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Dr. Irwin "Rocky" Freeman
Abundant life and even with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit. I want to speak for a moment or two concerning the law and the spirit
There is escape from law Grace love and faith are all declared to be the end of the law
But they are also subject to law There is a law of grace a law of love a law of faith and a law of the spirit of life
The Christian set free from the law of sin and death is still in just one kingdom for another but in each there is law
Salvation which is of grace and not of works brings deliverance from the law of works But it's subjects to the law of grace and truth
Paul the Apostle glories above all others in his liberty through grace The law has no more authority over him.
He conforms to it or rejects it as a thing of no account Though free he brings himself under bondage to all that he might gain some
The Apostles freedom was not lawless All his expediency was subject to law
He says not being without law to God but under law to Christ first Corinthians 9 verses 20 and 21
Christ was supreme all expediency was subject to the will of Christ The freed slave was the free slave of Christ But he was still a slave a bond servant subject to the law of Christ To the
Christian all's love and all's law just as truly as all's law and all's love
So think with me for a moment about the law and the Holy Spirit There is therefore nothing
Anomalous in the paradox of law and spirit the Christian life is not a philosophy to be debated
It is not an ordinance to be observed and it's not an ethic to be achieved Truth and ritual and ethic are important and in some sense inseparable from Christian life and experience
But they are not of the essence of the life in Christ They may exist without it and they are in no sense essential to it
Theological intelligence is not necessary to salvation The person who makes doctrinal instruction a necessary content of saving faith has missed the most elementary teaching of the
New Testament And professing wisdom he turns out to be what the scriptures call a fool
Sacraments or ordinances may have their value But neither the one nor the other is necessary to a cry and the promise is to everyone that shall call on the name of Good works spring from grace for faith without works is dead
But no logic can make that mean that grace is conditioned on works Christianity is a life that must be imparted before it can be lived
All life is a gift and the gift of God is eternal life So the
Spirit of Christ in dwelling the Spirit of man, and if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of you
The supreme value of all life is in the quality of its spirit The moral quality of an act is in the spirit that prompts it
The difference between a caress and an insult is not in the act, but in the spirit
Action is without morality apart from questions of motive and disposition. It is the spirit that counts law affects nothing
Certainly, it makes nothing perfect The most careful observance of technique never makes an artist a statesman or an orator much less a friend a father or lover
But where the spirit reigns law is forgotten and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty
Worship is not of rules and regulations. It is a spirit inspired by the
Spirit of life Preaching may be perfect art and poles away from the gospel
The power of preaching is in the demonstration of the Spirit and so it is with fellowship From first to last the life and work of the
Christian Church are not of laws and rules But of the spirit of common life begotten of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus The life is the life of the Spirit and is therefore not lawless but subject to the law of the
Spirit So that would lead us to a logical thought Well, let's compare law and life
Christ's gift is a gift of life. It is called eternal life and the life which is life.
Indeed Its distinctive feature is not in its duration But in its quality it is eternal in its quality
The gift of living life from him who is the same yesterday today and forever
Eternal life stands for fullness and fruition Life that is divine in quality and eternal in progression
It is the life of God in man It comes by the new birth through him who is the
Spirit of life The same life is common to the vine and the branches the same life is common to the body and the head
All life is subject to law The laws of different spheres and qualities of life may not be identical, but they are analogous
In some sense the laws of life are common to all life and the life of the believer is not without law
It needs attention or it will perish and without cultivation there can be no progress There are several things in which the law of the
Spirit of life follows the general order of life and other spheres Life is inward mysterious and secret it vitalizes personality without either absorbing or confusing
The manifestation appears in an endless variety of forms and yet through them all it is the same life that appears
There is unity of spirit without a trace of uniformity and manifestation The life of the one spirit appears in each making all like Christ and no two exactly like each other
The law of the Spirit of life is seen also in its propagation life propagates by contact and cooperation
All that leo's comes into being by birth and no living thing is born of one parent
There must be mutual and complementary service Life lives by propagation and there is no propagation without cooperation this is preeminently true of the law of the
Spirit of life as The Father is dependent upon the Son for revelation and the
Son dependent upon the Spirit for both revelation and administration So the Spirit is dependent upon the church for evangelization
Evangelization the church is the body of Christ and the Holy Spirit is his spirit
There is a human agent as well as a divine spirit This goes far does it not to explain the sterility of the church and the barrenness of many
Saints? The trouble of the church is in its declining spiritual birth rate There must be watchfulness and nourishment.
There has to be fellowship and exercise instruction and obedience Spiritual health must be maintained
Waste products must be shared and carnality must be destroyed There must be receptivity cooperation discipline and obedience
The life of the soul cannot live haphazardly There is a law of the Spirit of life by which spiritual life is ruled
So when you think of the law of the Spirit of life We think it is the
Spirit who rules Christ reigns There are not two kings in the kingdom of grace.
The Spirit is never called King He is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus in all things
He is subject to the Son as the Son is subject to the Father. His mission is to glorify
Christ He takes the things of Christ and makes them known to us He indwells the body of Christ and he calls equips at a points for service
No soul is begotten of God without him No victory of grace is won without him
He is the sole source and medium of grace and power, but in all things it is in Christ Jesus Christ is
Lord But the Spirit of life reigns in the kingdom of life. He is a person in authority
If we would live in the Spirit, we must obey the laws of the Spirit if we would find the power
We must obey the law we must surrender to Christ for he cannot rule where Christ does not reign
We must yield our bodies with all their powers for they are his temples and his instruments of righteousness
We must obey him for without obedience. There can be neither fellowship nor cooperation
Communion means mutual understanding It also means mutual consecration and mutual cooperation and it is in the communion of the
Spirit of life we find eternal life abiding peace and prevailing power
The law of the Spirit of life is found in such words as faith prayer truth love and obedience by these the believer lives by the law of the
Spirit of life comes the fruit by which God is glorified and Man is blessed
So let's think about this Spirit of life Truth and life are the distinctive features of the
Spirit emphasized in the Nicene Creed He is said to be the Lord and giver of life who spake by the prophets.
He is the Lord and the giver of life Our Lord said that he was the life and the
Spirit is said to be the Spirit of life Just as our Lord is the truth and the Spirit is the Spirit of truth
Our life is in Christ. It is in him and from him and by him and to him
He came that through him men might have life and have it abundantly Life is the gift of God then in Christ Jesus.
The Divine Spirit is the Spirit of life so the
Lord is the giver of life All life is due to the direct action of the
Spirit of God The phrase Spirit of life is a comprehensive phrase indicating his relation to all life
Through all the seasons and millenniums the earth has been renewed and replenished by the eternal and living
Spirit of God To him the Bible attributes the whole life of man From him is every intellectual and artistic gift every emotional and volitional capacity every gift of grace and love
You see the Spirit is associated with a whole man apart from him men are dead
It is the coming of the Holy Spirit that gives life That he is the
Spirit of life cannot mean less than That he is the life -giving Spirit It cannot mean less than That in the
Spirit of the Living God is the source the agent of living energy The expression of revealed truth the secret of divine power and every other quality and function of life
The source and seed of all life is in and through him for all life is the Spirit The Spirit is the bringer of life and where the
Spirit is not there is no life Life has been defined by the scientist as the dynamical condition of an organism
But this definition will confuse more than it'll make plain Life is in its essence of the
Spirit Spiritual it is more than a dynamic Separate from conditions and distinct from its organism
Life is in itself spirit and the true life is from the Spirit of life
It is more than existence for the Bible speaks of those who are dead while they live
Life has its seat in man's spiritual nature It's in his self -conscious reason his moral sense and his capacity for the knowledge of and the fellowship with God Life is more than animal existence.
Just as death is more than physical dissolution The Spirit of God quickens into life the
Spirit of man The body of man is the temple of the Holy Spirit, but he does not dwell in the flesh spirit dwells in spirit
The Spirit of God dwells in the Spirit of man and from the center of life and power he quickens
He directs and he controls and sanctifies the whole man He indwells sanctified men and women
He becomes the Spirit of their spirit the mind of their mind the heart of their heart
The strength of their strength and yes the life of their life The sphere of the
Spirit is in the realm of life He gives the life that is in Christ and in all things he works through the law of the
Spirit of life He works and fashions the outward from the inward and the material through the spiritual.
He functions through life The Spirit giveth life and the Spirit worketh through the life strengthens directs and transforms
He reveals the presence of Christ He transforms into the same image from glory to glory even as from the
Lord the Spirit all understanding of the truth as Truth is in Jesus Christ is by the
Lord and giver of life who spake by the prophets and is given to guide believers into all the truth
All Christ likeness of life and character is by the transforming power of life through the
Spirit of the Living God Who is the bringer of life? That is why the work of God in the church depends upon the life of the church
It is not by might of carnal strength nor in the power of organized authority But by the
Spirit of the Lord Life is greater than all the resources of material power so When we think about the life we think about life in the
Spirit The Holy Spirit is emphatically both bringer and Lord of the life that is in Christ His action covers the whole life from first to last
He is called the Spirit of life for regeneration John chapter 3 verse 58
He is the Spirit of life For regeneration he is the
Spirit of sonship for adoption Romans 8 15 Galatians 4 6
He is the Spirit of holiness for sanctification Romans 8 5
He is the Spirit of glory for transfiguration 2nd Corinthians 3 18 and 1st
Peter 4 14 He is the Spirit of promise for resurrection Ephesians 1 13 in Ephesians 4 30
You see the believers born of the Spirit. He believes in the Spirit. He prays in the Spirit He walks in the
Spirit from first to last he is feared in the presence of the Spirit and the Spirit dwells in him
Just as in his natural life. He lives in him just as in his natural life He lives in the air and the air dwells in him
Delivered from the flesh. He lives in the Spirit and what is the life in the Spirit? It is a life lived in the realm of the spiritual.
It is a life in which there is no condemnation Yes guilt is purged and sin is cleansed away carnality is destroyed
There's not only an imputed righteous by grace but a realized righteousness through faith
The things that brings condemnation have been put away and life stands approved and accepted in the will of God Instead of condemnation.
There is the assurance of sonship and airship in Christ Jesus You see the life of prayer finds a new intelligence intensity and a new power
Conquest takes the place of defeat and the spirit filled life prevails in conflict as it prevails in prayer
Consequently there comes to the heart and deep sense of security in the love of God and a
Christlike compassion for the souls of the lost The Spirit of Christ brings the mind of Christ and it introduces us into the fellowship of his redeeming love
This is the abundant life Christ came to bring it is the life filled with his spirit
Yes, the law of the Spirit of life The Holy Spirit is the ruler as well as the giver of life
Rule means law and there is no escape from law There is a law of the flesh a law of the mind a law of sin and a law of death
There is no escape from law in the life that is unregenerate Neither is there any escape for those who live in the spirit?
It is another law, but it is still law there is a law of faith a law of grace a law of truth a law of life and a law of the
Spirit and This law of the Spirit will lead us into truth Now When we speak of the
Spirit of truth, we remembered our Lord spake of himself as the truth and of the Holy Spirit as the
Spirit of truth the revelation inspiration Interpretation of truth are in a special and unique sense the work of the divine spirit
God has spoken through his spirit It is incredible that God should expect fellowship without mutual speech, especially when the need of revelation became manifest
Had there been no sin man would have still needed a guide to things beyond himself
There is no sure basis for faith without revelation Still more is revelation necessary when sin darkens the understanding thus
God has spoken He has revealed his mind to man. He has declared his will and Set forth his way to truth and life and power by the
Spirit of truth God spoke through the prophets and By him has come the inspired and infallible revelation by God the
Holy Scriptures Think with me for a moment about revelation the spirit of revelation
By revelation is understood those truths made known by supernatural means because they lie beyond the power of man to discover them
Inspiration is concerned with the means and processes by which these truths are made known
Revelation comes by the inspiration of the spirit of truth Man by searching cannot find
God But it has pleased God to make himself known to the children of man
We know God by revelation and in the knowledge of him is the life which is life indeed
To revelation then we owe also the knowledge of the final issues of the kingdom of grace
The ascended glory and the triumphal return of our glorious Lord are of such a character that no human mind could have conceived them
The sum of the divine revelation is in Jesus Christ the Son of God You see reveal truth is truth as truth is in Jesus He is the eternal
Word of God the Oracle of God in human flesh He is emphatically the truth
The embodiment of truth the word of truth and the sum of truth
The eternal word and the eternal truth are one The incarnate word is the sum and substance of truth
In Christ is God's final revelation of truth But in the spirit of truth is its unfolding interpretation and realization
Because it was the spirit that made known the revelation It was the Holy Spirit who directed its development and the
Holy Spirit watched over its integrity the Bible the Holy Scriptures Is the record of the revelation of God through the
Holy Spirit? The prophets of the Old Testament claimed to be the spokesman of God on the ground that they had received a revelation from God They are
God's messengers or they have heard his voice They gave account of the way the Word of the
Lord came to them and their claim to speak for him is that they have received His word the same authorities claimed in the
New Testament The gospel came to the Apostles by revelation Our Lord assured them that the spirit of truth would reveal it to them and he did
So let's think for a moment about this word inspiration in its relation to the
Holy Spirit It was in this way the revelation came from God and that is basically how the scriptures came to be written
The revelation was before the record and it was the revelation that created the necessity for the
Holy Scriptures They are the work of the Holy Spirit The scriptures claim a special influence of the
Holy Spirit by which they possess a divine quality and a final Authority they are inspired and infallible and therefore the divine rule of all faith and practice
There was to inspired speakers and writers of the divine revelation a special and unique influence
About which they were able faithfully to make known the truth revealed The Bible never defines inspiration
But it insists upon the fact it never attempts to explain the theory
The fault of most discussions on inspiration is that they've overlooked some important facts and factors if they had taken pains to know the doctrine of the
Holy Spirit and Understand the relation of the spirit of truth to the Word of God. It would solve a lot of problems
Modern methods have specialized in the scriptures and in nothing has the change rots been so drastic and for the time being disastrous in so many ways
It is claimed that the orthodox and traditional views have been demolished forever and that never again will the
Bible be regarded as a divine and infallible book great sport has been made of the superstitious reverence for the
Bible of The devout people who accepted all its parts as equally inspired and of equal value the so -called traditional view has been ignorantly or willfully misrepresented or flippantly character to caricature
It's difficult to explain with the spacious shallowness and colossal vanity that masquerade of the planes of modernity and scientific criticism
The human ego is amazing From then we have learned much of the human historical side of inspiration
The Holy Spirit works by human cooperation. He spoke by the prophets. No prophecy came of the prophets own prompting
Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit He moved they spoke
There was no suspension of their personal powers. There was no putting away of their personal consciousness or personal gifts
Inspiration just intensified their personality, but it neither changed nor confused it
The message was spoken by many voices and when it came to be written the writing of the divine word
Was by a man's hand true. Yes, it was but it was by one spirit and he is the spirit of truth
Yes, there are 66 books in the Bible But it is one book
There are many writers But only one author the unity of the progressive word is the miracle of the spirit and revealed truth
So the Holy Spirit is involved in inspiration But the Holy Spirit also if he was involved in the inspiration would be involved in the interpretation
Before man can see he must have two things sight and light
Eyes cannot see in the dark and light shows nothing to the blind So it is with regard to truth.
There must be the seeing eye and the illuminating light The Word of God is truth, but it is the spirit of truth that makes it the living
Word Inspiration for this revelation ceased within a hundred years
The best writings of the 2nd century and the 3rd century reveal a transition that is an abrupt and abysmal gulf
Creative inspiration gave place to imitative devotion The Holy Spirit was still in the church, but he no longer inspired new revelations
Since the New Testament times the Holy Spirit has illumined truth, but has not revealed anything new
All agree that we must have an interpreter The sacerdotalist holds that the church is the custodian and interpreter of the scriptures
He argues that the living voice is more than the written word it well, we do need an interpreter, but we need an infallible teacher a
Trustworthy guy and the interpreter of the inspired Word of God is the
Holy Spirit of truth The grammarian cannot find it the controversialist cannot explain it
The critic knows not its secret the carnal mind cannot perceive it the natural man cannot possess it but the twice -born see the anointed know the
Holy Spirit that revealed illumined and he that inspired interprets
The spirit of truth always honors that word of truth He consents to be tried by the
Word of God Illuminations that come from him are in harmony always with the
Word of God He guides into all truth The sons of God are led of the spirit of truth.
Though the world cannot receive him, but they know him In the world the spirit of truth convicts he challenges and condemns
But to the spirit filled believer he illumines he interprets and he transforms
Had a scriptural view of the person and work of the Holy Spirit been more powerfully prevalent in the church not merely in her former formalities and in her her formularies
But in reality in life there would never have been so much occasion given to represent the teaching of the church on the inspiration of scripture as Mechanical or men converted into automata robots and the whole question would never have assumed such a scholastic form
The devastating higher criticism of the rationalistic German theologians would never have come about For then the living testimony and the written testimony would appear both as supernatural and spirit -breathed
Beloved the more the supremacy of the Holy Spirit Divine loving and present is acknowledged the more the
Bible is fixed in the heart and conscience But if the book is seen as the relic and substitute of a now absence and inactive spirit
Bible rejection is the inevitable result Without the spirit of truth, even the word of truth is a dead letter.
It is the Holy Spirit that quickens illumines and interprets the word
I've used another word. We've talked about revelation inspiration, but you notice I just used a word illumination
So let's think for a moment about the Holy Spirit and illumination Jesus said how be it when he the spirit of truth is come
He shall guide you into all the truth for he shall not speak of himself But what things soever he shall hear these shall he speak and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come
And he shall glorify me for he shall take of mine and shall declare it unto you
John 16 verses 13 and 14 Divine truth is not of grammar.
It is not of learning or of logic, but of the Holy Spirit of God He is given to reveal the deep things the spirit searches the deep things of God There is no adjective in the
Greek language. It is not deep things, but actually translated deeps deeps deep beyond deep
Fathoms unfathomable and these the Spirit of God searches and reveals. He does not search to discover in Romans chapter 8 verse 27 and also
Revelation 2 23 God and Christ are said to search But it implies thoroughness and not quest
The Holy Spirit is ever active in fathoming the depths of God His omniscience is ever exploring and revealing the depths of God Romans 11 33
Unites both the ideas of depth and unsearchableness The point of this argument is that the deeps in God cannot be known by any other means than the revelation of the
Holy Spirit Our wisdom cannot discover him The princes and rulers of the world's intellect and intelligence cannot know him
The well is deep and they have nothing wherewith to draw the deep things are not discovered.
They are received They are not achieved. They are believed. They are not taught.
They are revealed The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and by him.
We know the things of God The Holy Spirit is given to glorify
Jesus Christ No man can know Jesus Christ without the distinct revelation of the
Holy Spirit the deeps of Christ Cannot be explored by human wisdom His life in Nazareth may be reconstructed by art, but the
Christ himself is not in them The same is true of his teaching grammar cannot discover its truth and the letter killeth
It is also true of his work The cross must always be an enigma a stupidity an
Anathema to the wisdom of this world It belongs to the deeps known only to the Spirit and to those enlightened and instructed of him
Yes, the depths of Christ are unsearchable The love of Christ passes knowledge.
The grace of Christ is immeasurable. The glory of Christ is unfathomable There There are deeps beyond deep heights beyond height
Deep calls unto deep and glory unto glory To the natural man there are without meaning to the taught of the
Spirit. They are eternally sure We know him and we know that we know him because we have an anointing of the
Holy One That takes of the things that are his and reveals them unto us This happens because of a renewal of the mind
The scripture says the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God For they are foolishness unto him and he cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned
But who is sufficient to describe the transformation wrought by the Spirit in the consenting mind?
The Holy Spirit's operation upon the mind does not end with the bestowal of understanding The gift of the
Spirit brings a sound mind as well as a new spirit The mind must be renewed for through the renewed mind comes the transformed life and the proving of the will of God Romans 12 1 & 2
Dedication of the body as a living sacrifice must be sustained by the constant renewal of the mind
The Spirit of God dwells in the Spirit of man to guide the mind into all truth
He interprets the mind of Christ where he takes of the things of Christ and he reveals them unto us who are believers and So Christ is made unto us wisdom and righteousness
Sanctification and redemption and As he does become these things to us
The Holy Spirit because of Christ and God the Father bestows gifts The Holy Spirit himself is a gift in the gift of the
Spirit there are gifts in Ephesians 4 8 through 12
Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men and he gave some
Apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers
For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ in 1st
Corinthians 12 4 through 7 now, there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit There are diversities of administrations
But the same Lord and there are diversities of operations, but is the same
God which worketh all in all But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all
So there are diversities of manifestation You see the manifestation of the
Holy Spirit is not always the same There are diversities of gifts differences of administration operation and manifestation
But the same Holy Spirit there is a manifold variety of the one
Spirit There are varieties according to temperament according to capability according to grace and according to function
The failure to remember this ensnares the unwary They look for the experiences and gifts and others to be given to them
And we are apt to think these are invariable and inseparable from the Holy Spirit in his fullness
The Holy Spirit divides to every man severally as he will the scripture says But the gifts of the
Spirit are no more arbitrary than the elections of grace Spiritual gifts must not be interpreted as natural endowments.
That is not of what we speak The gifts of the Holy Spirit transcend the gifts of nature, but they function through the sanctified powers of man
There is a new creation But it is along the lines of natural endowment
The one deciding factor in the will of the Spirit is according to the ability of sanctified nature to receive and function
The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit But it is to spiritual man
Spiritual gifts are given according to each man's several ability in the will of the
Holy Spirit God does not make every spirit filled man a DL Moody or a
William Booth He gives the Holy Spirit to some that they may be ministers of helpfulness to some that they may be faithful witnesses and to others that they may be sanctified mothers who are keepers at home and miracles of patience wisdom and sweetness in Christ To each there is a gift of the
Spirit and whatever the kind of gift there is to all the gift of power for effective service and testimony each receives power the
Holy Spirit swallows up in effectiveness in power and banishes all fear in the victory of courageous faith
Let me make a comment or two concerning the distinctiveness of gifts
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are distinct from natural talents and from the fruit of the
Spirit They are related to both but they are distinct from both the fullness of the
Holy Spirit vitalizes natural powers it quickens dormant faculties and reinforces capabilities
The brain gets a new quality of alertness endurance and effectiveness The mind receives new powers of perception intelligence and understanding
The heart finds a new clarity of vision a new simplicity of motive and a new intensity of emotion
The impossible becomes capable of achievement in the sanctified powers of the natural man
These are undoubtedly the work of the Spirit But the gifts of the Holy Spirit are distinct from these and they transcend the powers of even sanctified natural powers
They are not unrelated and yet they are in some ways independent Wisdom and knowledge are related to intelligence and learning and yet they are so distinct that they are undiscoverable from the natural powers of man
But we Christians believers we live by faith. We walk by faith We do everything by faith and the gift of the
Holy Spirit is faith By the Holy Spirit faith sees the invisible and proves the reality of the unrealized
The gifts of the Holy Spirit give a supernatural power to the works of sanctified natural endowments so that then men are challenged to see and consider cause and effect and Find there is nothing in the natural man to account for what is manifestly of God Well, what about the relation of fruit and gifts someone says
The fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit are not identical The fruit of the
Spirit belongs to character, but the gifts of the Spirit are endowments of power Gifts are an evidence of the
Holy Spirit being active in the life, but they are no proof of holiness Gifts are according to the elections of the sovereign will of the
Spirit of God, but fruit is the manifestation of cultivated life Gifts are for service fruit is for character
The gifts of the Spirit are functional but the fruit of the Spirit is a quality of life
The gifts are bestowed But the fruit is a manifestation Gifts may be given immediately and completely but fruit is implanted and seems to have gradual development
But they are of the Spirit and are intimately connected with one another but they are not inseparable much less identical
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to people who are elect according to the sovereign will of God Who by his spirit?
Do divides to every man severally as he will? Fruit is for all
Gifts are for those for whom they have been prepared We may covet gifts, but we must bear fruit
Gifts cannot take the place of fruit Gifts cannot take the place of fruits
What is the function of gifts? Well in Romans 12 6 through 8 Having then gifts according to the grace that is given to us where the prophecy let us prophesy according to the
Proportion of faith or ministry let us wait on our ministry or he that teacheth on teaching or he that exhorteth on Exhortation he that giveth let him do it with simplicity
He that ruleth with diligence he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness The gifts of the
Holy Spirit are for service and they differ according to the kind of ministry to be fulfilled
The occasion may determine the function There is so much abuse today, let me share up what
I think are some safeguards against this abuse The gifts of the Spirit are liable to abuse always in the early church
They appealed to unspiritual men who desired them for carnal purposes And they thought they had a commercial value and they are still commercialized though.
Not always for their cash value in the Corinthian Church The gifts of the
Holy Spirit became a fruitful source of rivalry jealousy and disorder Those possessors of one gift claim priority in importance and precedence in order
The root of the difficulty lay in the fact that carnal people were in possession of spiritual gifts and use them for carnal ends
Spiritual gifts are no proof of spirituality I'll say that again
Spiritual gifts are no proof of spirituality the New Testament nowhere makes spiritual gifts the sign of holiness and There were some greatly in doubt of whom
Jesus said that at the last day will be declared that he never knew them There is no suggestion that the gifts were not genuine, but they were perverted to wrong ends or exercised in the wrong spirit
Now this seems to be a serious difficulty to many but the scriptures Excuse me.
Make it plain That in a church that Came behind in no gift waiting for the coming of the
Lord. There were carnalities that would have disgraced a decent pagan assembly Gifts of the
Spirit are not substitutes for the grace and Ignorance and carnality have been made them a menace to holiness of heart and integrity of character
The safeguard against abuse are in the loyalties of faith The first loyalty of faith is loyalty to the
Lordship of Christ That is the first law of Christian discipleship and the continual standard of all
Christian life and service The second line of defense is loyalty to the Word of God the
Word and the Spirit are never at variance and the Word of Truth attests the Spirit of Truth and the
Holy Spirit interprets cooperates verifies and confirms the
Word of God No wisdom is of God that is not according to the scriptures There's laid down a very plain practical rule and loyalty to the fellowship in the body of Christ Edification is the test and order is the rule but the law of love applied to all
So let's think about this thought the law of love applied to all
Love is the last word in What we call religion it completes the revelation of God and it sums up the whole deity of man
Love is of God and the Spirit of God is the Spirit of love This designation of the
Holy Spirit is not so well known as some others But it is the quality that gives value to all the rest
When we talk about the love of the Spirit There's one passage that speaks directly of the love of the
Holy Spirit Romans 15 30 Now I beseech you brethren by our
Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit That you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me
Now there is some dispute as to whether the love of the Spirit refers to the love which the
Spirit produces in us or The personal love of the Holy Spirit for us The love which the
Spirit produces finds considerable favor in many and in that case the
Apostle would mean I beseech you brethren by our Lord Jesus Christ and The love of your spirit to me that you strive together with me in your prayers
Such a request would be natural enough, but the form of the request would be unnatural and strange the phrase becomes awkward and Enigmatic medical if it is meant to mean the love which the
Spirit gives But it's natural and plain if it names the Son and the Spirit as the ground of the appeal the intriguing names all the persons of the
Trinity and beseeches for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and By the love of the Spirit whom he has given to us that they will pray with him and for him
The love of the Spirit is the quality of love in the Spirit It is his love not ours that is the basis of this appeal
This is the unmistakable teaching of the Word of God Romans 5 5 speaks of the love of God that has been shed in our hearts by the
Holy Spirit being given unto us This must mean that it is God's own love that is shed in our hearts
It is a quality of life that is given to us and this quality comes from and through the
Holy Spirit It is not a gift that can be received apart from the giver himself
The love of God comes with the Holy Spirit Now love stands first in the order of fruit
There can be no doubt that love in the believer is the fruit of the love of the Spirit Fruit is an expression of life and love is the fruit of the
Holy Spirit The fruit is not of our growth It is the result of abiding in Christ by the
Spirit of love dwelling in us Love is the fruit. It is the chief the most notable result when the
Spirit of love dwells in us There is another notable passage
Which speaks of the believers love in the Spirit. That's Colossians 1 verse 8 This is something more than spiritual love
It means that our love of the brethren is a love not human in its origin
Not mere good nature and goodwill perfected by grace But the love of God that dwells in our hearts by the good spirit of love you recall 2nd
Timothy 1 verse 7 for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but and Then you could put in the spirit of power of love and of a sound mind
You see the Holy Spirit of God is not a spirit of fear He is not a spirit of bondage But the spirit of adoption the spirit of truth the spirit of power and the spirit of love his coming brings the conscious possession of love shed abroad in the heart and the love with which we love
God is God's own love imparted to us and the implanted in us and Implanted in us by the
Holy Spirit. Yes the spirit of love Well, if we have the spirit of love and he is the spirit of love.
It must be That he desires a ministry of love the ministry of the
Holy Spirit is a ministry of love I Believe the ministry of comes to consolation may be a very small part of the meaning of paraclete
But the comfort of the Holy Spirit is treasured as a priceless possession more precious than power
Sorrow is more universal than the thirst for knowledge and the day in the day of distress consolation is more than might
The word paraclete means more than comforter But in meaning more it cannot mean less because the comforter is in the paraclete
Our Lord promised did he not that he should save his disciples from the desolation? the desolation of orphans
He declared that they would gain by the exchange of his presence for that of the paraclete you recall
John 16 7 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 go I will send him unto you It is difficult to see how he could expect them to be comforted by the promise of one who would more than fill his place
They might protest that they did not believe any such game possible Our Lord said it and none dared to deny it or even challenge his words
The Holy Spirit came to fulfill our Lord's ministry of love in the world The world cannot receive him
For the spirit of love cannot dwell in a heart of hate or a spirit of worldliness
The world does not even know him He takes up the redemptive work of Jesus Christ the
Savior of the world Like our Lord, he suffers the contradiction of sinners against themselves
Love agonizes where it is powerless to help Think of the grief of the spirit of love
Who can measure the anguish of his rebuffs? reproaches and rejection
You and I know that love is sensitive It shrinks from distrust indifference and reproach
It yearns for love So the spirit yearns for us as the scripture says even unto jealous envy
James 4 5 This is the same sensitive love in all his work the love of God in Christ made him the drawer of sinners
Love shrinks from the ugly and offensive, but it overcomes and loves all the more for the greater need
The Spirit of God dwells in men's hearts When Christ came a body was prepared for him it had the limitations of humanity, but it was without sin
The temple of the Holy Spirit is not so prepared for his coming. He comes to hearts that are confessedly unclean
The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked and yet he comes to abide at its very seat and center
Through what travail the spirit of love must pass before the heart becomes indeed his temple and his home the patience of the
Holy Spirit would be impossible were it not for his love and He is there to bring about a perfecting of love
Herein is love made perfect with us wherein in the secret of the indwelling spirit of love
Hereby know we that we abide in him and he in us Because he hath given us of his spirit
Another God is love and he that abideth in love abideth in God and God abideth in him
Herein is love made perfect with us that we may have boldness in the day of judgment
Because as he is even so are we in this world There is no fear in love but perfect love cast out fear because fear hath punishment and he that feareth is not made perfect in love 1st
John 4 verses 13 16 17 and 18 The whole secret then is in the hereby and the herein
Perfect love is by the spirit of love There are two senses in which love may be in need of perfecting
It may be defective in quality or it may be deficient in quantity If the love shed abroad in the heart is the very love of God himself.
It cannot be defective in quality But it may be deficient in range and scope of operation
The Holy Spirit fills what is given. He does not wait for fullness of knowledge
Wherever there is a sincere purpose to serve Christ. He accepts the motive. However great the ignorance
There is a law of the spirit of life and it patiently waits through all the stages of the blade
The ear and the full corn in the ear He yearns for fullness of love and as he led to repentance
So he leads to surrender and fullness of blessing Love is made perfect when the spirit of love alone reigns in all the heart and life we love because the spirit of love dwells in us and that love permeates dominates and Possesses us entirely to the praise of his glory and to the excellence of his power
Now I want to comment Concerning something that is quite a burden to me
In these last days the enemy is about to deceive Yes, the Holy Spirit magnifies and glorifies
Christ There is such a lack Such a drought of God's Word People are hungry.
They are thirsting for the things of God without any announcement and So subtle that it has been undetected by most of Christianity.
There's come upon the world in these modern times a new cross This new cross has exploded into modern
Christendom and popular event evangelical circles It's like unto the old cross, but it's different The likenesses are superficial and the differences are fundamental
From this new cross has sprung to life a new philosophy of living the Christian life from this new philosophy of living has come forth an amazing new evangelistic technique a
New type of evangelistic meeting in a brand new a new brand of evangelistic preaching
This new type of Christian evangelism employs the same language Uses the same verbiage and the words and the phrases as the old did but its content is not
The same and its emphasis not as before The old cross would have nothing with the world for the proud flesh of Adam It meant to one and all the end of the journey
It carried and swept into effect the sentence that was imposed by the law of Mount Sinai But the new cross is not opposed at all to the mass of the human race
But rather it's a big buddy a friendly pal and if one understands correctly
It is the source of oceans of good clean fun and seemingly innocent enjoyment
The new cross allows Adam flesh to live without interference The motivation of his life is unchanged.
He still lives for his own pleasure Only now he takes delight in singing songs and watching religious movies instead of singing risque songs and drinking alcoholic beverages
The accent is still on self -enjoyment Although the so -called fun is now moved to a higher plane morally if not intellectually
The new cross also has encouraged and continues to encourage a new and entirely different evangelistic approach
The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life can be received
He does not preach contrast but presents similarities He seeks to key into the public interest by displaying that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands rather It offers the same basics of the world only on a higher level
Whatever the sin crazed world happens to be clamoring after at the particular moment is very cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers
Only the religious product becomes better The new cross does not slay the sinner.
It simply redirects him It gears him into a cleaner and happier way of living and saves his self -respect
To the self -assertive it says come and assert yourself of Christ to the egotist
It says come and do your boasting in the Lord To the thrill secrets has come and enjoy the thrill of Christian fellowship
The Christian message is slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public the philosophy back of this kind of thing may be sincere, but Its sincerity does not save it from being a false philosophy.
It is false because it is blind It completely misses the entire meaning and depth of the cross
The old cross is a symbol of death it stands for and demands an abrupt violent end of a human being
The man in Roman times who took up his cross and started down the road had already said farewell
He had bid goodbye to all his friends. He was not coming back He was not going out to have his life redirected.
He was going out to have it ended the cross made no compromise The cross modified nothing the cross spared nothing the cross slew all of the man completely and for good
The cross struck cruel and hard and when it had finished its work, the man was no more
The race of Adam is under a death sentence. There is no commutation of that sentence and there is no escape
Almighty God because of his holiness cannot approve any of the fruits of sin However, innocent they may appear or how wonderful they may seem to the eyes of men
God salvages Redeems the individual life by first liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life that kind of evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and the ways of men is false to the
Bible and Certainly cruel to the souls of its hearers The faith of Christ does not run parallel to the world.
It intersects it. It runs directly across it in Coming to Christ. We do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane
We leave it at the cross the corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die
Those who proclaim the gospel must not regard themselves as public relations agents
Sent out to establish some goodwill between the Lord Jesus Christ in the world Ministers missionaries and servants of the
Lord must not imagine themselves Commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business in the media the world of sports are modern education
We are not diplomats, but prophets Proclaimers of his complete message and that message is not a compromise, but it is an ultimatum
God does offer life but not an improved amended old life. The life he offers is out of death
It stands always endeavor on the far side the other side of the cross
Whoever would possess it must pass under the rod He must repudiate deny himself and concur agree totally and completely in God's just sentence against him
What does all this mean to the individual the condemned person who would desire a new life in Jesus Christ?
How can one translate this biblical truth into a practical daily reality? Very simply he must repent and believe he must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself
Let him cover nothing. Let him defend nothing. Let him excuse nothing Let him not seek to make terms with God Let him bow his head before the stroke of God's stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die
Having done this let him gaze with simple trust upon the risen Savior and from the Lord will come new life rebirth cleansing and power
The cross that ended the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner The power that raised
Christ Jesus from the dead now raises him to a new life along with the Lord Jesus Christ To anyone who may object to this or attribute it to a narrow -minded and private interpretation of God's biblical truth
Let me quickly state that Almighty God has set his hallmark of approval upon this message from the days of the
Apostle Paul to the present moment Whether stated in these exact words or not This has been the content of all preaching and proclamation of truth that has brought life and power to the world through the centuries of time
The great reformers and revivalists all put their emphasis here and the Holy Spirit gave witness to God's approval
Do we the heirs of such a wonderful legacy of life and power tamper with the truth? do we dare take our stubby pencils and attempt to erase the lines of God's great blueprint or Altered any way the precious pattern shown us in the
Word of God God forbid Let us proclaim the old cross and we will know the power of old and God will empower the life
God will empower the church and God will reach people for his glory and for the glory of his
Son the Lord Jesus Christ May God bless your hearts for coming and may