Word & Spirit. These teachings are designed for those seeking to deepen their faith and live a more fulfilling Christian life. Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who HUNGER and THIRST for righteousness, for they shall be FILLED.” God's righteousness comes to us through His WORD (our spiritual BREAD) and His SPIRIT (our spiritual WATER). How much we are filled depends on our spiritual HUNGER for His WORD (Matthew 4:4), and our spiritual THIRST for the living water of His HOLY SPIRIT. The more we hunger and thirst for righteousness the more we will be filled. We are FILLED with the SPIRIT through DRINKING, but we can only DRINK as much as we are THIRSTY (John 7:37-38, Rev 21:6, 22:17). To be FILLED with His Spirit requires a spiritual THIRST. A major key to growing spiritually is being HUNGRY for more of God’s WORD, and THIRSTY for more of God’s SPIRIT. This is the KEY of spiritual DESIRE, which is determined by the VALUE we put on spiritual things. Our heart is made to desire, focus on and pursue that which it perceives as having the most value: “For where your TREASURE is, there your HEART (focus, attention) will be also” (Matthew 6:21). So, the more we value spiritual things, the more they will occupy our heart and the more we will DESIRE and pursue them. The more we HUNGER and THIRST for God, the more we will be FILLED with His SPIRIT and His WORD. So, our desire for God determines how much of Him we will receive, and therefore how much we will GROW spiritually: “As new-born babes, DESIRE the pure milk of the WORD, that you may GROW thereby” (1Peter 2:2). Spiritual DESIRE determines how much our soul is filled with His Spirit, which determines our spiritual growth. If our soul is filled up and satisfied with natural things, there is no room in our heart for God. So, we will not have a hunger & thirst for God, and we will stop growing spiritually. One of the most important things you can do is to put God’s Word first and value spiritual things above natural things (a mark of spiritual maturity). Keep hungry for God’s Word and thirsty for God’s Spirit Our capacity for drinking (receiving) the Holy Spirit, is determined by how thirsty we are for Him. (1) Our HOLINESS is determined by how much the HOLY SPIRIT fills and possesses our heart, setting us apart to God, as we give our heart to Him (our vertical relationship with God). As the Spirit fills us, (2) He motivates and empowers us to live a life of RIGHTEOUSNESS in this world (righteousness is the outworking of holiness). So, we should DESIRE to be FILLED with His SPIRIT of RIGHTEOUSNESS.