The Holy Spirit - Part 3 — T. Austin-Sparks

As we embark upon this full day ministry, ministry of speaking and of hearing the word of God, may I preface it pointing out ministry of the word of God to contain three things that such ministry should have as its object.

The first, the greatness and the nature, those two words, the greatness of our calling, the nature. The second, the meaning of the experience and the conflict and the dissonance with that, for in our calling in Christ we find ourselves very soon in a great conflict and we find that we have been brought under very severe and continuous discipline.

It is necessary therefore for us to know the meaning of that conflict, what it's all about, and the meaning of that discipline, what it is unto. And thirdly, the provision, the resources available to the Lord's people, the triumphant and the self-comprehense, three things although we are not going to dwell upon them, they lie behind all that we have to say today.

The Historical Significance of Acts 2

Now then, coming back to the second chapter of the book of the Acts, before you mark upon an exposition the chapter in its verses or in its particular and specific, it is the chapter, chapter not in the Bible, chapter in history.

A very important, dear friend, attach. I think as we go on it will become more and more clear to you what an important chapter. It's important to understand clearly than ever you have done before. I repeat, fundamental to all Christian life, fundamental to the three things which I have mentioned as constituting ministry to the Lord's people.

We understand the second chapter of the book of the Acts. Perhaps you think you do. Read it and heard it, read and heard it, preached on. Numerous say what I am saying now about it. More than 50 years of ministry lie behind what I am saying.

And I wouldn't dare to come to you, whole thing exhausted, and begin to give you something of an exhaust. Yes, what I mean is that time goes on of the inexhaustible fullness of this one chapter. Let us, there are as we Christians, Christianity, three beings, two sides of one thing, and the third, what is now by the word Pentecost, the advent of the Holy Spirit.

Incarnation, Cross, Resurrection, and Pentecost

Three major truths. There is a sense in which these might be said to be the greatest. We might say coming into this world is the greatest thing that is ever of God in Christ. To make that, we might, as we contemplate it, say the same about the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

The greatest thing that has ever happened in the history of mankind. How easy it would be to say that of the day of Pentecost. The greatest thing. But we cannot say that of each or any of these separately.

We can only say it in a related way. For they all three comprise marvelous activity from one another, the second and the second to the third, and they are interdependent and interrelated. Not one of them exclusively comprehends the whole movement of God so far as this world is concerned.

Without the Incarnation, there would be no Redeemer. Without the cross, there would be no redemption. Without the advent of the Spirit, there would be no church. With its world combined then, to make.

When we come to the matter that is before us, gathered into that town, Pentecost, great importance upon the advent of the Holy Spirit, indeed placed a greater importance upon it than upon His remaining in this world in the flesh.

It is expedient for you that I go away. Expedient for you that I go away. I go away. That struck consternation into those who heard it. Thing to which they reacted, the sense of hopeless and hopeless despair.

Everything for them, everything. All their religious education, their hopes and expectations, all their committal to the Messiah here in this world. He said over against, expedient, that I go, I go away for you.

Indeed, it is the best thing for you if I go not to the Comforter, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, a very great importance of the Holy Spirit, for him into universality. I am straightened, he said, Contemplate at least, if we do not comprehend, of that which took place on that particular day, on their day of Pentecost.

Knowing the Holy Spirit Through His Titles

Our significance of that in the divine design. Perhaps our best way of making contact with that is to look at the titles and designations given to the Holy Spirit. One or two today. One of them will be enough for the day or for many days.

Just are instructed as to the person of the Lord Jesus by the names and titles which are given to him. And ever remember, dear friends, names and titles of the Lord Jesus are indicative of his person and his work.

As we are and what he represents by the very titles that he bears. So it is with the Holy Spirit. We come to know, to understand the Holy Spirit in his person and in his purpose. Looking into the titles which are given him in the Word of God.

For the present we may have something to say later. But leaving that so familiar title of the Holy Spirit, that which introduces us to the comprehensiveness of his and his function is the one which is mentioned in the Letter to the Hebrews chapter 9, verse 14.

Who through the Eternal Spirit. The, and that means two things. He speaks of his Godhead, his deity. A member of the Divine. When we speak of Eternal God. The obvious first meaning. We leave that. This title also relates to his office and his function.

His office and his function. Eternal Spirit. Revelation. Connection. The Eternal Spirit. We find in the Bible major features of his function. I have very little hope of being able to speak about them all.

Ninety percent of what I have in my heart to say. We have just got to go as far as we are able. And you can have meditation. I am able to give our exposition. Firstly, the Bible concerning the Eternal Spirit.

The Eternal Spirit and God's Unchanging Purpose

Two poppers of God. Function. Committed to the eternal. There is a statement. Your Bible lies open with that statement. Active agent. Moving. Moving. All the time moving. In an executive, active way. As the custodian of the Divine poppers.

In charge of something to which he has committed himself. We will come back in a few moments. Of God and unchangeable. Let that be clearly recognized. There is a poppers. Its place in his universe. That poppers is a fixed poppers.

And it is an unchangeable spirit. It is the one committed to see to it. That it is not changed. It persists. It cannot be defeated. He has taken responsibility. That poppers by the Holy Spirit. By diverse means and in various ways.

So the Bible. A record of the diversity and variety. Divine methods and means. In relation to the one ultimate purpose. And will at one time move in this way. Take up this at another time. Another way.

By another means. How many diverse recorded in the scriptures. The means employed. The goings of that truth. And that aspect of things sees. What is changeable. And what is transient. Whereas the poppers is unchanging.

And eternal. The methods of reaching it. Vary and change from time to time. Something is taken up. I am being. In that relation. That is done. And it is set aside. That is what is in the Bible. About the Holy Spirit.

You see the instruments of man use. And the tremendous range. Of different forms of the Holy Spirit's activity. Yes many ways. But one end. Unchanging end. The thing about the eternal spirit. Is committed.

To the maintaining. Of the absolute sovereignty of God. Only God. The maintaining of that. Reality. The absolute and undivided sovereignty of God. It is all about that. Between God and another or others.

And you encounter the Holy Ghost. He does not have it. This is inexorable. He is unchallenged. Here with this. What the Bible says. Loss of time. Loss in every way. Because the Holy Spirit is committed.

To one thing here. God is God. And he alone has all the rights in this universe. Question that. Dispute that. Withhold those rights from him in any detail and respect. And the Holy Spirit is up against you.

And you are up against the Holy Spirit. He is committed. To the preserving of God. And the fourth thing. About the Holy Spirit. Committal. His jealousy. Conceit. With. Principle. You may be very tired of that word principle.

Principles. You may revolt against it. Would you like to take that attitude? You can. For some of us. Divine meaning and explanation. Be recognized. And if you haven't recognized it. Go back to your Bible.

Investigate with this thought. In your mind and before your eyes. That God has his own way of doing things. And that you cannot get to God's end by any way but God's way. You cannot achieve God's purpose by any means but God's way.

You have got to come into God's thoughts. God's standards. God's values. To raise things up. You've got to come into that. In order to be one with him. In his eternal purpose. It is God's work in God's way.

Tragic history. Hangs upon failure to recognize that. As though. By any means. Any way. Any how. Well it doesn't work out that way. It doesn't work out that way. And those who get nearest to the Lord and walk close.

Know very well that they've got to ask the Lord about everything. Even the things that seem to be the most rational and sensible things. They have to ask the Lord is this right? Is my natural common sense safe in this matter?

That which seemed to us to be convincingly the right thing. Did not find the Holy Spirit's assent. The Holy Spirit is very jealous. The divine principles. And it is. One of the most. Fascinating if one can use that word.

One of the most fascinating things to see the consistency of the Holy Spirit with principle. Get hold of a single principle. And see how the Holy Spirit is consistent with that. I must say. To put in parenthesis instances of it in the Bible.

But there it is. The Holy Spirit is just not having that. Because it's not consistent with the divine principle. But he is having the other. Because there's no inconsistency. There's no contradiction there.

It is sincere. It is wholly in line with the divine thought. The divine feeling about things. If you want the Holy Spirit to be with you. You've got to get right into line with this. And sometimes it requires a lot of sifting out.

Sifting out. Sifting out. To get out. Where is it we have defaulted? Where is our mistake? Where have we blundered? What is it that the Lord is not agreeing with and letting us get away with? What is it?

Then after much heart searching and breaking and emptying. We light upon it. The whole thing. Very jealous. The divine principle. But introductory to this. The Holy Spirit's divine principle. But introductory to this.

The Eternal Purpose Revealed in Christ and the Kingdom

The Holy Spirit's commitment to the eternal purpose of God. And it is. In those ways. But when we've said that. And there's much more that could be said. We're still here before this. Committed to the eternal purpose.

What is it? What is it? What is the eternal purpose? To which the Holy Spirit is thus. To which he will hold. From which he will not deviate. Over which he will be so jealous. As to its detail. What is it?

May I turn you to some scriptures. Are like windows. Through which we can look. Gospel. Which is fairly generally believed to be. The first gospel record. That was written. And I mention that because if that is true.

A greater significance. About this little fragment. The Gospel by Mark. The Gospel by Mark. Chapter 1. Verse 14. Now after that John was delivered up. Jesus came. Into Galilee. After John. Came into Galilee.

Preaching the Gospel of God. And saying. The kingdom is fulfilled. And the kingdom of God at hand. While we turn. To the letter to the Galatians. Letter to the Galatians. Chapter 4. Verse 4. When the fullness of the time came.

God sent forth his son. Born of a woman. Born under the law. That he might redeem them which were under the law. That we might receive the adoption time. Or was. Back now to Matthew's Gospel. Chapter 16.

Verse 28. There be some of them that stand here. Which shall in no wise taste of death. Till they see the son of man. Coming. In his kingdom. Verse 3. To whom he also showed himself alive after his passion.

By many proofs. Appearing unto them by the space of forty days. And speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God. There are two things here in those four passages. Two passages on one and two passages on the other.

But there are only of course. Introductory passages to a vast amount more. Fulfill. The time. For complete. Completed. And all content. Headed up to this moment. The fullness of all that. And this is the climax.

Of all that. Jesus announcing. Is completed. All time. Since time began. Something moving in those diverse manners. All that we have. In the long story. Recorded in the Old Testament. From the beginning.

Has been. Moving up to this. And this hour is the completeness. The fullness of that. God sent forth his son. I'm interested just as. By the way. In noting. That Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. Chapter 1 verse 10.

Looks on. Looks on. And uses the plural form. He speaks of that which will be. The fullness of the times. It's singular. He looks on and says. In the fullness of the times. Gather together all. There'll be another.

Great climax. When all. The divisions of time. Will be gathered. Into this one thing. But that by the way. Is not. Stay with that. Or even. Hold it for the moment. There has been something in view. From the beginning of time.

Has had something in his mind. Right from the beginning of time. Which was introduced. Into this world. When time was introduced. When God made day and night. Made weeks and months. And years and decades.

And centuries. And all the rest. Of the. Departments of time. God has a thought. To run through. All that section of time. And govern it. We have said the Holy Spirit. Pursuing that. From the beginning.

And now says this. Has reached its climax. To its issue. Time after this. Divulged. It's out. Time God sent passages. And the other half. The statement tells it. That right into all that has been in God's mind.

From the beginning. Was this eternal purpose. A kingdom. A divine kingdom. The thing about which the Lord Jesus spoke. As was the first thing. That he uttered in his preaching. To them of the kingdom.

Comprehending his life. He steps out onto the platform. Of his world ministry. And says. Kingdom is here. More literally. It's imminent. And after his resurrection. Up to. The last thing he's speaking about is the kingdom.

It's impressive. It's impressive. That that was the last thing. That the apostle Paul. Spoke about. Do we have any record of. The last chapter of this book of Acts. In his own hired house. Receiving all that came unto him.

He spake concerning the kingdom. The purpose. Comprehensively is. The kingdom of God. Will be done on a purpose. Divine. Heavenly kingdom. Over this world. To these three things. Out on the day. On that day.

Pentecost and the Coming of the Kingdom in Power

Matthew 16 .28. Had. At least. Planned immediate fulfillment. There be. I verily say this to you. Taste of death. Till they see the son of man. Coming. In his. Kingdom. That happened on the day of Pentecost.

When he was about to leave them. He said. Not many days hence. Not many days hence. But when it happened. The advent of the kingdom. The long. Delayed. The long awaited. The long prophesied kingdom. The long illustration.

What were the three things. That related to. It's coming. Look at Acts 2. The advent of the kingdom. In the consummation of time. The thing. The first thing. That is. Brought right into view. So powerfully.

So preeminently is. The king. Is in front. He has. Because we need to crowd into. That all this. Other wonderful teaching. God raised him. And set him at his own right hand. Far above all rule. And all poverty.

And every need. Back down at the right hand. Of the majesty in the heaven. And so. But that is here. On the day of Pentecost. It is both explicit. And implicit. That this one. Whom they crucified. God hath made lord.

Is in his place. And the king. In order to have a king. In of the kingdom. Great reality. Of Christ's lordship. Becomes the dominant note. Of apostolic preaching. We heard it. He is lord of all. We can say.

That from one standpoint. The whole of this book. Of the acts so called. Is the account of his lordship. In many ways. Unchangeable. Because in the hands of the Holy Spirit. This. Of this kingdom. Eternal.

Not just of an hour. The kingdom has come. With power. Contemplation of things today. Where we are concerned. Where the church is concerned. The spiritual state is concerned. It still remains. That this kingdom.

Is a king. Superior power. That the Holy Spirit. Went out of his way. Causing this record to be written. To indicate. Of the kingdom. Being caught in. Any hurricane. You know something of the meaning of power.

Get into a gate on the sea. And see what you can do with it. We must have travelled on the mightiest ships. That exist in this world. Great vessels. With their immense engine power. And we have been hosed to.

For many hours. The gale was too great. The only thing to do was. Stand still. Let it blow itself out. Wait. Cope with that. It's the simile. Of the advent of the Holy Spirit. To convey the idea. That this kingdom.

Is a kingdom of power. As you are saying with me. Oh for the recovery. Of sense of that. Oh to know. Something more of that. But our failure. And the church's failure. And it has. It wins. The Holy Spirit.

Is not. In manifestation. As it should be. But of course it's still working. And very mightily working. Hidden lay very largely. At last. When we can see. Even what the Holy Spirit. Has done. In days like these.

When everything seems to be. In suspense. Or defeat. Or rest. Oh the Spirit of God. Hasn't. Evacuated. The scene. Does not. Let go his commitment. Not at all. The advent of the kingdom. Is. In power. Power said the Lord.

As he was going. When the Holy Spirit. Has come upon you. Dear friends. Do not want. To be. Just giving out. A lot. Of words. And ideas. Even though. This may be the truth. In it all the time. And I want that.

Challenge to come to your heart. Effectiveness. Or impotence. And confusion. Cannot be attributed. To the Holy Spirit. Curiously and solemnly investigate. To see why it is. There is not more power. Oh for more power in our preaching.

The Holy Spirit. Registered. With impact. That's what I call it. But oh for more power in our hearing. And our receiving. There may be. In us. Light. Of the power of the kingdom. For the kingdom is. And the third thing.

The Birth of the Church at Pentecost

That characterized the coming of the kingdom. Such a significant thing. Was the birth of the church. On that day the church was born. And what is the relationship of the church. To the kingdom. There of course.

For. So much. Careful. Traction. About the church. You. Asked any of the. Impress of that word. By reason of familiarity. If it has become. But a system of truth. To you. An idea. The more or less. Objective way.

Listen now. And ask the Lord. Recover. That loss. Because you see. This. That is called. My church. My church. Has a very. Very. Close place to the heart. Of the king. Of the Lord. In relation to his.

What is it. Where if we use. A figure. From. The word of God. Says the innermost thing. In the whole range. Of the divine rule. Which is to be ultimately. The divine rule. Kingdom is a very far reaching.

And comprehensive. Thought and intention of God. To embrace. But right at the heart. Of that great spiritual. Territory there's a city. There's a city. City is a divine idea. Or it is taken up by God.

And used as a divine idea. It is.