September 17, 2020 Show with Geoff Thomas on “Asking for the Holy Spirit”

Live from the historic parsonage of the 19th century gospel minister George Norcross in downtown

Carlisle, Pennsylvania, it's Iron Sharpens Iron. This is a radio platform in which pastors,

Christian scholars, and theologians address the burning issues facing the church and the world today.

Proverbs chapter 27 verse 17 tells us, Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Matthew Henry said that in this passage, we are cautioned to take heed with whom we converse and directed to have a view in conversation to make one another wiser and better.

It is our hope that this goal will be accomplished over the next two hours, and we hope to hear from you, the listener, with your own questions, and now here's your host,

Chris Arnzen. Good afternoon,

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Lake City, Florida, and the rest of humanity living on the planet Earth who are listening via live streaming at IronSharpensIronRadio .com.

This is Chris Arnzen, your host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, wishing you all a happy Thursday on the 17th day of September, 2020, and I'm thrilled to have back for the second day in a row,

Jeff Thomas. He is, or was, I should say, before retirement, pastor at Alfred Place Baptist Church of Aberystwyth, Wales, for over 50 years.

He is an author. He is a conference speaker. He is very much recognized and appreciated and beloved by all those who love the

Banner of Truth, whether it be their conferences or their books, and he has been published by the

Banner of Truth and by Reformation Heritage Books. And today we are speaking in our second day on discussion on the

Holy Spirit. We are specifically addressing asking for the Holy Spirit, and it's my honor and privilege to welcome you back for the second day in a row here on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, Reverend Jeff Thomas.

Well, thank you very much, Chris. It's flown by, the last hours.

I've been to my oldest daughter's birthday party today.

She's 55 years of age, and so we drove across London. She's married to a pastor here, and he's a fine preacher, and he's written a wonderful commentary on the

Book of Proverbs, big, fat, well -in commentary on Proverbs.

Gary Brady, and she's early Brady, and so we've had a blessed day with her.

Well, I've got to get your son -in -law on my program to discuss that commentary.

Very good, very good. Hopefully he'll be agreeable to that. He's just, yeah, he would be.

He would be excellent. He's just written an essay in a group of men, one of Dr.

McJones' essays, and Michael Hakin and others, on the Pilgrim Fathers, the

Mayflower, going over. And it's due out on November the 1st, and he's written one of the essays on one of the main characters that sailed across all those years ago, the

Pilgrim Fathers. So he's a busy, happy writer and preacher. Well, praise

God. Well, with someone like Dr. Michael Hakin affiliated with that project, it must be very worthwhile, because I happen to love

Dr. Hakin and have had him interviewed on this program quite a number of times. I'm sure.

Well, why don't you let our listeners know again, for the sake of those especially who have never heard you on this program before, let them know about Alfred Place Baptist Church of Aberystwyth, Wales, where you were the pastor for over 50 years, and which is now being pastored by your grandson.

Yeah. Well, it's a building that's 150 years old, and I'm going to be speaking to them in the months to come on the 150th anniversary of that building.

And it's the oldest meeting place in town.

It's in the next block to the sea. It's a resort area. It's a university town, and I was favored to have three or four men in the church when

I went there in 1965 who were praying for God to make it a

Bible pulpit and a Bible congregation. And they were godly men, and they supported me as we went through some tense times that the

Lord kept me and honored them, and now it's a gospel congregation.

But of course, with the coronavirus, it's having to not meet on a

Sunday, but to watch the programs as they're zoomed into the people's homes.

So we hope that the days will come when not only there, but through the Western world, we'll be back to our gatherings together, how we miss singing together and speaking and hugging one another in Christian love.

Praise God. Yes, it's quite sad to see, it appears, that the

UK and the Republic of Ireland have had stricter shutdown laws, quarantine laws, in regard to the coronavirus.

In fact, I know of a listener overseas that way who is a member of a church, a theologically solid church, but the government has prohibited all churches from even singing in the church, and they have complied with that, and that's a very sad situation because they're actually being compelled by the government to,

I believe, disobey God in a command to sing in the church. It's a very sad situation.

Yes, well we would pray that these bans are lifted in the very near future. If anybody wants further information about Alfred Place Baptist Church, go to alfredplacechurch .org

.uk alfredplacechurch .org .uk Well, as I said earlier, when

I announced you, we are now entering into our second day of discussions, two days back to back, on the

Holy Spirit, and yesterday you addressed the Holy Spirit is God, and today we are addressing asking for the

Holy Spirit, and this is something that perhaps you agree with me.

This is a subject that perhaps those that are closest to you and me in their theology might be neglectful of this issue.

Very often we on this program address things that other theological circles and denominations and fellowships and brotherhoods are neglectful over or are downright in opposition to things that we hold dear, but today it may be an issue that especially our

Reformed brethren can learn greatly from and correct some errors, but if you could let us know why asking for the

Holy Spirit was such an important issue for you to want to discuss this today.

Well, the words of Jesus, if he says anything said, it's crucially important, and he says if you then, though you're evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your

Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask

Him, and you know he says that in Luke's Gospel and the 11th chapter and verse 13, and he backs it up, definitely, with some great exhortations and great promises.

Ask, it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.

Everyone who asks, receives. He who seeks, finds. To him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Now, the first thing I want to say about these words is that they don't belong to everybody indiscriminately.

You can't put such words of Jesus on a notice board outside the church.

Ask, and it will be given to you, because people won't understand. There's a man walking by in the street, and he looks at those words.

Ask, and I'll receive. Sounds good to me, he says. I'll ask that I can have that woman. I'll ask for money to get a holiday in Las Vegas.

I'll ask that I'll win in the gambling machines there. I'll ask

I'll win the lottery. I'm encouraged to believe. I'll win it, because God says, ask, and it will be given you.

Well, you know that's wrong. This is not a promiscuous promise. It's curtailed in our text.

How much more will your Father in Heaven give to those who ask

Him? Your Father. These words are spoken to the children of God, to Jesus' disciples.

They're part of a discourse on prayer. His followers are just moved, touched by His praying.

And they say, ah, teach us to pray. John taught his disciples. And these words are about what our

Heavenly Father will do for those who are His longing children.

And if today you're a child of God, you may be a very young child of God. It may be last

Sunday that there was a touch of God on your life.

And you know things are different. And this is your promise, if you're a disciple of the

Lord Jesus Christ. If you've received God's Son as Messiah and Savior, then you've been given the right to be called a son of God.

He's your Father in Heaven. And this promise is your own promise.

It's not the promise of anyone else. It's the promise of the twice -born.

It's the promise of the elect of God. If you are spurning Jesus Christ, then you're obeying another

Lord. And if you are rejecting the privilege of being adopted into the family of God, it's not your promise.

It's a promise for the sons of the Father. It's a promise for disciples.

So, some of you listening, I don't want to give comfort from these words to you until you have settled this issue.

It's not at all true that if you ask for something, God is bound to give it to you.

And so, what I'm asking is, have you any claims whatsoever on this promise?

Are you a child of God? Are you a disciple of Christ who wants to be taught about Him, about being given the

Holy Spirit, how to pray properly? And I'm saying that there is a very real possibility that men pray to God and He won't answer because they are asking amiss.

They're asking for things to consume them on their own lusts. They are asking while they tenderly regard and defend sin, wickedness in their own hearts.

They're asking God for forgiveness and mercy while they entertain no mercy at all for those who have offended them.

And we're told that in such cases, God won't hear us.

And we've no right to take these great words which everybody can quote, ask and it will be given you, and believe they are an assurance that our whims and our fancies will be met because this is a great family promise for the household of faith.

When God's own children ask for these things that are pleasing to their father, then

God will give them to them. That's the first thing

I wanted to say. And the second thing I want to say is this promise is not urging unbelievers to seek for the

Lord or seek for His Spirit. Now I want to encourage you to listen to this broadcast every time it's on the air and make

Sunday a special day, a different day, in which you say, I don't worship my business, but I worship the

Lord and I go to a church to hear the word of God preached and I won't be absent.

And I want you to go on and seek to understand and learn and obey what

God says. And if you're asking God for a closer walk with Him and seeking greater trust in Him and knocking for entry into the deepest fellowship with Him, oh, keep on doing that, my brother, my sister.

Indeed, I do believe that in such longings and some yearnings, there is saving faith.

There is the possession of Christ's salvation in the actual asking and seeking and knocking.

I mean, could you say to me this afternoon, I don't know.

I'm not certain if I have Him, but I know this. If I had

Him, I'd be safe. Oh, can you say that?

You know, that's a Christian. Only a Christian thinks and speaks like that.

So I'm saying, oh, do search for a gospel church and sit under the best ministry.

Every Sunday you can hear. But I don't believe at all that this men and women who are in unbelief seek

Christ. Indeed, I think that the New Testament language is quite the opposite. It doesn't show us people seeking

Christ. In fact, it says categorically, there is none seeking

God. And what we find in the Bible is the Lord seeking men and women.

God is seeking you. He made you turn on this program today.

And you're gripped. And you're listening. And you are hanging around Christian friends and listening to their conversation.

And you like to hear more of forgiveness and pardon through Jesus Christ.

And you're starting to pick up that Bible. And some Christian books that you've been given.

And there are people, I believe, praying for you. And God, in all of this, is showing evidence.

He is seeking you. And I'm afraid that a great deal of what men refer to as their seeking is the seeking of a better invitation than they have so far.

You're wanting to hear the gospel with more excitement. With more goose flesh.

You are wanting to feel the tingle factor. You're waiting to hear it more persuasively.

You don't want to make that lonely, painful, personal, conscience -driven, intellectual decision all by yourself.

From now on, I'm going to entrust myself to Jesus Christ forever.

Why not? Why are you waiting? Why are you saying, ah, well,

I've got to have the tingles first. I've got to have the goose pimples. I've got to have the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.

Why? Why are you insisting on that? Here is

Jesus Christ. He's the Son of God. He says, come to me and I will give you rest.

And coming to Him is presenting yourself just as you are. Not just as you are, plus the tingles.

But going to Him and saying, here I am, Lord. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ today isn't an object that you have to search for.

As if He were somehow lost and buried in some mysterious place, in a cave in the

Himalayas, on a desert island in the South Seas. Some inaccessible and forbidding spot.

It's not as true for a single moment that the Holy Spirit is so far from you that you've got to seek

Him. Because on this program, He is near you.

In the preaching of the Bible, He's near you. In the word of faith that I'm speaking.

That word is now you. And your task and your obligation and your privilege is not to be seeking

Him. And not shaking your head that it's so difficult to find Jesus Christ.

Oh no, no, no, my friend. He is the one seeking. And He is so near that as you hear these words,

He's seeking you now. You don't need to go away from where you now are.

And say, well, if I go to my bedroom or I go to the garden or climb a mountain.

No, no, there's no need for you to leave your chair. He's not to be sought for.

He is the one who has sought you and found you. These words to unbelievers are not seek.

He's not saying go and look in and in and in into the depths of your experience and your emotions.

He says, I'm here. I'm here. So you stretch out your hand to me.

You come to me now because I've been seeking for you.

He's not seeking your seeking. He's not seeking more intense seeking or deeply emotional seeking.

He's not seeking weepy seeking or sighing seeking.

He's watching to see if you will receive

Him into your life as your prophet and priest and king.

He's saying to you, come, come to me.

And here's the door. I'm the door. Enter it. He's not saying keep looking for the door.

He is the door. Knock on that door and He will open it.

I'm that door and you may enter through it. So I'm saying to you,

God is not saying seek for me. God has been seeking for you and He's found you again this afternoon.

Praise God. We have a listener in Carlisle, Pennsylvania named Laszlo, who has a question for you.

What is the difference between when the Holy Spirit fills a person, when that person is born again, versus when the

Holy Spirit descends upon a person, e .g. upon Christ at His baptism, upon the apostles at Pentecost, upon the

Ephesian elders, etc.? If you could answer that. Those were great events in redemptive history, weren't they?

There was an anointing of our Lord. He's been 30 years a carpenter's son in Nazareth.

And now He's been given the beginning of the three most wonderful years this world has ever seen or ever will see.

When the common people heard Him gladly, when He healed all that came to Him, when

He made atonement for our sins, when He rose from the dead, when He ascended into heaven.

And He couldn't do that by His wits and His carpenter skills. He needed the

Holy Spirit for that particular ministry that began then.

He'd had the Spirit before, of course, that had kept Him from sin. And so it was, then they had the blessings of the

Holy Spirit in being companions of Jesus Christ for three years. But now they were beginning a new ministry.

As the Father sent me, so I send you. As the Father gave me the

Holy Spirit for the ministry. So I'm going to give you, just wait in Jerusalem, He says.

And the Holy Spirit comes upon them. And then to Samaritans, our meddled people there,

He comes. And the apostles come and they lay hands on those who have heard and believed.

And they receive the Holy Spirit too. And then Gentiles in Cornelius' household.

And then the twelve disciples of John that haven't heard yet about Jesus and His resurrection.

Until all the world, every Christian all over the world, just like every

Christian today all over the world has the Holy Spirit. That's how life begins.

We begin by a birth from above, born of the

Spirit. And so there were events in redemptive history which were unique at that time.

But the same principle, the beginning by the Spirit of new life in Christ.

That stands firm until we see Him face to face.

Amen. Well, thank you, Laszlo. And keep listening to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio and spreading the word about this program in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and beyond.

We're going to our first break right now. If anybody else would like to join us on the air with your own question, our email address is chrisarnsen at gmail .com.

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I've written. Amen. Well, we are now back with our discussion on asking for the

Holy Spirit. If you would like to submit a question of your own, our email address is chrisornsett at gmail .com

chrisornsett at gmail .com And before I have you continue on with your own thoughts on this very important subject, we do have

John in Bangor, Maine, who wants to know, or who says, I know that you are a great lover of the late

Dr. Martin Lloyd -Jones from hearing you on previous interviews on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio and also having heard you quote

Dr. Lloyd -Jones so lovingly and admiringly in sermons and in lectures.

But I was wondering if you agreed with Dr. Jones' understanding of the second blessing.

From what I have heard, the charismatic movement has taken things that he has believed and taught and written and twisted them to put a seal of approval on their own views of the baptism of the

Holy Spirit. If you could please comment on whether or not I am correct. I think that large part is true.

They try to make him what they call a reformed charismatic. Dr. Lloyd -Jones pointed out something that was very important, that there should be a freshness, a loving intimacy, a new delight in Jesus Christ as our

Lord and Savior. There should be a light that surprises us as we read the word, as we sing a hymn, as we find ourselves in tears at the end of the sermon that the pastor has brought to us.

That we should find our hearts being warmed and that there should be then an experiential relationship with Jesus Christ that it should never become a mere form.

It's possible for a church to become lukewarm and an individual

Christian to leave their first love. The Savior warns us about that in his word and Dr.

Lloyd -Jones was so concerned about that. And as then the movement in rediscovering the

Reformation and the Evangelical Awakening and the great men of Princeton and the

New College and Robert Murray McShane and all those wonderful men and the books that they wrote, the

Puritan books, he was so afraid that people would be satisfied just with the bare teaching.

And he was saying it won't do. Merely to recite an exegete scripture and give the correct interpretation of it.

But there must be more pathos in our ministries that will touch cold hearts.

And that is why he called it the baptism of the

Spirit. And we said, well, you know how that's been abused by other people. Traditionally, he said, that's what the colonists in Methodist Church in Wales called it.

And the men in Scotland, the fillings of the Holy Spirit that help men in their ministries.

And so I might not have used the terminology that Dr.

Lloyd -Jones used, but I did agree with him.

My own cold heart told me I needed a fresh wind, a warm wind from heaven to warm it up, to help me to be a better man of God.

And Westminster Chapel did eventually become a charismatic church, did it not? After Dr.

Lloyd -Jones went to the Lord for eternity. That's right, yes.

They had a very good man called Glen Owen who followed him for five and a half years before he went to Canada, to Toronto, to Knox Presbyterian Church.

And then they were searching and it was a dispiritedness about the congregation.

It was a sort of après -moi la deluge, after me, the flood's going to come, there's no one now.

And then an American went there and he introduced a lot of this charismatic and Pentecostal teaching.

The church never flourished. And when I worshipped there last year, there were about 200 in the morning service in a building that holds 1 ,800.

And I would imagine all but 30 of them were under 22, 23 years of age.

So it knew enormous decline.

And folks, I just want to let you know that when I bring up things like this, I'm not trying to disparage my charismatic and Pentecostal brethren.

And I am a Reformed Christian and a cessationist. And I am not ashamed of my beliefs, so I do speak of them boldly and with the understanding that I do have friends and fellowship with a wide range of Christians of different denominations and theological perspectives, of course.

I am not into the, nor do I support the modern ecumenical movement where we embrace and link arms with those that deny the gospel.

But I do have friends that are non -cessationist and even charismatic and Pentecostal.

I just disagree with them strongly on their views on the sign gifts. I'll take one more question before I have you continue in your own train of thought here.

In fact, I'll take this one last question and we'll have you continue when we return from the break. But the question is from Susan Margaret in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, who asks,

When we ask for the Holy Spirit, are you saying that different Christians have a different measure of the presence of the

Holy Spirit within them? I'm saying that there are different ministries and that there are living services that we give to God, that He places us then in certain circumstances where He will kick the crops away from under us and He will teach us that we can only survive by the power of the

Holy Spirit. And we will learn then, without Him, we can do nothing.

It is not that we can do the simple things. The simple things are the most challenging things.

Daily prayer, a simple thing. The most difficult thing a Christian can do.

And so He then comes as a great doctor, as a great teacher, as a lover of our souls.

And He comes and He enables us to see that we've been relying far too much on our wits or on past blessings, yesterday's blessings, or too late for today.

And He shows us our weakness and He makes us cry then to Him, Fill me again with your

Holy Spirit. Come and bless me and help me.

And this is what I intend to speak upon in this next session.

I'll open up this brief answer that I've given to you when

Chris gives me the go -ahead. Okay, I will, and we're going to be going to our midway break right now.

Remember folks, this is a longer than normal break, because Grace Life Radio, 90 .1

FM in Lake City, Florida, requires of us a longer break in the middle, because the FCC requires of them localizing their programming to Lake City, Florida, where they are located.

And that goes with Iron Shepherd's Iron Radio as well, because they air this program twice a day in a pre -recorded format, both in morning drive and 8 to 10 in the evening.

So, please be patient with us as we take this longer than normal break. Use this time wisely.

Write down as much of the information as you can for as many of our advertisers as you can, so that you can more frequently and successfully respond to those ads and patronize our advertisers whenever possible, even if responding to them means that you're just sending them an email or giving them a phone call to thank them for sponsoring

Iron Shepherd's Iron Radio. Sometimes our advertisers, let's say it's a church, you have your own church that you love, and you're not going to be traveling to the area that our advertising church is located in, and so therefore you're not going to make use of them by joining them or visiting them, but you can call them or email them and say, please continue to sponsor

Iron Shepherd's Iron Radio. It means a lot to me that you sponsor them. I thank you so much, etc. So, please reach out to our advertisers because we want to keep them happy so that they continue to advertise with us, and therefore we,

God willing, subsequently will remain on the air for a longer future. So, please write down the information those advertisers provide and also write down questions for Jeff Thomas on asking for the

Holy Spirit and send them to chrisarnson at gmail .com chrisarnson at gmail .com

and as always, give us your first name at least, your city and state of residence, and your country of residence if you live outside the

USA. Only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter. Don't go away.

We'll be right back with Jeff Thomas on asking for the Holy Spirit right after these messages from our sponsors. Iron Shepherd's Iron Radio Iron Shepherd's Iron Radio depends upon the financial support of fine

Christian organizations to remain on the air, like the Historical Bible Society. The Historical Bible Society maintains a collection of Christian books, manuscripts, and Bibles of historical significance spanning nearly a thousand years.

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Hi, this is John Sampson, pastor of King's Church in Peoria, Arizona.

Taking a moment of your day to talk about Chris Arnzen and the Iron Sharpens Iron podcast. I consider

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This is a day of great spiritual compromise, and yet God has raised Chris up for just such a time.

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♪♪♪ James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries and the Dividing Line webcast here.

Although God has brought me all over the globe for many years to teach, preach, and debate at numerous venues, some of my very fondest memories are from those precious times of fellowship with Pastor Rich Jensen and the brethren at Hope Reform Baptist Church, now located at their new, beautiful facilities in Coram, Long Island, New York.

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Call 1 -800 -669 -4878. Hi, I'm Buzz Taylor, frequent co -host with Chris Arnzen on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.

I would like to introduce you to my good friends Todd and Patty Jennings at CVBBS, which stands for Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service.

Todd and Patty specialize in supplying Reformed and Puritan books and Bibles at discount prices that make them affordable to everyone.

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Christian books and Bibles at the best possible prices. Unlike other book sites, they make no effort to provide every book that is available because frankly, much of what is being printed is not worth your time.

That means you can get to the good stuff faster. It also means that you don't have to worry about being assaulted by the pornographic, heretical, and otherwise faith -insulting material promoted by the secular book vendors.

Their website is cvbbs .com. Browse the pages at ease, shop at your leisure, and purchase with confidence as Todd and Patty work in service to you, the

Church, and to Christ. That's Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service at cvbbs .com.

That's cvbbs .com. Let Todd and Patty know that you heard about them on Iron Sharpen's Iron Radio.

And you can also call cvbbs .com to place your order toll -free at 800 -656 -0231, 800 -656 -0231.

Please remember, you can only get in touch with somebody through that number if you call

Monday through Friday between 10 a .m. and 4 .30 p .m. Eastern Time. There is no voicemail on that line, and there is no one answering that line other than Monday through Friday, 10 a .m.

to 4 .30 p .m. Eastern Time. I also have a request. When you purchase books from cvbbs .com,

Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service, since Solid Ground Christian Books is also a sponsor of Iron Sharpen's Iron Radio, and Solid Ground Christian Books is a publisher, while cvbbs .com

is a book distributor carrying many publishers' titles, I would ask that you go to Solid -Ground -Books .com

first, make a long list of books that you want to order from them, and then you can order them at cvbbs .com,

because that way you are helping both of our clients at the same time, and neither of them is hurt by this process, because cvbbs .com

has to purchase the books that you order for Solid Ground Christian Books, they have to purchase them from Solid Ground Christian Books anyway, so it all works out in the long run, where both are blessed.

So please do that, because we want to keep both of our book -related advertisers happy.

Also, folks, we are going to be returning momentarily to our discussion on asking for the

Holy Spirit with our guest Jeff Thomas today, but before that we just have some important announcements to make.

Tomorrow we have a first -time guest joining us on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, Aaron Brewster, he is the host of Truth, Love, Parent, and we are going to be addressing the challenges of Christian parenting today.

That's tomorrow, Friday the 18th of September here on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. Also, on Monday we have a first -time guest, we have

Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy joining us, he's not going to be talking about pillows though, he is going to be talking about his autobiography,

What are the Odds from Crack Addict to CEO. He is going to be giving his testimony on how he plunged to the depths of addiction and nearly destroyed himself, body and soul through that addiction and through rebelling against God, but was mercifully rescued by our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and saved and made whole and made a new man and he is clean and sober and actually working on establishing his own rehabilitation and recovery ministry.

So I am very excited to have this discussion for the very first time with Mike Lindell this

Monday on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. He will be on only unfortunately for the first half hour, he can only spare that much time, he is doing a lot of work in the political arena candidating for or campusing or however you want to phrase it for President Donald Trump and doing other things so he can only squeeze in a half hour for us but we are grateful for that.

He is going to be followed by an interview with Mike Gaydosh and another individual who is an author on the book, a book that is basically a biography of Judas Iscariot which is going to be a fascinating discussion

I am sure. And we have guests on every day Monday through Friday every week on this show so make sure you try to tune in as much as possible.

Also folks, if you love this show and you don't want it to disappear from the airwaves please go to www .IronSharpensIronRadio

.com click support then click to donate now. You can donate instantly with a debit or credit card by doing that and if you prefer snail mail you can also mail in a check made payable to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio to the address that appears on the screen when you click support at www .IronSharpensIronRadio

.com You can also advertise with us as long as whatever it is you are promoting is compatible with what we believe you don't have to believe identically with me to advertise but you do need to be promoting something that is at the very least compatible with what

I believe so send me an email to chrisarnson at gmail dot com chrisarnson at gmail dot com and put advertising in the subject line.

Please folks, as I try to remember to remind you every day please never siphon money away from your regular giving to your local church in order to give to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.

In other words, don't give your church less than you normally do because you want to bless us financially.

And never also put your family in financial jeopardy if you are really struggling to survive and make ends meet by giving to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio putting yourself deeper in the hole, etc.

Those two things are commands of God in scripture, providing for your church and your family.

Providing for my radio show as much as it is very important to me is not a command of God obviously, but please, if you are financially blessed above and beyond your ability to obey those two commands to provide for your church and family if you do have finances available because you haven't been, for instance going out fine dining lately because of the quarantining going on that still is occurring in many parts of the

United States where restaurants are closed down or at least very limited in what they can do.

Perhaps you are not going to the movies anymore right now perhaps you are not going to the theater to see theatrical performances and plays perhaps you are not going to concerts, perhaps you are not going to Bible conferences.

Well, there are many other things that people do recreationally, your favorite sporting events and so on that you haven't been doing because of the coronavirus pandemic hysteria.

Well, the money that you've been saving doing those things or by not doing those things please share some of that money with us, if not all of it to help us remain on the air if indeed you love the show and you don't want us to disappear go to www .ironshepherdsironradio

.com click support, then click click to donate now. Also folks if you are not a member of a local

Bible believing church please I can help you God willing, find a church in your area and I have already helped people all over the planet earth find churches sometimes within a couple of minutes drive from where they live that they didn't even know existed and I'm talking about all over the world

I've helped people find churches whether it be churches where they have visited and joined and become members there or when they are going on vacation and they are not familiar with the area where they are visiting they want a good solid church to attend while they are there or they have family, friends and loved ones who are not members of good

Bible believing churches I can help you God willing with these lists I have of churches all over the world that are biblically faithful send me an email to chrisarnson at gmail .com

chrisarnson at gmail .com and put I need a church in the subject line I want to thank James who just today asked for a church in northeast

Philadelphia area because he is moving there and I will God willing this evening or tomorrow get you a list of churches that I would recommend that you visit thank you

James for reaching out to us that's chrisarnson at gmail .com and put I need a church in the subject line that's also the email address where you can send in a question to our guest

Jeff Thomas on asking for the Holy Spirit chrisarnson at gmail .com

please give us your first name at least your city and state of residence and your country of residence if you live outside the USA and Jeff if you could pick up where you wanted to express in your own words some more very important things that you want our listeners to be blessed by and to be edified by and to be further equipped to be even more ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within them

Amen well then what should we Christians ask for what should we plead what should we knock on the gates of heaven for and I am saying this that we should ask

God to fulfill all his promises and we should ask ourselves as we start to pray do

I have a promise I don't mean whether you have one emotionally one that grips you and zaps you and takes your strength from you and touches you there are such consequences to reading and especially hearing the word of God preached with the

Holy Spirit thank God for that that's not my concern now in this great inspired word that comes from another better place with its jocks and tittles inspired by God which the

Savior said your word is truth is there in this book a promise and is that promise mine simply on the basis that I am a child of God well yes of course you say there is such a promise there are many great and precious promises and they are mine and so when

I worship God I can pray with confidence that God will fulfill what he has promised to me and every

Christian and they are the limits of God's obligations what he has promised he will give but no more he hasn't promised for example

I'll get A grades in all my exams he hasn't promised that I'll never get coronavirus that I'll be cured of every ailment and disease

I contract he hasn't promised me riches or marriage or children or a long life he hasn't promised that I shall see a mighty religious awakening in my lifetime and where there are no promises then

God has not bound himself to us but every promise that he's made he's going to fulfill he will work all things together for my good he will supply all my needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus he's promised nothing shall ever separate me from his love he's promised

I'll be able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me he's promised

I'll learn in whatever state I'm in to be content he's promised that the good work he has begun in me he will complete in the day of Christ what he has promised he will perform effectually and that is what we pray for all our certainty and assurance is based on such promises so you may ask me for the fulfillment of any promise plead for it knock on the door of the promises and every expectation and confidence must have a promise and I can begin to doubt

God and question his faithfulness when I discover him breaking his promises it's not when he fails my expectations or doesn't grant my whims that I'm justified in being angry with him but when his solemn promises begin to fail

I may doubt him so he has promised about the

Holy Spirit that he will pour him out in the last days he said it to Joel and it was fulfilled at Pentecost and in the

Acts of the Apostles and ever since and Jesus says here if you ask for an egg if your child asks for an egg will you give him a scorpion if you were not a perfect man but you know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your father in heaven give the

Holy Spirit to those who ask him you see how he spells it out in such a fascinating way daddy give me some fish

I'll give you something you snarl and you throw in a viper not at all that never happens we never treat our children in this way we know how to give good gifts to our children your heavenly father knows about giving the

Holy Spirit to those who ask you see that that's the word ask did he say agonize did he say those totally yielded did he say those who make full surrender those who are completely dedicated who renounce all sin who lay everything on the altar who body soul and spirit are yielded perfectly who struggle for him who lie on the floor and cry and weep and then perhaps when you've fulfilled every condition perfectly with a hundred percent faith then you might have the spread no no none of those things ask for him says

Jesus the Holy Spirit gives the Holy Father gives the

Holy Spirit not to those who have arrested out of the

Father's reluctant hands the Holy Spirit but it's a gift he gives it and a gift isn't earned a gift isn't won by a price or a man when

I worked for the coal board and paid out the miners they didn't thank me with tears in their eyes for their pay packets they'd worked hard for them

I was giving them nothing they'd earned their pay God doesn't make us work to have the

Holy Spirit he's gracious it's a gift the coming of the day of Pentecost is because he promised and he came upon them at that time without money without price and so you and I should ask for the

Spirit to live the Christian life that's the context the context is

Lord teaches us how to pray and he tells them a parable that assures them

God hears and he says ask for the

Holy Spirit the road is long the road is hard going you have to love

God with all your heart you have to love your neighbour as yourself you have to present your body a living sacrifice to God every day you have to be filled with the

Spirit it's a life of great ethical stringency of demanding relentless arduous labour the road is heavy and we who are strong have to bear the burdens of the weak and he lays down principle upon principle the sermon on the mount family life before the watching world we start to think who can be saved how can any man live like that and so he says ask and you shall receive seek and you shall find not and it will be open to you seek the grace the energy for the

Christian life comes to us by the Holy Spirit and when we say oh

Lord I can't be the kind of Christian I can't be a preacher I can't be the wife

I should be the husband I can't Jesus knows what you're thinking and he's encouraging us with his great promise when we think this is impossible

Jesus says have you thought of asking have you thought of seeking have you thought of knocking and you get what you want ask for the

Holy Spirit to help you Christian life isn't an impossibly unattainable life it's the road that God stretches out before us and if we're not walking that road we won't reach glory so the

Lord teaches us about praying that we live with him and follow him on the road to heaven so is that what you want are you hungering and thirsting after righteousness do you say well to me to live is

Christ this one thing I do are you saying that if not why not what's more important do you say take my life and let it be consecrated

Lord to thee and ask for grace be that kind of man that kind of woman be a proper

Christian boy or girl don't be half a Christian and half a follower of the world this promise of getting the

Holy Spirit has nothing to do with tongue speaking or being the most eloquent preacher in America Jesus isn't telling you here that you're going to be healed of your illnesses these promises are not about problems with your health or getting a job or getting some recognition this promise is about the source of every blessing of every scrap of energy to walk the road that leads to God and that comes by the

Holy Spirit ask that God will help you and that was the next point

I wanted to make Chris well praise God and you know what I'm going to do is

I'm going to go to our final break now so I don't have to interrupt you mid -sentence and so we're going to that final break it's going to be much shorter than the last two if you have a question send it in as soon as you can because we are running out of time

ChrisArnzen at gmail .com is the email address C -H -R -I -S -A -R -N -Z -E -N at gmail .com

as always give us your first name at least your city and state of residence and your country of residence if you live outside the

USA only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter we'll be right back with Jeff Thomas in Asking for the

Holy Spirit right after these messages from our sponsors music music music music music music music s s s s s s s s s s s s s how to worship

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Welcome back. This is Chris Arnzen, and if you just tuned us in, we have had the privilege of nearly for nearly two hours to interview once again

Jeff Thomas. This is the second day in a row he has been here on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio addressing the glorious theme of the

Holy Spirit, and today specifically we have been addressing asking for the

Holy Spirit. If you have a question, please send it in now because we're rapidly running out of time. ChrisArnzen at gmail .com.

ChrisArnzen at gmail .com. We do have an anonymous listener who says,

I find much more commonality with my Reformed brethren, even those that are cessationist, than I do with my

Charismatic and Pentecostal brothers and sisters, but it has always troubled me that I have never seen a clear scripture verse that says that the gift of tongues and healing are no longer for the

Church today, and in fact any time after the Apostolic Era. Can you please guide me into understanding how this is a biblical teaching that these things have ceased?

Yeah, okay. The Apostles, chosen by Christ, 12 of them, a symbolic number, they had to be with Christ from his baptism and they had to see him resurrected.

They were given authority so that what they preached and what they wrote was the

Word of God. It became the foundation, the Gospels they wrote, the letters they wrote, history of the

Church, Book of Revelation, a revelation from God, and that became then the foundation of the

Church. When you lay a foundation, you are satisfied with its strength.

You don't lay another foundation or another foundation, you have the foundation, you build on that.

We have had then the foundation, the Apostolic Foundation, and when the

Apostles died, all that they had to say to us was said and was captured in the

Scriptures, in the 27 books of the New Testament, like the Prophets, with the 39 books of the

Old Testament, that it was said, it was the Word of God, and there was a warning at the end in Revelation 22 about adding to what

God had breathed. So, we are cursed if we preach what isn't in that book, or if we're an angel from heaven and we give another word.

The Apostles then, the revelation that they gave, and there were a host of others, there were prophets who gave certain predictions, a man called

Agabus, about judgment on Jerusalem and about the servant of the

Lord being chained and arrested. Is there any servant of God who hasn't perished outside of Jerusalem, the

Bible asks. So, here we have a revelation from God, and alongside of it there were the gift of speaking in other languages, speaking of the great spread of the

Gospel worldwide, no longer now is it just in Jerusalem, but it goes out from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the world, there's a centrifugal force that's taken the

Gospel to Tierra del Fuego in Siberia and fills the world today, preaching that word, that apostolic word.

There's no need of more words, but all obedience and understanding and faithful testimony to the

Word we've got, it's sufficient, it is sufficient to save, it saved you, it saved me, and millions and millions like us.

So, that's the way I would approach then, answering the question, where is there in Scripture a testimony that there were certain gifts that were exclusively tied to the apostolic circle, the apostles and the believer, and they were foundational gifts, revelatory gifts.

No more revelation is needed because Scripture is sufficient for every good work you'll ever be asked to do in your life.

Amen, praise God. We have Arnie in Perry County, Pennsylvania, who asks, what do

Reformed cessationist pastors and Christians mean when they say things like,

I believe the Holy Spirit has guided me to preach this message today, or I believe the

Holy Spirit has placed it upon my heart to mention this to you. If indeed there is no new revelation, what do those phrases mean?

I mean, we have a living relationship with God the Father and God the Son and God the

Holy Spirit, and we could just as well say, my loving Heavenly Father has helped me here, the

Lord Jesus has been with me, I've been seeking his grace and seeking his blessing, and I feel that this

Word then has come to me from God, and it's for you, and you're here this day to hear this

Word, and that's what we are saying. We are not saying that it is infallible.

There will be mistakes in it. It will be imperfect. I've never preached an infallible sermon.

I've never prayed an infallible prayer, but I've been helped in my praying. I've been helped in my preaching by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to bring words like I've been helped yesterday and again today in speaking of the

Holy Spirit and asking for the Holy Spirit. I've been helped to speak to you, and that is the normal Christian life.

He's not saying anything exceptional. When he doesn't say those words before he preaches or while he preaches,

I feel I have a message from the Holy Spirit for you. We always feel that.

If we are called by God to preach in our preparation, in our walk with God, in our ministries, then we can do nothing without Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

There we are. Amen. We have an anonymous listener who says,

I have friends who will say things like, don't give me credit for the poem that I wrote because it was really the

Holy Spirit that wrote it. I am not responsible, nor do I deserve credit at all, or things like that where there is what appears to be a false humility, where on the one hand, someone is trying to tell us not to give them credit, but on the other hand, they think so highly of this poem or this piece of music they have written that they believe it came from the very lips of God.

How do we address things like that with our friends? Oh, that is a very wise observation.

I agree with you. I feel so restless. You're not like a guy who gets up and says,

I don't want to talk about the seven books I've written. I don't want to talk about the 24 years

I've passed at this church. And he's talking about it and that person saying, you know, it's not me.

It's God, the Holy Spirit that wrote this poem or whatever it is.

And they don't realize in their naivety that they are making extraordinary claims because, of course, the

Holy Spirit has to help us in everything. But we do these things, and I've never done anything absolutely sinless in my life.

On my best sermons, my best praying, I've got to say, I'm sorry, Lord, it wasn't as honoring to you.

It wasn't as perfect as it deserved to be.

Please forgive me. And yeah, that's the spirit.

It's an ill -taught person who is saying those things to you, and you've spotted it, and you've helped me in raising this question this afternoon.

Well, thank you, Anonymous. And what does—oh, it's another

Anonymous listener. What does the Scripture that is referring to when we run out of words, we just have groanings mean?

I have been told that this is what tongues is, but is that true? No, it's not true, no.

He's not talking about us running out of words.

We don't run out of words. We add to our words sighs and strong cryings and tears as Jesus did.

And we are like that all the time. The Holy Spirit is interceding within us.

Jesus, at the right hand of God, he's interceding. And then the

Holy Spirit is interceding within us because he knows us, because he knows what our weakness is, and he knows what blessings we have and that we need to fulfill the calling.

And he's giving us strength, and he is saying, Father, oh,

Father, help this brother, help this sister at this time.

That's part of the answer of asking for the

Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit himself comes immediately. He comes, and he prays within us, strengthening us, groaning, saying,

Lord, come now more upon this man and use this man more.

That's really the context of this intercession of the

Spirit within every Christian. This is in Romans 8, 26, by the way, for those of our listeners who are wondering what our anonymous listener was referring to.

I might as well read it. The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses, for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the

Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

And right now, I want you to have five minutes or so of uninterrupted time where you can express yourself and summarize what you most want etched in the hearts and minds of our listeners before we leave this program today.

I want to say, ask for the Holy Spirit. That's what it tells us.

We can sit for years, hoping that the Church is in decline and that we're living in a day of small things.

Is God the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead? Is he central to our thinking?

Christ is saying to his disciples, what you men need now is the

Spirit of God. Ask God to send God to you. What we

Christians need and need more of and always need more of is the Spirit. We need his comfort, his courage, his morale -boosting ministry, his energizing.

That's what we must have, his fruitfulness, his leading, his competence, his perseverance.

We always need that. It's not enough to know that there are problems and we have wise friends and good books and inspirational speakers.

We possess the great remedy for all our ills and infirmities in God's gift of the

Holy Spirit. The teaching isn't at all that for the small things we can manage.

We can get by ourselves, but for the great awakenings we need

Holy Spirit -sent revival. No, we need

Holy Spirit for everything we do. Help me prepare this meal, our dear wives and mothers say.

Spend my housekeeping money and decide what to do in the yard and call the children away in college.

Are they doing okay? Give the kids advice. Help me with their questions about going to the movies.

We need the Holy Spirit for every decision, great and small. We ask

God for everything without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing.

We get nowhere by ourselves. So, this is our loving

Father who pities us and he sends for our survival, his grace, his

Spirit. How marvelous is God's love, how willing to give grace to us.

There are no mistakes. God makes no mistakes. Within there are no moods.

It's never inconvenient for God to get involved in our lives. When we're in the depths and we cry to him from deep down here, he hears.

He comes to our assistance. He commands the Spirit to go forth into the darkest, dirtiest, hottest, most unfriendly, most hostile, most remote places in the world to help us and work us.

So, let me just return to my two fundamental principles now.

Firstly, to those of you who are Christians, you have to follow the

Lord Jesus Christ as his disciples each day. To live that life, you need the

Holy Spirit and his graces. You go to him. You seek his grace to live that life.

And he promises, if you seek him, you'll find him. To those of you who are not yet Christians or still not

Christians, you know better than I do who are not believers in Jesus Christ.

I'm saying to you, you have nothing to do with his promise. You say, is there nothing here for me?

Ah, a great deal for you. The living God is seeking you. You wouldn't be hearing these words if he hadn't providentially worked into you listening to this radio broadcast today.

God is seeking for you. Isn't that marvelous? At times you've almost given up on yourself and your closest family and friends have been tempted to give up on you.

God hasn't given up on you. You were a lost sheep. He abandoned all the safe sheep and he sat out searching for you and he kept seeking you until he found you.

And this is where he's found you today, hearing me say these words to you.

And I'm saying to you, take him. Take Jesus Christ in all the glory of his person and in the perfection of what he has done.

Enter in at the narrow gate. So two kinds of people are listening to this broadcast and I close on two different directions.

To those of you who are saved, I say, never stop seeking. Never stop asking for the

Holy Spirit's help. To those of you who are not saved, I say, take him.

He is here. He is with you where you are now. Take him.

And that's the biblical order. The Lord's people are to ask God for the

Holy Spirit to help them day by day. And those who are not Christians are to take and receive his free salvation.

Amen. And we're out of time. And if anybody would like to investigate more about Alfred Place Baptist Church in Aberystwyth, Wales, where our guest's grandson is now pastoring, go to alfredplacechurch .org

.uk. alfredplacechurch .org .uk. Thank you so much, Jeffrey Thomas.

Thank you, everybody who listened. And I want you all to always remember for the rest of your lives that Jesus Christ is a far greater