The Eternal Spirit Sanctification — Willie Mullan

We're studying this evening, and you can see that we're at number 17 just now. For the past 16 weeks, we have been looking at the doctrine of the internal spirit. And we're away at number 17. And we're going to look at the spirit's work worldwide, first of all.

You know, the spirit came into the world to do a very special job worldwide. And I think that maybe that's as far as we'll get this evening. And if I feel I'm going to be crushed, that's as far as I would go.

And then we'll make a new set of notes for next week, and we'll maybe go on with the spirit's work Christ-wise. And then I want to have a good night on the spirit's work, Saint Juan, just how he uses your mind, your memory, and your understanding, and your imagination.

The Spirit’s Work in the Upper Room

But if I went over this today, I think that maybe I have bitten off more in the notes than I can chew. But we must get this really clear before us, the spirit's work worldwide. Now let's go to John's Gospel, chapter 14, please.

The Gospel by John, and we're at chapter 14. And if you know John's Gospel very well, you will know that in chapters 13 and 14, our Lord Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples at Jerusalem. Those two chapters tell us all that went on in the upper room.

And I just want to read the last verse of John 14. It is verse 31. Our Lord Jesus is speaking and is saying to his own disciples, Judas has left the upper room, he's on his way to sell the Lord Jesus.

And our Lord speaks to them and says, But that the world may know that I love the Father. He wanted the world to know that he had great love for the Father. And as the Father gave me commandments, even so I do.

Arise and let us go hence. Now he's leaving the upper room. Leaving the upper room, and it's night. You remember that when Judas went out? It was night. And so it was Thursday night. I know the moment I say that, you know, there's a whole lot of old Bible students all ready to almost stand up, you know.

Because you see, if I say it's Thursday night, that he left the upper room, and went to Gethsemane and was arrested, and was tried in the middle of the night, then I'm really laying the foundation that he was crucified on Friday morning.

Don't you know I've got fellows who've come back to argue with me. You see, Grimskoggy, the great Grimskoggy, believes he was crucified on Wednesday. And the great many of so-called Bible scholars believe he was crucified on Thursday.

Thursday till you can't argue three days and three nights. Unless you get that Thursday, you've got to get three days and three nights. Oh, I know the arguments, you can be sure I know the arguments. And you can be perfectly sure that I can argue from Friday morning at nine o 'clock, and can get in three days and three nights, and rising again on Sunday.

That is if you argue it from Jewish time. But I'll tell you a little thing to do, you know, when you get some fellows coming to be sticky about it. I had an old fellow, you know, he wasn't going to surrender anything, and I said this is the way we'll do it.

We'll not count forwards at all, we'll count backwards. Got that idea? Let me show you this now. Let's do this. This is Luke's Gospel, chapter 24. Gospel by Luke, and we're at chapter 24. Now Luke 24, verse 1 begins, Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, begging the spices and so on.

I don't think you have any arguments with me about the first day of the week. Sure you haven't. You know what the first day of the week is? Sunday, isn't it? So this was the day that they rose from the dead.

Yes Mark, let's get this within. It says, verse 14, And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three square kilometres long, and they got together of all those things which had happened, and it came to pass that while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

The risen Christ was on the road to Emmaus. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these, that ye have one to another as ye walk in the south?

And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and dost not know the things which have come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things?

And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and that crucified him.

But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel, and besides all this, today is the third day. Can you come backwards now? Because if Sunday is the third day, then Saturday is the second one, and Friday must have been the first one.

I don't want to trail you through this tonight, you know, because I can take it the other way and count you in Jewish times that there were three days and three nights. So I'm just saying to you that it was Thursday night, where God had gone to see him again.

It was Thursday night when he left the upper room, and I think you can see the whole determination in his soul as he moves on down the stone stairs onto the little cobbled street outside where the upper room was.

And that little street led to the gate and to the temple. Now I'm told by those who know best that the temple gate at that particular spot, it was an iron-worked gate made to represent the vine and the branches.

And I believe that's where John Fifteen comes in. He left on Thursday night. Yes, it was dark and the moon was rising because it's the Easter moon, and that's why we always have Easter up at full moon.

And of course, here he is, he stops somewhere there, I think near the gate, and he begins to talk of John Fifteen, I am the true God. He may have taken the gate for a ministration, but what a mighty message he gave.

You can see the determination as he moves out of the upper room, and you can listen to the ministration as he talks of John Fifteen. And then when he comes to John Sixteen, but that's the portion we want to deal with this evening, because that's not so much determination or ministration, that's a revelation.

And he gives them a very, very special revelation here. Now I think that was given in the temple court, because when he left the upper room, and he walked along the cobblestreet, and he came to this island gate, and maybe stopped there to give this message on the true vine, when he moved through, he's in the temple court, he's gone across the court.

And I believe it's there that he stopped to give John Sixteen, this special revelation that we'll take time with in a moment. And on the other side of the temple court, if you go across it, on the other side is the beautiful gate of the temple.

If you go to Jerusalem sometime, maybe they'll show you this cobblestreet, and they'll show you where this island gate was, and then you can go in and you can cross the courtyard, I've done this a dozen times, and you go up through the beautiful gate of the temple, and the moment you go up through the beautiful gate of the temple, you're going down the valley, it's called the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

And I believe on the Valley of Jehoshaphat, on the hillside there, is where John Seventeen's in, and it's there he stopped to pray. Because that's not determination, and that's not ministration, no revelation, that was supplication.

And he prayed that great prayer, John Seventeen. And then as you come to John Eighteen, you'll find that he's crossing the kingdom. So John Eighteen, when Jesus had spoken his words, he went upstairs with his disciples over the bridge, he went there was the garden, and he's into Gethsemane.

You see, if you can find this little upper room, and this cobblestreet, you can go along, you'll come to where the gate is to be, you can go on to the courtyard, you can cross the courtyard, you can go through the beautiful gate of the temple, you go down the Valley of Jehoshaphat, at the bottom there is the River Cedron, it is still there, you cross the Cedron, and a few yards you're into Gethsemane.

So I want you to get the hold of this, this was Thursday night, and it's dark and the moon is shining, and the Lord Jesus is wanting to prove to this world that he loved the Father, and he's heading towards Gethsemane.

Christ’s Warning About Offense and Persecution

But we're interested in John Sixteen this evening. Now let's go to John Sixteen. Now listen carefully to him talking to these disciples in the dark. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.

Now this word offended is a very interesting Greek word. It's translated here by our English word offended. But it's translated by the English word upset. As you can easily see that being offended and upset is almost the same, isn't it?

It's translated by the word stumble. So, these things have I spoken unto you that ye should not be upset, that ye should not be stumbled by things that's going to happen to you. And this is a lovely little word for all of us you know, because there are things that happen in life, and you're all offended and upset about them, and you can be stumbled by them.

He says don't let it upset you. You see, the church was going to detest it very much in a moment or two. And remember every one of us in the building tonight says, by sovereign grace, you know the smile of your face is not an easy thing.

Because God will test your face. You remember that Peter said, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the privy trial which is to trial you. Don't be upset by it now. Don't let it stumble you. If something happens in your family or in your business, now don't let it offend you in the way that you'll stumble ever more.

Because there were terrible things going to happen to them as soon as he would go. He's preparing them for us. He says these things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended or upset or stumbled by the things that will happen.

You see, they shall put you out of the synagogue. You know, these men that said, take your next stand and place their trust in Christ and believe he was the Messiah. They were going to be put out of the synagogue.

Oh, so if you watched the night, that wouldn't matter very much. But I assure you it mattered very much to do then. It wasn't just as easy as you think. But worse than that was going to happen to them.

They said, they shall put you out of the synagogue. Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that they doeth God's service. And that has always been a mighty praise to me. You see, I'm very sure that if you look back across the history of this world during the church period from Pentecost to now, I think you will find this out.

That there has been no persecution on this world, so horrible and damnable than religious persecution. It turned out to be men. And then you get old, dead, empty religionists. I'm not talking about those people.

Talking about old, dead, empty religionists. They can get so lost, and so crooked in their mind, that they can think this. That to kill you would do God's service. For anybody to never think like that and pretend to be religious, I wouldn't know.

Just shows you how diabolically daft they are. How can you ever get it into your mind, that by breaking the commandment, thou shalt not kill, that you can serve God. Let me tell you, that has been done a million times in this world of ours, in the name of religion.

And unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church has done it more than anybody else. They burned the best men that ever walked in Shul ever, just because they loved the Lord. And I'm not going to argue that.

My dear friend, the Lord Jesus knew a thing or two, you know. And he's preparing these people, and he's saying they shall put you out of the synagogues, yet the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that they do it God's service, and I've never seen anything so crooked as that.

These things will they do unto you because, this is the reason that men do these things, because they have not known the Father. Nor me. You see, there's a crowd of people who go about them, they're called the one-look people.

And they don't believe that there are personalities in the Godhead. Come along sometimes to argue with me about the truth. And there's a little verse in 2 John which says, He that hath his doctrine hath birthed the Father on the cross.

And I ask them, when did both become one? And I've never had an answer in my life. And here's another little phrase for them. Watch this. And these things will they do unto you virtually, because they have not known the Father.

Get the word, nor me. Nor me. Is this not the true personality? I would think it does. Play about with the word nor for a minute or two, do you see the picture then? Yes. This is the Father and the Son.

Co-equal. And co-eternal. I don't think there's any bother about it. And then the Lord Jesus began talking to them. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, you may remember that I told you of them.

And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now, I go my way to him that said me. You know that. Close me to the doors. You know I try to visualize this, so I can see the Lord Jesus.

And you know He's walking slowly towards Gethsemane. He's gone through that gate, and He's gone down the valley, He's been into Gethsemane, and what an awful place it was. You remember the blood like sweat.

You remember the car. If it be possible. You remember Him lying on the wheel of goats. And He was not only heading for Gethsemane, but He was heading for Gaddafi. Because Gabbasa was the guard room of the soldiers.

It's called Gabbasa. When they had taken Him into the barrack room of the old Greek room. And you know what happened there, don't you? Esther came out with Judas, and arrested him in Gethsemane, and took him into the barrack room, and blindfolded him, and pushed him about, and punched him, hit him on the head with a reed, and I don't mean something soft, I mean a damn routine.

And they punched his face. It says they suffocated him, and the word in the Greek means that they blackened his eyes. Yet his face was more marred than any man's. You know this bit, don't you? There were a few Greek men in the meeting, and I hope you're not guilty of this.

This has been laid against you, you know, that you harm other prisoners sometimes. And if that's the only way that you can do your police work, I don't think that's off it. That's what they did to my love!

And I don't think you should be standing in those shoes. You ought to be able to do your job better than that. Oh, I made his life on the other side, and the war will stop that. That doesn't let you off the hook.

Don't you thump some wee fellow until you know. I know a woman's son in this time was taken in and thumped, and he was just an innocent wee lad. He wasn't in anything at all, at any shape or form at any time.

There is deceiving in the lot of men around you. Fuck the boy, I told you this. This is what they did to the war. Why, God, you wouldn't like to be branded with that sort, would you? I'll see if you can get evidence somewhere else.

Yes? And I want to tell you this, that they'll get family labor and tobacco labor. And that is worse. Golgotha lay there. Because he's gone out to Golgotha, and they're going to hold his hand out, and they're going to drive the nail through, and they're going to strike him to the Roman cross and crush the crown of thorns upon his brow.

But I will make business. I will get family. And Golgotha, and Golgotha all lay there. Watch what he says. Just you watch what he says. Here he is. He's on his way. Very far. But now, I go my way to him.

That sent me. I'll tell you this, friends. He was heading for glory. Oh, it wasn't Gethsemane that was there at all. And it wasn't Golgotha, wicked and all that was. And it wasn't Golgotha, nor was it the Greeks.

Oh, he was heading for the glory. And so did the ministers who say he doesn't know where he is when he's in Gethsemane. He said he not. Long before they got there, he knew where he was going. I go my way to him.

That sent me. He knew where he came from. And he knew where he was going. How wonderful he was. Yes, he was going back to heaven, you know. Perfect. But because I have said these things unto you, fathers are still with us.

You know, they're everywhere. And they were standing round him. And he says, I'm leaving you. I go my way to him. That sent me. Must have looked up towards the moon for a while. I'm heading for heaven.

They were losing him, you know. And they felt it. That's why he said to them in John 15, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God? Believe also in me. And what he really said was this. You believe in God when you can't see him.

Why can't you believe in me when you can't see me? I go to prepare a place for you. He was going to him that sent him. But he was going to prepare a place. But there's a little bit more more than that.

The Promise of the Comforter

Verse 7, nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you. And the word there is an old Greek word which means it is profitable for you. But I'll go away. For if I go not away, the comforter, comforter be there.

Because it's the eternal spirit we're thinking about. Will not come unto you. But if I be gone. Though he is afraid you want to think about. I will send him unto you. You know I wrote the booklet once.

On the super things of the Saviour. Because all the things the Saviour said were wonderful. It's never man speak like this now. But when you gather up all the things of the Saviour. There are super things.

What I mean by that I mean. He said things that nobody else could say. Supposing I said I'm going to heaven tomorrow. And I'll send an angel to look after you. You would know I've gone mad. Get me taken away to St. Luke's or somewhere.

The Lord Jesus is saying I am going to heaven to my father. And I'll send the Holy Ghost. You know everybody else could do it. Won't you tell me that he was just an ordinary man. I'll take you up on that.

And when I show you the rest of the super things I'll second you. Oh no nobody but Christ could say that I will send him. What a wonderful Saviour we have. We don't need to be ashamed of him. Yes let's keep that seventh verse again.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away the comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart I will send him unto you. And when he is come. When the comforter.

When the Holy Spirit is come. When the Spirit of truth is come. When he is come he will reprove the word of sin. And of righteousness. And of judgment. That's his work worldwide. That's what the Holy Spirit came to do.

And I think it's time that we got this into our minds. Because I hear a whole lot of chat about the Holy Ghost. And you would think he had come for some sort of an amusement idea. But we shall have to just spend the time looking at this tonight.

Conviction of Sin and the Work of the Holy Spirit

What he really came for. He came to reprove. The world of sin. Now I think I would need to hold on to that word reprove for a moment or two. Because that's a very mighty word too. It's a great word and sometimes it's rendered convinced.

He came to convince the world of sin. There's a translation, a good old translation. And wrong about this translation is that he came to convict the world of sin. And I would think that you could see that reprove and convince and convict.

From all very near the latest anyway. Now this is very interesting for us believers. Because this is what the Holy Ghost has come to do through us you know. He just didn't come into this world to live on the mountain you know.

He came into this world to end well every belief. That we might use that belief or two to convince. Let's take that word out first. You see I want you to get this. That when the Holy Ghost works through a child of God.

A servant of God. When he works through him to convince a man of sin. And we'll get into this in a moment. Remember when he's convincing he's dealing with their mind. Not their emotions. You get that bit?

Because I'm afraid you'll have to get it. You see if we're going to do the work that God wants us to do. And the Spirit of God to hold us and take complete control of us to do the work he wants to do.

Then we'll have to talk to the minds of men. And it'll have to be a message. That a very strong mind will not misunderstand. This is an intelligent thing. You're convincing somebody of something. But you have to convince their minds.

Let me sort of illustrate this for you. Let's go back to the psalm we read out the other Sunday morning and do it like that. Psalm 16. I want you to get this because this is important if you're going to be any use for God.

Psalm 16 it's a wonderful psalm. And you see as you go about the country and about the world you meet all kinds of enemies of the cross. And I met an old fellow once and somebody whispered to me when he came in from a meeting.

He came in with a big cloak on. Like Dracula or something like that. You know the cloak I mean, don't you? He's got grey hair hanging all round him and he was somebody that you would look twice at. A character that would take your attention.

And the old doctor that was sitting beside me on the platform said you see the old child has come in, yes? He said well he's the most wicked man in our country. And he's here to disturb you. I said I hope he has his false faith with him.

Because there will be a bit of gnashing going on if he interferes with me. And at the end of the meeting I was preaching from the psalm. He came up to me and he said can I ask you a question? Well I said certainly you can.

He said see this psalm? Did David write this psalm? I said yes sir he did. He said see that verse here, see the first phrase? I have set the lad always before you. Did he pen that phrase? I said yes sir.

Did he pen the word always? I said yes. Does it mean always? I said yes. He said then the book's a liar. I said how did you come to that conclusion? He says why he hadn't the Lord before him when he was lost enough to bath Sheba on the housetop.

You're not trying to tell me he had the Lord before him then? You're not trying to tell me that he had the Lord before him when he was plowing the murder of Bathsheba's husband. When he told Joab the section of the horse to put him in the front of the battle and then run and leave him and let him get killed.

You're not telling me that he had the Lord always before him then? That's not clever you know that's crooked. I don't know what you would have done with it I'll tell you what I did. I said you see you're making something out of this because of your ignorance.

And that takes an old booker like that back a bit you know. I said you know the book that I read out of that talks about men who profess to be wise but are really fools and now you're one of them. I shall show you why.

I said you see what you should have asked me sir was this. When this phrase was penned I have set the Lord always before me. You should have asked me was David speaking thus about himself or some other man.

Because that's what the Ethiopian unit said to Philip when he turned to the prophecy of Isaiah. He said does the prophet speak this of himself or of some other man. And I said the Ethiopian unit was the coloured man he had more sense than you.

Because if an old fellow is going to take you on you might as well have a real battle out of it. I don't need to be nice to the devil at any time and I have no notion of being nice to the devil. You can be sure of that.

I'll tell you we are far too many mumbly pumbly boys in the ranks of the army. And we don't fight battles like that you know. This old fellow came up and I was going to give him a hiding before he would leave.

I meant to do it. I said you see you must remember this sir. That when David is saying these times. Sometimes he is in a sweet time of prophecy where he just sings and it's wonderful. Sometimes in these times he preaches.

Preaches to the nation. Sometimes in these times he prays. But sometimes he is a prophet. And as a prophet he can foresee. And he can see the law. And he can see the very things that are passing through the mind of the law.

In the 22nd time he could quote the actual language of the Lord on the cross. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me. Now you see stubborn old character like the devil himself he said you've got to prove that you know.

That's right. That's just what I am about to do. Now watch this very carefully now. This is the Acts of the Apostles. And it's chapter 2. And it's the day of Pentecost. And Peter is filled with the Holy Ghost.

And he stands up to preach. But Peter standing up with the eleven. That's verse 14. Lifted up his voice and he begins this Pentecostal sermon. Just to cut it short here's how he addressed the crowd. Verse 22.

Ye name of Israel hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs. Which God did by him in the midst of you as ye yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken.

And by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up having loosed the pains of death. Because it was not possible that ye should behold of it. For David speaking concerning him said this.

I foresaw the Lord always before my face. For he was on my right hand and I should not be moved. And Peter is quoting the 16th Psalm and saying that David was speaking of Christ. And you know this is wonderful.

He said this to them. Verse 29. Men and brethren let me freely speak unto you of the victory of David. That he is both dead and buried in this sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet and knowing that God hath sworn with an oath to him.

That of the fruit of his womb according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He seeing this before. Spirit of the resurrection of Christ in Psalm 16. Now at that moment I had the old fellow's mind convinced.

He wasn't talking to a school boy any longer. Oh no. David was a prophet and he could foresee and he was saying the things that Christ was saying. I have set the Lord always before me. He is on my right hand and I shall not be moved.

He was looking up and saying. Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell. Neither wilt thou suffer thine only wonderful corruption. I said ye old reptile you will trust in this. Oh don't you think I'm letting him off.

Can't you see I've not only got to convince his mind. I've got to reprove him. Don't you think I'm letting the battle go like that. Yes you see I've got to convince him. Not I. Let me say that over again.

The Holy Ghost is to work through me. To convince his mind. Yea to reprove this spirit that's in him. No. To convict him of sin. Don't you make any mistakes about that. Because that's just how the Holy Ghost works.

And it isn't my cleverness or my memory or my ability or my anything. It is the spirit of God doing his own work with the word of God. I've always thought these battles with the Bible in my hand. That's the thought isn't it.

For that's what the Holy Ghost has come. He has come to do. But give this quite clear. He has come to convince. Yes he's come to deal with minds. You see this gospel I am told is not to be preached. The nice of these words.

That's one of the phrases it says. Not with wisdom of words. Not with the enticing words of man's wisdom. My don't they get sick of it. Don't you get on that wing please. Don't get on that wing. You'll never do anything for God.

You don't do it that way. You're your profession by the thousands. Oh no. You see what Bertie did on Sunday night. Pleased me. Well I'm behind them you know. I know these guys. But you know as clear as any kid ever did this in this world.

This fella took the word all. All of sin. And he just took it in all it's clarity right through. And even though you were the wayfaring man you would know what the wee fella was talking about. And I was behind them.

Shedding tears and saying Hallelujah. Can you keep up with me. Yes I want you to get this. Let's get back to where we're supposed to be. We're back at John 16. I just knew that I would have too much this evening but never mind.

We'll do this bit anyway. You see I want you to get this. That the Holy Spirit came into the world. Verse 8. When he is come he will reprove the world of sin. He will convince. He will convince. And of righteousness and of judgment.

Now the Lord Jesus went over these again just to make it quite clear to everybody. He says he will come to convince of sin. Because they believe not on me. Now he didn't say he will come to convince of sins.

Not at all. Look what he came to do is just to convince of the sin of underneath. And what a job that is. You see when you walk into a home or a drunkard place. And you see the furniture just flying about.

I walked in once and the old fellow was sitting on a box. He had torn all the things that belonged to the house. The woman's heart broken and the children are starved. I don't need to starve him to tell him he's a fool.

He just knows that. He's sitting there. You know I knew an old fellow that just drank a bit out and went on the chair as we used to say. You know that word. And he pawned the pictures. Took the bedclothes.

Took everything in the house. Took the woman's coat and her bag and everything belonged. And even the kids clothes. And down to the pawn with him. He'd been on the chair for about four weeks and that just sort of split the house.

And a man I know very well. He'd just jumped onto the tram. There were trams in those days coming from the shipyard. His face was black. His hands were black. And a fellow said to him. Did you hear that Billy's wife had dropped dead this morning?

He says my God not, not, not, not that. He says well he's been on the chair for four weeks. So he jumped off the tram. Went away running up that street and just opened the door. And this is the scene.

This is the scene. He was sitting in front of an empty pie on an orange box. Northern orange boxes. Wasn't a picture on the wall. Wasn't a seat in the press. The carpet with the woman was laid on the floor.