25. 1 John 3:24: The Holy Spirit

1 John 3:24 and the Spirit’s Assurance

And turn in your Bibles once again to the epistle of 1st John. 1st John chapter 3. 1st John chapter 3 verse 24. Hear now the inspired Word of God. The one who keeps his commandments abides in him and he in him.

We know by this that he abides in us by the Spirit whom he has given us. Let's pray. Father once again as we look into your Word our prayer is simple and that is that you'd be pleased to take the Word impress it on our hearts that we would become more like our Savior Jesus Christ.

It's in his name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. Well this past April we were affected by a relatively mild earthquake. It was a magnitude 4 .8. I was sitting in my study that that morning and it was a homeschool class out here and when I felt the earthquake I immediately came out to see how the students were doing.

Most of them didn't even realize what had happened. Some did but it was relatively minor. But every time we have one of these mild earthquakes my thoughts go back to the pictures of some of the more serious earthquakes that have occurred around the world.

For example one that I remember vividly was the 1989 San Francisco quake. The reason I remember it so vividly was it delayed the World Series. But we watched on television and saw the massive amount of damage.

Six billion dollars worth of damage in that quake. Sixty-three people died and some 3 ,800 were injured and that was only a 6 .9 magnitude quake. So even a small quake as recently as we experienced creates apprehension in people because you can't predict earthquakes and you certainly can't prevent them.

And they leave destruction and devastation in their wake. So it's not surprising then that other events that cause major disruptions or changes in society are often called earth shaking events. We see that terminology used frequently in scripture.

Earthquakes in scripture are usually associated as signs of destruction and are often coupled with an indication of the presence of God and especially in judgment. Just a couple of verses. Isaiah 29 verse 6, from the Lord of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise with whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

And Ezekiel 38 19 gives the same impression. In my zeal and in my blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. And then Jesus himself foretold that earthquakes would be one of the signs of the passing away of the Old Covenant in Matthew 24 verse 7.

For a nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. And the author of Hebrews, he warns of judgment and using very similar if not exactly the same language.

In chapter 12 of the book of Hebrews, verse 25, he says, see to it that you do not refuse who he is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven.

And his voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised saying, yet once more I will shake not only the earth but heaven. This expression yet once more denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken as of created things so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

And he continues in his exposition there by comparing the Old Covenant with the kingdom of God. Therefore since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, praise the Lord, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire.

The point is scripture uses the imagery of real earthquakes to symbolize earth-changing events. One of those events is the giving of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. We read about that in Acts chapter 2 this morning, but look at our text for this morning from 1st John chapter 3 verse 24.

The one who keeps his commandments abides in him and he in him. We know by this that he abides in us by the Spirit whom he has given us. Now remember the context of our study. John is writing for the purpose of bringing the first century church to full assurance of faith.

He offers several self tests, if you will, for assurance. How do I know that I am saved? And he asks such questions, well do you keep the commandments? Do you love one another? Do you know the truth? And most recently, do you know who you are as a child of God?

And coupled with that, he says, do you know what it means to be a child of God? Are you abiding in him and he in you? These are all things to give us assurance of our faith. And now he offers one more proof, if you will, for that you can know that you are a child of God.

Remember, the purpose of the book is that you can know that you are saved. You can know that he abides in you and you in him because you have the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now a couple of points of clarification to avoid confusion before we continue.

First, we are addressing the gift of the Spirit to the church, not the gifts, plural, of the Spirit to individual believers. The giving of the Holy Spirit to the church was a world-changing event. And even though there wasn't a physical earthquake, it was in fact what you can call an earth-shaking event, as we will explore a little bit later.

It changed the world forever, which brings us to our first point, and that is simply this. The giving of the Spirit was a real historical event. I begin here because there are those, I put in my notes, scholars, but quotations around it.

There are scholars who would relegate this event to the spiritual realm only. They would say it's more like a parable or an analogy to teach us something, but not a real event. But the facts speak to the contrary.

Remember, this was written by Luke. Acts chapter 2 was written by Luke, who also authored the Gospel of Luke. And look how he begins this book. And we always want to take things in context. Look how Luke addresses this issue.

Acts chapter 1, verse 1. The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after he had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom he had chosen.

To these he also presented himself alive after his suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of 40 days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father, for what the Father had promised, which he said, you heard of from me.

For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not many days from now. Now I want you to notice the style of the writing of Luke is what we call historical narrative. That simply means a relating of historical facts.

It's not poetry. It's not even given primarily to teach us, although there is teaching going on. He is not telling us a fictional account of certain events as seen by his assertion that Jesus presented himself and taught with convincing proofs.

Wait a minute, many convincing proofs. And he relates that Jesus commanded them to wait for the next event in redemption to take place. So the style, the very style and the content of the writing belies any assertion that these are not historical events.

Another reason this could not be fictional is the necessity of giving the Holy Spirit to the church. You see, God had chosen to create this world, and he put man into the world at the beginning of history.

Now we reviewed the drama of redemption just a few weeks ago, and we saw how this real-life drama with spiritual implications is played out through the ages, beginning with the creation of man. And the fall of man into sin necessitated the coming of a Redeemer.

Jesus Christ came into the world as a real man, not a philosophical principle. Christianity is not based upon a philosophy. Christianity is based upon the person and the work of Jesus Christ. You're not saved by any philosophical thoughts you might have.

You're saved by the work of Jesus Christ on that cross. Jesus Christ actually suffered and died on the cross as an atonement for sin. And he was raised from the grave in his self-same body, and he ascended into heaven where he rules and reigns from his throne.

And he's waiting there for his enemies to be made a footstool for his feet. And then he will come again on that great and final day of history. Now notice, all of these take place in time and history.

But I have omitted intentionally. I have omitted one of the important events in this drama of redemption, and that is the sending of the Holy Spirit to the church. And another proof of the reality of this event is the result that it brings.

What happened on that day? First, let's look at Acts chapter 2, verse 2. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled a whole house where they were sitting. I think the most important point here is the origin of the noise.

It came from heaven. Whatever this was, Luke makes sure that we know that the origin is from heaven. The next thing we need to see is it came suddenly. The context certainly indicates surprise. This was not something expected.

They didn't know what was going to happen. Now, the probability is that they were still in that upper room at the beginning of this. No reason to believe that it was any other place, but the noise fills the whole place.

And the noise is described as being like a rushing violent wind. Now, notice the text doesn't say it was a wind, but that it was like a wind. And that makes a difference. You see, this occurrence was something unique.

It had never happened before. And there's no word to describe that would explain it fully. So Luke has to use an analogy to give the reader an idea about what happened. And the description that comes the closest is that it's like a wind.

But notice the adjectives, violent and rushing. You know, most of us here on Long Island have lived through more than one hurricane and many nor 'easters. So you know what it sounds like, those storms, violent rushing winds.

But those bring damage with them. Trees fall, power lines come down, houses are damaged. But here you have the sound and no damage report. And apparently without anything else being disturbed. So it sounded like a wind, but it wasn't really a wind.

And the noise filled the whole house. But that's not all that happened. Look at verse 3. And they repaired to them tongues as a fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. Now what exactly does that mean?

It's hard to say, but whatever this supernatural occurrence was, it appeared as tongues. And they weren't fire exactly, but that's what it looked like. And so you have this noise like a violent rushing wind, you have tongues that look like fire.

Things that never happened before. That's the point is that this was truly a unique experience. Yet on the other hand, fire and wind are not foreign concepts to the scriptures. We find these words throughout the entire Bible.

Even in the verses we quoted earlier in Isaiah and Ezekiel, and in Matthew 24 and Hebrews 12, we saw the wind and fire and noise. These are all symbols of the presence of God. And we find several examples of the presence of God being described by wind.

In fact, even the Greek word pneuma, which is used to describe the Holy Spirit, means breath, or wind, or air. And fire was used many times to show the presence of God. The pillar of fire that guided the Israelites.

Moses with the burning bush. So whatever is happening here, we find that God is manifesting himself to these disciples. And remember, the origin of these things is heaven. And that becomes even more clear as we continue in the text.

Look at verse 4 of Acts 2. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance. God sent his Holy Spirit from heaven and filled these men.

This is what they had been waiting for. They had been instructed by Jesus to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them with power. Going back to Acts chapter 1, verse 4. And gathering them together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised.

Which he said, you heard it from me. For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. And then in verse 8 he says, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

And you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. So these were signs that God, the Holy Spirit, was present in power and he filled the disciples.

And that caused a very interesting result. Look at verse 4 again. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit had given them utterance. These men began to speak in languages that they hadn't learned.

The Greek is even more descriptive, indicating languages that were unknown to them. Now, I want to emphasize a point here that is crucial in understanding the whole tongues controversy in the church today.

This text is the foundational text since it is the first time we find anything like this happening. These men were not speaking from their own intellect. The Spirit was giving them utterance, and they are said to be speaking in tongues.

And what that means is described in the text. It's not subject to anyone's own interpretation. These men were speaking the language of those Jews who were visiting Jerusalem from many parts of the world.

Look again at Acts chapter 2, verse 5. Now, there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and were bewildered because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.

And they were amazed and marveled, saying, why are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language in which we were born? See, these men were mating, waiting upon God in Jerusalem.

The Holy Spirit came upon them in mighty power, and they began speaking in language from around the world that they had never been taught. How? Because the Holy Spirit was giving them utterance. This was a working of the Holy Spirit.

This event is what Jesus had told his disciples to wait for. It was the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Go back to chapter 1, verse 4 again. And gathering them together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, which he said, you heard of from me.

For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. And it's what John the Baptist himself had prophesied. In Matthew 3 .11, he says, as for me, this is John the Baptist speaking, I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Now, Jesus had also told the disciples that this baptism would equip them for the commission he had set before them. Remember, we saw how Jesus essentially repeats the Great Commission just before he ascends into heaven in Acts 1 .8, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

And he tells the Apostles that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is essential for carrying out this commission. This was not a personal, subjective experience of individual Christians, but an experience of the whole Church of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, the baptism of the Spirit is an important and essential doctrine of the Church. It is the next step in the drama of redemption between the ascension and the second coming of Christ in power and glory, and therefore an absolute necessity in God's plan of salvation.

But it's also proof, it's a proof of the acceptability of Christ's sacrifice. Now, we usually point to the resurrection as proof of Christ's sacrifice being acceptable to God, and that, of course, is absolutely true.

It's one of the definitive proofs. How do we know that Christ actually atoned for sin? Because God raised him from the dead. If Jesus Christ sacrificed and not atoned for sin, he never would have come out of that tomb.

But descending of the Holy Spirit is further proof. It's proof that when he ascended into heaven, he did, in fact, take the seat of power, ruling heaven and earth. For only the ruler of heaven and earth had the authority to send the Holy Spirit.

So the events of the day of Pentecost are further proof of the sacrifice being accepted by God, but also of the reign of Jesus Christ over all things. So what Jesus said in Matthew 28 18, he came up to his disciples after he was raised, and he said, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

I hope everybody has that verse committed to memory. The Great Commission is based upon that statement. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. You know, perhaps there is no testimony more persuasive than the promise of Jesus Christ himself.

In his farewell discourse, when he was comforting his disciples concerning his going away, remember they got downhearted when he said, I have to go. And he said this in John 16 verse 7, but I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away.

For if I do not go away, the helper, that's the Holy Spirit, the helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And he, when he comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

Notice what he says, the church will be in a more advantageous position without him, but with the presence of the Holy Spirit. These are not the words of a theologian speculating concerning the future of the church.

Which is better, having Christ remain or receiving the Holy Spirit? No. These are the infallible words of Jesus Christ himself. And he says, it is better, it is more advantageous, it is more expedient for you that I go.

In the perfect plan of God, Christ had to assume his throne in heaven so that he could send the Holy Spirit to the church. Christ had accomplished all that he was commissioned to do for the time being.

He will come again when all his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. And Peter affirms that in this very sermon on that very day when he quotes Psalm 110. In Acts chapter 2, this is Peter preaching, verse 33.

He says, therefore, having been highly exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it's not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ. And just so that they didn't forget this Jesus whom you crucified. And as we will see, part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is convicting of sin.

So the ministry of the Holy Spirit is essential for salvation. But the Holy Spirit and giving of the Holy Spirit was also necessary for other reasons. For example, for the writing of the infallible scriptures.

Look at the promise he gave to the, this is Jesus, look at the promise he gave to the apostles in John 16, verse 13. But when he, the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak.

And he will disclose to you what is to come. This is one of those texts which absolutely affirms the doctrine of the inspiration of scriptures. Notice he is even calling the spirit, the spirit of truth, as he gives utterance to the men who would write the scripture.

So when these same men sat down and wrote the scriptures, the Spirit of God guided them and they wrote nothing but the truth. So the scriptures are infallible and inerrant and reliable in every area to which it speaks because of the sending of the Holy Spirit.

Which leads to the next point. The Spirit testifies of Jesus. In John chapter 15, verse 26 and 27, Jesus said this, when the Helper comes whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, and listen carefully, this is when the Helper comes, he will testify about me and you will also testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

John 16, 14 says, Jesus says the Spirit will glorify me. All of the teaching of scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit testifies and glorifies to the work of Christ. When the Word of God is preached, the Holy Spirit takes the gospel message, regenerates the heart of the elect, and creates a new child of God.

The Spirit doesn't point to his own work, but to the work of Jesus Christ, specifically his work on the cross. There's a lot of Holy Spirit things going on that are not pointing to Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is not being glorified by the words being spoken, they are not from the Spirit of God.

Another importance of the coming of the Holy Spirit is that it fulfilled prophecy. When the Holy Spirit came upon these men, it was a unique experience. So unique that people on the street questioned what was happening.

Acts chapter 2 verse 12, and they all continued in amazement and great perplexity saying to one another, what does this mean? Don't you think we would have asked the same question? What does this mean?

But others were mocking and saying, well they're full of sweet wine. Actually I see myself in that latter group. But Peter answers them, he doesn't leave them. He says, Peter taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them, men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.

For these men are not drunk as you suppose, for it's only the third hour of the day, that's nine o 'clock. But this is what was spoken of through the Prophet Joel. This may be strange, says Peter, but it should not be unexpected.

The Lord God through Joel prophesied of this very day and once again affirming the inerrancy of Scripture. Now there are many other reasons that the sending of the Holy Spirit was an absolute necessity, but we must move on and I want to get to the main point of the text.

Remember what we're studying mostly, the assurance of faith. The indwelling Holy Spirit assures us of our position in Christ. First John 324, that's our main text for this morning. We know by this that he abides in us by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Romans 8 16, the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. The presence of the Spirit brings about a dramatic and drastic change in the individual. He is now interested in the spiritual realm.

The new Christian is ever aware of sin because the Holy Spirit constantly convicts him of his sin. That's the whole message of Romans 8. Romans 8, I think, I know I have, I always say I have a favorite portion of Scripture, but Romans 8 has got to be right up there of my list.

It talks about the assurance that we have and who we are and the power we have over sin. We are assured of our faith because the Spirit of God convicts us of sin and leads us toward righteousness. And the change is more than just intellectual.

Remember, Christianity is not just belief in a philosophy. It's not even because we have a moral code of ethics and the best moral code of ethics, but that's not why we are saved. The change is more than intellectual.

It is a change of the whole person. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 17, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things passed away. Behold, new things have come. And Paul puts it again in Galatians 2 20, I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. Paul is describing in that verse the doctrine of our union with Christ. Christ dwells within us through the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

Then, of course, there's one final means of assurance, and that is the presence of the fruit of the Spirit. Paul describes in practical terms what the change looks like when a man or a woman is converted to Jesus Christ.

Galatians 5 verse 19, he says, now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. And Paul sums up that very point with these words, now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a public event. It was not a secret. Everyone in Jerusalem was was talking about it.

The effects of sending the Holy Spirit were nothing less than earth-shaking. The world was changed forever. The world will not be the same since that day. The New Covenant is not just new, it is a better covenant with Jesus Christ as its mediator dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit of God.

And we, the New Testament Church, have a greater advantage over the Old Covenant because we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. I would never say those words if they weren't the words of Christ. We're better off than all those Old Testament saints because we have the Holy Spirit in a new and different way.

And because of that we have been given the commission to change the world by the authority of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is in fact what Jesus is waiting for. He's waiting for all his enemies to be made a footstool for his feet.

And how are we to start? We start in our Jerusalem, which is Coram, then to all of Long Island, then to the entire USA, and finally to the remotest parts of the world. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

If you're here today and you're not a Christian, a couple of thoughts. Remember the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ were public events as well. A real man suffered and died to save people from their sin.

Descending forth of the Holy Spirit is just one proof in a series of events that Jesus Christ's sacrifice was acceptable to God. When Peter finished preaching on that Pentecostal day, he was preaching the crucifixion and the resurrection, he said that this is the result of the men who heard it.

Verse 37 of Acts 2, now when they heard this, they were pierced in the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brethren what shall we do? Peter said to them, repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And that is my prayer for everyone here today who doesn't know Jesus Christ. Let's pray.