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Sunday School Back To Basics Part 5 Date: 10/16/2022 Teacher: Pastor Brian Garcia
Father, we thank you God for your goodness this morning. We pray Lord that you'd anoint her time By means of your spirit you'd instruct us that you would lead us that you would encourage us. Lead us into level ground as you've promised in your word and pray God for the illumination of your word this morning.
Both today in our Sunday school and the other Sunday schools and also Lord This morning as we bring forward your word to your people. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. All right. Praise God, we've got a great subject today.
We've been going through our back-to-basics series and we've been going through teaching on the Holy Spirit. We've been going through a series going basically to the basics of the Bible and In this week's topic is the topic of the Holy Spirit.
So that's an example. Today's topic is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is often Amongst certain circles seem to be not as emphasized as much and There's a joke especially towards Reformed brethren like ourselves that say that our Trinity is comprised of the Father the Son and the Holy Bible and Not the Father Son and Holy Spirit and and that's usually a dig at us because they say we don't emphasize the spirit.
We don't emphasize the gifts of the Spirit. We don't emphasize the ministry of the Spirit and I would say that's not a. That's probably not a fair assumption to make especially when you look at Church history and the emphasis that the Puritans and other reformed people put on the Holy Spirit and it's in his ministry.
It's it's an ignorant statement. But today I want I want to focus on the topic of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is indeed God he is the third person of the triune God and he is divine. We went over this in our topic of the Trinity we showed you some verses of the Bible that showed that the Holy Spirit not only is Person but he's also God he's a divine person, but I want to go over the first part again.
This is a really important key that we understand something that the Holy Spirit is not just a force the Holy Spirit is not just a inanimate object. It's not like electricity when you consider what some of the Other religious groups teach on the topic of the Holy Spirit most famous being Jehovah's Witnesses, for instance.
They say the Holy Spirit is a force like a wind or like electricity and it's impersonal. There's no. There's nothing personal about the Spirit. But let's see if that's true according to Scripture. I want us to turn to John 14.
John 14 Chapter 14 and 15 and 16 are well-known chapters where Jesus relates the importance of the ministry of the Holy Ghost. Now why did why do some people call him the Holy Spirit and others call him the Holy Ghost.
Where do we get the Holy Ghost from? Well, it's from the King James Version, right? Authorized version translates spirit as ghost back. Then a ghost was just an app like an apparition of a spirit. It wasn't you know, we think of ghosts today.
We think of like Halloween time we think of like dead people's souls or spirits, but that wasn't necessarily early connotation of the English word. It just it was pretty much synonymous with the word spirit and so.
Although ghost does have a more ghoulish in the German and English Development of the word does have more ghoulish connotation. And so most translations now do translate it as Holy Spirit unlike the King James Version which translates it as Holy Ghost similarly in Luke 24 when Jesus says see that I have flesh and bones for a spirit doesn't have flesh and bone as you see.
That I have the King James also translates that instance of spirit as ghosts. He says I'm not a ghost. In that text when John 14 verse 17 It says even the Spirit of truth. Yeah, I'm gonna read from verse 16 as well actually and I will ask the father and he will give you another helper.
To be with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him. Nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you. And will be in you. What's what's surprising about that description of the Spirit that Jesus gives us in John 14?
What's interesting about that description? Go ahead pastor. What kind of pronouns specifically? Personal masculine pronouns. He him right, you know in the day and age that we live in where pronouns are so important enough and so much.
We're up to debate. You know, what kind of pronouns should we give people what kind of pronouns. But first of all, we we don't get to. Give each ourselves whatever pronouns we want. We don't have that authority because we're not the designers of the English language.
Nor are we God? But God does have the authority to do so and he attributes himself in the spirit personal pronouns. Masculine pronouns. This is personal masculine pronouns in the Greek he him. Even the way that he's described as another helper.
There's a. In the Greek construction. It's it's talking about a person. There's no way you can construe it any other way another in another what? It's another another person another helper another like the same of the same nature and substance of the one who came before him.
Which is Jesus so so clearly there is a clear picture here of the personal pronouns that's used of the Spirit and so I want you to put it this in if you're following along in the teaching the Holy Spirit is a person.
It's a person. You know, the Holy Spirit is not a force or and you can fill the rest of it like this not a power or force. Again, similar to what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach and say we see more evidence of this in the same chapter 14 verse 26 He says but the helper of the Holy Spirit whom the Father was sent in my name.
He personal masculine pronoun will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you then chapter 16 of John and verse 13 Jesus says the Spirit when a spirit of truth comes he again personal masculine pronouns will guide you into all truth for he will not speak.
Can an inanimate object or force or wind speak? No, they don't speak. But he will not speak of his own authority. But whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Okay. Pretty clear, isn't it? The Holy Spirit is a person. He's a person and he is indeed a person now. I want to examine some some other verses of Scripture. There are those who would say, you know Jehovah Witnesses other Unitarians as well would make the error and assumption of saying that Jesus, but the Holy Spirit is a force or power.
But but that would be incorrect. I want you to look at Zechariah chapter 4. Zechariah chapter 4 pretty cool well-known verse verse 6. Zechariah 4 6 says. That he said to me. This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel not by might nor by power.
But by my spirit says the Lord opposed did you catch that not by might. Not by our. But by my spirit sometimes people would say, you know Unitarians and JWs would say that the Holy Spirit is like the power of God.
But the Lord says is not by power. So he doesn't equate the spirit and there are times where the spirit is equated with a certain power, of course. But but he's he's differentiating that my spirit is not just a power.
It's not just a force. It's not by force. It's not by by power, but it's by my spirit. So the word might means like strain for force. So it's not by force not by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of hosts.
So clearly the Holy Spirit is not Just a force. Does that make sense? He's a divine person. He is Again spoken of as a person by Jesus and Jesus is the authoritative word. He's the authoritative Incarnate one who relates to us the words of the Living God and so we can trust Jesus in this circumstance.
We can trust the Prophet Zechariah. We can also trust Jesus again in Acts chapter 1 and Verse 8 maybe some of you know this verse. If not, you should commit to memory because it's a great verse. Acts chapter 1 verse 8 Jesus says the following to his disciples, but you receive power.
When the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea Samaria and to the end of the earth. So you'll receive what? Power when the Spirit comes upon you. Okay, that's what the Spirit does.
He gives us a power. He enables us he empowers us, but he himself is not just a generic power. He's not just a force or a wind. He's a divine person who is empowering you. And that that brings forth a connotation of a relationship, right, that's right.
That's right, that's a good point. Certainly, we want to understand clearly then that the Holy Spirit is a person. Is there any doubt then in our minds now after reading some of these scriptures and there's so much more that we could go Through but is there any doubt that the Holy Spirit is it is a person not a force?
He's a person and it's so crystal clear and and I understand the the Unitarians and Joe when it's I used to be one obviously, so I understand that perspective very well. And one of the things that they they note about the Holy Spirit is that you know, he's not given a personal name.
Right. So you have Jesus that's a personal name if you have Jehovah, that's a personal name. But but the Holy Spirit is it sounds more like a title. It's not a personal name and yet we've examined a couple weeks ago how there are times in which the Holy Spirit is called Jehovah right we examined scriptures for instance in 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 verse 17 now where the Spirit of the Lord is That's Jehovah where the Spirit of the Lord is there's Liberty and now Jehovah is the Spirit.
Right, and so we've seen times when the Holy Spirit is directly named Yahweh or Jehovah. And then we also seen in times in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 7 through 11. Where it's quoting from the Old Testament the Old Testament speaker was Yahweh and yet the New Testament writer attributes that to the Holy Spirit.
Right. There's also times in scripture like in I think of Acts chapter 13 verse 2 where Paul Is the Holy Spirit speaks to Paul? It says the Holy Spirit said set apart for me Paul and Barnabas for the work of the ministry.
Okay, so the Holy Spirit speaks right is all things that are consistent with a person all things that are consistent with a with a personal being not an impersonal being. That make sense. Yeah. Yeah, it's like electricity yeah, yeah, it's not a good one because it makes the Holy Spirit impersonal.
Yeah. They maybe but you know, it doesn't make a lot of sense. You receive power when the power of God comes upon you. It's almost it's it's it's a double entendre doesn't make a lot of sense but. You know, of course there are times in scripture where the Holy Spirit seems To be associated with power and rightfully so because you know, think of what animates your body.
It's your spirit. You know if you the body without a spirit is dead scripture says, right? So if you have no spirit There's nothing to animate your body. So it's just it's essentially assumes like your life force, right?
And so without the spirit the body is dead and so so there there is that connotation, but again, God is Trinitarian, he's not a Unitarian being similar to what we are. And so his the distinction of the persons are More clearly defined than what would be the case of us for instance, right?
So let's let's look at some other good things. So we've got the first line the Holy Spirit is a person not a power or force. But something else about the spirit that must be understood. I want you to turn to the first book of the Bible.
Anyone know what Genesis 1 1 says in the beginning what God? Come on kids. So it says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and then the very next verse the earth was about form and void and darkness was over the feet the face of the deep and The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Now this is a fascinating text. It's way more fascinating that we've been given credit because I did a study on this for seminary under Bruce Waltke and Bruce Waltke is like one of the leading Old Testament scholars in the world just a brilliant dude and.
And and he brought he has a view of Genesis chapter 1 2 and 3 that I don't really agree with. But I think he was spot-on and bringing out the complexity of the first opening verses of Genesis and One of the complexities that he brings in is that is that Genesis is painting a picture, okay?
In verse 2 the earth was about form and void and so this is the opposite of life the earth was Inhospitable to life. That's the point that that it's trying to get across that the earth was not fit for life.
The earth was was there was a there was a what he uses the term assert evil, you know what assert evil means assert s you are the evil cert evil. So for instance Climactic events like a tornado or a hurricane that kills people that would be considered assert evil.
It's a natural evil. It's it's it's not it's it's not something that is. It is it is Morally ambiguous in a sense. It's It's not that you did anything wrong. So God killed you for hurricane or or tornado, you know good good and bad people die alike, right?
Yeah chaos exactly like assert a chaos and and that's the idea of the early formation of the earth. The earth was formless and void. It was it was this chaos. It was inhospitable towards life and then what comes into the picture what's over the surface of the deep.
It's the Spirit of God. And it's the Spirit of God that is able to transform. The formless voidless cert evil to be a place of hospitable life. And so where the Spirit is there's life and that is always kind of the big mega, you know.
Main picture of the ministry of the Spirit throughout the Bible right where the Spirit is life follows. Right where the Spirit is not death follows. You see the you see the the picture that it starts right here in Genesis chapter 1 verse 2.
Every time the Spirit comes into the into into the picture it produces life where the Spirit is not in the picture. Produces sir chaos evil all these things and you see that early on even here. Yeah. Yeah.
That's right, that's right. That's right. And so one of the reasons I want us to look at this verse is because It says in the in verse 1 God created the heavens and the earth. Yet verse 2 reveals that the Spirit is active in that creation work because without the Spirit there's no life.
Right. Jesus says something very similar in John chapter 3 when he talks about being born again. He says that which is born of the flesh is flesh. But that which is born of the Spirit of Spirit you need a spirit to live.
Spirit is where is where life comes from. You can't have even biology teaches you can't have life from non life. Right, there has to be an origin point and the Bible is demonstrating that God is the origin point of life.
He is doing who brings forth his rule off his spirit and that produces our spirit within man, right? So that's why God in chapter 2 Genesis God forms man out of the dust of the earth and he breathes into him.
So the word for spirit is ruach, which basically means like like breath or wind, right? And so then God literally breathes his spirit into into the form of man and Man now is alive now. He has a spirit and so God imparts his spirit to to man and now man is alive.
And it says that man became a living soul. That's the word in a fetch became a living soul and so the. The picture here is really beautiful and it's very clear. But the spirit is active in creation to spirit is The Creator, how do we know this?
Well notice what it goes on to say later on in verse chapter 1 verse 26. Then God said let us plural make man in our image. After our likeness. Then it goes on to say so in the image of God he singular masculine pronoun.
Created male and female, right? So you see the complexity the unity and diversity of the Trinity early in the text of Scripture. Pretty it's pretty clear. This is a Trinitarian text. I know there's scholars today like Michael Heiser and stuff would say that this is not a reference to the Trinity.
This is reference to maybe the Divine Council to me. That's problematic in a couple ways because then it makes the divine angels or the Divine Council equally image bearers. To Yahweh where we don't see any indication of that elsewhere in Scripture.
There's no scripture that says that Angels are created in God's image similar to like how we are. And so whoever was whoever the Lord was speaking to had to have shared in the same image because it's in our image right and Angels aren't anywhere that I'm aware of in Scripture referred to as being in the image of God.
Representative certainly of God but not in the same as we are as image bearers, which makes us unique and different from the rest of the angels. Anything you guys want to ask her? Yeah. Oh. Absolutely.
Absolutely huge connection. Love you. A lot of people struggle that text in John 21 because they don't know what to do because it says that he breathed on them the Holy Spirit, but then it isn't until Acts chapter 1 or 2 that they actually receive the Spirit.
So so what does this look like? What does this mean? And what's the differentiation there? That's part of it. Part of it is that we are moral agents more moral beings with volition will and it also means.
It really depends on where you fall in the debate in terms of. You know, there's the there's the there's a dualist not dualist but you know, there's those who believe in that man is a composite of two essential natures or Aspects and then there's those who are trichotomous who would say that there's there's three things that make humans human.
So the the Dualist would say there's there's body and soul soul and spirit are the same thing and then there's a trichotomous say there's body soul and spirit and the soul in the spirit though very Similar are distinct and I would fall more in that category.
I do think there's a bit of a distinction and. And. And where I break it down is this I think that what it means that we're creating God's image is that we are creatures. Unlike the animals who have spirit.
Our spirit allows us to commune with God. It allows us to worship. It allows us to pray. You know animals don't do that. So what differentiates us when you look at the creation account Genesis 2 and 3 Chapter 1 2 3 you see that animals are also called living souls.
ESV translates it being they became a living being. The word being means is a soul in the Hebrew and It says that man became a living soul as well. So when you look at it animals and humans both have a body.
They both have souls or they are a soul. Okay. It's not what you have is what you are. You are a soul. You don't have one you are one. Okay, but what differentiates us in my opinion from the animals. Is that we have a spirit?
We are spiritual beings and it's a spirit that allows us to commune with God now that is in a sense a small Microcosm of the Trinity as well, right. God is father son spirit. We are in my opinion made up of a composite of a trichotomy.
We are body soul and spirit. This is in a similar fashion as God is father son and spirit, but still, you know, we're creation. He's created for way bigger way way different. So so we're not we're not a perfect image of the Trinity.
But but even so I think that that a trichotomous view does help in that regard. But but most of the but I'm on the I'm on the minority and most reformed and puritan Christians in that regard most Puritanical and reformed Christians think that soul and spirit are just interchangeable for the same unseen aspect of man.
And I think that that's mostly right, but I think You know It doesn't do justice to the totality of I think the difference that scripture brings out to those two Aspects of the unseen part of man. Yeah.
So, let me let me go a little deeper in that. I think I think I can persuade maybe some of you at least That the image of God isn't simply like having moral power or character or even volition and will.
But I really think it's a spirit. I think it's having this the spirit your spirit is what? God is spirit. He gave you spirit so that you can you know, you are an image bearer of God and and I know that this is Probably most likely the case because look at what the scripture says elsewhere in Regard to the spirit of man.
It says in Colossians. Let's just go there real quick. Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3 it says in verse. Starting in verse 9 Colossians 3 says do not lie to one another seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self.
Which is being renewed and knowledge after the image of its creator. Okay so notice. Truly, you know when we as as Christians we say that Correctly but also partially incorrectly that everyone Every human is made in God's image.
That is true. But that image has been tarnished. It's it's dead. You are spiritually dead. The Bible says apart from Christ and so it's only when You put off the old self. That's the old man and you put on the new self that's being born again.
This is born-again language. Then you are being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Okay, so it's only in Christ that we're truly putting on the image of our creator. Now, what's the difference between an unregenerate person a regenerate person?
One is spiritually dead one is spiritually alive spiritually live meaning that your spirit is either dead or alive. Okay, and so to me that that points to a very clear line between Spirit meaning that the spirit is what really identifies us as image bearers of God.
It's a direct line there between this verse and other verses. Showing that the spirit is what connects us to God's image and if we're spiritually dead We're not in his image fully, but if we are spiritually alive, we're born again.
We are in his image. Does that make sense? That's right. That's right, that's right see that same picture. All right. Hey, yeah. Got a question. Correct and. Well, so so we're all created there's a sense in which we are all creating God's image.
No, but this is interesting though, because it says in in Genesis God made male and female in his image. He said who's he talking about? He in Genesis chapter 2 verse 26 27 He says God made man in his man and female in his own image.
Who was he talking about though? Adam and Eve. He's talking about Adam and Eve. So the When you look at that and then you could you you you go to Genesis chapter 5 verses 1 to 3 it talks about how Adam and Eve had children how Adam and Eve were creating God's image and Then Adam and Eve bore children who bore their image.
Wait a second here. This is very important. It's very interesting. So all of humanity this is under in this this makes sense of the under the doctrine federal headship that Really truly, you know, we bear a resemblance of the image of God as as natural humans, but we're really actually an Adams image okay, and That's why first Corinthians 15 Paul is very clear that there's two Adams.
There's the first Adam if you're under the first Adam, you're gonna die. If you're under the second Adam who became a life-giving spirit He brings life right and so you're either under the first Adam.
You're either in the first Adams image or you are under the image of the second Adam. That's Jesus Christ. Okay. So again, there is there is a sense in which we're all creating God's image. That's true.
But it's basically like, you know, we're a stamp of a stamp, you know Adam and Eve were creating God's image then they fell and now we're after Adams image. But it's only in Christ that that image is restored.
The image of God is restored To those who are in Christ. Does that make sense? That's technically still a true statement, right? So it's not that's not wrong but it's again, it's like You know humans were copies of our ancestors.
Yeah. You might look at a kid like me. He looks just like his father. They look at the father. He looks just like his father and you know, we're there was an original mark an image. But it gets you know less and less it gets kind of lost after time, you know.
So because we all originally have one father. It's Adam and Noah. You know, we all we all go back to one lineage to one family. And so so that's that image has been has been lost in a sense. You still have it.
It's like it's still there in shape, but you haven't been renewed. You haven't been born again. And that's when you truly receive the image and mark of God again. That's right. That's right. So back on the topic of the Holy Spirit.
That second line is the Spirit is the creator. Alongside the Father and the Son. All those verses I provided for you there prove that the Holy Spirit is indeed the Creator. Let's look at Joe chapter 33 for a moment.
Fun fact the book of Job was the first book of the Bible written. Did you know that look at Job is the oldest? book of the Bible even older than Genesis Job chapter 33. I'd like to read verse 4 actually.
Yeah 33 for The Holy Spirit the Spirit of God Made me a light who says to Job the Holy Spirit made me this is a Phenomenal text that shows that the Spirit is the Creator just like we see in Genesis 1, right?
This it's a spirit that brings life. It's a spirit that's hovering over the surface of the deep. Then you have the Holy Spirit here. Being the one referred to as the one who made me the one who fashioned.
The one who created me and the breath of the Almighty remember the word spirit can often has a connotation of breath or wind and The breath of the Almighty gives me life similar to that's hearkening back to Genesis chapter 2 when the Lord formed man out of dust.
And he breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul. It's that same imagery again. Okay. We'll do one more text in Psalm. Let's go to Psalm 104 this is the next book over Psalm 104 in verse 30.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created and you renew the face of the ground. Again, that's very similar to Genesis chapter 1 again. When you send forth your spirit, they are created. So the Spirit is one who brings forth creation.
He's the one who brings forth life and the when you and you renew the face of the ground. Remember that in Genesis 1 the surface of the deep was void and formless and Inhospitable to life and the Spirit comes and he brings forth life, right?
So it's only after the introduction of the Spirit into that context of cert evil that life begins to infiltrate creation again and. So you have some pretty solid verses here that all prove what the Holy Spirit is Person and he's also the creator.
He's the creator. So again, you have three persons father son and spirit who are all called God Lord Yahweh creator and yet the scriptures cannot be broken. There is but one Yahweh. There's only one God.
There are three persons who eternally exists as the one true everlasting God father son and spirit. So this is a this is a brilliant expose on the Trinity and on the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. So I hope this is helping you any questions in this regard.
Go ahead and you go first Charles. Yeah, I understand where you come from the The Orthodox, there's a lot of Orthodox Jews. They actually who aren't even against abortion based upon that principle, you know they don't think that a Baby's alive until they take the first breath and there is of course a technicality where that's true in a sense, right?
Obviously. That's true in a sense. But also not completely accurate because the mother is breathing for the baby. The baby is receiving oxygen nutrients through the mother and so it's not as if he as if the child is unborn.
I mean something that think of what it means to have life to have life means that there is a level of Activity brain heart Organ, there's a level of activity there that is unique to you to living growing Creatures and so the the infant in the womb is is entirely human.
Right, we're not we it would be wrong to assume that they're subhuman just because they're missing, you know. There's there's you know, three inches of separation between the womb and and this and outside the womb.
You know that that doesn't make a lot of sense. And obviously, you know. You know that that child is a living soul. It's receiving nutrients oxygen from the mother. So. Yeah, absolutely absolutely good you had a question to.
Already The Holy Spirit's always. Well, like some 139 says from where can I flee from your spirit if I make my bed in Sheol? You're there if I make my bed in heaven, you're there. You can't outrun the spirit spirit, you know spirit is God and.
And the whole and God is omnipresent Omnipotent omnipotent. He's everywhere at all times. He's he fills the universe by the by the breath of his might. He's everywhere. So it's not like, you know. No, what Jesus refers to which we're gonna get into in a minute here is clearly a new aspect of his ministry towards the elect.
When he talks about sending the spirit, this is not that all the Holy Spirit's never been on earth before. Because we know that's not true because he anointed Kings anointed prophets. You know Samson was filled the Holy Spirit.
These are you know, there are all these stories of men in the Old Testament who were filled the spirit, right? So clearly. You know, it's just referring to the spirits a new ministry of the spirit so to speak does that make sense.
Yeah. Yeah visiting in a new way. Let's go to back to John chapter 14 and we're gonna learn a little bit more about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. John chapter 14 and can someone read verses 15 through 18 15 through 18 like to read that.
So what what does Jesus call the spirit who does he promise to to send he just said it help her. He's our helper. Sometimes they this could be translated as comforter different translations or advocate counselor and He is referred to as our helper.
And what way does the Holy Spirit help us? Yeah, how does the Holy Spirit help us? Hmm. That's right. That's important, isn't it? He brings to remembrance teachings of Scripture. Alice's a spirit help us.
Amen. Matter of fact, that's another text that we can look at in Romans chapter 8 verse 26 and 27. It says in Romans 8 26. Likewise the spirit helps us. Okay, what did Jesus say who's gonna send a helper.
Paul says likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know who to pray for as we ought but the spirit himself intercedes for us. We're growing too deep for words and he who searches hearts knows.
What is in the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God? One of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us is that he's who intercedes For us in our weakness.
So what you write that in there he intercedes. The Holy Spirit is our helper who intercedes. What does that mean to intercede? What does that mean? That's right. That's right, which is why some translations translate the word comforter as a counselor advocate is because it's all kind of a similar connotation.
He's the one who stands in the gap you know, so if you were. If you were, you know in trouble with the law and you had to go to court. You want a lawyer or a public defender and that's the person who's gonna stand the gap where he's gonna advocate for you.
He's gonna counsel. He's gonna help you in Your situation and so the Holy Spirit is our helper. He's our advocate. He's our counselor he's who intercedes for us on behalf of the father or you know before the father and He's the one whom Jesus sent.
So the the spirit proceeds from the father and the son and and he brings forward his ministry of Intercession for us and really one of the ideas of intercession is like think of praying praying right when we pray.
We're doing an intercessory work and the Holy Spirit is essentially think about this is this is kind of crazy. The Holy Spirit is praying for you. Isn't that cool? Like think about it, you know, wouldn't you feel real real comforted like if you know, if you know.
Some of you guys know Paul Walsher if you ask Paul Walsher to pray for you and and he would pray for you. Wouldn't that be a cool thing, right? Like you'd feel like oh, man. Like man got this guy's praying for me.
But you know, it's only even bigger and better than Paul Walsher's out there praying for you and his name is the Holy Spirit. Right, and the Holy Spirit is interceding for you. He's praying for you. He's he's doing it with words and grows.
It could not even be expressed. Yeah, that's right. That's right, which is interesting because he says in John 14 or Was it 14 that we just read. Yeah, where he talks about I'm gonna send you another helper and he says I will not leave you as orphans I will come to you.
Right. Jesus is going to come to us through the ministry and work with the Holy Spirit. Right, that's how he comes to us. And so the Holy Spirit is you know. It's very important. He's. He's the one who leads us to the father.
He's who intercedes for us in our weakness. He's our helper. Phenomenal, isn't it? It's just a such a grace that we can have such a great helper and. Yeah, any thoughts or questions on that. Absolutely, and that is the chief way by which the Spirit ministers to us is by.
Again, what Jesus says he would do bring to you remember. It's all that I have taught you it's by bringing us back to scripture and. And the Holy Spirit will never contradict scripture, you know, my wife grew up in a very charismatic Pentecostal background and we're basically, you know new revelations every week is what was expected and.
And you know, if you don't have a word from the Lord, you know, it's always like a new word a fresh word. I want a fresh word. I want a new word from God and and it's always this anticipation of. You know, the Holy Spirit has to speak to you and He has spoken.
It's his word. The Holy Spirit has spoken. You know this this is not by the thoughts or in inventions of man. It's not by clearly devised myths as Peter says, but that these men were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Okay Scripture has its origin in the work of the Spirit. It is divinely inspired. Therefore he speaks to us primarily through his word. Now. Does that mean that the Lord won't use the Spirit to maybe?
You know speak to you or bring a certain certain sort of conviction. Well, certainly he does that right? I mean I tell you guys the four things you have to you know. Consider if you want to be in God's will and the first one is you have to make sure it's biblical.
Second is the Spirit of God has to bear witness testify. That means that there should be you know, there should be a sense of discernment of saying, you know I think the Spirit is leading me in this direction.
I was just at a lunch of a couple pastors and this one nice pastor from Hollister. He's moving from Hollister to Texas and so and it seems to be a big theme that a lot of pastors are leaving California.
Going to greener pastures and more freer states, but You know, he was saying how he felt a clear call and conviction To to go there and so that that's one of the marks of being a Christian is that the Holy Spirit will will Reveal to us his will and his desire for us.
Similarly as I had a desire and will to come here from Wisconsin clearly the Spirit leading In that direction and I would say the Spirit has blessed Me coming here. Amen, right and I think it's certainly what the Lord's will was for me and my family.
Yes, sir, that's right. Righteousness, that's right. That's right. Exactly that's our next next conversation dear John from John 15. Why don't you turn there? John chapter 15 notice what Jesus says again about the Holy Spirit, but when the helper John 15 26 When the helper comes whom I will send to you from the Father the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father.
He will bear witness about me. So, what is this? What is the Holy Spirit's? Main objective. What's his work? What's the Spirit of truth leading us to it's to Jesus, right? The Spirit is his ministry his work is to exalt it's to make Jesus know.
That's the purpose of the Spirit and in his in his Trinitarian Mission essentially in the work of salvation. It's to sanctify. It's to set apart but also to exalt Jesus. Now it's something you must be aware of Brethren is that there is no competition within the Holy Trinity, right?
And so there are certain times in which I think charismatic will often Overemphasize the Spirit because they feel like he's been excluded and the Holy Spirit is not being excluded. He's doing exactly what he is Supposed to do which is to make Jesus know.
When Jesus is made known the Holy Spirit is glorified. Right and so when Jesus is worshipped when Jesus is is the center of our of our of our of our Christian worship that exalts the Spirit because that's his work.
So where Jesus is exalted. That's where the work of the Holy Spirit is right, and so we don't have to Create a crisis within the Trinity. We don't have to You know pick one member of the Trinity against another or say that that one is forgotten or one is is not the center.
Clearly the Spirit's work is to testify of Jesus. It's it's to it's to witness about Christ and we see this even more clearly in John 16 verse 7 he says Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away.
Christ saying that's it's it's to their the advantage of the Christians to the other Disciples that he would go away for he's gonna die and he's gonna send to heaven. For if I do not go away the helper will not come to you but if I go I will send him to you and when he comes he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
So that's the work one one of the ministries of the Spirit is of course to convict. Which is why I tell you brethren One of the ways to discern God's will is that there should be a bearing witness a testimony of the Spirit.
There should be a conviction. The Spirit convicts sin righteousness and judgment. So this is part of the Spirit's work. But then in verse 12 says I still have many things to say to you, but cannot bear them now.
But when the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth. For he will speak and for you not speak of his own authority. But whatever he hears he will speak. He will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me. For he will take what is mine declared to you all that the father has is mine. Therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare to you see the cohesiveness of the Trinity there Jesus saying that all the father has is mine.
Therefore because of that I will take what is mine and declare it to you through the Spirit. There's no competition within the Trinity. There's no animosity. There's no butting heads in the Godhead. This is a cohesive beautiful Orchestra that the Lord has in his In his Trinitarian nature and the whole purpose verse 14 is that he will glorify me the Spirit will glorify me.
So where Jesus is glorified the Spirit is at work. Amen. And so the Spirit's ministry is to exalt whom? It's exalt Jesus. That's the whole purpose of the ministry of the Holy Ghost. Any thoughts or questions?
Have you learned much of the Spirit today? Now it's not just one thing that we learned about the Spirit, but it's another thing to put on the Spirit. And the only way we can put on the Spirit is if we have Christ in our heart.
Like we're talking about this supernatural being Supernatural person who can dwell in us and you know, one of the things that he does is that when as a Christian when we sin He doesn't he doesn't he doesn't just let it slide.
He'll nudge you he'll you know He'll do a lot of things to get your attention so that you understand that He's the one who convicts of sin and righteousness, right? And so we need to remember that the Holy Spirit is our helper and so we don't have to run from him.
We should be running to him. And so if you're struggling this morning You're having a hard time. You have issues at home. Whatever your situation may be. The Spirit is our helper. He's our helper. There's a practicality behind the theology that we've been teaching you.
We're not just teaching you theology for the sake of having head knowledge but that this truth would transform the way you live and that you have a Access to an all-powerful All-consuming spirit the Holy Spirit and he's available to you in Jesus name.
So if you call upon him, he will he'll work.
You don't know anything. You admit sin. Sometimes you don't know it's in you. Sometimes you know it's in you. Right. If you know it's in you. If you don't know it's in you. You see it's Christ. I'm sure it is in you.
My question is Sin and Jesus. We all know that sin is Jesus. But if you don't know that it's in you.
Oh, yes. Oh, yes the Spirit is he never rejoices in sin, right. The severity. Yeah well, I think I think the I think the context of like a father and a son relationship is usually the key to understanding God's heart and Understand the heart of the Spirit.
So for instance if we We recognize that in our own relationship with our own children, right and say, okay I told you not to do this. Don't do it. And if you do so you're gonna grieve me in a certain way.
But if there's something that's kind of a gray area and you know, you should have known but you did it anyways. There's a there's a level of leniency there, of course. That the father can have to minister to his son.
And I think the Spirit also is is very similar to that he there is a maybe a leniency or a Grace that's offered in such circumstances. We can't say for sure because there's no clear text on that obviously but but I think we can really go wrong if we go if we understand the dynamic of the relationship between God and his elect as between a father and a son and the heart that the father has towards a son I think that that's a good illustration of of his patience and his love towards us.
So.
That kind of help a little bit. Sure.
That's right only with the help of the Spirit. Let me pray for us. Yeah any other question. Let's pray father we do ask Lord that you grant us the gift of thy spirit. For you are indeed a good father and as a good father you desire to give good gifts to your children.
How much more. Lord then will you not give us the Holy Spirit who? Has been given to us through the name and blood of Jesus. We thank you Lord Jesus for the ministry that you did on earth living the life that we could not live down to death that you deserved and being raised again and Ascended at the right hand of the Father.
And you have now given us a helper a gift To empower us to bring to remembrance all the things that you've taught but Lord also Lord to convict of sin righteousness and judgment and so Lord they received the conviction of the Spirit in our lives and see the things that we need to address and father help us to By means of the Spirit to overcome these things and more and we ask these things in Christ's name.
Amen. All right. I'll see you guys in a bit.
