The Ministries Of The Holy Spirit

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Our Father in heaven, we do ask that you would remember us in this time in this Sunday school class as we consider these great truths
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Concerning the ministries of the Spirit of God. We pray that it might help us because we know that what we believe if and when we consider the person of God when we consider in this class this morning the third person the
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Holy Spirit and Ministries of the Holy Spirit in our lives It will help us to know when we live that we're not living by our own power
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And the ministries of the Holy Spirit in our lives It will help us to know when we live that we're not living by our own power
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Walk in the spirit so that we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh Lord it will help us when we pray when we evangelize when we teach when we preach
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When we take one step after another in our Christian walk when when we even worship we understand
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That our that our position is before a thrice Holy God Father Son and Holy Spirit and we'd ask that you would teach us this morning something
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Maybe that we had not seen before so that it would help encourage us and that it would bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ In whose name we pray.
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Amen Well before we get into the study, I'll I'm going to give you a little bit of an introduction
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How important is it to for us to get this doctrine straight concerning the
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Holy Spirit? How important is the emphasis of the ministry of the
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Spirit in a local New Testament Church or even in a believer's life I'll introduce it this way.
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I was pastoring in West Brookfield Massachusetts many years ago and had a young couple come into the church and the couple was they came to church
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They lived in town. They used they typically would go to church in the Auburn area and It was
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I believe it was a snowy day They were late and they said we'll just go to that Baptist Church downtown.
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We'll just see what's going on there Now they were reluctant to come Because they had a family member that had told them that the
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Baptists or in in our case the Bible churches the independent churches
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They don't believe in the Holy Spirit Now that's to us when we consider that.
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I mean, that's just mind -boggling. I mean, that's just kind of foolishness I mean God the
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Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit praise God From whom all blessings flow praise him all creatures here below praise him above the heavenly hosts praise father son and the
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Bible Praise father son and the church. No praise father son and Holy Ghost the
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Holy Spirit Of course, we believe in the Holy Spirit what they're saying is is That we don't put the emphasis on the
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Holy Spirit like they do in their church Of course, the church was a charismatic Church Pentecostal Church They put such an emphasis on the
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Holy Spirit that in in the Manifestations of the Holy Spirit and they get some of the gifts wrong and they and they and they get things like you know if you're going to if you're going to say that you're a
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Christian then you must speak in tongues because that's a that's a fruit of the Spirit that is a that is a presence of the
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Holy Spirit in the person's life and You know those Baptists. They don't they don't speak in tongues.
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They don't roll in the aisles They don't bark like a dog roar like a lion and the different things that happen in churches, which are not biblical which they equate to the
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Spirit of God and They don't see that we have a an emphasis on the
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Spirit of God as the Bible gives that emphasis We have we we want to make sure that what we believe is
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Given to us in Scripture and that's so we go to the Scripture to find out what it teaches about any subject
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And that's what we believe now that couple came that Sunday and Five six years later.
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They were still there because they heard the Bible being taught and they weren't hearing that where where they were in The right emphasis on the whole whole counsel of God Before we get into the ministry this of the
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Spirit and oh as a matter of fact I was just speaking to a young man in this church
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Less than a month ago, and he was told the same thing by a family member Don't go to that Bethlehem Bible Church because they don't believe in the
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Spirit of God And I'm hoping that we can see after this Sunday school class that not only do we believe in the
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Holy Spirit of God We've been taught of the Holy Spirit of God We've been shown who the
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Holy Spirit of God is and we as believers are Absolutely 100 % completely dependent upon the
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Spirit of God for anything to take place in our lives or in the church It is it is the
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Spirit of God who moves who leads who guides who directs who teaches as we're going as we're going to See before we before we get into the ministries of the
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Holy Spirit. I want to I want to just take a quick Just a quick few minutes and speak to The person of the
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Spirit of God, that's a whole new a whole different study would would take several messages and I want to start it by reading out of the
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Confession of faith that we hold to here at Bethlehem Bible Church the 1689 Baptist confession of faith which says concerning God the
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Holy Trinity Three divine persons constitute the Godhead the
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Father the Son or the Word and the Holy Spirit They are one in substance in power and in eternity
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Each is fully God and yet the Godhead is one and indivisible The father owes his being to none
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He is the father to the son who is eternally begotten of him the Holy Spirit proceeds from the father and the son
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These persons one Infinite and eternal God not to be divided in nature or in being are distinguished in Scripture by their personal relations with the
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Godhead and by the variety of works which they Undertake and that's kind of like the study. We're going to look at today.
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It says that the each got each Each person of the Godhead is distinguished and unique based upon the work not only their person
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But in in their relation with each other But also their unique work and we're going to be looking at the unique work or the unique ministries of the
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Holy Spirit They're try unity try unity That is the doctrine of the Trinity is the essential basis of all of our fellowship with God and of the comfort we derive
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From our dependence upon him. So God the Holy Spirit we see this in Scripture We see it as far as there being three persons in one
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Godhead we used to sing with kids God the Father God the Father God the Son God the
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Son God the Holy Spirit God the Holy Spirit three and one three and one just as strong For the kids to be able to learn that there are three persons one
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Godhead one God Now we see this in Matthew 28 19, don't we?
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You don't have to turn there But we're supposed to go into all the world and and and make disciples of the nations
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Baptizing them in the name of what the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit We see that in the baptistry just the last week of the week before and pastor
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Mike baptize someone Baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and the Holy Spirit Notice in the scripture you don't have to if you want to take this note down you can write down 2nd
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Corinthians 3 3 It's not the spirit of Paul. It's not the spirit of the
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Bible. It's not the spirit of the age It's the Spirit of God is referenced there in 2nd
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Corinthians 3 3 as the spirit of the Living God it's the Spirit of God and in in Philippians 1 in verse 19
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Known as and and the name there is the Spirit of Jesus Christ So this is not that we're not speaking of a power as some would believe or some in invisible influence but Who we are speaking here is a person
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The Holy Spirit is a person sometimes we don't really we it's easy for us to equate
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Humanly to a father right we think of an earthly father. That's a person It's easy for us to to think of and equate the the
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Son of God as to a person But sometimes I think we even as as Christians don't think of the
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Holy Spirit as a person But that he is the Holy Spirit as a
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Person and I want I want to because you know a person The Holy Spirit is someone who can be grieved it says in Galatians They know
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Ephesians chapter 4 you you can grieve the Holy Spirit you can you don't grieve a force
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You don't grieve an influence, but you can grieve a person and when we consider all these ministries
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That we're going to be looking at this morning of the Holy Spirit. These are done by a person a
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Divine person the third person of the Holy Trinity Turn if you would though to Acts chapter 5 because I want you to see at least one verse that One set of verses that at least shows you how the
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Bible Declares that the third person the Holy Spirit is in fact
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God Acts chapter 5 in Ananias and Sapphira you've read read them know of this account in the scripture and they come before the
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Apostle and they And they do that which is not right by not speaking the truth and in Acts chapter 5 in Verse 3 notice notice what
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Peter says Acts 5 verse 3 Peter said Ananias Why and notice who is he who is he who is
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Ananias lying to Ananias? Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the
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Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? So in that verse there it says who did he lie to?
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the Holy Spirit Look in verse 4 while it remained unsold Did it not remain your own and after it was sold was it not at your disposal?
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Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart you have not lied unto men but to God oh boy that Bible is got contradictions doesn't it that's what people would say look at verse 3
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It says that that Ananias lied to who the Holy Spirit as you said and who does it say he lied to in verse 4?
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He lied to God What is it is the Bible contradicting itself, or is it telling us truth is it revealing to us truth?
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What do you I thought you were raising your hand you see I do that to check my glasses Every once in a while What do you think is this a contradiction or is this a revelation of truth about who the person of the
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Holy Spirit is it? Is isn't it the Holy Spirit is God. He was lying to the Holy Spirit He was lying to God and that's just one of those one of those verses and you ever have those when you're reading through the
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Bible and you read that and You go back it's kind of like it's kind of like when the the
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Gadarene demoniac is the guy who was Tied up with chains and and it was running around in the cemetery
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Those of you that went to Israel that was on the other side of the Sea of Galilee where we went out of Tiberias It was on the other side where that took took place and this guy is running through the cemetery and cutting himself with stones
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They can't control him. He's a wild man got demons and Jesus comes there and Casts the demons out into the pigs.
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Remember the pigs go over the side and they're drowned and Jesus the guy wants to go with Jesus when
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Jesus is leaving and Jesus says No, you don't go to me.
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You're gonna go back home to Decapolis remember the area of the 10 cities around there go back to Decapolis and Tell them what great things
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God has done for you Go tell your home people at home Great things God has done for you and he goes back the
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Bible says in the next few verses and it says and he tells them What great things? Jesus has done for him
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You remember that and that's in you and you when you read that you go Wow The Bible is telling us that Jesus is
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God in here The Bible is telling us that the Holy Spirit is God and we must get this in our minds because we worship
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God We worship a God who has revealed to himself to us Three persons one
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Godhead and and we know that pastor Mike has taught many times Remember when when he went through Ephesians and he talked about the great work of the
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Father the great work of the Son and the great Work of the Holy Spirit and it's the Father who chooses It's the
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Son who redeems and it's a spirit of God who quickens and seals That's where we're going to be this morning to see to see some exciting passages which reveal to us
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Some of the ministries of the Holy Spirit that we probably hadn't even and thought of and the first one we like to turn to Is John chapter 16?
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Let's turn in our Bibles to the fourth gospel the gospel of John and look in chapter 16 in John chapter 16
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We read this in verses 7 through 10 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
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Jesus is speaking here. It is to your advantage that I go away For I if I do not go away the
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Helper That's the Spirit of God the Comforter the Helper will not come to you
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But if I go away, I will send him to you and when he comes he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment
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Concerning sin because they do not believe in me concerning righteousness because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer
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Concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged It says here the ministry of the Holy Spirit and I have it on your sheet is that he convicts of sin
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The Spirit of God convicts of sin. Do you realize that when you came to the place in your life when you realize that you were?
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a sinner Before God you did not come to that realization on your own
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It wasn't because I'm just smarter than my cousins and my brother and my mother and my father
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I'm smarter. I I realized I looked at myself and I saw you know We look at us.
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We looked at ourselves before we were saved and we didn't think anything was wrong with us As a matter of fact, we liked we liked ourselves the way that we were in our sinful dispositions
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And and we were we were running away from God. No man seeks after God the Bible says but the day came when we were faced
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With the with the fact that we were depraved and sinful before God and that we had offended
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God and God With the with the fact that we were depraved and sinful before God and that we had offended
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God and God No, when I when I reordered these I kind of put them in the order of how they occur
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I tried to a little bit I when I was throwing this together and it starts right there in our lives when it comes to when it comes to a
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Realization that we need a Savior that we're sinners that happens at the beginning
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But not only does it happen at the beginning does the Spirit of God Convict us of sin even in the life of a believer as we live our
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Christian life out Does the Spirit of God do that? Yes, maybe I see a couple of heads nodding people are awake
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You're not you're not sleeping with your eyes open Like the three stooges. I don't know if you remember these they have one way to close their eyes and they had their eye
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I painted on the eyelid None of you have that this morning you're you're with me
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I see you're tracking a little bit But isn't it true? We're we're convicted of sin every day the
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Spirit of God That's the ministry of the Spirit of God, but not only not it doesn't stop there though notice in 1st
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Corinthians chapter 2 Let's turn there 1st Corinthians chapter 2 There's a there's a work that the
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Spirit of God does that we cannot do on our own 1st Corinthians chapter 2 and in verse 10
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These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit is talking about the Spirit of God reveals things to to us
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For the Spirit searches everything even the depths of God For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person which is in him
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So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God Now we have received not the spirit of the world
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But the Spirit who is from God that we might notice this that we might Understand the things freely given us by God We were given the
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Spirit of God so that we can understand the things of God and we impart This in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the
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Spirit Interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual notice in verse 14.
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It says the natural person That's the lost person the person without the Savior a person who has not had their nature changed there
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They're still in the old nature The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God for their folly or foolishness to him
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And he's not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned verse 15 The spiritual person judges all things but is himself to be judge of no one for who has understood the mind of the
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Lord So as to instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ so we see here that when it comes to our understanding
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When it comes to us to be able to understand anything about God anything about sin anything about judgment anything about the future things present things when it if we're to have an understanding if we're to have our
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The eyes of our heart so to speak Enlightened so that we can see the things of God it happens
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Not by by human might or human reasoning or human gimmicks
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That's why it's wrong for a church to use human to you use human gimmicks or plans
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And when you see when you see the megachurches and you see what they're doing to bring people in it's some new tactic
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Some new thing it's always changing. It's not as Jeremiah said asked for the old paths
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Let's say it the Lord and stand you in the way. It's not the the old time religion. It's not the old time gospel
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It's something new. It's something fangled It's some it's some new fad that will come and it will go me think back
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And even my life is as far as a believer the different things that came in God the moral majority came and gone think of promise keepers come and gone
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But when you have the scripture you have the gospel and you look at what it is that God God does with that How is it that it comes to us?
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How is it that we understand it? How is it that we're able to the natural man doesn't accept it?
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But by the Spirit of God, we come to the place where we say I am a sinner I understand and I need a
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Savior and I am can understand spiritual things by the ministry of the Spirit of God and Notice this turn in John chapter 3
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In John chapter 3 we see this when Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus and this is just an example in this man's life
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And Jesus makes it even plainer and clearer to us here John chapter 3 and in verse 4
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Nicodemus Asked Jesus, how can a man be born? You know because because Jesus says you must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God Nicodemus in verse 4 says to Jesus How can a man be born when he is old?
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Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born Jesus answers in verse 5 notice this truly truly
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I Say to you unless you are born of water and of the Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of God We must be born again.
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That's what he's teaching here. And how are you born again? Not by human reasoning not by human effort not because of your parents or Christians Not because you go to a certain church, but you're born of the
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Spirit notice verse 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh that makes sense and that which is born of the
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Spirit Notice the capital s you see that in your Bibles the capital s means the
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Holy Spirit of God The person the third person of the Trinity born of the Spirit. How is it that we're born again?
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who in the in the Trinity who in the Godhead who is it that has the ministry of Regenerating or or having people being born from above it is the
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Spirit of God notice as we go on in this chapter in verse 8 he even says the wind blows where it wishes
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Jesus said and you hear it sound But you do not know where it comes from or where it goes
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So is it with everyone who is born of the Spirit? And if we ought to be born of the
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Spirit or born again or regenerated or become a Christian become a believer become a child of God and it's it's
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If you are born once Physically or of the flesh if you are born once you will die twice
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You will die not only physically But you will also die spiritually being cut off from God banished from the presence of God having rejected
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God's Son But if you are born twice and for every believer every child of God you were born physically because God gave you life
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Through your earthly parents physically in the flesh born of the flesh, but if you're born two times the second one spiritual birth rebirth
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Regeneration you hear it as that being born from above you will only die once you'll be you'll die physically
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And then you'll be ushered into the presence of God and that that Can be attributed to that being born again is attributed to the
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Spirit of God He regenerates and all these convictive sin and opens up our understanding with Lydia Heard the gospel from the
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Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 16 It says there that God Opened her heart her heart was opened to receive that message and the same thing happened to you
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If as a sinner, and if you are now a believer God the Holy Spirit Opened your heart.
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It says in in In 1st John 5 verse 20 It says that we know that the the
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Son of God has come and has given us an understanding That we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true even in his son
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Jesus Christ We've been given an understanding. We didn't come to this on our own We didn't we didn't just wake up someday and say
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I think it'll be a great day to repent And I think it's a great day to turn to God I think it's a great day to believe on Jesus all of our own strength know that that took place in your life
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It took place because the Spirit of God moved Upon you just like just like the
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Spirit of God moved upon the earth when was dark and and without void and without form
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It says in Paul Paul uses that illustration in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4
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It says that that that the Spirit of God moves upon the heart of people through the preaching of the gospel the
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Spirit of God Quickens us or gives us life and regenerates us and then not only there look at look at And some of these may not be exactly in the the exact order, but Ephesians chapter 1
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What is one of the ministries of the Spirit of God in Ephesians chapter 1 and in verse 14?
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Well, maybe we should go back Speaking of Christ in verse 11 in him we have obtained an inheritance
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Having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will verse 12 so that we who are
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We who were the first to hope in Christ might to the be to the praise of his glory in verse 13 in in him you also
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When you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and believed in him were sealed
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With this promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee verse 14 of our inheritance?
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until we acquire Possession of it to the praise of his glory so we are sealed by the
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Spirit of God and He is the guarantee. I think you're
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Let me see. I can't remember what some of the other Translations have in it, but but this means it at this point when we're sealed with the
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Spirit of God This is the down payment It's almost like when you're purchasing a house and you put a down payment on it means that you're promising that you're going to come up with the rest
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When a in this down payment here kind of equates to an engagement ring when a young man
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Sets his affection on a young woman and he gives her the ring the ring means That I'm going to come through with the rest.
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I am going to marry you I I promise I guarantee that that the rest is is going to come and when
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God saves us He gives us the Spirit of God and we are sealed by the
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Spirit of God and what God is saying Is that everything that he has promised to us in a full and complete salvation is going to take place
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It is going to happen. We are marked people We are we are the Lord's and what's what's neat is
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The way that the way that we know that we're a different people the way that we know that we're a sealed people or a guaranteed
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People is that the Spirit of God in dwells us notice the very next step
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They have first Corinthians chapter 3 the next ministry first Corinthians Chapter 3 and Paul as you know when he when he teaches him many times
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He asks questions and this is one of those questions. Don't you know don't you understand?
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Don't you get it first Corinthians 316? Do you not know? That you are
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God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you notice. It isn't man's spirit.
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It isn't the church's spirit. It isn't the world spirit It is the Spirit of God God's Spirit in dwells within you dwells within you
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He says the same thing in first Corinthians 619 don't you know that your body is a temple of the
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Holy Ghost? You are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit which are which are gods
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We're dwelt with the Holy Spirit now, that's pretty mind -boggling the infinite God dwelling within us
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We I I don't know of anybody who's fully got their mind wrapped around that one. I know I don't
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But it's true God says that he indwells every
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Child of his and what a comfort that is Because what that means is one
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We're never out of the presence of God that's a comfort and that's also something that should strike fear in our hearts
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Because as we go through our lives as believers, we consider that everything we say everything that we do everything that we think
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Every piece of our behavior of our lives is witnessed by the Spirit of God who dwells within us
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And that's why Paul when he's writing to the Ephesian Church in Ephesians chapter 4
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He says because of your behavior Don't grieve the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is a person who can be grieved and if you sin
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You grieve the Spirit of God he dwells within us Now that's not only to make sure that we walk circumspectly
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But also it's a very great blessing, isn't it to think of that when we go through our lives
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We're not having to do it on our own. We're not having to God is not like way over here someplace
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God is ever -present with us and somehow and in some way Mysteriously that we cannot really completely comprehend or understand or even explain when somebody asks us the infinite
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God lives within side of us and what a blessing what a gift that is to us
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And also I'm going to deal with one more and then I'll ask if you have any questions if you look in Romans chapter 8 in Romans chapter 8 just the book back to the left
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There's a whole lot in here in this chapter about the Spirit of God but in Romans 8
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Notice what the scripture says in verse 16. Well, I'm gonna go back a little bit
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How about 14 for all who are led by the Spirit of God are? sons of God Notice on your sheet down below in the next section
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The second the last one says leads you see that the Spirit of God leads us So that we don't go back to this verse.
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I just read it Romans 8 14 It says in this verse that we are led by the Spirit of God. That is one of the ministries of the
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Spirit the Spirit of God even led Jesus into the wilderness when it came to the temptations, you remember that and Leading in Christ's life leading even in our lives very important that we that we pray that should affect the way that we pray
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We're not going to go where we want to go We want to go where the Lord would have us to go and our prayer can be father through We come to you in Jesus name
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Asking you please that we might be led of the Spirit of God in a way that pleases you so that we won't do our own
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Will but we'll do the will of God so that he leads us what we're heading We're heading to this one here that he assures us notice where it says in verse 15 for you did not
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Receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear But you have received the spirit of adoption as sons
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By whom we cry Abba Father very endearing term by the
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Spirit of God where we have been adopted into the family of God and we cry Abba Father notice verse 16 the
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Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are the children of God and what that verse is saying is that the
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Spirit of God bears witness to our own spiritual adoption that we are adopted the
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Spirit of God shores us and and convinces us and and Lets us know that we're the children of God now.
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This is something that That takes place in our lives This is not something that you know we have people who are saying
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I don't have an assurance of my salvation and many times people don't have an assurance of their salvation
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Because that's what they're seeking they're seeking the assurance and what they should be seeking is
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Jesus Christ They should be looking to the Lord and and and submitting to to the
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Lordship of Christ obeying the Word of God seeking first the kingdom of God and what they've done is they've the the assurances like the caboose on the train and Seeking Christ is up the front of the train, and that's what they should be doing first But they're seeking the caboose things are out of order, and they're not getting it because they're disobedient
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They're out of the will of God. They're they're they're looking for the wrong thing But if you if you seek to obey
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God and seek first his kingdom and seek to obey Christ the assurance comes because the
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Spirit of God speaks to your heart saying you know letting us know through the Word of God as we read it and Just comforting us to let us know that we are the children of God Any believer here this morning if you ever have that That time when you're just alone with the
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Lord you're reading the scriptures, and you just realize I'm not of this world
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God has done something in my life. I'm not who I used to be I Know the the thoughts that I used to have and I know the tendencies that I used to have and I was
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Running far from God and God has got a hold of me. God has arrested me saved me Given me of his spirit, and I know
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Based upon what God has promised in his Word that I'm a child of God boy
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Is that comforting that is very helpful in trying times in which we live so the Spirit of God convicts
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Illuminates regenerate seals and wells and assures and that's kind of like like leading up to okay
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God has saved us now. What do we do? What kind of a lives are we to live? Let's just stop there for a moment
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Does anybody have a question or maybe a comment or maybe an example in your life?
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Where you can say I understand what you're saying pastor day because this took place in my life
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And it made it very clear to me that the Spirit of God was working in my heart or life
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Anybody for one thing it just gives me a break Bruce Amen well, we're not going to get there, but down the very bottom
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And when it just speaks of different ministries of the Spirit of God there are
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There are verses there that that speak to that and that the Spirit of God is the comforter the one who helps us
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The one it says here the one who guards us the one who intercedes what a wonderful truth that that is
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That even even when we don't even know how to pray or what to pray the
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Holy Spirit is interceding on our behalf the Spirit of God Before before the face of God interceding for for us as believers
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Amen anybody else do we believe in the Holy Spirit at Bethlehem Bible Church or in the
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Baptist Church certainly? all over the scripture just Tons of verses that speak to it look at all of these ministries of the
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Spirit that we've already covered here. Yes, Pamela And I distinctly remember that morning meditating and consciously being aware of how what
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I instantly I knew I was going to hell And there was just such a sudden change Yeah She thought that when she was in her new age type meditation and going through and meditating thinking everything is a -okay but then heard the
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Ten Commandments and She heard those Ten Commandments, and she thought humanly speaking she reasoned right no
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It was the Spirit of God that brought the conviction that I cannot keep these
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Ten Commandments I fall fall far short of the glory of God and the
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Spirit of God convicts Pastor Mike I'm just going to go on in the first Corinthians chapter 6
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We if you want to turn there back to the book to the right pastor Mike had preached here not too long ago
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And here's one of the ministries of the Spirit of God in verse 11 You remember that he that whole list of those people who were
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Enlisted the sinful behaviors and patterns in the lives of people starting in first Corinthians verse 9 6 9 and but then it gets down.
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It's well. I'll just start there Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God first Corinthians 6 9?
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Do not be deceived neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters adulterers And here's the list and then he says in verse 11 and such were some of you
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But it's different something has taken place in your life, but you are washed You were sanctified you were justified in the name of the
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Lord Jesus and notice this and by The Spirit of God that word is important and by the
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Spirit of God We are washed We are sanctified. We're set apart for God.
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We're made holy for God just like in the Old Testament They took those utensils and the in the tabernacle and those were only used for that type of worship and service before God They were sanctified for that use and we're sanctified
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We're set apart for God as holy vessels to be used by for the Lord, and it's done by the
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Holy Spirit Praise God from whom all blessings flow Father Son and Holy Spirit we see what he's doing in our lives turn to the book of Galatians to the right
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It's not too far first and second Corinthians then Galatians Chapter 5 maybe you've heard these verses before but never really thought about this first Corinthians.
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I mean Galatians chapter 5 very at the very end of the chapter verse 22 but the fruit of the
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Spirit is Love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness
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Gentleness self -control against such there is no law now if those things are exhibited in your life
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It isn't because we're a goody -two -shoes Christians It's because the Spirit of God is working in our lives.
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We are born from above and we can't but not Exhibit these fruits
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I Guarantee you if you go into the nursery over here where the babies are
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You're gonna see some babies that have grown from last week. They're a little bit the bigger Maybe some one of them has learned to walk
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There they're just you can't stop it. It's growth. It's going to happen it's it's evident in physical life and when there's a
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Spiritual life a rebirth in the life of a sinner when we become a child of God You are going to exhibit the fruit of the
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Spirit It's going to take place and it's what God the Holy Spirit Works through our lives and if a person says
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I'm a believer and yet does not exhibit Self -control or kindness or patience as a pattern of their life then that person should question whether or not they've really been born of the
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Spirit and Whether or not because they don't have the fruit of the Spirit which follows being born of the
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Spirit of God I won't turn there, but acts 1a because we're not going to get through all of these But the very next one acts 1 8 says
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That you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you the speed
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This is being spoken to the disciples at the beginning of that book They'll receive power after the
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Holy Spirit comes upon them and they'll be witnesses both to me in Jerusalem And Judea and Samaria and the outermost parts of the earth.
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It says there that we are empowered by God Kind of relating to that too in verse in the next one the filling of the
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Spirit Ephesians 5 Do not be drunk with wine where is an excess but be filled with the
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Spirit they kind of go together there's an empowering in the life of the believer and there is a filling in the life of the believer in that we become the vessels of God we become
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Captivated by God and in Ephesians 5 to be filled with the Spirit means That we're we're under the influence of the
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Spirit of God. There's a lordship over our lives We are controlled by the Spirit of God and where because of that we're led by the
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Spirit of God, which I already covered two points down where we're led and We're shown from the scripture how it is that we're to live in the
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Spirit of God Takes the Word of God and teaches us that notice down there at the end of the section.
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You see that that Teaches in 1st John chapter 2 those verses over there verse 20 and 27
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It says that we've received an unction from God and that's speaking of the Spirit of God And it says there that we don't have a need to be taught by any man because we're taught by the
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Spirit of God Now that doesn't throw out Human teachers that we're not supposed to have pastors or teachers who teach you the
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Bible What it's saying there though is that you can open the scripture and the Spirit of God Teaches you the
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Word of God, isn't that wonderful? Because if you think about it, I mean so so when you open your
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Bible That is this how you approach the Bible when it comes to Bible study. Okay, I'm gonna read the
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Bible this morning. I Know so much I've been to church so long.
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I know all the doctrines of grace. I know who God is I've been at BBC for 5 10 20 years
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I'm going to IBS When I come to the scripture here, I'll be able to understand this all on my own.
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I'll be able to get it Certainly, we don't come to the scripture that way. Don't you when you open the
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Bible? you kind of You kind of come to a place where I'm not going to understand any of this
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Unless the Spirit of God teaches me So, please don't do you pray when you if you don't pray before you read this the scripture
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You're missing the majority of the approach to scripture We must pray and say
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God, please in the name of Jesus Christ Would you please have the Spirit of God teach me concerning your son so that I might learn so that I might grow
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Praying asking to be taught of God. Do you understand that when not only when it comes to to teaching ourselves?
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But when I'm teaching Sunday school class in the back of my mind
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I am praying that God the Holy Spirit would illumine your hearts and minds. I Can't teach you
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But the Spirit of God can teach you and open up your heart so that you can understand What's being taught you this morning?
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And I hope that somebody here at least somebody here this morning has thought you know what I? Knew there was three persons in the
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Godhead the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit, but I never really understood Maybe you've never really
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I've never really focused on the fact that God the Holy Spirit is a person if you at least got that Hip -hip -hooray,
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I'm excited or maybe you thought you know, I thought Maybe only the
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Spirit of God, you know did one or two things in the life of a believer But you see here this way more than one or two
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I mean There's just a whole host of them isn't there the ministries of the Holy Spirit teaching and and we can't even go there to first Corinthians chapter 12
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But if you read in there, you'll see that that there are members given to the local
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New Testament Church and every member Comes like a factory equipped car with all these different options that you see on the paper
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And that's a human the human illustration, but every believer comes to a local church fully equipped with a spiritual gift or gifts and You're needed and you're necessary and God has brought you here for a reason and you're to use those gifts for The glory of God and for the benefit of the body now,
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I can't finish I can't go through all of these you're going to see at the very bottom of this list that there are
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There are ministries of the Spirit when it comes to the church Calling people to the ministry putting people in spiritual leadership even sending them the
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Spirit of God, you know The Apostles wanted to go in a certain direction But the Spirit of God did not let them go told them to go to this direction
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When it came to missionary journeys that leading and that direct directing He's a source of fellowship and of unity, but I want to finish here and I promise
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John 16 John 16 will finish here And I kind of kind of wrap all this up together
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John 16 You notice in verse 14 Maybe I got to read back in verse 13
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John 16 13 Jesus speaking when the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth
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For he will not speak of his own authority But whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come
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Notice this very important phrase in verse 14 He at the beginning of year 14.
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He will glorify me Get that Beginning of John 16 14.
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Jesus is saying that the Spirit of God will glorify Jesus Christ That's the difference between where I started off at the beginning
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Where I was talking about the charismatic and Pentecostal churches What they have is the
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Spirit of God in their church glorifying the Spirit of God That's exactly what they have The Spirit of God is more important many times in the spiritual gifts and speaking in tongues and all these nice Feelings that you get by the
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Spirit of God We're in the spirit and we're up and down the aisles and all these different things these feelings
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It's because that's what they believe is the ministry of the Spirit of God, but in the Bible Jesus said that this the ministry the primary ministry of the
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Spirit of God is to exalt Jesus Christ is To magnify Christ. So if you're in a church where Jesus Christ is being lifted up We're not that we diminish the
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Spirit of God we're so thankful that God revealed himself in this way, and this is what the ministry of the
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Spirit of God is but Primarily the Spirit of God when it comes to the life of the church is
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His ministry there is to glorify Christ to me to point us to Jesus To make
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Christ to be our all -in -all and to be the brief the preeminent one as it says in Colossians Chapter 1 and when you get that backwards
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It's it's not good. It's not healthy for the church. That's another ministry and that's under the miscellaneous ministries down the bottom
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You can study the rest. I Know that we went through these these quickly But I trust that as we've examined these these will help you to say
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I understand more about the God who saved me I understand more about the God who loves me and works in my life and he works through The ministry of the
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Spirit of God and how thankful I am and I can worship Differently, it'll affect the way that I pray.
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It'll affect the way that I worship It'll affect the way that I evangelize and when I teach when I go about my
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Christian life Because I know that I'm completely dependent upon the Spirit of God to work in me so that I might glorify
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Christ. Let's pray Father thank you for this time that we've spent in your word.
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Thank you for these scriptures which reveal this truth to us Concerning the person and the work of the
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Holy Spirit how thankful we are that you teach us and That you show us these things and open up our understanding to them so that Christ might be magnified