Insights
Encountering Jesus and the Holy Spirit
🌟 Simeon recognized Jesus as the Messiah and expressed his readiness to depart in peace.
👀 “Lord open up our eyes so that we can see you. Lord open up our spiritual ears so that we can hear you.”
🙏 Let us never lose the awe and worship that comes from encountering the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
🌍 “Luke writes about encounters with Jesus to make us hungry again, to launch us forward into a brand new beginning and an adventure with Jesus Christ.”
💡 Our struggles can serve as a stage for God to show up in our lives and provide us with an encounter with Jesus that we will never doubt again.
🔮 The presence of the Holy Spirit in Simeon’s life allowed him to have a divine encounter with God.
🎁 The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift received when placing faith in Jesus, containing all the power, glory, and greatness of God.
Living a transformed and surrendered life
🙏 “As we are sanctified, we are molded into the image of Christ Jesus, thinking, talking, walking, and behaving like Him.”
🌍 Salvation is not just about securing our place in eternity, but also about having a personal and ongoing relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.
💫 Living a life of yielded surrender to God invites His grace, favor, anointing, and presence to manifest in our actions, words, and prayers, leaving a lasting impact on those around us.
💫 The one thing that attracts the presence of God is genuine humility and a sincere desire for His spirit to rest upon us.
🙌 “If you want God’s presence on you, marking you, making you distinct and different from the people around you, then you gotta walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.”
💔 If you’re trapped in a cycle of sin and your own efforts haven’t set you free, it’s time to surrender to God’s power and experience true transformation.
Summary
TLDR: Encountering Jesus changes everything and we should strive to personally experience Him, allowing His presence to transform our lives and impact others.
- 🙏 We should never take God’s blessings for granted and should always be aware of His presence, as demonstrated through Jesus being recognized as the Messiah and the speaker’s gratitude for the opportunity to share God’s word.
1.1 We may have become so accustomed to God’s blessings that we no longer recognize His presence, and we should never be desensitized to His glory.
1.2 Jesus was circumcised and presented to the Lord in Jerusalem, where a man named Simeon recognized him as the Messiah and blessed him.
1.3 The speaker expresses gratitude for the opportunity to be present and share God’s word, emphasizing the desire to see and hear Jesus.
1.4 The speaker discusses her belief in the power of the word of God and shares anecdotes about her three giant-sized sons.
- 😴 The speaker was tired and excited to finally arrive at the hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, but was awakened by a loud train passing by in the middle of the night, causing a restless sleep.
2.1 The speaker was tired and excited to finally arrive at the hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, where she could have the opportunity to go to bed early and have the bed all to herself.
2.2 The speaker was awakened by a loud train passing by their hotel in the middle of the night, causing them to have a restless sleep before needing to wake up early in the morning.
2.3 The speaker describes a situation where a woman from a church forgot about a train passing by their community because they had become accustomed to the sound and no longer paid attention to it.
- 🙏 Encountering Jesus changes everything and we should strive to personally experience Him rather than just having knowledge about Him.
3.1 Living in a community where we have easy access to Christian resources and events, we may have become so accustomed to God’s presence that we no longer recognize or appreciate His blessings, and we should strive to never be desensitized to the glory of God.
3.2 Encountering Jesus transforms lives and we should strive to personally experience Him rather than just having knowledge about Him.
3.3 Encountering Jesus changes everything and Luke writes about encounters to inspire us to seek our own encounter with Jesus in all aspects of our lives.
- 🙏 Encountering Jesus brings about change and rescue from oppression and destruction, even when he comes in unexpected ways and doesn’t meet our expectations.
4.1 Living in a time of national trouble and personal struggles, the speaker emphasizes the importance of encountering Jesus to bring about change and rescue from oppression and destruction.
4.2 Difficulties in life may not always be caused by the enemy, but rather God allowing them to set the stage for an encounter with Jesus.
4.3 Jesus arrives on the scene as the long-awaited Messiah, but instead of coming in power and authority, he is born as a baby, which is not what the people expected.
4.4 Jesus came in a different way than expected, and even though he was in their presence at the temple, the people did not recognize him because he did not meet their expectations.
4.5 You can be involved in religious activities and attend church regularly, but without a genuine encounter with Jesus, it is possible to miss out on truly knowing Him.
4.6 When God answers our prayers and provides solutions, they may not come in the way we expect, but we must be open to receiving them and not miss out on His divine strategies.
- 🐑 Mary and Joseph, who couldn’t afford their own lamb, were ignored by others, reminding us that we don’t need material resources to encounter Jesus and have an authentic relationship with Him.
5.1 Luke provides detailed information about Mary and Joseph coming to Jerusalem to present their newborn son to the Lord for ceremonial dedication.
5.2 Mary and Joseph did not have a lamb to sacrifice, as they could not afford one according to Luke chapter 12.
5.3 Mary and Joseph, who couldn’t afford their own lamb, were looked down upon and ignored by others, potentially causing people to miss out on encountering baby Jesus.
5.4 If you feel excluded or ignored because you lack financial, emotional, or relational resources, remember that you don’t need to have your own lamb when you can carry the Lamb of God, which is best experienced by those with insufficient funds.
5.5 Our affluence prevents us from truly encountering God and having an authentic relationship with Him, as we are so used to being able to provide for ourselves and have not made room for an intimate relationship with Jesus.
- 🙏 Encountering Jesus changes everything, as it opens our eyes to the presence of God, fills us with the Holy Spirit, and transforms our behavior and abilities to live like Christ.
6.1 Sometimes we overlook the people who work behind the scenes and volunteer their time in smaller churches, focusing instead on those in the spotlight, but we should not ignore those who have intimate encounters with Jesus in their quiet places.
6.2 Mary and Joseph were the only ones who recognized the presence of God, and the speaker emphasizes the importance of encountering and hearing from God in our lives.
6.3 Simeon’s eyes were opened to encounter God because the Holy Spirit was upon him.
6.4 When you place faith in Jesus, you receive the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the Trinity and embodies all the power, glory, and greatness of God within you.
6.5 Being filled by God’s spirit and yielding to his conviction in our lives leads to outward expression and behavior modification, as we are sanctified and molded into the image of Christ Jesus.
6.6 The Holy Spirit provides the ability to live beyond our natural capacities, giving us patience, self-discipline, and gifts to edify the body of Christ.
- 🙌 God can transform your talents into gifts that impact and change lives, so strive to do your best work and ask for God’s anointing; having the Holy Spirit upon us allows us to experience a taste of heaven on Earth and leave an imprint of God on others.
7.1 God can transform your talents into gifts that have the power to impact and change people’s lives, so strive to do your best work and ask for God’s anointing on your words and actions.
7.2 The Holy Spirit allows us to have a relationship with Jesus and experience a taste of heaven on Earth.
7.3 Having the Holy Spirit in you is different from having the Holy Spirit upon you, and the speaker desires to live a life that attracts the presence and evidence of God’s spirit upon her.
7.4 God’s spirit must be on us, not just in us, in order for us to leave an imprint of God on others and be marked by His presence.
- 🙌 Favor from God opens doors and allows us to accomplish what He has set for us, so we should prioritize living in a way that honors Him and seek His presence over seeking validation from others, letting go of anything that hinders us from experiencing Him fully.
8.1 Favor from God opens doors and puts you in positions you may not be qualified for, allowing you to accomplish what God has set for you, even in the face of criticism or opposition.
8.2 God’s spirit on your life is what makes it so that you don’t have to market yourself because you’ve already been marked by the presence of almighty God.
8.3 Walking in a manner that honors God is more important than impressing people on social media, as our ultimate goal should be to receive the applause of Heaven rather than seeking validation from others.
8.4 Having a relationship with Jesus and having God’s spirit on our lives is what invites the favor of God and allows us to see Him more clearly in our circumstances.
8.5 Choose to live holy by laying aside sin, hindrances, relationships, addictions, and lifestyle choices that keep you from walking in victory and experiencing God’s presence, and instead yield to the power of the Holy Spirit to live in a manner worthy of the Lord.
8.6 Walk away from anything that is keeping you from experiencing God’s presence and power in your life, so that you can be set free and have a holy encounter with Him.
