Introduction:   David said that the Spirit of the Lord is everywhere! (Illus: An atheist intending to have a little fun with a Christian boy, said, “Sonny, I’ll give you a dollar if you can tell me where God is.” The little boy answered him, “Sir, I will give you $5.00 if you can tell me where God is not.”) In our text Paul is talking about where the Spirit of the Lord is working and having His will and way with the people who are gathered together for worship. They are yielding themselves to Him just as the Church did in Acts 1 and 2. Friends, the Church today needs to allow the Spirit of the Lord to have liberty to work as He desires. D. L. Moody said, “The Spirit of God first imparts love; he next inspires hope, and then gives liberty; and that is about the last thing we have in many of our churches.” Oh what GREAT THINGS can be accomplished for the Lord through the Church when Spirit of the Lord is able to work freely. We work so hard with different people and programs to try and accomplish the will of God when in reality all we need to do is allow the Spirit of the Lord to work freely amongst us to do His perfect will in and through us. (Illus: An old man once said, that it took him forty years to learn three simple things. The first was that he could not do anything to save himself; the second was that God did not expect him to; and the third was, that Christ had done it all, and all he had to do was to accept the accomplished fact.) When it comes to Holy-Spirit filled living and the grace of God, always keep this little saying in your hearts and minds: You can’t. God never said you could. He can; He always said he would! The question for us today is, Is the Spirit of the Lord free to do His perfect will among us?  Let us see…WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS

I.          THERE IS ABSOULTE LIBERTY (2 Cor. 3:17)

This means that people are:

A.        Free To Do The Lord’s Will

·         We all understand that Churches must have some type of order and organization.

Good order comes from the Lord, 1 Cor. 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”  In v40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

·         Many Church today are so bogged down with unnecessary rules, rituals, and formalities that it is almost impossible for the Spirit of the Lord to work!

The Spirit of the Lord has been quenched to such an extent that often all we see is dry services and disobedient saints.   

B.        Free To Offer The Lord Worship 

·         Many are afraid to get emotional in their worship.

Each person should feel free to worship the Lord any way the Spirit of the Lord directs them. 

·         Whatever is outward in worship must come as a direct result of what is inward, otherwise, it will be form without power.

WHERE THE SPIRIT OF LORD IS THERE IS LIBERTY and…

II.        THERE IS ABOUNDING LIFE

(John 10:10) “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

A.        The Lord Wants Our Life To Be Amazing

The Lord never intended for His people’s lives here to be merely a dull existence but a dynamic expression of what His life-changing power can do! As we walk in the Spirit of the Lord our lives become AMAZING! Someone said, “Living one day in the Spirit is worth more than a thousand lived in the flesh.” When we have the Spirit of the Lord within us we can live an amazing life.  1 John 4:17 says “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” When the Spirit of the Lord is within we can live:

·         A Life Of Love (1 John 4:13, 15-17).

·         A Life Of Humility (James 4:6, 10).

·         A Life Of Faith (1 John 5:4).

·         A Life Of Service (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

·         A Life Of Victory (1 Corinthians 15:57; Romans 8:37). 

Walking in the Spirit is exactly what the name means: not taking a "step" or a "stand" to pose like statues on the rock of a Bible truth, but living day by day in the name of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

B.        The Lord Wants Our Life To Be Abundant

Jesus came that we might have life more abundantly. Literally = that we may have abundance, or that which abounds. The word denotes that which is not absolutely essential to life, but which is added to make life happy. They shall not merely have life - simple, but they shall have all those added things which are needful to make that life eminently blessed.

III.       THERE IS AMAZING LOVE (1 Jn. 3:14-19)

A.        Love The Saints (Matt. 24:12)

Our Lord says one of the evidences that the end of the age is near would be that people won’t love one another. When the Spirit of the Lord has the liberty to work as He desires there will be love.

·         The first fruit of the Spirit is LOVE (Galatians 5:22). 

If there is no love either the Spirit is not there or else the Spirit is not free to work in the hearts of people.

·         When the Spirit of the Lord is present there will be love!

1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” The world may hate Christians, but true Christians show love for one another!

B.        Love The Savior 

According to our Lord the greatest commandment is (Matt. 22:37-38) “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Friends, there is no possible way for a person to love the Savior apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:  The question for us is, Is our Church a place WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS?  Can His presence be seen by our Absolute LIBERTY, our Abounding LIFE, and our Amazing LOVE?”